▪•• • • •• • • • • ••• January, 2017 ▪•• • •• • •▪ ▪▪ ▪••• • •▪ ▪
14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
<<Salutation>>
As we drove through the countryside after racing through Port-au-Prince, and seeing the hardship of life in Haiti, the above scripture verse came to mind. We truly hope 2017 will be a time for Haiti to be healed and for Haitians to rise up all over Haiti and pray for their land. Please join us as we pray for the restoration of Haiti.
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Thank you:
Thanks so much for your prayers as we traveled back to Haiti earlier this month. It was
one of those typical God-directed and protected trips, as we left Sioux City early Tuesday
morning and arrived at our home 9:30 that evening. Our plane was the first plane to leave
Sioux City after a fore-casted ice storm shut down the airport the day before. We had a small
mechanical glitch that delayed our take off, but made our connecting flights and had smooth
sailing the rest of the way.
It has taken a bit to get back in the swing of things, but it was definitely easy to get use
to the weather change. Our days are sunny with highs in the 80's and lows in the upper 60's;
compared to highs that seemed to be in the 20's, and lows in the single digits, or below, during
most of our stay in December and January. We are thankful for the opportunity to share with
many friends, some who have recently joined the Laborers With Christ family and the work in
Haiti. You are a great encouragement to us.
 Laborers With Christ Intern:
Bethany Beier has joined us for a couple months as a winter intern. Bethany traveled with us, and has a heart for the children of Haiti, and more specifically the babies at the James 1:27 project. Bethany attends our home church in Iowa, and she and Olivia have become good friends over the last year.
Bethany shares, "From the first time I met the precious children and the people of Haiti, God hasn't let me forget about them. He has filled me with such a love for them and I'm excited to be serving along side the DeRoos family for the next couple of months. God has given me a heart for people all over the world and especially the little children! I've already seen Him work in my heart and in those around me and know for sure that He is in this place."
Please keep Bethany in your prayers as she allows God to use her in Haiti.
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 Missionary
Observations:
Starting out the first month of a new year, we wanted to share a bit more on the lighter side. These are missionary observations of how our life seems to be just a bit different than the norm. Here are few thoughts or experiences that we deal with as we travel back and forth from serving in the foreign field:
1). It feels strange to crawl in bed and not have to deal with a mosquito net. We are so use to using the net in Haiti, that at first, we wonder if something is missing when we go to bed in Iowa. Don't get us wrong, it's nice not to have to use the net...but we definitely notice the change.
2). (Yuck alert!!) The first few days back home we find ourselves wanting to throw our toilet paper in the trash instead of the in the toilet. All paper products in Haiti go to the trash can, due to a very simple and shallow septic system. This, of course, means that garbage from the bathroom doesn't stay inside the house very long.
3). Haiti trains a person! If just about anything is left out or uncovered in Haiti, the ants will swarm and exploit your mistake. We learn the hard way as we get use to the lack of "ant invasions" in Iowa, especially during the winter, and get reminded quickly of the "new rules" in Haiti when we see an ant trial on the kitchen counter. The trail is bad enough, but some of these guys are like fire ants and leave a painful sting, and nasty mark.
4). Our roads are so bad...you ask, "How bad are they?" They are so bad that entire headlights and tail lights just fall off the vehicles. That's right, as you can see in the picture above, the roads take their toll. It's not just lights, it's shocks, battery brackets, ball joints, and tie rods. It's actually amazing to us how much wear and tear the vehicles deal with and stay together. We have such a grateful heart for the road systems when we return to the States. For us that smooth road represents a great reprieve and enjoyable break from our Haitian roads.
5). Two hours of time, but a world of difference. The most drastic change is the difference in lifestyle. Leaving the US and all its luxury and wealth, and arriving in Haiti with all its poverty and destitution does cause a person to ride an emotional roller coaster. We don't understand why we have been given the blessing of being born and raised in a prosperous nation? It certainly wasn't because we deserved it. We give thanks to God and hope we can be used of Him to make a difference in this area as we serve in Haiti.
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 Christina Madistin
Christina is one of the babies from the James 1:27 Center who has "aged out", and now lives at the Consolation Center of Haiti (CCH). There is an unwritten rule for the boys and girls at the James 1:27 Center; that when they reach three years of age, and if there is room at the girl's or boy's orphanages, they can be moved to live with the rest of the "big" kids. For over two years we have watched her grow and develop. Over those two plus years, Christina has been a very somber child. Before she arrived at James, there must have been some extremely difficult circumstances that seemed to rob her of happiness and any response to affection. She always seemed very lethargic and disengaged from those who were around her. It's been a joy to watch an amazing transformation in her personality. The result of being raised in a new loving environment is now starting to show in happiness and smiles. Recently she was running and laughing with her peers of the same age, and she showed genuine contentment and now seems to be engaged with those around her. We praise God for His healing power, and for the blessings of seeing lives miraculously transformed before our eyes. What a great and mighty God we have.
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Zachery & Olivia's Update
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Jude's Debut in Haiti
Much has changed since our last time in Haiti—this time we have Jude, who makes our stay in Haiti very exciting and interesting. Jude is somewhat of a celebrity in Haiti, and has no idea! Everywhere we go he draws a little bit of attention and most people pause to look at the little “blan” blahn (white) baby. The kids at the Center, James 1:27 Village, and Joshua enjoyed meeting him and the girls at the Center now have a list of who is next in line to hold him.The crib and walker we have for Jude is on a shipping container in route, and in the mean time we’ve had to become very creative with ways to keep him occupied and busy. As he is crawling and climbing on everything, this has proven to be been a very interesting task (see picture above!)
Although we miss family and friends in the States dearly, we are enjoying our time being back and appreciate reestablishing and renewing our relationships here in Haiti.
As always, we encourage you to stay in touch on our blog to receive updates and photos
ourpointofview.org, please be sure to follow!
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Nutritional Nuggets – Natures Pharmacy ABC’s of Vitamins and Minerals
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 Sweetpotatoe’s
ORIGIN: Sweet potato is not a potato; and, yam and sweet potato are not the same.
Sweetpotatoe’s are from the Morningglory (Convolvulaceae) plant family. Its correct spelling is "sweetpotato" one word. As a crop it is totally different from a potato (Solanum tuberosum) and from a yam - "nyami" (Dioscoreaceae).
They are one of the oldest vegetables in the world. They are rated the number one nutritious vegetable by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. They are also found in other colors, such as white, red, pink, violet, yellow and purple.
Here is a bullet point list of the health benefits of the Sweetpotatoe: (learn more about each health area by clicking here.
1. Sweetpotatoe’s provide the kind carbohydrates that don't induce a sugar crash
2. Sweetpotatoe’s keep your digestion running and help beat disease
3. Sweetpotatoe’s may keep some cancers at bay
4. Sweetpotatoe’s are a prize for the eyes
5. Sweetpotatoe’s could help conquer PMS blues
6. Sweetpotatoe’s are a boon for childbearing
7. Sweetpotatoe’s may tame inflammation
8. Sweetpotatoe’s help blood pressure
New posts on Catherine’s Genesis Health blog:
The Power & Passion of Red - part of the Color Me Beautiful series sharing about what is behind the
colors in our foods, and what these beautiful colors of the rainbow mean for your health.
Sweet Potatoe Brownies - Recipe featuring this months Nutrition Nugget on Sweetpotatoe’s.
Past Nutrition Nuggets about Natures Pharmacy regarding the benefits of individual fruits and
vegetables.
If you are interested in learning more about improving your health, please visit and follow Genesis Health today.
“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” Hippocrates
Promoting a lifestyle of preventative care!
WELLNESS PRINCIPAL: Health comes from within. You cannot buy it in a bottle.
Please visit Catherine’s Pinterest boards by clicking this link: Catherine's Place. There, you will find a variety of healthy sources, natural solutions, recipes, God's Creation, and SO MUCH MORE. Grab yourself a healthy snack, make yourself comfortable, and take time to browse the wealth of information and be not only inspired but uplifted.
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We praise God for safe travel back to Haiti. Jude was a GREAT traveler. We heard many comments from other travelers how good he was being. Babies do have their own unique ministry. They have a way of bringing joy into others lives.
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Please pray for Bethany and her time here. What a blessing she has been to the James 1:27 village. The Love of Jesus spills out from her in a very special way. A true ministry to not only the babies, but I know to the "Mom's" of the village as well. |
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Praise God for our special time with family and friends. |
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Please join us in prayer for the restoration of Haiti and their continued recovery and rebuilding after Hurricane Matthew. |
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Please pray for Christina that she would come to know and love Jesus Christ in a special way. |
Join us in prayer for a special year of ministry in the year 2017.
Serving Him in ALL situations,
Les & Catherine, Zachery & Olivia
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Ministry (U.S.)
Laborers With Christ
P. O. Box 74
Alta, IA 51002
Phone: (712) 200-1139
E-mail: faagric@yahoo.com
Web Page: www.laborerswithchrist.org
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Les & Catherine’s Contact Information
Les and/or Catherine DeRoos
c/o Agape Flights CAY 26466
100 Airport Avenue
Venice, FL 34285
Phone: 011 509-3857-8345
E-mail: faagric@yahoo.com
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Zachery & Olivia's Contact Information
Zachery and/or Olivia DeRoos
c/o Agape Flights CAY 228521
100 Airport Avenue
Venice, FL 34285
Phone: 011 509-4292-4788
US Phone: (712) 291-1483
E-mail: zoderoos@gmail.com
Web Page: ourpointofview.org
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Laborers With Christ On-Line Donations
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Just click on this link: Love gift to Laborers With Christ You can also visit us at laborerswithchrist.org and go to our Financial Support page. Thank you so much for your willingness to partner with us in ministry.
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