Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Leaving Haiti

This is a letter that we just mailed out to all we have a correct address for. Please feel free to pass it along.

To all of our family and friends,

Haiti has been a wonderful experience for us. We have learned so much in the last 20 months. We have made some wonderful friends. We have learned what can be done and what can not be done in Haiti (or a least scratched the surface of that one). We have continued to work on learning the language Creole. We have enjoyed Haiti and the ministry in whom the Lord has had us partake while we were here.

There have also been tough times. We have learned that there are some to whom you can minister without greater expectations and some that will always expect more. We have made mistakes along the way, but we pray we have learned from those mistakes. We have experienced things that we never would have experienced in our lives, had we not come to Haiti. We have learned ways to minister, and we have watched God open some doors, as well as close other doors.

God has been and will continue to be faithful through it all. We have watched God provide in ways that we never thought possible. We have watched God use each of you to minister to us in our time of need. We have seen people come to the Lord. We have seen people grow in the Lord, and we have seen people wait on the Lord. We are excited about what the Lord is doing in Haiti and in our lives.

We have been praying and seeking the Lord for the direction He would have us go in ministry. We have and are watching to see where God is opening doors for ministry. This is what we have observed.

God moved us to Haiti. He opened the door for us to work in Arcahaie and we have continued to work with the children's program and Thursday afternoon Bible Study. Both of these experiences have been good.

God moved us to Haiti. We have been learning the ministries here with Global Outreach Haiti in TiTanyen. We have learned more than we could imagine or repay. It has been a tremendous blessing. From well-drilling/repair, clinic, construction, bookkeeping, managing teams and projects, general maintenance (like generator operations and water collection), receiving and distributing supplies, building relationships, and ministering with the local schools and churches; all of these ministries are a blessing here in Haiti and we have enjoyed being a part of them.

God moved us to Haiti and now we believe He wants us to return to the States. We would like to further our education and ministries. We don't know if we will ever live full-time in Haiti again, but if it is His will, we would love to return often to minister on a short- term basis. We believe that Kevin is being led in the pastoral direction. Susan is feeling led to return to school to receive training in becoming a Nurse Practitioner in the area of Family Nursing and Midwifery. We believe that both of these moves would enhance the ministry the Lord has for our family here in Haiti and around the world.

The next step.

We were planning on returning to the States at the end of April 2011 for our annual trip back on furlough. We desire to stay that same course, but instead of returning to Haiti we would stay Stateside. We would like to ship our household goods back to the United States. We will wait on the Lord for direction on a place to pastor and Susan would apply and enroll in school for Fall 2011.

We need your help.

As always, we need your prayers.
We need financial donations that would help us transition back to the States. This would include shipping costs, airline costs, transportation costs for the first month back, and other unforeseen expenses that arise while moving a family from one country to the next.
We are asking that you continue to send in your monthly financial donations, at least through the end of June. This will prevent us from being stranded in Haiti. If you desire to continue after that-we are planning future trips back to Haiti as the Lord allows.

We love you and thank you for your support. Please stay in touch. We will continue our blog for a bit and we would like to continue to update each of you through quarterly or semi-annual newsletters from our family. If you desire to be removed from our mailing list, please contact us.

In Christ we serve,

Kevin, Susan, Skyla, Kali, Jessica, and Josiah Bruns

Pics of Jensky

Jensky - our little, burned, malnourished baby. He is doing great and look at his little fat belly. I am praising the Lord for his healing. Pictured below: Jensky and his momma.

Thanks to Joshua Brumley for his great photography!

Friday, February 11, 2011

A Note From The Whittaker Family #2 - Missionaries to Haiti

Susana finished her race on 02/11/11 at 12:15 PM

February 11, 2011

Susana Raquel Whittaker is now in the presence of our great and glorious God. She ran her race. She ran well. We held her hand and led her into the arms of Jesus. Our hearts groan like never before. But we rejoice in our God who loves us so much and has brought our little girl into heaven where she now sees Him face to face. Soon, my beloved Susana, and very soon, we too are going to see the King.

Homecoming Celebration for Susana!!!

February 11, 2011

We will have a Homecoming Celebration for our sweet Susana on Monday Feb. 14th at 2:00 PM at Biltmore Baptist Church. 35 Clayton Rd. Arden, NC. Nearest regional airport is Asheville. Nearest international airport is Charlotte, NC or Greenville-Spartanburg, SC.

This will be a wonderful time for us to celebrate her life, faith, and legacy that she will leave with so many of us. We invite you all to come and share this time with us. We will celebrate the goodness of our God that He has loved us so much that He purchased a place in heaven for us, and that is where our beautiful little girl is right now and will be forever. Therefore, we will rejoice.

DO NOT WEAR BLACK!!!! DO NOT BRING FLOWERS

We will have a time to mourn, for but a moment, because that is what it will be like compared to all the rejoicing we will do in eternity. So, this truly will be a homecoming celebration…for our little girl has finished the race and is now enjoying her prize…Jesus.

Instead of flowers or gifts, we are asking for a donation to be made to our ministry so that we can continue sharing the love of Jesus with the orphans and poor of Haiti. Susana loved being in Haiti and talked all the time about the day that we would be able to return. Your giving will be an honor knowing that this is what Susana would want more than flowers or gifts. The information for giving is on our website at www.howcantheyhear.org

Thank you all for the prayers and support. By the grace of God, we will press on and continue reaching towards our prize and heavenly reward. And now our longing becomes even greater knowing that we will also be reunited with our precious little girl.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Update on Jensky

Jensky is our burned baby we are taking care of at the clinic. I just wanted to update you on his condition....

Today, he screamed like I was killing him. Now, that is probably not the best wording to come up with, but it is true. His energy level is good. He is more vocal. He only has a few patches that still need healed on his face. He seems to be healing well. Jensky seems to be a fighter and that is probably the only thing (other than the Lord) that has kept him alive for 13 months. He has battled malnutrition and now a burn. Praise the Lord - he is doing well. Now, I say all of that, but he still has a long way to go. So keep praying. It could be a couple of months before he is totally healed.

Momma is doing better. She is more interactive with Jensky. She doesn't just sit in the corner and turn her head anymore. She has been taking turns with Papa in bring Jensky. This week, we changed his burn treatment. He is now coming on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Coming six days a week is taxing on the family, both physically and financially. Continue to lift them up to the Lord.

I will try to get new pictures on Monday. Have a great weekend.