VICTORY OVER POVERTY

CELEBRATE WITH US AS OUR FIRST FAMILY BECOMES FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT

It is with great pleasure that I tell you the story of Job Lira. Job is a young man with a wife and daughter.Tragically, he lost his young son in the earthquake.

Tyler and I met Job many years ago on one of our trips to Haiti. He was brought to us through Obenson who had secured him as our driver for the week. Over the years we have had the privilege to get to know him and the man that he is. I want to share some of those times with you.

Whenever, Tyler or I go to Haiti Job makes himself available to us as our driver. On one such trip, things in Haiti were very volatile. There had been shootings in some areas and kidnappings were on the rise. Tyler and I needed to go to an area close to downtown, as I believe we were going to buy Creole Bibles. Job was driving his usual careful self when all of a sudden he sped up and went over a hill and down. Tyler, Grace (Magnalie’s sister) and I almost fell out of the back of the truck. When I knocked on the window to ask him to slow down, he used his hand to gesture a gun. I later learned that there had been shootings in the area and he was trying to keep us safe.

Then, there was the time we brought shoes for Job. Yes, we actually had 2 pair of shoes. We were at the Visa Lodge passing out shoes to several people when we saw Job and asked him to come on over as we had shoes for him. As we handed him the shoes he broke down in tears. Through an interpreter Job said, “Today I didn’t have any shoes and now God has blessed me with 2.” The shoes he was wearing were falling off his feet they were so worn.

A few weeks ago I sent food to a young man named Michaud. He hadn’t received it and had e-mailed stating so. Then I got an e-mail from Job. He had received a food delivery, but the name on it wasn’t his and so he wanted to check if I had sent him food before he used any of it. I e-mailed back to tell him that the food was meant for Michaud, but if he needed food all he had to do was tell me and I would have food delivered right away. He wrote back to tell me he got the food to Michaud and that he could not take food as we were already doing enough. I sent him food.

Job has been one of those people who never wants to ask for anything. Shortly after the earthquake, he e-mailed me to ask for help with his rent. His rent which was once $600.00 US was now thousands of dollars. Tyler and I were crushed, we had to say no, but right then I wrote Job and said, “We cannot pay your rent, but we want to know if you think you can find a taptap for $2000.00 US?” Job’s response, “Now I know you are really thinking about me.” He had been checking out vehicles that were coming into the country and found one for $2500.00 US. HM’s sent him those funds and he purchased the vehicle. Then HM’s sent him $300.00 to have the welding and roof put on. Our final gift was sent last week; $500.00 and this finished the payment for the roof and welding and paid for his insurance. Job is now in business for himself.

It is a tradition in Haiti to paint your taptap with a scripture and a thank you of sorts. Job asked me to pick the scripture and ask who he should thank. I told him he could thank Homebound Missions. I did this because I wanted him to know that it was NOT Tyler and I who made this gift but rather all of you. I wanted him to see it as a gift from many people. Then the scripture I gave him was Jeremiah 29:11. This is my scripture not just for Job but for all the Haitian people.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. NKJV

In Job’s last e-mail he writes: Thank you so much for your precious help. I will keep you posted on everything I am doing. About the bank account, I will do that. Thank you so much and say Hi to every people that help you in my situation that I finally reach my dream thank you infinitely. God bless you peace with you.

Job Lira

Because I am confident that you will not get any mail from Job asking you for anything I thought it might be nice if I gave you his e-mail address so that you could personally congratulate him on his new taptap business. I think it would be a great encouragement to him and an opportunity for you to share your hope for him. Job’s e-mail address is:lirajob@yahoo.fr

It costs Job money to go to the cyber café and get mail, so you might tell him No Response Needed, to let him know he doesn’t need to respond, that is unless you want him to do so.

Do You Even Know What you Have Done?

I wanted to tell you about Job so you could know him more personally as Tyler and I do. I wanted to tell you what you have done to change his life, but I wonder…Do you really know what you have done? Do you grasp the scope of what you have done? Do you know that you have really truly changed the lives in this family forever?

Here are 10 of the most important things you have just done for this family.

1. You have provided Job with the Tool he needed to support his family. In this you have given him the power to lead his family biblically, spiritually, and physically.
2. You have ended generational poverty for this family because now Job is going to start a new generation of financial independence.
3. You have given him the love and praises of his wife and children who will now be thankful to him for their provision instead of strangers.
4. You have shown them that God really does answer prayer. Their prayers and dreams were for this very moment. You were His hands and feet and got the job done.
5. His daughter can now go to school.
6. They can now eat on a regular basis.
7. They can now have a place to live.
8. Their daughter is now watching the example of her father in providing for her and this will be her paradigm.
9. They can get medical care.
10. Job can now tithe and help others. His family is an example of what God can do.