It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We can’t believe how quickly this year went by and how much more life is going to be held in the remaining 11 days of this decade. We are so so thankful for the ways people have stood with us and Konbit Haiti as a whole this year. Haiti went through some incredibly tumultuous times, perhaps the most difficult since 2010. Though our organization and country we serve in went through some growing pains and challenges, we are also so grateful. Here’s a look at our year personally and with Konbit Haiti.

We saw a lot of successes with our programs and partners in Haiti. Like, an overwhelming amount! And it showed us, once again, how important it is to invest in and stand with local people who have the knowhow to reach their communities. While all the unrest was happening around the countries and foreign missionaries abandoned their posts, local missionaries to Haiti were there to respond in appropriate and innovative ways. Because of your giving, they were able to reach out in neat ways! 

We lost a lot of people this year, too. We mourn the deaths of our good and beloved friends, Dani Troyer and Pastor Robert Georges, both friends from Haiti. We continue to struggle with getting over these losses and attempting to carry on their legacies in faith and in our work in Haiti. 

We launched a new line – Konbit Collective! This was a brainchild of ours for a while and this year allowed us the partnerships and time to run with it. All of the proceeds from this collective go back to Konbit Haiti’s programs. Pretty neat, eh? 

(check out www.konbitcollective.com)

We stood with my (Steph’s) mom in her health journey as she battled a mysterious tumor that had to be removed at the Mayo Clinic. Thank you to those of you who have been praying for her recovery! 

We continued to investigate my (Steph’s) health and weird issues I continue to have with temperature management. 

 

We celebrated so many fun things – especially marriages in both Haiti and the USA. Ryan’s brother, Payton married his bride Noelle and in Haiti, one of our long-term staff married her beau. We were happy to be there for both. 

To be honest, we are waving byebye to 2019 without looking back. It was a hard, hard year. But looking back, it also produced a lot of fruit in our lives – both personally and in our ministry. I think it’s safe to say that hardships produce some serious opportunities for growth if we lean in. We can be both expectant and weary, which to me is the essence of the Christmas season. We thank you for journeying on with us in this season and thank you for continuing to join us as we straddle the lines of work in Haiti and work in the USA. We love you. Merry Christmas!