Dear Praying Friends,
Recently, we were privileged to hear a young man at our home church preach on the benefits of salvation. As he was preaching, we were reminded of how evident these benefits have been in our lives and in our ministry in Haiti.
Benefit #1: The Protection of God We praise the Lord for his protection in Haiti over the past few months. The months of March, April, and May kept us busy with three groups of visitors, several special services, field days, teacher appreciation days, harvest festivals, a Haitian wedding, and our first missions conference. Because our church is across the river, we continually prayed for no rain, even though it was the rainy season. But the Lord seemed to say, “How far will you go to serve me?” I and the visiting missionaries waded through the river, traipsed through mud, and even preached barefoot to insure that the missions conference went forward. Our church members began to get a bigger world view and an increased burden for missions. They decided that the last Sunday of each month would be set aside to emphasize missions and to take up a special offering for missionaries. Our little Haitian church, which averages about 50 people on Sunday morning (20 adults, only about 3 men), took up enough money to print 21½ Bibles for people who have no Bible in their own language. We are praying that this will be the first step in changing our church members’ attitudes towards giving to others. We are also praying for the time that we at Good News Baptist Church in Ba Guasimal, Haiti can send out its own missionary.
Benefit #2: The Peace of God For over a year now, we have been asking prayers for our youngest son Micah who was diagnosed with pseudo tumor cerebrai. At the end of May, we had to return to the States for Micah to see the ophthalmologist and the pediatric neurologist in order to determine if his condition had improved or deteriorated. Both doctors were very pleased at how he had responded to the medicine. The neurologist has begun to decrease his medicine every four weeks, hoping that he has outgrown the condition. Throughout this past year, in times of worry and stress over Micah, God has given us that peace that passes all understanding that He is in control of all things. Thank you for your prayers for him.
Benefit #3: The Privilege of Being an Ambassador for Jesus Over the past few months, the Lord has brought us to the point where we are truly thankful for the privilege it is to be a missionary. We are not only ambassadors for Jesus, but we are also your ambassadors to Haiti, doing what many of you cannot do. Thank you for your prayers, support, and for the privilege it is to serve hand in hand to reach Haitians with the gospel so that they too can enjoy the benefits of salvation. Please pray for us as we prepare to return to Haiti in August.
Harry, Melissa, Benjamin, Madelyn, Micah, and Bethany Peart
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