Did Someone Turn Up The Heat In Here??

Hello again!

Wow, does sleep ever sound good right now :) Tonight myself and most of the group is feeling much more exhausted than we did last night. Today was the hardest we've worked yet. They asked if we could leave earlier this morning and go at 7 instead of 8, and what do ya know the youth were totally on board. Us leaders are trying to keep up with these crazy kids!! It is so neat and I am just constantly almost brought to tears listening to these youth and what God is teaching them on this trip. I continue to be amazed at watching how God works. So anyhow, this morning the group worked on mixing concrete right there on the ground and setting the poles for the main frame of one of the duplexes. The girls spent most of the day putting together window and door frames for both of the duplexes and painting them all. It was great to feel like all could contribute (it can be tough at times keeping everyone busy because of such a large group). Myself and another youth helped with some roofing of the one duplex (I remembered I'm terrified of heights) and other odds and ends. The kicker of the day was that they had a huge group go to a new plot of land YWAM purchased in Timonette and gave them all machetes. It made for a great picture. They went and hacked down a quarter of an acre of brush and came back with all kinds of cuts on their legs. They are truly sacrificing their bodies for the kingdom!

It is quite the challenge being out in the pounding, over 100 degree sun for 8 hours straight and to keep up the energy. Many are feeling the effects of lots of sun but noone is seriously burnt or ill from it. Heather showed the beginning signs of sun poisoning on her hands but she feels perfectly fine - we'll just need to make sure we are keeping an eye on that for each person. Everyone is doing really well drinking ridiculous amounts of water and taking precaution when needed. I looked at the weather and it appears it is not going to be cooling down at all in the next few days. Tomorrow has a heat index of 112 and Thursday at 115. Pray that the Lord will protect us from the suns rays and prevent any long-lasting damage. We fully trust He will do that and that all will be just fine. There seems to be no fear in this group and the youth are trusting the Lord to provide and protect for them.

Now for the really cool stories of today... Brianna Garber took a few girls from the group at one point and went around to the tent community set up in Timonette to talk and pray with them. (these people were put in tent houses shortly after the earthquake and YWAM is now working to get them moved to these sturdier "Homes of Hope" - similar to what they're doing with the tin homes in Parisse). So they went from tent to tent and spoke with the Haitians with a translator. They prayed with one woman that was pregnant and feeling sick in her stomach and she immediately began to feel better. A woman that was nearby evidently saw the power behind what we were doing, she approached Brianna and the others and said she "wants to be a good person." Our group than explained to her that she can only find peace in Jesus and she said she wanted to accept Him into her life. Salvation was extended to that woman and she received it! Hallelujah! It didn't stop there though, the Lord had more on His agenda. They also spoke with a man that said he also wanted to live a better life and said that he was not a Christian but that he wanted to be. So, he too became a believer in Jesus and prayed to give his life to the Lord. They also prayed for a man on crutches and by the time they finished praying he had a huge grin and was feeling much, much better. I believe in this stuff, I believe the Lord desires to use His people to touch lives not just spiritually but physically as well - all to the glory of His name. It wasnt like these people started feeling better and said "great, thanks" and moved on. They were compelled to draw to this God of power and to seek Him further. Praise the Lord!

Tomorrow will be yet another hot day and will probably feel long at times. But I encouraged the youth tonight that it is a great sign of maturity and commitment to END WELL. We have experienced so much and feel like we've been able to accomplish great things in Christ's name so far, but we need to end well. So I look forward to seeing how the Lord gives us the strength and endurance to push through these next few days and to give everything we have. Continue to pray for that strength. All 27 are still up and active and feeling physically great. Monica had a minor cough today and her voice was a bit strained so pray the Lord would heal her up. To think we have a group this size and not even one has fallen sick with even a simple upset stomach is by itself evidence of God's provision. The Lord be praised!