Haiti Mission Team Departs

Thank you for your prayer and support!

Our PFB Singles Haiti Mission team leaves today, March 17!. Left is a photo of our team of six from Pomona First Baptist. (Left to right—Gregg Svalstad, Carol Allen, Emily Hall, Richard Miller, Eunice Figueras, and Caleb Svalstad).

We will fly from LAX to Miami departing at 10:20pm tonight. Fly from Miami to Port Au Prince at 7:45am tomorrow arriving in Port Au Prince at 8:45am. We will then travel about 40 miles west (about 3 hours by truck) along the coast to Grand Goave where we will be staying and working.

The purpose of the trip is to work alongside and encourage three missions groups that are joining together to do a tremendous work to help the people of Haiti in this region—Conscience International, ABC International Missions, Cooperative Baptists of Haiti.
-We will be building a “rubble house” for a family left homeless by the earthquake. A rubble house is a seismically safe, environmentally friendly home built using the rubble from the earthquake. Go to Conscience International’s website http://haitireplacementhomes.org to learn more about what we will be doing.

-There will also be a Pastor from Oregon who is bringing a professional photographer and videographer to document the whole process of the build to help promote other groups to come and join in this ministry.
-We will be worshiping with and working with the Pastor and church in Grand Goave
-We will be doing ministry with approximately 200 children at a school in the city.
-We are also taking hygene kits and baby kits to give to the people of the region and looking for any opportunities to share the love of Jesus in tangible ways with the people we come in contact with.

We will try to get out prayer updates while we are in Haiti. Here is how you can pray for us as we head out:

Physical Health and strength—Three of our team members are still recovering from being sick with colds this week. Carol has been dealing with a pinched nerve in her neck for weeks. Eunice injured her foot while training for a 5K this past week. Pray for our health and strength as we travel and arrive in Haiti so we can be prepared to get off to a great start serving together.

Safety—Prayer for our travel to safely arrive in Haiti. Also, Sunday is election day in Haiti so remember to pray for a peaceful and just election process. Pray for our health while in country with all of the diseases that are present (malaria, typhoid, cholera, etc.) We are taking all the precautions but would ask for prayer covering.

The family—We do not yet know the family we will be building the home for, but God does. He knows all that they have been through and their relationship to Him. Pray that our work with them will shine the light of Christ into their home and the community and that their home will become a “lighthouse” for Jesus.

The children—Pray for our ministry with the children. So many of them lost family members in the earthquake. Pray that our ministry with them will encourage them with the love of Jesus!

The work—Pray for strength and discernment to do the work God has in mind for us. Pray for endurance to persist in the extreme heat and humidity.

Our Team—Pray for our unity, that God would draw each of us close to Him and do a great work in us. Pray that we would remember that we are not taking God to Haiti, rather He is taking us! Pray that we would follow His lead not ours and that we would look to His measures of “success” not ours.

“You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat” Isaiah 25:4

We return to LAX Saturday, March 26 at 8:45pm.

Thank you again for your prayer and support!

Pastor Gregg and Team Haiti