The Ministry of Presence: Second Cape May Baptist and Port a Piment

Last week we had a team from Second Cape May Baptist Church in Marmora, NJ here to visit their sister church in Port a Piment, Haiti.  These two churches have had a  partnership for over 30 years!  I (Becky Thompson) had the privilege of going out with this team along with team leader Benjamin Altema and 3 other Haitian staff.  It’s not often I get a chance to go out with the team while Rob stays home with our kids.  Since our sister-in-law was coming in the team, it was the perfect opportunity for me to go out.  I’m thankful that Rob is willing to give me these opportunities!  For a more personal account of this trip, read The Ministry of Presence: My Personal Testimony over at Rob and Becky’s blog.

During our week in Port a Piment, the idea that kept running through my mind was what RMI President Dan Shoemaker calls “the Ministry of Presence.”  God’s presence, in us, overflowing in ministry to others.  It’s the ministry of celebrating Christ together and our relationship as brothers and sisters in Christ.  It’s a ministry of encouragement. I felt like it was truly manifested that week in everything the US team did.  One thing this church does very well is recruit new members for each team every time they come.  They have seen the impact this makes on their church at home. When more and more church members are exposed to this long term partnership, more and more people are engaged in the ministry of presence, both in Haiti and back home in the US.

Unfortunately for this team, their flight from New York was delayed a long time and they didn’t arrive at our Guest House in Cayes until 10 pm!  They were all very tired from their journey but ready to visit with their brothers and sisters in Port a Piment!  After orientation, packing up and lunch on Saturday, we all gathered for our traditional prayer circle and off we went.  After a 2 hour drive we arrived on the outskirts of Port a Piment.  Waiting for us was the youth brigade and a band, and they welcomed the team with a parade through the town leading to the church.  Saturday afternoon and evening were spent getting settled in and preparing for ministry in the days ahead.

This team didn’t have any big “project” to do.  Their goal was encouragement; to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  They worshipped together during 2 services, and collaborated by having an open-air gospel service in the community.  Praise the Lord for a new brother-in-Christ in the Port a Piment area named Mackenson!  They planned special gatherings for the ladies and men’s groups and had a lot of fun during a gathering with the school kids.  We visited shut-ins and had the opportunity to pray with them.  Twice we visited 2 different churches in the district: Sentiment Church and Bosquette Church.  The goal for all these activities was to build relationships and share the love of Christ.

One highlight was our visit to Sentiment Church.  We were told we would drive and then get out and have to hike about 30 minutes to get there.  We followed a river bed, had to cross the river by foot 3 times.  We all had squishy shoes when we arrived!  The last 10 minutes we turned from walking along the riverbed to walking up the mountain.  When we arrived a the top of this small mountain, the small, crude church building was decorated beautifully and was full of people waiting to worship with us.   It was very humbling to worship with this body of believers.   Not long ago, the evangelism committee at the church in Port a Piment decided to go to this area and share the gospel.  Many came to Christ and from this, the Sentiment Church was born. This area was the church in Port a Piment’s “Judea” (Acts 1:8.)  It was exciting to see the fruit of the Great Commission in action.

This team was really impacted by how well the Haitian church received them.  They were humbled by the sacrifices made to provide beds and the sacrifice of time in preparing meals.  This wasn’t just a time for the American church to come down and serve the Haitian people.  The Haitian church took joy in serving their brothers and sisters who came to be with them.

Overall it was a very fruitful week for this team, living out the ministry of presence.

Activities in Port-a-Piment/Activities for April/May

Pastor Yvon Vertu gave this report of the recent the upcoming activities of the Port-a-Piment Church so that you can keep their activities in your prayers. 

We just want to share with you a little bit of what happening in our church with each month.

This month we are going to have a conference, a special service with the members and some people in the church are going to get baptized.

There was a seminar for all the Pastor’s wives at Cite Lumiere in Cayes on April 17^th.

We are planning to re-cover the top of the Guillaume Church.  We will also be sending a new Pastor the Church at Zoren.

The church is getting along very well thanks to God; the school is working very fine too.  We are going to have training for the youth, a party for mothers day, which is the 16th of May, and the students are going to organize a party for Teacher’s Day may 17^th.

We ask that you would pray for the Christians to be zealous in the Lord’s work, for our construction projects, and for Pastor and Madame Pastor to receive their travel papers from the Embassy.

MEBSH Annual Convention

This is what the Simon Church looks like most every day during the week. Just below the church, the street is busy enough but not terribly crowded and the church yard is empty and the doors are shut unless a service is going on.

But every year, for 5 days in April, it explodes with activity. This activity is because of the MEBSH Annual Convention.

The Convention has a dual purpose; It is a chance for the MEBSH Executive Committee to meet with all the pastors from all over the southern peninsula as well as it is an opportunity to encourage the church as a whole and evangelize the community and even other parts of the world where Radio Lumiere, the radio station associated with MEBSH, is broadcast. Pastors and their wives, deacons, lay leadership and anyone else with the means to come descends on the small community of Simon once a year. They come from just about everywhere; Port au Prince, Morency, Tiburon, Barades, Beaumeau and the list goes on. Local citizens all throughout the area open their homes to the convention guests and can have as many as 50 people sleeping at their house, in their yard and any where else on their property they can find! Vendors and merchants stock up and fill their shelves with lots of extra goodies. People from all over bring their merchandise and set up little makeshift stands all up and down the road. You can find everything from candy to fritay (fried snacks like plantains, veritab and akra), to songbooks and Bibles, to sandals and suits to just about anything in between. The air is electric and commerce is booming.

The first service of the Convention starts on Wednesday night at 6pm. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5am-7am there are prayer services, from 9am-11:30am a Bible study each day and a service from 2pm-4pm which is dedicated on Thursday to the youth, on Friday to the children and on Saturday it is an ordination service for those pastors who have taken and passed their ordination exam while in town for the convention. Every evening from 6pm-9pm there is an evangelistic service. The last service ends on Sunday morning around 11:30am. Tents and benches fill the church yard and several big screens are set up to project the service outdoors for those who can’t find room inside.

Students serve as the ushers and help find seating, direct traffic, sell programs (for 5 gourdes each) and even hand out tickets for the vehicles so that those who drove (some cars and LOTS of motorcycles) can claim their vehicle. Choirs come from MEBSH churches all over the southern peninsula and sing special music. Each year, Pastor Wilfrid (Rob, Becky and Amy’s Creole teacher) writes the convention’s theme song, which he teaches to the congregation, and which is sung throughout the convention. At each evangelism service local phone numbers are broadcast for anyone interested in making a decision for Christ to call and talk with a pastor who will share the gospel with them and many decisions for Christ are made every year. The convention is broadcast on local television stations, on Radio Lumiere all over Haiti and even other parts of the world, and it is streamed on the internet at Radio Lumiere’s internet site. It’s a big deal!

This year’s theme was “Turn Your Face to God” and was based on the scripture Isaiah 42:15. It was estimated that over 16,000 people attended this year’s convention. That’s 16,000 extra people cramming into the small area known as Simon. That’s a lot of people! Every year during the convention, pastors come by the office to visit while they’re in town and this year we had a meeting with them just to go over some things we have been working on.

Many of RMI’s Sister Churches sent choirs; Dame Marie, Cance, Morency, Camp Perrin, Picot, Port au Piment and Beaumeau were all represented this year. At least 15 decisions for Christ were made using the phones and countless others heard the gospel, some for the first time. This year someone very important in the community made a decision for Christ. This can potentially affect the entire community of Cayes in a very real and dramatic way as the Mayor of Cayes was in attendance and accepted the Lord! The community is still rejoicing in this news! Some of the RMI staff housed visitors for the weekend: Rameau said he had more than 45 people at his house (and its not that big of a house!) and Ti Jean said he and his family stayed in 2 rooms and the rest of the house was given over to as many as 40 guests! One of the families who received one of RMI’s Homes for Haiti homes waited to move into their house until after the convention so that they could use their home for visitors. They had more than 30 youth from one of the brigades staying in their new home!

A few months ago, the MEBSH Executive Committee called a meeting with all the missionaries asking us for our input, trying to decide if the convention should even be held this year. In the year since the earthquake so many things had happened, cholera was a big fear and the runoff election results were set to be announced sometime around the time of Convention. With the lack of adequate restroom facilities and good sources of water, the fear was that with the influx of that many people, it was very likely that cholera would make its way into the area. And with the memory of November’s post electoral rioting fresh in everyone’s minds, there were some who questioned the wisdom in having the convention this year. And on top of that the land was dry and in desperate need of rain and everything was dusty. But those fears were unmerited and God, in his wisdom and sovereignty, met each of those needs head on. Days before the convention the election results were given and the country rejoiced. A campaign to educate people on protecting themselves from cholera has proved successful, make shift public restrooms and places to shower were put in place and the Red Cross set up a cholera unit in the church yard just in case they were needed.

And within just a matter of days of Convention, a gentle rain was falling from the sky.

Hurricane Tomas Update

Hurricane Tomas is on its way through the Windward passage today. RMI missionaries report that they experienced high winds from 2 – 4 a.m. Rains have been heavy as well. They expect more wind and rain during the day today. Locally they have seen a lot of branches and crop damage. So far the at least one of the rivers is still inside its banks. They felt that areas to the west of Cayes will have much more damage since the hurricane was closer to that area. They are contacting as many Sister Churches as possible. Port-a-Piment and Tiburon report that they are ok, but the crops are destroyed. Here are a few pictures from the Cayes area:

Flooded garden in the valley below the mission center

We are thankful that God answered everyone’s prayers and kept the eye off the coast. Continue to pray as Tomas is not yet gone! We’ll post more updates when we receive more information.

In Twos

Two teams, two Haitian “bosses”, two locations, and two houses. In two days!

The Homes for Haiti team from Cape May, New Jersey sent ten men into Port au Prince on Friday, October 1 to work on two houses in two separate locations. The original plan had been to send the team to another location outside of Port but plans were changed last Tuesday when days of rain made the road impassible, a (STILL) broken truck made delivering supplies insolvable, and a yet to be prepped site made working on it impossible. Fortunately, God had other plans which He orchestrated perfectly.

Despite days of rain- there was nothing but clear skies! Despite missing pieces- a container truck which was being unloaded on the Mission Center in Cayes on Saturday and returning to Port the same day was available to transport the parts we were missing directly to the site! Despite searing heat, back breaking work, and not a lot of shade- not one team member got sick! And despite all the complexities of working in Haiti which make completing most any task in a timely, efficient manner difficult- in just two days, two new homeowners were handed the keys to their new homes!

The new homeowners (two ladies in the center of the photo) at the Croix de Bouquet location with some of their friends and family. They will live here with their children (One has 2 children and the other has 1 child).

The new owner (standing on the back row) with the team from Second Cape May Baptist, and Wilfrid, the RMI “Boss” for the Delmas 33 location.

Calling Levi Video

Calling Levi band members Rob Leicher and Mark Lashay were invited to join a work team from Second Cape May Baptist Church (Marmora, NJ) who went to Haiti with RMI May 28 – June 4. This was the first work team for RMI’s Homes for Haiti Program. They were able to unload the first housing container and begin to build the model home in preparation for making the jigs for the other 29 homes.

Rob and Mark were touched by what they saw and experienced in Haiti and have put together this 5 minute video.

You’ll see the team and a little bit of the house work at the 2:30 mark. The song on the video, "More than Moved", is performed by Calling Levi.

Thanks for the video guys!!

Seeing is believing

Pictures tell a thousand words, so here are some!

Here it comes! It arrived at 5 p.m. from Port-au-Prince after having cleared customs in record time…God’s timing!

Maneuvering into the RMI work & storage yard is a bit tricky.

Getting ready to cut the security seal. The workteam from 2nd Cape May Baptist Church, Marmora, NJ were anxious to get to work unloading the container. Drew Thompson is there in the back making sure they do it right.

A little load shift in route, but after stabilizing it, everything was fine.

RMI president, Dan Shoemaker.

This 20 ft. container holds the parts, pieces & components for 30 homes!

Many hands make light work – and did they need a lot of hands!

These things were not light!

They worked into the night. All of these components will make storm worthy homes, up to International Hurricane and Earthquake Codes.

Finally finished. What a job!!

To see all of the pictures, click here. The first pictures in the file show the team putting a tin covering over the 3 storage containers in the RMI yard. They were working hard on that all day while they waited for the container to arrive.

Food for the Widows

Recently RMI was able to obtain 600 cases of pre-mixed food from Food for the Poor. Five Sister Churches participated in covering the cost. Pastor Jim Bry, the pastor of one of those churches, Second Cape May Baptist Church, Marmora, NJ asked Dan to go with him to help hand out the 150 cases of food aid that his church covered.

He and Dan were in Haiti last week Dec. 16-18 (yes, it was a very quick trip!) to do this.

Pastor Jim, Dan and all the guys unloading were all smiles.

Each widow & widower received enough for 108 well-balanced, nutritional meals.

Pastor Jim was excited to be there in person to show his church’s love and care for these widows and widowers.

Going home happy!

Pastors Jim Bry and Yvon, Dan Shoemaker, 3 RMI Haiti staff men and 3 district pastors in the church yard after the Port-a-Piment distribution. The rest of the cases of food (130 cases) will be distributed in the district with some of their most needy families.

If you want to see more pictures, click here.

The other 4 churches’ food was delivered this week. These Haitian Sister churches felt God’s love to them in a very real, tangible way through this food!

Dan is in Haiti

Pray for Dan as he is in Haiti for 3 days. He went in with Pastor Jim Bry of 2nd Cape May Baptist Church, Marmora, NJ. They went to hand out food aid that Pastor Jim's church bought for their Sister Church. It should be an exciting day! Photos will be forthcoming once they get back. It’s special to be a part of helping our Haitian brothers and sisters where they hurt.

Update on Jules

Jules has now moved to an efficiency apartment. He is quite happy there at this point. They are not having to share it with someone like his previous place. It will cost him $500 a month including utilities. He has the furniture he needs so far. He has no TV, but is hoping to be able to get cable installed and a TV soon. This is essential for him since he is not able to get out much. It provides some “distractions” for him as they would say in Creole.

The hospital is planning on providing, free of charge, a bone marrow transplant (as best we can ascertain). This will either heal him completely or at least extend his life, potentially, by several years. We will see what God does. We are trusting that he will have doctors that will give him straight info, not just what he wants to hear! We will see how it goes and will keep you posted.

He still needs prayer, company, and funds. The funds we have for him here will be gone in a month or so.

Continue to call him. He enjoys getting your calls!

Several people have been able to visit him and that has really encouraged him and Martha.

[Thank you to John and Cyndy Kopitsky of Second Cape May Baptist Church (Marmora, NJ) for the photo updates. They were able to visit him on his birthday at the end of October – he and Dawn share a birthday.]

His cell phone is: 321-217-4165. (Still the same as before.)

His NEW address is:

Jules Gedna

139 Francis Street

Everett MA - 02149

Keep praying for him. Thanks.

You can’t go around hugging missionaries!

Dan and I are at our daughter’s college (Trinity College of Florida) missionary conference.  We set up our booth yesterday a.m. and were prepared when classes were dismissed.  Dawn walked by our booth with a group of her friends.  When she got to the end of the table, I was standing there and she gave me a big hug.  One of her classmates gave a gasp, her hand flew to her mouth and she said, “Dawn you can’t go around hugging the missionaries!”  Dawn turned around and “She’s my mom!”.  Her friend’s eyes flew open wide and the look of chagrin on her face was priceless.  Everyone around had a great laugh about it.  She knew Dawn was an MK, missionary kid, so she figured that due to that Dawn felt a real affinity toward missionaries and was going around hugging the missionaries.  She didn’t know we were her parents.  It really was hilarious!

As the students were milling around, perusing the booths, the school’s 4 Haitians found our booth.  One of them picked up the Creole hymnal that we have out and found her favorite hymn.  She started singing and the others joined in.  They stood there and sang all the verses.  A crowd formed and listened to the impromptu concert in a foreign language.  It was cool.  Each one of them have made an effort to find us from time to time during the day to say hi and talk about Haiti.

Yesterday, the first day of the conference, also found me having an interesting conversation with the Child Evangelism Fellowship missionary at his booth.  He is what I call a ripple effect.  He quit the military to become a missionary because of the ministry and influence of my dad who was a CEF missionary to the US military in Germany.  When he got to the US for CEF’s training institute, my dad was one of his teachers.  One can never tell how far out your ministry will ripple!  It brought tears to my eyes.  I wish my dad knew how far his ripples have reached!  (My dad died of ALS in 2002.)

Today has been a good day of interaction with the students at our booth, at meals and in chapel.  It’s been fun to meet Dawn’s friends, too, and to see her going through “the college experience”.  Tonight Dan will have 7 minutes to share with the student body.

Tomorrow we will have a 45 minute workshop (one of several offered).  The conference ends at lunch time.

Rob is in Haiti

One more update:  Rob is in Haiti this week, Sept. 21 – 25, 2009.  He is working on RMI’s finances there and taking care of other administrative details.  Pray that the electricity stays on and the internet is stable so that he and the missionary staff will be able to accomplish all that needs to be done during this time.  Pray for Becky as she is home alone with the kids.

We have power and other updates!

The RMI office finally has power!  It was turned on at 6 p.m. Friday.  We started the work with in the 20th century….there was power, but no internet and no phones.  Dan had to work all day on that.  After a frustrating day, he was finally able to resolve it and bring us into the 21st century.  Wow.  We are very thankful that we can get down to business now.

Debbie sent out 4 orders of orientation materials today!  Teams are preparing for their upcoming visit to their Sister Churches.  We are really excited about the updated Orientation Training that we now have available.  Our goal is to make sure that a team member is well prepared when they arrive and ready to minister and be ministered to.

Dan and Debbie had a great time in Ft. Lauderdale.  The team there did a fantastic job of sharing their how their visit with their Sister Church impacted their lives.  They had a great video and photo collection, shared a Creole song and testimonies.  The pastor worked his message around the team, challenging the church to get out of their comfort zone (as each person on the team had done) and minister locally and globally.  We were there for all 3 services and had 2 meals with the team.  Dan had gone to Haiti with this team, so it was good to re-connect with them and see how their trip had impacted their lives.

RMI Impacts Lives Forever!

Moses News!

From the Moses' blog:

Yes, we have closed! Hooray! Yipee! Yes! and any other words that you can think of to describe our joy.

After 8 long weeks we finally closed last Wednesday August 26th. We were in Texas during the first part of June and put together a contract to close on June 28th. The Moses family returned to Haiti and packed all of our things and headed to Port-au-Prince. In Port we boarded a DC-3 to Ft. Pierce, FL with our 3 dogs and 2 cats. We spent the night in Ft. Pierce and woke up the next morning to life in America. We loaded up all of our belongs and animals with the help of Rob Thompson and Dan Shoemaker into a 16 foot Penske Truck and headed to Texas. This was on a Friday morning. By Saturday evening we were in Texas. Welcome home to the Lone Star State! We were tired, but very excited to be with family and to be moving into our new home on the following Tuesday.

Oh but wait! The mortgage company and the US department of agriculture got involved. We had worked out our loan through the USDA because they were offering a $0 down program aimed at developing rural areas. This is a great deal except for one thing. Everybody in America it seems, that is purchasing a home is doing it through USDA. As a result, every day we would ask…today? And every day we would get the response, “no, maybe tomorrow”.

Finally everything was approved and we were able to close last Wednesday. We were so excited, we started moving in that night and slept there. By 10am the next morning, our storage room was empty and most of our stuff was at least in the garage.

We are very grateful to God and are enjoying setting up our new home. The animals are beginning to settle down and feel like they are home too.

Now if we can only figure out where to put everything!!!!

Read about Rob and Becky's adventures in Haiti

Rob and Becky had a great time in Haiti.  They were able to accomplish quite a bit, experience a lot and came back glowing with excitement about their impending move there.

Here is the beginning of their blog entry when they got back:

"It was truly phenomenal.  We are excited, and want to go tomorrow.  But, funds must be raised first and cross cultural training must be acquired.  Our plan is to go in March.  Help us get there!

For those who are interested, here is an overview of what we did… "

You'll find the rest of the entry, a day by day account of their adventure, at Rob and Becky's blog.  We share their joy and excitement!

Tropical Storm Ana moves north

Rob and Becky Thompson go to Haiti tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18 for 6 days.  They are praying that Tropical Storm Ana will not be an issue.  It will be in the vicinity but so far, will looks like it will be north of Port-au-Prince and the Cayes area, thus enabling them to reach the mission center.  A good site to use to follow hurricanes and other tropical systems is, http://www.stormpulse.com/.  It provides good graphics, projected paths, timelines, etc. 

Pray for Rob and Becky.   Their time there is limited and they have a lot to accomplish during their stay.  Pray that the 3 kids do well with their host families. 

A personal letter from Jules!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Good morning dear brothers and sisters.  I greet you with Philippians 1:2-4  "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (with the daily guidance of the Holy Spirit).  I thank God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy."  It is good to have brothers and sisters in the faith to support each other with prayers.

I know you have heard from Dan Shoemaker - I am very sick and I am here in the United States for treatment since the spring.  I want to thank you so much for your prayers for me, my wife Martha who is with me, and my two sons:  Jeremy and his wife Kizzy, and Joshua, during this difficult time.  The young men live in the Atlanta area.  We have sensed people are praying for us.  It says in II Corinthians 1: 3 and 4, "...God of all comfort who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."  Yes, I am going through some great and painful difficulties at the moment but I have sensed His comfort and strength, and comfort from you, my brothers and sisters.

I want to thank each of you who have sent monies to RMI for my support during these difficult days.  Martha and I do appreciate the financial support so much as neither of us are able to work at this time.  I also want to thank those who have sent cards to encourage me and the family.  There are not enough words to say thank you for these encouragements of financial gifts, cards and prayers.

We do not know how long we will be here in the United States but we are relying on God and the doctor's council.  We are following the treatments they recommend and trusting God.

If anyone wished the address of my niece-in-law's apartment where we are staying while going for medical treatments and doctors appointments:

150 Sammett St., Malden, MA  02148

The cell phone where you can reach me or Martha is 321-217-4165.

In closing, it says in Galations 6:9 and 10, "and let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."  We (Martha and I) remember you and give thanks to God for each of you and pray for you always.

Your brother,

Jules Gedna

Dan is in Haiti

Dan is in Haiti for 2 weeks.  He landed yesterday and is joining the Florida Bible Church as they visit their Sister Church and establish forever relationships for the first time.  It should be a fun time!  Can you imagine finding brothers and sisters in Haiti that you never knew you had?!  What a thought!

 

After they leave on Friday,  he will have administrative meetings with RMI missionaries, Gary and Marilyn McLaughlin and Amy Long, and the RMI Haitian staff.  He'll also be meeting with all the Haitian Sister Church pastors and School Directors to share with them the recent updates in the Hope for Kidz Program. 

 

During the last part of his visit, Rob and Becky Thompson will arrive and spend several days.  When they move there, they will be living in the Moses' house (which had been ours before that).  They will be able to see the house first hand, Becky can take measurements of the rooms and windows and they can make realistic plans on what they need to bring to set up house.  They'll tour the area where they'll be living and meet some of the other missionaries on the mission center.  There are several families with young children.  Rob will participate in some of the meetings with Dan.  He is also going to speak at the missionary prayer meeting.  In other words, they are establishing some forever relationships for the first time for themselves AND their kids.  What an exciting time for them!  Over the years we made many forever relationships with our fellow missionaries.  Some are still there and some are scattered around the world.  Our kids regard the kids they grew up with as siblings, not just childhood buddies. 

 

We are really excited about having the Thompsons on the field.  Pray that God will bring in their support quickly so they can get to Haiti by their March target date. 

 

Pray for Dan as he shares his heart and does  vision casting for the future of RMI  in Haiti.  He has a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time and all in the hottest time of the year.  Pray that God will have His Hand on all the various meetings, formal and informal.  Pray for the Thompsons that they'll have a good, positive and encouraging time in Haiti.

The Moses' are in Texas

Saturday Debbie Moses sent this update:  "left Ft Pierce, FL yesterday at 1:30pm. Arrived in Sanger,Texas at 5:00pm today. Whew! Fast trip with 5 animals, 2 kids and almost 4000 lbs of cargo.  GOD is so good!"

They are currently staying with Debbie's dad.  What a great dad to take them, the 2 cats, 3 dogs and all that cargo in!  Pray for them as they look for a place to live and get settled into their new life.  It's hard to make an international move and start all over again from scratch.  Pray that all the pieces will fall into place as they rebuild their household, the girls get into school and they all adjust to living with full time electricity, running water and Walmart again.  :)