We recently shared some super exciting news with you that rent is paid and we have the keys to our future Konbit Community Center in Lafferonnay thanks to a generous donation by our friends. *insert all the praise hands* We are still reeling from this and have been so humbled by God's provision and the fact that He turned a dream into a reality for us.
As we've been dreaming, talking, and praying about all that we want to do and see come of the community center, there has been this feeling that our roots have sunk deeper and our branches have spread further in Lafferonnay. We've been living in our section of our neighborhood for about 4 years now and it is there that we were planted and have grown. As our kreyol has gotten better and as we've hosted many community outreaches, our relationships have deepened with those around us and it's been fruitful. However, growth is vital to life so we're pressing deeper still.
Our new community center is a good 5 minute walk deeper into Lafferonnay and as we've started walking back and forth, we've had the opportunity to greet and meet so many new faces. We've learned where people's houses are after having seen many familiar faces for a while in passing. We've learned where more services and businesses are and we are praying for the new relationships that will form in the coming days because of our presence in a different area of our community. We are excited about this part of our growth as well!
(We just rent the bottom half)
If you've followed us on social media or have come on a trip yourself, you know that one of our favorite things to do is create community. We intentionally do outreaches the way we do to bring people together.
To laugh.
To have fun.
To play together.
To serve one another.
And to hear the good news of the gospel.
Our community center will be yet another avenue to do just that.
Getting the community center ready to go will take some time but we've started on it. We've been painting, and thanks to a recent team, we now have 12 benches that will accompany future tables. There are still many more purchases and things to be made, but little by little we're getting there. While this is a process, it hasn't deterred us from opening it for certain things.
A few weeks ago we had a youth team from Valdosta, GA come in and we hosted our first community outreach there--a movie night! It was success and we had at least 85 kids there along with many adults lined up outside in their chairs watching the movie too. We popped popcorn and in true Haiti fashion, we served it in coffee filters. The community was abuzz before and after. There was a sense of excitement for future movie nights and as we've been working, so many people have stopped by asking what we're doing and they can't wait for us to be open. Movie nights aren't the only thing we plan to do there though.
While we are dreaming, developing, and defining our vision, we know that the building will be opened and used for many more things to bring people together. We pray that this community center will give us an opportunity to get to know our neighbors more and to ultimately share the gospel with them. The possibilities are endless!
Please continue to pray for us on this new endeavor and if you'd like to donate toward our community center to help us get off the ground at a quicker rate, you can do so here.
Stay tuned for more stories and things to come from this place!