| | | | Get Ready Azua! Here come the Walkers! Due to Ministry Opportunities with YWAM Azua, we are moving! I am surrounded by boxes and "mess" as I type this up this morning :) In 4 days, we will move to the small town of Azua on the south coast of the island. We are excited to move and work with YWAM Azua. Check them out here.... http://www.ywamazua.com . There is a large Haitian population in this area along with a lot of rural Dominican farmers. It is very much where the desert part of the island meets the beach. It is a beautiful area of the island but not nearly as "green" and fertile as we have been used to.
We are also sad to be leaving the city of Santiago that we have grown to love. We will also miss our friends here and knowing how to get to the stores, the doctors, the dentist, etc... But we also know that God will provide what we need in Azua.
We ask for your prayers as we transition to this new area. We are in a way "starting over" with finding out where we can get our necessities. We are also very much in need of some extra finances. Moving is expensive here! Houses here come with nothing provided and though we have our furniture and appliances, getting water and electricity transferred and running can get very frustrating and expensive. Our expenses will go up some also so please consider donating or supporting us monthly.
| | | Yes, this is a short update and will get another update up as soon as possible.
We finished up a Chapel Project build on April 25th and it was another very productive week with lots of salvations and rededications. We have not been allowed to visit Little John as he is in the "protective care" of the government. We still pray for him daily and check to see how he is doing. We were in the cafeteria of the grocery last Sunday and one of the workers was able to give us an update that he is doing well. We are still trusting God that He will do what is best for this little guy.
Debbie has been able to share or preach in quite a few of the churches here where we have become friends with the Pastors. Please pray as she preaches to a very large congregation in Cien Fuegos on Sunday!
Thank you all for your prayers and support! Many blessings from our family to yours. Please send us any prayer requests so we can pray for you during our family prayer times! We appreciate you partnering with us! | | | | | | | |
Little John Giberson To look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27b
There in the back right corner of the dormitory type room lay a lone little guy in a crib and on the end of the crib it said "Abandonado (7 mes)".
A normal visit to the local children's hospital to pray and visit with the families and children suddenly changed the way we looked at our lives. The Bible says to look after orphans and widows and we often hear sad stories and we often say, "oh, I wish I could have taken that child." I feel like God has been asking our family if we really mean it. We have come across many orphaned or abandoned children in this country but none that have touched our hearts quite as much as this little guy who lay in this corner crib.
His crib said his name was Inderson. His arm band said his name was Yderson. His xrays and reports said Giberson or Giderson. We just nicknamed him Little John. The story of his arrival and abandonment has changed almost every time we visited. No one quite knew where he was from or what his name really was or how old he was. All we know is that for some reason God has placed this little guy in our paths.
The "official" story is that he was born September 29, 2014 to a Haitian couple. He went into a hospital in a small province about an hour and a half outside of Santiago on December 25 or 26 and on December 29 was transported to Santiago to receive better care. Little John was a very, very sick little boy. The pile of chest xrays on his bedside table show the evidence of this being true.
The part that no one quite knows is why his parents did not come with him. They are listed on his official papers and they are Haitian. They have the same last name and Little John is named after his father. But no one quite knows where they are or why he came alone and remained alone all of this time. No one has been able to explain why he lay in his crib without his case being looked into for 2 1/2 months. On March 12, we found a very lethargic but healthy baby boy laying in his crib who would barely make eye contact or respond and so began our quest to see what we could do to help him. On March 16, we visited the government organization that is in charge of cases like this and that started them looking into his case. Little John had already been in the hospital alone for 2 1/2 months at this point.
There are many unanswered questions regarding Little John but one thing remains true. Little John is a child of God and God has plans and purposes for his life. He has not been abandoned by God and has changed many lives already. Yesterday, Martha, a hospital worker, was washing Little John up and trying to help him learn to hold his bottle. She took his picture to show her husband because every Monday she comes and bathes Little John and loves on him for a bit. Other moms, grandmas, friends, nurses, and doctors all stop to say hi and love on this little man. Over the past 27 days that we have started checking on Little John, the hospital has now moved his crib to the front of a room. Many more people walk by and talk to him and check on him. We as a family have gone and loved on him and take him into the hallway and let him look out the window. Little John has already made progress and is rolling over and trying to sit up and smiles easily when you call his name.
What will become of Little John? We have no idea. Please pray!
Today we along with a pastor friend are going to see if we can find his parents. He is scheduled to be moved to an orphanage in Santo Domingo this week. Our family has the information needed to start the adoption process with almost no guarantee that it would be approved. This will take time and money. We have no idea how much of either. But we KNOW that God had Little John cross paths with us and we are counting the cost of what it would mean to take in a baby. We know that God has not told us to stop looking into this little life and so here we go.
Thank you for your prayers. We especially need wisdom on how to proceed. We know that God knows and we trust Him.
| | | | | |  | | Smiley Little John | | |  | | Fascinated with Ned and Jesse | | | | | |
| | | | A Simple But Changed Life The dishes sit on the rickety table outside waiting for water. No electricity. No indoor bathroom. These things may never change...but their lives can and will!
I bought myself a pair of little black shoes yesterday. I had plans for those shoes but God had a purpose for them.
This past week on the Chapel Project build, I befriended a little Haitian lady named Jenny who lived next door to the chapel. She knew that Jesus is God's Son and that He had died on the cross for the forgiveness of her sins. She even knew that she needed to accept Him as her personal savior but she wasn't ready she said. She knew she wasn't promised tomorrow but she wasn't ready.
Jenny and I became friends this past week. We spoke in a funny little mix of broken Spanish, Creole and English. We shared coconut, peanuts, laughs, smiles, hugs, waves and a sweet friendship, oh and how to marinate and massage chicken liver for frying!
On Thursday, as we prepared to leave, Jenny asked me for a pair of shoes. Jenny became frustrated a bit with me when I told her I didn't have any extras for her. Something that was beyond her understanding. I was a bit frustrated with Jenny for asking me for something. Being constantly expected to give someone something because I am a white American is a bit irritating. This is part of the struggle of being in a foreign culture where you don't blend in.
Friday morning, we were able to enjoy sleeping in a bit and running some errands. During errands, I found a simple pair of closed toed shoes on sale. I bought them as I have been needing a pair for ministry and don't like to borrow the girls because they are a bit too big.
Last night as we headed to the Chapel Dedication, I felt like God told me to take my new shoes to Jenny. I was like, "What?!? Seriously, God!" Yes! and leave the tags on so she sees they are new. So I took them to the dedication and got ready to give them to her. God told me to present them to her as a free gift...like the Gospel is a free gift. God gave His Son for us but it is up to us to decide to accept this gift.
With a translator, I headed over to deliver the gift of my shoes. I start with sharing about the Gospel being a free gift and Jenny calls over her husband Johnny. After talking with both of them, they both decide to accept the free gift of the Gospel! What an answer to my prayers for my friend all week!
Yes, Jenny liked the shoes too! God had a purpose for my shoes that was much greater than a pair of shoes. Johnny and Jenny still live in the same little house with no running water or electricity or indoor bathroom but their lives are forever changed! No matter how simple our lives are we can always be changed with God. God will always use what we have and where we are when we are obedient. Even if it is a little pair of black closed toed shoes.
PS... the daughter of Johnny and Jenny enthusiastically gave her heart and life to the Lord during the Chapel Dedication service! What a new beginning for this sweet little family who lives in the little shack next to the latest chapel project site.
| | | |  | | We had a great time hosting the Paz ladies who came for a cultural visit for college credit. We were able to learn more about the local history. Learning about the past helps us to move forward to the future without some of the same mistakes. | | | |  | | Here is a map of where we have been for the past 19 months and where we are moving to. Note the roads go from Santiago to Santo Domingo and then over to Azua. | | | |  | | Thanks to everyone who has donated towards a car for us to purchase. We are excited about having a means of transportation. We are still a bit short of funds so if you can give that would be super appreciated! | | | | | | | |
What are the Walkers doing right now?
We are moving!!
The last week of August, our family will be moving long-term to Santiago, Dominican Republic. We will be working with YWAM Santiago and the Martin Family! We are super excited about this transition. But also praying for wisdom as we figure out visa's, residency, what to do with our things, etc...
As always, we are praying that the Lord will use us wherever we are!
Lord, help us not to miss the things you have prepared for us to do!
