Our Blessed and Productive Trip to Haiti--Thank you God!

   This month has been amazing for us.  We spent the first part of the month preparing our luggage, our itinerary and our hearts for our first family trip to Haiti.  We prayed, packed and planned.  Every moment of preparation paid off as we experienced a very blessed and productive trip.

    From the time we arrived in Port au Prince to the minute we left, we submitted ourselves to God’s plan.  Our main objective of the trip was to bring in Haiti Care Mission items and share the love of Jesus with the children of Haiti, but God had plans to bless us as much as we could  bless others. 

    Our hosts, Rev. Tom and Bev Brumbley and Pastor Lamartine and Patricia Liberus gave us several opportunities to do just what we planned to do. We traveled to 5 churches/schools in their ministries.  It was a huge blessing to distribute the items to the children and tell them that Jesus loves them.  They helped us learn a little Creole and translated for us so we could communicate with the children.  It was wonderful to see the joy on their faces when they received a dress, toy, pair of shorts or candy.  They were very grateful and we shared many smiles.

    During our trip we traveled extensively throughout Port au Prince and surrounding areas.  We went to Ti Goave, Meyer, Fort Parisen, Fort Dieu, Las Cahobas and Fort Jacques.  As we traveled, we saw the beautiful countryside, the in town traffic, the enormous amounts of people, and the devastating poverty.  We feel blessed to have had wonderful hosts who patiently answered all our questions and gave us feedback about our mission and how we can serve more effectively.

     In addition to focusing on Haiti Care distribution, we also were able to help with a few small projects.  We helped to deliver a generator to a brush arbor church.  This will be the first time the church and pastor’s house will have any source of power. Lance loved the opportunity to work with a “man toy”.  He also helped on Saturday to get the construction team started on pouring a floor of the new kitchen at the EWO headquarters school.  Since the earthquake, a small car-port has been the school kitchen and the children have been eating in the classrooms or play yard.

      On Sunday, we traveled to a church in the mountains where Lance had the privilege of sharing from God’s Word.  It was an honor to speak to the church. They are a very faithful group of believers and they have endured so much.  Our prayer is that they will continue to walk in faith and share their hope with others.

    We were very blessed to have our girls travel with us.  Grace and Hope really enjoyed the trip.  They commented quite a lot about how beautiful Haiti is.  They never complained about the living conditions of the people, they did not look down on them and they were never afraid.  They lovingly embraced the chances they had to interact and spend time with the Haitian people.  When we started our trip home, they both agreed that they would like to stay longer and return soon.

  We have much more to share but we will save that for when we are with you personally. 

This month's praises and prayer requests....

Praise God for His protection during our trip.  He watched over us and took very good care of us.

Praise the Lord for the missionaries we stayed with in Haiti.  They taught us so much.  God really blessed us with their friendship and partnership. Please pray for increase in their ministries.

Praise the Lord for clear vision.  He showed us many things while in Haiti that will help us improve Haiti Care Mission.

Please pray for us as we lead Haiti Care.  There is so much to be done.  Pray that we will stay focused on the important things.

Please pray for the people of Haiti.  They are very strong people but they live in extreme poverty. Most of the tents they are living in are worn out. Pray for protection during the rainy season.

Please pray for the missionaries we partner with.  They are serving in a difficult country.  Pray for strength and God’s favor in everything they do.

Thank you for your faithful prayers. Please let us know how we can be praying for you.

Thank you for partnering with us.  

Blessings, The Anderson Ministry team



April updates, praises and prayer request

March was a very busy month of planning, packing and preparing. Early in March, we decided that it was time for us to make a trip to Haiti as a family to build connections, bring items to the children and investigate new shipping avenues.

Now, the plans are set and our trip is all scheduled. Here is a snapshot of what we will be doing. We will be in Haiti for 6 days at the end of April. We will be staying with two different missionary friends in Port au Prince. One missionary will be taking us to two of their schools to distribute dresses and meet the children. The other missionary will be taking us to the villages near his home/church to share the love of Jesus with the children we meet. We will also meet with the families after church to fellowship with them.

We are very excited about this trip. This trip will be the first time to Haiti for Lynn and the girls. We are eager to visit the country and the people we have a God-given love for. The girls have been working to find stuffed animals, toys and books that they would like to bring for the Haitian children. Their hearts are bursting with joy as they look forward to “blessing” the children as they have been blessed by so many generous people. We are very anxious to get our feet on the ground and see how God is working in Haiti.

As we prepare for this trip, there are many details to consider and Lance has been working diligently to make sure that everything is covered. He is a great planner and leader. Since he has taken several teams in the past, we are confident that he will have everything well planned.
We are preparing to take over 700 items in with us to distribute. It will be a very rewarding experience to see the hard work of the sewing ladies, the tireless work of the ironing teams, and the difficult task of planning/packing come together in a moment of sharing the love of Jesus with the children of Haiti. Please pray for us as we travel.

Update from the past- Many of you that have been reading our newsletters in the past may remember the story of how Lance helped to get an Army truck over to Les Cayes, Haiti for a missionary friend. This month we received pictures of the truck being used in Haiti(see back page) and an open invitation for Lance to come drive it. Unfortunately, we will not get to Les Cayes this time but hopefully on our next trip we will.

Praises and prayer request

Praise God for His provision and guidance. Through divine connections we have processed all 5000 dresses from Atlanta and they are on their way to the children.

Praise the Lord for helping hands who are sewing and ironing for Haiti Care. They are a blessing to us and the children of Haiti.
Please pray for us to hear God’s voice as we lead. We do not want to be one step ahead or one step behind where God wants Haiti Care Mission to be.

Please pray for us as we travel to Haiti at the end of April. Pray for travel mercies, divine health and favor as we travel. Also pray for our hearts to be prepared for the opportunities God brings us.

Please pray for Haiti Care Mission. Pray for God’s protection and provision to continue.

Thank you for your faithful prayers. We appreciate you.

March prayer request/praises

February was a very busy month for us. We were blessed by many visitors and had the help of many work groups. We were very productive on preparing many, many items for delivery. Thank you to all the workers who helped lend a hand last month. We are very grateful for your service.
It was also a very busy month for making connections. This month God brought us into many new relationships and partnerships for Haiti Care Mission. We have secured new avenues of shipping and made several new missionary connections. We prepared and send several shipments. The total number of items we have sent to the mission field is 3000+ items in 2012. We are so excited because we feel like this is just the beginning. There is so much more yet to come.

Thank you for partnerning with us and for praying for us. We are very thankful for all the prayer lifted on our behalf.

Praise God for the way He takes care of all of our needs. He is working mightily to provide for our medical expenses.
Praise the Lord for the wonderful servants who helped us this month. They have blessed us immensely.
Praise God for new connections and relationships. Every relationship is helping lift Haiti Care to a new level of reaching people for Christ.
Please pray for our family as we continue to serve. Pray for wisdom and favor as we take this mission into new relationships and stretch to meet more needs.
Please remember the children of Haiti in your prayers. Pray that God will meet every physical, emotional and spiritual need.
Please pray for walls of protection around Haiti Care Mission. The enemy would like to stop our efforts but we know our God is bigger.

Here are a few picts of last months fun work groups and items being distributed by our missionary partners.

February Updates and prayer requests

Hello All,
Last month was very busy starting off the new year and we are blessed to see all the ways God is making connections for us.
Here is what we have been up to....
January has been a month of divine connections for us and Haiti Care Mission. God has brought some amazing connections into our path lately and it is really exciting to see how He is directing our steps.
Over the last month, we have had several opportunities to share about Haiti Care Mission within our daily lives. We have met people at church, at garage sales and via phone calls. Each connection is a relationship brought together by the Lord.
Over the weekend, while we were shopping at some garage sales, people heard us talking Haiti and how we could use some luggage to carry items into the country. As we told them more about Haiti Care, they donated their luggage to help us out. This happened over and over. Who knew God even uses garage sales to do His business?
Earlier this month, we heard from several ladies from our church in Iowa who have called to let us know they have begun sewing for Haiti Care. We also have been informed by several ladies in our home church in Florida that they are sewing for us as well. We are honored to link arms with our churches and blessed to know they are investing in Kingdom work with us.
Each connection and each interaction is an opportunity to bring more people into awareness of this mission and what God is doing for the children of Haiti. We are blessed to see more people get involved and there is more work to be done. Thank God for His amazing connections.

Praises and Prayer requests
Praise God for the connections He is making for us. He is constantly bringing us into new relationships which are building up Haiti Care Mission.

Praise the Lord for His provision and protection. He is constantly showing ways that He is taking care of us.

Please join us as we pray for all the missionaries we serve. They have left the comforts of home to follow God’s call. Please pray for protection over their lives.

Please pray for our family as we serve. We are always being stretched and we are grateful that God loves us enough to keep us growing. Pray that our hearts will stay open to how God is leading us.

Please pray for the financial needs of Haiti Care Mission. We need operating expenses to send the many items we have in stock over to the children.

Thank you for the prayers lifted to the King on our behalf. We would love to pray for you as well. Please send us your prayer request so we can be praying for you.

Here are some pictures of sleeping mats being distributed...





(Even the gardener wanted a sleeping mat in the third pict)

Thanks for following our adventures.
Living victoriously in Christ, Lynn for the Anderson ministry team

Looking back and looking ahead

The lessons we have learned in 2011
As 2011 comes to a close, we are awed at God’s faithfulness in our lives. From January to December, we have seen His hands at work in our lives and in the ministry He has called us to. This year has been filled with trials and triumphs, times of great joy and times of sadness, but through it all, God has captured our hearts and drawn us closer to Him. With every trial and every victory, there have been lessons to learn.

Our first lesson of faith this year was our transition from Agape Flights to Haiti Care Mission. We know without a doubt that God has orchestrated every step of this change. His divine timing placed key people in our lives at critical moments. Unexpected visits and unforeseen connections filled us with wisdom and insight. He directed every interaction and every appointment which lead us to know what He was calling us to do. He proved to us once again that He has a plan for us and He is leading the way before we even know where He is calling us.
Our second lesson of faith has been the launching of Haiti Care Mission. When we assumed the leadership of Haiti Care Mission, we were given very little resources and limited information on how things were previously organized. With God’s leading, we are in the process of reorganizing and redefining how the mission operates. When we feel we are inadequate for such a task, God gently reminds us that He is the real director and we are only His servants. He has been giving us insight and wisdom for every step of the way. We are constantly reminded of how God is using our previous contacts and experiences in Haiti to propel this mission forward. The lesson of trusting Him and His ways is one we are reminded of daily.

Our third lesson of faith has been one of trusting God with our health and healing. In mid-December, we experienced our first health crisis. Lance was hospitalized with complications of a bowel obstruction. After corrective surgery, he is recuperating well. Long days in the hospital and separation from our girls have made us dependent on the care of others but God took care of EVERYTHING.

We know God has provided for our every need. We trust God for complete healing of Lance’s body. We have felt His strength when we felt we could not go another minute. He has covered us with a peace that transcends all understanding. And most importantly, He has taken care of our girls.

Loving caregivers have showered the girls with attention and patience. It is really overwhelming when I think about how many times, while I was trying to plan the next day’s activities for the girls that someone would call and offer to take care of them before I even had to ask. Knowing that God coordinated every person and every call brought us unconceivable
peace. We are humbled by the kindness of others and the love of our great God.

Yes, we have learned many lessons this year and we are constantly being stretched to learn more. Even though we may not know why or how things happen, we know God goes before us and is with us. He has never forsaken us or left us. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

We are grateful to that He never stops teaching us and using us. As you step into the New Year, we pray that you will be open to the lessons He has for you. In the midst of trials, joy, and frustrations, He is there. He will never leave your side and He will gently take you through the storms, if you lean on Him.

Prayer requests and praises

Praise God for the faithful supporters of our ministry. We are blessed to have many faithful financial partners who encourage us and allow us to have the best job in the world.

Praise the Lord for His healing promises and the way He is healing Lance’s body.

Praise the Father for the work of many helping hands who are serving with us on the Haiti Care Mission projects. Even though we have just begun, we have volunteers already starting new sewing groups and ironing for the mission.

Please join us as we pray for divine health and protection for our bodies as we serve Him.

Please pray for our financial needs. We had a great response to the transition but we are still behind on our monthly budget.

Please pray for the people of Haiti. While we celebrated Christmas with all the extravagant gifts and spending of the season, they still live with very little. Pray that God would meet all their needs according to His glorious riches.

Thank you for all your faithful prayers. We are blessed through the relationships we have with you.

Blessings, Lynn for the Anderson ministry team

November Updates

November marks the beginning of our new adventure in serving the Lord. In mid-November, Lance will join me (Lynn) at Haiti Care Mission as the Mission Director. This new adventure is an amazing opportunity for us to serve Him in new and exciting ways.
To give you a better idea of how all these changes came about, we will need to go back a few months. In August, Lynn started volunteering with Haiti Care Mission as the Mission Coordinator. The couple who founded Haiti Care Mission needed someone to help with communications and organizational tasks. As the Mission Coordinator, she was able to learn more about Haiti Care and get involved in day to day operations.
Over the course of a month and a half of working for Haiti Care, it became clear that this mission was in need of a full-time leadership team to direct the operations of the mission. It was at that time that God released us from Agape and placed in our hearts the directive to transfer our service completely to Haiti Care Mission.
Lance will serve as the Mission Director and Lynn will be the Mission Coordinator. As the Director, Lance will provide leadership for all aspects of the mission. He will work with everything from budget to logistic/shipping details. Lynn will continue working with the communications aspects of the mission and the coordinating of sewing groups. We feel this is a great opportunity for each of us to use the skills God has given us to make a greater impact in the Kingdom.
With these changes, we are looking forward to more time in Haiti, as we will be traveling to meet with missionaries and deliver items to the children. We are very excited about all of these changes and are eager to get started. Please pray for us as we make this transition. Our heads are full of plans for the mission but we need God to direct our steps so we are keeping in line with His will for Haiti Care Mission


Grace and Hope in their pillowcase dresses.


Praises:
· Praise the Lord for this new adventure in serving Him.
· Praise God for many divine opportunities to share about Haiti Care Mission. Doors are opening because the Lord is leading the way.
· Praise the Lord for the guidance He gives us. We know that He directs our path.


Prayer Requests:
· Please pray for us as we transition to this new ministry. There is much work to be done and we are eager to tackle each challenge. Pray for wisdom and vision as we move forward.
· Please pray for Haiti Care Mission and its supporters. They have experienced a lot of change lately and we pray they will embrace the vision God has placed in our hearts.

· Please pray for our financial needs to be met. Ask God to speak into the hearts of churches and individuals to join us as we serve Him.

We feel very blessed to have a great prayer covering in our lives. Thank you for lifting us up to the King.

Blessings, Lynn for the Anderson ministry team

You can view the latest edition of the Haiti Care Mission newsletter on the Haiti Care blogspot. Look for the link to click on the right side of the page. www.haiti-care.blogspot.com

Exciting News from the Anderson Family

Dear Faithful Partners,

"Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when He delights in our ways." Psalm 37:23 NRSV

We would like to begin this letter with a word of gratitude. We wish we could truly express to you the appreciation we have for each of you. Over the past 2 years in ministry, you have prayed for us, supported us and encouraged us. You have shared our burdens and our joys as we serve the Lord. We know that God has blessed us richly with each and every one of you. You have walked this journey into ministry with us and taught us what it means to live with a grateful heart. Our lives are full because of the partnerships we have with you.

The second purpose of this letter is to present to you some changes in the way we serve the Lord. God has been stirring our hearts lately and we feel He is calling us on a new pilgrimage. In order to begin that journey, we feel God has released us from our assignment at Agape Flights. Our last day of service with Agape will be October 28th, 2011.

God has placed before us a new adventure in missions. Over the past month, we have heard God calling us to assume leadership positions at a different mission organization, which serves Haiti. Beginning on November 1st, we will begin our new missions assignment as the leaders of Haiti Care Mission. Lance will be the Mission Director and Lynn will work as Mission Coordinator. The mission will be based out of home and will be under the financial covering of Faith in the Family International. We feel this transition will allow us to combine the experience we have gained over the past two years with the gifts He has placed in us to serve Him in new and exciting ways. More information on Haiti Care Mission can be found in the enclosed brochure and more information about our new positions at Haiti Care Mission will be coming in the November Anderson Edition.

It is our greatest desire to serve the Lord with integrity and honor. We hope you can help us embrace this new adventure by continuing to financially support our ministry. We are asking that you would prayerfully considering continuing your personal support for our family as we transition to ministry with Haiti Care Mission. All the details for accomplishing this change can be found at the end of this letter.

We hope that each of you will keep our family in prayer as we make this transition. We would like to be as transparent as possible with these changes and encourage you to call us if you have any questions. We believe that when God calls you to a new pilgrimage you have two choices; you can listen and trust God with every step or you can turn the other way. We are choosing to trust God and follow this new path. We know that "our steps are made firm by the Lord."
Thank you for all your support and prayers over the past two years. We look forward to partnering with you in the future.

Living Victoriously in Christ,
Lance and Lynn Anderson