Pastor Lavaud

This wonderful man is Pastor Lavaud in Haiti and the well box has just officially bought him two new bits for the drill that he uses to dig wells in Hinche!!! And we couldn't be more excited:)

The funniest thing is we met Lavaud through the internet...kind of. Here's the story. Shortly after Kruse was born we took the fam to Hawaii so that my grandma could meet her newest grandson. We went to Oahu, home to Hilo, then ended with a week in Maui...perfect. When we came home and it took me a few payments to pay off the visa I felt the Lord asking me if I would be willing to spend as much money on a trip to serve him as I would to go on vacation. So I told Shane that the next summer I felt like God wanted us to go on a mission trip instead of a vacation. The search began...the world was at my fingertips and I googled many ideas trying to figure out where we would go. During this time we knew in our hearts that our daughter was in Haiti but we were only in the beginning of the process of adoption at that point and had no connections there at all. Meanwhile my friend Cherrie, who is adopted and who is one of my biggest supports and cheerleaders during this time, googled Haiti and read all these web sites and just felt the Lord telling her to contact this one..and so she did in a 5 page email! Seriously the next thing we know Cherrie and Emily are flying to Wisconsin and staying with strangers to meet Lavaud who is flying in from Haiti to speak at the church that supported him. Sorry, to make a long story short they loved him instantly and saw what an incredible man of God he is. So they just happen to be planning their first ever mission trip to Haiti while Shane and I are looking for a mission trip and we are adopting from Haiti, Cherrie (who is obviously crazy) and Emily are up for it, and Jon wanted to come and called Travis and the next thing we know we are on a mission trip with complete strangers to a third world country... unbelievable! There is too much to write about the trip, it changed all of our lives in many different ways. For us it was visiting the birthplace of our daughter, a country that we will love and be a part of for the rest of our lives. I cannot wait for the day when we take all three of them to experience the beauty and heartache of Haiti.

But this is about Lavaud. I loved him the moment I saw him. His smile lit up his face and he was so thankful that we were there. He was born in Haiti and went to Technical School in Wisconsin, promising the Lord that he would go back and help his native Haitians. He has certainly fulfilled his promise. Below is a picture of the school, church, community center, radio station, and the third floor is his home in Hinche. He has numerous programs to help his people be self sufficient through community gardens and giving pigs to families to raise. With the current food crisis he has been distributing food to those in need. As we were there that week, exactly four years ago, I remember thinking as I watched this gracious, humble man that he is just like Jesus. His lifestyle reflected Christ to all around him, especially the witch doctor who he gave corn and other fruits and veggies to help them grow their garden. He did not condemn, only loved and through that she accepted Christ. It is a privilege to help Lavaud whenever we can and I have loved reading his emails the last two weeks and remembering all that we experienced on that trip. The believers that we met lacked so many basic needs, but you would never know. We saw hope in every face. We played and laughed with children who had no shoes and little food and yet were so full of life and joy. They are amazing people and I am honored to have met them. Here are some pics:

Shane and Cherrie getting our first real smile out of Sandra

This is the first morning Sandra came over...

"witch doctors neighborhood" we put on a show, actually that is what Lavaud is laughing at up top...

...Travis's sweaty, hairy thighs sandwiching Shane's face to make Goliath!


And this adorable little guy sat next to me and just smiled!



THE FACTS:

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, the third hungriest in the world. It is estimated that 300,000 Haitian children are restavecs, slaves...today. In fact the country watched as an undercover reporter made a deal to buy a child for $50...or for a mere $10,000 he could have a child with papers...in less than two weeks. Reality: our adoption process once we had a referral and a picture of Hope took 15 months. They lack clean water and most places lack electricity. Haiti needs your prayers and your attention. There are several links in the side bar of ways that you can help and Lavaud's ministry is Haiti Christian Ministry...you would be surprised at what you can do for less than $30 a month.

New total less $227 sent to Haiti is $3317.50