I cannot believe I have not written anything here since 2011.  Most of my time these days is on facebook.  With our move to Haiti I hope to start writing here again!  I hope to share the good times, the bad times, every day things with our family!  I am also hoping that my kids will start a blog of their home to keep friends and families updated on them!!  I hope and pray you all have a very blessed Christmas and a very Happy New Year!  2013 will be a HUGE change for us!!!

A new way of thinking...... Part 3

Sand Castles Vs. Madam Maxo

Last weekend my family went for a couple of much needed days of camping on beautiful Lake Michigan. We spent a couple afternoons sitting by the beach playing in the sand and swimming. As I watched my kids build sand castles, my thoughts traveled back to this “new thinking”series of blog posts.

My kids would spend hours filling buckets with sand, shaping them to look like castles. They would build moats, walls, tunnels and all kinds of intricate things out of sand. When they were done, they looked great, and they were so proud, wanting to show everyone what they had built. The next day, when we would go to the same spot, everything was gone. There was not even a trace of all the hard work put in just the day before.

Does this sound familiar? Before starting Ebenezer, I spent an amazing amount of time, energy, and resources leading mission trips to Haiti. We would do all kinds of things for all kinds of people, yet, whey returning with the next team, often these people were no better off than the last time we were there. Money, clothes, food, and all kinds of things given, yet a few months later, the people were still in just as much of need as before. I started to think about this, and try to understand why. The conclusion I came to is not an easy one to share, and it may be taken wrong by some, but I pray not. What I realized, as I was honest with myself, was that a lot of what was being done was not as much to help the people, but to have the perfect photo shot of us helping someone, or a great story / testimony to share with those back home. These, unfortunately, are sand castles. They are the result of a lot of effort, and are beautiful to see, yet, within days there is no evidence that anything ever took place, except in pictures and stories. So, I will ask, is this really helping, or making us feel good? Now, before I go on, I am not saying that doing the short term helping stuff is bad, or that we need to stop. That is not where I am going. What I AM saying is that we need to have a long term solution to go along with the short term help. There HAS to be a way. Let me give an example...

The church was instituted by Christ to be His physical presence on earth in the day of salvation, which we are in now. The church, as they selflessly help others draw the world in by their love for each other, especially to the “least of these”. As Paul traveled planting churches, notice something. He raised up leadership within areas, and let THEM be the local church. This is our core belief at Ebenezer. The local Haitian church needs to start ministering to their own people instead of depending on others. If this happens it will be a huge step towards independence.

Before my family left this summer, someone from the local Haitian community gave me some money, telling me to give it to whoever needs it. That morning I had received an email that a dear friend of mine, Maxo, had died of Cholera. We had built him a house the summer before. His wife was hurt badly in the earthquake, and one of their 4 children were killed. I knew immediately that the money was for her. Upon arriving in Haiti, I shared with Pastor Marc that I had the money, and that I thought it should go to her. He agreed and said I could give it to her. I laughed and told him he knew that I don’t give it, but told him that she needed to know it came from the church. Then, instead of Marc giving her the money, he gave it to someone she did not know. He gave it to her, and said it was for her, from the church.

A few weeks later, a couple from the local Haitian church here in Michigan came to visit us in Haiti. I brought them to see Madam Maxo, so they could share with the donor where her money went. I told them not to mention the money, but just to say we were there to visit. During the visit, Madam Maxo was asked how she was getting by with her husband gone. Here is her answer... “ It is very hard. I am struggling to provide for my family. But, God did an amazing thing and provided a miracle in my life. He provided for us in a way I did not expect, so I took the money and started a market. Now I am able to provide for my family from the money I make selling things.”

See the difference? Because the money came from church, without the fanfare of pictures, GOD receives the glory, and the money has a lasting impact. Now, every time I pass Madam Maxo’s house, I smile as I see her market, neatly arranged, clean, and a big smile on her face.

This is just one example we have seen of a lasting impact that can happen when relief is brought through the church. With the economy situation, and so many other things that are wearing on the churches outreach, we need to start asking ourselves if we want to continue to build sand castles, or houses built on the rock, that will last for a lifetime, and eternity.

I need to get back to a few house stories, but I will continue this series soon. Thanks for the comments some of you have given me. I am open for your thoughts. Let’s continue to learn together!
Nate Yonker

Reilly Concert

October 29 6:45pm You will not want to miss this!!

Tickets are only $10.00

3 bands

Ceglarek Fine Arts Center, Allendale Mi
10760 68th Avenue, Allendale, MI 49401

To order your tickets online go to www.ebenezerdtc.org and click on the Reilly picture.

To send check or cash:

telltheworld5@gmail.com

We hope to see the place filled!! Come out and listen to some great bands!!! We are looking for people to help us spread the word about this concert. If you would be willing to put some posters up for us and contact different churches please email me at the address above. I can send you a cool poster and other details!

Thank you for all your support!!!

A new way of thinking...... Part 2

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 NKJ

As my family waited in line Monday to enter the airport, we were surrounded by a mass of people trying to get inside. Many, I am assuming, trying to get out before Irene came into Haiti. The line was long and tensions were high. Amidst all this chaos, I saw a small, frail woman walking down the line, holding the usual necklaces and paintings that so many try to sell to people leaving. As I watched her come down the line, my attention was drawn to the people that she tried to sell to. For the first time I really paid attention to the reactions people had as she tried to sell her wares. Rude was the only way I could describe it. Short and angry retorts, angry looks, and physically turning away without a word. As she approached my family, I smiled at her and told her the things she was selling were beautiful. She looked at me surprised and said. “your not angry?” to which I replied “or course not, why would I be?”

This started a long conversation with her. We explained why we were there, how hard it was to leave, and how much we love the country and how much we appreciate her willingness to work, even in this tough situation. She proudly told us that she has four children, two boys and two girls, and she was selling to provide for them. After a while we parted with “God bless you’s” as a parting. As she walked away smiling, my eyes went back to the groups she had been to before. They were all looking our way with puzzled looks on their faces. Although it was obvious they did not understand the conversation, they saw the happiness of the lady after sharing a little love with her. I wondered where they came from and what their purpose was. If it was to be the “hands, feet, and mouth” of Jesus, they just failed miserably. Imagine what this lady must think of Americans if this is the way she is treated every day, then multiply that times....

For those of you who have been with Ebenezer since the beginning, you know why it was started. After years of seeing things done the wrong way, God moved in a group of us to do something.... different. With the model of mission powerhouse Gospel for Asia, and using Revolution in World Missions and Come let’s reach the world, two books I highly recommend, we implemented these principles in mission heavy Haiti. Sure, this works well in areas where the name of Jesus is not known, but how about a country where missionaries abound?

Over the summer we had some teams come with members who had been to Ebenezer last year, and then came back this year. All of them marveled at how different things were. Never, never, did we expect to see results like this SO quickly. People in the Ti Goave area and beyond have embraced this new concept with open arms, and even those who resisted at first are now totally on board and excited about what they are seeing. God is doing amazing things as you have seen. I have many more stories to tell.

God continues to show us things, helping us learn. Our purpose is not to say we know it all, or have all the answers. We don’t. What we do want to do is help educate from what we have learned. We believe we are on to something and hope that this spreads for the good of the people, and more importantly, the good of the Kingdom.

Many in the mission community are seeing things in new ways. Admitting that the status quo is just not working, so we need to adjust, change our thinking so that we can actually do some good. This relates to long term AND short term missions. As in the opening story, there are many things that happen, often without our knowledge, that actually do more harm than good to the country we are trying to help. There are many discussions on what to do about this, and some plans in the works. Just like Ebenezer has helped the indigenous people of Haiti think in a new way for the good of the people, we hope that Ebenezer can help Americans think in a new way for the good of the people they want to serve. Posts not to make people feel guilty. Trust me, I have screwed up MANY times. Instead to say that we CAN do a better job if we acknowledge that there are thing we are doing wrong. I believe with all my heart that it is a new day in missions. Not just Haiti, but wherever we are called. Will you join us in this learning adventure?
Nate Yonker

Reilly Concert

The Reilly concert is October 29, 6:45. Opening will be the Haitian praise band from GRW and Altar*d Life. General admission tickets are $10. VIP tickets are $20 and include a private acoustic set from Reilly, autographed posters, and front row seats. These seats are limited and only 32 are left. We hope to sell out and tickets are first come first serve. Please contact me if you want to reserve tickets, and how many.

The Concert will be at the Ceglarek Fine Arts Center. 10760 68th Ave. Allendale, MI 49401

For those of you who have never heard Reilly click on the video below



We are also looking for people available to help that day. If you are interested let us know and we will add you to the list. telltheworld5@gmail.com

A new way of thinking.....

(Nate is posting these on the Ebenezer page on facebook but I know someone you are not on that page so I plan on reposting these here.)

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 NKJ

As my family waited in line Monday to enter the airport, we were surrounded by a mass of people trying to get inside. Many, I am assuming, trying to get out before Irene came into Haiti. The line was long and tensions were high. Amidst all this chaos, I saw a small, frail woman walking down the line, holding the usual necklaces and paintings that so many try to sell to people leaving. As I watched her come down the line, my attention was drawn to the people that she tried to sell to. For the first time I really paid attention to the reactions people had as she tried to sell her wares. Rude was the only way I could describe it. Short and angry retorts, angry looks, and physically turning away without a word. As she approached my family, I smiled at her and told her the things she was selling were beautiful. She looked at me surprised and said. “your not angry?” to which I replied “or course not, why would I be?”

This started a long conversation with her. We explained why we were there, how hard it was to leave, and how much we love the country and how much we appreciate her willingness to work, even in this tough situation. She proudly told us that she has four children, two boys and two girls, and she was selling to provide for them. After a while we parted with “God bless you’s” as a parting. As she walked away smiling, my eyes went back to the groups she had been to before. They were all looking our way with puzzled looks on their faces. Although it was obvious they did not understand the conversation, they saw the happiness of the lady after sharing a little love with her. I wondered where they came from and what their purpose was. If it was to be the “hands, feet, and mouth” of Jesus, they just failed miserably. Imagine what this lady must think of Americans if this is the way she is treated every day, then multiply that times....

For those of you who have been with Ebenezer since the beginning, you know why it was started. After years of seeing things done the wrong way, God moved in a group of us to do something.... different. With the model of mission powerhouse Gospel for Asia, and using Revolution in World Missions and Come let’s reach the world, two books I highly recommend, we implemented these principles in mission heavy Haiti. Sure, this works well in areas where the name of Jesus is not known, but how about a country where missionaries abound?

Over the summer we had some teams come with members who had been to Ebenezer last year, and then came back this year. All of them marveled at how different things were. Never, never, did we expect to see results like this SO quickly. People in the Ti Goave area and beyond have embraced this new concept with open arms, and even those who resisted at first are now totally on board and excited about what they are seeing. God is doing amazing things as you have seen. I have many more stories to tell.

God continues to show us things, helping us learn. Our purpose is not to say we know it all, or have all the answers. We don’t. What we do want to do is help educate from what we have learned. We believe we are on to something and hope that this spreads for the good of the people, and more importantly, the good of the Kingdom.

Many in the mission community are seeing things in new ways. Admitting that the status quo is just not working, so we need to adjust, change our thinking so that we can actually do some good. This relates to long term AND short term missions. As in the opening story, there are many things that happen, often without our knowledge, that actually do more harm than good to the country we are trying to help. There are many discussions on what to do about this, and some plans in the works. Just like Ebenezer has helped the indigenous people of Haiti think in a new way for the good of the people, we hope that Ebenezer can help Americans think in a new way for the good of the people they want to serve. Posts not to make people feel guilty. Trust me, I have screwed up MANY times. Instead to say that we CAN do a better job if we acknowledge that there are thing we are doing wrong. I believe with all my heart that it is a new day in missions. Not just Haiti, but wherever we are called. Will you join us in this learning adventure?
Nate Yonker

Home......

We arrived home on Tuesday evening. I was really hoping to be able to blog while I was there but for some reason blogger would always delete every I would write. I even tried to copy and paste and finally gave up. We were gone for almost 7 weeks. It was an amazing time. We did have some ups and downs but that is to be expected. We watched homes being put up, people coming to Christ, we had another graduation party for the discipleship and literacy class and we even were able to get to know the discipleship class that has been going on for the last 3 weeks. We were able to further relationships and to build new ones. We were able to further relationships with other mission groups and business in Haiti that we prays will turn into something very cool!! No details yet. We had a few teams come down and hang out with us and we enjoyed those times. My hope is that in the next few weeks I will write more about what we did and to have some pictures and videos to show. Thank you for all your prayers and for your support. It is so appreciated. It at times can get very lonley on the mission field and we thank you for the emails that we did get while we were gone. They mean so much.

Every morning for breakfast we would have bananas, fresh pineapple, fresh squeezed juice, bread, peanut butter and Jelly. We would then also either have oatmeal or this egg dish that was amazing! On Saturdays we would have pancakes and on Sundays we would have Cereal. We liked the give the cooks the weekends off to spend with their families. We are very spoiled with our cooks! They are amazing and always have a smile on their faces. They are fun to tease and they tease right back!!



This is Hannah and one of my favorite kids. His name is Christopher and he is 4 years old.
Heather took this picture of Detroit from the air.
Nikolas at the Banaya beach. He is going to be a freshman this year and was such a huge help to us this summer he has a heart of gold and an amazing compassionate heart!! God really blessed our family when he led us to Russia to adopt him.

This was the start of our kitchen, dining area and apartment. I have more pictures that I will share soon of the progress that was made while we were there. This will also be used for classes, eating, weddings and anything else that the community will need.

That is all for today. Do not forget to save Saturday, October 29th for the Riley/Altar*d Life concert. It is going to be and awesome night and we are so grateful to each of them for helping us put on this fundraiser. More details to come as we figure out tickets and other details.

We are praying that Gladys and Henri from Haiti will be able to join us for that evening!!!

We will need people to help us that night so if you are interested please email us at telltheworld5@gmail.com. We are working on making this night affordable for families to attend.

Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser
for Yonker Family's summer in Haiti

When: Saturday April 30th 7:30 -10:00am
Lighthouse community church – Allendale Mi

Or

Saturday, May 14th 7:30 – 10:30am
Byron Center First Reformed Church – (at the Rock) Byron Center, Mi


Featuring Nate's “world famous” pancakes made with Haitian Vanilla and
Cinnamon, regular pancakes, Sausage, scrambled eggs, juice and Coffee.

ALL YOU CAN EAT!



Free will donation at the door. Any donations of $100 or more are tax deductible. Make checks out to Ebenezer dtc.


The Yonkers will be spending July and August in Haiti. Their main jobs will be meeting the requirements for the grants received for houses, hosting teams, relationship building and working on future plans for Ebenezer.

If you cannot make it but would still like to donate please email telltheworld5@gmail.com and we can send you the address of where to send checks! Thank you!!!!

Tear down the walls

We bought a new Hillsong United a few weeks ago. I had not really listened to it very much or really listened to the words until just recently. I forgot how much I love Hillsong and their passion. Their passion is contagious. A few songs have stuck out to me. This is one of them.

These words are where my heart is. It is so hard to go through every day and watch people who seem to just want to get by in this life. There is SO much more than this out there in the world. Where is our passion? What is your passion? God gives EVERYONE a passion. What are you doing with yours? God has given us a passion, at this time, for Haiti. He has given us a love for the people there. He has given us a passion to tear down the walls there. We have just purchase our tickets for this summer. The 7 of us will be leaving July 7th for 6 weeks. We have a few teams that will be coming again this summer. If you are interested in possibly coming on a trip email us at telltheworld5@gmail.com. We would love to have you join us!!





Tear Down The Walls lyrics

Tear down the walls see the world
Is there something we have missed
Turn from ourselves
Look beyond
There is so much more than this

And I don’t need to see it to believe it
I don’t need to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t shake this
Fire deep inside my heart

Look to the skies hope arise
See His majesty revealed
More than this life there is love
There is hope and this is real

Cause I don’t need to see it to believe it
I don’t need to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t shake this fire burning
Deep inside my heart

This life is Yours and hope is rising
As Your glory floods our hearts
Let love tear down these walls
That all creation would
Come back to You
It’s all for You

Your Name is glorious
Glorious
Your love is changing us
Calling us
To worship in spirit and in truth
As all creation returns to You

Oh for all the sons and daughters
Who are walking in the darkness
You are calling us to lead them back to You
We will see Your spirit rising
As the lost come out of hiding
Every heart will see this hope we have in You

Cause I don’t need to see it to believe it
I don’t need to see it to believe it
Cause I can’t shake this fire burning
Deep inside my heart

This life is Yours and hope is rising
As Your glory floods our hearts
Let love tear down these walls
That all creation would
Come back to You
It’s all for You

Your Name is glorious
Glorious
Your love is changing us
Calling us
To worship in spirit and in truth
As all creation returns to You

Home 5 days

Overlooking Port-Au-Prince
Overlooking the bay in Petit Goave
Jimmy
August and his daughter (they are getting a house)
(Destin - He and his family are getting a house)

I have been home from Haiti now for 5 days. A lot of people ask me if I am happy to be home. Yes, I am happy to be in my house in the states with my kids. I love being with my friends and my family. However 3/4 of my heart is in the country where God has asked us to serve at this time. When we go back we are asked all the time, "where have you been, we watched for you to come every day". I feel alive in Haiti, It feels right. At this time God has not called us to move to Haiti full time. He has asked us to do extended stays. We are thankful that Nate has a job where his bosses let him off and understand what is happening. We are thankful that we have children who are just as excited to serve in Haiti as we are.

Will God call us to move to Haiti? Maybe... We are constantly discerning this. We have been asked by several families that we love and trust in Haiti "when are you moving?" They are praying for us to hear clearly either way.

There are days I want nothing more than to move there. Every day I feel God there and know what he wants us to do. Some days here I feel like it is a struggle. I feel free there. For those of you who have been on mission trips you understand what that feels like.

We know God will make it clear and we just have to be obedient. The waiting is the hard part. We just want God to use us where ever he has us.

My kids have a teacher at school that is a wonderful Christian man. He has helped my kids so much through hard times. Yesterday, Heather, told him that her brother says Hi. He asked who her brother was and she said "Nikolas". He says I did not know he was your brother. He then told Heather what a Godly young man he is and was excited to find out they were related. He then asked Heather to pray for a friend of his who was to lead a team to Haiti and found out his daughter has Leukemia. What made me smile is that he knows he can come to my children to ask for prayer! :) Thank you, Jesus for children who love you and are willing for the children and teachers to all know just how much you love their Lord!

I feel like I am rambling today. I have so many emotions going through me right now and so unsure of how to put them in order. Each time we go to Haiti and come back it gets harder to adjust back into this life. I probably feel a little more emotion as today I am going to the funeral of a wonderful 94 year old woman who was such an inspiration to me. She also loved Haiti with all her heart and I would love to just sit down and spend time with her. She also "GOT IT".

Thanks to all of you who are supporting Ebenezer with your time, prayers and finances. We cannot even begin to tell you how appreciative we are of all of you!

Update from Ebenezer

I know I have not written anything here in a very long time. However today I wanted to share with you something that Nate wrote. He is in Haiti right now and sent this update:

This is a first! Praise God we have working internet at Ebenezer now so I can update while we are here. Just another example of the way God is providing.

I have so much to share. So many amazing things going on. I could share about how your generosity has provided many needed things through the catalog. I could share how house fundraisers have been, and will be, a blessing to those here who are in such great need. I could share how things are progressing here, as they are, ever so slowly, yet progressing. I could share with you the amaing way Jimmy is teaching the pastors and people in tents things like cholera. He is an amazing blessing from God.

Instead, today I want to share about the school. After all, that is what Ebenezer DTC is. A school to train existing pastors, and raise up new Christian leaders so that these leaders will change Haiti from the inside out. Today, I had the amazing privilage to witness a vision of God become reality. When God laid this on my heart years ago, it seemed impossible. Today, as I listened to what these students shared, I had to leave the meeting for a short time as I was in tears. God is doing something here, something big. The men shared how they realize that for Haiti to change for the better, it needs to start with them. They shared that God is the one who will provide the means and stregth for that change, and that it would not come fast, but will come, one person at a time.
As pastor Marc shared with the men, he told them that it was not just the words they spoke, but the actions that they showed that would make the biggest impact. He exhorted the men to do the lowest of jobs, not to wait to be served, but to be the first to serve. He explained the example of Jesus, how He gave up all in order to serve us, and give us eternal life. The men agreed and promised they would carry out this. The men are on fire for the Lord and can't wait to take what they have learned to thier villages.

The men in literacy class warmed my heart. One elderly man shared how he had no parents to raise him, and that he never went to school because he had to help support the family. He was so overjoyed that we were able to help him read for the first time in his life. Another man shared how excited he was to be able to write his name, and recongnize names as they are written. Another shared how for the first time he could read the words of life from the Bible.

The stories and testimonies went on for hours. You can imagine how overwhelming this was. God is so good, and I am so excited to share with you what is happening here. We have only Him to be thankful for. Thank you Father for your vision of Ebenezer. Thank you for the miraculous way you have brought your vision to reality. May we be good stewards of this vision and bring you glory through it. May all praise and glory be yours, for you alone are worthy. Amen, and amen.

God is doing amazing things and thank you also to all of you for helping us to make this all happen!!

Thanksgiving

This has been the strangest year. I can honestly say that this is one year that I would NEVER want to repeat. However, I am also very thankful for this year because God has showed up in amazing ways. One of the things I am VERY thankful for is God is Sovereign. He knows all and even when we do not understand He knew things would happen the way they would and we just have to trust that He knows what He is doing. I am thankful that I can rest in that.

I am SO very thankful for friends that stick through thick and thin. We screw up! Imagine that. Thankful for your Grace and for the Grace of God and that we have a God that forgives us and then does NOT remember that we screwed up! Wow! That is awesome!!

I am thankful for family that loves us. God has brought our family on a crazy path and sometimes even when they do not understand they still love us and pray for us and are there for us. They support us. How we love them for that.

I am VERY thankful that God sent us to Haiti for 10 weeks. I would not trade that experience for anything. Our family grew so much. We felt our kids slipping away and we were able to restore what we were losing and grow closer for it. It was not always easy dealing with issues that came up. We learned that Integrity is so important. We learned, again, that missions is not about us but about the God we serve and furthering His kingdom. We learned that we have to completely take what we want out of it and let God fill us with what He wants. There were times this summer that it felt very stressful but that was Satan and work and we learned just how hard he tries to break relationships. We worked hard at fighting that battle. Satan cannot win and will not win. We are very thankful for the teams that came down this summer. We are SO thankful for all they did for the mission and for the people of Haiti. They accomplished so much.

We learned how much we love the Haitian people. We love the relationships that were built. We love watching God use them to be missionaries in their own country.

We are thankful for all of you who are supporting Ebenezer! Through finances, prayers, mission trips. Each one of you are a huge part of what Ebenezer is and we could NOT do this without all of you.

We have had some things that have happened this year that we totally did not see happening. It makes us sad, sometimes even angry, but we know God has a plan. Just remember that in relationships God does not tear apart. Satan does. Jesus asks us to meet and try to figure out what happened and what went wrong. I am thankful I can say that I have tried. I can now leave it in God's hands and feel confident that someday it will be made right.

Things have not be easy this year but we are thankful that God continues to use us in big ways. We do stop and wonder and how He chose our family so long ago for this task but we realize we only need to be Obedient to Him and he will continue to show us the way!

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL of you!!

Nate, Brenda, Nikolas, Ekaterina, Heather, Hannah and Caleb

New pictures!

Lots of prayers needed

We are coming to all of you to ask for prayers.

We are asking for prayers for Ebenezer Discipleship training center. Please continue to pray for the Staff.

Pastor Marc - Pastor and Director
Ruth - cook
Esther - cook
Jimmy - Take the Jesus film around
Jeile - Groundskeeper

Please pray for the two classes that are going on.

We currently have 11 pastors in the Discipleship portion and over 60 that are on the waiting list. (this is just from the first area that we have spoken with - We know there will be so many more as the training center stays open)

We just found out too a few days ago that the literacy program is up and running again too. We do not have a total number yet on that.

We also would love to continue with the house building project and any other needs that the community has (we we know are HUGE)

We have a 4 man construction crew to build the houses and we have a 6 man cement crew to put in the foundations and floors. What a joy and a privilege to be able to give these men a job so they can provide for their families.

We are asking for prayers for all of this and for funding to come in. We KNOW God will continue to provide. However He has also put us in place to help advocate for these people.

If God moves your heart to donate please go to www.ebenezerdtc.org. We know that the website needs to be updated and God has this past weekend provided someone to make that happen. Keep checking back often. We have watched God provide many miracles this past summer on our time in Haiti. If you have questions about this mission or if you would be willing to help us advocate for these dear people please email us at telltheworld5@gmail.com. If you would like us to come speak at your church we are more than willing to do that as well. If you would like to call us please send us an email and we will give your our phone number.

Thank you to all of you who have donated in the past and are already praying for these people. As of right now we have enough funding to go through November. Again we know God will provide but we also know that God loves to hear our prayers!!

Hard time blogging

I have been having a hard time blogging about this summer. I have a lot of emotions right now and I just cannot seem to put my thoughts together.

We put together a video for our church testimony night and thought I would share it here as well.

I will try to put up more pictures of the summer and maybe post some stuff that way.

June 7 2010

I have to go back a long way. How I wish I could have done this in Haiti.

We went to Lighthouse in the morning. Nate preached his sermon on Isaiah 6. I love this sermon. I really makes things make sense!

After saying some hard goodbyes, we loaded up in the van to head to Detroit for a 1:30 flight. Thank you Mike, Diane and Tori for bringing us!

This was the first time we had flown Spirit Airlines. The flight was very smooth but of course no drinks. The kids hated that but the flight was cheap so we could not complain! We flew in Ft. Lauderdale on time and knew we had to spend the night on the airport floor. Not a fun time but we made it through just fine. The next morning our flight was to take off around 7am. We were at our gate and they started boarding the plane. A few minutes later we heard that there was a delay. We then heard there was another delay. After awhile they took off the passengers that had already boarded and told us the flight was now canceled because of the pilot. We thought that was kind of strange but no more info. We gathered our things and went to change our tickets. Wow! The Haitians were causing a riot. It was scary and they had to call in security. The kids were a little nervous to say the least. We just told them we were going to remain calm and that God would take care of us. It was our turn at the window and we gave them our info. They gave us some food vouchers, a hotel voucher and a taxi voucher but told us they did not know our flight situation yet. It could be that day or two days from now. After a few hours they called Nate back up to the window and they told them they could get some of us out that day and some of us out the next day. They had all but Nikolas on one flight. Needless to say that was not going to happen. I was not about the send Nikolas off alone. Finally they had Nate, Wilson and Heather on Insul air and the rest of us on American. We flew into Haiti one hour apart. It was not my first choice but again God took great care of us. We were able to spend a great day at a very nice hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. Kids were able to go swimming and we ate some good food. The next morning early we took 3 different cabs to Miami Airport and then separated ways. I kept saying a little prayer that an angel would be on the otherside of passport in Port-au-prince to help with our luggage and the kids. I knew we could do it but I was not sure about customs and how it was working at that time. We flew in and went through passport control just fine. The only glitch is that the passport guy took my customs form and told me to go on Tiffanys. Needless to say I was not sure how that would work as mine claimed 6 of us and hers claimed 0. He told us no problem. I trusted God would make it okay. The most wonderful thing is on the other side of passport control I could see Nate's head gathering our suitcases. There was a young man at the airport, Alexei, who was able to get Nate into the secure area to help us. How I thanked the Lord over and over for my angel and my protection! We went through customs no questions asked and were on our way to Petiti Goave. It was a long, long ride and every mile devestated my heart further and we saw more and more destruction.

Haiti

I am trying to get the pictures off of my phone but so far my phone and my computer are not cooperating. Hopefully I can share our journey soon.

This summer was truly watching God at work. He taught our family so much. Some of it looked just like it does here at home. I still had to be a mom and a wife. I still had to do laundry, clean, make sure the children behaved and make sure that I was everything God would want me to be while I was in Haiti.

I needed to be respectful of my surroundings and let nothing that I did effect the mission. We knew that no matter what the mission had to come first. Not our comforts or what we wanted in the flesh, but what was important to the mission. At times we had to make decisions that would not make others happy but it had to be done because of the mission that was going on around us. Satan wanted to try everything to break this mission down and he knew that the kingdom was advancing there and wanted it to end.

One of the things I want to write about in my first blog post was about something called Integrity. It has become something very important to me.

The definition of Integrity is this:

integrity

in·teg·ri·ty

 /ɪnˈtɛgrɪti/ Show Spelled[in-teg-ri-tee]

–noun

1.

adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

One tough thing about being on the mission field for longer than a week is you really get to know people and those you are serving. Some of what we saw brought us great sadness. Some of what we saw brought us great joy.

I have learned that I value honesty so much. I value people who are willing to admit to having problems and are willing to submit to those in Authority and work through those problems not just bury them. If you cannot have that you have to look hard at yourself and who you are as a christian. This is what Christ asks us to do. We ALL need to be refined. It is a process. However a huge thing is being able to admit it when you do something wrong and you work on fixing the problems. Some of the pastors we were working with did not have integrity. We had to sit them down and talk to them. What we found encouraged us. After wards they showed us great respect and even called us as we were leaving crying very hard because we had to go home. They were willing to admit to their sins and work on what was wrong. God called us to make some tough decisions and they HURT! They HURT bad. It is hard to do the right thing.

We all have problems. Certainly I do to. It is how we act with those problems and what we do with them that shows our character.

My kids learned this this summer as well. This summer was a huge learning experience for them. We grew so close as a family. Now that we are home they do not want to lose that closeness. We are probably going to step back somewhat from some things we are doing and spend time as a family.

Now you might think that our summer was not good. It was the opposite! It was an awesome summer. We went down specifically to do the discipleship training. We did get that done. We at first did it with 5 of us and because of time issues it ended up with just Pastor Marc and Nate.

What else was wonderful is that thanks to Paige and the Livesay family, we were able to put up 26 houses plus build one more house for John McHoul, for a family through Heartline ministries.

We were able to hire 10 people. 5 on a construction crew and 5 that worked on putting in the cement floors. They grew to form great friendships and a lot of laughter is occurring while they are putting up these houses. We may have the opportunity to put up some more. If you want to know how to be involved with the school or housing please email us. telltheworld5@gmail.com

Nate and I had the honor of standing up in the wedding of Jean Rene. He became a Christian during the first part of our summer and soon became our head construction guy and a great friend.

We were able to visit many tent cities and bring bibles and proclaimers. We saw the Haitian pastors lead many people to Christ and we knew follow up is going on and they are being discipled. Praise God.

We also were able to host 6 teams. It was not easy. There was no privacy. We enjoyed most of the people that came through and it made us realize why teams are a part of the mission and how important they can be. It made us realize just how short a week was. It also gave us a GREAT RESPECT for missionaries that are on the field all the time. We get them now. We understand why they do things the way they do. We understand why at times they have to be hard. We love how they are REAL! Troy and Tara you are real. We love your family and what you are doing with all our hearts. You understand what needs to be done and why its not always easy do it.

The hardest thing we struggled with was a vehicle. There were times we had something to drive but most time we spend a ton of money on tap taps and things like that to get us around. If a team was not there at times we were stuck at the mission.

We know someone that has a vehicle fund started for us so if interested in learning how to donate to that again please email us.

This summer was huge in learning how to do thing and learning how not to do things. We had to do some things that were not popular but Christ does not ask us to do things that are popular. He just asks us to be obedient to him and follow him only. We can say 100% that we did that.

We do not know what the future holds at this point. We only know we want to continue to be obedient.

Thanks for all the prayers, all the financial support and all the love. We cannot do any of this without all of you!! A huge thanks to Melissa for her time at our house and with our dog. We could NOT have done this without you!!

It was great having friends at the end to help us come home. They understood how hard it was for us to leave and also understood the excitement we also felt in knowing we were coming home. It felt twisted. I think it will always feel that way. With God in the lead it will be OKAY!

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Caleb asked Pastor Mark for a real job today. He worked hard all day.
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For Judy Holmes

Hi Judy. The second family we chose to use the other $50 with is very special to us. His name is Eli. He is married and has a daughter named julisa. We bought her a bed with the money. She did not have one.

A little background on this family. Last summer Eli's father was in the literacy class at ebenezer. His dream was to be able to read the bible on his own and to preach from it. His Kids would always read scripture to him before and he would preach from that. At the celebration dinner, the father, was given a bible. He was so excited as he began to read and then began to preach. The Lord then chose that moment to take him home. The other pastors were sad but very encouraged that the Lord gave this man his dream. When we got here this summer we found out pastor Marc was taking care of Eli and his brothers (nevil and joseu). we were able to giv Eli and his family a house and a job (building house) and his family is finally able to live together. Their daughter, Julisa, is adorable. She is around 9 months old and needed a bed. Thank you again Judy and boys for allowing God to use you in helping another family.
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Caleb, kiki, Christopher.
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Thank you Judy and boys.

I just want to give a big thank you to Judy Holmes and her wonderful boys.

As you all know we have two children adopted from Irkutsk, Russia. Judy also has two boys from Irkutsk. Her boys raised money on their own to help the children of Haiti.

Right after the earthquake, Nate met a family with a very young boy. He was just a few months old. His mother was killed in the earthquake. We have been praying and wondering how to use this money. This morning we were still discussing how to use this money. Right at that moment the father walked in with the baby. Instantly we knew the first person to help. We were able to provide them with a proclaimer, (bible in kreyol that uses crank and solar power) food and clothing and a toy. This baby had nothing and through the heart and compassion of two boys, who listened to God, this baby is now clothed and fed. We have a little girl named, Julisa, who we hope to use the rest. When we figure out her needs we will share her story.
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