February Update

February Newsletter (contrary to my spelling skills in my emailed letter, I can spell "February" correctly ;) 

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Exodus 14:14

This past weekend I finished reading through Exodus and I find myself relating to the Israelites more each day. I have left the home I always knew to follow the God I love - and through all my grumbling and doubt He provides all the manna I need. 

This month has been a busy one for HAFF. We recently hosted a small team, which included our board president and vice president. I was grateful for the opportunity to learn more about HAFF - and to hear everyone's visions for the future of the ministry. Our Haitian Executive Team shared their dreams for HAFF with our board members - everyone is excited and ready to move forward. We also spent a lot of time in prayer seeking God's will for this ministry. First and foremost, everyone involved in HAFF wants the ministry to be one with a rich spiritual life - a life that makes disciples above all else. Please join us in prayer in discerning God's will for HAFF. 

I have been very busy teaching as well. I teach 11th grade English on Tuesdays and have also been working with the 12th grade classes lately. Class by class I learn more about out how to best help my students. I am so glad I can work with a Haitian teacher, who can explain more difficult concepts in the students native tongue. My language learning is moving along - but I am not quit ready to teach direct and indirect speech rules in Creole :). I did have an exciting "language moment" last week though - when we were praying at the home of an Executive Committee member my turn came around and I almost prayed in Creole! It was the first language that came to my mind - it was so exciting! I ended up praying in English though - just not confident enough to pray in Creole yet. 

I have also been spending a couple hours a week working with the daughters of one of our agricultural workers. One is his biological daughter and the other is an adopted niece. The girls are both around four and five. I've worked on some sight words with them - but mostly spent time playing with them and loving them to pieces. The chance to invest in the age range I am most comfortable with is a answer to prayer! 

As Spring approaches life will continue to pick up pace here at HAFF. We have a few teams scheduled over the next few months - and I am looking forward to a few friends coming with teams from Buckhead Church/The 410 Bridge! 

As always, thank you for your thoughts and prayers. The picture you give me of the body of Christ is so beautiful. I'll continue to update my blog - and hopefully you will see new posts on the HAFF blog very soon. Feel free to email anytime if you have any questions. 

Blessings,
April

Prayer Requests
For Me: 
- Discernment for which projects at HAFF I should work with
- Continued prayer for how to connect with children in the community
- Comfort in being away from family & friends
- Rapid language learning, more diverse language learning opportunities 
- My tutor, Phanette & her mother's worsening health 
- The young girls I am working with & their family

For HAFF:
- For God to raise up more financial support this year, particualrly to cover increased teacher wages
- Wisdom & courage for the Executive Committee in decision making
- For the U.S. Board & all the work they hope to accomplish
- The spiritual lives of our teachers and students at IPB