Joel turned 8!!!

Crazy to think our youngest is 8. He had a lot of fun celebrating with a few friends and it is always extra special to have Aunt Joan here. Alisha did a great job on the cake!!

Derek Surgery

Unfortunately the doc was unable to get the screws out even with the right screw driver!  Derek will need to baby his arm a few days, but overall he is doing welll. Thanks for praying. 

Four years ago....

Four years ago today our little "angel" went to be with Jesus.  What a joy and comfort to ponder the thought of Brett free of this earthly body, walking with the Lord and giving glory to His Creator.  Brett was a fountain of JOY to us all.  I will be honest, I often wondered how much Brett really knew about us and if he was able to comprehend our love and care.  This morning the Lord reminded me of a time that I felt he "knew" who I was...we had been gone for several days from him and upon our return I laid down beside him on the floor to tell him we were home.  He was doing his usual rocking back and forth, but this time he'd stop and pat my face...then roll back to the other side...come back and stop and pat my face. It was his way of saying, "I am glad your home, Mom."!

Praising God for His faithfulness!

     Yesterday God provided a lovely day for His dedication of the MEBSH Church and School at the Cancer Redemption Project.  Many hands came together to make the day a day of lifting up the Lord Jesus and bringing glory to His name.  Zach Bertsch's dream was to help orphaned and vulnerable children find hope in a place they can call "home".  But more important than that, Zach wants these kids to give their lives to Jesus so that they can live eternally with the Lord in Heaven.  We were so blessed to have the Bertsch family with us to witness the leaders of MEBSH dedicate the temple to the Lord and His gospel.  Pray with us that many souls will come to the foot of the cross and find eternal life through the preaching of the Word and the witness of the parents, workers, teachers and 72 children living at CRP!

Dedication Time

Cancer Redemption Project this Sunday, April 19

     Sunday is the dedication of the Church, School and Campus at the Cancer Redemption Project. We are thankful that Jenny Bertsch and her two children, Zion and Moriah, are coming, as well as Zach's parents and his brother Danny.  The campus now has six Homes of Hope, a day shelter, a soccer field, a church, and a school.  But most importantly there are 72 previously orphaned and vulnerable children who live in a permanent home!  We praise God that Zach's desire to not let his cancer be for naught, has been fulfilled.  The families on this campus are full of love and smiles.  We give God the glory and ask you to pray for the dedication service.

These pictures with Zach and his dad are from their first visit to the Campus.

Oops...tire was coming off.

Mark was heading down to Simon to get a big bag of flour when he notices the wheel was coming off the axle. Thankfully he did not get too far from home.   Seems that the bolts were not tightened properly after the last tire change!  That is Christophe doing the repair.  He is close to 30 years old now and a very valuable employee and a wonderful Haitian friend.

Another life will change...

I happened to be at the office yesterday when Jan and Pas Wilfrid were interviewing this young lady to fill a spot in one of the Homes of Hope.  Her mother can not provide for her and her father is not in the picture.  She is a sweet little gal!  Pray for her and her family as the change in her life began today.

CRP kids sing for MEBSH Convention

Today we had 40 of our CRP children singing 

at the annual MEBSH convention which 

draws around 10,000-12,000 people for

the five day event.  They sang to a crowd

of around 2000.

Simon Church...where every seat is filled and many are outside under canvas awnings

Welcome....

Hello from warm and balmy Haiti!!

Welcome to our family's blog!

Please visit to keep tabs on what is going on in our ministry as well as family updates.

And now...a little history.

In January of 2000, we came to Haiti for the first time as a family.  After three more short term trips we moved to Haiti in June of 2005.  We are currently under the direction of Loving-Shepherd Ministries which is based in Bluffton, Indiana.  Since our move our two daughters are married, our special son Brett has gone home to be with the Lord, and we have two grandchildren, Sophia and Adam.  Mark(17), Derek(11), and Joel(7) are still at home with us!

Here we will make an attempt to keep you informed about our ministry and our family.

MEBSH(Mission Evangelical Baptist of Southern Haiti) is the Haitian Church organization that we are affiliated with here in Haiti.  Each year they hold a convention in the little village minutes from our home.  They hold four services per day, beginning at 5:30AM and finishing around 10PM.  It is estimated that 10,000-12,000 people will come for the event, often sleeping on the floor of a school room, or in the home of a friend or relative.  It is the event of the year for MEBSH.  Pray with us for the conversion of many souls, and the strengthening of the believers.