DISPLACED

It amazes me over and over again how God looks after His children. He knows where we’ve come from and all the baggage that we carry. But more than that He knows what is to come and He plans for what we will need before we even know that we will need it!

In February of 2021 we made plans to travel in the summer. This was our normal time to visit with family and supporters in the United States. So, we choose the date of June 1st to fly out of Haiti.  On June 1st we left our home early to park our truck in a safe location and get to the airport in time for our flight. All went according to plan.

When we arrived in Florida we heard the news from our neighbors. Two rival gangs had invaded our street to fight each other. All our neighbors fled their homes with only the clothes on their backs.  God had removed us before the trouble started.

We continued our travels as planned, praying for our neighborhood and our friends who had been displaced. When our time to return came, the situation had not improved, so we stayed in Florida for a bit longer. Finally, we both came to the same decision. We needed to be in Haiti.  This was our calling from the Lord since before we had even met each other. The only question now was, “Where would we live?”

This is where we really see the hand of God going before us to prepare a way. Back up to the summer of 2020. We were unable to travel due to all the COVID restrictions. So, we remained in Haiti. School was out and we had some time and some savings as well as some gifts from friends. We decided it was time to begin building our retirement home in the town of Jacmel. We had purchased a piece of property there in 2010 with Margaret’s inheritance from her mother. We built one room 24’X 15’ with a large porch.

Back to the 2021. We are sitting in Florida wondering where we can live and we realize that we have one room in Jacmel. No plumbing, no steady power source, but it could be home. So, we packed our bags and went to Jacmel in August of 2021. God was gracious to us and provided all we needed to start over in our new home. By Christmas we had an indoor bathroom and a kitchen sink with running water.

If you read Psalm 18, you will see what God has done for us. He swooped in and snatched us out of a bad situation. He then placed us in a spacious peaceful place because He loves us. He is truly amazing!