March (Long Awaited) Update

It is definitely time for an update from the Sutton's in Grand Goave.  I apologize for the delay in getting this to you.  We have been enjoying a month full of visits from family and close friends.  We have a group (or family friends) here with us back to back from March 18^th-April 17^th- so lots of visitors.

We had a great time last week with a group from Northside Baptist (NY) lead by my parents.  It was really good to get to spend some time with them.  Their team was such a blessing.  They brought so many supplies and came with lots of project ideas.  They built a swing set, monkey bars, a climbing rock wall as well as a tight rope for the kids to play on.  The kids have not stopped swinging and hanging on them since they were installed :-).  They are absolutely loving it!!!  They also made us some seat cushions for our Deuce, curtains for all of the kids rooms as well as teaching our girls how to sew a simple hem using a sewing machine.  They donated two identical sewing machines for our girls, so they can learn how to sew.   We also had a dental assistant on the team who worked with the kids and showed them how to properly brush and floss.  So- a great week with lots of different skills and talents, all being used to serve!

This week we have some really close SC college friends that are visiting this week to encourage us.  They have made a few games for the kids (ladder ball, corn hole and a washer toss) as well as some other miscellaneous projects around.  They have also been pampering us by cooking American dinners, doing our laundry, cleaning and whatever else needs to be done.  It's been great having some much needed encouragement and fellowship with family friends.

This upcoming Saturday, my sister and her fiancée come down to spend a week with us.  We are looking forward to having some time to spend with them and showing them around our town.  And then, the following week, we drop my sister and fiancée off at the airport and pick up another team.  So we have lots of people coming to help out and check out our place in Grand Goave!

Our kids have been spending the last week and a half taking their midterm exams.  And because it is exam week, their schedules have been changed and they only go to school for the test- which means lots of extra little bodies running around in the morning.  It has been great for the teams to have the kids around in the mornings, but a little hard to get some "Andrew and Angie" free time.   We've also been struggling a little with some behavioral issues.  We feel a little more like a troubled teen's home, lately, than an orphanage.  The more we learn about these kids, the more baggage we're finding.  Please pray that they would continue to open up to us, so that we can better understand where they're coming from.

Another exciting thing going on this week is our church's annual Women's Conference.  Just to give you a little taste of how things work in Haiti- I was sitting in the back of our church a few Sunday's ago watching Faith roaming around.  I was listening to the announcements when all of a sudden Pastor Lex says in English, "Madanm Andrew (aka Angie), will be speaking at our women's conference coming up at the end of March."  So I thought, he was just kidding, because he was speaking in English (and most of them wouldn't have understood it).  But then, he said the same thing to the congregation in Creole.  Then I knew he wasn't joking- SURPRISE!  SO…..I am going to be speaking this Friday morning to a large group of women about gossip.  Please pray that God would speak through me as we open up the Word to hear from Him about the sin of gossip.   Pray that the Word would transform their hearts and attitudes as we dig into the heart of this topic.   Pastor Lex encouraged me to do it in Creole, but I'm not sure I'm ready to do that yet, so I think I'm going to most of it in English.  Please pray that as I prepare God would continue to reveal Himself to me and that He would give me the words He wants me to say.

Praises:

-       Praise the Lord for a great visit and the time we get to spend with family and friends down here at our home :-).

-       Praise the Lord for His healing hand.  We've been dealing with a few stomach bugs (yes, it's going around even in Haiti)- but it seemed to be short lived.

-       Thank you, Jesus for a great and healthy pregnancy so far.  Baby is doing great and moving around a lot now!

Prayer:

-       As I mentioned before, please be praying for the Women's Conference this upcoming Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Pray that God would give me His words to share with these women and that their lives (and my life) would be transformed by the power of His Word.

-       Please be praying for our evening devotional times with the kids.  Andrew is continuing to do an awesome job with that.  The kids are really into it and excited to be able to have a chance to answer questions- something they don't get to do a lot in their church services.  Pray that it would not just be a bunch of OT stories- but that they would really see how it connects and applies to their lives. 

-       Our Thursday worship nights are going really well.  For the first few weeks, I led it by myself.  But last week we asked a few of our kids to help out- and they did an awesome job!  It was neat to see the energy it brought by adding a drum set, bass and a microphone!!  The kids really enjoyed it.  It's still a blended service- English/Creole, which is an awesome thing to experience: singing to One Almighty God in two different languages.  It gives you just a glimpse of what it will be like one day when every tribe and tongue is joined together before the throne singing to the One who is worthy!!! 

-       Pray that we would continue to keep our marriage strong and in the Word as we have lots of guests over these next few weeks.  Pray that we would be intentional in setting time aside to spend with each other. 


Thanks again for all your help and support!  We couldn't do it without your prayers- and I mean that!  We're finding out more than ever the importance and power of prayer, especially living here in Haiti with 31 kids.  Thank you!!!!