July

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

 Dear Friends in Christ,
We praise the Lord for giving us such a wonderful and full month in Haiti and Mexico! He has been good and faithful to us and our friends in Haiti as well as Pastor Santos and Sister Fini in Mexico. The kindergarten graduation went well, better than we had hoped, and Bible School in Mexico was also a success. We will begin with sharing some of the awesome events which took place in Haiti this month.

The pictures here show there was a beautiful celebration for the school children in Burnett which is about 2 hours travel from Mirebalais. The kindergarteners who are going into 1st grade had gowns and hats to celebrate their passage into the next grade. They were very excited and proud to show their parents their accomplishments and to sing and recite Bible verses and poems. All the school children were there to celebrate, and as many parents as could attended. Even the teachers had special clothes made and they joined in the celebrations. It was a big event for everyone.

There are 4 girls who finished 6th grade this year. OSM, through you, will be helping them with tuition for the coming year to attend 7th grade in Mirebalais. The school they will attend is also a Christian school, and this will give these children a wonderful opportunity to continue their education. Each of the girls have arranged to stay with aunts and uncles in Mirebalais so they can go to school there as it is too far from where they now live to walk.

One of the girls who is leaving our school, Meseline, (pictured to the right and on the front page) gave a speech in French which was a huge blessing and encouragement to us. She did this on behalf of herself, and the other girls who will be leaving the school to go on to the 7th grade. It was a beautiful speech, thanking all the teachers, who worked hard to give them a good education. She also thanked OSM and you for providing the food and education for them and even the cooks who worked hard serving them. She shared that she is sad to be leaving the school. Her final sentence was: “Even when we are not here in the flesh, we will remain here in spirit.” What a blessing to hear how much the school has impacted her life! After years of hard work in this area, it was very exciting to hear such a kind and grateful speech delivered so well and with much emotion. There were pictures of some of these girls with their heads on the desk crying because they don’t want to leave their friends and teachers to move on to another school. Meseline also challenged the new students coming into the school replacing them to be mindful of the many blessings they are receiving and to give good results for these investments into their lives. It was very moving to hear and see all this graduation ceremony! We thank the Lord for working in hearts and showing us this maturity, depth of thought and Christ-like gratitude from our students!

We are growing to appreciate the teachers and their work with the ministry more each time we receive their input. They do seem to totally understand why we are ministering there and remind us not to lose heart. The teachers shared that they know we are in a battle and that God has given us a vision and they would like to see us move forward with the school, despite difficulties that come our way. As Christians, they understand we are going to battle satan and we need to see the battle we are fighting is for the good of the children and for sharing the gospel with them. Talking with our teachers has been a huge blessing for us to see that they understand some of our difficulties much more clearly than we had thought.

Nady and his wife, Jeanne, had twin boys, born on June 29th. Praise the Lord, both baby boys, Davidson Keven and Daveson Mateo, and Jeanne are home now and doing well. If you would please pray for this young family, for Nady as he cares for the needs of the school as well as the many needs of his wife and babies, for Jeanne to heal quickly from a c-section and adjust to life with 2 babies, and for the babies to grow healthy and to one day know the Lord. Thank you for your prayers for this dear and wonderful family!

While things are going well at the school, Pastor Santos and Sister Fini have been busy this month with many activities for the families and children in their area around Nava, Mexico. They continue to reach out to couples as they minister to their children.

Many children attended Bible School hosted by Pastor Santos and Sister Fini. The children are precious and enjoy having Bible lessons and crafts for the week. We are grateful to ‘Art for the Nations’ for their Bible School materials which we sent to help. Pastor Santos always has fun activities and games for the children while he shares the love of Jesus Christ with them.

Many couples are continuing to be ministered to by Pastor Santos and Sister Fini in their church and at the Ranch of Faith. They spend many evenings meeting with parents, and the members of their church. It is a privilege to work with them in Nava. Please keep them and their health in your prayers.

Our hearts are grateful for each of you who have grown to love and appreciate these sweet children, the teachers and Pastor Santos and Sister Fini. Please continue to pray for things to get better in Haiti. Many people are killed needlessly each day. Our OSM staff in Port-au-Prince still is not able to safely travel to the school yet.

We thank the Lord that He has made a way for us to continue reaching these areas with His gospel and for His glory. May each of you know and feel His love in your homes and in your lives as you help reach others with His love. To God be the glory, great things He has done, so loved He the world that He gave us His Son.

Serving our Savior with you,
Ken and Debbi