“The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ.” -N.L. Zinzendorf
Our home is Haiti and God is opening the door for the gospel to be proclaimed from the city to the villages. I want to tell you about a lady named Medina. I went to meet with the people that we are going to work with in Saint-Marc and then traveled to the far northern part of Haiti near Cap Haitian. We have another ministry that Elisabeth helped start in Port au Prince and this area (about 8 hours away) and I went to go see it and try to be an encouragement to the women. While staying at an orphanage I met the sweetest little lady named Medina, who is a nanny at the orphanage. One night the director, Medina and I were talking. Medina believed that if she keeps the Sabbath along with other laws then she is going to heaven. This was Saturday night and she was not keeping the Sabbath. I asked her, “What do you think God is saying about you going to heaven today?” She said sheepishly, “I will not go.” I went on to show her passages in the Bible where Jesus talks about why the Sabbath was instituted, where Paul says one day is not more important than another and shares the reason for the law. Her eyes began to be opened to the truth of the gospel.
I showed her a couple more verses that talked about a gift that is not earned by what she could do, or I could do, but only because of what Jesus has already done, is doing and will do. Medina, my then merely religious sixty-five year old friend, became my new sister in Christ as she understood and believed the gospel for the first time. The next night I came in late and Medina and the director were sharing the gospel with another member of their staff.
Thank you Lord for the opportunity to disciple someone and not even know it. Sometimes things are caught more than taught. It is a blessing to be in this country. However, as many of you know it is a country that is head deep in slavery. Sadly the religious community is not exempt from this horror. Many have been taught and are teaching a salvation by works. This is nothing less than the worst kind of slavery in a seemingly hopeless country where corruption and degradation of human life prevail. Thank you for your partnership to allow us to be here sharing the free gift of God, which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
It is definitely times like these that make the tough times of wondering how my family is going to eat, or how we are going to get to the market worth it.
We hoped after our first year here we were going to be able to come home and raise much needed support. That trip has still not happened. Some of you have supported us and you have given at a time where we were desperate from our perspective. I wish at those times you could experience the joy and worship of what it is to go to the market and know that your family is going to eat. I remember many times, at least for me, it was a burden to go to the grocery store in the US…I didn’t want to drive there and wait in line. It is now a blessing to travel inconveniently with a group of strangers packed into the back of a truck sitting on benches and most of us smelling less than desirable to get to our destination. Then to have the privilege and the ability to purchase groceries because we do not take them for granted now. Thank you for your partnership that is now truly worship and thanksgiving to God for your generosity that enables to be able to shop for groceries and serve in Haiti.
We are finishing plans to move to Saint-Marc before the new school semester begins in January. I will be the principal of a Christian school there called El Shaddai. It has a little over 150 students and I will work with the national teachers and help train them. I will also be a small group leader for some of the high school guys. The school requires that all foreign staff raise 100% of their funds to minister at the school. Saint-Marc is located approximately 60 miles north of Port au Prince. There are almost 300,000 people who live there, 80,000 of which are school aged children. Only about half of them have access to attend school.
We are looking forward to this opportunity to equip and love on the staff to glorify God in all they do. We will continue our ministry with pastors as God continues to open doors to train them. We will continue to preach in different churches. We will also continue our ministry to women. As I mentioned earlier Elisabeth helped start a ministry for women called KOFAEL. You will want to check out how you can be involved and help out with this ministry. It is in two parts of the country now and you can read more about it by going to the website here.
Will you continue or begin to partner with us here in Haiti for the glory of God? Any amount is helpful. Please see the enclosed form. You can send your support by check or you can donate online. Thank you for your obedience to the Lord and helping us make Haiti our home.
Please send in the card so we can get a good handle on who wants updates and who desires to pray for us. We send out prayer notes to our praying friends via email and you can sign up on our blog for updates to automatically be emailed to you as well. Please write down your email on the enclosed card and send it to RCE-International who handles our tax deductible donations and helps us communicate with those who are praying with us and for us. Thank you for whatever the Lord lays on your heart to do to help us serve in Haiti. Please let us hear from you and share what God is doing in your life and how we can pray with and for you.
Here are a few of our specific needs for our rental house and living expenses
- Inverter $1000-$1500 (more for solar powered)
- Batteries (8 for $155 each)
- Refrigerator
- Beds (two sets of bunk beds and two double or queen size) beds/mattresses
- Vehicle $10,000 – $25,000 (used and reliable for at least 6 people, 4×4 and diesel)
- Motorcycle (to make a quick run for needs)
- $2500/month Minimum for basic needs (rent, local bills, food)
Until the whole world hears,
The Ream Family
ericream@hotmail.com
www.reamteaminternational.com(Haiti family ministry blog)
www.chosenandmuchloved.blogspot.com(Haiti adoption update blog)
www.kofael.org(KOFAEL women ministry in Haiti)
http://www.touchhaitiministries.org/El-Shaddai-Learning-Center (School we work with in Haiti)
“…We make it our ambition to be pleasing to the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:9