Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the word of God.

Lauren and I went to a neighbor's house to visit the other day. We were sitting on their rocky porch in the shade with about 10 children all around. They asked us if we cut our hair. Both Lauren and I said that yes we cut our hair. (This is all being said in creole, and I actually understood! :)). The women told us that God doesn't like for women to cut their hair. I aked them to show me in God's Word where it said that. I told them that I only follow God's Word. They shrugged their shoulders and just repeated that God doesn't like for women to cut their hair. I asked them if their pastor said that, and they said yes. I told them that their pastor is not God, and that God tells us what He does and does not like in the Bible. One woman said amen to that. Well, they weren't bringing out a Bible, so I went and got my English Bible and my Creole Bible, praying the whole time that God would reveal His truth. I found, "But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved. (1 Corinthianss 11:5 NASB). I asked her to read that verse in Creole. She shook her head and said no, that she doesn't know how to read. I was so shocked! She is about my age. The other woman is in her low thirties, and I asked her if she knew how to read. She also said no. They both said that is the reason they send their children to school, so they will know how to read. So, Anderson, one of the women's sons, read the chapter out loud to them. The struggle is that shaved is translated as cut in the creole version! I tried to explain that the word actually meant shaved like a man, but they just nodded their heads for the crazy American. That night I asked Kevin if the girls and I should not cut our hair so that we would be seen as obeying God's Word in their eyes. He said that he thought it would be okay for us to cut our hair. Whew! My hair is getting long!! Now we just need to get these women going to a Christian church to realize that God cares more about doing things out of love for Him than He cares about us following a list of do this and don't do that.

God has the Victory!

Yesterday we went to visit Whitnise. She was a teacher here at GVCM. She just got married last week in the mass wedding. We went to see her sweet two week old baby boy. As you go up the driveway to GVCM, there is a Y. To go to GVCM you go right. To get to her house you go left and follow the road, past the voodoo house with the red flag out front, until it dead ends at her house. The house ... is tiny, about 10x10, with a rough dirt floor, a curtain for a door, and chickens that come in and out of the house. Her baby is so cute and tiny! As I was holding the baby, Whitnise told Linda that I am the marran. That means I am the godmother! What an honor! Now my prayers are being lifted on high for this tiny child of God!! He has disease, hunger, and spiritual darkness to combat, but I know that Christ has the victory! I pray that praises to God on our radio station will change that area that is less than half a mile away! We are battling the prince of this world, but we know the winner!!!

Busy week for the radio station!

We are busy in Mirebalais this week! A marriage seminar is being held at the orphanage this week. Kevin is recording the pastor of the marriage conference and he will be playing it on the radio starting tomorrow. We are praying that many marriages in this area will be mended and/or made stronger through this seminar. We recorded the church in Mirebalais Sunday morning. It will play on the radio this Sunday night at 6:00. We also have a soccer tournament going on this week. Today the orphanage played against the school that meets at the orphanage. The school won, 2-0. Tomorrow the team from our neighborhood plays. We will be cheering them on! We plan on recording the final game of the tournament and playing it on the radio. God's work continues!

Haiti Christmas

Merry Christmas from Haiti!!!  Lauren, Linda, and Ashley had fun putting sand dollar ornamnents on our "Christmas tree". 

Radio GVCM is huge success!

Radio GVCM is spreading God's Word throughout the town of Mirebalais, Haiti, and the surrounding villages! The other night I was visiting one of my friends, and I asked her if she wanted her solar-powered radio turned on. She said,"Yes", so I turned it on. I thought the voices sounded like the cooks here at the orphanage. I ran down to the radio station room, and Madame Jeanette and Sister Lioniece were singing praise songs over the radio! How exciting it was to see the community be a part of the station! Next, some of the children sang over the radio. They sounded beautiful!

Our house is coming along. We had a setback yesterday. Water started pouring out of the electrical box when it started raining. The owner came to fill the open pipes on the roof with cement. Hopefully that will keep a waterfall from flowing down the wall of pur bedroom! :)

We went to Port-au-Prince today to get a propane stove. First, we checked at the office to see if we could find the black tops for Michael and Renea's stove. Praise God, we found them! I can't wait to try to make chocolate chip cookies! I made a banana pudding last night using evaporated milk because I didn't have any regular milk. It tasted pretty good.

Things here are already starting to feel not as foreign as the first week. The sound of the language is familiar, but I am still waiting for the Holy Spirit to come on me like at Pentecost so I can know the language! This week has not been a good week for language learning because we have been so focused on the house. I had no idea it would take so long to put screen up on the bars.

We are having Bible study at our house tomorrow night! I am so excited to have our first event! I am praying for a good study and good fellowship!
Serving Christ,
Tracy Bolin