May

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-6

Dear Friends in Christ,

What an awesome and mighty God we serve! He alone is the Creator and Giver of Life! We bow down in humble adoration of His love and goodness to us. This month, God continues to bless and care for our school children, for Woodson, those who are helping with the leadership of OSM, and our family.

During our stay in Memphis, TN, with Woodson, we were privileged to attend the church of Dr. Jimmy Young. In 1979, Jimmy was our pastor in FL and turned my (Debbi) eyes back on following Christ and led Ken to the Lord Jesus as his Savior. Jimmy and his dear wife, Suzy, had lunch with Woodson and us after church. We were blessed to fellowship with them and catch up on life. We thank the Lord for using Jimmy and Suzy in our early lives to bring our marriage back together and put our focus on Jesus Christ as our Savior, for our marriage and later for our family. What a blessing to know such a special couple being used by the Lord in many lives! Praise Jesus!

The school continues to be open and operating, which is a miracle in the area where it is located. The Lord gives us favor each day it is open and not closed by the gangs who are located close by. He daily answers our prayers asking for His arms of protection around the school children, our teachers, and workers. He has shown Himself strong despite difficulties with gangs and voodoo in the area. Only He can provide and protect in the ways we have seen at our school. Praise His Name! What a Savior!

While schools in the US are coming to an end for summer break, our school in Haiti is also coming to the end of its school year. They are busy with the spring agriculture day display. The children brought fresh vegetables from their homes and gardens. The teachers shared how to properly clean them. Some of the vegetables are used by our cooks for the meals. This is a colorful and wonderful way for our teachers to share about hygiene and proper food preparation, which is difficult in the village because of a lack of clean water. It’s amazing the difference access to plenty of clean water makes for our health.

The children also celebrated Flag Day this month. In spite of the many problems in Haiti, of course, the children and teachers are proud of their country and school and thank the Lord for His wonderful provision and each blessing He gives them. We do not have the same worries and problems to deal with daily that the people of Haiti endure, so being thankful for protection and safety has a whole different meaning there.

Our teachers have been preparing the children for their final yearly exams as well. These exams let the teachers and us know how the students are doing academically and how effectively the teachers are teaching. Of course, in Haiti, they don’t have all of the amazing programs and tools available to them that we are blessed to have here through technology, or even any devices that need electricity. The main focus of the schools is to teach the students to read, write, and basic math skills. Most importantly, they study God’s Word each week as well. Their teaching is very simple and to the point, which is what is needed in a rural and remote village in Haiti. The children are grateful to go to school, receive a meal each day, and learn more about Jesus.

The feeding program for the school is going well. Through the summer, we continue offering a noonday meal along with fun activities for the children. We do not want them to lose the opportunity to have a good meal each day, plus this gives the teachers more time to share God’s Word. Some children cannot go each day, because they help their parents in gardens and selling items at the local market, but they definitely come to the school as often as possible in the summer months to get a meal.

Most of you have been following Woodson’s journey, especially over the past few months. He has been with Holly and her family since leaving St Jude. Woodson is fully recovered and has been cleared for travel. He seems to have full energy back and no more stomach pains. We are so grateful to God for His love and healing of this little guy! We are continuing to pray for his salvation someday, along with the salvation of his family. Woodson will soon be coming to our home in Texas to spend a few weeks before we begin readjusting him back to his home in Haiti. Please pray with us for wisdom through this process, as well as safety over our upcoming travels.

On April 30th, my Mom, Barbara McGovern, went Home to her Savior, Jesus Christ. She is now praising and worshipping Him with our daughter, Shelby, face to face, and completely healed. We traveled to FL to join in with our family celebrating her wonderful 95 years of life! So many friends and family members came to give their love and honor my precious Mama. My 3 broth-ers and I were brought up in a home where my Mom was dedicated to living a life unto Christ. Through my Mom’s faithfulness and God’s grace, my 3 brothers and I have all embraced Jesus as our Savior. Because of this hope of a reunion again someday, we were able to have joy in celebrating her life together, along with many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren at her service.

21 years ago, on May 31st, our precious daughter Shelby went to be with Jesus. We praise the Lord, she also had an amazing though much shorter life. We are comforted in knowing she is alive and well in Heaven and is there to greet each of our family members who join her to sing and praise our amazing Savior! Shelby loved Haiti and Mexico, and ministering the love of Jesus Christ with those she met on teams. We miss her very much every day and again celebrate her life, thankful to the Lord for giving her as a part of our family for her short time on this earth.

The work in Mexico is going well for Pastor Santos and his wife, Fini. We ask for your prayers for them as they minister faithfully, sharing the gospel with many people in the colonias. Lety continues to teach and share Christ, giving encouragement and love, with the precious girls in her area, at the sewing house.

The Lord Jesus is worthy of our love, honor, and praise. We pray His blessings over you and your families. Thank you for your encouragement to us as we endeavor to represent ours and your love for Him in Haiti and Mexico.

Serving our Savior with you,
Ken and Debbi