Wherever…Whenever…However
June 27, 2009
We’ll go wherever we need to go, whenever we need to go, and however we need to go to share our vision for what God is calling us to do in Haiti as missionaries working with the orphans and the poor.
Our first “wherever” will be Connecticut as we leave tomorrow morning and make our 14 hour drive in our 95 Honda Accord with 160,000 miles and an A/C system that works to the degree that the sweat doesn’t run down our face, but rather stays in one place. CT is my hometown. I have lots of family and friends there. We will be there from June 28th – July 6th. I pray that we will get to share our vision with many people and many will want to join our support team. I may be forced to take a half day and flyfish on some good trout waterswith my brother who states that he would like to support us and that we can talk about it while casting a line…suffering for the Gospel…that’s me:)
The next “wherever” is Delaware immediately after CT. We will be there for a week as well from July 6th – 13th. We will be staying with a couple of different people while there. Right now it is two different families, but that may change if we end up wearing out our welcome. Same mode of dynamic transportation of course. We have lots of friends and church family there as we just moved from there where we were in full-time ministry.
After Delaware, we take a short week and a half breather, and then pack the ol’ Honda Accord again with the bags and the kids and drive south this time down to FL with a possible stop in Atlanta to share our vision for Haiti with a friend. We will be there for 2 weeks, one of those weeks I will be in Haiti doing a mission trip and also getting our place prepared for us to move in the fall. My wife lived in FL for many years, therefore FL is the place where she knows many people. We hope and pray that we are able to share our vision with her old friends and associates and that God will give them the desire to join our support team.
Major prayer request…please pray that our little 95 Honda Accord gets us to all of our intended destinations…we don’t care if we arrive sweaty…we just want to arrive.
Future neighborhood…
June 19, 2009
No, it is not Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood… It is the village of Cam Coq in the northern part of Haiti. Take a peek to the sights we will be seeing daily when we are actually on the field.
Global Outreach in Haiti
June 19, 2009
I recently came across these two videos from a team that visited Haiti through our sending agency, Global Outreach International.
The GO Haiti Mission near Port-au-Prince is a ministry of David and Judy Heady. They have lived in Haiti for twenty six years. We were blessed to meet the Headys during our Missionary Training Orientation a few weeks ago. We truly enjoyed getting to know them in person.
We plan to spend some time at Global Outreach Haiti Mission while we attend language school in Port-au-Prince before moving to the northern part of the country. But I am sure that language will not be the only thing that we will be learning while we stay with them. During our short time together we got to listen to some of their stories as missionaries in Haiti. Hearing their stories about God’s work in their lives was certainly a faith booster for us, but also a challenge to really trust God for who He is and what He can do.
Check out these videos. You will see some of the work that God is doing through GO in Haiti. –Maria
Stepping out of the Boat
June 12, 2009
Today was my last day at my job as I resigned now that we are moving to Haiti and we have to give all our time to building a support team, which will require a lot of traveling and stuff. So, like Peter, I have stepped out of the boat and am completely trusting in Him that I will not sink. Today was a challenge because it was my last day and I was feeling a little fear about what is going to happen in 2 weeks when I don’t get a paycheck and our support is not yet coming in. Well, the Lord just brought comfort to my “o ye of little faith” heart as I got an email just a few minutes ago from a woman in TX (who I only met once in person for about 39 seconds ) just now telling me that she plans on supporting us regularly and just mailed us a check for a large dollar amount!!!! I’m totally blown away. It’s like God was saying to me, “Fear not, Cody, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and uphold you with my righteous right hand.” That sounds familiar…is that in the Bible or something:) Haha.
And so the Lord is showing Himself faithful as we take our first steps out of the boat amidst the wind and the waves and walk on water with our eyes focused on Him.
I just booked my ticket for Haiti as I will be traveling there from July 27th to August 3rd to be part of a missions team and to make preparations for when we move there in the Fall, Lord willing. I can’t wait to get back there to see those children whom I love so much and to share Christ with all the children in the village of Camp Coq as we will be having a big Vacation Bible School for the kids in the village. More than that though, I can’t wait for the blessed day when we are given the privilege to serve our God by boarding a one way flight to Haiti with my wife, 2 little girls, and our dog and make the village of Camp Coq our home as we get to live among the people of Haiti and share God’s love with them every day.
I miss these kids….
Rodlin and Robinson - kids at the orphanage
Jeff - the youngest kid in the orphanage
Our soon to be neighbors Fritzweiss and his sisters...notice the swollen bellies (a sign of malnourishment)
The many beautiful children in the village of Camp Coq
May the Lord send us soon to reach out to these and many others…
Introducing your newest missionaries of Global Outreach International
June 7, 2009
Yes…It’s official. We have been approved and appointed as missionaries to Haiti through Global Outreach International. We just returned from a week long orientation and training at their home office in Tupelo, MS. We had an amazing time and learned so much. We are so excited to take what we have been learning and apply it to our lives as we prepare for Haiti.
We believe The Lord is leading us to move there in October of this year, which leaves us about 4 months to raise all of our support needed and make necessary preparations. This is a lofty goal, but do you know what?…We serve a great and awesome God who can do mighty things, therefore we are fully confident that He will lead us according to His plan.
He will indeed lead us, protect us, and provide for all our needs, but we have our part to do in trusting in Him and doing whatever He calls us to do no matter how insurmountable the task seems to be. This reminds me of the story in the Bible where Jesus was walking on water and He met the disciples on the lake during a storm. Jesus beckoned Peter to come to Him on the water to prove that it really was Jesus…and Peter walked on water too as He went towards Jesus. But in order for Peter to walk on the water, he had to do one thing first…get out of the boat and place that first foot down on the stormy waters. And as he took that step of faith while keeping his eyes on Jesus, Peter walked on water, rising above the stormy wind and waves. Peter did something that seemed impossible through trusting in Jesus Christ knowing that “with God, all things are possible.”
And so we, like Peter, have what seems like an impossible task in front of us. And God is calling us to step out of the boat, fix our eyes on Him, and walk by faith knowing that He will provide for “all of our needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus,”
That first great step out of the boat will occur tomorrow as I resign from my job so that we can begin raising support on a full-time basis. This will require us to do a lot of traveling to meet with churches, family, and friends to share our vision for what God has called us to do in Haiti and ask them to partner with us in this great work. We are very excited…and yes…very afraid. But we are confident that The Lord will do great and wondrous things right before our eyes as we trust in Him for everything.
Check out our mission agency that we are with at Global Outreach International. It is a great agency and we are so blessed to be a part of this missions family. – Cody