Some things make me soooo angry…
July 30, 2009
…this is just one of them…
It should make us ALL angry…
Off to Haiti for 7 days…
July 26, 2009
Tomorrow morning, I board a plane for Haiti at 6:45 AM out of Miami. I will be there for 7 days. Part of the trip is to do missions work (VBS, evangelism, etc.) and the other part is to get our house prepared over there for our upcoming move in the fall, Lord willing.
Confession – I don’t feel prepared for this trip. Usually before taking a mission trip, I am a lot more spiritually prepared. I usually pray quite a bit beforehand and I am usually thinking a lot about the trip. I usually am having some good quiet times reading my bible,praying, and just getting myself prepared for the things that God has for me. Unfortunately that has not been the case for this upcoming trip…and I’m praying for the grace of God to cover me. We have been so busy traveling around, sharing our vision for Haiti, and building our support team, that I haven’t had much of a moment to even think about this upcoming trip. We have been in FL for the past several days staying with my wife’s family in a tiny one room efficiency apartment in South Miami. Therefore I have not had any moment to myself for prayer and alone time with God due to the fact that her whole family is in town and the place is crawling with kids, the lovely spanish tv is on all day long with all the “lovely” spanish novelas, and the conversation in this place never stops for a minute. (I should have gotten up very early to have some time alone with God, but I just can’t function well so early in the morning…therefore the early early morning quiet time just doesn’t work for me.) Also, I mentioned that we are in South Miami which lends itself to a lot of other “distractions”… all over the place.
So, I am hoping for even just the few hours that I have while waiting for my flight where I can just take some time and quiet my heart before the Lord and ask Him to prepare my heart for the week ahead. As a matter of fact, I am going to take a walk now and just spend some much needed time with my Heavenly Father. I feel desperate for Him to meet with me. I am a desert in need of an oasis. My soul thirsts for Him. I will draw near to Him in expectation that He will draw near to me. He’s good like that.
Fundraiser for Haiti…Don’t Miss Out!!
July 15, 2009
If you are in the Asheville area and are looking for something exciting and meaningful to do on Saturday, August 29th at 6:00 PM, then look no further…we’ve got just the thing for you…
For more information on how to get in on this great gala, please contact our dear friend and owner of Events Unlimited, Kristi Hughes, at 828-545-4567 or email her at kristi@nceventsunlimited.com
This is going to be a great evening. Great food, great music, and for a great cause. So, ladies pick out your best dress…and guys make it a special date. You don’t want to miss this one.
Delaware represents!!!
July 15, 2009
Who says that nothing good can come out of Delaware? Not me… I love DE. Our time there was great as we had time to connect with many people as we continue to share our vision for what God has called us to do in Haiti. I am overwhelmed by God’s love and faithfulness as He is building us an awesome support team. Many people in DE that we shared with are very excited to be part of our support team. We are seeing God’s hand provide in such an amazing way. We really have no need to worry or stress because this is God’s plan and He certainly has a way of bringing the needed resources to do the work of His kingdom. And we know that God cares for the poor and the orphan…so we are confident that He will provide all that is needed.
Our thanks go out to all of the people who have joyfully joined our support team over these last 2 weeks. It was such a joy to meet with everybody and be encouraged…and I hope that we were an encouragement to you as well.
We are now back in NC, but not for long. We will travel to FL next week and do this all over again. Praise be to God for His great love and faithfulness. Isn’t it such a joy to be called one of His own? – Cody
Child slavery in Haiti – Report from CNN
July 14, 2009
Last night, CNN showed a report on child slavery in Haiti, also known as the “restavek system”, on the Anderson Cooper 360 show. For those of of you who missed it here is a short clip of what was reported. They will be showing the second part of the report tonight at 10pm.
Today, it is believed that there are an estimated 450,000 child slaves in Haiti. They are called restaveks. The French word restavek means “staying with”. It is used when a child who is not related to a family lives with that family on the promise of food and education for the child. The sad truth is that the child never gets what he or she is promised. Instead, these children are forced to do hard work for long extended hours. They are also physically, verbally, and sexually abused.
Child slavery is a huge problem in Haiti. It is an issue that is very close to our hearts. Through the vision God has given us to provide food, education, and discipleship for orphans and at risk kids in the community we hope that parents don’t feel the need to send their children away not knowing where they will end up and what will happen to them.
Pray for the children of Haiti. In a country of 10 million people, where 46% of the population accounts for children under the age of 15, there is a huge number of children at risk of some form of abuse, neglect, and/or disadvantage. We might not be able to save them all, but we certainly want to make an impact in the lives of those God places closest to us.
Pray for the Whittaker family
July 9, 2009
Our prayers cards are now here!! They are just a simple way for you to remember to pray for us. If you would like to receive one, send us an email to request one and we will be happy to put one in the mail for you. Please let us know if you need more than one.
From North Carolina to Connecticut
July 7, 2009
Yes, we we’re totally exhausted after a 16 hour drive from Black Mountain, NC to our final destination in Connecticut. Thankfully, the girls did great! They managed to keep themselves entertained with each other, play pretend, and fall asleep all the way to New Haven. I don’t even think they realized when we finally arrived, at midnight, that we were finally at Grandma Judy’s house.
We had a great time in Connecticut. It was fun to see family and friends and share with them the vision God’s has given us for Haiti. We were blessed with the response we received in Connecticut. This being our first stop in our journey of building our support team certainly gave us the boost and encouragement that we needed to continue to trust that the Lord is the one building this ministry and not us.
Our friends and family were excited for us. And many extended their support to us by committing to pray, give, go, provide resources, etc. Overall, our trip was what one would call a success! Granted, all we did was share with those God has put in our path. God did the rest. And He is building a great team around us to do the work He has set aside for us in Haiti.
We are thankful for everyone who will be involved in this work. Every single one of you is a necessary part in this ministry to the orphans and the at-risk children of Cam Coq. And as you pray for us, we will pray for you that the Lord will continue to use you to bring change in the lives of many. Though you’ve never seen them, you love them!!—Maria
