Welcome to our new blog...JVBC Serves. This blog is intended to keep our family, friends and church informed of our mission efforts to stay connected while away from home. I hope it will help others experience a mission trip, even though they are not physically present.
12 members from JVBC leave January 5th for Haiti. Why Haiti? It's an understatement to say there is need for help in Haiti. As one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, they are plagued with not only the aftermath of a major earthquake that struck almost a year ago, but they face political unrest and a cholera outbreak that has recently claimed the lives of over 2,600 people.
We will be going to Grand Goave, which is a 4 hour trip from the capital of Port-au-Prince. We are partnering with Texas Baptists, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) and the Haitian Baptist Convention. Approx. 80% of the schools in Haiti are owned by churches since the government cannot afford to educate the population. Our construction project will be to finish out a school that is owned by a church in Grand Goave. The school was destroyed during the earthquake, but thanks to cooperative efforts of volunteers and local missionaries, it's being rebuilt stronger and better than before. It only costs $15 per month to educated a child in Haiti. Education is key for the people of Haiti to help transform the next generation and change their nation. We may also start working on the foundation for a new medical clinic during our trip.
To be honest, this trip is not an easy one. Most of us going have had the response from others that we are crazy. Why would we go during this time of unrest? We go to serve God by serving others, even if it's not convenient or easy. As I experienced a wonderful Christmas in my comfortable home and felt "stressed" to clean out the over abundance of toys that belong to my children, I am reminded that there is more to life than myself and my little world. I am so thankful, so grateful for my life. But life isn't meant to be lived in my bubble. Maybe selfishly I'm going to loose my holiday weight. We'll be doing manual labor in 90 degree high humidity for a week, and I know I've had more than my fair share of holiday helpings. You have to look for the positive aspects of the trip everywhere you can find them!
I hope you will join us on our journey. We will do our best to keep you informed and aware of our happenings. For now, I ask for the following prayer requests.
- Prayers for the people that live in Haiti and for those that serve them daily, not just for a week. May our work be of service to them and glorify God in the process.
- For our families we will leave behind, and for safety while traveling away from home.
- For the political process in Haiti. We pray for no announcements that could hinder our travel back to the states.
Thank you for your time and prayers. We appreciate them more than you know! We may not all be able to go on a mission trip, but we can all support one another and share in the experience.
Kind regards,
LeAnn
