about us…

Dado and Elda

Our Statement of Faith 

 

        We’re Christian missionaries.  It is vitally important that you know the basis from which we operate.

 

1.     We believe in the authority and inerrancy of Scripture.

         All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;                                                                                                                                                 2 Tim 3:16

                     Scripture is taking a beating in the American culture of tolerance.   Since being reborn, the Lord has affected a steady “work in progress” in my personal growth.  Soon after being saved some 16 years ago,  my belief system came under attack as I held some pretty liberal views on homosexuality, abortion and generally the “loose life” I was leading.  Suffice to say that I find the Gay movement an affront to the values of family. When I think of over 4o million dead babies since Roe v Wade, I can and will cry.  Sexual trysts outside of marriage are wrong, wrong, Wrong!  Materialistic consumption has limits. Am I a sinner?  Yes, I’m a sinner, but things have changed since my run-in with Jesus and especially Scripture…..and it effects the way we deal with our children.

 

2.  We believe in the Trinity.

         And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth“ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.                                                                        Matt 28: 18-19

         If God love?  You bet He is.  He gave His Son.  However, we do not hold airy-fairy notions about His love, because Scripture also teaches that God is determinate. He can also be vengeful. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.  Romans 12:10   I see too much of people on the slippery slope because they mistake His love for tolerance.   God is not determined by how you understand Him.   As best that can be understood by children and with the aid of curricula and the Bible,  we teach about God.   It is how we teach ourselves as adults, through study of the word.

3.  We believe in the full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ.

                  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,  and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.                                                                                                        John 1: 1-2

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, one and the same and that the miracles He did in the short time on this earth are true.  This is taught to our children as a measure of His wondrous love.

4.   We believe in the total depravity and the spiritual lost ness of the human race.

                    And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.        Ephesians 2:1-3

We are constantly reminded of how lonely it can sometimes be to be a Christian.   I often get laughed at here when observed saying a prayer before meals.  We are preparing our children as best we know to be prepared for this onslaught.   I see wary eyes and get snide comments enough, because of their disease.  To be a Christian in the true sense is to stand tall for Him.

5.    We believe in the substitutionary atonement and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.

             For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.                                                                                                                                                                                       Philippians 3:20-21

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.                                                                                                                   John 3:16

         Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.                                                                                                                      Mark 16:14

6.   We believe in salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone.

                For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.                                                                                                          Romans 5: 6-9

         He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.  John 1:7

      “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.   John 14:6

7.   We believe in the Christian walk.

        But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you,  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.                                                                                   Gal. 5:16-23

    "And you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses ..."   Acts 1:8,

 

         This is where we, Trisha and Ray bring all our life experiences to bear on a third world society that is so very unique and remotely dissimilar to our native America.  We were both brought up in homes that believed in the Judeo Christian belief system, both served in the US Army working in destitute and poor countries as Civil Affairs specialists, both of us have authored books and courses which support curricula on teaching soldiers how to work in differing cultures.   Ray has extensive experience in the construction trades and youth programs.  Trisha has a strong musical background and administrative talents in church organization and banking.   We firmly believe that all our experiences have been preordained to serve God in this time of our life.  We are doing what He trained us to do.

 

         We are very strict disciplinarians.   In our 12 children that we have, six of them have their basis in life in some very crude and wild experiences.  Four of these kids came up as street kids, little to no guidance, a lot of horrible behaviors that don’t belong in a Christian family.  Couple that with dead or deadbeat parents,  stricken with a disease, not of their making, a myriad of traumas and a society that provides for little support to bring up these children up in and you have a thoroughly confusing mire which we have bound together as our

family, not a house of orphans.  These children are not up for adoption.   It would be cruel to separate them.

 

         We do spank children on occasion that show resistance to changes in their behavior and are out of control….and have the guidance to do so.  Prov 13:24, Prov 19:18, Prov 22:13,14, Prov 29:15-19, Eph 6:4, Col 3:21  We are forever in conversation over the design of punishments and rewards.  We are very clinical, if you will, about bringing up child to be responsible.  We both have BA’s in Psychology.  Six of our children came here as babies and although our children are having their own babies, they are very much are like our kids were.  One exception is that these are being raised better because we simply are older and wiser and have a better grasp on our lives in Christ.  The older six have acclimated very well with the exception of one and we believe he may be an ADD child.  Two children, Roodline and Rosy have developmental challenges due to AIDS dementia and malnutrition or both. These two came here on deaths doorstep, if you will and we believe God has exercised special care as we cried out on numerous occasions for prayer.

 

8.   We believe in the return of Christ.

        “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),   then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.   “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.    “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!  “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. “Behold, I have told you in advance.

In Conclusion:

                     As Christians, we have both found that the ways we used to live were directed in part by us and by a wayward society that we followed around us, lead to a bunch of pain and misery.   There is a constant pull to adhere to that way of life and we are ever so careful to choose people, who are guided strictly by Gods’ will and way.   If you come to Kay Konfo’ in Haiti to see us,  please leave the notion of little orphan wafes behind, because we’re building strong independent and confident children that see life through the eyes of Christ.   We have what we call a “ONE UP” philosophy here.  These children were dealt a disease, not of their making, most where abandoned or given up for all the wrong reasons.  “One down” if you will. Our job at Haiti Comfort is to aim them towards a “One up” on their peers. We’ started English classes because we want them to be readers and the resources to do so in Kreyol are very limited.   We want as many as possible to attend  a university.  Trisha is a computer guru of sorts, so they will also walk away with those skills.  In the fall, we will begin our own school here….because we can.  We are praying that we can get a special person, maybe even a missionary to design and run it. We may open it up to our community…..God will guide us there.   Upon arriving at our new facility, we will undertake a “childrens’ church” during the week. God has placed us square in the middle of area of voudou followers and I’m sure it’s by design.   Again, God will show us the way……….Can you help us?

 

8.   ….and yes, God will come again to judge the living and the dead and His Kingdom will have no end!