This is the first letter that mom and dad wrote to supports, family and friends to let them know their plans to move to Haiti.
JESUS IS LORD!
September 1993
I am writing this letter to inform you of what has and is happening in our lives. I hope this letter will make it clear what we are experiencing in our hearts.
As many of you know, the Lord supernaturally took hold of my life March 13, 1987, and I will never be the same. Because of the love, mercy, and grace that He has shown my family and I, we have committed our lives totally to Him.
In January of 1988, I was blessed to go on a mission work team with Ben Yantis to Haiti. I immediately fell in love with the work there and the Haitian people. I was ready to go on the mission field right then, but it was not God’s timing.
This spring, Gretchen and I felt God’s drawing for us to go into full time ministry on the mission field. We started praying for God to open the doors that He wanted open and close the doors that He wanted closed.
In April of this year, my Pastor, Gretchen and myself went to Haiti. One night, as we worshipped the Lord, overlooking the lights of Port- au-Prince, I asked the Lord to write across the sky that the Zachary’s were supposed to go to Haiti. He did not do that, but He spoke in my spirit and said “Haven’t I opened all the doors for you?” I could not argue for He had truely opened every door and had shown us tremendous favor. At this point it was our move. We responded by making the commitment to go into full time missionary work in Haiti around January 1994.
Since then I have shared with many people our intentions and have been met with mixed reactions, some people say we are crazy, some say brain-washed, some say we are blessed, some say we are honored, and some say they admire us. We don’t say this to hurt anyone’s We must follow what feelings, but we cannot go by what anyone says. We feel in our hearts and the will of God for our lives.
The Scripture we recently had in our Sunday School class, referring to the disciples of Jesus, is becoming a reality for us, “They forsook all and followed Him” (John 5:11b). Also there is a verse in a song that says “He paid a debt He did not owe, and I owe a debt I cannot pay.” God has done everything for us, how can we not give our whole lives to Him?
Not everybody is called to the mission field or to be a pastor, or evangelist, but we are all (born-again Christians) called to witness the love of Jesus Christ. Once I read “One good example is worth a thousand arguments.” How true this is, we are to be an example of Jesus. That is what a Christian means to be, Christ-like. I believe the Spirit of God is asking, “Are we?” AS many of you have experienced, when I get to talking about the Lord, I start preaching. I can’t help but shout it from the roof top that “Jesus is Lord!”
Having made the commitment to go to Haiti, where there is an embargo we cannot take many personal items. Therefore, we are having a sale September 18 to dispose of all of our personal items and real estate. I cannot say that we have not experienced emotional tearing, but the peace, joy and excitement that God has flooded our hearts with far outweighs and exceeds any material loss. PRAISE THE LORD!!
Our boy, Casey, will go with us and attend high school in Haiti. Our two daughters, Lori and Licia, will stay in Indiana and attend college at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana.
Both or our girls have been to Haiti on work teams and they have the desire to be on the mission field also.
We desire your prayers, for the perfect will of God in our lives, for protection as we do the Lord’s work and that all of our needs are met according to his riches in glory.
I hope this letter has been a blessing and has expressed our hearts to you.
We love you and may God richly bless you.
To Him be the Glory,
Davis & Gretchen Zachary