Dear
friends and family,
Some of you already know
that I (Lara) recently went on a short-term IAM Builders mission trip
to Haiti. It was both a challenging and a rewarding trip, and, by the
end of the trip, I knew that God was not only using me to help
others, but also, He was using the entire experience to teach me and
to further my spiritual growth.
Over the course of my
first two days in Haiti, I was ready to conclude that I would never
go back. I had no desire to return and, in fact, I hadn't even
planned on going to Haiti in the first place! But God has a way of
changing our hearts and minds. He shows us who we really are—who He
made us to be! And the One who made us, and who sees all, knows
what's best for us. So, by the end of my trip to Haiti, I knew that I
wanted to return.
Jesus said that if we
ask, we will receive; if we seek, we will find; and if we knock, the
door will be opened for us... So that's what I did! I asked God to
allow my husband and I to go to Haiti together. For many reasons, the
week around Christmas seemed like a good time for such a trip. So I
“knocked on the doors” of the missionaries we had encountered
while we were in Haiti to see if they would be willing to host us
around this time. Many of the people had already made plans to come
back to the states for Christmas... But one door was left open—the
door to a children's home run by Al and Bev Carpenter—and they were
eager to have us come.
Therefore, between
December 24 and January 1, Collin and I will be traveling to St.
Marc, Haiti to help out at the children's home and do whatever we can
to help the surrounding community. The details of our work have not
been fully worked out yet, but we are hoping to raise some funds (or
use our own) to do some kind of community project. Here are some of
the others things we are planning to do while we're there: teaching,
crafts and games with the children, a community prayer walk, help out
with street church, cook the kids and staff an American dinner, paint
the girl's home, general maintenance, additional construction work as
needed. As you can see, we could definitely use some prayer for God's
guidance as to what to do while we're there, but we're trusting that
if we go, He will put us to good use.
We know that there are
many who are asking for prayer and financial support these days and
that it is simply not possible to give to everyone who asks. However,
if God places this trip on your heart, please know that we—and the
people we encounter—will be blessed by whatever gifts or prayers
you may have to give. Prayers are especially important because we
know that nothing is possible without God, who “gives all men
life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:25). The cost of
the trip—not including special projects we might have the
opportunity to do in country—is around $1800, most of which is
airfare. The rest is room and board. If you are interested in making
a donation, you have several options. You can give towards (1) the
needs of the children's home, (2) the community project (if
applicable), (3) our room and board (about $500 total), or (4) our
travel costs. Checks made out to “Touch Ministries” are tax
deductible and can be applied to the first three expenses. For tax
purposes, please don't write any special notes on the check itself.
Instead, include a separate note to indicate how you'd like the funds
to be used. If you'd like to donate anonymously, send your donation
to Touch Ministries, 417 Rebecca Street, New Martinsville, WV 26155.
Otherwise, if you can get the checks to us, we'll make sure they get to the right place.
Thanks for your consideration!
Below are a few links
with additional information about Touch Ministries, the children's
home, and my (Lara's) previous trip to Haiti. If you have any more
questions about this trip, feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Collin & Lara Hitchcock
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