Spring Trip to Haiti

Over the past seven days, the Anderson family and Haiti Care Mission have been hard at work in Haiti.  We were very excited to get back on the ground and spend time sharing the love of Jesus with the children. 

     There are so many stories to tell about the trip that we have  decided to write about it for the next two newsletters.  For this edition, we will share some stories from our stay with our first missionary host.

     We started our trip with a few concerns about the large amount of items we were bringing in.  We took a total of 16 bags into the country.  Our main concerns were logistics and customs.  But as God always does, He took care of everything.  We had no problems with either.  We had favor at both airports, (US and Haiti) and our travel was seamless.

     Our first stop was at a small church in Tabarre.  The pastor of this church is a friend of our host, Pastor Lamartine.  As we arrived at the church, the children began to filter in.  We taught a Bible lesson and explained the meaning of the salvation bracelets.  We then distributed dresses, salvation bracelets, and candy.  After we had finished, the pastor noticed that many more children had arrived.  So many new children had arrived, that the pastor asked that we start over and tell the Bible story again so all the children could hear the message.

     When we had finished, the pastor told us, through tears in his eyes, that no one had ever come to his church to do anything like this before.  He was very grateful. He told us, “The lesson you taught them today and what you did for them today will never be forgotten by these children.”   It was very humbling to hear his words of gratitude.  We feel blessed to have opportunities like this.

     The next day, we took a longer drive to Mirebalais.  When we arrived at the church, the building was already filling up with girls from the village.  Once again, we shared a Bible story with the children and distributed items to every child.  The ladies of the church were very excited that we had dresses that fit them as well and several ladies were thrilled to receive diapers for their babies. 

     On Sunday morning, we traveled to a church in Fond Parisien. Lance shared the Gospel message to the church.  After service, we were able to distribute items to the children and not one child went home empty handed. We are always fascinated with how God plans for our trips.  We do our best to make predictions about the number of items to take to each location, but God has it perfectly coordinated.  He knows the exact number of items needed and how many children will be present.  He is the best planner of all.

    The final stop of Sunday was to Fond Dieu, on the border of the Dominican Republic.  Once again, we were impressed with the way God worked it all out.  This small church is in a very poor village, which the pastor had built through Food for the Poor.  Every child in the church and most of the mothers were able to receive a new dress or diapers.  The boys received a toy.  One mom and daughter were so excited to receive the dresses that they went to change and came back to show us.  They were very grateful.

    The first half of the trip was very busy. We were excited to be able to travel to some new locations, as well as return to some of the places we visited last April.  We feel honored to be able to share the Gospel with the children of Haiti and place an item of love in their hands.  Thank you for linking arms with us and supplying us with the resources to do this work.

 

If you would like to view pictures from the Haiti trip:
click here to view photo album
Thank you for your ongoing support and prayers.
Living victoriously in Christ,
Lynn and Lance Anderson, Mission Directors

April Updates and Prayer requests

    This month has been a very busy month for us in building more new partnerships.  God has opened doors for us with local partnerships and around the US.  It has been a real pleasure to meet with new sewing groups and new churches. 

    We greatly appreciate all of these new partnerships and look forward to the fruit that will be produced as we link arms.  One of the best aspects of ministry for us is that we get to build relationships with our groups in the US, as well as build relationships in the field. It is a wonderful cross of cultures and diversity.

     This month, we had the distinct pleasure of meeting one of our out of state sewing group coordinators, Dee Knight.  Dee wanted to spend time learning more about the ministry and how her group can be positive contributors to Haiti Care Mission. It was a day full of vision sharing and organizing.  We had a wonderful time learning about her group and how they are working to help us.  If the way God connected us together is any indication of the great things that will come from this partnership, then we are expecting big things from this group.  This group is from Asheville, North Carolina and would love to meet anyone from the area that is interested in joining them.  We would be happy to pass on their information if you are in that area.

     We also had the honor of  speaking at a ladies group in town where the younger ladies of the church are learning to sew from the experienced ladies. It was encouraging to see the cross generational ministry of this group.  There were 3 generations represented and the greatest part was that they all share the same dedication to helping others.  The girls in Haiti will be blessed through the fruit of these women.  They plan to make 100 dresses for us and we are honored to bring those into Haiti on their behalf.

     Later in the month, we had the privilege to share at another local church and the response was great.  They have committed to supplying us with 100 pair of flip flops before our next trip.  We are always encouraged when we see people link arms with us. 

     We are grateful for all of you who have spread the word and shared our work with others.  Most of the connections we are making are through personal testimonies of our support team.  Thank you to each of you who are helping us to share this ministry.

     In addition to sharing with churches and groups this month, we are in the final stages of preparations for our spring trip to Haiti.  We will leave on April 18th and will be in country for 7 days.  We will be bringing approximately 1000 items with us and will be sharing the Gospel at several places.  We are looking forward to being back on the ground in Haiti and sharing the love of Jesus with the children. 

   Please pray for us as we prepare for the trip and as we go.  Your prayers are very important to us. Thank you for your continued support.

 

Prayer requests and Praises

 

· Please pray for our trip to Haiti in April.  We will do extensive traveling and ministry while we are in country. Pray for favor, safety and divine appointments.

· Please pray for all of our new sewing groups.  Pray for wisdom, patience and joy as they serve.  May they be blessed while being a blessing.

· Praise God for open doors and new opportunities to share HCM this month.  We have been richly blessed through these new partnerships.

· Praise the Lord for a wonderful supply of items for the children.  These items are the tools we use for sharing the Gospel.

      We know the power of prayer and are grateful for every prayer that is lifted up on our behalf.  Please let us know how we can be praying for you. 

Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.

1 Peter 4:10 (NRSV)

 

 

 

 

March update and prayer requests

      “Ask and you shall receive” is not just a cute saying.  It is a Word from the Bible.  In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John, Jesus tells us that when we ask for things in His name, we will receive them and our joy will be complete.  He is a generous giver and He longs to fill the desires of our hearts.   He wants to make our lives full of joy.

      As we met with the Haiti Care Mission Advisory Board this month, we reported on the incredible works that God has done for the mission in the past year and told them our goals for  2013.  One of the goals we told the Board about is our desire to increase the number of sewing groups who are working on producing items for the children.  This is one of our top priorities for this year and we began seeking God to send more laborers to work with us.

     We are strong believers in God’s ability to answer prayer and we love to brag on Him when he does, so it is with great joy that we can report that seven new sewing groups have started sewing for Haiti Care in the last two months.

     These groups have found us from a variety of means.  Some found us on the internet (yes, God even uses Facebook) and some found  us through friends, but whichever way it was, we know that God had His hands in it. 

     We are so excited to see how God is going to use these new groups.  One lady tells me that her group of ladies said, “Though we are small and many are not able to do much due to poor vision, we want to do something even if it is not a lot”.  We are expecting that God will pour His blessings on each of these ladies and do great things through the works of their hands.

     The increase in the number of sewing groups is not something we want so we can report more numbers.  We desire more sewing groups so ultimately we can bless more children in Haiti.  Our purpose is to use these gifts of love to touch lives for Christ.  Every item we receive is a tool that we can use to share His love and teach the Gospel to these precious children.

     We are very excited about the growth that Haiti Care Mission is experiencing and we look forward to seeing more growth throughout the year.  If you know someone who would like to help HCM by sewing or starting a sewing group, please send them our way.  We would be glad to talk to them and help them get started.  The more items we produce, the more children we can  bless.    

     Thank you for your help in spreading the word about Haiti Care Mission.  We appreciate your support.

 

Prayer requests and Praises

· Please pray for the Lord to continue opening doors for more opportunities to share with churches and individuals about Haiti Care Mission

· Please pray for the people of Haiti.  As they approach the season of Easter, we pray they will be open to hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and receiving new life in Him.

· Pray for the people of Haiti that God would calm the fears from the recent earthquake.

· Praise God for His direction in this ministry.  He is always opening doors to new opportunities for us.

· Praise the Lord for new helping hands that are interested in joining Haiti Care Mission. 

   

   We know the power of prayer and are grateful for every prayer that is lifted up on our behalf.  Please let us know how we can be praying for you.

 

February Update

CHRISTMAS BLESSINGS

    As we ended the year of 2012, one of our goals was to move as many items as we could from our office into the  hands of Haitian children.  Well, we were able to accomplish this goal through some really neat opportunities.

      One opportunity was through another local mission which has many outreaches in Haiti.  Shepherd’s Lambs, Inc. is a mission run by Audry Volz, a wonderful lady from Englewood, FL.  They have several churches and orphanages in Haiti.  At Christmas time each year, they try to provide a gift for each child in their care and programs.  Then a team travels to Haiti to host several parties during which they give the children a gift.

     Through our relationship with the director of this mission, we were able to partner with them to provide several hundred toys and dresses for the children. It is a privilege to have this relationship with Shepherd’s Lambs, where we can add our efforts with hers to reach more children.

God opened this door for us and we are grateful.  When we talked to Audry this week, she told of how excited the children were to receive their toys and dresses and what a blessing it was to share the love of Jesus with them.

     The second Christmas blessing that Haiti Care Mission was involved in this past Christmas was in the mountains near Les Cayes.  Earlier in the year, we were able to send  over 100 sleeping mats from our Michigan sewing groups to a missionary serving a remote area of Haiti. One day near Christmas, this missionary and his family took the sleeping mats to a local school and distributed them as a Christmas gift in the name of Jesus.  He reports that the mats were very well received and greatly appreciated by the children.  This missionary and the children expressed their deepest thanks to the sewing groups and donors.

     Sharing the love of Jesus is the cornerstone of this ministry, so when we receive opportunities to see that happen we rejoice.  We know God orchestrated both of these opportunities and He is the one directing the mission.  To Him, we are forever grateful.  We are also very grateful for all of the sewing groups who made these items, all of the toy makers that crafted the gifts, and all the donors who helped provide the shipping costs.  Through the efforts of many laborers, many children of Haiti are understanding and experiencing the love of Jesus.

     This year, we expect to see more and more opportunities like this and many children coming to know Jesus.  Thank you for your support.

 

 

Prayer requests and Praises

· Please pray for the Lord to continue to lead and direct this ministry. 

· Please pray for comfort for all those in Haiti serving in ministry.  It is not an easy place to live or serve, but we know God supplies all their needs and strengthens them.

· Praise God for all of the opportunities He gives us to share the Gospel both with sewing groups and with the children of Haiti.

· Praise the Lord for His protection, direction and  provision for this mission.

· Praise the Lord for a great visit from our dear friend, Tom Brumbley, who is a wonderful host to us when we are in Haiti.

 

Thank you for your prayers and support.  We know the importance of prayer and we appreciate your prayer covering over our family and this ministry.

 Pictures from the sleeping mat distribution and toy/dress distribution.

 

 

 

 

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

Haiti Care Mission, Directors

 

2012 has been a year of blessings

From Haiti Care Mission

 

As 2012 comes to a close, it is quite exciting to see what the Lord has done through Haiti Care Mission in the past twelve months.   It has been a year of abundant blessings. 

This year, the ministry has made three trips to Haiti to share the love of Jesus with children and to serve alongside partner missionaries.  During each of those trips, we personally ministered to children with the love of Jesus.  We have had wonderful opportunities to reach out to churches, schools and villages with Christ’s love.

In 2012, Haiti Care Mission has delivered over 13,000 items to children around the globe.  We are very excited about that number. That number represents 13,000 lives touched for Christ.  To us, that number is an indication of how God is using Haiti Care Mission to comfort His children.   We feel very honored and blessed to be part of God’s work in Haiti.

In addition to Haiti, HCM items have gone to seven different countries in 2012. The main focus of HCM is to serve the children of Haiti but when opportunities arise to share the love of Jesus in other countries, we proudly link arms with teams or missionaries.  God has made some amazing connections for us this year and we are grateful.

As we close the books on 2012, we are extremely humbled by the outpouring of support that we have received through new churches and individuals that have joined our team and the number of new sewing groups that have come along to serve with us.  Without the hard work and labors of MANY, Haiti Care Mission would not be an effective tool that God can use. 

Thank you to each one of you who has contributed through your labors, gifts, and prayer support.  We appreciate each of you and look forward to another year of serving with you to bring Christ’s love to the children of Haiti.

Prayer requests and praises

· Praise God for an incredible year of blessing the children of Haiti and beyond.  Over 13,000 children were blessed this year.

· Praise the Lord for the hard working volunteers who create the gifts of love.  The number of sewing groups continues to grow. 

· Praise the Lord for many successful trips to Haiti this year by the Anderson family and others who have left the comforts of home to serve.

· Please pray for God to continue opening doors of opportunity for HCM.  Pray for new ways to serve and new missionaries to partner with.

· Please pray for the Lord to lead and direct HCM through 2013.  This is His ministry and we strive to follow His leading.

· Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti.  They are the focus of this ministry and we pray that they would feel God’s love and presence in their lives.

Thank you for all of the prayer partners.  We appreciate you.

Living victoriously in Christ, Lynn and Lance Anderson, Mission Directors

Fall Trip to Haiti

     Last month we had the privilege of traveling to Haiti to personally minister to over 1200 students.  It was a complete joy to meet and encourage these precious children.

     While in country, we were blessed to work alongside veteran missionaries, Pastor Tom and Beverly Brumbley at Evangelistic World Outreach.  After working several days at their headquarters in Port au Prince, we traveled to Petit Goave and Arnoux to meet the children.  

     Our first stop was in Petit Goave.  We spent time with each class sharing a Bible lesson and distributing gifts.  Every child in grades K-6 received a backpack full of goodies, and the children in the pre-k classes received a handmade wooden toy.  The backpacks were all packed with a booklet of the Books of John and Romans (in Creole), a tooth care kit, and pencils.  All of the children were thrilled to receive the gifts of love.

     Next, we headed to the village of Arnoux.  Arnoux is located in the area heavily affected by Hurricane Sandy.  There was extensive damage to the roads on the way to Arnoux but it was well worth the effort to get to this school/church.  We were blessed to be able to meet with every class in the school (pre-K to 9th grade).  Once again, we shared a Bible lesson and distributed items to the students.  Thanks to the efforts of all of the sewing groups, we were able to furnish every student with a gift of love.  The boys were very happy to receive a new pair of shorts or a new t-shirt, and the girls, of all sizes, were able to receive a dress.  We were also given  several cases of  shoes to distribute to the little ones.  All of the students appreciated their gifts and showed great care as they folded the items to store them in their bags.  At recess time, we saw many of them in the play yard wearing their new clothes over their school uniforms.

     We were truly blessed to spend time at these schools with the students.  The smiles we shared and songs we sang together are motivation to keep moving forward and reach more children for Christ. 

     Later in the week, we had one more opportunity to share the love of Jesus with the students of the headquarters school in Port au Prince.  At this school, we met with the classes from pre-K to 2nd grade.  We were able to bless them with a combination of items (dresses, shorts, shoes, hair ribbons, underwear). Along with the items, we were able to share a little message of God’s love.  It was a joy to see their excitement in receiving. Their smiles and words of thanks melted our hearts. 

     We feel very blessed to have these opportunities to share the love of Jesus with these precious children. It feels like each trip we take that we take you, our supporters and sewing groups, with us.  You are a huge part of what we are able to accomplish.  Thank you for supporting us and the work of Haiti Care Mission. 

     We pray that each of you has a blessed Christmas season and you take the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with those around you.

Prayer requests and Praises

Praise God for His protection and blessing over us as we traveled to Haiti this month. 

Praise the Lord for all of the people who contribute to this ministry.  Together, we are making a difference in many lives for Christ.

Please pray for the people of Haiti.  May their hope  and strength be multiplied.

Please pray with us for the missionaries we are in relationship with. Pray that the Lord would bless them richly for their acts of sacrifice.

Please pray for us as the directors of Haiti Care Mission.  As we enter year two, we pray that we would hear from God and follow wherever He leads.

 

 Grace and Hope had fun making friends everywhere we went.

 Teaching a lesson in Petit Goave.
 

 The pre-K class was so cute.  This is why I love my job. I get to love on them.
 

 Lance gets into the action of distributing items and meeting the older students.
 

 At recess time, the kids came out wearing their new dresses.

We had the opportunity to take this boat on a ride across Lake Mirogoane after a full day of ministry.  Haiti is beautiful in so many ways.

 

Thank you for all your prayers.

 Merry Christmas to all! 

 

Trips, Trips and Trips

     It has been another very busy month for us and for Haiti Care Mission.  God has taken Haiti Care Mission to new places this month and He has also opened more doors.

     The beginning of this month, Lance led a team of eight people to the country of Guatemala.  The team stayed very busy. They went on door to door medical/evangelism visits, they helped lead evening worship services, they worked with the local church members to build a church and they distributed dresses and clothing.  It was a wonderful opportunity for all and a great chance to share the love of Jesus with the children of Guatemala.  Lance said that the children and parents were very grateful for the gifts of love. 

     The end of this month, Lance and Pastor Troy French took another trip, but this time, they went to Haiti.  The purpose of the trip was to complete the electrical work on a cafeteria and preschool at the headquarters of Evangelistic World Outreach in Port au Prince.  The Brumbleys, the directors of EWO, were our hosts for our last trip. We have been greatly influenced by the work they are doing.  Lance felt a very strong call to return to Haiti this fall to help them with this project, and he was very blessed to have the helping hands of Pastor Troy alongside him.  During the trip, the men brought several hundred items into the country, which we will distribute when we return to Haiti this month.

     In between these two trips, we have been very busy making preparations and packing for our family trip. We will be bringing over 1400 items to distribute to the children. Due to the recent storms, we are not sure which areas we will be traveling to but we know we are willing to go wherever God directs us.  Our prayer is that God will lead us to the places where He needs us to go.   The needs of the people of Haiti just became more intense so we pray the timing of our visit will bring hope and comfort to those we can reach.

   Many of you are probably wondering how the country of Haiti has fared from Tropical Storm Sandy. The pictures in the media tell the story.  The storm has caused a lot of damage.  The people in the south were the most affected. There are many who lost their crops (that is, their only source of income and food for their families) and some have lost their homes.  The flooding has caused major problems with travel and getting help to the areas that need it.  The country will be entering another period of rebuilding and repairing.  Please join us in praying for the people of Haiti.  Pray that God will fill them with hope, strength and joy as they face this challenge. 

Praises and Prayer Requests

Praise God for His protection over Lance and the teams as they traveled to Guatemala and Haiti last month.

Praise the Lord for partnerships and connections.  Again, this month God has brought us into new relationships and opportunities with churches and missionaries.

Please pray for the people of Haiti.  Tropical storm/hurricane Sandy has done a lot of damage to the country.  Pray for laborers to help rebuild and strength for the people who have lost everything again.

Please pray with us for a friend and her team that is traveling to Ecuador this month. They will be doing VBS activities and taking HCM items to share with the children.

Please pray for our family as we travel to Haiti for 8 days this month.  We covet your prayers for divine health, protection, and strength; as well as prayers for God directed opportunities.

Please pray for more monthly supporters to join our team.

 

As always, thank you for your faithful support and prayers.
Be Blessed, Lynn and Lance Anderson and family