New School Sponsorship Program Launch!

Family and Friends,

NOTE:  The following post will explain our new school sponsorship program for the Deaf/Disabled School in Les Cayes.  Above you will find a tab with all of this information in addition to photos and personal information of sponsor children.  Please hit that tab to select a child to consider sponsoring and contact us when you are ready to get started.


Haitian International Missions is partnering in ministry with the Christian Education Center for Deaf and Handicap Children in Les Cayes, Haiti.  We recognize God's calling on the excellent leaders of this ministry, Lucner and Julianna Laine, who we believe possess outstanding Christian character and ability to continue the administration, nurture, and potential future expansion of this ministry.

the story of how the ministry began...

In 1992 Julianna began to focus on mastering sign language.  As an educator she saw a need to reach out to deaf and disabled children who were not able to participate in regular schools, which only offer one mainstream program and no special education.  Life in Haiti is not easy, and even more so for those born with such disadvantages.  It is common in this country to see deaf children and adults who have never learned to speak sign language and disabled children and adults, with no other doors having been opened for them, who are confined to their home or begging along the streets.  Julianna's faith in a God who loves all people equally moved her to begin envisioning what could be done to make a difference.

With the help of Lucner and others she began to research her options for opening a school.  Many people tried to dissuade her and tell her that such children could not succeed in life, the funds would never be available, and there were plenty of "normal" children who also could not attend school for various reasons who should be helped first.  However, she continued in faith and did finally open the school in 2006 with very little budget or help.

Over time the ministry has grown and now includes 37 regular students, 3 teachers who are deaf and/or proficient in sign language (with plans to add 2 more), a young nurse in training, a house mother, and Julianna as administrator/director/teacher.  The school also offers boarding facilities for about half of the students who come from as far away as Port-au-Prince (120 miles) and other parts of the southern peninsula of Haiti.

Lucner and Julianna speak often of how God has graciously provided over the years, yet there has been great sacrifice and countless prayers for help.  As administrator and director she has never received a salary, and sometimes there is only enough money to pay the teachers about half of their salary.  The food supplies often run low for the children, whose parents cannot afford to pay tuition.  Lucner has been able to make a decent living, by Haitian standards, through a hodgepodge of translation work, teaching a few classes at the nearby university, and farm work, which has helped to supplement the school.

The couple also talks passionately about the visions and dreams they have for this school and ministry:

1.  To solidify the current budget-  this will help insure the health of the children through providing a good home, healthy food, various medicines, and excellent education.  Also, steady income will facilitate the recruitment and retention of specialized and talented teachers.

2.  To expand the size of the school-  though this ministry is off to an inspirational beginning, the need remains great.  It is difficult to estimate how many children are out there who could benefit from a school like this, but realistically the school now provides services for less than one percent of that demographic.  It is believed at this time that this is the only such school in the region, or possibly one of two.  Also, currently the school cannot offer boarding services to teenagers due to lack of space and privacy, limiting the impact to those who can commute on a daily basis.  It is the dream of the founders of this school to offer services to more children in the future through expansion.

3.  To expand educational offerings-  in the future students will be taught not only academics but also various trades for which they will be uniquely suited.

4.  To expand the ministry impact-  students are trained in Bible and ministry and given opportunities to impact the neighborhood of the school as well their families when they return for holidays and summers.  There is much more that can be done in these areas in the future.   


How H.I.M. will be involved...

After sitting down recently with Lucner and Julianna, with the assistance of our national director Zacharie, we have determined to tackle the first point on the list above, solidifying the budget.  We feel the best way to do this is through the recruitment of sponsors for individual children.  Here are the financial numbers the Deaf/disabled school is currently working with...

Major expenses                   cost per year

Facility rental (school & boarding house)            $2,500
Staff salaries                                                    $8,200a
Food, supplies, etc...                                        $1,760

       TOTAL                          $12,500 (US dollars)

*The school does receive sporadic income through partial payments of tuition, donations from ministries for which Lucner translates, and other Haitian or American friends.  Therefore, we have determined to set a goal of $25/month per student, or $300/year.  With 37 students this would amount to $11,100, leaving room for other donations to close the gap.  If income exceeds budget in the coming year, extra money may be utilized for acquiring a vehicle, savings toward facility expansion, staff salary increases, or other improvements.

Also, as this partnership grows in the future we will offer Zacharie's services as advisor and mentor, especially with regard to expanding the ministry impact of this school and its students.  We also will begin to discuss the viability of helping to raise the funds necessary to obtain a permanent facility and/or buying land and building a campus.  In every way we will seek God together and pray for his direction in changing the lives of many people, both the children in Haiti with their families and also the lives of the American individuals and churches who will be involved in various ways.



Sponsorship Information

Please consider sponsoring a child for the Deaf/Disabled school in Les Cayes!  The following are some of the benefits of being involved in this program:

1.  Provide school, nutrition, spiritual guidance, and a hopeful future for a disadvantaged child in Haiti.
2.  Help share Christ's love with the family and community of the child whom you sponsor.
3.  Live out your personal faith in a tangible way which will compel you to deeper prayer, worship, hunger for Scripture, and missions involvement.
4.  Correspond with your student and his/her family through letters translated by H.I.M.
5.  Peace of mind knowing that the money you give will be administered with complete integrity and transparency.  100% of your gift will go directly to the school.
6.  Opportunities to visit the school to meet your child personally and serve in various capacities.


How do I get involved?

Step #1-   View the children by hitting the "Deaf/Disabled School Sponsorship" tab above and pray about whether God would like you to be involved and if so, which student you would like to sponsor.  Cost is $25/month or $300/year.

Step #2-   Contact Lynn via email to request more information.  At that time she will give you information about which children are still available, how to pay, and how to stay involved with the ministry.  Please use this email:   lynnmariegrimm@yahoo.com

Step #3-   Stay involved with the ministry!  We will give you photos, information, and opportunities to participate in what is going on in Haiti.  Pray for  your child, share his/her info with your church and friends, and allow God to grow your own vision for missions and ministry.



Thanks to everyone again for helping us visit Haiti this past week. We had a great experience and are ready to continue the work!  Please join us!


Many blessings on your adventure today!
-the grimm family adventurers

Our Final Day in Haiti

Family and Friends,

Well, the week has gone by quickly as it always does on these mission trips, and we have reached the final day.  Looking back we feel very positive about everything that has happened here, and we have truly enjoyed the time with friends, old and new.

Today I will travel with Lucner into the city to visit the Deaf/Disabled school one more time.  My plan is to get an individual photo of each student along with personal information.  We had a great business-meeting / prayer-time on Sunday and laid out a plan for raising funds to solidify the budget of the school and begin to work towards a future permanent campus.  Afterward as I was praying and thinking about the whole project I realized it would be a lot more meaningful if people could sponsor an individual child and get to know him/her personally through the process.  This is what Mission Haiti and many other organizations do in Haiti and it seems to benefit both sides of the relationship.

After that Zacharie will pick me up from the school and we will visit two more potential ministry partners he has identified.  I will return to the hotel mid-afternoon, where Lynn will stay today to welcome any final visitors, and we will wrap up the day with some final guests, packing, and saying "see you later" (Christians never have to say "goodbye").

We will post more about Deaf/Disabled school when we return and have better internet access for uploading pictures and videos, but here are a few more of our favorite snapshots from the last few days...

Cory and Aldoni-  this is the young man I referenced recently while preaching at ARC in Luverne-  to read more of his story click the following link and the part about his is half-way down the page:   Aldoni in Prison

Zacharie shared more of the story about when Stevenson was born, 3 1/2 years ago.  We knew he was in the neighborhood of 2 lbs. at birth, which as you can imagine, gives you little chance of survival in this country, and we knew Zacharie had to traverse the city streets in the night looking for some pharmacy who had oxygen for the child.  What we didn't know was that in the meantime the nursing staff stopped caring for the child and gave him up for dead.  Also, after he obtained the oxygen there was at least one incident when the nurse took the air from his child and put it on another.  Wow!  It was a very trying time.  As you can see, by the grace of God, he is a thriving young boy now, and very cute!  At some point in the ordeal Zacharie dedicated his son to serve God if he was to survive.  This is sometimes done in these circumstances in Haiti, similar to some Bible stories.  We will see how God uses this young man...

Lynn with Stevenson, Zacharie and DiDi's son

Lynn with Santia, good friend and former student.  To read more of her story click this link:     Santia's Story

Some children at a country school we visited

The view from Zacharie's back door.  Not too bad!

Have a great day everyone, and please pray for our travels back to the airport.  We will leave at 3am tomorrow morning, and we plan to touch down in Des Moines at 7:20 that night if all goes as planned.  Above all, pray for the people of Haiti as they follow Christ day by day through many difficult trials.  Thanks again for making this trip possible through your contributions and prayers, and we will see you all again soon.  God Bless!


May Your Adventure Today Have Many Memorable Snapshots!
-the grimm family adventurers

Visiting the Old Haunts

Family and Friends,

Yesterday we spent the morning working with some friends who are great musicians, the Gedna brothers.  Their group is called "Model" and we were translating one of their recorded songs into English and reworking it to be re-recorded and added to I-tunes for sale.  It was a lot of fun, and translating becomes even more difficult when you are working within the parameters of poetry, sing-ability, and word rhythms.  They are great singers, however, and have a great potential to impact many people with their art.

We also welcomed several other guests, both new and old friends, and then prepared to visit Ti-Riviere in the afternoon.  Our car and faithful driver arrived and we headed on our way.  The way to the village included seeing all of the places I used to stop along the way to and from the main market we utilized.  It was fun to see so many familiar faces, and the rate of recognition increased the closer we got to the village.  Soon we recognized everyone and began to pull over to say hello to former students in my English classes, former laborers with whom we worked on projects, youth group members, and various other friends from the community.

First we went up to Zacharie's house to visit.  At a curve in the main road you can turn down a steep side road that is paved with rocks.  After that, when you reach the ocean, you can drive no further.  From that point we had to take Lynn on a foot path.  It was touching to see how much work Zacharie and others had done to make it possible for Lynn to pass.  There was a small bridge built over a ravine, countless branches and roots cut away with machetes, and even piles of large rocks beside the trail that had been thrown to the side.  When we reached the final incline it was too steep to push her up so Olgens, Zacharie, and Bazile picked her up and carried her the remainder of the distance to the house.

Zacharie and Olgens helping Lynn on the path

After some relaxing time at Zacharie's we went back to the middle of the village and greeted people. They told us they were happy to see us, how big we are now, how life continued to be hard, and how

God has always been present in their lives.  Then we walked up to the mission compound and orphanage where we had lived for over a year.  It was an emotional time of seeing all those old friends and the home where we lived with our kids.  At times no one really knew what to say, and there were many tears.  Finally we said goodbye and headed on our way.  

As we left the village we saw more friends and stopped a few times, and then we were back out on the main road among mostly strangers.  I remember thinking, "something like that can only happen to you once or twice in a lifetime.  It reminded me of returning home after the first semester of college...that strange feeling of returning to a place where everything seems exactly the same but knowing inside that you yourself are so different than you used to be."  In the end we simply wish all those people the best, including Mission Haiti, and we hope God guides them all into a wonderful future.

Last night we again welcomed several friends and had a good time sitting around the pool talking about life, God, culture, music, Haitian proverbs, rats (in the nearby trees), and frogs (of which Haitians are deathly afraid).  We haven't seen any tarantulas yet...although we haven't looked under the bed, either.  Finally it was only us and Willy, the normal end to each of our days here.  We gave him some of our leftover food we had from our various meals and gifts from friends (we have done this each night), and he walked home to share it with his sister.

Cory and Willy watching Bruce Lee on YouTube

Another exciting day in Haiti!


May Your Adventure be Worshipful Today!
-the grimm family adventurers    

A Very Adventuresome Day!

Family and Friends,

As you know we are in Haiti right now and enjoying a great week. We will try to update the blog each day with our adventures...

Yesterday was one of those days in Haiti where so much happened you could sit down afterwards and write at least 3 posts on the blog, if you still had the energy.  Instead we went to bed and crashed and now as we enjoy our breakfast we are recalling all the great conversations, the difficulties, and the moments of ministry along the way…

The day started off normally and we waited to hear from Zacharie about the car that was to be made available for us.  For some reason we could not call him or send him a text, so we waited patiently to see what would happen next.  At one point Lynn went back to the room to get something and managed to lock the key inside.  We talked to the Hotel staff, and sure enough, there was no back-up key.  Around that time Willy came to visit, and he said, “No problem.”  He took out his knife, jimmied it between the door frame and the lock, and “POP”, it opened right up.  That gave us a good laugh.  I asked him if he had done that before and he said, “many times.” 

Soon Zacharie appeared with Bazile, the nice man who drove us from Port-au-Prince the other day.  This time, however, he had an old, small SUV which was puttering down the road.  It was just big enough for the four of us and the wheelchair, and as we got in we saw that Bazile’s 2-year-old son was sleeping on the seat.  Zacharie took the child in his lap, and we headed on our way.  We enjoyed looking out at the familiar sights along the way as we headed into the main city in this area, Les Cayes.  Everyone was busy about the commerce of the day, going in and out of the larger markets and carrying produce to the little booths, etc…  The large trucks rumbled up and down the road with motorcycles, bikes, and small SUV’s darting this way and that. 

The first place we stopped was a potential future partner in ministry, Les Enfants au Coeur Joyeux (Children with joy about the heart).  It is a school operated in partnership with three different churches, and there are some orphans from that area who are cared for through the program as well.  Zacharie had identified the couple who runs the program as a family with outstanding character and ability, and he wanted us to meet them.  When we arrived in the rural neighborhood north of Cayes, Bazile drove as closely as possible to the school before stopping.  The school was up on a hill with only a footpath stretching the final 100 yards or so.  We decided Lynn would wait in the car while the rest of us went up to the school to greet the children and staff.  Lynn was left to entertain the small boy who began to cry for his mother.  She tried giving him food and some balloons, but he was fussy until we returned.

Lynn waiting in the car to meet the kids at the country school.

After some small speeches and other formalities at the school we came back down the hill with the children and gathered around the car to meet Lynn.  Everyone was very kind and it was a good chance to visit that ministry in person and begin a process of communicating back and forth to better understand their vision and how we can be involved if appropriate.  Most of that will be done by Zacharie over the coming months.  We loaded up in the car and carefully backed up down the hill.

After getting some air in the tires at a road-side air shop and gas at the gas station, we headed towards our main stop for the day, the Deaf/Disabled School in Cayes led by Lucner and Julianna.  Earlier along the way we had picked up their daughter and the cakes for the party, and now we all piled out of the vehicle and headed in to the courtyard outside the house to meet the kids.  Instantly we had kids climbing all over and around us, squeezing our hands, and trying to communicate with us in their mixture of Creole and sign language.  From that moment the excitement continued until our departure around three hours later.   

The kids and staff at the Deaf/Disabled School in Cayes

During that time we enjoyed a tour of the property, some songs to welcome us (in creole and sign language), a formal presentation of the story behind the ministry (we will cover that in a separate post), some time working on art together with the children, a party with cake and fruit and soda pop, a time of taking every possible group photo we could think of, and some time to wander around and get to know everyone better.  We had a great experience and were very blessed to be honored by all of them in so many special ways.  They were thrilled to receive the monetary donation of $2000 that was made possible by many of you.  That will keep their food supplies going for quite some time.

Lynn meeting Jeff, a smart boy bound to a wheelchair.  Lucner is introducing everyone.

Again, we will try to share more of the stories, photos, and conversations of our visit to the Deaf/Disabled school in an additional post at a later time.  This Sunday we will sit down with Lucner and Julianna and discuss more of the future vision for the school, which will include helping them solidify their budget, expanding to offer instruction in trades to Deaf/Mute persons, and possibly obtaining a permanent facility instead of continuing to rent.  

Next we visited the "Ambassadors of Jesus Christ Church and School" directed by Zacharie's wise friend with snow-white hair, Gaspard.  If there is ever a movie made about his life, He will undoubtedly be played by Morgan Freeman!  We were impressed by their warm welcome, which included 2 complete songs sung in English.  Then came a memorable moment when a precious little girl very slowly made her way to Lynn with a welcome packet for us.  She walked unblinkingly towards us across the room as the entire school watched in complete silence.  She was very brave.

Lynn accepts the welcome packet from a little girl at the Ambassadors Church & School

The school was obviously operating on a meager budget yet was completely orderly and busy about their studies when we arrived.  We are anxious to get to know this ministry more in the future as well as it is highly recommended by Zacharie.  Again, he will continue to get to know them and their work, gathering information for us as we process which ministries are best to support in Haiti in order to make the biggest and best impact for the Kingdom.  

Part of the adventure of visiting that school was leaving the main road and driving through a large and deep ditch to reach our destination.  Getting back out of the ditch on to the main road was a bit of an adventure.  We could climb about half way up the steep incline but lacked the power to finish the job.  Of course every cab driver, school kid, and nearby vendor was shouting advice in our direction:

       "Put it in first gear!"

       "Back up and get a better run at it!"

       "Put it in 4-wheel drive!"

       "Get a better car!"  

Finally we made it to the top and headed down the road to our final stop for the day.  If you are a long-time follower of this blog you may remember a post several years ago when I had a chance to visit Junior with the foundation, Love Haiti.  Since that time we have remained in contact with him and his associates and have been encouraging them in different ways.  At one point we made the difficult decision NOT to back them financially.  This decision was based on the fact that we felt they lacked a definite vision for ministry.  Many times they would ask us what they should be doing, and our response as always was, "Only God can tell you that through the Holy Spirit.  It is not right for us to tell you what to do in ministry." (a founding principle of our ministry!)

Over the past few months Lynn has really been working on Junior and encouraging him to make sure he is truly following Christ, so upon reaching his home he jumped right into that discussion and wanted to know what he needed to do to give his life to Christ and be baptized.  We counselled him for a bit, as he is quite strong in English, and then we turned the conversation over to Zacharie.  It was a joy to see Zacharie passionately and carefully lay out the gospel, how to respond, what God expects of us, what God wants to do in our life, etc...  

Zacharie shares the gospel with Junior

Finally it was time to make a decision and Junior gladly prayed for forgiveness of sins and invited Christ to be Lord of his life.  It was a wonderful moment for us and truly a snapshot view of what our ministry is about, utilizing the gifts of both Americans and Haitians side-by-side in ministry.  Some members of Junior's family were there to witness the whole thing, and Zacharie plans to return to begin a discipleship process with Junior and invite his father and sisters to receive Christ as well if they have not already.  Junior has great potential for ministry and is extremely ambitious, and we are hopeful that we will enter a partnership with him in the future as the vision for his life becomes clearer from God.

Finally we returned to our hotel and enjoyed the remainder of the late afternoon and evening.  Olgens, an old family friend, was waiting there for us when we returned and we sat down to a meal of great food (featuring lumbi, the meat of the animal you find in a conch shell...tastes like chicken, really!) and many laughs.  Olgens is a great joker.  After that we welcomed many more guests and at no time did we ever have less than 10 people sitting around the circle together until after dark.  Lucner stopped by to say goodnight and thank us for visiting and he said something that really touched us, "I have translated for countless American ministries, aid organizations, and even the UN, and very few of them have been able to touch the hearts of Haitians like the two of you as you simply spend time with them and laugh together as true equals."  That was a great affirmation for us, not that we are great people, but the fact that God has humbled us and allowed us to truly appreciate the people here for the treasures they are.

Later on today we will have our chance to visit Ti-Riviere, the village where we lived previously.  We look forward to seeing everyone again, though we know there won't be time to have a nice long conversation with each one.  It will be a glorious moment, however, and we praise God for the opportunity He has given us.  As someone said when we left almost 2 years ago, "If God wants you to return to Ti, you will return."  

Don't Miss Your Many Adventures Today!

-the grimms  

A Very Warm Reception!

Family and Friends,

Greetings from Haiti, everyone!  We have enjoyed a very warm reception so far, not just in temperature but also in the love of our friends.  Despite choosing a hotel almost half an hour from the village where we previously lived, we have been delighted by the steady stream of visitors.

The travel was very uneventful the last couple of days as we arrived in Port-au-Prince on schedule and then rode in a pick-up for about five hours to reach our destination.  It was nice to see the capitol and the changes that have occurred.  Now their streetlights are actually much more sophisticated than our own back home.  It was hard to tell from the vantage point of the road how much the housing situation in the city has changed since the earthquake over 3 years ago, when nearly 1 million people were displaced from their homes, but we did still see a spattering of tent cities along the way.

We stopped in Ti-Goave near the place where the violence and political demonstrations have been taking place.  We were picking up some sleeping mats from one missionary family and taking them to another missionary family further down the road.  The people there told us that the uprisings have continued but overall the situation has never been extremely dangerous.  Unfortunately, there was a man from their church (Haitian) who was detained in prison for three weeks simply because he happened to be on the tap-tap (public transportation) in which a gun was found after one incident.  I'm sure there are many stories like that.

Lucner & Zacharie relaxing on the patio

Yesterday we got settled in to the hotel and did a lot of visiting with Lucner and Zacharie, our main two ministry contacts in Haiti.  The hotel would not meet many people's standards back in the US, but it is comfortable enough for us, and the staff is very friendly.  Last night Zacharie's wife DiDi brought us a fantastic meal of two kinds of fish, a couple types of fried vegetables, and piklis, one of our favorite dishes which is essentially a spicy version of cole slaw.

The most amazing fish you have ever tasted!  Just imagine a flaky, white salmon.

Piklis with tomatoes on top

We are told that the reception at the deaf/disabled school will actually be a full blown party, and the people in the village where we lived (separate location) are also waiting eagerly to see us.  In the next two days we will visit both of those places, hopefully, and it will be quite a mixture of emotions.  We'll try to capture everything on video and post those here at the motel if possible.  If not we will post them upon our return.

Now back to visiting with some of our guests....

We miss you all and wish you the best!
-the grimms

The Long-Awaited Trip to Haiti is Here!

Family and Friends,

Just a quick reminder to let everyone know we are heading down to Haiti tomorrow for our Fall trip. Actually, tomorrow we will fly to Miami, spend the evening, and on Wednesday morning we will arrive in Port-au-Prince if everything goes as planned.  Please pray for safety and good weather!

Here is our basic framework of goals for this trip...

1.  Spend time with Zacharie charting out his expectations and vision concerning his role with this ministry and setting goals for the upcoming year.
2.  Visit the Deaf/Disabled School in Cayes (led by Lucner & wife) and try to better understand their vision (current and future), needs, challenges, etc...
3.  Meet with other potential candidates for ministry partnership.
4.  Visit old friends in Ti-Riviere.
5.  Be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit in ministry and take advantage of other opportunities presented to us along the way!


Our children are staying with Cory's parents in Newton, Iowa, where they will be properly spoiled while we are gone.  Our dog is with Lynn's parents in Sioux Center, and a team of neighbors will be tending to our house and fish tank.

Thanks again to everyone who has made this trip possible financially.  A special thanks to ARC in Luverne for giving us the time to be gone and working together to cover worship/music responsibilities during our absence.  Most of all, thanks to everyone who faithfully lifts us and the people we serve up in prayer each day.  Please continue to do that over the next week and a half, and check back often to the blog to see updates as we will try to update each day if possible.


May Your Adventure Occasionally Take You to Distant Lands!
-the grimms

Updates on THIS and THAT!

Family and Friends,

Greetings to all of you on this fine, crisp, Fall day! 

We have been silent for awhile and want to update you on a few happenings, both Prayer Requests and Praises.


Praises...

-Zacharie (HIM Director in Haiti) has been busy evangelizing throughout the countryside with his friends and has had opportunities to share his faith with many people and help them trust Christ for salvation and life.

-On Sunday we received $2334 towards our work in Haiti, which is enough to fund the rest of Zacharie's ministry tools as well as the cost of our trip in October!  These funds were a combination of money sent directly to our church and also tips given to the Lantern Band on Sunday night at the Youth Group Kick-off / Concert.  If you were considering giving towards this trip, we still want to take a generous gift of money to the Deaf/Disabled school when we visit, so any additional funds coming in before Oct. 1st will be utilized for that purpose.  See "Current Ministry Needs Update" tab above for more info.

-We enjoyed a great time of prayer and worship at New Hope E-free in Orange City last Monday and had a chance to meet other people who operate various ministries in Haiti.  Thanks to Jean-Jean and Kristie for organizing and hosting that event. 


Prayer Requests...

-On Wednesday Cory was working at church in Luverne and started experiencing chest pains and other concerning symptoms.  Another staff member took him in to the local hospital to get checked out.  After several hours and tests he was released with no specific diagnosis.  We are connecting with a doctor in Sioux Falls to see if any other steps need to be taken.

-We have received notice that attacks on vehicles by bandits in Haiti have risen, especially on the main road west of Port-au-Prince, a road we have to take on our trip.  Some people have been robbed and/or shot.  There is a political component of some sort associated with this uprising.  It is near the area where "Sue's Adventure" (Link- Sue's Adventure) took place a couple of years ago.  Click on that link to re-live that memorable story!  Please pray for all Haitians and missionaries and others passing by that road, and that we will have safe passage in a few weeks as well.

-We continue to pray for help and guidance and wisdom with regard to our non-profit application.  We are at a stand-still for the moment, but trusting God that it will all be in His perfect timing.

-Please pray for vision and purpose and passion for missions, with regard to the Christian Church in America as a whole. We need to be inspired by God to care about what He cares about!   


Also...

The Lantern Band at Andy Anderson's Farm

Please consider joining us in Sibley on Friday night for a concert by The Lantern House Band.  We will share original songs based on Psalms and other Scriptures, and we will speak a bit about the work in Haiti.  Great food and drinks guaranteed!  The festivities begin around 7:30 or so. 

The tabs above have been updated if you care to catch up on our news, events calendar, or needs list.  Thanks to everyone for everything you do for us!  God Bless You!


-the grimm family adventurers

A Few Quick Updates

Family and Friends,

We hope your Labor Day weekend was great!  This post will share a few updates on various items associated with our work in Haiti...

-We felt the time of sharing at our church in Luverne went well on Sunday.  I (Cory) shared the message from Psalm 33, talked a bit about H.I.M. (Haitian International Missions), and sang a couple of original songs with Jesse Dagel, who was the guest worship leader for the day. 

-Today we had a consultation with an accountant regarding our application for non-profit status.  In a nice way he confirmed that we have a long way to go!  So we continue to ask and pray for help in this area.  This is probably our most pressing need at the moment.

-We added a couple of events to our calendar (News and Events tab above), including a time of prayer and worship for Haiti to be held in Orange City on Monday night, Sept. 9th.  This is not an event put on by H.I.M., but we have been asked to participate.  It should be a great night, and all are invited!

-A few weeks ago we mentioned the fact that our house was splitting in two.  Unfortunately we finally found out that it won't be covered by warranty, but it was nice to also find out that the cost of fixing it will be less than $1,000.  The contractor is actually coming today to take care of that, so we will make ourselves scarce for the afternoon.

-There was a training seminar for pastors in the Ti-Riviere area last week, and one of the pastors who attended was killed by a passing truck as he walked along the road to the event.  It was not a pastor we knew very well, but we know the area where he served and undoubtedly his family and congregation are going through a very difficult time.  Please pray for them.

-Jesse and I continue to write new music at a rapid pace.  Here is a description of the last three written in the past week:

       "Runnin' back to Me"-  A somewhat dark song which is a modern version of Hosea and Gomer's  story...also a metaphor for God yearning for his bride (the church) to be faithful

       "Golden"-  A funky blues song about the golden rule, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  (from Matthew 7)

       "Much Better than That"-  A humorous song about how at work, at play, and in relationships everyone wants more, more, more, and it is never quite good enough!  Also a commentary on how following Christ requires us be in a posture of learning, flexibility, and faith.



We hope you have a great week!  Enjoy this perfect weather....

May Your Walk with Christ be an Adventure Today!
-grimm family

Some Deep Insights

Family and Friends,

Here are a couple of deep insights for you to chew on today...

INSIGHT #1

We are reading through the Bible with the kids chapter by chapter.  Right now we are finishing up the story of how Joseph's brothers sold him into Egypt and later God elevated him to the second highest office in the land after Pharaoh himself.  Then when Joseph's brothers came down during the drought to buy food, Joseph recognized them and put them through some paces to toy with them a bit.  They of course did not recognize their brother and his new identity.  At one point he played a trick on them so that his younger brother Benjamin, his only brother from the same mother, would have to stay in Egypt as his servant while the other brothers would be allowed to return home.  Of course they knew that was not possible because their father Jacob would have died from grief, so Judah pleaded with Joseph and offered himself as a substitute.

Elizabeth knew right away that this was a foreshadowing of Jesus' taking our place on the cross, as Jesus was a descendant of the tribe of Judah.  That is the kind of thing that warms your heart when you are a nerdy Bible guy.  8-year-olds aren't supposed to think abstractly like that, much less know enough about the Bible to put those pieces together.  There is a reason we call her "the wiz." 

But the point is not to brag on our kid but to be utterly thankful today for what Jesus did for us.  Just think how amazing each moment of each day would be if we continually remind ourselves how fortunate we are to have Jesus in our life...indeed for Him to BE our life.  May our lives be filled with and motivated by that kind of very tangible gratitude at all times.  Paul was so good at that, and how amazing would it have been when he read that passage again for the first time as a follower of Jesus?  It would not have escaped his watchful eye to see that it was indeed Benjamin who was saved by Judah's appeal.  Paul, of course, was a member of the small tribe of Benjamin.

Thank you, JESUS!


INSIGHT #2

If you do not have soft water, as we do not in our home, be careful when switching the water in your fish tank, and make sure you treat the water immediately with the necessary chemicals.  Otherwise all of your fish will die and you will have some very sad children.  Just a helpful tip, parents!


Have an Insight-filled Adventure Marked by Gratitude Today!
-tHe GrImM fAmIlY aDvEnTuReRs!


 

A Great Weekend

Family and Friends,

We just wanted to write a quick note and let you know it was a great weekend for H.I.M.  At the Lantern Coffeehouse and Roastery's 3-year anniversary on Friday night, we had a chance to speak a little bit about the trip to Haiti in October, and the people there were very generous in giving a freewill donation of several hundred dollars to the cause!  Our needs list above has been updated, and now we almost have the cost of Zacharie's ministry tools covered.  What a joy it will be to present him with those things for his ministry in Haiti.  His gratitude will be off the charts and no doubt he will spend hours in prayer for each person who gave.  The investment will bring a great return.

Then we enjoyed a fun weekend as a family doing different things around the community and around the house.  Our kids are at a fun age when they can understand so much yet want to hang with the parents.  Hopefully that never ends!

We look forward to our trip to Haiti in about six weeks.  We continue to seek your help in funding that trip and contributing a love offering for the Deaf/disabled school.  Also, our most pressing need as a ministry right now, other than the constant pursuit of holiness and discernment of God's Spirit, is to get help setting up our non-profit business.  There are so many decisions that need to be made and we feel it would benefit us greatly to partner with someone who has done the process before and/or is a professional in this area.  We continue to pray for that person to step forward.

On Sunday I (Cory) will preach at our church in Luverne, American Reformed.  I will also share some original music and updates about Haiti.  Most of our church probably has very little knowledge of what we are doing and trying to do in the future, so this is our first chance to spell it out in some more detail.  We pray that worship service goes well and inspires everyone to know God more and make Him known to the world.

We hope your weekend was great, and we hope your week is even better!


A Wonderful Adventure for Jesus Today for All!
-the grimm family adventurers


 

PRESSING NEED: H.I.M. Non-Profit Business Development

Family and Friends,

Greetings on this beautiful, hot summer day!  Just like Haiti!


We hope you are doing well!   As we continue to plug away with the set-up of H.I.M. (Haitian International Missions) as an official mission organization, we are hitting some major road blocks, especially in the obtaining of our non-profit status, or 501c3.  We are now deep enough into the process to humbly admit that this process is beyond us and we need help!  We are a long way from being able to complete the application, much less successfully launch the business, and we are in need of the help of someone who has done this before and can navigate the application process, business set-up, tax laws, etc...

Ideally, we would love to have someone partner with us in ministry and essentially take over this process and gradually train us over the next couple years on how to do everything.  We realize we are asking a lot, but we truly believe that God has great plans for this ministry to bless Haiti's Spiritual leaders in their work, and through them the whole country and beyond.  It is an investment in something powerful, and the need is pressing!  There is no time to waste, so we are asking for help.


Pray with us everyone, and we will watch God provide!


Thanks everyone!
-The Grimm Family

The Lantern House Band

Family and Friends,

One important project we have been working on this summer is the writing of some original praise songs based on Scripture.  The vehicle for this project has been The Lantern House Band (Adam Grimm, Jesse Dagel, & Cory Grimm).  The purpose of writing these songs, other than the obvious reason of bringing glory to God, is to infuse some creativity and spirituality into the event calendar of The Lantern Coffee House in Sibley, IA, and also to provide material for the H.I.M. events, "A Concert of Prayer for Missions."  Some of the songs we are writing will fit well with that program.

We are anxious for all of you to get to know Jesse Dagel and Adam (Cory's brother) better in the years to come as they will hopefully play more and more important roles in supporting and participating in our work in Haiti.  Many of you know Adam already, but we should take a moment to introduce Jesse.  Here is a link to some of his music he has posted online as well as one of my favorite songs he does, "Sea of Glass":

Jesse Dagel Youtube Channel

As you can see Jesse is very talented musically, and he shares those gifts weekly with the people of his church (First Baptist in Sibley, IA) where he leads worship.  Even more importantly, he is very passionate about knowing God and making Him known through both his everyday life and his music.  So it has been a lot of fun this summer to collaborate on new worship music and push each other to write better songs for the glory of God.  If you are interested in hearing the songs we have been writing, we invite you to the following event where we will also share some thoughts, news, and prayers concerning Haiti:

The Lantern Coffee Shop and Roastery

3-YEAR Anniversary Party!

Featuring:  The Lantern House Band

Friday, Aug. 23, 7-10PM - Sibley, IA

 

 


We hope to see you there!  It is not the type of event where you need to be there the whole time...feel free to come and go and enjoy some creative music, coffee, other drinks, and snacks. 


May Your Adventure be Filled With Praise and Worship!

-the grimm family adventurers

 

 

Returning to Haiti! The Day is Coming!

Family and Friends,

...but, brothers and sisters, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you.  For we wanted to come to you...  (I Thess. 2:17-18a)

We are pleased to announce that we (Cory and Lynn) 
will be traveling to Haiti on October 8-15 of this year! 

The following explanation of the purpose of this trip comes from an earlier post:

The main goal of our visit in October will be to better understand the vision and ministry of the Deaf/Disabled school in Les Cayes run by Laine Lucner and family.  We hope to come back with a more concrete understanding of how God is leading them into the future and what it would take, with regard to resources, to make that a reality.  We also hope God will deepen the burden on our hearts to help and serve the amazing and beautiful children of that school and their families.  No doubt that goal will be inevitable as we mix with those kids for several days and are inspired by their passion and joy for life and for God!

A secondary goal for the visit will be to connect with Zacharie, the director of H.I.M., for several days to work on ministry vision, visit some potential future ministry partners he has been scouting for us, and simply encourage one another, pray, worship, and fellowship together.  Of course we will also sneak in a day or so to visit old friends back in Ti-Riviere! 


We will travel with Mike and Heidi Vetter of Sioux Falls, who will be visiting the Bibles for Haiti ministry led by Dan and Kari Elliott and kids.  We will stay in a separate location nearby and travel around the area via public transportation, mostly.  It will be an adventure!


Now we need your help to make this adventure successful!  Will you consider supporting us financially for the trip and/or praying for us and the amazing people we encounter each day in Haiti?

If you feel led to participate financially, we are hoping to raise the following funds before October 1st (this info can also be found on the [Current Ministry Needs Update] tab above, as well as the way to designate gifts and where to send them):

              Cost of trip to Haiti-               $2,000  (plane tickets, travel costs, food, etc...)
              Resources for Zacharie-          $1,500  (motorcycle & new computer/printer)
              Gift for Deaf School-              (any amount...we have $500 given but would
                                                                like to bring more if possible)


If you want to be a part of our prayer team for this event, please start praying for the needs below and then check the blog each day (October 8-15) as we will try to update it with news.

         *Pray for God's wisdom and guidance for all trip plans
         *Pray for good weather...it will be hurricane season
         *Pray for the people we encounter to be touched through the experience
         *Pray for trip finances to be covered and people to be blessed through giving


Thanks so much as always for your help and prayers!   We cannot do this without you, but know that we see ourselves only as humble representatives of many godly and faithful people here.  In other words, a part of all of you goes with us to bless the people there, and they will undoubtedly give us a blessing to bring back as well!


Enjoy Your Adventure Today!
-the grimm family adventurers

Indigenous Missions

Family and Friends,

Today is World Indigenous Missions Day!  Let's celebrate.

Did you know that the gospel is spreading like wildfire around the globe today, especially in developing countries?  Sometimes we get accustomed to our own culture, where Christianity is on the decline (by percentage, that is...however, we would argue that there are pockets of Christians in our country today who are as "on fire" as any Christians ever were in this country), and assume the entire world is experiencing the same situation.  That is not the case.

Also, did you know that in this day and age the truly ground-breaking mission work, out on the front lines of the advancing kingdom of God, is performed almost exclusively by "indigenous," or native missionaries?  In other words, of the millions of people coming to Christ each year, probably over 99% of them are led to that relationship by someone from their own culture, a humble (and very poor, usually) servant of God who knows their language, customs, and cultural conditioning. 

Despite that fact, over 90% of the contributions of American churches to missions goes to the other 1% of missionaries. 

In other words, American churches almost exclusively invest in the work of Americans who go into other lands to do mission work (at a cost of $60-100k / year), despite the fact that as a group all missionaries from American and Europe (and all other developed nations as well) together accomplish less than 10% of the actual mission work that is done around the globe (realistically it is probably 1-2% at best).

Now, we are not advocating for the elimination of American missionaries.  We do not believe in that, and there are still some specialized ministries and services that developing countries need to receive from the outside, no doubt.  However, our main point is that there are some amazing investments to be made out there if you truly believe in advancing God's kingdom around the globe, and those investments are in the lives and ministries of native missionaries!

In summary, we believe there is a place for missionaries from American to be sent out, and a place for the identifying and supporting of outstanding native missionaries as well.  Every local church should develop a portfolio of missionaries they support from both of these categories.      

Our job at H.I.M., as we see it, is to scout out individuals and organizations in Haiti who fit the profile of the latter group, allowing churches to confidently invest in their ministries and in so doing truly transform Haiti for Christ.  The great thing is that you can support 10-20 of such ministry families for the same cost of 1 American family, and as a group they will easily accomplish 100 times as much missionary work!

Also, it is very likely that the missionaries your church already supports each have a lengthy list of great native missionaries they work with on a regular basis, in the country where they are located.  Those native missionaries could use your support to expand their work, obtain education, and network with other leaders in their field.  In this way the American missionary can not only deliver some specialized ministry service, but also become a scout and recruiter of native leaders who will carry the torch into the future and accomplish greater things than we ever imagined. 

We confess that many of these ideas are inspired by the work of Christian Aid Mission.  Click on that link to learn more, and while you are there be sure to sign up for their free book, "Reformation in Foreign Missions," as well as their e-newsletter.  However, we have to share the disclaimer that we don't agree with everything on their website or in the book.  It will absolutely call you to reconsider your approach to missions, but in our view it goes a bit too far, advocating for the virtual elimination of the sending of American missionaries.  As mentioned before, we believe there is both a biblical basis and the needed financial resources to do both.  But again, the book is very worthwhile and will challenge you in a very godly, holy way to do missions better for the glory of God.

To complete the circle and end where we started...today is World Indigenous Missions Day!  Celebrate with us!


Remember the amazing adventures of our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world today!
-the grimm family adventurers


 

Some Little Items of Interest

Family and Friends,

From time to time we post a blog to let you all know the little nuts and bolts of what we are up to these days...the mundane details of "real life."  However, some of you have indicated you enjoy these posts even more than the grand dissections of missions philosophy often found here.  If that is the case for you, enjoy!

*Lynn and the kids started the year of homeschooling this week.  Everything is off and running, and the kids are doing well.  This approach will allow us flexibility with travel.  Kester and Elizabeth are tackling guitar this year in music class. 

*We continue to make plans for a trip to Haiti in October.  Our old friends there are gradually catching wind of this plan and contacting us to express their excitement.  It will be fun to see them all again...and emotional.



Santia, Lynn's friend and former student
Check out this link to learn more:  10 Adventures in 10 Days- Santia

Lucner and Family, Directors of the Deaf/Disabled School in Les Cayes
See link:  "Native Led = Spirit Led" (has info about Lucner)

*We live in a double-wide trailer.  The two sections are cracking apart!  We are checking around to try to get help fixing this before the situation gets worse, and hopefully it will be covered by our warranty.  Oh, the little trials in life, but they are nothing compared with what an average Haitian faces on a daily basis!  Thanks for that little reminder, Lord.

*We continue to work on obtaining our non-profit status.  Currently we are completing the 501c3 (tax exempt) application, a lengthy document.  Then we will submit that to the IRS and await their approval, Lord willing.  In the meantime our church has agreed to handle donations to the ministry.  We met with them on Sunday and ironed out some of those details to get more clarity on both sides.  See "Current Ministry Needs Update" tab above for more info.

*Cory's parents are currently in Germany visiting Christian Knoedl, our former foreign-exchange student who is virtually a sibling in the family at this point.  This trip is a celebration of their 40th anniversary.

*We are in talks with a few host churches about doing our program, "A Concert of Prayer for Missions."  We are in need of more potential locations to do this and sense a heavy burden to share with people in this region what God has been teaching us.

*We had a chance to meet with Mike and Heidi Vetter and Dan and Kari Elliot (missionaries in Haiti back for a visit) on Tuesday to discuss the trip to Haiti in October.  We had a good conversation and a lot of laughs.   Good people!

*Special thanks to George A. Bonnema of Luverne for being our personal "farmer's market" (for free!) as he likes to call it.  He has brought us a fridge-load of fresh produce the last few weeks.  We will be eating some of his sweet corn today for lunch!  Awesome!

*After working on Bible memorization for almost 10 years, I (Cory) let that discipline go when we left Haiti a year and a half ago, due to the trauma of what we went through at that time.  It felt like that treasure was snatched out of my hands.  However, by the grace of God over the last few weeks I have been gaining it all back.  It might be better to say "dusting it off" as the verses are still pretty much there.  Praise God!  I have a whole separate blog about that stuff which I will introduce here sometime in the future.


Here is a quote for you to consider today in your adventure:

Rebellion against your handicaps gets you nowhere.  Self-pity gets you nowhere.  One must have the adventurous daring to accept oneself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the most interesting game in the world - making the most of one's best.

    Author: Harry Emerson Fosdick

May your everyday life be an adventure for Jesus today!
-the grimm family adventurers

There is a Small Remnant (by Zacharie)

Family and Friends,

*Tonight we will be at The Lantern in Sibley, Iowa, to share music and fellowship.  Join us!  Also, there is a brief news update under the "H.I.M. News and Upcoming Events" tab above.

One aspect of the faith of Haitian followers of Jesus we really appreciate is their deep commitment to being set apart and holy for the Lord.  Many times we encountered individuals who said something like, "I would like to become a Christian, but I'm not sure I can give up certain parts of my sinful lifestyle."  You have to love that honesty!  In our culture we tend to be soft on these things, do we not?  But Zacharie has a challenging devotional insight for us today.  Read on... 

(The text was slightly edited by Cory for clarity in English.)



Zacharie D. -  H.I.M. Director

There is still a small remnant

Once again, I thank the lord for His grace and the privilege that allows me to be able to write on this blog. I want to thank Cory and his wife for helping to edit what I wrote earlier as a testimony. This writing is based on the small remnant of Christians who, despite the bad situations of life on earth, and despite the infidelity and disobedience of the people throughout much of the world, remain faithful.

The people of Israel had been deported to Babylon because of their infidelity and their disobedience.  In 605 BC Nebuchadnezzar won a great victory over the Egyptian armies (the Battle of Charchemish).  After that time he laid siege to Jerusalem. The kingdom of Judah, formerly allied with Egypt, was therefore subject to the new Babylonian empire.  Nebuchadnezzar then deported a number of young people in the court of Judah, including Daniel and his three companions. The young people were destined to hold high office in their new country, which was to Nebuchadnezzar a way to provide highly qualified personnel for the administration of the provinces of his empire.

Daniel, by his spiritual ability that God had given him to interpret visions, explained to the king a vision that none of the advisors could explain. So at that moment Daniel occupied a fairly important position in the royal court.  He agreed to serve the king but refused his food. Then the king erected a statue of gold and commanded everyone to worship without distinction, and those who did not accept were to be put to death.  Daniel and his three friends did not comply, despite their lives being in danger and the fact that the vast majority of people worshipped the statue.

The world today is completely upset by prostitution and corruption.   There are many problems with marriage and other parts of life.  Around the world, some neighboring countries such as Iraq and Iran, South Korea and North Korea, tear each other apart.  Suicide, abortion, and murder continue to increase in the world and there are reports of the inequality between rich and poor countries.  God hasn’t created us for this way of life and it was not His plan, but these problems are the fruit of our infidelity and disobedience.

So this was also the case for the people of Israel. Despite all this, there was a small remnant, Daniel and his companions, who kept their loyalty to God.  The same is true for today.  Some Americans, some people in other nations, and some in Haiti remain true to God.  It is the case of Gaspard Esperance (a man in the Les Cayes area), as well as Laine luckner and his wife. Despite the fragility of the world we all desire to be the remnant who work for the Lord and support those in need in order to hold high the torch of the gospel. God knows how to find people faithful until death, the likes of Daniel and his friends. Also we ourselves today try to be missionaries who manifest God’s glory before the glowing eyes of a pagan world.

May Your Adventure be marked by Holiness & Devotion!
-Zacharie & the Grimm Family

A Concert of Prayer for Missions and other H.I.M. events

Family and Friends,

The purpose of this post is to outline our plan for promoting missions through dynamic events emphasizing prayer, worship, and education.  These events, entitled "A Concert of Prayer for Missions," will take place at churches and other locations throughout the region. 


Years ago I shared a sermon in many churches which encapsulated an important principle concerning the relationship between prayer/worship and missions.  It was called "Deep Calls to Deep", which comes from a phrase in Psalm 42:7-

               "Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls.  All your waves
                      and breakers have swept over me."

For some reason this phrase seemed to resonate with me while I examined Jesus' approach to ministry.  Jesus was unique in his amazing ability to prioritize BOTH of the following:

              1.  DEEP #1: His personal devotional life with God-  Many times he spent
                   the early morning, the late evening, or ALL NIGHT out in some remote
                   location praying to God.  He knew the Scriptures forward and backward,
                   and His ministry was built on His intimacy with God.

              2.  DEEP #2: His commitment to immersing in the lives of broken people- 
                  Obviously, Jesus is also well-known for entering the homes of prostitutes,
                  tax collectors, Pharisees, and all other sorts of hurting people.  He was not
                  afraid to get his hands dirty.


Jesus was very DEEP in both of these areas of His life.  He was deeply devoted to being alone with God on a regular basis, and He was deeply devoted to sacrificially "going out" to find His lost sheep.  Unfortunately, most of us tend to overemphasize one or the other (or neglect both...let's be honest!), but it is our belief that we truly need both of these commitments in our lives in order to be mature followers of Jesus.  In fact, it can even be argued that without both, neither one is possible.

            *As we draw near to God and grow in intimacy with our LORD, how can
             we not have His heart for the lost imparted to our own?  How can we not
             take on that burden?  Is a person who claims to be close to God, but cares
             little for others, truly close to the intensely compassionate God of the Bible?

            *As we seek out the lost and take on their suffering upon ourselves, how
              can we not fall on our knees before the LORD and seek His heart for justice? 
              Will we not dry up and wither inside if we do not regularly return to His
               throne to be recharged for ministry?

You see that both of these callings tend to enhance one another.  It is absolutely imperative that we commit ourselves deeply to seeking intimacy with God and also to bringing the gospel to all people.  We will have a hard time doing one without the other! 

The "Concert of Prayer for Missions" seeks to create an environment where both pursuits are equally encouraged in the life of the believer.  Below are some items you may see at these events:

            1.  Prayer for the missionaries / organizations supported by the host church
            2.  Teaching on current missional trends, sharing info about H.I.M.
            3.  Worship and seeking God's heart for the lost
            4.  Teaching on how to live a holistic life devoted to God & Missions
            5.  Sharing of original music written to explain these themes


All H.I.M. events and trips will now be listed and updated in the tab at the top of this blog entitled, "News & Current Events."  Also check there for brief news items we will post from day to day.  We need the help of all of our supporters in hosting these events, which we believe will lead to an increase in mission awareness and passion in local churches and other organizations, Lord willing.  Please consider helping us with this effort, and/or attending one of the events.

We may also be meeting with church mission committees and other potential supporters of H.I.M. in the coming months, in addition to sharing concerts of original music about missions, worship, and Scripture in various locations.  All of these events will be posted, and we ask that you pray for these and/or attend if you have a chance.

Thanks so much!


May Your Adventure be DEEP Today!
-the grimm family adventurers