New Dundee Gift Processing Center

Goodness, it's been a while! Where did the time go?! Much has happened since our last update. The most significant change in our lives is the transition of the ARM Ministries gift processing center from Dallas, Texas, to right here in Dundee, Oregon. In August, Alan and Dianne Mezger made the trek from Texas to here with computer equipment, printer, supplies and files so that Dianne could train me in my new position. I now spend 3-5 hours a week, and 8-10 hours at the end of every month, recording, depositing and sending out statements for all the donations made to ARM missionaries.

It has been a good challenge, and I enjoy my work. It's especially a blessing to see special gifts come in, and new donors sending monthly gifts. I also enjoy occasional personal communication with our missionaries, and sometimes even donors. I recently spoke on the phone with a donor who has a son living near Dundee. She mentioned it would be great to get together sometime when she and her husband are up this way. What a dear lady!

I mentioned that this was a transition in OUR lives, not just mine. It has required some schedule juggling, and sharing of responsibilities around the house a bit more to accommodate the time spent in my new ministry work. It has been eye opening to me how much adding just a few hours of work to my week changes what I am able to accomplish! I have a new appreciation for those who go back to work after being a stay-at-home parent. Reid and the kids are great helpers and supporters, and I am so thankful for them!

ARM Ministries Update

We want to thank you for your prayer support as we continue our work with ARM Ministries. We cannot do the work of the ministry without others supporting us in prayer. There are lots of things going on with ARM Ministries that we want to share with you and we will share some other things we have been doing below. Both Reid and Carrie continue conversations with mission founder and President, Alan Mezger, about transferring much of the daily administration activities for the mission from Dallas, TX, to Dundee, OR. Alan and Dianne are entering a new phase in ministry life and the daily administrative work is just too much to handle (in addition to the ministry load and working toward his DMiss degree, Alan has just accepted the position of VP for the South Central Region of the Evangelical Missiological Society which is a great honor). The good thing is that we (particularly Carrie) are able to take on this role for the ministry.

What does that involve? Well, a good portion has to do with tracking and managing all of the financial contributions toward our missionaries and workers. Eventually, we will move the physical address for the mission up to Oregon and will also take on the monthly distribution of funds to our missionaries and workers. Alan and Reid are working on a transition plan that will begin sometime this fall. What that really means is that Carrie's time will get busier as it is allocated toward mission support. That also means that we would appreciate your financial contributions to allow us to focus on the work of the ministry. We need to supplement what we receive as a partial salary through Reid's work at Western Seminary (see more about that below) and other jobs we have done in the past. Future plans also include the ability for us to travel to visit with our missionaries and serve alongside our Director of Member Care, Frank Majors. We want to thank you for your past financial support for us as well as your prayers on our behalf.

Would you please pray along with us for these financial needs (we are seeking additional funding of around $2,000 per month) to support these activities and our future travel for missions support? We also request that you pray for this transition as Alan and Reid continue to work along with the ARM Ministries board to develop a sound plan for this transition. Again, we thank you for your support of us as we continue serving God by supporting the delivery of His Gospel to people around the world.

Reid and Cameron's Trip to Haiti

Did you know? Reid and Cameron went to Haiti as part of a team of seven people from Grace Baptist Church in Newberg, OR in early July to support ARM Ministries missionaries, Pastor Riccardo and Misselaine St. Gelus. Our original plan was to develop an irrigation system for the ministry property that was purchased last year outside the capital city of Port au Prince and also to hold evangelistic meetings to help found a church at that property. That region of the country is very dark spiritually, with many people practicing voodoo and the nearby city hosting an annual voodoo festival which is attended by people from all over the world.

While we didn't accomplish all of our original plans, God's plans prevailed as He refocused us on developing relationships with many people in the area. We were able to help restore water service through a pump at a nearby organization. Pastor Riccardo will work closely with this organization, as their water service will form the foundation of the irrigation system in the future.

It was great to have Cameron on the trip and see his outlook change. He remarked to Carrie upon returning when talking about lunch options at home, "How can I complain about not having many choices today when I actually have food to eat?" He also contributed to the team significantly by chronicling many of the teams activities at the team blog. We would encourage you to check it out!

Travel Home

It was a great trip. We learned much more about the state of church leadership development in Haiti and how we can support them in prayer. I also gained a new appreciation for Pastor Riccardo and the influence that he has had in the lives of many people. We met several men who are now pastoring churches (and some leading groups of other pastors themselves) after having been taught by him. However, even with this significant influence that he has had, and continues to have, he remains a humble servant of God. We can continue to pray that God will use him and his family to influence others with the gospel.

Speaking of his family, I took a picture on our final day of the ladies in the house (they had to get dressed up for the photo :) ), many of whom helped care for us while we were in country. We ate very well and were the beneficiaries of their wonderful hospitality.


You can also see in the picture from left to right, Reghi, who was our chauffeur many of the days as we traveled and has his characteristic smile and joyful demeanor; Reghi's brother, with whom I joked was the more handsome of the two ;); and Paul Goodner, one of our team who visited these good people.

I also took a picture of our plane for the ride home to the U.S.


It was certainly good to be with our brothers and sisters in Haiti but it is also good to head home to see our families. For those of you who realize that we were gone over Valentine's Day, don't worry. I already thanked my wife for her flexibility as we served other believers even though we missed the specific occasion of the holiday. :)

Thank you for your prayers for us on the trip and for your continued prayers in support of the churches in Haiti and their efforts to spread the gospel to the glory of God.

Location:Somewhere Over Louisiana

Preaching the Gospel

Last night, we were able to go to an evangelistic meeting at the church of one of the pastors who attended the training we had last week (he also happens to be a lawyer who helped with the purchase of the Saut d'Eau property for Pastor Riccardo last year). His church is outside of the capital city of Port au Prince in a region called Cabaret. This place is beautiful! It is North of the capital about 45 minutes but South of National 1 (the main highway throughout the country), which puts it right on the coast.



You can see from the pictures that it is about 700-800 feet in elevation but the ocean is still visible. The second picture is a shot taken back toward Port au Prince at night with the city lights visible. We enjoyed the hospitality of our hosts, along with the cool breeze in the evening that is different from the higher temperatures in the city.


The reason we went to this church was to take part in an evangelistic meeting they were having this week. Sunday through Tuesday night (all night) is Carnival here in Haiti (like Mardi Gras in other places). It is a big party and was held this year outside of the capital in Cap-Haïtien (pronounced Cape Haitian) on the North coast. As with Mardi Gras elsewhere, it is a big party and lots of music (the night clubs in Port au Prince last night were blaring). Many churches hold these evangelistic meetings at this time in contrast to what the rest of the world is doing.

I was able to preach at the meeting and chose Ecclesiastes 10:19 as the text. It is about the world's view of life which is all about doing whatever I need to do to be happy. Parties, wine, and money solve all of our problems. In the book, written by the wisest man on earth, King Solomon, he chronicles the plight of seeking to live life without God (using the phrase throughout the book, "life under the sun"). If you are living life without God, it certainly is all about doing what I need to do to make myself happy. After all, we should "eat, drink, be merry" (Jesus references the rich man in Luke 12:19 who has the same outlook on life).



However, Solomon corrects this misperception of reality in the final two verses of the book in which he states that our duty as humans is to "fear God and keep His commandments." I related this to what Jesus calls us to through the gospel. In John 3:36, Jesus says that "whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life" but the parallel is that "whoever believes in the Son has eternal life." Believing and obeying are linked together. Jesus calls us to believe in him and obey his commandments.

On advice of Galen Currah who is part of our team on this trip, I then referenced the gospel as Jesus declared it. In Luke 24, just before he ascended into heaven, he reminded his disciples of the essence of the gospel. It contains five points.

1. Jesus died


2. Jesus rose from the dead


3. We are called to repentance from our sin


4. We are then called to obey his commandments


5. He gives us the Holy Spirit to enable us to obey

Then we did something at the meeting that I have never seen at such a meeting (again, on advice of Galen). I asked those present to turn to their neighbor and ask if they believe in Jesus and then recite these five elements of the gospel to one another. This was a great exercise since many who attend such meetings are Christians and this was an opportunity to show these believers that they can easily share this gospel with others they know so they can be rescued from the trap of the world in which they seek their own pleasure rather than seeking to obey God's commandments. It was fun too!

Please pray with me that this church will be strengthened and that many will come to believe in Jesus through their testimony.

Location:Haiti

Of Tires and Transmissions

OK, so not transmissions, but it helped me alliterate the title. :)

Today, we were able to engage in service to our brothers and sisters that often is often unexpected as we travel. Today, we were able to help fix a serpentine belt on the van that Pastor Riccardo uses.


I was able to bring some parts with me to Haiti for these vehicles since some are difficult to find here. They had some mechanics replace the original belt but they apparently didn't do it correctly as it "fell off" on our way back to Pastor Riccardo's house several days ago. We were able to get to the house and then park the vehicle until it could be fixed properly. I guess we are defined now as "properly"! As often happens in developing countries, there is some knowledge that is extrapolated to other applications but sometime the extrapolation is flawed. We were able to assist them by correcting the problem and teaching these mechanics (who later replaced the struts on the van) what they did incorrectly so they would not do so again. We were also able to negotiate a lower price on the replacement of the struts due to the previous error. Who would have known that the rest of the world doesn't understand the concept of a guarantee for services.



We were also able to assist with the purchase of a used tire for the van. That wasn't part of the original plan but God has provided what we need so we could assist our friends in this way. We thank Him for His provision and for allowing us to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ in this practical way, in addition to our training and teaching.

Tonight, we are to attend an evangelistic meeting in which the gospel will be presented. Please pray for those who hear to understand and respond in repentance as God sees fit.

Location:Haiti

Tale of Two Cities (Properties)

Today, we took a trip to Saut d'Eau where we again saw the property that Pastor Riccardo was able to purchase last year for future ministry in rural Haiti.


They have had a fence installed around the property now and plans for planting mango, avocado, lemon, and orange trees around the property in March so they are planted in time for the rains in April and will take root well. These trees will produce fruit that can be used by those living on the property in the future and the excess sold at the local USAID station for export to the US which will help fund the ministry for the future.

Speaking of ministry, there is a vision to add a church building on the property as well as a training center for church leaders and local residents (the latter would likely receive training on agricultural practices and other economic development opportunities). There is also a desire to build an orphanage on site and grow crops for the needs of those living on the property.

A relationship with the director of the USAID station has developed who desires to see the local farmers improve their yields and promote economic growth in the region. They recently installed a well at the station and I have spoken with the director about his desire to partner with Pastor Riccardo to help install a reservoir that can be used to irrigate the local properties with well water to increase their yield. This summer, another joint trip between Grace Baptist Church in Newberg, OR and Great Commandments Ministries is planned to help with some of these plans—hopefully to help install pipes for this reservoir and/or construct a caretaker's house on the property for security purposes. We will keep you aware of plans for that trip in case you might be interested in partnering with us.

As you can see, there are many plans for ministry at this new property. Plans that we submit before God to direct as He sees fit. There will be opportunities for many people to participate as He directs as well. We took time to pray about those opportunities while at that property today, that God would use this location to spread His gospel to many others who still need Him.

Next, we took the opportunity to travel a bit further down the road to the actual city of Saut d'Eau. This region is noted for a beautiful waterfall with mountain springs as its source. We travelled up the mountain (which is far too steep by US road building standards) and came to a place where you can enter the path to the waterfall.


First, we complained to the local people running the gate since there is a very public "white tax" they charge for foreigners (yes, greed is present in many different forms all around the world). The charge for locals is 25 Gds (about $0.60 USD) but is 200 Gds ($5.00 USD) for "foreigners." Needless to say, this process isn't fair but such practices exist all over the world.

More significant, however, if what we found out about this location. It is told that there is a witch doctor temple near the falls and that this area is used for Voodoo practices. We took an opportunity to pray here as well for these people that they would be released from the power of the devil and that God would manifest His power here.

We saw two different properties today—one with plans for good and one for evil. The reality is that God is in control over both and will use His people to accomplish His purposes at both locations. Please pray along with us that the gospel will be clearly communicated in the power of Jesus' name and that He will build His church to manifest His kingdom throughout Haiti.

Location:Haiti