Our Story
Here is all that has been going on in our lives to God we give Glory! The day of the quake we were living and doing things that is in our everyday schedule not knowing that life for us would never be the same. We felt the quake here in Santiago, DR and it was pretty strong but no damage done. We then turned on the T.V. (love having it for this purpose) and saw that Port au Prince was hit hard and a Tsunami was being anticipated. The sickness we felt in our stomachs thinking if a Tsunami hit, the city would be no longer and the people would all be gone as well. We started praying hard “God have mercy on them all” we then heard that the Tsunami was not coming. We lifted up our hands and praised our Father for one of many answered prayers. That was Tuesday and as the days went on and we became more aware of the deaths and people trapped, Wilby became more concerned about his son Carvens. We talked more and more about him making a trip there. The danger was high and with no communication it would take a lot of sitting and waiting on my part. He had said it be safer to take an elder from the church with him so he was not traveling alone and he would come back to the border within 5 days and update us on his whereabouts. We both decided that he would go to Saint Marc first which is 2 hours north of Port Au Prince because that is where Carvens moms family lives and if they made it they would go there. He left Friday morning at 5am, kissed both me and Ruben not knowing if we would see each other on this earth again.
Wilby’s Journey
After traveling all day he got into Saint Marc and was greeted my his cousin who was crying…Wilby said I have been traveling all day and haven’t eaten anything let me eat something before you give me any news. After he was done eating he said ok so where is Carvens she said she didn’t know. He then made his way to Carvens Moms family and when he got there he heard the kids saying Carvens Carvens your dad is here. At that moment Wilby raised his hands up and gave praise to our Lord. He was making plans to go to Port au Prince but found out that it was very dangerous and those coming in from the outside with stuff were being mugged so they didn’t go. Sunday Wilby had a conversation with the mom of Carvens to see if she was ok with Carvens coming and living in the Dominican. She was not okay at first but after her sister and brother talked with her about it she decided it would be okay. There is no school or much food for Carvens there so by bringing him to the D.R . he can continue his education and be taken care of while his family in Haiti rebuild their lives. On Monday Wilby packed Carvens up and headed to the border. Now Carvens is illegal and doesn’t have papers so to get him across the border Wilby had to pay a guy who crosses all the time and sent Carvens with him. Wilby, having papers then crossed and met up with Carvens at the bus station, only to find out that the bus had already left. Wanting to get back to Santiago that night he talked with people to see if there was anyone around who could continue to smuggle him to Santiago. Wilby found a guy that had a car and was heading to Santiago with other illegal Haitians. There were two cars traveling together and when they were on the road one of them broke down. After spending many hours trying to fix it they decided to go back to the border and leave early the next morning. Wilby then spent the night in a hotel and got up to leave at 5 the next morning. He waited for the guy to come and when he didn’t show up he made his way to the bus station not wanting to miss another ride. On the bus the driver asked for Carvens papers and when wilby couldn’t produce them the driver told him he could not go. The guy that was suppose to meet wilby from the night before showed up and paid the guy the money wilby had given him and everything was then ok. 3 hours later they arrived safely to the house and we have started the adjustment period. We praise God for all that He has done.
Thank you so much for lifting us up in prayer for God has heard the cries of his people and has blessed them. We still pray for the people of Haiti who are without food, water, medical assistance and homes. We plan on having Carvens until school ends which is in June sometime. We are so happy he is ok and that he has the opportunity to know Jesus and how life with the Savior is different. In fact this morning Wilby was sharing with Carvens the story of how Jesus said Let the little children come to me. How Jesus loves him and wants the best for him. Wilby then asked if he wanted to accept Jesus into his heart and he said Yes!! So wilby prayed for him and talked more about life with Jesus. This is so exciting knowing the lifestyle that he is coming from. We pray that he continues to grow with his faith and Christ continues to direct Wilby and I down this road.
We Thank you all again for your prayers, encouragement and your financial support!
Here is all that has been going on in our lives to God we give Glory! The day of the quake we were living and doing things that is in our everyday schedule not knowing that life for us would never be the same. We felt the quake here in Santiago, DR and it was pretty strong but no damage done. We then turned on the T.V. (love having it for this purpose) and saw that Port au Prince was hit hard and a Tsunami was being anticipated. The sickness we felt in our stomachs thinking if a Tsunami hit, the city would be no longer and the people would all be gone as well. We started praying hard “God have mercy on them all” we then heard that the Tsunami was not coming. We lifted up our hands and praised our Father for one of many answered prayers. That was Tuesday and as the days went on and we became more aware of the deaths and people trapped, Wilby became more concerned about his son Carvens. We talked more and more about him making a trip there. The danger was high and with no communication it would take a lot of sitting and waiting on my part. He had said it be safer to take an elder from the church with him so he was not traveling alone and he would come back to the border within 5 days and update us on his whereabouts. We both decided that he would go to Saint Marc first which is 2 hours north of Port Au Prince because that is where Carvens moms family lives and if they made it they would go there. He left Friday morning at 5am, kissed both me and Ruben not knowing if we would see each other on this earth again.
Wilby’s Journey
After traveling all day he got into Saint Marc and was greeted my his cousin who was crying…Wilby said I have been traveling all day and haven’t eaten anything let me eat something before you give me any news. After he was done eating he said ok so where is Carvens she said she didn’t know. He then made his way to Carvens Moms family and when he got there he heard the kids saying Carvens Carvens your dad is here. At that moment Wilby raised his hands up and gave praise to our Lord. He was making plans to go to Port au Prince but found out that it was very dangerous and those coming in from the outside with stuff were being mugged so they didn’t go. Sunday Wilby had a conversation with the mom of Carvens to see if she was ok with Carvens coming and living in the Dominican. She was not okay at first but after her sister and brother talked with her about it she decided it would be okay. There is no school or much food for Carvens there so by bringing him to the D.R . he can continue his education and be taken care of while his family in Haiti rebuild their lives. On Monday Wilby packed Carvens up and headed to the border. Now Carvens is illegal and doesn’t have papers so to get him across the border Wilby had to pay a guy who crosses all the time and sent Carvens with him. Wilby, having papers then crossed and met up with Carvens at the bus station, only to find out that the bus had already left. Wanting to get back to Santiago that night he talked with people to see if there was anyone around who could continue to smuggle him to Santiago. Wilby found a guy that had a car and was heading to Santiago with other illegal Haitians. There were two cars traveling together and when they were on the road one of them broke down. After spending many hours trying to fix it they decided to go back to the border and leave early the next morning. Wilby then spent the night in a hotel and got up to leave at 5 the next morning. He waited for the guy to come and when he didn’t show up he made his way to the bus station not wanting to miss another ride. On the bus the driver asked for Carvens papers and when wilby couldn’t produce them the driver told him he could not go. The guy that was suppose to meet wilby from the night before showed up and paid the guy the money wilby had given him and everything was then ok. 3 hours later they arrived safely to the house and we have started the adjustment period. We praise God for all that He has done.
Thank you so much for lifting us up in prayer for God has heard the cries of his people and has blessed them. We still pray for the people of Haiti who are without food, water, medical assistance and homes. We plan on having Carvens until school ends which is in June sometime. We are so happy he is ok and that he has the opportunity to know Jesus and how life with the Savior is different. In fact this morning Wilby was sharing with Carvens the story of how Jesus said Let the little children come to me. How Jesus loves him and wants the best for him. Wilby then asked if he wanted to accept Jesus into his heart and he said Yes!! So wilby prayed for him and talked more about life with Jesus. This is so exciting knowing the lifestyle that he is coming from. We pray that he continues to grow with his faith and Christ continues to direct Wilby and I down this road.
We Thank you all again for your prayers, encouragement and your financial support!
Wilby, Lisa, Carvens and Ruben
The next day I was able to go to Hazel Findley which is a nursing home in Michigan. I was able to tell my story and ministry in the DR. I challenged them that even though they seem old they can still be impacting people for Christ. By smiling and being friendly to those who care for them or talking with visitors whom they might not know. God really spoke through me to these folks. There was one lady who spoke up and asked if i knew the song Jesus loves me. I said of course and she asked if i would sing it for her. Well I am not very comfortable speaking in front of people so you can imagine me singing...but I went for it and the spirit of the Lord was felt. I went up to her afterwards and she said that when I was singing that song I looked like an angel. I have no idea what God was doing that morning but it will be a day I won't forget. This is the lady and me.
Another cool thing I was able to be apart of was a Jr. High retreat at Michiana Camp. There were about 5 churches that came. It was a great time to share with young ones about where God has brought my life too. How he can use anyone if they are willing and seeking Him. I never knew how fun Jr. High kids could be. Here is a picture of me with some of the kids from Community Christian Church.
With these only being a couple of things it was great talking with many about the ministry God has called me too. I have gotten lots of advice from so many and appreciate the love and care that is always given.