Dear Friends,
We had mixed emotions as we traveled through the flood stricken areas of Haiti in January. We still saw many signs of massive destruction. In one area that had previously been a very dry desert, the cacti are growing up through the waters of a huge lake – four months after the tropical storm flooding. The water is still as high as two feet in some places on the road but that as well is receding — it had been over ten feet deep. Over 2000 Haitians died in this disaster and the people are still recovering from the loss, but at the same time are bouncing back and rebuilding their lives.
In the village of LaBranle, we stopped to visit some of the families who our ministry is reaching out to with aid. Two brothers in their late teens pointed out where their home had once been. The flash flood had come at night and swept their mud hut away. Their father, mother, two younger brothers and one younger sister all died that night. An older sister who was eight months pregnant at the time had grabbed on to a cactus tree and miraculously was able to hang on for over 18 hours until the water receded enough for her to be rescued.
This young girl has since given birth to a healthy baby boy and also has become a Christian. God used the circumstances of this disaster to draw her to Himself. We thank God for the opportunity to reach out to this family with a new house, food and clothing. As a result of meeting those needs, our contractor, Edner, has been able to present to them the gospel of Jesus Christ. The two brothers have not trusted the Savior yet, but Edner told me that he continues to share the Lord with them and they are showing a lot of interest. We pray it’s just a matter of time until they as well will respond to the invitation to receive Jesus Christ.
Thank you for your prayers and support during these difficult times in Haiti. It appears that some stability is returning and we praise God for that. A team from North County Christ the King Church and Moscow Christian Life Center will be ministering in Haiti from February 13 – 22. Please pray for this team as they will have opportunity to share the children’s version of the ‘Jesus’ film in many of our schools. We trust that God will use that means to draw many children and their families to Him.
We wanted to pass on a letter written by Pastor Diogene to all of you as supporters of this ministry. Please click here to read.
Serving the Lord together,
Bernie & Sheryl Bovenkamp
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