Last Chance to Give in 2013!

Dear Ministry Partners,

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas celebration with your family and church family.  We have had a great 2013 and we are excited for this New Year and the amazing things God has prepared for you and us. 
 

Students coming to Christ
Stacy, a new believer

We are excited to write to you and ask you for a final year end gift that will help provide for our 2014 goals and needs to continue the following ministries.

Equipping new believers
Figaro and family
 

We will be part of expanding Heart of God International’s outreach during 2014 targeting gospel hostile and unreached areas while continuing to see lives changed for eternity and equipping others in Haiti through pastor trainings, gospel preaching, Bible studies, El Shaddai Learning Center, English classes, hospitality house, Haitian artisan shop, and our expanding KOFAEL women’s ministry. 




KOFAEL
Keeping Families Together
Elourde with her children
 

We will use whatever God leads you to give to help us love others and touch lives for eternity. Thank you for praying for us and considering including the Ream Team and/or KOFAEL in your year end giving. We look forward to connecting with many of you face to face in 2014! Please let us know how we can pray for and partner with you too.

Last Chance to Give in 2013!

Please take a moment to give a cheerful, generous, tax deductable gift right now by visiting our websites.

Ream Team website: www.reamteaminternational.org

KOFAEL website: www.kofael.org



Opportunities for Artisans
Bartelmy, an artisan we support

Great is His Faithfulness,

Eric and Elisabeth Ream

Heart of God International Missionaries

www.reamteaminternational.org
Eric: ericream@heartofGodinternational.org
Elisabeth: eeream@heartofGodinternational.org

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

                                Lamentations 3:22-23

 

Good News of Great Joy

Merry Christmas!

 



The Ream Team
December 2013



And the angel said to them,

“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people."

Luke 2:10

 

 

There have been many times this past year when we have had to remember to "fear not". God has been our faithful Savior and friend. He has sent many to come alongside us to serve us and help us serve Him better in sharing the good news of the Savior whose birth we celebrate. It is with great joy that we join Him in spreading this news in Haiti. Thank you for partnering with us in bringing the good news to Haiti. We hope to be able to share with many of you face to face what He has done in the coming new year!

 

 

From our family to yours...

 

Elita Marguerite age 14

 

Elita switched from everyone calling her "Marguerite" this past year when we moved to St. Marc in January and she began a new school. It took a little while for her brothers and sisters to make the switch but everyone is officially calling her "Elita" now. She moved up to the high school building this year (where Eric works) and is enjoying new friendships. She reminds us daily that she is not a baby anymore though we tell her she will always be our baby no matter how old she gets! Elita studies very hard every day and often right up until bedtime. She is a cheerful help translating for teams and often us parents when we need it (especially on hard to interpret phone calls). She is always quick to volunteer help in the kitchen if vegetables need to be washed and cut, but not usually for dirty dishes. She is pickiest eater but we let her get away with it because she is also our healthiest eater.  Her favorite activity when she gets a chance is watching memorizing movies and then quoting them for days to come. But this year she has learned to LOVE reading and occasionally chooses reading a good book over a movie! She is learning how to deal with peer pressure and speaking up for what she believes is right. We are so proud of her!

Interview with Elita Marguerite...
What are you praying for?
"I am praying for others to hear and understand the gospel."
What prayer request do you have?
"I would like to ask for prayer that my sister will receive her visa soon."
What is your favorite subject in school?
"My favorite subject in school is Social Studies and I like English a lot too."
What are you most excited about getting to do when we visit America?
"Seeing my family again."
What are your top favorite things about living in Haiti?
"Finding and collecting seashells at the beach, eating mangos, and riding bikes with my brothers, sister and other kids on the street."




Esmée age 12

Esmée has grown up so much this year! It is hard to believe she weighed only 38 lbs and wore a children's size 5 when we first met her. She was the same height as Ethan when we moved to Haiti but he had her beat by 10 lbs. Now she has surpassed her brother in height and weight and is almost caught up to her older sister! Esmée is a joy to be around and delights herself in helping others. She is tenderhearted and the peacemaker in our home. If there was such a thing as a quiet person in our household, it would be her. Esmée has surpassed our wildest expectations both socially and academically. Two years ago she barely knew her ABC's and we taught her how to write her name. She now wins awards at school for things like completing more books in one semester than everyone is expected to finish in an entire year and making the highest grades in all subjects in her entire elementary school. And yet, she rarely brings home any homework. Her favorite leisure activity is listening to music and dancing. Pretty much everyone wants to be Esmée's friend. If you want to make friends with her fast just bring her some beef jerky.

Interview with Esmée...
What are you praying for?
"I am praying for my visa approval and also for the son of the lady in our church and his friends who were hurt and the families of those who were killed in Afganistan,"
What prayer request do you have?
"I would like others to pray for the children that do not have any parents who are sitting in orphanages and having a bad day."
What is your favorite subject in school?
"My favorite subject in school is Social Studies."
What are you most excited about getting to do when we visit America?
I am so excited to ride on an airplane and then go shopping with my Ta, MeMa, Aunt Emee, and Kelly (Hiney). I am also super excited to do all kinds of fun things with my family.
What are your top favorite things about living in Haiti?
 My favorite things are helping others that don't have anything and playing with Evangeline.

 

Ethan age 9

 Ethan often hears the words, "You are such a Price" more than once a day. He definitely takes after his "Ba", the distinguished Dr. Randall Price (Elisabeth's dad) in brains but unfortunately also in feet and fumble as is evidenced by his many scrapes and scabs. Ethan has stepped out of his comfort zone a great deal this past year and we are so proud of him. He and his little brother are the only kids lacking a lot of color at their school and Ethan has taken quite a bit of name calling in stride. He makes friends easily but says that he only needs one really good friend. His best friends are his sisters and brother. He is picking up Kreyol (Haitian Creole) easily now and can interpret conversations on the street surprising us many times with how much he actually understands. Ethan is also taking French at school which is a high school course. He completed all of his Word Building books through the 7th grade and therefore had an extra class to fill. We decided to give him a challenge. Although there have been a few tears, so far he has maintained a passing grade and is competing with Elita who is taking the class with him. Ethan loves his Haitian mutt dogs Daly and Brownie (aka Houdini) and is completely smitten with 15 month old Evangeline who lives with us. His siblings tease him that he loves her so much that he might marry her when he grows up. He loves to dance with his sisters and play DS with his brother. If anyone is up for a walk to the beach and a dip in the ocean it is Ethan. He can show you all the good snorkeling spots and finds the best shells underwater. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that he is only 9. Other times we can't believe our firstborn son is getting so big!

Interview with Ethan...
What are you praying for?
"I'm praying for all people to come to know God"
What prayer request do you have?
"My prayer request is that we will have electricity all the time soon."
What is your favorite subject in school?
"My favorite subject in school is definitely Science."
What are you most excited about getting to do when we visit America?
"I am most excited to see all my family and friends I haven't seen in a long time."
What are your top favorite things about living in Haiti?
"Snorkeling, fried plantain, fried akra, and mom letting me eat hot dogs which she almost never did when we lived in the states."



Evan Dan age 7

 

Evan Daniel Ream is without a doubt the most spoiled member of the family. He melts his daddy (whom he takes after) with one tiny freckle face look. The others don't think it is fair. But they know Evan has their back. Evan is a sweetheart who can be mistaken for a sucker because he is such a giver (except his horrid hording of video games). Evan is also a fearless swimmer, climber, and fighter. Once this year when his family, friends and dogs were in harms way he instantly leaped into action and defended us all with a pod sword he swiped from a tree that mimicked a machete. Allegedly he broke the ribs and fingers of a grown man with that same pod. When it was suggested that his actions were inappropriate and much too dangerous for a little child his response was, "I wished it was a real sword!" Haiti has nothing on this kid. Evan will talk to anyone anywhere anytime and tell them just about anything. He has lots of friends at school and is a favorite with the teachers. He is often found at school volunteering his recess helping the 1st grade students during their math hour. He is still our pickiest eater and doesn't see much reason to learn Kreyol when he has so many translators and plenty of friends around. Evan is the first to volunteer to pray at the dinner table and always prays for those who do not know about the One true God, that someone would go and tell them and that they will come to know Him.

Interview with Evan...
What are you praying for?
"I'm praying for my cousin Kyle so that the doctors can help him be able to use his hands and arms better and he can learn how to use them all over again after his surgery."
What prayer request do you have?
"I want my sister Esmée to have a great time when she visits the United States for the first time."
What is your favorite subject in school?
"Well, it was Math until I worked too far ahead and it got harder...so now I like Science better."
What are you most excited about getting to do when we visit America?
"I am most excited to see my family."
What are your top favorite things about living in Haiti?
"My favorite thing about Haiti is just having fun with my friends and I'm happy to spend time with my family."

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:11

 Good News of Great Joy from Haiti,
The Ream Family

 

How We Ride...NOW

This is how we used to ride! (click link to see)

 

http://www.reamteaminternational.org/2013/03/how-we-ride.html

 

But now...

 

A week before Christmas

We were praying A LOT

For paperwork and money to come through

And that complications would not.

 

Hoping and wishing

And holding our breath

After 27 months begging and borrowing,

Motos and tap-taps and risking our death

 

Many friends came together

And blessed us so much

With encouraging gifts

And our hearts are forever touched

 

A month before Christmas

Searching and stressed

An unexpected gift came

That doubled our blessed!

 

So a week before Christmas

After tap-tap a many

This is how we ride now

And it is blessing us plenty!

A HUGE thank you to all those who have donated and prayed to bless us with our long awaited new ride...

A

2010

Diesel

Automatic

4WD

Air conditioned

Ford Everest

with a one year warranty!

This was taken at the dealership before negotiations and final decision were made.
Eric is in the background with owner of dealership negotiating.
Elita is posing in front of the kids favorite pick.
This is the kids favorite because it has air conditioners all the way back.



Our new ride arriving in our driveway Wednesday December 18th!



Our new ride with our fam plus 3 packed in on our first trip Friday December 20th!
We plan to add a large metal luggage rack on the top so we and teams we pick up from the airport aren't so squished in the future. There are seatbelts for 7 but of course this is Haiti so a few more will always fit in just fine.



A special thank you to Karyn Bass for her heart to head up this fundraiser for us, to Cheryl McMullen family for the blessing of a better vehicle than we ever expected, to Jan Ross, David and Julie Young from Heart of God for all your help with donations, transfers, and paperwork AND...

to everyone else who made this possible!



 

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

“Thanks to the Kofael’s small loan I was able to start a little business
and get a good profit that helped me feed my relatives two children.
I am praying that KOFAEL can help me with the full business loan
so that I can keep helping them.”

Soline is one of our KOFAEL ladies and God is using her to help keep her relatives family together.  Our dream is to help her and others like her receive full business loans and we would love for you to partner with us to turn dreams into reality.

Tomorrow, December 1^st, is my wife’s birthday and she requested we make a $250 donation in honor of her birthday (an expensive, but rewarding present) to provide a full business loan so that Soline can celebrate answered prayers with us.

Our goal in the next 25 days is to raise $250 a day to provide full loans to each of the 25 waiting women currently in the KOFAEL Port au Prince program. This money will pay it forward as each recipient pays back her 0% interest loan and the money moves forward to help another woman. Your launching gift will be multiplied many times over to keep many families together! In the next 25 days leading up to CHRISTmas we invite you to invest in these precious lives with us by making a tax deductible donation to KOFAEL. We have started day one! Who’s next?

You can learn more about KOFAEL and make your donation to our 25 x 250 goal at:  http://kofael.org/

Your gift will not only be multiplied in changing lives, but also in MATCHING MONEY!

For every $250 dollar donation to KOFAEL made from December 1 – December 25, another generous donor will match that with a $250 donation in support of all the Heart of God Haiti programs, up to a maximum of $6,000! We are so excited to have you partner in this investment with us and participate in the challenge to receive the match of $6,000 by December 25^th. There may even be someone to match the $6,000 again when we meet our goal. Could that be your family, church, or business? We invite you to share our vision, dream big with us and invest in gifts that keep on giving this Christmas!

Because of His Ultimate Gift,
Eric Ream
2 Cor 9:6-9

October News

A teary eyed student approached me saying she experienced a horrific dream a few years ago that has brought her much fear and grief.  She said she saw in a dream that her cousin was shot five times in the chest and died.  A few days later her cousin died in the exact same way she dreamed.  This explains her terrible fear from the past, but her tears this day were for a different reason.  She told me that she recently had another dream about her grandpa dying and she felt that because of her previous experience that this may happen to him.  She shared these things with me and then asked, “Mr. Eric what do I do now?” We talked for a while and I mostly listened and then found in this conversation a great opportunity to share the gospel.  This young lady who entered tearful and fearful left thankful for a Savior who cares about her dreams, her grandpa and He made a way for her to spend an eternity with Him.  Michelle is excited to learn more about her Savior and what it means to love God, love others and make Him known wherever she goes. Please pray for her.

Your prayer and financial support is making a difference in Haiti.  We are thankful we have partners like you who join us in petitions and praise.

Praise! We are very excited to share with you that our KOFAEL ladies have a new, safe place to meet every month starting this month (October)! KOFAEL has received sponsorships for 3 ladies this month as well! Prayer request: We still need 26 women sponsored (13 at $250 and 13 at $150). One time sponsorships are urgently needed for these women at this time. We currently cannot bring more women into the microloan program until we have the funding to cover our current waiting women.

We have had several visitors to Haiti this month and have enjoyed extra fellowship and special provisions they have brought. We love getting to know new friends in ministry that come on teams to Haiti that we get to host for a meal, a trip to the beach, or shopping at the artisan gift shop we have opened in our home. We anticipated and enjoyed hugs from long time friends, were blessed to host an adoptive family taking their new family member home this month as well as Elisabeth’s sister Emilee who has spent a treasured two weeks with us. We are so thankful for these encouraging visits from loved ones new and old.

We are very thankful to be a part of Heart of God International Ministries and look forward to discussing many opportunities to share the heart of God around the world. Eric will be traveling to Cleveland, OH, at the end of this month for this meeting.  Please pray for safe travels and opportunities to share Christ, for this meeting with our partners in ministry, and for Elisabeth and the kids in Haiti while Eric is away.  Eric will go from this meeting and travel with the Heart of God Haiti Director and his wife to Rochester, NY, for other appointments. The last Wednesday of October, Eric will be speaking at a church where his roommate from college is now pastor.  Thank you for your prayers for these planning and preaching meetings.

Next month, Eric will again commence scheduled monthly training of pastors in Haiti.  He will continue to serve as director at El Shaddai Learning Center, teach English classes in our neighborhood (Col 4:2-6), preach in churches and serve on the board of Kofael.  Your partnership is essential and we could not do what we do without you and your support.

Other needs: We are still praying for full funding in monthly support, funding to be able to purchase a much needed vehicle (halfway there) and also a power source (generator) to have electricity in Haiti. We continue to trust in His faithfulness to sustain us and provide for our needs each day. Thank you for being part of His faithfulness to us.

Love in Christ,

Eric and Elisabeth

1 John 5:13-14

Celebrating Evangeline

One week ago today we celebrated our baby girl's first birthday. It is hard to believe that a whole year has gone by since her birth! What a blessing it has been to get to watch her develop in the womb, help name her, welcome her into the world, and spend her first year of life with her in our family! Evangeline and her mother Genise have mostly lived with our family since October 2012 and we consider them part of our family. We all love them so much! Soon I will write the story behind how all of this came to be...

Please pray for Evangeline which means "bearer of good news" that she will continue to grow up healthy and happy and come to know our Savior at an early age so that she may share the good news of the true gospel with her people in Haiti.

Celebrating the rare moments you and Dally were sleeping!

Neither like to sleep.

Both love loud, busy, and lots of attention

Early February 2013 shortly after you moved to St. Marc with us

Celebrating 4th of July 2013

 Celebrating your many smiles

August 2013

Celebrating your 1st birthday September 28th, 2013

Celebrating our little "bearer of good news",

her first year of life

and how blessed we are to have spent it with her!

Excited about the start of school...and for how God continues to workthrough all our many "sometimes"!

 Monday September 16th, 2013 the new school year began!

We are all very excited!

Welcome To El Shaddai Learning Center

We are excited for the opportunity to serve, to grow through experience, through books, through loving each other, through being flexible and sometimes having to do things a LOT differently in Haiti. There are a lot of such sometimes. Sometimes school has to be started a week late because the air carrier bringing school books decided to service out your order to another carrier who won't fly to Haiti until the plane is full. Sometimes the President of Haiti announces that Haitian schools will be delayed for a whole extra month due to so many families not being able to afford the costs of tuition, books, and uniforms. Sometimes we wonder how we will manage these things for our children too. Sometimes Eric visits with so many families that cannot afford these basic things he comes home very tired and drained. Sometimes he works at the school from 6:30 am to 8:30 pm because sometimes it rains hard and he can't find a Haitian scooter to taxi him home. Sometimes we don't have Digicel minutes on our phones to call each other and can't find anyone selling minutes so I spend the evening wondering if my husband is still alive. I am really not ok with those sometimes. Sometimes the kids begin to worry too because they get that being out after dark by yourself without a vehicle isn't a super safe thing where we live. Sometimes we do things that are not super safe. Sometimes we do things I never ever thought we would do. Sometimes we don't even notice we do them anymore. Sometimes we don't post about the really awful things that happen. Sometimes we don't get over them. Sometimes we decide we have to choose some safer things. Sometimes this means that we are choosing for our kids to not get to go to school because we would risk their safety riding with some dude without a license on the back of a scooter that could take them anywhere but school. Sometimes I don't want to homeschool. Sometimes we miss having options. Sometimes we think that not having options is a blessing. Sometimes we get mad at that kind of "blessing" and sometimes we embrace it. Sometimes people we thought we could trust show us that we can't. Sometimes we don't feel like we can trust anyone. Sometimes this makes us feel very lonely. Sometimes we wonder if us being here matters at all. Sometimes we can't imagine being anywhere else.

Sometimes teachers don't want to show up for training. Sometimes teachers don't get that working for a Christian school means you can't separate your sinful private life from your public professional life. Sometimes commitments from teachers set to come from the states fall through. Sometimes. Always these times affect more than one person. Sometimes that is why daddy doesn't come home for dinner. Sometimes missionaries and Haitian friends work together to pick up the pieces and we get to see good come out of these sometimes. Sometimes we ask "why?" Always God reminds us that He is working all things, not just some things together for good. Sometimes we get to experience how He does that. Sometimes we just have to trust His purpose...because He promised...because we love Him...because He first loved us. Because we can't possibly doubt Him. Because He experienced every single agonizingly beautiful sometimes. Because He is not a far away God. He is there with us. We know this. We wish we could share all the times He has worked through our sometimes. But for this week...

We are excited about the school year beginning! We are excited about how God has worked to get us here and keep us here, to get the teachers here, to get the students here, to bring in teams that helped get the school ready, to help and encourage Gary and Carolyn Walker who run the school, to work alongside other teachers, directors, missionaries, and families. We are excited about answered prayers for our children getting a safer ride to school until the Lord provides a vehicle for our family. We are excited about seeing all the kids so excited! We know there will be a lot of "sometimes" ahead and we are excited to see how God will continue to work through each and every one!

Be excited with us!

Excited about the new library center!

Exited for new teachers!

Excited about being with school friends again!

Exited to get to school at the beginning of the year and pick out our spots!

Excited to learn!

 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

-Romans 8:28

September Newsletter

Gearing up for school at El Shaddai

When you have one of the best Christian and English schools for over 40,000 students in your area and only about 8 desks for each class you have to turn people away.  The last couple of weeks have been spent meeting and interviewing potential students and their families to see if our school is a good fit for their child.  Often we have to tell families who are excited about their child getting a great Christian education that we have to put them on a waiting list.  It is extremely difficult to see their desperate faces after sharing that news.

God opened the door several times to share the gospel this week with students and families. A man said he was a believer since birth.  It was a joy to ask him some more questions to find out he put his trust in Christ when he was 9 or 10 years old.  He is now more equipped to share his God story with others.  I always ask parents and students if I can pray for them in the interviews.  One student’s story was heartbreaking.  His dad died less than a year ago.  His mom and other brother went to the states and he is now living with an aunt near the school.  They were looking for financial help for him to attend school. We took time this week to pray with him and his aunt for God to provide the funds for him to attend school.

El Shaddai Learning Center had a team from Florida come and serve with them here in Haiti.  A team of American teachers shared many helpful ideas with our Haitian teachers during a busy 3 day training seminar.  Our teachers walked away with some great info and a heart to change some things about themselves and how they treat and react to their students.  We are looking forward to a great year now scheduled to start September 16th!  We appreciate your prayers as we have students who still need to put their faith in a Savior and many who need to grow in their love for Him and others.

Kofael Happenings

We made a family trip to see the ladies of Kofael the 3^rd weekend in August. It was a sweet time of fellowship. One of our elderly ladies had just returned from her husband of 25 years funeral earlier that morning. She has been caring for him in his sickness the past few years while struggling to take care of her family. It was a blessing to be able to surround her in prayer. The sound of Haitian women praying is one of the sweetest sounds we have ever heard. Our friend who had just left her husband’s gravesite asked if she could pray for us in return. She who the world would call “the least of these” prayed for provision for our family to have a vehicle so that we could come to visit them more often. It was a humbling and precious time.

Elisabeth made another trip the next weekend for the monthly Kofael meeting. This was a special meeting because we had raised money to be able to purchase school supplies for each woman to help send her children and/or grandchildren to school. This meeting we were giving the supplies purchased from one of the women in the program which also brought added blessing to her family through this large sale. The cost of school in Haiti is one of the greatest hardships for Haitian families. School was once again announced delayed by the government until October due to so many families not having the funds to begin. Thousands of children are placed in orphanages simply because their parents cannot afford school and other basic necessities. Many of the women in the Kofael program came to one of the Kofael leadership looking for help to find an orphanage to place their children. Providing school supplies is one small thing we can do to help keep families together. The women were very excited to each get a packet of supplies. Thank you to those who contributed to their excitement and helped meet this important need.

Frantz and Julienne, our Haitian leadership team journeyed back to St. Marc with Elisabeth so that we could spend the next day discussing upcoming important milestones for Kofael. There are currently forty-one women in the Port au Prince program. Nine finished paying loans in August, five of those are ready for their final loan. Fourteen more will finish paying loans this next month. Three will finish in November. Fifteen more have finished their first loans and are currently waiting for their second loans. We are currently not able to take any more women into the program and are praying for provision of $5,850 to be able to grant some of the next loans to the women. As the women pay back their loans we are able to roll over the money into the next loans. But having to front the initial loan money for so many is a difficulty. God has faithfully always provided and the women have been faithful in paying back each loan. Kofael needs fourteen ladies sponsored for their second loan of $150 each and fifteen ladies sponsored for the 3^rd loan of $250 each (totaling the $5,850). If you are led to sponsor a one time Kofael microloan in the amount of $150 or $250, please contact us to let us know. Please pray with us as we trust Him for this amount!

Link with information to donate to Kofael: http://empoweringwomeninhaiti.blogspot.com/p/donate.html

Kofael members at the last meeting happily receiving school supplies for their children

Family Life

 We were blessed with eighty-two consecutive days of visitors since June! We are still trying to catch our breath a bit and enjoy some much needed family time in the midst of gearing up for school and Kofael happenings. We enjoyed a visit from two boys we are close to and help sponsor for school and their mother staying with us for a few days last week. We also made the decision to add another addition to our household this past month. Roselie is a dear friend we have known for the past 2 years. She has to be the best cook, housecleaner, and hair braider around! Roselie badly needed a job and we badly needed help in the midst of so many guests, so many Haiti house issues, ministry and summer homeschooling. Roselie was living with her aunt in Port au Prince so having her come to work with us so far away meant having her move in with us. She is sharing a room with Genise and little Evangeline who also share our daily lives. We can hardly believe Evangeline will turn one on September 28^th and has always been with us. She definitely keeps us all on our toes now that she is so mobile! Her busy mother also welcomed the company and additional help from Roselie. Now we don’t know what we ever did without her! Our household now has us six Reams, Roselie, Genise, Evangeline, Dalencourt “Daly” and Brownie (nicknamed “Houdini”), our two adopted Haitian mutt dogs….along with whomever else decides to knock on our door! We are a pretty rowdy and blessed bunch! Our biggest personal family prayer request right now is for the provision of a vehicle because getting this bunch out of the house without one is a very difficult task!

 Link to donate to vehicle fund: http://hgim.donorpages.com/MissionsReamEVehicle/ream/

 We are also praying for new partners to pray and financially come along us so that we may continue to live and serve in Haiti. Our current regular pledged support is meeting only 20% of our minimum budgeted needs.

 Link with information on how to donate towards one time or monthly giving for our family: http://reamteaminternational.org/donate/

By God’s grace through a few generous one time donations over the past few months He has sustained us. We continue to trust in His faithful provision and be encouraged by the prayers of the saints. Please don’t hesitate to let us know how our family can pray for you as well!

By God's Faithful Grace,

The Ream Team

 

 

 

Summer Summary

We have had a very busy summer! Our focus in the midst of ministry, family life, and lots of Haiti chaos has been getting the house set up and raising financial support during the summer months. Here is our newsletter with a summary of our summer happenings. Thank you to all of you who made many of these happenings possible!

Settling Slowly

The Haiti Hospitality House has been a big project over the summer and we have been settling slowly. Nothing gets done quickly in Haiti unless you count sweating. We have been in the house for 2 ½ months and are slowly fixing many problems common to Haiti households. Many of those problems were suppose to be fixed by the landlord, but as we continue to wait for necessary repairs we have begun fixing them ourselves. We are hoping this will be taken into consideration and deducted from the balance we still owe for this year’s rent. We have enjoyed getting to know our new neighbors and look forward to our neighborhood public ministry that will begin next month.  Please pray that our other repair issues (toilet, water, window, roof, doors) will be solved soon and our home will be a light to our neighborhood.

We have installed a pump and new pipes but due to limited water we still have to take baths outside much of the time!

Borrowed Blessing

Missionaries we serve with in Haiti allowed us to borrow one of their vehicles for the summer.  This has given us many advantages. One of the biggest blessings is more safety for our family as we travel.  In the past we have primarily traveled by public transportation which takes much longer, is very tiresome, and is not safe. Many missionaries we have spoken to have never traveled on public transport even after many years spent in Haiti (which I can’t say I blame them). We are extremely thankful to our friends for the borrowed blessing.  We are thankful for Karyn Bass who felt the Lord leading her to help us fundraise for our own vehicle and Jan Ross helping set up this fundraiser for us.

U.S. Visiting Us

Our first visitors came within a week of us moving into our new house in May. We received a call from a friend that had stayed with us on her previous trip to Haiti and said there were some people she knew who needed a place to stay. We asked when they would be arriving in Haiti and we were told the four were already on the bus traveling to our house! This was during the same weekend our furniture was scheduled to be delivered and we had several Haitian guys working all over the house. We did not feel ready for guests but were reminded that the Lord had provided this "Hospitality House” and that our hearts should be open to show hospitality at all times especially to those of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10).

We had a treat this summer to host one of our students we once had in stateside youth ministry.  Brandon had planned to stay with us for six weeks this summer but then extended his stay for another month! He worked hard helping us with house maintenance issues, building relationships in the community, teaching English and helping some kids learn to read. He did a great job and we enjoyed having him with us! We also appreciate Brandon’s mom, our dear friend Page who worked very hard to shop and squeeze a huge list of supplies into suitcases coming with Brandon. Thank you for your love for us and the people of Haiti and for giving Brandon many unforgettable experiences.

Brandon with neighborhood guys outside our house

Our next visitors in June were some friends with whom we went to grad school who had been preparing to visit for many months. It was great reconnecting, serving, teaching, preaching and training together.  Mark, Emily and their son Luke were a huge encouragement and we were blessed by the supplies and gifts that came with them. Ethan and Evan enjoyed having a friend their age come to visit and will never forget their special time playing with Luke.

Eric and Mark took turns teaching a group of Haitian pastors in Port au Prince. Mark is pictured here with our friend Frantz translating. Eric was able to teach for an hour and 1/2 without translation. Praise the Lord for progress with Creole! The pastors asked when Mark would be returning. Well Mark?

We were blessed to have a friend that Elisabeth went to both high school and college with spend time with us in St. Marc while he was in Haiti with other friends from a team serving at an orphanage in Port au Prince. Brian and his precious family have spent years serving as missionaries in Mexico training Mexican nationals to serve as missionaries in other countries. It was a great encouragement to share our trials and joys serving as missionaries and raising our children in different cultures and the challenges and blessings this brings. We also were blessed that Brian was able to bring us a bag of items we had left behind in TX and both his family and the Tansey family from home added more needed items and extra treats as well! Thank you! Thank you!

We housed an adoptive parent and his two Haitian daughters for two weeks in late July/early August. Our girls especially enjoyed having the girls to play with and working with them on their English. We were blessed to be able to translate, swim at the beach, help with their hair, give the girls needed clothes, assist in adoption paperwork, and hopefully give their dad a bit of a break during a stressful time. During this time with a full house we had another surprise visitor who was brought to our gate in need of a place to stay for three weeks. Jon is still with us and has been a helpful trooper! Thanks U.S. for visiting us in Haiti.

Us Visiting U.S.

Elisabeth made a quick trip to the U.S. at the end of May to take care of taxes and get the house we own ready for new renters. There was a big mess left by the previous renter and she worked very hard to accomplish all that needed to be completed in a short time. We are very thankful to have good renters in the house now and for the precious little time Elisabeth was able to spend with some of her siblings and our niece Hannah that Elisabeth had not yet seen outside the NICU. Elisabeth was able to sell a few big furniture pieces in order to cover the cost of her plane ticket. Though she regretted there was not much time for visiting, loved ones who came over to help her clean out the house and yard were a great source of strength and encouragement. You know who you are and hopefully know how much we love and appreciate you all.

Elisabeth with her niece Hannah who was born 3 months premature on Thanksgiving day

I (Eric) traveled to Nashville in July to attend an administrator’s training for El Shaddai Learning Center (the school we work with in Haiti). I received training that has the potential to be helpful to the principals, teachers and ultimately better for the students. Bethany, the elementary principal, was also at the training and we were able to brainstorm and plan for the upcoming school year. If you are interested in sponsoring students and/or volunteering with us as a teacher please let us know.  We are thankful to Doug and Lois Fearing who are helping ESLC fulfill their mission and helped fund the trip for us to receive the training.

During my time in Tennessee I was blessed to connect with our friends Mark and Emily Bass, who had just visited us in Haiti, and meet the rest of the Bass family. I was also richly blessed to meet the saints at First Baptist Church of Smithville where Mark is the pastor. They gifted us with enough money for our second payment (only one more to go) to complete our daughter’s adoption process. The church was so excited about what God is doing in Haiti.  One part of the group adopted us as a Sunday school class and prays for us and supports us as they are able. We praise the Lord for them and for meeting some special needs of ours through them.

While in Tennessee I was also able to visit with my life long friend, Jason Yost and his family, who stopped by the hotel where I was staying.  His girls are beautiful and look like his wife Laura…thank God. ;) They just happened to be vacationing in Tennessee while I was there for the conference. I was so excited that they took some time out to come and visit.  Laura gave me some gift cards for Starbuck’s to buy my wife some coffee to bring back.  So sweet Laura…Elisabeth was so excited to get her coffee treat!  I also had the privilege of meeting up with another friend from grad school who is now married and has a great family residing in TN.  Wendy Roberts Martine and family met me at Chick-Fil-A (yum, I miss that in Haiti) and it was great to hear their hearts and passion for the ministry at their church.  Excited about what God is doing in and through them.  Thanks Wendy for another gift for my wife…she loved it…the Martines are so thoughtful.

Following Tennessee I traveled to Georgia and reconnected with my high school youth pastor and his family, Tom and Kelly Davis.  I had a great time catching up and seeing their ministry there in Georgia.  It was a joy to see and share at Effingham Baptist Church.  God is doing incredible things through the Davis family in Georgia and around the world.  Thanks for allowing me to come, catch up and share a little about Haiti. I hope it is not another 15 years before we see each other again!

After Georgia, I headed to Illinois. I was able to spend time with my parents, family and friends.  I had the privilege of sharing at two churches in IL. I was so thankful for the opportunity to share a little at Calvary Baptist, where I grew up.  It was great to see everyone there that has been so instrumental to God’s call on my life through the years.  It is great to see Calvary staying faithful to Him and His mission under the leadership of Steve Switzer. I was privileged to share at Taylorville Evangelical Free Church and give a report to this faithful supporting and praying church.  Earlier in the summer the children of this church raised funds for us through their vacation Bible school.  It was incredible to visit with Jim Wolfe and friends at E-Free.  We are so encouraged by the believers in T-ville, IL.

My international travel was sponsored by friends of El Shaddai Learning Center and domestic travel was sponsored by some great friends and people I did life and ministry with in IL.  Leaving IL, I went to TX for a few days to see family and more faithful friends and supporters. We could not be doing what we do without these amazing friends and family.  You know who you are and you are such a blessing and we love you, your families and what God is doing with you all.  Some of the guys I met with in a small group while we lived in New Braunfels got together one night at Andrew Bain’s house.  They are always such an encouragement and a challenge to my spiritual life.  Thanks to all those guys for spurring me on to love and good works. It was great to see Peter and Miguel who made a quick four hour trip to see me, at no other place, but Chick-Fil-A!  We are excited for you all as you return to college and serve the Lord in ministry.  I was excited to have lunch with the Hines and hear all about God’s amazing work through this family.  We are always challenged to love the Lord more after hanging out with them and hearing about God’s work through them in Africa and TX.  It was great to see the staff and others serving at New Braunfels Bible and the encouragement we received from them.  NBBC is such a great church and touching lives of people for eternity!  We always thank God for them and remember them in our prayers.  It was great spending time with Nathaniel Cowan and hearing about how God used their group in the Philippines this summer and plans for God using them in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes this school year.  It was a great encouragement to hear how God continues to use our friends in ministry.  Mitch and Cati Palmieri, it is always a blessing to hear from you all and see you.  Your excitement for the Lord’s work is contagious. I am always encouraged and spurred on when I get to visit with the precious folk at Grace Bible Church in San Marcos.  The people there have such a great heart for missions and make it an emphasis of what they do on a regular basis.  Thanks for allowing us to share what God has been doing with us through our struggles and successes.  Thanks to mom and dad Price for all your help and getting me to the airport so early to get back to the family and Haiti.  To all of you around the U.S. thank you for your love, support and prayers.  We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you again here or there.

Eric and some really great buds!

Power Problems

Life in Haiti is difficult.  Our voltage coming in to the house is very inconsistent and too weak to run our appliances without causing permanent damage. We have unplugged the majority of our appliances until we can afford a more reliable power source.  If you are interested in helping with these issues please let us know.  We can purchase a transformer for our house, a medium sized generator and solar panels which would make life much easier for us and our guests. Think no lights after dark, little power to charge computers and phones and run fans, 90 degree weather with 100% humidity, no air conditioning, lots of sweat, no running water 50% of the time, and how difficult it would be to accomplish all you need to do under such circumstances.  That is why we need whatever you can do to help us at this time to purchase these “necessities”.  A good night sleep helps get all of us through the next day wisely and productively.

Generous Giving

God richly blessed us through this summer.  We are encouraged to be in our new rental we have nicknamed the “Haiti Hospitality House”.  Thank you to those who have given to this need.  We are encouraged by faithful supporters and new supporters.  We appreciate your prayers, giving and encouragement.

Pictured is the welcome room/gift shop at our Haiti Hospitality House

We are in need of monthly and one time donations.  We sleep, eat and serve here because of your giving to the Lord on our behalf.  We are currently at 25% of our needed monthly support.

One of our ministries in Haiti is our women’s microloan program, “Kofael”. Kofael has expanded to another area in Haiti which is about a 5 hour drive one way (and the roads are very rough). We could use someone to give $100 a month to fly roundtrip (sometimes $200 for two) to this area as it would be cheaper then paying for gas and wear and tear from these trips in our future vehicle.

Thanks again to Karyn Bass and Jan Ross for putting together the fundraiser for us to purchase a used vehicle. You can give to this need by going to http://hgim.donorpages.com/MissionsReamEVehicle/ream/ and find all the information to donate there.  We have reached 15% of our goal of $8,000 for the vehicle.  We are praying to be able to purchase a vehicle before school commences on September 9^th though we know that is soon approaching. We do not know how we will manage with Eric and our children getting to school each day without this provision. We appreciate your prayers in this.

We have not started to raise support for big needs such as a generator ($14,000), transformer ($1,500), or solar panels ($9,000).  We struggle to even think about requesting money for these things when we are in such need for monthly personal funds, a vehicle to be able to get to around and many ministry needs as well. We are very thankful for the many ways HGIM has been a great help with our fundraising needs and the many ways they have edified us spiritually through our partnership in ministry. Transitioning to partner with HGIM has been another focus this summer and we are so excited for what the future holds!

Thank you for your faithful prayers, support, and your ministry where God has each of you serving.  We are excited for this next year and believe the Lord will continue to provide for where He has called us to serve.  This September we will begin our third year in Haiti.

We live in a very broken world. But as we watch the sun go down each day we are reminded of what God intended and that one day it will be restored to reflect His full glory. As the sun sets on our second year in Haiti we are reminded of HIs faithfulness to us always.

On the calendar so far for the remainder of 2013…

September  – El Shaddai teacher training and start of school, preaching in Godet (if we get our vehicle), English classes, Kofael meeting, hosting guests

October – School, parent meeting, Bible study, English classes, preaching in churches, pastor training, Kofael meeting, hosting guests, Heart of God International meeting (Eric traveling stateside), Speaking at Victory Church in Rochester, NY

November – Teacher training, school, English classes, Bible studies, training pastors, preaching, hosting guests, American-Haitian Thanksgiving

December – School, Christmas programs for school and Kofael, Bible study, English classes, pastor training, hosting guests, celebrating our Lord’s birth!

***We are hoping to be in the USA during the summer of 2014 as a family and looking forward to seeing many of you.  If you would like us to speak or visit with us please let us know and we will get it on the calendar. Thanks for your friendship, prayers and generosity.  May God continue to meet your needs and ours for His glory!  Let us hear from you and how we can pray for you.

Eric Ream

2 Corinthians 5:9

Introducing Heart of God International Mininistries and Exciting News!

We have been super busy with moving, traveling, wrapping up the school year, getting to know our new neighbors and many guest visits since we moved into our new house at the beginning of May. Internet and electricity were sparse as well the past month, so we are just getting around to sharing the latest news. We are so excited to share with you about life in Haiti.  Thank you to all those who are helping us live and serve Him in this country. God continues to open doors for the gospel to be proclaimed and for groups and individuals to consider the Truth and what they believe.  One man said, “I have never been a part of a Bible study before and have never understood the gospel before.”  In the midst of daily struggles here in Haiti encouraging words like this make it easier to press on.  Thanks for helping us press on!

We are excited to share some other great news with you.  We have been building a relationship with an international ministry for the past year that makes sharing the gospel to the people of the world THE priority. The ministry is called, Heart of God International Ministries (HGIM). God has now opened the doors for us to join HGIM Haiti which we collectively believe will bring the most glory to Him through this partnership! We chose to partner with HGIM for several reasons. 

One…they are thrilled about what God is doing around the world and watch to see what God is inviting them to do to share the gospel.

Two…HGIM cares about God being glorified and proclaimed and it is not about them or their ministry. It is about Him!

Three…the people at HGIM care about what God is doing in and through us and desire to help us serve well in various ways.

Four…they are a financially accountable 501 c3 that will provide a unique opportunity for us. Meaning…You can be certain that more of your money is being used as you intended.

Five…They are lovers of God, His Word, the gospel and desire to see God proclaimed to the people’s of the world.

After this month we will no longer be partnering with or receiving monthly support through Resourcing Christian Education, Intl. RCE is a wonderful organization that meets a great need for Christian teachers around the world. We are very thankful for their ministry and their partnership the past two years in Haiti. We will continue serving in the same ministries here in Haiti, but are changing our partnering mission organization in the US to better fit the ministry and needs as we continue to serve the Lord in Haiti. If you are one of our financial supporters through RCE we ask that you send support there for the month of June if you have not already done so or any lapsed funds that may have simply been forgotten. We are a behind in our support with RCE and need to catch up for the month of June to leave in good standing with them. Those who may want to begin supporting us financially for the first time can begin to do so at this time through Heart of God International. We ask regular supporters to please close the RCE account beginning in July and switch to supporting us through HGIM.

Heart of God will also be partnering with us to meet a need for KOFAEL, the Christian Haitian women’s microloan program that we serve with here in Haiti. We are in awe of how the Lord chose to answer this prayer for the ministry of KOFAEL. A separate account where tax deductable donations can be made to KOFAEL has been set up along with a separate account for our regular monthly support for the Ream family.

Heart of God International Ministries offers a variety of ways for you to support us.

We need your prayer support.  You can visit www.heartofgodinternational.org.

We need your financial support.  As several of you do, you can set up recurring donations through your check card or credit card.  You can write an eCheck.  You can mail your donation to the ministry office.  Here are the links and the information on how to do that. 

Ministry office: Please put “Ream” or “Kofael” in the memo line so the office knows which account to post the amount given.

Heart of God
PO Box 248
Willard, OH 44890

Online giving: http://weblink.donorperfect.com/eream

If you have any donation questions please email accounting@heartofgodinternational.org.

We are thrilled to share this news with you and are thankful for your partnership in the gospel. 

Please take the time this week to make the necessary changes with your credit card or bank account. Thank you for your flexibility in setting up your new contributions with HGIM. We look forward to seeing what God is going to continue to do. 
Please remember no donation is too small.  One dollar can buy a bag of water, a piece of candy, and a coke as we sit down with someone to talk about the One who can change lives. It helps us meet our needs by helping us purchase groceries, taxi fare or help to buy a car that we desperately need before the new school year begins in September. Thank you for your obedience to partner with God in what He is doing around the world. We need you and are thankful to God for you! 

 

Praise: We completed the school year with El Shaddai Learning Center this past week! It was a great year! We are looking forward to having time this summer for setting up the Hospitality House, getting to know our neighbors better, language study, working with the KOFAEL women, Pastor training, discipleship, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Prayer request: We have several hours of driving to teach at a pastor’s conference and preaching at a church in the mountains this weekend. We are blessed to be able to use our partners in ministry (at El Shaddai school) vehicle while they are in the states until August. We are earnestly praying to be able to purchase our own vehicle before September. Thank you for your prayers!

We would love to hear from you and the things you would like to hear about as we update our blog in the near future. www.reamteaminternational.blogspot.com.

Our new ministry email addresses are:

Eric: ericream@heartofgodinternational.org
Elisabeth: eeream@heartofgodinternational.org

Please e-mail us and let us know if you would like to be included in a monthly e-mail newsletter. Our hotmail e-mail accounts will remain active and will be linked to our new HGIM ministry e-mail. We are trying to switch everything over to Heart of God within the next month. Please help us complete this task with your communication, support, and faithful prayers.

Love,

Eric and Elisabeth Ream