Life that is truly life: Hoerners in Haiti

I can't believe how long it has been since I have posted! To say our lives have been busy is an understatement. July was our last trip to Haiti and so much has happened since then. We moved into a new house, Ty started a new job, his mom got married, his sister moved nearby, we celebrated four holidays, our nephew was born....oh yeah, and we got married in October! Our lives our bursting at the seams with joy! There are so many things I could write about but what I really want to talk about is our upcoming trip to Haiti and the undeniable burden God has placed on our hearts to care for the fatherless.

Tyler and I are overjoyed to have the opportunity to go back to Haiti this March. We will be traveling to a small community called Desiré just outside the city of Gonaive. This trip is special to us for many reasons. Not only will this be our first trip as Mr. and Mrs., it will also be our first trip to Desiré, the village our church has been partnered with for exactly a year!

We are so excited to meet the 63 children, Pastor Jannot and his family, and the house mamas who live there. We are excited to laugh, play, love, hold and cherish the children. We are excited to see old friends and make new friends. We are excited to practice our broken creole and to teach english. We are excited to pour out and be poured into. But ultimately, in the midst of all this, we are most excited about what God is doing and what he has already done. This trip is part of a bigger picture...it's more than hanging out in Haiti for a few days and playing lots of soccer (which I am sure I will do). This trip is about a partnership. A partnership between two churches in two different countries who share one goal, to care for the fatherless. Here in the Northern Colorado town of Fort Collins at a church called Faith Evangelical Free that looks like hundreds of people banding together to advocate, pray, send and support. In the mountain community of Desiré it looks like a small plot of land with a church, a school and a home for 63 children who have no where else to go. Together, these two churches are committed to caring for the everyday needs of these orphans; from food to clothing to education, these churches are there to stand in the gap. The best part is, this care goes far beyond the physical needs and provides things money can't buy; safety, love, acceptance, protection, family and the hope that only comes in knowing Jesus. And this is why Tyler and I are excited beyond words. Not just because we get to play with some awesome kids, but because God is using us as a small part of a much bigger picture. He is using these two churches, our team of 17 individuals, the house mamas, Pastor Jannot, the teams before us and the teams that will come after us to minister directly to the hearts of these children.

We are humbled and amazed.

We cannot wait to see what God has in store.

We ask that you join us in prayer for these children and for this trip. Please pray for God to be glorified, for the Holy Spirit to be at work in us and through us and that every single child at Desiré will come to know the hope and love of Jesus Christ.

The Hoerners

If you are interested in financially supporting Tyler and Emily, please visit www.faithefc.org/donate and click "Haiti Team--March 2012". All contributions are tax deductible.

Here are some of our favorite moments from past trips!