Basking in HIS Presence

This week here in Haiti has been full of Blessings & Joy!! It truly has been a GREAT week!! I will get right to the point & say it hasn't really been an eventful week but I feel blessed & joyful.  As I type this & try to find the right words to use.....I realize that I have just been "Basking in His presence!!"

I am truly enjoying teaching 7th grade!! We have set our routine for the year & we start every day with a few songs.  I LOVE LOVE that these 7th graders love Praise & Worship as I do!! I let them take turns picking the songs.  These kids have such beautiful voices & it is a great way to start the day!! I then read them a daily devotion & at times go deeper when needed.  We also Pray together as a class every morning.  The first day of school I asked for prayer request & NO ONE raised their hand.  By day three I had a few request.....I am so thankful that as the end of this week approached the kids have really opened up & have prayer requests daily.  They ask for prayers for their family, unsaved loved ones, people they know who are sick & friends who need Jesus!! I also put a private prayer box in the back of the room for those who have something personal they might need me to pray about & I promised them I would keep it secret between me & the student only!! I have had 2 "Special" prayer requests & I ask that you help me to lift these up!!! You don't have to know ...... God does! I am excited that they are eager to learn & are opening up to me.  It truly makes my heart overflow with Joy!!! We had lots of work to do this week, quizzes, Homework, & Tests!!!! We have jumped right in!! We also celebrated Birthdays this week!! My sweet SarahBeth made cupcakes for my class & we had a special snack.  This week alone I had 2 kids with a Birthday & realized one student had his birthday the day school started!! YIKES......How did I miss that?? :D - So we celebrated ALL Birthdays from August & September....this brought lots of smiles and fun! I am glad they felt special on their "special" day!! After all - God made us all special.  He formed us all in our mothers wombs & set a special plan for each of us!! He knows the number of hairs on our head & loves us So.  I truly hope these kids realized how much God loves them & that they ARE special!!

Sunday we started off the week with a Great Church service & Sunday school class.  Most people that know me well know that I have a passion for youth & all that they go through as they try to serve Jesus.  All the pressure from their peers & the outside world!! This year I am super excited to be teaching High School Sunday School at Sonlight church.  We had a GREAT first class and I am looking forward to this year with those kids!! Erich & Hannah Hebner arrived this week in Haiti!! I have known them for years.....they grew up in our home church! Neither of them have been to Haiti & really had no idea what to expect.  I have laughed several times since they arrived just 5 days ago.  Why laugh??? Well, because I hear the same thing from EVERYONE who visits Haiti!! Most of the time we hear phrases something like these......."WOW, Haiti is Nothing like I thought it would be! The people are so nice.  I love the simple way of life here.  Haiti is so Beautiful. Haiti is not scary like others say it is.....why do people say that?"  - I truly just smile & say...."I have NO idea?"  Most everyone who says things like that are not going off of personal experience at all.  Most have never been to Haiti, especially Port-de-Paix & just have a fear of the unknown ....I truly do understand that.  Don't get me wrong.  Haiti is very poor & this alone is super hard to deal with & so sad, but it is not a scary place.  At least where we live is not & for that I am thankful.  I am even more thankful though that I walk in Freedom......FREEDOM IN JESUS that is! <3 I am so thankful that I do not have that spirit of fear!

We visited the kiddos at Hope Vision the day after Erich & Hannah arrived.  They really enjoyed it!! Mr. Ron gave Erich a tour & showed him lots of things as Hannah & I played with the kids!! IT was GREAT!!  We all enjoyed Thursday night Community Bible Study at The House of Moses too!! We have received several sweet encouraging emails this week!! THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SEND US A MESSAGE!! We love it!!! Thank you to those that are praying for our special prayer request that went out via email earlier in the week.. We feel the prayers & know God is going to do GREAT things!!!!
Hope you all had a fantastic week as well!!! Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy!!
Much Love from the Lipscomb crew!!!

                           No Captions needed.......Life ABUNDANT comes to mind though!!! 

AUGUST & SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS!! Fedline, Rhode, Reginald, Dimitri, Baldine, Trecy!!

 Community Bible Study at The House of Moses!! Come as you are....Worshipping Jesus together in Kreyol & English in their courtyard.....I truly Love it and Love our Community! Can't wait until next Thursday!!

*If you would like to join our email update list please let us know!! Message us on Facebook or send us an email - lipscombsinhaiti@gmail.com

We are HERE!!! Our 2nd year has begun :)

We Made It!!!! We are Excited to share with everyone again via BLOG!!! I haven't been able to log in to my blog since my computer was stolen last February!! I have FINALLY figured it out & I AM IN! :D Sooooooo, here is our latest update!!!

   We arrived safely back in Port-de-Paix, Haiti on August 18th at 9am.  We hit the ground running..... so much to be done!  I headed straight to Sonlight Academy for Teacher Orientation. I am so Excited to be teaching 7th grade this year.  Gordon & the kids began unpacking & cleaning after our house had been shut up for the entire summer!! The last 2 weeks have flown by! They were spent preparing my classroom for the upcoming year...lots of lesson plans & decorating.  Visiting the kids at Hope Vision & getting some SWEET Hugs & Kisses from those little ones! More cleaning & unpacking.....and YAY, the boat arrived!!! PRAISE JESUS everything arrived safely.  Pastor Jim Batchelor & Brother Irvan Mosley from Loxley UMC did a FANTASTIC job building the crates for us & helping Gordon pack them.  All we lost was 1 bottle of cleaner!!!! So thankful for that & as we unpacked the crates & tried to organize things we once again realized HOW BLESSED we are to have so many people that loved on us & blessed us this summer!!! We can't say thanks enough to everyone that donated items this summer for us to ship back to Haiti & to our church Robertsdale First AG & Loxley UMC for collecting & organizing all of our supplies!!!

We truly are so very happy to be HOME in Haiti where we know God has placed us! We have enjoyed getting to see our friends & neighbors again. I had to suck back tears as we landed in Port-de-Paix.....I looked out the window & there was John Barnes with several of the young men from the House of Moses waiting to pick us up & sweet sweet John Mury all with HUGE SMILES waiting to greet us!! Ahhhhhhhh.......the feeling I get EVERY TIME I get off the plan at that little airport! <3 <3

I hope to update you all more often this year!!! Please Pray for me....it really is a goal of mine to update you all weekly!! I promise to try my best....(Lord willing & with good internet...HAHA) =)

Thank you also to everyone who has pledged to support us monthly & those who gave this summer.  Without you all we could not do the work God has called us to do here in Haiti, know that we are praying for you & thanking our Heavenly Father for you!! Remember all support goes to AIM - here is the information & there is also a paypal link here on the blog if you would like to give online!

AIM (Assisting International Missions)
PO Box 2030
Robertsdale, AL 36567
*Please always mark Lipscomb Family in the memo

Here are a few pictures from our first 2 weeks in Haiti!!! We now have the first half week of school behind us & we are ready for our 2nd year here! BRING IT ON!!! We still have room for teams in March & April if you are interested & maybe a week in November or December.
 Email us -  lipscombsinhaiti@gmail.com for more information.

Prayer Request:
1. Pray for the school year & all the kids at Sonlight as well as Hope Vision school. Pray that the children will not only learn & do there very best but that they will grow in their knowledge of Jesus & their personal relationship with him.
2. Pray that our monthly support comes in as pledged & our needs are met here on the mission field....as we continue to put complete FAITH in God's plan for us!
3. Pray for good health as some of us have already battled a nasty GI virus but thankfully are feeling better!!
4. Pray for personal relationships here to grow as God uses us in our community in various outreaches! (relationships with neighbors, co-workers, & specifically as I teach High School sunday school starting tomorrow and 8th grade bible study after school on Tuesdays)
5. Important meeting with our landlord in Haiti this week! Time to pay our annual rent (last year was $7000) this year....he wants to increase that!!! We do not have funds for this at this time....please help us pray for Gods will & for FAVOR!!

 Sweet John Mury at the Airport!! I'm pretty sure my kids were as excited to see him!!

(above)All the teachers from Sonlight Academy this year before our prayer walk around the school last week!  (below) Sweet LOVE from the littles from Hope Vision

WELL, OF COURSE MY CLASSROOM IS DECORATED IN MICKEY MOUSE/DISNEY!! WOULD YOU HAVE EXPECTED ANYTHING ELSE???? =}

The Gang's First Day of School!!!
Me/Angie/Mom/ Madame Gordon - Teacher for 7th Grade
SarahBeth - Sophmore year ----> WHAT ?????
Caroline - 7th grade - yes, she is in my class!!! Pray for us both! :D
Meredith - 4th grade
Levi- 2nd grade
Gabriel & Gabriella - Preschool

Much Love from Haiti!!!!

Reality...Blessings...Joy

Good Morning from Beautiful Port-de-Paix Haiti!! Sometimes I really can't believe that we actually LIVE here.  The "honeymoon" phase is over & reality is definitely here!! By reality I mean we eat rice & beans several times a week, our electricity (that we are fortunate to have) is still being tapped into on a daily basis & stolen so our electricity bill is over $700 dollars each month. The mosquitos NEVER let up, & winter in Haiti means the high is more like 80-90 with a light breeze with lows in the mid 70's.  Reality also means you walk everywhere you go or hop on a "taxi" (moto) if you need to go downtown. Wal-Mart is not just down the street & if you want a jar of peanut butter you might just have to spend $12-$17 U.S dollars to purchase some! When you walk down the street between our house & Hope Vision there are children with no shoes, tattered clothing & most are half dressed if that! Their bright eyes look up at you & shine with their big smiles as they run to grab your hand Yelling "Blanc" "Blanc" meaning foreigner or "white person"- it pains me at times because lots of them look to you like you are something special.  Like you can "save" the world & help them all.  The truth is .....we can't BUT I WISH WE COULD!!! I wish we could help with giving them bagged up Rice & Beans, or helping them go to school, but I know that I can only do what I can do......SO HARD TO ACCEPT SOME DAYS!!! I can ALWAYS be kind & gentle & loving....maybe some how THAT will make a difference.  I have taken a soccer ball or two here or there & given it to the boys always playing soccer with a piece of plastic or a small make shift ball.  I also know that you can not always just give, give, give.  That in itself actually HURTS in many cases.  Knowing when & how to help is a hard thing here on a daily basis.  I have come to realize NOW more than EVER I MUST rely on my relationship with God & the discerning of the Spirit.  I MUST KNOW WHEN He is nudging me to help, to take the extra step, to give the last of what we have.  Also I MUST know when he is telling us to tell the man in the wheel chair that we do not have work for him.  PLEASE DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND ME ......Life here is So full of JOY...it is Joy overflowing!! Knowing you are RIGHT where GOD made you to be is the BEST feeling in the world!!
Being able to get up & go play with the babies at Hope Vision & have coffee or just chat with another Missionary friend is a great way to start your day!! Being able to visit the children of Hope Vision at school & they yell out your name when they see you is an AWESOME feeling!! Seeing their BIG smiles & watching them trying hard at school is wonderful.  Getting to spend other days at Sonlight Academy (the school our kids attend) is also a HUGE BLESSING!! Last week I got to help the 8th grade with the Olympics & it was such a FUN day!!! I took a few minutes to pop in our kids classrooms to check on them & grab a quick hug....I LOVE THAT!!!  I also was blessed to spend last Saturday morning with Mammy (Mrs Norma Alexander) learning how to bake bread, make lots of goodies, & came home with lots of recipes.  Mammy is a "seasoned" missionary to Haiti who has been here for over 30 years!!!! SHE KNOWS HOW TO SURVIVE & how to cook here!! This was such a treat for me & Mrs. Irland who helps cook at our house! I was also blessed to be able to help out the House of Moses by teaching English club one Saturday morning.  This really is the Life I never dreamed I would live....it is weird how it is the HARDEST thing I have ever done but totally the most rewarding!!!
Thank you all so very much for the Prayers & support!!! I am EXCITED to announce that our tickets to the U.S from Port-au-prince have been purchased!!! THANK YOU to Mrs. Drucie Brown who already does so much in Haiti but Blessed us with this help!!!! We are so happy that all we have left is the travel costs for our family from Port-de-Paix to Port-au_prince!! Thank you to ALL that support our family here!! Your support is HOW we are able to live here & help others!! This is how we are able to purchase food to share with others including Hope Vision when they don't have enough food to feed all of the children!!!
For those that have asked you can now give through the secure site on our blog by paypal or by credit/debit card!! You can also mail your support to AIM - PO Box 2030 - Robertsdale, AL 36567.  I do however feel that I need to let you know that we receive a transfer once a month form AIM & it is on the first Thursday of the month.  If they do not receive support in time to be processed & sent on this day it will have to wait until the following month.  Thank you for ALL that you do give!!

IF you are interested in coming on a Mission trip PLEASE email us for more information - lipscombsinhaiti@gmail.com - The cost varies some but for a Ballpark amount - you usually purchase your roundtrip ticket to Port-au-Prince Haiti from your airport of choice ($450-$650) usually from all I have priced out & then your cost in Haiti are around $650 dollars.  This includes transfers to & from the airport in Haiti, travel to the northern tip of the island where we are by bus & or plane, all food & lodging plus some extras!!

***For anyone interested in coming to Haiti soon we have a team coming April 26th-May 3rd of this year & they have several spots available on their team!!! The team is from South Alabama but you DO NOT have to be!! You can meet the rest of the team in Miami, FL as you fly in to Haiti!! Please email me if you are interested at lipscombsinhatiti@gmail.com  - The team leaders name is Natalie Gaines & she has been to Haiti before - here is her contact information - Natalie Gaines  email: natpg07@gmail.com & phone # is 251-402-5711  - If you are interested in coming any time this fall/early winter -(September- December 2014) we are starting to book those trips too!! Please let us know if you are interested!

We have some prayer request we would like to ask you to pray with us about -

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1. Mr Ron Cockerham (Missionary at Hope Vision) is having a Skin Cancer removed from his back this morning in Haiti.  He & Mrs Karen will be traveling to Port-au-Prince tomorrow & on to the U.S for the rest of Feb & March! Pray that the CA is removed with NO problems, it is encapsulated, & they get it all then he will be free & clear from Cancer!!! Pray for their travels & for them to get some rest in the states!!!
2. Pray for AIM.  As I type this Mike Sullivan, Rodney Phillips, Both co-founders of AIM are in India seeking how God may want them to help there! With them is Bert Jones a board member of AIM & a personal friend of ours.  Also another missionary Jacob Baker who are all together in India! Pray for God's will for all of them, guidance, wisdom & discernment!! Pray for their travels also!!
3. Pray for Edril's visitor's visa! Pray for FAVOR with those who are making the decisions in Haiti.  WE will be applying for his visa in the next few weeks!!!
4. Pray for Lovlie Geffard from the House of Moses who has had severe ear pains for years now, with migraines. She had an MRI yesterday & everyone is awaiting the results!! Pray for her & her mom Christi Barnes as they travel to try to seek medical help for Lovlie & for DEVINE HEALING!!!!
5.Pray for the teams coming in the next few weeks & that GOD will show us exaclty WHAT he wants us to do & WHO he wants us to help & bless while they are here!!!
6. Pray for our family & our monthly support to be consistent & to increase so that we may do more for the Kingdom!! Pray for God's will in ALL that we do & that others will see Jesus in our family on a daily basis!! Pray we grasp creole better & continue to learn!
7.  Please continue to Pray for Pastor Andy & all the children at Hope Vision!! For the funds to come in to complete the building project of the new home of Hope Vision!!

I wanted to add a few pictures from the past few weeks.....I LOVE PICTURES!  I feel like pictures tell a story all by themselves!!


The School for Hope Vision

Olympic Games - 8th Grade Sonlight Academy

I loved this art work by the 7th grade room....I had to share!!! 

REMEMBER: THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH!!! OH HOW TRUE THIS IS!!