There Is a Hope...

In July of 2008, a group from our church spent over a week in Margate, Florida with some of our missionaries~ Mark and Teresa Jacobsen. Michael and I were privileged to lead the team {along with 5 week old Elliot}. We went with the attitude: How can we help? We left, blessed beyond words. To see this family's intense love for the Haitian people was amazing. In the short time we shared together, Teresa is someone that made a huge impact in my life. If I could describe her in one word it would be JOY. She is the kind of person that is so full of happiness that you can't be grumpy around her if you tried. As MacArthur states: "Joy is a happiness based on unchanging divine promises and eternal spiritual realities. Joy is not the result of favorable circumstances, and even occurs when those circumstances are the most painful and severe." Mark and Teresa would understand true joy. As our group sat around the dinner table at their house, Mark shared his testimony with us. He showed us the book that a bullet went through when their house was robbed while serving as missionaries in Haiti. God spared their family, although Mark and Teresa were both shot. There wasn't a dry eye after hearing about how God protected them through the ordeal. Yet their compassion for the Haitians never died. Now they serve faithfully to the Haitians in Margate. Mark often ministers directly with the people in Little Haiti. As I've watched the horrific events of the earthquake from the comfort of my home, these are the people that come to my mind when I pray. People that we met, ministered to, shared the Gospel with...people who were working three jobs to meet the needs of their family still in Haiti and their family here in America...people who had no hope until the Jacobsens shared the most hopeful news of salvation with them. A few days ago we got an email from Mark. Here were some of his words:

Apart from my own family, the church which God led us to plant is composed entirely of Haitians, or those of Haitian descent. Every member of our church has been touched by this catastrophe, and most of them have family members or close relatives in Port-au-Prince. Initially no one knew about their loved ones, but little by little, a few of them have received communications, while many others still wait and pray. We pray with them, and offer whatever encouragement that we can.

During our time in Margate, we provided Vacation Bible School at their church. Each night we had opportunities to get to know each one better. Many shared with us that only part of their family is here in the US. It is common for a Haitian family to split up in order to provide a better living for some of them...several of the teens hadn't seen their mom in over 2 years...their dad was working three jobs in attempts to save enough money to get his wife to Florida too. As you look through these photos from our trip, pray for them. Many are still waiting to hear from Moms, Dads, Sisters, Brothers, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Grandparents, friends...

some of the Jacobsen family:

Won't you pray, too?