Grace and peace to you.
As many of you know, I returned safely to United States a little over a week ago on Wednesday the 17th. Thank you all very much for your prayers as I traveled home. While my flights were all smooth and mostly on time, I did have a small problem at the Port-au-Prince airport which could have turned into a big problem if not for your prayers and the help of God (it seems I stayed quite a bit longer in Haiti than you are allowed on a tourist visa). In the end everything turned out fine, and I arrived in Philadelphia safe and sound. A special thank you to those who helped to coordinate my parents’ surprising me at the airport.
To the glory of God and to the credit of your prayers, the time I spent in Haiti was wonderfully successful both in terms of our ministry and in my own personal life. Here are just a few of the praises from my six months there:
-no illnesses, upset stomachs, or injuries
-I was able to learn Creole and communicate effectively with the Haitians I worked with
-over 40 miles of drinking water pipes where surveyed
-a sand-storage dam and an inverted siphon were designed and plans drawn
-safety and relative stability of the country
-hosted and assisted over 10 different American work teams who helped to build roofs, install gutters, assemble benches, and among many other things
-helped to train Neemy, a Haitian engineer, in surveying
-showed the Jesus Film at five different churches to a total of over 1000 people
-I learned more about God as my best friend and comforter
If you want to read more about what went on with my mission while in Haiti, go to www.callmehaiti.blogspot.com. Thank you to all those who prayed, gave financial support, sent encouraging letters and emails, and helped me to prepare for my transition home.
I would continue to covet your prayers as I begin seminary this fall at Westminster Theological Seminary. I will be in Philadelphia for at least three more years to get training in the Bible, church planting, and to seek what God has next for me to do. Please pray for diligence in my studies, that I could find a good part-time job (preferably in engineering), that I would trust God to provide for me financially, and that I could clearly discern what the next call is that God has for me. I would love to talk more with any of you about what God did in Haiti in my 6 months there or anything else, so please do not hesitate to contact me via email, telephone, or snail mail.
“for ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?” Romans 10:14-15
Thank you for sending me. It truly was a blessing.
Yours in Christ,
Ben Gustafson
Good-bye!
No comments:
Post a Comment