March 2020 special update

This is a difficult update to write..but we wanted to share with you what our past month has looked like and what we anticipate the coming month to look like.  Bullet points:

  1. We have committed to stay in Haiti for this time.
  2. We are praying for you as you pray for us and would love to connect with you.
  3. Our God is Greater.

On March 6, due to heavy gang violence and numerous kidnappings taking place in Port-Au-Prince, the US Embassy marked travel to our precious island of Haiti as a level 4. This placed Haiti on the “do not travel” list.  After much prayer, seeking direction from the Holy Spirit, evaluating our living situation/property and seeking advice from other missionaries in country, we made the decision to stay put and tightened up our security procedures.  And we had peace…

On Thursday, (March 19th) the US State Department issued yet another warning.  This time they raised the travel warning to a level 4 (Do Not Travel) on every single country, due to the spread of Covid 19.  They urged US Citizens to return to the USA or be prepared to stay put for an indefinite amount of time.  So… we once again re-evaluated everything… and made the decision to stay put.  And we had peace… That was good, because a few hours later every single airport and entry/exit point had been closed down by the Haitian Government in an effort to control the spread of Covid 19.  We could not get a flight out of the country even if that is what we had desired.

But we do not feel caged.  This “Ruuska Village” is so much more than just a home for our family.  It’s a fortress, OUR fortress.  “Fort Ruuska”, a place that God has provided for us during this time.  Our property and ministry houses over 10 adults and 18 children.  Neighbors come every day to get water from our well.  Yesterday morning, a handwashing station was set up by the well at the front of the property.

Here’s how you can pray for us: Pray that we are able to be a light in our community during this time.  Pray that with limited resources we are able to meet needs and share Jesus in a way that people have not seen before.

Now… how can we pray for you?  We’d love to chat with you, let’s take advantage of this time and change in pace to connect.  Shoot us a message. 

 

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