Swiftly flew the year...
Our one year commitment at Have Faith Haiti Mission is just about up. (Goodness, the days were long but the year went fast!) The looming end of our term brought about a lot of prayer and seeking the Lord’s leading on our part and ultimately led to our decision to not renew for another term.
Obviously, there is a lot that goes into a decision like this. And we feel that you, the people who have loved us and prayed for us and supported us over this last year are due an explanation. We love the children at HFHM and are leaving on the best possible terms, however, we realize that the time commitment that goes into the position we fill here is not sustainable for our family in a long term capacity. On average, Jeremiah and I spend 100+ hours every single week at the mission. Trying to juggle our responsibilities at the mission with homeschooling and maintaining some form of “family time” has been challenging to say the least. We also have concerns regarding the academic challenges that our Eli has faced over the last year that need some extra resources that are just not available to us here in Haiti.
What does that mean for us you ask? Good question.
The kids and I will be flying back to America in August, leaving Jeremiah behind until September. There is a lot that goes into re-integrating back into life in the states and a lot to plan for the upcoming school year for our family as well as getting in the testing and evaluations that are necessary for Eli before the next school year starts. I will be staying with family in Virginia until I am is re-joined by Jeremiah in September.
What about after September? Good question.
Here’s the fun part: we have no idea. We love Haiti and the people here and we have a few possible positions that we could step into and continue our ministry here. We also are open to Jeremiah returning to full time ministry in America. But the truth is, we are still seeking the Lord and waiting for him to reveal a clear direction for our family.
Yes, it’s a bit scary and yes, we would love your prayers for us as we discern our next steps.
Here’s how you can pray:
- For Jeremiah and I to have sensitivity to the leading of the Lord in our lives.
- The “see ya later” process can really stink. Pray for the hearts of our kids and the kids at HFHM as we go through this.
- For the re-integration back into American life for our family.
- For the Lord’s provision for our family. Leaving the security of a “position” without a next step can cause some freak out moments.
- For safety and health as we have a lot of work ahead of us as we strive to finish well.
- And finally, because this is truly the deepest desires of our heart: For continued opportunities to share Jesus and meet needs, wherever we are.
Do you still need support? Good question.
You have been a huge blessing to our family this year. You will never know the pressure you took off of our shoulders by helping us financially and we are so grateful. As you pray for us, and if you still feel led to help support us, you can continue to give while we transition to our next position. We still have the needs of our family to meet until that transition happens. We are not anxious, but trusting in the Lord’s provision in every stage of this journey and know he is faithful. Thank you again, for being a part of that provision.
We know that you may want to help support a family that is still on the field, and we would love to point you in the direction of ministries we believe in and think you would be as much a blessing to as you were to our family. If you would like to know of some other ministries you could give to here is a list of some we know personally that you may be interested in:
Have Faith Haiti Mission - Port au Prince, Haiti
Jim and Debbie Hambrick - Port au Prince, Haiti
Smooth and Kelly Via - Jinja, Uganda
Wade and Ara Shirel - Port au Prince, Haiti
The Apparent Project - Port au Prince, Haiti
This year has been an adventure to say the least. Sharing the Love of Christ to 30+ children through words, songs, devotions. wrestling matches, field trips, dance contests, soccer games, lullabies, play-doh, changing toothbrushes and flip-flops, and the multitude of daily quiet moments with them has been way harder and way more rewarding than we could have ever imagined.
While this chapter of our life is coming to a close, we are excited about the next chapter and hope that you will be a part of it as we strive to meet needs and share Jesus, wherever we are!
With the deepest gratitude for all your love and support over the last year,
Jeremiah, Jennifer, Ella, Eli, Ezra, and Zoe Hambrick
1 comments:
aw. This was the hardest part of all for me. Leaving because I felt it was what served me best, feeling overcome by grief for the home and family I was leaving behind. So many possibilities. So glad you guys are leaving on such good terms.
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