February 17, 2010

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note to let you know that John Lisle and I arrived safe and sound in Santiago about 5 am this morning. John and I set the all-time world record for early arrivals by first showing up Monday night (24 hours ahead of time).  I’ve been so exhaused that I simply got the date wrong. About an hour after I returned home from JFK at 4 am yesterday morning, Lynn Ann got violently ill with either a stomach flu or food poisoning. Although she’s a little better today, she’s still very weak. Neither John or I have had much sleep in the last 60 or so hours, so we really need your prayers for strength and to stay well.

6a00e552ed7b758833012877b20c42970c-320wiJoseph Israel (pictured left praying for Aslan) joined us at our hotel in Dajabon this afternoon, and said that everything that’s been happening since I was here a few weeks ago continues to point to how much Aslan needs to begin constructing our clinic on our land in L’Acajou. Once we have this built, so many, many obstacles will be removed to the success of our projects.  Although things are going well with the doctors and nurses teams we are hosting in the hospital in Fort Liberte, there are still daily problems to be solved. I can elaborate more in future blogs, but it is very easy in a Third World setting for institutions and people you are trying to help to begin taking advantage of you. Prices that you negotiated in stone – for hotels, for example – suddenly begin rising off the charts. Because you are an American, it is automatically assumed that you are rich and can (or will) pay anything you are asked to pay. The fact that you are missionaries with limited resources doesn’t seem to register with people. This isn’t a new problem, and we’ll be dealing with it forever. However, it becomes discouraging at times to feel and to be taken advantage of by those you are trying to serve.

Aslan has 2 teams of volunteers coming in over the next few weeks. The first arrives tomorrow, so please keep them all in your prayers. Two nurses and a counselor are with this group, so much good will be happening over then next few days. Please pray with us that more and more people will join Aslan in building a medical center, orphanage, mission training school and village school. It’s a big dream, but with the help of God’s people it can happen.

Much love to you all,

Craig

Print Friendly, PDF & Email