I cannot remember such a wonderful weekend as I had visiting some friends in Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. Several years ago I was blessed to meet some young Canadian girls in Haiti when Linda Blankenship, a missionary friend, called me from a guest house in Port au Prince and told me that she had met some girls from Canada, and that they wanted to see the country. She asked if I would come and get them; of course I said yes, and that was the beginning of our wonderful friendships – thank you, Linda. These girls have worked with our American teams many times and have been a great help. I told them that if they ever wanted me to come to Canada and speak, just let me know. They did, and that is how I ended up in Canada.
I flew into Winnipeg and Nelly picked me up. We drove to Winkler, about an hour and a half away. I had no idea where I was going to stay, and Nelly said her parents would like for me to stay with them. I met her mom and dad and her brothers and sisters that evening. I felt so comfortable with them; they made me feel like part of the family.
While I was in Winkler, Irene had been hard at work getting places for me to speak, and had lined up some churches and youth groups. The first night, Saturday, Irene and all the girls who have gone to Haiti gave a great presentation at a church, showing videos and photos and thanking the people who had supported them. (None of these girls had any idea what they were going to do when they went to Haiti. There was no plan, but they knew God wanted them to go.) After they gave their presentation, I introduced myself.
On Sunday we went to a small church called Redeeming Grace Bible Church, and Pastor Kevin Minnett was gracious enough to give me a few minutes to introduce myself and tell the congregation about what God is doing in Haiti. Afterward we went to Irene’s house and had lunch with several of her friends. We stayed there for about 4 hours and had a great time talking about the Lord. And – as most of you who know me know – I did most of the talking.
On Sunday evening we were invited to a small church youth group. They let me have the entire service to speak. I gave my testimony, showed a video, and shared what God is doing in the ministry. I want to thank Jakob and Daniel for allowing me to share with their youth. Afterward we talked to several young people who are interested in going to Haiti. Hopefully we will be taking a team from Canada next year. We will see what God’s plan is.
I want to thank everyone who made this trip possible. When I go on these trips the ministry pays for the expenses, and we never know what the outcome will be. All I know is that my part in the ministry is to go; God’s part is to provide, and He has never failed me. On this trip I did not ask for anything, as always, and the last night before I left my brothers and sisters blessed the ministry with a financial gift that doubled the cost of the trip. It always encourages me when the Holy Spirit touches people’s hearts and they are obedient to give.