A lot of people have been asking if things are better since Kenya arrived with police/troops. I can only say what I know is happening out here in our area. Nothing has changed or happened. We live on the main commerce road from the Dominican Republic up through Croix-des-Bouquet into Port-au-Prince. The gangs control the area from Ganthier, which is eight miles from us, all the way to Port-au-Prince. It’s been very disappointing. We hope the plan has not yet been set in motion, and is still coming.
Mark Ostrander is here working with his Haitian dream team preparing and getting things ready for future volunteer teams. We are optimistic and believing the best is yet to come!!
God bless America on this July 4th. Happy Birthday, America! In 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed! We wish a happy Fourth of July to you and your family.
“Who’s fighting your battle?” There are many times in our lives that we will be fighting a battle. That battle may be about you, your children, your situation, your job… anything! But sometimes, after we have been fighting and fighting, God says, “… be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s!” (2 Chronicles 20:15)
I love it when that happens!! God says, “Move over! I got this!” We are all soldiers in God’s army, but the Lord knows when you need a break and He tells you, “This one’s mine!” Maybe that’s you today. You may not have told anyone about what you are going through, but God is saying, “You have fought a good fight! This one’s mine!!” So, give it to Jesus! Now, thank Him!
Job came to us “after a Haitian Pastor” carried him for hours down a mountain. He had been sent to another orphanage but they did not have room.
Job is now 15 and about as tall as a “coconut tree.” He is sweet and quiet, and you never know he is here!
About two years ago, he developed a horrible infection inside his lower leg bone. Due to gangs blocking our streets, we could not take him to a Hospital near us. We had to take him to the Dominican Republic!
They had to open his leg from the knee on down, clean out the infection, and fill it with glue! After nearly 6 months, we returned for his second operation to take the glue out!
It was successful!
Job is quiet, respectful, and makes good grades. He wants to be a doctor! He works in the yard and orphanage.
He loves dominoes, soccer and music!! He is the kind of kid that you would like to meet!
Last night, around 2:00 AM, the winds must have become hurricane-force winds. Farmer John WhatsApp messaged me at 2:00 AM, saying, “It’s here.” The winds were terrible for about 30 minutes, then settled down.
This morning at 5:30 AM, it was still raining slightly. Sherry and I got in our vehicle and went around the property checking on things. PTL! Not one tree was pushed over, and our new metal roof on the new mechanic shop had no problems.
The children and all of us are good. The hurricane went south of us. Pray for Deedee now, one of our children in Jamaica going to school. She is in her dormitory, ready for the hurricane. Thank you for all your prayers.
I heard someone once say, “I don’t believe that fear is a spirit.” I said, “Come to Haiti!” Haitians learn “fear” from the time they are born. They can go to church, pay their tithe, sing about the Lord, and be proud of their “Church Membership Card!” But when Monday comes, “fear opens the door and walks right in!” They have been born into thinking that someone has put a spell on them, or they are getting ready to put a spell on them! They will be in church on Sunday, dressed in the best clothes, but on Monday, they may be looking for someone to take that spell off!! “Fear” is a spirit from Hell! It is “torment!” Of course, there are many Haitian Christians who are not afraid, and they can really “chase the devil away!”
There are also many Christians in the States who live the same way. They are afraid of everything. They live in torment! But 2 Timothy 1:7 declares, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind!” The “spirit of fear” is a tormenting spirit! If you are suffering from this, find someone full of God’s power and love, and have them pray for you! God can set you free! Have a blessed day of power, of love, and of a sound mind!!
Fritzner is sweet, kind, and obedient! He’s the kind of kid that you could say, “I’ll take two of him!!”
He was just four months old when Pastor Justin arrived from a long trip down the mountains to our old orphanage!! This trip saved his life!
His mother had given birth to him and then died, possibly of “eclampsia.”
Fritzner likes to “help the cooks!” (I think he does more “food testing” than anything else!)
He plays bass guitar and loves soccer!! He is 15 and in 8th grade. Fritzner will go far in life! He respects everyone, works hard, and is always ready to help!
In the last hour, I’m surprised how the weather has changed. From blue sky to wind, dark clouds, and some rain.
We have picked up everything outside that could blow away and cause some damage.
It looks like Hurricane Beryl is a dangerous Cat 5 hurricane that will hopefully pass south of us. We are praying for others in its path. Pray for Deedee, one of our children in school in Jamaica.
This story is told by Dieuferly D’or, our photographer. He was raised in our orphanage since he was a toddler… This heart-wrenching story will help you understand how well “you and your children and grandchildren” have been blessed.
Sherry
Roudjinie Jean, a 9-year-old girl from Port City, shared her heartbreaking story with us. Originally from the mountain village of Dekouvè, she moved with her parents to Port City, hoping for a better life. They left behind a place where they faced humiliation, dreaming of a future in Fond-Parisien where they could afford school, a better living, and new friends.
Despite their efforts, Roudjinie’s reality is very tough. “I’m not comfortable because I can’t find enough children to play with,” she said, her young voice tinged with sadness. She bravely admitted, “I won’t lie to you. This is the truth: I often spend days without eating.”
In our interview, she revealed the depths of her suffering—hunger, depression, and the endless struggle to help her family survive. The images we captured show a resilient girl doing everything she can to support her loved ones despite the immense challenges. Roudjinie’s story is a poignant reminder of the harsh realities faced by many and the urgent need for support and compassion.
We are such busy people nowadays that we don’t even remember that we are in a “fight” every day.
If we could open our “spiritual eyes,” we would see so many “spirits” (many of them evil, setting traps for God’s people, trying to discourage them and harm them).
This has happened even to men of God!!
Timothy said, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called…” I Tim. 6:12
We are in a fight—a daily fight—but we are on the “winning side!”
Those things that bother us won’t bother us anymore! Those that hurt us won’t hurt us anymore.
So each day, after you put your clothes on, put on a “spiritual garment” and fight the good fight of faith!!
For many years, Sarah wanted to become a beautician and nail tech. She has been in college here in Haiti and will soon be finished. She is the “best one” in her class, whether it is nails, manicures, or “weaves!” She has had a lot of problems with her eyes so she got behind, but she is doing better now. Our dream for her, one day soon, is to have her own “Sarah’s Beauty Shop” at our Maché Mirak, “Miracle Market,” right here in Fond Parisien. She and her brother, Joseph, had Kwashiorkor Malnutrition when they were brought to us, not expected to live. But, God had other plans! Thank you, partners, for investing in lives here in Haiti.
