INTO THE INTERIOR
January 2004 with Penn Clark and Geoff Ward
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Hi everyone, Geoff Ward and I just returned home from Haiti
late last night. This was our best trip to the island we
have had so far. Not only did the Lord provide a wonderful
place for our pastors have a retreat in, but He also
provided a base for any ministry we will do there in
the future. These were the best facilities we have seen so
far, but more than that, it is a place where prayer and
worship happens almost 24 hours a day. Neither of us have
been in a spiritual environment like this. It is also a
place where many Haitians could come and launch
their outreach across the island. We met some wonderful
brothers and sisters who are contributing to the move of the
Lord that is happening there. Some were actually
Haiti-American missionaries who felt called to come from the
States to do outreach in Haiti for up to a month at a time.
We had never seen anything like this before. They make the
best missionaries and have a genuine burden for their people
that inspired us to no end.
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The people who run this ministry have a on-target vision for
Haiti and have that grace quality that allows them to extend
what God has given freely as they received. So there is not
lesser motives or strings attached to who them enable people
to do their ministries. You can see God's graciousness in
them.
We were privilege to see God's hand at work in our meetings,
bringing pastors together from various places across the
island and across the vast city of Port au Prince. We saw
Him healing people, filling them with His Spirit and
releasing them in the gifts of the Spirit, which are not all
that common in Haiti.
It was a wonderful week in every regard. Even the
temperature was not bad as we thought it might be, due in
part to breeze that came off the ocean where the retreat
center is located and the fact that they put a large
commercial fan in our room. |
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God is really moving in Haiti and the need for teaching
could not be greater. Rather than waiting until next year, I
am thinking of going back again in early January, if I can
work it all out.
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Neither of us could believe that we are returning in better
shape than we left. We feel refreshed and strengthened by
our time there. Thank you for praying for us.
Also, thanks for those who gave us medicine to take in. We
were able to give it to our pastors to give away. A number
of people also helped underwrite the cost of putting on
a retreat like this, for which we are very grateful. The
kingdom is larger this week because of this. About 150
people received certificates for attending the five-day
retreat, but as we look at the number of people we stood
before it is safe to say that we were had the opportunity
to minister to thousands of people during this past week.
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Bless the Lord and bless you! Penn |
