Grace and Peace to you my friends!
I made it to Haiti and I’m still alive to tell you the story! Even though I’ve been riding a scooter without a helmet! Thank you Jesus! 🙂 Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers and thoughts! This transition has been so smooth and full of peace. I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be and there is no greater feeling in the world. 

Liz in Pignon

I apologize for not sending word sooner! I tried last week to sit down and write a blog but it never happened. I am having a hard time believing that I’ve only been here two weeks today! It feels like a lifetime! It must mean that we’ve been busy, which is true. As Craig and Christi say, we’re just enjoying Life in Christ, craziness and all!

Here’s a recap of some highlights:

I arrived two weeks ago Thursday, with my sidekick Joel and Dean & Paula. Tim Brand, Eric Recker, and the Gritters Electric team joined us a few days later.  The electricians worked hard to get the new guesthouse connected to our solar power system and Joel put in a hot water heater! Bel Bagay! (Great things!)

Left to Right: Eric Recker, Liz Clarke and Joel Verhoef

Tim, Eric, Joel, and Dave put on a 2-day Leadership Conference for 100 Haitians from the surrounding communities. We had amazing attendance – 90% on day 1 and 99% on day 2! Tim had them do “trust fall” exercises within their groups and it was really fun watching their faces! They also washed each others feet which was a beautiful experience. 

The Leadership conference was a blessing Haitians washed each others feet

Our Cement floor team assessed over 30 houses in 2 days for potential cement floors.  We plan to pour in existing homes throughout surrounding communities. The project commenced yesterday and our first floor is in the books!!! 

I was also so excited to find out that I know some of the families that we are helping! Last year we did some food distributions in the Sylvain area (where we are now living and doing the concrete project) and I was blessed to meet this little ray of sunshine!

Liz with MyLove

Two days ago on a moto ride to the house above, I recognized the road and knew MyLove was close! Sure enough, around the next bend we saw her house and stopped to say hello!

MyLove has some physical and mental disabilities, all of which are not known for sure. We know she is a candidate for a PET though, so we hope to be able to distribute one at some point! I also learned that her little brother is in our Thrive program! His dad, Audest (pronounced Odes), comes with his every day and is the sweetest, kindest man ever. I was so excited by this reunion and the idea that God had set up these relationships long we knew we would ever be neighbors! Cool stuff! 

PRAISES: 

Language is coming quickly and [mostly] easily!! I’m learning so much everyday and I am thankful for the strength to keep up! I’m also thankful for the incredible patience of the Haitian people. They are so kind and willing to talk it out until we figure out what we need to know. Monday my brain felt foggy and slow…just a little lag from all the use. I suspect I needed to be drinking more water.

I share a home with Craig & Christi Gabhart and Heidi Schulte, the other long term missionaries here. Because we host so many teams, we need to live in a large home. For over a year, we’ve been renting a dorm in a community named LaCoste. For two months, a new guesthouse has been under construction on our property in Sylvain. Thanks to the team of American electricians and heaps of Haitians it is finished! We moved in two days ago! I’m sure we had 20+ truckloads of stuff to move. Thankfully we live in Haiti, so we did it the “Haitian” way. ​​​

We celebrated moving by having some friends over for a “dedication” ceremony. We sat in a circle, singing and praying together, asking God to bless this house and land for His glory! What a special time!

We prayed together to dedicate the building to God’s working and plan Better together!

​PRAYERS:
These are exciting times – the way is being paved for great change in this community.

• Please pray that we continue in humility, helping God to be made real in this broken world. 
• Please pray for relationships. We are asking for radical unity within our team and within the community members we live alongside. We need patience and understanding as we live together. There have already been many tense moments of confusion where I have to let go, watch, and learn. There are also times when I need to step up and teach. Humility and courage is needed for both. 
• And please continue praying that we stay focused on the light – we have been reminded many times this week that “Light will shine out of darkness” 2 Corinthians 4:6
• As I reflect on where I am and how I got here, I am simply in awe. Thank you for the prayers, thank you for the support, thank you for trusting in God and following His leading to walk alongside me in this. When you’re here (in Haiti) and you look around and start meeting individuals who work with other organizations, or who are here on their own, it is so apparent that MH4H is richly blessed with amazing supporters, which includes all of you! The Lord approves of our work and is blessing us beyond measure. That said, we would never be able to do what we do without all of you and for that we are grateful! 

God woke me up last Sunday night and gave me this scripture: 

“But you (Haiti) are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called ou out of darkness into His marvelous light! For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received Mercy, but now you have received Mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10

It was one of those really sweet moments when God speaks clearly. He told me that these verses were for Haiti. Please join me in praying this prayer for Haiti: that the Haitians would understand these truths and begin to live out of this promise!

Thank you my friends! Bondye Beni Ou! (God Bless You)
I look forward to continuing to share this journey with you!

In His Service,
Liz