The Amazing God!
Dear brothers and sisters,
Greetings to you in His name!
Allow me to wish all of you a happy new year! Many voices have already expressed serious concern about 2021. Some claim that it will be more challenging than 2020, but the reality is no one knows. Only God knows what lays ahead of humanity. The authors of the old hymn were right when they wrote:
“I don’t worry o’er the future
For I know what Jesus said
And today I’ll walk beside Him
For He knows what lies ahead
Many things about tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand.”
The smart thing to do is to let Jesus, the One and only One who knows the future hold our hands. By doing so, all will be well no matter what.
Like it was the case for many institutions, saying the year was challenging for Living Water is an understatement. But we are in 2021 making plans to celebrate our 18th anniversary. Only an All-powerful God could have made that possible! Coming out of a four months locked down country (September to December 2019), we had from January on several people who died of diseases, fires, traffic accidents, and some we cannot explain.
While we were dealing with those emotional issues we had a group of employees who were making unreasonable demands, whose goals were clearly to destroy the institution. After numerous meetings and prayers, God brought a solution to this problem. Then COVID 19, then hunger crisis, then the drop of the dollar value in relationship to the Gourde (Haitian currency), followed by energy problem (which is not completely solved), and the list goes on.
To buckle the belt of trouble, last November, the same group of employees whom I mentioned above wanted to make their own laws at Living Water, decided to take action that even the Haitian law does not permit. They were doing so while the previous contract had already expired and they did not want to sign the new contract on the terms that our administration offered to them weeks before. Consequently these people are not part anymore of our system. We have audio and written documents testifying that their end was to destroy the institution and me in the best interest of rival institutions (schools primarily).
In one of their voice messages to their teammates, one of them said he expected that I would have a stroke at the courtroom. Thanks be to God that did not happen. Since then, I had to change my working schedule for safety sake. God is watching over Living Water, my family, those who are working hard to push Living Water forward, and me, but we still need to be prudent and wise. God is trustworthy, we can rely on Him at all times. He knows tomorrow and that settles our fears.
Reading the above seems to suggest that we had only gloomy days at Living Water in 2020. Thinking that would be very far from the truth. COVID 19 offered us unpredictable opportunities via our Christian Radio Station and our Facebook live services and Bible Studies. Literally thousands of people followed our services and Bible Studies either via the radio or via Facebook live in many parts of the world. We receive calls daily from people testifying what God has done for them through the radio. We have had several baptisms of listeners. I even recently officiated a wedding of a young couple who came to Christ via the ministry of the radio station.
Despite the bad situation COVID 19 has put the education system of Haiti, we had an amazing year. We had 100% passing in all our schools. We have 100% success at Highland (John and Helen Meyer Mixt Institution). Highland school topped all the other schools of the district, not only in terms of percentage, but also in terms of performance per class. Gonaives had 100% and also the best performance per class of our history. We wish the district would unveil all the other results, but they did not. Marmelade had a great year as well. Our vocational school students also had a 100% success this year in government exams.
The health clinic continues to be a lifesaving institution for many. People continue to turn their lives to Jesus through the influence of Dr. Dan. The graduates and current students of the Bible College are doing an amazing job in the pulpit and elsewhere. Young and old surrender themselves in baptism in all our Churches. Despite everything, uplifting progress is made in the construction of the orphanage. They are working on laying blocks on the second floor (pictures are coming soon). 2020 still is an amazing year in terms of fruit bearing despite everything. We unashamedly and proudly praise God for what He has done throughout the year through Living Water and you!
All of Living Water Christian Mission leadership, my family and I especially thank you for your continuing support. It was a tough year, but your personal challenges did not cause all of you to quit supporting us financially. Some of you were forced to reduce your giving, or stop giving temporarily, but God did find a way to lead us through it using other people of His big family.
We are humbled by your generosity, your constant prayers, and your words of encouragement via phone calls, emails, WhatsApp texts, and messenger texts. Thanks for helping me feed church members and local people (IAMM, KCC in AK, IDES, etc), school students (IDES, ACHI)! Thanks to every member of our Board of Directors and their families. They are selfless, generous, and hard workers. I am thankful to God for them. They love Living Water, they love my family.
Thank you, my friends! Thank you,fellow teammates! God is doing an amazing work here using us all.
Thanks to everyone who contributes to the education of my sons and me. You cannot imagine how much you have blessed Gine and me by doing so. We pray that you can continue to do so. And, may God bless you more for our sake
Please pray for my progress in my studies, for the completion of the orphanage’s building, for the progress on the University Project – Thanks to On His Path and the Hinkle family, we made a huge progress in acquiring more land – for a bigger harvest of souls in 2021, for strong and same-minded leadership, for payment of salaries on time, for the completion of Highland School Building, for additional classrooms both here in Gonaives and Marmelade, and for further progress at White Mountain on both school and Church.
Those of you who have written to me telling me that you are missing my updates, thank you. Your comments are an encouragement to me. I will do better in 2021.
Yours in Him,
Salonique Adolphe and team