Rejoicing with our friends around the world as we celebrate our Savior’s birth and the start of a new year to serve Him! Jesus came down to earth during a difficult time of government mandates and political turmoil. He had to flee his birth country at a young age due to threats on his life. Families were separated. Life as Joseph and Mary once knew it had been turned upside down. God led a desperate family to a lowly stable where the Son was born to save a desperate world. That first Christmas feels closer to us than ever before. Christmas is not about whether there are gifts under the tree or if family is with us. Christmas is about the Gift of God with Us in the midst of difficult circumstances. This is our Hope and Joy!
Our dear Haiti is in desperate need of solutions that seem hopeless under the present circumstances of the pandemic and level four travel restrictions, the assassination of Haiti’s president in July, a devastating earthquake in August, countrywide fuel shortages, that have forced the closure of hospitals, armed gangs blocking and terrorizing fifty percent of the country, thousands of Haitians making a treacherous journey from Chile or Brazil to the Texas border in search of hope for their families, and a surge in rampant kidnappings of both Haitians and expats that now places Haiti #1 in the world per capita for kidnapping. Our Haitian KOFAEL directors, Frantz and Julienne Osier, have now been in Texas for the past year after threats on their lives prevented their return to Haiti. We are all working remotely to encourage our leaders and ministries in Haiti and around the world that continue despite the unrest. Please pray for the thousands of Haitians– among whom are former neighbors and friends we know personally—who left their homeland years ago legally for work in Brazil and Chile. Many of these Haitians have been making a desperate journey to the Mexico/Texas border seeking asylum after the pandemic eliminated work opportunities in their host countries and not being able to return to Haiti under the current conditions. Eric and our mission’s pastor organized a small team and traveled to assist and translate for Haitians detained or legally released at the Del Rio border. Eric stayed for a few extra days and has since been assisting Haitian families we personally know who have family members caught in the immigration and deportation process in Texas. Amidst the confusion of not being able to return to Haiti, it is clear that God has the Ream and Osier families in Texas for such an unprecedented time as this.
All of these circumstances weigh heavily on our hearts as we battle against the enemy who seeks to kill, steal and destroy. Yet we have good news to declare! We are honored with the privilege to release the message that God is STILL With Us, has ransomed and redeemed us and is coming back to restore our broken world and heal the hurts of our hearts. Thank you for standing with us in this hard season as we continue to offer our only Hope—Emmanuel, God WITH Us.
Please continue to pray with us and if you would like to give toward the following hopes to encourage the Haitians we serve as we finish out 2021 and began 2022, you can do so by mailing a check or donating online at https://heartofgodhaiti.org
Send checks addressed to Heart of God International Ministries:
In the memo write: “Ream Team” to support the Ream Family or “Haiti” to support ongoing ministry and relief efforts.
Mail to:
Heart of God International Ministries
C/o Young & Company CPAs
1425 Jefferson Road
Rochester, NY 14623
Personal mailing address for Ream and Osier families:
203 Claremont Drive
San Marcos, TX 78666
Year End Hopes to Encourage our Haitian Family:
End of year bonuses for Haitian leaders ($900 needed)
Holiday meals for school sponsored children and families we serve in Haiti ($800 needed)
Purchase Study Bibles to give to pastors ($750 needed)
Numerous Earthquake needs to help Haitian families (any amount helpful toward rebuilding efforts)
Ream Team Prayer Request and Needs:
We are in need of a large vehicle stateside to transport our family along with the Osier family of four who are unable to drive under their current legal restrictions. Our 2008 SUV (that we were already looking to replace due to its age and issues) was recently totaled in an unavoidable four car pile up and the recovered funds from insurance are insufficient to replace the vehicle we need. The past few months of trying to shuffle ten people with only two legal drivers into small vehicles in shifts has been draining to us all. We are praying for the provision of a vehicle sufficient to this task. Praising God that Elisabeth and Esmée who were in the wreck were only very mildly injured and walked away from what could have been much worse had they been driving a smaller vehicle.
We also praise God for ALL the help we received to get the Osier family into the “Honey House” (see previous post for details on that). Thank you to family and friends who donated money, workers, time, appliances, cabinets and your incredible talents. They moved in November 18th, at midnight after we and our sweet electrician friend worked past midnight to finish electrical and all the major projects needed to get them inside! There are still a lot of little things left undone (some of which are safety factors especially with the young children) that we need funding to finish.
Continue to pray for the gospel to be firmly planted within people groups around the world who have never heard the message of God with us.
Lastly, please be in prayer for our hearts and the hearts of our children (who are now ages 15, 17, 20 and 22). The enemy has been busy trying to discourage us in many ways for quite a long time. We know that our battle is not against flesh and blood and that God is with us! We are just pretty beat up from all the battles. Our biggest heartache and prayer currently is for our son, Ethan (age 17), to return to the Lord and our family. We ask that you pray with us for a swift and powerful breakthrough, for redemption and restoration, for our son to remember his Savior who is mighty to save! Ethan did come home for most of Christmas day which was an answered prayer! We pray that the unconditional love and forgiveness shown to him by his family will bring our prodigal back to us for good–His good and God’s glory as we trust He is working ALL things (even our deepest sorrows) together for good to those who love Him.
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14
Father, Thank you for sending your Son. Thank you Jesus for being God With Us. We love you and long for your return!
Here are some of our Christmas 2021 treasures!
