10/2-10/9

It was a bit cooler this week in Port au Prince... temperatures in the mid 80s during the day and high 70s during the night. Enough to make the Haitians and some of our team members want to put on pants and sweatshirts! Crazy, we know!

This week God was so good to us in bringing us 5 beautiful women who are truly walking in the footsteps of Christ. Brenda, Dawn, and Liz from Church of the Cove in Tennessee as well as Tina and Jordyn from Murfreesboro arrived on October 2nd and we got busy! We spent a lot of time at Chadasha's Little Hands & Feet loving on the sweet kids. While we were there, we painted some joyful decorations on the walls just to brighten the place up a bit.

Mrs. Brenda painting!

Liz & her mom, Dawn, with 3 of the kids at Little Hands & Feet

We know that many of you are following the story of Baby KenKen who lives in a tent camp and has HIV. KenKen is one example of the emergency medical care provided by Chadasha in Haiti. We were supposed to pick up the test results for his parents on Monday, but were unable to so we will be going tomorrow [October 10] to pick them up. In the mean time, we visited KenKen and his mom! Over the last week, KenKen's mom has contracted shingles. This is a very contagious and dangerous virus for immunodeficient people [such as KenKen]. It was tough to leave KenKen in the tent camp knowing he may contract the virus, but as a team we decided that it is best for him to be with his mom and dad for the time he has left, even if that means he is exposed to shingles. [Quality of life over quantity of life, basically]. Extra prayers for this family as we find out the results of the HIV tests tomorrow.

Tina & her daughter, Jordyn, with baby KenKen

Another thing we were able to do this week was take these lovely ladies up to the Chadasha Beach Property that will soon be transformed into an Orphanage Retreat Center. You can click here to learn more about this project. It was a great opportunity to plan and talk and dream about what God will do with the property, as well as a great time to get to know each other's hearts on a more personal level.

Our 5 guests at the beach property!

In addition to the activities already mentioned, we were able to visit an orphanage that Tina had heard about [special prayers for a boy there named John Wesley who is in the middle of the adoption process]. We were also able to go to Caanan [the largest tent city in Haiti where over 150,000 people live in tents or makeshift houses] and do door to door prayers as well as simple medical care [Tina is a fabulous nurse!]. God used these women in a mighty way in Haiti this week, and we at Chadasha are convinced that the Light of Christ shined through us a bit brighter because of their presence.

Check back next Sunday to be filled in on what you miss in Haiti this coming week [which will include some visits from parents of kids at Little Hands & Feet, HIV test results, and who knows what else!] Our prayer for you today is that you know that Jesus Christ loves you more than you can possibly imagine [no matter who you are or what you've done or where you've been]. He loves you so much that He died for you!

Until next time... Love from Haiti!