Tuesday Feb. 16 Mardi Gras

What an awesome God we serve. I keep saying that, don't I? Well, it's true. On Mardi Gras, we don't go anywhere, normally. It's a bad time to be out on the streets and near crowds. BUT...today was definitely the exception. Don, along with Bill, set out to deliver some food quite a ways away. We didn't have a plane and it was an excellent time to do it. Today was also the ending of the 5 days of prayer and fasting for Haiti.

Don and Bill ended up stuck in a traffic jam for more than 3 hours. There was NO Mardi Gras celebration!!! The crowds marched from the airport to the statues at Vautier. (The freedom statues). That's about a 3 miles hike, maybe a bit more. These were all Christians!!! They said there was singing and praising and simply a wonderful group. Bill estimated maybe close to 3,000 people. It is 210 years ago that Haiti won their freedom from France. And now in the year of 2010, they are marching again, for freedom from satan's rule. At least that is what the Christians are claiming.

There have been NO voodoo drums, no voodoo marches, and no rah-rah's anywhere. It is really a miracle that this has happened. People have turned from satan to the Lord, in a mighty way. They saw no one dressed up in the normal Mardi Gras garb, nor did they see anything at all involving voodoo. God won a victory today!!!

Through all the turmoil this last month, people are now celebrating LIFE with the Lord!! I guess you have to be here to realize what an exciting time this is for Haiti. Vero is heading to Port au Prince tomorrow to try to replace her passport that was in Remy's house when it collapsed. I am anxiously waiting for pictures and news of how today was celebrated down there. We haven't talked to anyone yet, but hope to tomorrow.

Make no mistake, there are some really hard times coming for this poor country. It will take years to rebuild the damage, if it CAN be rebuilt. And there are always those problems that surround disasters...like looting and thievery. But it looks like Haiti is on the way to recovery when they are turning to the Lord. NOW the Lord can work and heal their land. It all comes back to 2 Chronicles. 7: 14 --- "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." It looks like we are on the way there now.

I mentioned in the last posting that we heard a rumor about Preval, the president. We have heard that he has accepted the Lord as his savior. We still don't know if it's true or not, but are praying it is. If it is, he can claim this country back for the Lord. If it's not true, then we need to pray that God will work in his heart and help him to realize that he DOES need to turn to the Lord. Wouldn't this be a fantastic event? Pray with us for this to happen, either way.

Don and Bill have been working on so many projects, and accomplishing so much. And Lauri has been such a huge help for me in so many ways. They are really God's blessing to us at this time. Keep them in prayer and keep Haiti in your prayers.

I'd better close for now, but I did want to share with you all how the Lord is working in such great ways here. Oh there are still needs, and those will continue for a long time, but with the Lord working with us, we can accomplish all He sets before us.

Keep walking with Jesus, He will take your burdens and help you carry them. Keep praising Him, too, for all he has done for you. HE IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!