Good Sunday afternoon from Les Cayes, Haiti. We have just finished a formal noontime dinner which followed a spirit filled morning at Bethesda Evangelical Church in town. We are blessed to be staying at pastor John’s home while we are in Les Cayes. His family has been very gracious and accommodating for us.

We all had an opportunity to share a little bit about ourselves during the service today and I was struck by the heart of each of the people on this trip and I am looking forward to getting to know them all better and working side by side with them this week.

One of the things I find most encouraging and faith-strengthening on mission trips is the concept that each and every Christian, regardless of culture or language, social status or geographic location worships the same God. In I Corinthians 12:12, 13, Paul talks about how we are many parts to one body and it is the same Spirit that resides in us all. It is never more evident to me than when you are sitting in a church service in another culture and you have no idea what is being said, but you see the Spirit of God evidenced in their faces and through their praise. It is soul warming.

The trip from Port a Prince to Les Cayes was an exercise of VERY close togetherness for the team. It was about a 5-6 hour trip in an un-air-conditioned bus which we completely filled. Our driver’s mission seemed to be to get us there as quickly as possible and by the grace of God, and in spite of the road conditions, he did. We made it safely none the less.

Later this afternoon, we will be headed to the soccer field where there are many refugees, and to the main hospital here which is still overwhelmed with victims. We are going to assess what will be the best and most effective use of our resources.

Our prayer requests today include:

* safe arrival of the three medical bags that did not make the flight

* discernment as to where best to spend our energy

* team unity, co-operation, and submission to Don’s excellent leadership – but most of all to God’s perfect will

* our partnership with the local church including unity and good communication

* for a Creole translator to assist us who has God’s heart

*for the spirit of fear and poverty to be broken in Haiti

It has occurred to me that it might be meaningful for you to get to know the team so that when you pray for us it will be able to be more personal. Each day I will include a short bio from a different team member. I am going to begin with the team leader this afternoon.

Don Fredricks

Don is a veteran of more than 80 mission trips outside of the US and has assumed the role not only as our team leader but of our spiritual leader as well. He has a gift for delegation and has effectively broken up different aspects of the team’s well being around the group without stepping on any toes. Don has been affiliated with Strategic World Impact for about 10 years now and has stories from around the world where he has gone in to try and help the people suffering from the effects of war, persecution and disaster.

Don has been married to LeeAnn for 32 years and has 5 children with 14 grandchildren too boot, ablely filling his call to be fruitful and multiply! He is a member of a couple of house churches as well as a large church body in Southern California where he lives. He works hard for himself as a handy man which gives him the ability to go on all of these trips.