Year 23 Reflections and Projections

This post is written on behalf of Sam by his sister, Ellie.

July 30th marks 23 years of life for Samuel. A lot has fit into those years! In reflection of what he has been through, as well as projecting into this next year of life, I asked Sam to answer a two questions. I asked Samuel to name TWO of his favorite moments in the past year and THREE things he's looking forward to in the coming year.

The two favorite moments in the past year were as follows:
1) moving to Haiti
2) experiencing the restoration of home life with his adoptive family. Sam expressed great gratitude for Mom and Dad allowing him to return home for a few months while fundraising and preparing to live in Haiti. Sam was so thankful for the peace that was brought by those months of reconciling relationships from previous hardships. 

The three things that Sam is looking forward to in this coming year are as follows:
1) getting more fluent at Creole, the native language of Haiti. Sam said he knows probably 20-40% of the language. When listening, he can understand what is said, but when it comes to visualizing the words in his head, he's not as sharp. Sam told me he's been reading Creole writings to better his fluency and really grasp the language. Most of the people he's around speak only Creole.
2) Sam is looking forward to more "street ministry," or in other words, evangelizing to the people in the marketplace or along the streets. Sam is looking forward to more conversions as the people of Haiti come to learn of God's relentless love for them.
3) Sam is eager for restoration to be brought to his Haitian family. He visits them here and there but finds a lot of pain and brokenness. Sam told me he never skips a beat when speaking with his birth dad--a devout Voodooist--about Christ. Sam's heart breaks for the salvation of his birth parents.

A screenshot of my FaceTime/Skype
talk with Sam

As always, I asked Sam how we can be praying for him. I asked him specifically about what he needs as opposed to what to be praying for in regards to Haiti as a nation. Sam expressed that is discouraging how little Creole he knows...he explained that the language barrier--although he knows some of the dialect--is a struggle and can cause him to feel discouraged and a bit useless.

Prayers for a "Christ-like mindedness" or in other words, a Christ-like perspective on this period of learning are needed. While Sam is working on becoming more fluent, he needs to be reminded of God's purpose for him and that God is still working amid this 'barrier'. No barrier is too great for our God and we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Please join us in praying for Sam as he continues to be used by God in Haiti.