Jesus in Haiti Ministries
December 31st, 2008

Dear friends,

I promise you this, this will be my last email of this year. No more e-mails until next year, promise. Those of you who have been with me awhile know that I sometimes get myself in trouble. The problem with sharing the good, the bad and the ugly is, it gets me in trouble. Here are some of the examples of me getting in trouble over the years:

My april fools email saying I had met a 16 year old girl from the Dominican and we got married (I should not joke, my word should be my bond)
Telling you about the Haitian Gospel choir singing "shake your booty in the name of the Lord"
Not being a King James Version only person
Suggesting that God might be an overweight Black woman
And others that you might remember.
I have a feeling I might add to that list with this email but I'm going to make you play dectective and figure out what might get me in trouble in the following email. Might as well send 2008 out with a bang right?

This past year, 6 of my boys and 3 other teenage boys from our church started a club. They call it JFS. It is a Christian club with Christian values. They do community work, hang out and at Christmas time, they have an all night party. These kinds of clubs are very common in Haiti. Kind of a group of best friends.

JFS has been working, saving and raising money so they can have their little party, which happened last night. These things go from 8pm until 5am. That is too late for me to be 25 miles from home, but I said I would come at 7, check out the decorations and stuff and head home. Once I got there, I realized I was like on a water slide and once you make the drop, there is no return.

I was escorted to a chair up front while they finished last minute things with the sound system. About 8:30 the party began. Realize this, all the boys have suits and ties on and the girls their best dresses. It is very formal. They start and I open in prayer, they have some poems read, a fashion show and other fun stuff. Our praise and worship Leader sang a praise song honoring Jesus.

Then out came some young girls, doing a dance routine to "shake your boom thing". Well, number one, I didn't know what a boom thing was until I saw the routine. My only thought was, "Lord end this quick". Now, it wasn't obscene so don't have a stroke but it was the words and the fact that the boom things did get shook. I kept saying, let this be over but it dragged on and on to the delight of the over 100 people that were there. Finally the girls exited, for which I was relieved.

Of course as soon as that was over, it was "Tom's time, Pastor Tom's time. After 10 years in Haiti I have figured out how to make them laugh and I sure did when the first words out of my mouth were "don't worry, I'm not going to shake my boom thing". They roared.

Okay, lighten up, don't put a hold on that check. I did a couple other one liners to get laughs then I got serious. I had the chance to tell how proud I was of these young men for the fact that their main desire was to follow Christ. I had a chance to share the Gospel to over 100 very attentive ears. Some of you will be so focused on the boom thing, you won't even grasp that. That is part of the problem with Christians. If we put our energy into winning souls, the non-important stuff would be just that.

After I shared the Gospel and encouraged these folks, I was given a nice plaque with my name on it thanking me for all I do for the youth of Source Matles. By this time it was nearly midnight. I have never been out this late, so far from home, in Haiti. They hadn't eaten yet and had much more to do, but I excused myself and with Manel and Claismay, I headed home. The fun part was I was the only one on the road and was able to drive about 80 all the way home.

Today I went back to pick the boys up and our sound system. They were very tired. And, I did have a chance to talk to them about the boom boom routine and whether that would please God or not. We had a good discussion and although I know that is very cultural, what I want them to think about is what is Godly, not cultural.

As another year starts, I am very excited for what lies ahead. The problem is, I need your help more than ever.
I am not asking you to move away from your friends and family to live in a 3rd world country.
I am not asking you to live under the threat of kidnapping, rioting and mob unruliness.
I am not asking you to live in extreme heat, most of the year, with no AC.
I am not asking you to live without fast food, milk, Krogers or Wal-mart.
I am not asking you to wake up some mornings with a hundred bug bites.
I am not asking you to every Holiday be away from the ones you love so much.
I am not asking you to decide which requests you will grant to allow people to eat, out of the dozens each week.
I am not asking you to look out your window and see one of your staff holding a newborn baby who is bleeding to death because of the cord not being tied.
I am not asking you to pass 9 kidney stones, 8 at home with no medicine, or have the gout over 50 times so bad you can't walk.
I am not asking you to take in 19 people into your home, to love, to care for and to teach Godly values.
I am not asking you to do any of the above, I am doing it, and I do it willingly for the cause of Christ.

What I am asking you to do, is to make the above possible, so I can continue to bring the life changing message of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying nation. We have made a difference, we are making a difference and we will continue to be JESUS in Haiti.

Thank you for your support and please, help this ministry to continue strong in 2009.

May God bless you! tominhaiti

Tom Osbeck
Executive Director
Jesus in Haiti Ministries

For Contributions:
Jesus in Haiti Ministries, Inc. Suite 155 10214 Chestnut Plaza Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46814