June

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High; to declare Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness by night.

Psalm 2: 1 & 2

Dear Friends in Christ,

The Lord has brought us through another exciting and blessed month. It is His arms of strength and protection around us; we know we could not have done what He allowed us to accomplish without this. To Him be all glory and honor!

Before Woodson went back to Haiti, he spent a couple of weeks with us in Texas. He was able to meet many of you who have been praying for him! Our church set up a room so that members from our church could come and meet him after the service. We also opened our home so people could come meet him. Woodson did very well meeting people and proudly showed his tummy scar to anyone who wanted to see it. After a time here, he returned to Holly’s home to meet more of the body of Christ who had been praying for him through Churches and prayer groups. Woodson was always happy to meet new friends everywhere and enjoyed hearing they had prayed for him.

He has a big smile for everyone. We have been blessed and amazed at how many people have prayed for this precious little boy and have grown to love and care for him very much. God is so good!

A few weeks before we had planned for his return to Haiti, Nady, our school administrator, shared with us that it would not be safe for Woodson to return home. The gangs in that area all knew that he had been cared for in the US, which would put him and his family in danger when he returned to the village and school. He could be targeted for kidnapping. This gave us and our prayer team more opportunity to pray and trust God. We had to scramble to create a new plan as Woodson was excited about returning to Haiti soon to see his Mom and family. His parents also reached out to us and asked us to continue helping care for him as they were afraid for him to return. The gangs are very violent and evil. Woodson’s family had reason to fear for his life and to be afraid of them. Countless villages have been ransacked and taken over, leaving numerous families without homes and scattered throughout Haiti.

When our staff in the Petionville area who had helped care for Woodson before he came to the States heard of the new dilemma, they were all eager to step up and help, as they had fallen in love with Woodson too. Edgard and his family have worked with us for many years and already knew Woodson. We have known Edgard’s wife since we lived in Haiti in the 90’s. Edgard was a huge part of Woodson’s story already, as he was taking him to get his paperwork done ahead of coming here. He had been praying for God’s will and felt the Lord wanted him and his family to take care of Woodson when they heard of the situation. We have so much respect for Edgard and were grateful for God confirming this through so many details aligning. We will be supporting Woodson and helping Edgard’s family, so this is not a financial burden on them. Woodson’s parents are grateful for this plan as it allows them to travel back and forth to visit him when it is safe for them.

Holly, Micah, and Woodson flew into Haiti on Missionary Flights International, MFI. They arrived at MFI the day before the flight, as all luggage has to be weighed and the plane loaded the day before they fly to Haiti. When they arrived, the staff were all eager to see Woodson again and showed him all around the warehouse. He was even given a tour of the plane and got to climb into the cockpit, meet the pilots, and be loved on by so many staff members! God has blessed so many people with Woodson’s story; we have been humbled and blessed to get to be a part of it! Thank you, MFI, for all you did to help with transportation and prayer support for him!

Many details had to come together before Woodson even landed in Pignon with Micah and Holly. Nady, our school administrator, and Amadeau, his assistant and a teacher at our school, brought Woodson’s 9-year-old brother, Clavenchy, by motorcycle to meet the plane. Edgard and a friend traveled by bus, experiencing many hours of delays from the gangs and a bad wreck. Karinsky, who was Hol-ly’s driver from a previous trip, drove down to Pignon from Cap Haitian to drive for them during their stay. Praise the Lord, everyone was able to arrive at a hotel in Pignon where they met for a few days discussing important issues regarding Woodson’s care and the school. Woodson and Clavenchy were thrilled to see each other again and play in the hotel pool. This was a new experience for them; however, they are both strong swimmers from growing up swimming, bathing, and fishing in the river near their village. It was a joy to see how close these two boys are and how much fun they had reconnecting after being apart for so long. Clavenchy is a loving and protective big brother to Woodson, who is the youngest in the family. Woodson was especially excited to have Haitian cooking again.

During the short visit to Pignon, they were able to visit a market to get shoes for Clavinchy and visit a church in LeJune where Ken went on his first mission trip to Haiti. Holly had given Edgard some tracts and enjoyed seeing his passion to share the gospel everywhere they went. He would talk with anyone they walked by, praying with many, sharing the tracts, and reading through them to make sure they understood. Although they had met Edgard before, Micah and Holly were grateful to spend a little time with him again, knowing Woodson would be going home with him. They all spent their last evening sharing testimonies of God’s goodness through Woodson’s story, praying over him and each other, and singing together. Praise Jesus, what a wonderful way for them to end their time together!

The morning everyone left, Holly was with Woodson as Edgard arrived with the transportation, which was a van so packed that when the door opened, people fell out. This is very common in Haiti and doesn’t seem to bother anyone. Nady and Amadeau left early with Clavenchy to return to the village and school. Edgard and Woodson had a long travel day ahead of them to return to Petionville. Our prayer team stayed alert, praying them through. At one point, they came up on a village where gang members were shooting their guns and stopping traffic. They were able to quickly turn down a side road and go to another area. The van unloaded there as they had a long wait before they could safely get back on the road. Some locals there saw Woodson and gave him a mango, which he thoroughly enjoyed. By that evening, praise the Lord, everyone was back home safely. It was a wild and crazy few days, but God showed Himself strong and brought them all together.

Many have asked what the monthly expenses for Woodson will be. We were able to send some funds for Edgard to buy a bed and supplies needed for his home since Woodson will now be living with his family. With our best estimates and research to cover food, living expenses, medical care, school, and help Edgard’s family, it will cost OSM around $250 monthly. If you would like to help support Woodson monthly or with a one-time gift, we would be grateful for your partnership. We are praying and trusting God for His provision, as this support will be needed for many years to come.

The Lord has gone before and around us, holding and directing us as we go. It is our privilege to share His many gifts and testimonies with you. May you be encouraged, and may we all exalt and lift Him up as He works in our lives daily. Thank you for your inspiration through prayers and financial support for OSM! You give us the energy and support to do what God brings us as we serve Him each month. We are grateful for each of you!

Serving our Savior with you,
Ken and Debbi