August Prayer requests and Praises

Welcome to August! We are in the heat of the summer down here but we are learning to adjust.

Life at Agape this month was very “normal”. It is hard to really define normal anymore because it has been a long time since we had a normal month. This month we flew our 103th Agape flight to Haiti and the DR for the year. During the earthquake we had numerous other aircraft and those increased our numbers but our actual Agape plane has flown 103 flights this year. (Note-we flew 50 last year.) There is still much need for relief cargo, but, for now, the regular cargo outnumbers the relief supplies. Most of the missionaries we support are back in business so we are trying to keep up with their regular shopping requests and shipping needs. Customs and red tape are affecting how we operate at some airports but with prayer and connections we know God can take care of these issues.

I’m sure many of you are wondering how life in Haiti is six month post-quake. Well, life in Haiti is still very devastating. The living conditions are hot, rainy and uncomfortable. People are still living in tent cities. Many buildings are exactly where they fell on January 12th and progress to rebuild is very slow. Our pilots report that a ride around Port au Prince is heartbreaking but reports from other areas tell of slow and steady progress to rebuild. Many teams have converged on Haiti this summer to help the process. It is one building at a time and one team at a time that makes a difference. The people of Haiti are strong. They have lost so much but they have not given up. They continue to move forward and do all they can based on their limited resources and materials. Please keep the Haitian people and the missionaries in your prayers. There is still much to be done.
Here are our Prayer request and Praises for this month....

• Praise the Lord for the release of all the remaining sea containers. He worked His ways in customs again and all the supplies are already distributed in Haiti.
• Praise God for the many hours of volunteer work that goes on at Agape each week. From lawn mowing to plane loading to accounting, volunteers allow us to get it all done. God is faithful every week to provide the man power we need and we are so grateful for Him and the way He leads people.
• Praise the Father for our supporters who encourage us and allow us to serve at Agape.
• Please pray for customs issues that we face on a regular basis. Pray for God’s provision through the red tape in both Haiti and the D.R. He will find a way.
• Please pray for our family. We are constantly being stretched in new directions and we want to honor God in every way.
• Please intercede with us for the people of Haiti. There is still hopelessness and despair in many areas. Pray for God’s touch in their lives and that they will see where true hope comes from.
• Please pray for the search for a new Executive Director.
• Please also keep in your prayers Lynn's mom. After having a very good month, she is currently back in the hospital with unexplained neurological issues. Please pray for healing, peace and rest.

Thank you all for your faithful support and prayers. We are grateful for each of you. Please let us know how we can be praying for you.
Have a great month!
Living victoriously in Christ,
The Andersons

Happy Birthday HOPE!!

Today is another special day for us. Our little girl turned four today. Hope Carolyn, also known as Hope Carolyn TeaBlossom Barbie Corine Courtney, had a wonderful day today at Busch Gardens. (Yes, that is what she calls herself if you ask her for her name) This kid is one of a kind and we are so blessed to be her family.


Hope is such a fire ball. She is extreme in all she does. She gives everything she does her all and then she gives napping her all. She says and does things that are not normal for a four year old. For example, the other day she started reading road signs while I was driving and told me "Mom, you can not do a u turn here and there is no parking over there. Now, you better obey." When she was at the doctor for swimmer's ear, the doctor asked her when her ears hurt and she told her, "Well, (long pause) they only hurt when I speak English...if I speak Spanish, they don't hurt." (and I said "what???") Like I said, she is one of a kind.


Hope has a huge heart for hurting people. She asked questions about Haiti all the time (Like, "Mom, has the earth stopped shaking there yet?"). She wants Build a Bear to make a donation bear for Haiti, so US kids can buy Haitian kids bears to send over. When we started talking about her birthday a few weeks ago, she asked if she could make a donation for Haiti for her birthday. That's our girl.


Our prayer is that she will set the world on fire for the Lord with her extreme spirit and love for life. She is one incredible girl and we are very proud of her. We know that God has big plans for her and we can't wait to see what He is going to do through her.


Here are a few of Hope's favorites

• Food---Chicken strips with ranch



• Ride at Busch Garden---Tidal Wave (also known as the Frog Hopper in Wis. Dells)



• Playmates---Grace and Bailey



• Color---PINK pink Pink



• Movie---Barbie and the 3 Muskateers And all princess movies



• Toy---Leapster 2 (Backyardigans and Nemo)



• Animal---Butterflies, especially Monarchs

• Summer activity---Riding scooter

• Song----John 3:16



• Dance---ballerina dancing

Here are a few picts. of her past year.....

Happy Birthday Hope!! We love you!
Living victoriously in Christ, Lynn, Lance, Grace and Hope

July praises and prayer requests

Is anyone else having a hard time believing it is July already??? My internal calander is not computing this at all. Where has this year gone so far??

What a year and what a month we have had, though!? We are still busy at Agape but just not the same tempo and urgency of busy as post earthquake. Our flight schedule has returned to once a week. We are still sending supplies and relief materials to Haiti but we have also resumed on all other deliveries as well. The two day flights leave on Thursday and return on Friday each week.

The amount of donated items we still have is enormous but we are not rushing to send them in until the missionaries are ready for them. Over 300 boxes of clothing and medical supplies are ready to go for when the missionaries are able to distribute them. The girls and I(Lynn) worked for days this month on sorting and organizing the clothing as well as packing backpacks for the homeless. We have condensed 2 warehouses into a maze of shelves at the hangar.

This month Agape started a year long celebration of 30 years of ministry. On June 26, we had a big picnic at the hangar to celebrate God's goodness and faithfulness over the past 30 years. The Soarin Celebration was an event to dedicated our new airplane and celebrate all God has done for us. It was a wonderful (and HOT) picnic which included entertainment, prayers, food, fun and words from our founders, Clara and Keith Starkey. The Agape kids even performed for the crowds. (Video link is below so you can see the performance for yourselves.)

As a family, we have been very blessed this month. God completed what He started in April with the sale of our house. The house closed on June 21 and we are so grateful. God is the ultimate realtor and I highly recommend Him to any one wishing to sell a property. If you need His number give me a call. :)

Lance has been extremely busy at work as well. He has so many jobs to do now that I can't keep track of which one he is working on. It is easy to say that no two days are alike and he is never bored. God is using all of his talents and skills every day. Praise the Lord, that's why we are here. It is all for HIM.

Well, that should have you updated for now.
Here are the monthly praises and prayer requests:

Praise the Lord for the all the workers for the Soarin Celebration. The event was wonderful because of all the help we received and the hundreds of people who came out in the heat to see what God is doing.

Praise God for the closing of our home in Iowa. God provided the buyer and the timing just like He always does.

Praise the King for His protection and provision. He is our all in all and He is watching over us at every turn.

Praise the Father for our volunteer chaplains that lead our staff in weekly chapel services. We are blessed to have many faithful pastors who give their time to help us stay on track and follow God’s word in our ministry.

Please pray for our flights over the next few months. The rainy season and storm season is upon us. Flying into these storms can be difficult to navigate. Please pray for clear skies and safe flights.

Please pray for Agape members, John and Joyce Hansen. They were home from Haiti for their mission convention and their daughter, Cynthia passed away unexpectantly. Please pray for a covering of peace in their lives and healing for their hearts.

Please continue to pray for Lynn’s mom as she continues to battle cancer. She had a very difficult month but now is back on the mend.

Please intercede with us again for the new sea containers waiting in customs in Haiti. Pray that God would prevail again and we will see them released this month.

Please pray for the search for a new Executive Director.

Thank you for all your encouragement and prayers. We are praying this month brings you blessings upon blessings.
Happy 4th of July! Enjoy your freedom celebrations and remember real freedom comes from only one source, Jesus Christ.

Living victoriously in Christ,
Lynn, Lance, Grace and Hope

PS. To watch the Agape kids video, go to http://theprayernotes.blogspot.com . Barbara posted her video and picts of the kids. Thanks Barbara.