GREETINGS FROM HAITI -- Quisqueya Chapel - May 2009

GREETINGS FROM HAITI !!

May 2009

Dear Friends,

THE CROSS – evidence of Christ’s death and resurrection, draped in black signifying our sinfulness on Ash Wednesday, and then transformed on Easter Sunday by beautiful flowers signifying our newness in Christ.
We hope your Easter celebrations were meaningful and fruitful as well.

The cross on Good Friday.
... and beautiful flowers Easter Sunday.

------------------------------  PAGE 2  ------------------------------

MOVE THAT WALL! – literally!! Everywhere the government is requiring people to move their walls back, supposedly for road repairs to be done. It’s a huge job for people to do, and costly. The wall at our house isn’t very long and the owner of the house will pay for it. But the Chapel’s wall is over 176 meters long and will cost an estimated $38,000 USD. Karl is encouraging the congregation to bring 15” blocks and bags of cement to help off-set the cost. We aren’t sure when the construction will begin, but when it does the new wall will be built 2 meters behind the old wall, and when finished the old wall will be torn down, and debris trucked away. What a process this will be!

The wall at our house.
The Chapel’s wall.

------------------------------  PAGE 3  ------------------------------

A flat tire, going to the first clinic
‘way out there somewhere!’
Ann dispensing meds

LACC MEDICAL TEAM – with 18 people coming from Boston, has kept us busy this past 10 days. With Bill and Dorothy Smith, we organized 5 medical clinics, each at a different location from close to Port au Prince to ‘way out in the countryside, meeting medical, physical, and spiritual needs. Helps provided besides medicine was a wound center, special help with infants and children, evangelistic outreach with a film, tracks, and testimony all in Creole, and a Pastor’s Seminar with 2 pastors on the team teaching local pastors, including those Karl had taught earlier this year. What a wonderful time everyone had, from team members, patients, pastors, and church leaders. We believe this was a very profitable time for the Good News to be proclaimed, and sharing His love with the Haitian people.

Many people waiting inside the church.
.. And many more outside!

------------------------------  PAGE 4  ------------------------------

A SEASON OF CHANGE – is coming and we are excited about the future. After praying for quite a while, in 2007 Karl told the board he thought he’d finished the work the Lord has sent him to the Chapel to do, and wanted to give them a 2 year notice for the Chapel to begin a senior pastor search. It’s been an interesting journey, but God has provided a man, living here in Haiti with his wife and family. He says that he believes God has called him to be the next pastor, even before he knew the Chapel was looking. He’s gone through the process and has been recommended by the Board to the congregation for consideration. Sunday May 3 he will preach (which he’s done several times in the past already), and after the service there will be a Q&A time for he and his wife. On May 10, after the service, there will be the Chapel’s annual spring congregational meeting, and added to the agenda will be a vote whether to accept him or not. He has wonderful gifts to offer and we are confident in his ability to fill the senior pastor position. Please be praying for these next two Sundays for the Lord’s will to be done.

Pastor Charlie teaching with Pastor Voltaire translating.

OUR FUTURE – being at the Chapel these past 10 years has enabled us to meet many different people from all over the world, a very special blessing to us. From this we’ve been able to see work others are doing, and there are some new and exciting opportunities opening up for us! Our tent is being enlarged here in Haiti, and we’ll have more news in the days and weeks ahead. We have spent a lot of time praying, seeking the Lord’s guidance and direction, and though we are little ‘nervous’ we are also confident that the Lord has led us in this way. Please be praying for us as we transition away from the Chapel and into a new season of ministry here in Haiti.

PLEASE PRAY WITH US –
*Sundays, May 3 and May 10
*For us as we transition away from the Chapel
*The need to raise more support to replace
the salary Karl received from the Chapel

In HIM,

Karl and Ann

Karl & Ann Olsson
Quisqueya Chapel
Port au Prince, Haiti

** We are considered 'self employed;'
thus we pay the full 15% for Social
Security taxes. Gifts are exempt.

Email Home: kaolsson@hughes.net
Email Chapel: pastork@hughes.net
Web: http://www.olssonsinhaiti.org
NEW Mailing Address:
Unit 2073-QC
3170 Airmans Dr.
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946

Web Design by CCBD
Copyright CCBD 2009
Photo Credit: Oil

THE CROSS – evidence of Christ’s death and resurrection, draped in black signifying our sinfulness on Ash Wednesday, and then transformed on Easter Sunday by beautiful flowers signifying our newness in Christ. We hope your Easter celebrations were meaningful and fruitful as well.
The cross on Good Friday.	... and beautiful flowers Easter Sunday.

MOVE THAT WALL! – literally!! Everywhere the government is requiring people to move their walls back, supposedly for road repairs to be done. It’s a huge job for people to do, and costly. The wall at our house isn’t very long and the owner of the house will pay for it. But the Chapel’s wall is over 176 meters long and will cost an estimated $38,000 USD. Karl is encouraging the congregation to bring 15” blocks and bags of cement to help off-set the cost. We aren’t sure when the construction will begin, but when it does the new wall will be built 2 meters behind the old wall, and when finished the old wall will be torn down, and debris trucked away. What a process this will be!
The wall at our house.		The Chapel’s wall.

A flat tire, going to the first clinic ‘way out there somewhere!’		Ann dispensing meds
LACC MEDICAL TEAM – with 18 people coming from Boston, has kept us busy this past 10 days. With Bill and Dorothy Smith, we organized 5 medical clinics, each at a different location from close to Port au Prince to ‘way out in the countryside, meeting medical, physical, and spiritual needs. Helps provided besides medicine was a wound center, special help with infants and children, evangelistic outreach with a film, tracks, and testimony all in Creole, and a Pastor’s Seminar with 2 pastors on the team teaching local pastors, including those Karl had taught earlier this year. What a wonderful time everyone had, from team members, patients, pastors, and church leaders. We believe this was a very profitable time for the Good News to be proclaimed, and sharing His love with the Haitian people.
Many people waiting inside the church.		.. And many more outside!

A SEASON OF CHANGE – is coming and we are excited about the future. After praying for quite a while, in 2007 Karl told the board he thought he’d finished the work the Lord has sent him to the Chapel to do, and wanted to give them a 2 year notice for the Chapel to begin a senior pastor search. It’s been an interesting journey, but God has provided a man, living here in Haiti with his wife and family. He says that he believes God has called him to be the next pastor, even before he knew the Chapel was looking. He’s gone through the process and has been recommended by the Board to the congregation for consideration. Sunday May 3 he will preach (which he’s done several times in the past already), and after the service there will be a Q&A time for he and his wife. On May 10, after the service, there will be the Chapel’s annual spring congregational meeting, and added to the agenda will be a vote whether to accept him or not. He has wonderful gifts to offer and we are confident in his ability to fill the senior pastor position. Please be praying for these next two Sundays for the Lord’s will to be done.
Pastor Charlie teaching with Pastor Voltaire translating.
OUR FUTURE – being at the Chapel these past 10 years has enabled us to meet many different people from all over the world, a very special blessing to us. From this we’ve been able to see work others are doing, and there are some new and exciting opportunities opening up for us! Our tent is being enlarged here in Haiti, and we’ll have more news in the days and weeks ahead. We have spent a lot of time praying, seeking the Lord’s guidance and direction, and though we are little ‘nervous’ we are also confident that the Lord has led us in this way. Please be praying for us as we transition away from the Chapel and into a new season of ministry here in Haiti.