May the light of God surround you.
May the love of God enfold you.
May the grace of God heal you.
May the peace of God sustain you.
May the character of God shine through you.
Amen
Amen
Our first two and a half years in Haiti were spent in a small village that sits three miles from the Caribbean sea at the base of the Mathieux mountain chain.
(Photo of Noah was taken there.)
Our time in the village was a lot of things. Good and bad. Amazing and horrible. Rewarding and challenging. At the time I was not allowed to write too much about the hard stuff. The leadership wanted me painting a picture of uber-holy-perfectly sanctified soldiers of Jesus serving without acknowledging the hard stuff publicly. They also did not want their supporters to think Haiti was a hard place. (As if you don't know it is a difficult place already.) They figured if we shared that poverty can bring out some unbecoming things that the donor might not give. I guess they forgot that wealth can bring out some unbecoming things too. I stink at fake - so that was a hard assignment for us.
Suffice it to say, we left there ready to be the unedited version of us and ready to work on projects that were more relational. We totally recognize there are many schools of thought when it comes to working in a developing country. We just decided when we moved from the village into the city that at the very minimum development (of something - anything!) should be a goal. The move into PAP has proven to be the right move for us. Our time in Port has been a blessings to us and we love the work we get to do.
This program will not succeed without the faithful prayers of all of you who choose to stand with us as we attempt to break the chains created by poverty and systems of oppression. We need your partnership and humbly ask for your prayers."
All of that to say ...
We're excited (and slightly nervous) about this brand new Heartline program for teenage moms. Please click here to learn more about the vision for this program. Pray with us in the coming months as we develop and structure the program and trust God to restore the broken. "As we dream and hope for the future as a ministry, one of the things that has become very clear in our Women's program is the increased need for support and discipleship in the lives of our youngest moms.
Out of a desire to better reach and serve struggling and unprepared young mothers, we will be opening a home for them. We're moving forward with plans and preparations for a two-year residential program for teenage mothers.
The home will provide a place of safety and security where a new mother will live and learn in a protected environment. We desire to give each young woman an opportunity to grow in maturity, as well as the space and time needed for spiritual growth. Each new mom will be involved in a structured program that allows them a chance to learn and improve their parenting skills, learn about bonding, work on conflict resolution, and personal development. Much of this healing and learning will happen in a group setting. Some of it will take place through one-on-one counseling and mentoring relationships. Over time the young women will also learn a skill, such as sewing or jewelry making, that will help them provide for themselves and their child into the future.
We are excited too see what God will do in the lives of these capable and tenacious young women. We pray that by helping them build a strong foundation early in their parenting years we will impact not only their lives but the lives of their children.
