Dear Friends,
As we look back at this past year we are again overwhelmed by God’s faithfulness in 2010 and how He has touched the hearts of so many to provide for the needs in Haiti during such difficult times. It is such a blessing to experience God’s provision as you have generously given. We saw 2010 begin by a devastating earthquake on January 12. However, God provided for the feeding of the five thousand over and over again. We also saw this open the door many times to present the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ to the thousands and seeing many come to Christ. We’ve been able to build 13 houses and have the funding in place to build another 15. That may not seem like very much when we consider the hundreds of thousands in need in Port-au-Prince, but it makes a great difference in the lives of the 5000s who were fed, the 1000s who have come to Christ and the 13 who are now enjoying a permanent roof over their head instead of a flimsy tarp or tent.
So THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for partnering with us to be used by God to do His work.
And we are GRATEFUL for your Christmas giving! Your year end gifts have provided food for almost 700 children for a month, over 50 Bibles as well as 20 new songbooks to new believers, dozens of pairs of sandals and shoes, the blessing of 100 families with a goat, a new soccer ball to every one of our 38 schools, drilling additional 4-5 wells providing clean water to 100’s more, and encouraging several of our children in the orphanage with a new guitar. This has been by far the greatest outpouring of year end giving we have seen in our 13 years of ministry.
THANK YOU!!
Doug & Ruth Jarvie and family have just returned from spending the Christmas holidays in Haiti. We had sent a new sound system in a recent container shipment and Doug was needed to set it up and train some Haitians on how to use it. This sound system will be used for our outdoor evangelistic crusades so we don’t have to rent systems in the future. Pastor Diogene reports that the new system is so much better than anything they have been able to rent in Haiti. It was used in the recent crusade in Bethel. And the results of this crusade – 14 more souls came to Jesus! Praise God! He continues to call many to Himself!
Doug, Ruth, and sons spent most of the time in Tricotte while they were in Haiti. They had a great time organizing and decorating and baking for an orphanage Christmas party. The kids sang and shared and ate and celebrated the birthday of Jesus until almost midnight. Then Doug and Ruth shared gifts with each of these special kids.
We have seen so many challenges and hardships endured by the Haitian people during 2010. It seems that there is one disaster after another. I’ve often prayed that God would give them some relief from all this hardship – but oh, how we have seen God move in their hearts as a result of so much turmoil. God is using these most difficult of times to reach these people. We praise God for Pastor Diogene and his ministry team who so faithfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and are willing to endure the opposition.
Now as we wonder, “What will 2011 bring?” we trust what God’s Word says in I Thes. 5:24, “Faithful is He who has called us and He also will bring it to pass.” As God has been faithful in the past, He will be faithful in 2011. He has called us to continue to stay close to Him and allow Him to have His way in our lives AND He then will “bring it to pass”. God knew the earthquake would strike and the cholera epidemic would arrive in 2010. And He knows what 2011 will bring and we will trust Him to use whatever that is to further His Kingdom. Our desire is to trust God and serve Him in each aspect of what He has called us to do.
Serving our Lord together,
Bernie, Sheryl, and Philip Bovenkamp
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