40 Days until the Big Move!
Family and Friends,
(parents...this post is not appropriate for children to read)
I've been thinking about sex a lot lately. Okay, all the women reading this are saying, "Duh, you're a guy." But it is not what you think...I'm talking about the problems associated with sex in Haiti...broken marriages and families, rampant molestation of children, sexually-transmitted diseases, and the lower status of women and the subsequent promiscuity associated with their socially-reinforced (and sometimes even Church-reinforced) inability to say "no." These are issues that God seems to be asking me to think and pray about more and more lately. Will you join me? If so read on...
Everyone is affected by the sexually-charged atmosphere in Haiti...even missionaries. Pam, our ministry director, knows many missionaries who have succumbed to these temptations and fallen into the same destructive patterns that are hurting so many Haitians. Isn't it amazingly sad how Satan has a way of turning around God's greatest blessings and perverting them into our biggest problems? Sex, family, and faith are all great gifts from God when enjoyed in the right context. But when they become broken and distorted both individually and collectively they can destroy us, and that is happening in Haiti.
I've been thinking of two particular examples that came to light on the last trip to Haiti...
In the orphanage most of the kids have been taken out of very difficult situations. I won't reveal the names of the two kids I am thinking about at this moment, but we recently became aware that they were sexually molested before coming to the orphanage. One of the boys was even force to have sex with other children for the enjoyment of the adults who "cared" for him. How sad. Thinking this was normal, he asked the staff in the orphanage whether he could have sex with some of the other kids. We had to explain to him that this is not appropriate and God has a better plan. Poor kid. Pam consulted a child-psychologist in Sioux Falls who assured her that these children will be able to recover from these tragedies in their lives if they are consistently taught the right way, raised in an atmosphere of apropriate love and affection, and not given the opportunities to act out what they were taught in the past.
Another example is a clinic we had a chance to visit near Les Cayes. This clinic is run by a wonderful family of American missionaries, and they are doing great things down there on the beach where they live and work. Specifically, there is a big festival in August where the party goes on for days and days. Accross the street from their home is a nasty motel and in the next lot is an abandoned house. Both of these establishments were full of dozens of prostitutes and hundreds of customers during the festival. So the American missionaries opened up their doors and offered free health care to the prostitutes. Many of these women had AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases. Helping them medically and telling them about Jesus were both very challenging, and the whole experience opened up a lot of issues about how to best help people in those situations make deep, life-altering changes.
These both seem like extreme examples, but are they really? It seems like these life situations are more the norm than the exception in Haiti. Everywhere you look you see one-parent (or no-parent) homes, pregnant teens, neglected and abused children, and all of the other issues that come up when sex gets distorted. And to make things worse, the church remains silent about social issues and tends to shame and ostricize the abused more than the abuser.
People will sometimes ask us, "What is the biggest problem in Haiti? Is it the corrupt government? Is it the lack of natural resources? Is it the poor quality of education and healthcare? Is it the lack of jobs and business opportunities?" Well, it is all of those things working together to keep the vicious cycle going. Is it possible to fix one without fixing them all? For example, if you poured money into the country and the government was corrupt, would it do any good? In the same way, if you set up a quality government, but there was no income to tax and keep programs going, would that strategy work? Where do you start fixing things?
The same is true with sex, family, and faith in Haiti. They are all very broken right now, and they work together to further distort one another. The Church, the broken families, and the sexually-deviant culture have all created a destructive cycle of their own and it is hard to know where to start to fix things. And I would go so far as to argue that this situation is hurting the people even more than the corrupt government, the terrible economy, and the lack of natural resources.
But God always has a way of bringing hope to the situation. For the past 15 years Mike and Pam has been investing in the lives of about 10 young men and women who are the core members of the youth group today, and they have been taught an exciting vision of becoming godly adults who become faithful and loving spouses and parents. Now it is our privilege as a family to walk with them into their 20s and help them live this vision out and stay on the path of following God's plan for sex, family, and faith. If they remain true and live out this calling, I truly believe it will inspire and impact the little village of Ti-Rivier in life-changing ways, and maybe several dozen younger teens will follow this core group of 20-somethings, and maybe hundreds of little kids watching all of them will catch the vision one day as well.
Join us in praying for such an amazing transformation in Haitian culture! Join us in reclaiming God's wonderful gifts of sex, family, and faith for their proper use. Please spend a little time thinking about sex today...and praying for the young men and women of Haiti!
MAY GOD BLESS YOU WITH AN ADVENTURE TODAY!
-The Grimms
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Next Week's Adventure
44 days until the big move!
Family and Friends,
A special thanks to everyone who reads these blog posts and prays for us and responds with encouraging words. We are amazed at how many people are interested in reading about the people of Haiti and our adventures in working with them. Sometimes it feels vain to write about the mundane details of your own life for other people to read, but if it can be an encouragement to your personal faith journey, then it is worth it!
The purpose of this particular post is to update everyone on the next week's trip to Haiti, which Cory will lead. The dates are October 3-10, and there are 10 people going from the Sioux Falls area. We will offer clinics, Bible lessons in the schools, youth group meetings, home visits, and some other specialized ministry, including a woman who will work with some of the deaf children in the community. It should be a great team and we look forward to seeing what God does in and through this group.
Some more details about the youth meetings...
I (Cory) am writing a new series for the week entitled, "Be a Daniel: Change the World", and I hope it will be an inspiring and challenging Bible study for the young people. I consulted Pam to come up with a new format for this week. One of the problems we have had with youth group lately is that the students in attendance range from ages 8-22 or so, and that range is really too big and dificult to program for in an appropriate way. So this week we will move to the following format:
1st hour: Worship, Learning activity, Scripture, Basic application
2nd hour: In-depth Bible study and discussion for older students
I'm hoping this will allow us to continue to reach out to people at various maturity levels but also do something a little deeper and more challenging for those who are hungry for it. Please pray that we can accomplish both of these goals and not estrange anyone in the group.
As always please pray for this team that will go down and if you want specific requests, here are a few:
1. Team unity
2. Protection from spiritual attacks
3. Safety in travel (flying, driving, hiking)
4. Effectiveness in ministry
5. Protection from sickness
6. For God to stretch us and work in each of our lives
Thanks again and may God bless you and your family.
Embrace the adventure God has for you today!
-The Grimms
Family and Friends,
A special thanks to everyone who reads these blog posts and prays for us and responds with encouraging words. We are amazed at how many people are interested in reading about the people of Haiti and our adventures in working with them. Sometimes it feels vain to write about the mundane details of your own life for other people to read, but if it can be an encouragement to your personal faith journey, then it is worth it!
The purpose of this particular post is to update everyone on the next week's trip to Haiti, which Cory will lead. The dates are October 3-10, and there are 10 people going from the Sioux Falls area. We will offer clinics, Bible lessons in the schools, youth group meetings, home visits, and some other specialized ministry, including a woman who will work with some of the deaf children in the community. It should be a great team and we look forward to seeing what God does in and through this group.
Some more details about the youth meetings...
I (Cory) am writing a new series for the week entitled, "Be a Daniel: Change the World", and I hope it will be an inspiring and challenging Bible study for the young people. I consulted Pam to come up with a new format for this week. One of the problems we have had with youth group lately is that the students in attendance range from ages 8-22 or so, and that range is really too big and dificult to program for in an appropriate way. So this week we will move to the following format:
1st hour: Worship, Learning activity, Scripture, Basic application
2nd hour: In-depth Bible study and discussion for older students
I'm hoping this will allow us to continue to reach out to people at various maturity levels but also do something a little deeper and more challenging for those who are hungry for it. Please pray that we can accomplish both of these goals and not estrange anyone in the group.
As always please pray for this team that will go down and if you want specific requests, here are a few:
1. Team unity
2. Protection from spiritual attacks
3. Safety in travel (flying, driving, hiking)
4. Effectiveness in ministry
5. Protection from sickness
6. For God to stretch us and work in each of our lives
Thanks again and may God bless you and your family.
Embrace the adventure God has for you today!
-The Grimms
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Why Move to Haiti Anyway?
47 DAYS UNTIL THE BIG MOVE!
Family and Friends,
People get involved in ministry and mission work and helping people in general based on a lot of different motivations...some good motives, some bad, but most of our motivations as human beings are somewhat mixed and somewhere in between good and bad. And yet God chooses to allow us to do His divine work on earth. What a humbling privilege! As Paul writes in II Cor. 2:15-16:
"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?"
Lately many people have asked us, "Why exactly are you going to Haiti anyway?" We are never surprised or put off by that question, because the question itself comes out of countless motivations. To one person the question has a tinge of... "What difference can you make there with things being so bad?" To another the question rings with, "Are you nuts or something?" To another the question is simply curiousity about what type of work we will be doing when we live in Haiti. And perhaps when we are asked that question, or others like it, the inquiry is laced with all of these subliminal concerns and more.
We are going to Haiti for many reasons...
To help the poor.
To share the good news of Jesus.
To advocate for the helpless (orphans, widows, disabled, etc...).
To improve the education.
To know God more deeply.
To grow spiritually as a family.
To learn from the Haitian people.
To host short-term teams in Haiti.
To support other missionaries in Haiti and around the world.
To support Haitian Pastors and ministry leaders.
To live a life of adventure!
There are undoubtedly more items we could put on the list for why we are going to Haiti, but there is something intentionally left off...and that motivation is the only one that truly matters. To illustrate the point I (Cory) will share with you something I used to say to middle-schoolers when I was a youth pastor:
(When encouraging them to save themselves sexually for their future spouse)
"You know I can give you 20 reasons to not have sex before you are married, and you already know a lot of those...diseases, possibly pregnancy, commands in the Bible, emotional damage, disobedience to parents, disrespect to yourself and your boyfriend/girlfriend, etc... But when you are in the heat of the moment and you are faced with that decision, my list of reasons will mean very little to you. You won't say to yourself, 'I can't do this because my youth pastor told me not to.' There is no power in that. Your desire will overcome your fears. But there is one way you can live the life God has for you...and that is to be in an intimate relationship with God that is so powerful that you will want to honor and obey Him no matter what occurs. His power will flow through you in that moment of temptation and give you the strength to stay on track with His plan for your life. That is the only way you will save yourself sexually for marriage."
The same applies here. The reasons we listed for why we are going to Haiti are important, but not as important as the simple fact that we know deep down that God wants us there. He has a will for our lives and He has made it clearly known to us...to move to Haiti and live among these precious people. Yes, we may be able to do some good things to help the people, and our faith will absolutely expand through the experience, but what it all boils down to is the fact that God has spoken to our hearts, and we must obey Him. He is calling us to go there. And in the end that is the only motivation that will keep us there over the long haul...through all of the discomfort and failure and unfulfilled expectations that may occur.
And who is equal to such a task? Not us, that is for sure...and yet we accept this call and wait eagerly to see the adventure God has for us! May we never forget our primary motivation for going...to obey our Lord.
-The Grimms
Family and Friends,
People get involved in ministry and mission work and helping people in general based on a lot of different motivations...some good motives, some bad, but most of our motivations as human beings are somewhat mixed and somewhere in between good and bad. And yet God chooses to allow us to do His divine work on earth. What a humbling privilege! As Paul writes in II Cor. 2:15-16:
"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?"
Lately many people have asked us, "Why exactly are you going to Haiti anyway?" We are never surprised or put off by that question, because the question itself comes out of countless motivations. To one person the question has a tinge of... "What difference can you make there with things being so bad?" To another the question rings with, "Are you nuts or something?" To another the question is simply curiousity about what type of work we will be doing when we live in Haiti. And perhaps when we are asked that question, or others like it, the inquiry is laced with all of these subliminal concerns and more.
We are going to Haiti for many reasons...
To help the poor.
To share the good news of Jesus.
To advocate for the helpless (orphans, widows, disabled, etc...).
To improve the education.
To know God more deeply.
To grow spiritually as a family.
To learn from the Haitian people.
To host short-term teams in Haiti.
To support other missionaries in Haiti and around the world.
To support Haitian Pastors and ministry leaders.
To live a life of adventure!
There are undoubtedly more items we could put on the list for why we are going to Haiti, but there is something intentionally left off...and that motivation is the only one that truly matters. To illustrate the point I (Cory) will share with you something I used to say to middle-schoolers when I was a youth pastor:
(When encouraging them to save themselves sexually for their future spouse)
"You know I can give you 20 reasons to not have sex before you are married, and you already know a lot of those...diseases, possibly pregnancy, commands in the Bible, emotional damage, disobedience to parents, disrespect to yourself and your boyfriend/girlfriend, etc... But when you are in the heat of the moment and you are faced with that decision, my list of reasons will mean very little to you. You won't say to yourself, 'I can't do this because my youth pastor told me not to.' There is no power in that. Your desire will overcome your fears. But there is one way you can live the life God has for you...and that is to be in an intimate relationship with God that is so powerful that you will want to honor and obey Him no matter what occurs. His power will flow through you in that moment of temptation and give you the strength to stay on track with His plan for your life. That is the only way you will save yourself sexually for marriage."
The same applies here. The reasons we listed for why we are going to Haiti are important, but not as important as the simple fact that we know deep down that God wants us there. He has a will for our lives and He has made it clearly known to us...to move to Haiti and live among these precious people. Yes, we may be able to do some good things to help the people, and our faith will absolutely expand through the experience, but what it all boils down to is the fact that God has spoken to our hearts, and we must obey Him. He is calling us to go there. And in the end that is the only motivation that will keep us there over the long haul...through all of the discomfort and failure and unfulfilled expectations that may occur.
And who is equal to such a task? Not us, that is for sure...and yet we accept this call and wait eagerly to see the adventure God has for us! May we never forget our primary motivation for going...to obey our Lord.
-The Grimms
Monday, September 20, 2010
A Challenge and a Blessing
Family and Friends,
The September team trip to Haiti is complete, and all is well. I (Cory) had a good week facing many challenges and seeing God work in some new and complicated ways. I'll share just a few of those with you below. Mixed in with this post you will see Elizabeth's (our middle daughter) lion, Bushy, and his adventures this week in Haiti. Let's just say he was a little bit naughty. At home we pretend Bushy is alive and he attacks people. Unfortunately, he was up to the same tricks in Haiti.
We brought in a high-level medical team to Haiti this week, which was both a blessing and a challenge for us as a ministry. It was a blessing because the doctor is someone who truly has a chance of making a lasting impact on the health of the people of the region we serve. She and her team were able to get over $4 million worth of medical supplies donated for this trip and a couple of other trips they have coming up to the Port-au-Prince area. So they were able to treat many diseases and injuries in a relatively thorough way. Also, the doctor's husband is a successful businessman who has a gift for steamlining processes and making things efficient, such as a mobile clinic. He also spent time during the week helping people think of ways to generate more businesses in Ti-Rivier.
So it was a blessed week of doing clinics in the mountains, Ti-Rivier, and near Les Cayes, a city about 30 minutes away. We saw some really interesting people along the way, many of them struggling with medical issues of a great variety: untreated diabetes, infections of all kinds, cancers and tumors, elephantitis, blindness, mental health issues, chronic pain, anemia, and above all, WORMS! Parasites run rampant in Haiti, and the medical team brought down some strong treatments to deal with it.
But the challenge is always sustainability. We made a positive impact on the health of people this past week, and for many of them the prescription drugs they received will continue to help for months to come, but what about the long-term? For example, many people received medication to lower blood pressure, but can we continue to provide that medication in a timely matter in the future? Also, we rid many people of worms, but won't they just get worms again? And it really becomes a metaphor for everything we do in Haiti. What about education and discipleship and business training? Will all of the ministries we are doing today continue to go on once we are gone?
So I wrestled with some of those questions during the week. It was also a very challenging week physically and mentally as we trudged through the deep mud of the mountain trails. But I saw God in the midst of everything that happened. A good example was watching the core members of the youth group at work helping the American medical personnel. They carried the medical supplies (7-800 lbs.) up the mountains and then served as bouncers and translators all day long. It is extremely stressful to work with patients with no break for 8 hours and a couple of dozen other pushy patients pressed against you on all sides, but the youth never waivered. They were devoted to the cause and received no financial pay in return. Can you imagine a dozen 18-year olds from the USA doing the same? I can't.
Another place I saw God at work this week was at youth group Bible studies. The series I taught them, "How to Live a Great Life", generated a lot of questions and discussions. When I speak with young people after group meetings, I am always amazed at their transparent honesty. They will just come up and tell you something like, "I haven't prayed for a long time and I have been having sex with many people, but I want to follow God with my life. I don't know what to do." You can help people when they are able to speak openly like that and not try to cover it up. It is refreshing to do ministry in a setting like that. As a youth pastor in the US I was always dealing with people who had the same issues but acted as if everything was perfect in their lives. People don't seem to do that as much in Haiti.
I visited a home of one of the youth guys named Evens. He has been a pet project of mine ever since my first trip to Haiti over a year ago. Pam often tells people who go on trips, "Allow the Holy Spirit to bring someone in Haiti to your mind and heart as the one person you can impact long-term." For me it was Evens, who turned out to be quite possibly the most timid young man in the group. For some reason I really liked him, and now a year later he drummed up the courage to invite me to his home and meet his family. I went there on Saturday, and they made a big deal out of my visit. They sat me down in the nicest chair, hooked up the fan and put it by me, and served me all kinds of food I probably wasn't supposed to eat (sorry Pam!). It was quite a production. But what I took away from that was seeing in the eyes of the parents that they accept me and Mission Haiti, and their dreams of seeing their children happy (like any parents) are somewhat projected onto us as they hope that we can help their children have better opportunities.
So as always the trip was a both a challenge and a blessing. I could write so much more, but I will save that for next time. Sorry Lynn didn't write this past week about what it is like to be a missionary, mom, and wife...I guess that shows that she is busy most of the time! Thanks as always to all of you for your role in making this ministry possible. Without your prayers and financial support it would all end pretty quickly.
Happy Monday, and may your week be an adventure for Jesus!
-The Grimms
Family and Friends,
The September team trip to Haiti is complete, and all is well. I (Cory) had a good week facing many challenges and seeing God work in some new and complicated ways. I'll share just a few of those with you below. Mixed in with this post you will see Elizabeth's (our middle daughter) lion, Bushy, and his adventures this week in Haiti. Let's just say he was a little bit naughty. At home we pretend Bushy is alive and he attacks people. Unfortunately, he was up to the same tricks in Haiti.
 |
| Bushy attacks Patchouko |
We brought in a high-level medical team to Haiti this week, which was both a blessing and a challenge for us as a ministry. It was a blessing because the doctor is someone who truly has a chance of making a lasting impact on the health of the people of the region we serve. She and her team were able to get over $4 million worth of medical supplies donated for this trip and a couple of other trips they have coming up to the Port-au-Prince area. So they were able to treat many diseases and injuries in a relatively thorough way. Also, the doctor's husband is a successful businessman who has a gift for steamlining processes and making things efficient, such as a mobile clinic. He also spent time during the week helping people think of ways to generate more businesses in Ti-Rivier.
 |
| Bushy attacks Pam, Mission Haiti Director |
 |
| Bushy likes Chelo and his lion shirt |
 |
| Bushy likes children...as friends, not food |
 |
| Bushy waits in the Banana tree to pounce |
 |
| Bushy attacks Elise |
 |
| Bushy makes friends with a fellow predator |
Happy Monday, and may your week be an adventure for Jesus!
-The Grimms
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Another Adventure Starts Tomorrow
Family & Friends,
59 Days until we move to Haiti!
No matter how many times I (Cory) go on these mission trips to Haiti, I still get a sense of heaviness and almost dread at some point before we leave. The first time I went those feelings came over me about a week before going, and it was probably based mostly on facing the unknowns of venturing into a different country and culture. These days when I go the dread probably has more to do with the extreme exhaustion I know is coming over the next 9-10 days. I'm not 21 anymore! I can only pull so many all-nighters in a row. We maintain a back-breaking schedule on these trips and it all culminates in a 24-hour (or so) travel day on the way home. So I am sitting here the night before going and dealing with some of those feelings as I pack and grab a few final minutes with the kids.
We are taking a team down to Haiti tomorrow morning, and I am absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to see everyone in Ti-Rivier (the village where we work) again and be inspired by their faith as always. It will be an adventure and a challenge, no doubt, but all the hard work will be worth it. As mentioned before we will be seeking out the sickest people in the region we serve and giving them the best medical attention we can. Then at night we will gather with the youth group for worship, Bible study, and fellowship. It should be a grueling week physically, emotionally, and spiritually...but no matter what happens God will be in the midst of it all. I look forward to blogging about the experience on September 20 or 21, so check back for that.
While I am gone Lynn will continue with the homeschooling and preparing for our big move. She will hopefully have a chance to write on this blog a couple of times during the week and give you a glimpse into her journey as mother, wife, missionary, and so much more...
Please pray for this team that leaves tomorrow. Lately we have taken several teams of people we did not previously know on a personal level, and we have had mixed results to put it lightly. We are not sure exactly what this team will be like, not knowing them terribly well, but we have high hopes that God will do great things. As always pray for safe travel, health, and protection from the attacks of the evil one.
May all of our lives be an adventure for Jesus every day!
-The Grimms
59 Days until we move to Haiti!
No matter how many times I (Cory) go on these mission trips to Haiti, I still get a sense of heaviness and almost dread at some point before we leave. The first time I went those feelings came over me about a week before going, and it was probably based mostly on facing the unknowns of venturing into a different country and culture. These days when I go the dread probably has more to do with the extreme exhaustion I know is coming over the next 9-10 days. I'm not 21 anymore! I can only pull so many all-nighters in a row. We maintain a back-breaking schedule on these trips and it all culminates in a 24-hour (or so) travel day on the way home. So I am sitting here the night before going and dealing with some of those feelings as I pack and grab a few final minutes with the kids.
We are taking a team down to Haiti tomorrow morning, and I am absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to see everyone in Ti-Rivier (the village where we work) again and be inspired by their faith as always. It will be an adventure and a challenge, no doubt, but all the hard work will be worth it. As mentioned before we will be seeking out the sickest people in the region we serve and giving them the best medical attention we can. Then at night we will gather with the youth group for worship, Bible study, and fellowship. It should be a grueling week physically, emotionally, and spiritually...but no matter what happens God will be in the midst of it all. I look forward to blogging about the experience on September 20 or 21, so check back for that.
While I am gone Lynn will continue with the homeschooling and preparing for our big move. She will hopefully have a chance to write on this blog a couple of times during the week and give you a glimpse into her journey as mother, wife, missionary, and so much more...
Please pray for this team that leaves tomorrow. Lately we have taken several teams of people we did not previously know on a personal level, and we have had mixed results to put it lightly. We are not sure exactly what this team will be like, not knowing them terribly well, but we have high hopes that God will do great things. As always pray for safe travel, health, and protection from the attacks of the evil one.
May all of our lives be an adventure for Jesus every day!
-The Grimms
Monday, September 6, 2010
Fun Days with Daddy
I (Cory) will be gone to Haiti 2 of the next 4 weeks, and below I will write a little something about each of those teams and what they will be doing. But one thing we did recently was "fun days with daddy", a chance to spend some quality time with each of the kids while Daddy is at home. Kester got to go to a Twins game, which was also his birthday present. It was a great game and we had a lot of fun! If you are a Twins fan, it was the game where Jim Thome ended the game in the 10th inning with a walk-off home run. |
| Alexandra with friends "Rufus" & "Ziggy" |
Elizabeth (to the right) got to go swimming with Daddy and get a strawberry shake all to herself. Alexandra (to the left) chose to go to the zoo. We had a lot of fun and made up a little bit for the many days I have been gone this year. We look forward to a time when we will be together in Haiti for long periods of time.Homeschooling continues to go well. We are amazed at how the kids are learning every day and doing a great job of accepting this new arrangement. We continue to try to sell the house, though on Saturday we had an open house with no one in attendance! Nevertheless, we trust God will help us with this need in His perfect timing. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. We re-listed the home on craiglist, and we are preparing for another open house this Saturday, 2-4pm.
As for upcoming trips, the first will leave this Sunday (Sept. 12) and we are privileged to be taking a doctor and other medical staff down to serve the people. The main goal of this trip will be to target the sickest of the sick, so to speak. We will do whatever it takes to find these people and give them medical attention, including hiking to their homes or carrying them out of the mountains if necessary. It should be an adventure. As mentioned before, we with gather at night for worship and prayer and Bible study with the youth group.
On October 3 I will lead another team into Haiti. I use the word "lead" loosely, because many on this team are seasoned Mission Haiti veterans. It will be a great time of ministry and also a chance to do some preparation for our family to move down there. After returning from that trip we will focus on packing and moving.
We hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. God Bless!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
The Big Announcement!
Family and Friends,
Today we make the big announcement! Nov. 9 our whole family will finally be on a flight to Port-au-Prince. God is directing our path in ways we have not previously experienced, and it is an amazing adventure.
Who are we to think we can make a difference in the lives of the people of that troubled country? The answer is simple...we're nobodies...but if God chooses to use us when we are down there we are prepared to give Him all the glory. We are going down there with very simple, and some might even say low, expectations. This year we hope to begin to learn the language, develop a deeper dependence on God, grow closer as a family, and get to know the people of the community better. That's about it. Sure, we have enormous dreams for what could be done in the future, but those will largely remain dreams this first year.
You might be asking, "So did they sell their house?" No we haven't sold it yet, so that remains an urgent prayer request. However, we are confident God is leading us to move to Haiti in November. This is what happened...Pam asked us if we could fill in at the orphanage starting on November 9 for about three weeks to give Fern a break. We talked and prayed through that opportunity and made the decision to go. But as we considered the situation further and continued praying, it made sense to us to stay there until next summer instead of going back and forth. So we will work in the orphanage for a few weeks, a sort of missionary boot camp, and then transition to a more "normal" situation for several more months before coming back to the US next summer for rest, family visits, and fundraising.
That is the short version of the story, but God has continued to confirm the decision in many ways. Now the icing on the cake would be to see the house sell in the next couple of months. This also makes our list of needed supplies a little bit more urgent as we prepare to go. We will re-print those below and ask everyone to pray one more time about helping us out financially with this move. Directions for giving can be found at the bottom of the list.
Thanks to everyone for everything you have done for us up to this point. It is difficult to put into words how gratifying this moment is in our lives, and we hope each of you shares in that excitement as well. Please continue to read this blog as we prepare to go and as we begin our new life in Haiti. It should continue to be an adventure. All glory to God!
Additional Expenses for Moving to Haiti
Homeschooling Curriculum- $962
Passports / Immunizations- $450
Plane tickets / in-country travel (one way)- $2500 (looks like this could be lower...not sure yet)
Table & chairs- $300
Beds (around $200 each)- $800
Other furniture (shelving, etc...)- $500
Generator- $1500
Stove- $250
Freezer- $350
House accessibility updates- (not sure yet)
Phone set-up- $100
Internet set-up- (not sure yet)
To help out with our moving expenses, please sent all gifts to the Mission Haiti office:
Mission Haiti PO Box 486 Tea, SD 57064
Checks should be made out to "Mission Hait" with "Grimm Family" in the memo. If you want to designate the gift toward any of the items listed above, simply include a short note of explanation. All gifts are tax deductible, and you will receive a receipt. Thanks!
Today we make the big announcement! Nov. 9 our whole family will finally be on a flight to Port-au-Prince. God is directing our path in ways we have not previously experienced, and it is an amazing adventure.
Who are we to think we can make a difference in the lives of the people of that troubled country? The answer is simple...we're nobodies...but if God chooses to use us when we are down there we are prepared to give Him all the glory. We are going down there with very simple, and some might even say low, expectations. This year we hope to begin to learn the language, develop a deeper dependence on God, grow closer as a family, and get to know the people of the community better. That's about it. Sure, we have enormous dreams for what could be done in the future, but those will largely remain dreams this first year.
You might be asking, "So did they sell their house?" No we haven't sold it yet, so that remains an urgent prayer request. However, we are confident God is leading us to move to Haiti in November. This is what happened...Pam asked us if we could fill in at the orphanage starting on November 9 for about three weeks to give Fern a break. We talked and prayed through that opportunity and made the decision to go. But as we considered the situation further and continued praying, it made sense to us to stay there until next summer instead of going back and forth. So we will work in the orphanage for a few weeks, a sort of missionary boot camp, and then transition to a more "normal" situation for several more months before coming back to the US next summer for rest, family visits, and fundraising.
That is the short version of the story, but God has continued to confirm the decision in many ways. Now the icing on the cake would be to see the house sell in the next couple of months. This also makes our list of needed supplies a little bit more urgent as we prepare to go. We will re-print those below and ask everyone to pray one more time about helping us out financially with this move. Directions for giving can be found at the bottom of the list.
Thanks to everyone for everything you have done for us up to this point. It is difficult to put into words how gratifying this moment is in our lives, and we hope each of you shares in that excitement as well. Please continue to read this blog as we prepare to go and as we begin our new life in Haiti. It should continue to be an adventure. All glory to God!
Additional Expenses for Moving to Haiti
Homeschooling Curriculum- $962
Passports / Immunizations- $450
Plane tickets / in-country travel (one way)- $2500 (looks like this could be lower...not sure yet)
Table & chairs- $300
Beds (around $200 each)- $800
Other furniture (shelving, etc...)- $500
Generator- $1500
Stove- $250
Freezer- $350
House accessibility updates- (not sure yet)
Phone set-up- $100
Internet set-up- (not sure yet)
To help out with our moving expenses, please sent all gifts to the Mission Haiti office:
Mission Haiti PO Box 486 Tea, SD 57064
Checks should be made out to "Mission Hait" with "Grimm Family" in the memo. If you want to designate the gift toward any of the items listed above, simply include a short note of explanation. All gifts are tax deductible, and you will receive a receipt. Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)