Life in Haiti (our first newsletter from the ground in Haiti 🙂

What an honor and privilege it is to write our first newsletter from Neply, Haiti!  Our family has lived here for just over six weeks and it is already feeling like home.  God has truly blessed us with the most amazing family adventure and God-led journey in the world.  We have so many stories and memories to tell already, and we are excited about sharing these with you all as best we can.

We are now living in our own home with our children…still just five kids in the King family, although many of you have asked if we have found any King family additions since we have been here.  Our home is incredibly beautiful and more than we could have ever imagined being able to live in here in Haiti.  The home is three bedrooms and two baths, with a kitchen and dining area plus a living room.  We are still painting and building shelving spaces to store things, but the house is looking great, and we know that we are very blessed with the opportunity to live here.  Now…all we need is visitors…we hope to see you all very soon!

Our whole family has adjusted very well, but we are so thankful that God has given our kids such an amazing heart for enjoying this journey and the village we live in. All of our kids bring such amazing gifts to this village…Carter is a kind and wise friend and mentor to the children.  Kynlee is a gentle and warm nurturer.  Faith is curious and selective with her trust, while gathering as much knowledge as she can about how Haiti is different than the States. Kyler is a bubbly and joyful friend to all.  Camp is ‘chips’ as they call him…their little village mascot, so small and rotten.

We put together some frequently asked questions to give you a concise view into our everyday lives here.  There are no days that look exactly the same.  Life in Haiti is different in so many ways, but it feels so right and so rewarding to be in the center of God’s will for our lives.

Thank you for loving us and supporting us better than we could ever imagine.  We are so thankful for the love and encouragement that we receive from you all.  Words cannot describe our gratitude for your prayers and financial support for our family while we follow God’s amazing will for our lives.  Thanks for being such an important part of our journey.  We love you all!

What does the role of Director of Operations look like at myLIFEspeaks?

Although we have focused much on our family, building relationships with people in the village, and moving into our house, we already have a taste of what our positions look like with myLIFEspeaks.  We are already overseeing the daily operations of the campus and ministering to people in the village regarding parenting and being purposeful with family.  There are many talented staff here, and we can see that God has great plans in store for the vision of myLIFEspeaks.  Chris and Tracy are both in and out of the campus and in the village throughout the day working to meet the needs of our Haitian staff, the campus, and the people in the village as well.  This has already been an incredibly rewarding experience for us.

Have you started home schooling the kids?

Yes, we started homeschooling the week of October 15^th.  We are really enjoying getting into a routine.  Please pray that we will learn how to use our schooling time wisely in order to leave time for us to minister to people and build relationships in the village.  We are so blessed to have been able to purchase curriculum for all of the school-aged children (thank you!), and look forward to learning with them this year.

Do you feel safe?

YES!  We feel very safe! Obviously, it is protocol that we would have security with us most all of the time.  We have several amazing day and night security staff that work to keep our family safe.  We feel safe to walk around the village freely during the day as we please. We know that if we ever need anything, our staff is close by to help us. Our security guys are incredible with our children and have become a part of our family!

How is your family dealing with the death of one of the myLIFEspeaks house children, Jay?

On September 30, 2012, Jay went to be with Jesus. These past few weeks have been very difficult for our family, our staff, and especially the house parents and children at myLIFEspeaks.  But, God is sovereign and He reigns forever.  Jay was a beautiful young man that taught us all so much in his short time here.  We hope we never forget his courage, his smile, his singing, or his heart.  We have always prayed that God would use the death of our sweet baby Ty to one day help us minister to other hurting parents.  We did not know we would be given this opportunity within a month of moving to Haiti.  Please continue to pray that our LIVES will speak to the house family and this village regarding this situation, and that God will use us for His glory alone.

How can we support you?

As we continue down this amazing path, we cherish your prayers.  We could never do this work with our own strength.  Our Lord guides us each and every day.  Please pray that our lives will be centered by His will.  We continue to need your financial support as well.  We have been totally amazed by the generosity of our friends and supporters both while we were in the U.S. and during our time in Haiti.  The gifts and donations that you provide allow our family to perform the Lord’s work in Haiti.  Without your giving, we would not be here. Ongoing financial support is crucial to our mission work here and our ability to make ends meet for our family and ministry.  Please see the enclosed donation information card on ways that you can help.