Building Community: 1 Thess. 5:11- So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
The long day yesterday (nearly 14 hours from the time we left until we were back at the guesthouse) turned into an early night for most…. (Mostly the young ones!) But as always the patio provided great fellowship and an oasis in this chaotic environment. Topped with cold coke-cola! Ahhhh…. Tradition is a cold coke as soon as you come in..
Oh how sweet it is! Bacon and eggs breakfast to get our day started… A perfect morning!
Off quickly to get ahead of the traffic… This really is a place that never sleeps… The team is excited to get going… but it is reflection day…
We continue to be blown away by the sheer stress that is everyday life here… 8-mile walks (one way) for food or to reach an ambulance for an emergency. Ordinary things at home where we could jump into the car and stop at the post office or drive thru Duchess are as far from this environment as you can imagine.. Yet the sense of joy and thankfulness is apparent on most faces.
We prayed for many lives to be impacted today as the medical clinic opened in full swing. (Nearly 70 cases some with 2-3 family members per case). Doc Thomas and her crew are simply amazing!
Team Rafter embarked on the high flying act today as they put up the supports and trusses for the final roof pieces..
Once again the weather is near perfect.. Morning clouds gave way to bright sunshine… but with that comes the heat from the sun and by 10am it was smoking… Today saw more frequent water breaks and dashes for shade…
Once again we were treated to a wonderful hot lunch, rice and beans with carrots, potatoes and tender beef.. yummy! Just what we needed to keep us fueled for the rest of the work day.
Team Welcome Wagon got to visit many homes and today and share God’s love with hugs, smiles and lots of selfies! The community is opening up to our teams the more we are involved. We are simply showing God’s love, and as always we are being blessed as much if not more than we are being a blessings… You really can’t out give God!
Tomorrow is already promising to be a wonderful day! Stay tuned as the team continues to press forward… Keep us in your prayers the work is hard, days are long, but oh so worth it…
Testimoy of the day time…. Renault is a young man who lives near the church with his family… Before we started building the church back in August he struggled to find work and couldn’t provide for his family… Richard hired him to be a weekly laborer and he soon proved to be a talented cement finisher who consistently works hard.
When the team came back in October he was attending church and had given his life to Christ! Each week he has worked for Operation Hope in Zoranje he has taken part of his wages and saved it… He wanted to start his own business… Save, save and save he did… In early April he had saved nearly $800! Enough to buy a motorcycle and start a taxi service business, running people from his community down the mountain to the main road, or to the market and back. While working for Operation Hope he hires a driver so his business keeps going while he works on our projects here in Zoranje… To God be the Glory!
Today he stopped at our eye glass station… as Chris examined him he noticed a rare stigmatism… Time out… back up about a week… as Chris was packing the donated glasses for our trip here.. he came across a rare prescription of glasses and thought he’d leave them behind… He felt moved to throw them at the last minute… They are the perfect prescription for Renault! Our God is amazing! He knew when Chris picked those glasses up a week ago that this young man working with us to build the kingdom in Zoranje was in need of that exact pair!
We are thankful for His Holy Spirit and His guidance in every way!
Stay tuned tomorrow is going to be another great day in Zoranje!
OPERATION HOPE - Haiti 