Runk Family in Haiti: July in Haiti

Prayer Requests:
Nicky's safety on the compound (being high up on a ladders and roofs)
God's strength for these hot days
For the support to purchase a tow able boom lift and send it down in September

Praises:
Xander's heat rash has cleared up
It is really hot and by 6pm we are worn out, its 95 to 100 in the house, but we are all healthy

Teams are a lot of fun and a lot of work. We have a few teams that return year after year, some members are old friends but we also get to meet many new friends. Teams not only come with their own projects in mind but come with the attitude that we are your servants here to help you with whatever is needed at the time. What a blessing!!

We had 8 Americans here for a wedding. We were just guest housing them but they wanted to help out with what they could. We put them to work driving a tractor, painting, much needed organizing of freezers and pantries (what a blessing, who knows when we would have gotten to it).

Our teams consist of a wide range of gifts (medical, construction, well drilling and pump repair, VBS, youth sports camps, photography and video production, hair cuts, computer knowledge, mechanics, electrical plumbing, etc.). You have no idea how God might use you to bless others.
We encourage you to be open to what the Lord has gifted you with and not be afraid to use it on the mission field.

It is great when people get excited about coming on mission trips. We do tell them that our mission has found it more effective if the Haitian people are running the ministries. They are able to reach and disciple more people. There are things that we oversee, (I punch the cards for our gran moun feeding program and Sheryl is the head of the burn clinic) but for the majority we have a Haitian staff that do these ministries out in the community; well drilling and repair, teaching at schools, sewing, cooking schools and youth camps.

We are praying for more teams that are willing to come and get their hands dirty with all that we have to do behind the scenes here on our compound. It takes a lot to keep what God has blessed us with running. We just got finished guest housing 28 Americans with 4 Haitian staff for their 4 day conference with 180 Haitian youth. The same day they left we had 200 nurses come to use our dorms for three nights. This adds up to 72 Americans in our volunteers Quarters and 470 Haitians thru our conference center in the last 6 weeks. There are 2 or 3 of us families here to take care of the teams, maintenance, airport runs, grocery, and material shopping, etc. Kristie has been doing a lot of baking.

A typical week here starts out (depends on the arrival and departure dates) with Sunday-going to one of our local churches that our head missionary is preaching (he preaches at a different church each Sunday). These services are usually lots of prayer, praise, and preaching (3-4 hours). We come back to the compound for a nice home-style lunch, then relax time or trip to the mountain so teams can see the mountain life, before bible study at 5pm.

Monday begins with devotions with our men at the shop, then helping out with our gran moun (elderly) feeding program, lending a hand at the burn clinic or for some just taking a peek inside. The rest of the day holds many opportunities to help on the compound.

The rest of the week kind of depends on the needs at that time or any emergencies that need to be taken care of. like I said earlier some teams come with specific projects (they prepare months in advance for and bring the necessary supplies) they want to do or some just come to help us do what needs to be done.

All of us missionaries don't always eat every evening meal with the team. Each family gets a designated night to eat with the team and share their testimonies and how we got to Haiti. The teams really enjoy getting to ask questions and find out how we were called here.

Nicky and I have come under the couple that started these ministries over the past years (they have found what really works and allows the Haitians to be the main ones doing most of the ministries). We pray that we are able to learn a good amount of what it takes to keep this place and those ministries going.

Please pray if God would have you get a team together to serve behind the scenes or to help equip us to keep the facilities in great shape as the harsh environment tries to corrode it away. We have been so overwhelmed in the last 9 months we haven't even had time to paint our own house.

Photo: Xander packing bearing with grease on the old dodge flat bed. Keeping things going!

Xander helping Nicky after school, greasing bearings

Photo: We were blessed yesterday by 1,538lbs of fabric to use in our sewing school! Donated to us by a ministry who ships down a lot of our supplies. They are excited to use some of it to make sheets and privacy curtains for hospitals here, along with many dresses for people. Of course all the sewing machines are pedal machines.

We gave 1538 lbs of fabric bolts to our sewing school. Madam Pastor was so happy, they are going to make sheets and privacy curtains for some of the hospitals