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Merry Christmas 
The year 2006 is drawing closer to its end and as much as we look forward to a prosperous year of 2007 we cannot afford not to retrospectively reflect on the challenges and the blessings of the last twelve months. Life seems to be a chamber with an entryway through which troubles enter and an exit way through which solutions or unprocessed troubles outlet. What comes out will affect everything around us in one way or another. I thank God for staying with us in that chamber of life through the year and because of His wonderful grace and provisions we can still wake up every morning singing new songs of praise and thanksgiving and affect as many people as He has put on our way for eternity. 
Samathe is still trying hard to find her fit among the citizens of this great America. When she moved from Canada with the boys three years ago, the language was a big challenge for her and the boys who only spoke French then. Now, everyone in my household seems to care less about the language of the "Angles" to speak the language of business “English”. Samathe is a woman after God’s own heart. The interest she exhibits in God’s affairs has been a real gift to me as I continue to preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. Many reasons have forced us to relocate from Lake Worth to Port Saint Lucie, Florida. Steve turned 13 last October 29, and Marc turned 11 last May 22. The school district in Port St Lucie is more conservative that the one in Palm Beach, and they have been enjoying going to school here with more enthusiasm than they have in Palm Beach, as they meet new friends. 
My ministerial activities with Global Vision have been keeping me busy traveling between Haiti and the US. The increasing challenges GVCM faces every day also bite a big chunk of our time. As the Haitian government takes a back seat, more problems keep emerging for the church to solve in Haiti. This year was no different from the many years of instability and violence Haiti has known. Another election was conducted, officials were elected, but the cry of the people for change seems to have not been heard. 
My prayer has been that the Lord would not let me die without seeing a beacon of light at the end of the tunnel announcing a better day for the Haitian people. Maybe God answered my prayer a long time ago when He surrounded me with the Godly GVCM Board Members who seem to understand the signs of the times and are willing to take appropriate action to accommodate the needs of the ministry at critical times like these. But you have been the real springs from which God has allowed waters of blessings to flow and reach so many lives in our desperate Haiti. Together, we have been making a difference in spite of so many problems caused by the ungodly ones. Together, we are building a parallel world of peace and joy in a place where the fear of the darkness fills so many hearts; a world of hope in a place where hopelessness is being converted to corruption; a world of love where the heavy weight of loneliness keeps crumpling souls of all ages. Anything I could ever say in this note to thank you is an echo of all the lives you have touched in some way in Haiti. It is true that so many of our churches are praying for the Lord to bless them with a building to worship in; it is true that so many of our children are still sitting under a tree with rocks used for chairs because we are not able to provide for a building or benches; it is true that so many of our pastors can barely provide food for their families because we are not able to provide financially for their needs; it is true that many of our orphaned children are in dire need for clothes and shoes and school supplies; all of those weigh heavily on us. But then we consider all the churches, schools, and orphanages being built; we add up more than 5,000 children getting an education and all the voices in our 40 churches singing praises to our Lord at least three times every week; we consider how the churches we have planted have weakened the voices of the voodoo priests; that so many pastors are being trained for a more powerful ministry; that so many school teachers are building an academic foundation for our children; we consider the many Christmas shoeboxes you gave that will be distributed by a team from the U.S. to put a smile on the face of the children; the amount of time so many of you have spent establishing new contacts for GVCM; the trips so many of you have made to Haiti to minister alongside with us; the addition of tireless volunteer workers like Lee Ellen Elliott, our mission trip coordinator, and Nixon Fleurissaint, our assistant field director; the blessing of a "skidsteer loader" for construction and a school bus packed with equipment and supplies; the blessing of a construction team going to Haiti at the end of this month to continue work on the Fedja orphanage; the blessing of the septic system being built in Milot; the blessing of eight of our orphan children being adopted by some wonderful families in the US ... blessings, blessings, and more blessings, we cannot stop praising the Lord. We praise Him for the gift of Christmas that has made us one, working in love for His eternal glory, and we praise Him for you, for your willingness to be channels of blessing for me, my family and the great ministry of GVCM. We covet your prayers as we take giant leap of faith toward all the unknown that 2007 might have in store for us. You have allowed us to emerge victorious in 2006, and with you standing behind us we will emerge victorious for many years to come, so our Lord will be glorified. Pray that the Lord will increase His grace for Haiti in general and GVCM in particular. There is so much more I would like to share with you about what the Lord is doing through our ministry, but this note is too long already. Please accept our wish of Merry Christmas as a token of our love and appreciation for you.  Yves, Samathe, |