Spring trip to Haiti

     Over the past seven days, the Anderson family and Haiti Care Mission have been hard at work in Haiti.  We were very excited to get back on the ground and spend time sharing the love of Jesus with the children. 

     There are so many stories to tell about the trip that we have  decided to write about it for the next two newsletters.  For this edition, we will share some stories from our stay with our first missionary host.

     We started our trip with a few concerns about the large amount of items we were bringing in.  We took a total of 16 bags into the country.  Our main concerns were logistics and customs.  But as God always does, He took care of everything.  We had no problems with either.  We had favor at both airports, (US and Haiti) and our travel was seamless.

     Our first stop was at a small church in Tabarre.  The pastor of this church is a friend of our host, Pastor Lamartine.  As we arrived at the church, the children began to filter in.  We taught a Bible lesson and explained the meaning of the salvation bracelets.  We then distributed dresses, salvation bracelets, and candy.  After we had finished, the pastor noticed that many more children had arrived.  So many new children had arrived, that the pastor asked that we start over and tell the Bible story again so all the children could hear the message.

     When we had finished, the pastor told us, through tears in his eyes, that no one had ever come to his church to do anything like this before.  He was very grateful. He told us, “The lesson you taught them today and what you did for them today will never be forgotten by these children.”   It was very humbling to hear his words of gratitude.  We feel blessed to have opportunities like this.

     The next day, we took a longer drive to Mirebalais.  When we arrived at the church, the building was already filling up with girls from the village.  Once again, we shared a Bible story with the children and distributed items to every child.  The ladies of the church were very excited that we had dresses that fit them as well and several ladies were thrilled to receive diapers for their babies. 

     On Sunday morning, we traveled to a church in Fond Parisien. Lance shared the Gospel message to the church.  After service, we were able to distribute items to the children and not one child went home empty handed. We are always fascinated with how God plans for our trips.  We do our best to make predictions about the number of items to take to each location, but God has it perfectly coordinated.  He knows the exact number of items needed and how many children will be present.  He is the best planner of all.

    The final stop of Sunday was to Fond Dieu, on the border of the Dominican Republic.  Once again, we were impressed with the way God worked it all out.  This small church is in a very poor village, which the pastor had built through Food for the Poor.  Every child in the church and most of the mothers were able to receive a new dress or diapers.  The boys received a toy.  One mom and daughter were so excited to receive the dresses that they went to change and came back to show us.  They were very grateful.

    The first half of the trip was very busy. We were excited to be able to travel to some new locations, as well as return to some of the places we visited last April.  We feel honored to be able to share the Gospel with the children of Haiti and place an item of love in their hands.  Thank you for linking arms with us and supplying us with the resources to do this work.

 

To view our online photo, click here:
Click here to view online picture album of Haiti trip 2013

Thank you for your continued support, partnerships and prayers.
Living victoriously in Christ,
Lynn and Lance Anderson, Mission Directors

PIctures from the Mission Field

To view a full album of pictures from Haiti Care Mission's latest trip to Haiti, click here.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200359512563012.1073741838.1010885654&type=1&l=8c803be0ea

Once you are in the album, you can click into the pictures to enlarge and move between pictures.

Enjoy.

A Month of Partnerships and Preparations

This month has been a very busy month for us in building more new partnerships.  God has opened doors for us with local partnerships and around the US.  It has been a real pleasure to meet with new sewing groups and new churches. 

    We greatly appreciate all of these new partnerships and look forward to the fruit that will be produced as we link arms.  One of the best aspects of ministry for us is that we get to build relationships with our groups in the US, as well as build relationships in the field. It is a wonderful cross of cultures and diversity.

     This month, we had the distinct pleasure of meeting one of our out of state sewing group coordinators, Dee Knight.  Dee wanted to spend time learning more about the ministry and how her group can be positive contributors to Haiti Care Mission. It was a day full of vision sharing and organizing.  We had a wonderful time learning about her group and how they are working to help us.  If the way God connected us together is any indication of the great things that will come from this partnership, then we are expecting big things from this group.  This group is from Asheville, North Carolina and would love to meet anyone from the area that is interested in joining them.  We would be happy to pass on their information if you are in that area.

     We also had the honor of  speaking at a ladies group in town where the younger ladies of the church are learning to sew from the experienced ladies. It was encouraging to see the cross generational ministry of this group.  There were 3 generations represented and the greatest part was that they all share the same dedication to helping others.  The girls in Haiti will be blessed through the fruit of these women.  They plan to make 100 dresses for us and we are honored to bring those into Haiti on their behalf.

     Later in the month, we had the privilege to share at another local church and the response was great.  They have committed to supplying us with 100 pair of flip flops before our next trip.  We are always encouraged when we see people link arms with us. 

     We are grateful for all of you who have spread the word and shared our work with others.  Most of the connections we are making are through personal testimonies of our support team.  Thank you to each of you who are helping us to share this ministry.

     In addition to sharing with churches and groups this month, we are in the final stages of preparations for our spring trip to Haiti.  We will leave on April 18th and will be in country for 7 days.  We will be bringing approximately 1000 items with us and will be sharing the Gospel at several places.  We are looking forward to being back on the ground in Haiti and sharing the love of Jesus with the children. 

   Please pray for us as we prepare for the trip and as we go.  Your prayers are very important to us. Thank you for your continued support.

       Prayers and Praises

 

 

 

· Please pray for our trip to Haiti in April.  We will do extensive traveling and ministry while we are in country. Pray for favor, safety and divine appointments.

· Please pray for all of our new sewing groups.  Pray for wisdom, patience and joy as they serve.  May they be blessed while being a blessing.

· Praise God for open doors and new opportunities to share HCM this month.  We have been richly blessed through these new partnerships.

· Praise the Lord for a wonderful supply of items for the children.  These items are the tools we use for sharing the Gospel.

      We know the power of prayer and are grateful for every prayer that is lifted up on our behalf.  Please let us know how we can be praying for you.

 

Living victoriously in Christ, Lynn and Lance Anderson, Mission Directors

 

 

 

Ask and You Shall Receive

   “Ask and you shall receive” is not just a cute saying.  It is a Word from the Bible.  In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John, Jesus tells us that when we ask for things in His name, we will receive them and our joy will be complete.  He is a generous giver and He longs to fill the desires of our hearts.   He wants to make our lives full of joy.

      As we met with the Haiti Care Mission Advisory Board this month, we reported on the incredible works that God has done for the mission in the past year and told them our goals for  2013.  One of the goals we told the Board about is our desire to increase the number of sewing groups who are working on producing items for the children.  This is one of our top priorities for this year and we began seeking God to send more laborers to work with us.

     We are strong believers in God’s ability to answer prayer and we love to brag on Him when he does, so it is with great joy that we can report that seven new sewing groups have started sewing for Haiti Care in the last two months.

     These groups have found us from a variety of means.  Some found us on the internet (yes, God even uses Facebook) and some found  us through friends, but whichever way it was, we know that God had His hands in it. 

     We are so excited to see how God is going to use these new groups.  One lady tells me that her group of ladies said, “Though we are small and many are not able to do much due to poor vision, we want to do something even if it is not a lot”.  We are expecting that God will pour His blessings on each of these ladies and do great things through the works of their hands.

     The increase in the number of sewing groups is not something we want so we can report more numbers.  We desire more sewing groups so ultimately we can bless more children in Haiti.  Our purpose is to use these gifts of love to touch lives for Christ.  Every item we receive is a tool that we can use to share His love and teach the Gospel to these precious children.

     We are very excited about the growth that Haiti Care Mission is experiencing and we look forward to seeing more growth throughout the year.  If you know someone who would like to help HCM by sewing or starting a sewing group, please send them our way.  We would be glad to talk to them and help them get started.  The more items we produce, the more children we can  bless.    

     Thank you for your help in spreading the word about Haiti Care Mission.  We appreciate your support.

Prayer requests and praises

· Please pray for the Lord to continue opening doors for more opportunities to share with churches and individuals about Haiti Care Mission

· Please pray for the people of Haiti.  As they approach the season of Easter, we pray they will be open to hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and receiving new life in Him.

· Pray for the people of Haiti that God would calm the fears from the recent earthquake.

· Praise God for His direction in this ministry.  He is always opening doors to new opportunities for us.

· Praise the Lord for new helping hands that are interested in joining Haiti Care Mission. 

   

   We know the power of prayer and are grateful for every prayer that is lifted up on our behalf.  Please let us know how we can be praying for you.

Thanks you for partnering with us,

Lynn and Lance Anderson, Mission Directors

Toys made by a group called Toys for Christ.  They are partnering with us and making wooden toys for the kids.

Another happy boy with his wooden car.

This little girl is wearing a HCM diaper in the hospital in Port au Prince.

Dress distribution in Guatemala with the items left behind from the Sept. trip.

 

 

A Year of Abundant Blessings

As 2012 comes to a close, it is quite exciting to see what the Lord has done through Haiti Care Mission in the past twelve months.   It has been a year of abundant blessings. 

This year, the ministry has made three trips to Haiti to share the love of Jesus with children and to serve alongside partner missionaries.  During each of those trips, we personally ministered to children with the love of Jesus.  We have had wonderful opportunities to reach out to churches, schools and villages with Christ’s love.

In 2012, Haiti Care Mission has delivered over 13,000 items to children around the globe.  We are very excited about that number. That number represents 13,000 lives touched for Christ.  To us, that number is an indication of how God is using Haiti Care Mission to comfort His children.   We feel very honored and blessed to be part of God’s work in Haiti.

In addition to Haiti, HCM items have gone to seven different countries in 2012. The main focus of HCM is to serve the children of Haiti but when opportunities arise to share the love of Jesus in other countries, we proudly link arms with teams or missionaries.  God has made some amazing connections for us this year and we are grateful.

As we close the books on 2012, we are extremely humbled by the outpouring of support that we have received through new churches and individuals that have joined our team and the number of new sewing groups that have come along to serve with us.  Without the hard work and labors of MANY, Haiti Care Mission would not be an effective tool that God can use. 

Thank you to each one of you who has contributed through your labors, gifts, and prayer support.  We appreciate each of you and look forward to another year of serving with you to bring Christ’s love to the children of Haiti.

 

New Needs for Haiti Care Mission

As we move forward into 2013, we are looking at new ways to serve the children in Haiti.   This year we would like to expand and improve the items we use to bless the children. 

One new items that we feel will be of great value in Haiti is flip flops.  In November, we had the opportunity to distribute shoes to the students of a school in Arnous and Port au Prince.  Through that experience, we were made aware of the great need for more shoes.  Flip flops are lightweight and very inexpensive.  We would love to use a simple pair of flip flops as a tool to share the Gospel.  If you or your organization would like to collect flip flops, please let us know.  We have one company in Florida who is challenging their customers to get involved in “giving to others” through donating a simple pair of shoes.

Another change for 2013 is the style of diapers that we are making.  The current pattern is very simple but we would like to provide something more absorbent and leakproof.  We are grateful for all who have contributed to the diapers we have been using and hope you will embrace the opportunity to try something new.  We are currently working with a hospital in Haiti to provide diapers for their children so the need will continue to be high.  To receive a copy of the new pattern, you can contact us or locate it on our blog.

In addition to these two new items, we will continue to need  dresses of all sizes, sleeping mats, boys shorts, and backpacks.  Each of these items has proven to be of great value.  If you are interested in patterns for any of these items, please contact us.

 

 

Prayer Requests and Praises

 

· Praise God for an incredible year of blessing the children of Haiti and beyond.  Over 13,000 children were blessed this year.

· Praise the Lord for the hard working volunteers who create the gifts of love.  The number of sewing groups continues to grow. 

· Praise the Lord for many successful trips to Haiti this year by the Anderson family and others who have left the comforts of home to serve.

· Please pray for God to continue opening doors of opportunity for HCM.  Pray for new ways to serve and new missionaries to partner with.

· Please pray for the Lord to lead and direct HCM through 2013.  This is His ministry and we strive to follow His leading.

· Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti.  They are the focus of this ministry and we pray that they would feel God’s love and presence in their lives.

Thank you for all of the prayer partners.  We appreciate you.

 

Enjoy some pictures of our items blessing children all over the world.

Ecuador Trip

Guatemala Trip

Peru Trip

Backpacks in Haiti

Backpacks in Haiti

Living victoriously in Christ, Lynn and Lance Anderson, Mission Directors



 

 

 

Look what these kids got for Christmas

Thanks to some friends/missionaries in Haiti, these children received sleeping mats for Christmas this year. They were given as a Christmas gift in the name of Jesus at a local school.  We are grateful that they took the time to distribute these this week. 

 

Fall Trip Details

     Last month we had the privilege of traveling to Haiti to personally minister to over 1200 students.  It was a complete joy to meet and encourage these precious children.

     While in country, we were blessed to work alongside veteran missionaries, Pastor Tom and Beverly Brumbley at Evangelistic World Outreach.  After working several days at their headquarters in Port au Prince, we traveled to Petit Goave and Arnoux to meet the children.  

     Our first stop was in Petit Goave.  We spent time with each class sharing a Bible lesson and distributing gifts.  Every child in grades K-6 received a backpack full of goodies, and the children in the pre-k classes received a handmade wooden toy.  The backpacks were all packed with a booklet of the Books of John and Romans (in Creole), a tooth care kit, and pencils.  All of the children were thrilled to receive the gifts of love.

     Next, we headed to the village of Arnoux.  Arnoux is located in the area heavily affected by Hurricane Sandy.  There was extensive damage to the roads on the way to Arnoux but it was well worth the effort to get to this school/church.  We were blessed to be able to meet with every class in the school (pre-K to 9th grade).  Once again, we shared a Bible lesson and distributed items to the students.  Thanks to the efforts of all of the sewing groups, we were able to furnish every student with a gift of love.  The boys were very happy to receive a new pair of shorts or a new t-shirt, and the girls, of all sizes, were able to receive a dress.  We were also given  several cases of  shoes to distribute to the little ones.  All of the students appreciated their gifts and showed great care as they folded the items to store them in their bags.  At recess time, we saw many of them in the play yard wearing their new clothes over their school uniforms.

     We were truly blessed to spend time at these schools with the students.  The smiles we shared and songs we sang together are motivation to keep moving forward and reach more children for Christ. 

     Later in the week, we had one more opportunity to share the love of Jesus with the students of the headquarters school in Port au Prince.  At this school, we met with the classes from pre-K to 2nd grade.  We were able to bless them with a combination of items (dresses, shorts, shoes, hair ribbons, underwear). Along with the items, we were able to share a little message of God’s love.  It was a joy to see their excitement in receiving. Their smiles and words of thanks melted our hearts. 

     We feel very blessed to have these opportunities to share the love of Jesus with these precious children. It feels like each trip we take that we take you, our supporters and sewing groups, with us.  You are a huge part of what we are able to accomplish.  Thank you for supporting us and the work of Haiti Care Mission. 

     We pray that each of you has a blessed Christmas season and you take the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with those around you.

Here are a few more pictures from Haiti.

 

Hanging out with new friends during recess.

Teaching a lesson in Petit Goave and distributing backpacks.

Checking dress sizes to make sure they fit.

Lance gives shorts to the boys in Arnoux.



Grace and Hope with another new friend.  When we are in Haiti, it is truly a family ministry.  We all work together to touch lives and share the love of Jesus.  We are blessed to have two girls who love Jesus and love the people of Haiti.

Thanks again to all you helped to make items, donate items, and financially support the work of Haiti Care.
Be blessed,
The Andersons for Haiti Care Mission