Week 90

It's hard to know where to start this week.  It has been pretty full with both of us feeling like we're getting back close to 100% after being sick.  Seems like every day brings a new miracle and more wonderful people that we meet.  We had 69 of our Haitian members and friends at church today and I don't see anything slowing down.  

The Haitian people that we meet are humble believers in and lovers of Jesus Christ.  Because of that, they are so easy to talk to about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.  They naturally believe the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet.  We were visiting Youseline with the young missionaries in Goldsboro a few nights ago and talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, including faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.  Before we could ask her, she was asking what she needed to do to be baptized.  Among this humble people, that happens in one sense or another a lot.  We were visiting with the Lafortune family on Saturday night and their cousin was there visiting.  As we taught, he said, "I want to be a part of this Church."  Early in the week we were visiting Provilene's (a new member) mom .  She was asked if she would like to prepare to be baptized and she immediately said "yes." That's the normal response.  The younger brothers and sisters of Brinette and Desca (2 recently baptized members) are attending church and asking what they need to do to be baptized.  Something like that is happening every day!

Kit Kat treats

Monday I took my buddy JR to a doctor's appointment.  While he was with the doctor, I ran some errands, including picking up some of Kit Kat's favorite treats (JR's cat).  Monday night we went with our daughter Caroline to our son Jacob's house for family night with all our family members here in NC.  She took a lot of pictures with her old-fashioned-like camara.  I've included several here.  We had a great evening hanging out with family.

Caroline and niece Clara

Caroline and sister Alyssa

Caroline and nephews Von and Sully

Caroline and niece Elayna

Jacob, Clara, Caroline, Von, Susan, Dwight, Elayna, Alyssa, Daniel, Anna, and Sully

This week we helped Brinette and Desca get online Church accounts and downloaded the Church directory app (Member Tools), the family tree app and the Gospel Library app.  We started with those two on a project to make sure our online directory of Church members has their photos included.

Brinette

Desca

Wednesday nights we've started having HHE (Haitian Home Evening).  Of course it's at the church.  We have a little lesson, then a fun activity and then some treats.  It's been a slow start, but beginning to have a few more attend.

Wednesday Night HHE

This past Friday night we had a great time hanging our with our friends Elder and Sister Johnson.  They are in the newly created South Carolina Charleston Mission now and we miss seeing them.  We met them in New Bern for dinner at a Japanese steakhouse and went for ice cream at McDonalds afterwards.  We had a wonderful reunion and look forward to hanging out with them after the mission.

The Johnsons and Potters at McDonalds

We're doing a drivers license class every Saturday, helping people prepare to take the drivers license written exam.  They only have it in English or Spanish, so we're trying to help them recognize the questions and understand the answers.  It's a little discouraging for them since they are very new to English, but little by little it's coming. 

Thursday we had our district council meeting in the morning.  We have a lot of fantastic missionaries in our district.  Elder Hafen, our new district leader, did a great job for his first time.  We love attending the Ruritan meeting on Thursday nights.  We've got some service coming up, which includes cooking.  I've often wondered why I love to cook so much.  I think it may be the same reason my grandaddy loved to squirrel hunt so much - in these very woods near where we now live.  It's because we love to eat!  I've never had squirrel, but I'm sure if I was hungry it would be very tasty!

District Meeting

This has been a busy but fun week. We love the people we get to work with and hang out with.  I'll close this week with this story.  Our friend, for over a year now, Alin Pierre Louis, had his wife and young son in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  That's the capital city and the hot bed for gang activity in Haiti.  It's been very dangerous.  The government is unsuccessfully sending armed forces into the city to try to take back control.  He's been trying to get them out of Port-au-Prince for several months, but it's been too perilous.  Recently the gangs started taking and killing young boys.  He decided he had to take action.  She left with her young son, leaving everything they owned behind, except what they could fit into a small sack.  She was able to make it to a town many miles away from Port-au-Prince.  Alin was worried because they were in a town where they knew no one and they had nothing and no place to live.  She was able to procure lodging for a few nights, but they didn't have a good plan.  We were able to determine that there was no branch of the Church in that city.  We found out where the nearest branch was and called the branch president.  He and Alin knew of each other.  The branch president suggested that she go to that city, Port de Paix, and he and the Church members would help her find a place and take care of her and their son.  I saw Alin visible relax. He's been so worried but he now felt like she would not be alone.  We got her moved to Port de Paix, she's found a house to rent and they feel so much safer.  Finding this brother and getting Anseleine and Strausse moved to a place where there will be friends to help them just feels like a little miracle.  God is so aware of us and while life is not always easy, He's always there to help us and give us hope.

We love you all!

Elder and Sister Potter