Harris Happenings December 2015

Dear Friends and Family,
As the year 2015 draws to a close and 2016 will soon begin, I want to use this letter to look back on what God has done, reflect on His faithfulness, and remember His goodness towards us.
In December last year, we went to Honduras, visited many of the people we have worked with on the north coast of Honduras, and celebrated the wedding of Victorie Allen, Pastor Donnie’s daughter, to Jason Ortiz. It was a beautiful celebration and we were able to visit and catch up with so many people who came to town from all over Honduras to be at the wedding. The Lord spoke to both of us in a powerful way through Donnie’s preaching on strengthening “the inner man”.
At our home here in Tennessee we went through a trial that reminded us of a similar testing our first year of marriage. Our well quit working, leaving without water in our home for 35 days. We got through the first few days by staying in a hotel near the hospital where Wesley works. Then we got a vacation rental near Heidi and Daniel’s house for our family Christmas gathering for a couple of days. After that we were able to haul water from their house and either take dip baths from water heated on the stove, or shower at the nearby truck stop. Bad weather delayed the work done on the well, but once it was finished, there was much rejoicing. God used the whole experience for Wesley to be able to testify of God’s faithfulness and preach on the power of forgiveness.
Wesley traveled to Haiti with his good friend, Kirby Phillips, in late January, to work with Volunteers in Medical Missions. They traveled to several villages where they attended to the physical needs of many desperate people and preached the Good News of salvation through Jesus, which is the greatest need of everyone.
On March 26th, we were blessed with the birth of our 7th grandchild, Wesley Reed Harris, born to Travis and Kelsey in Puerto Rico. I went down and stayed with them a couple of weeks after his birth. I had a great time hanging out with Helena, shopping, cooking, and doing whatever grandma’s do to try to help after a grandchild’s birth.
In April, while I was in Puerto Rico, Wesley went to Bolivia again to work with Samaritan’s Purse on the Ruth Bell Riverboat. He took two Hondurans with him, Juan Carlos Zepeda, a dentist from La Ceiba, and Marvin Ramos, who is married to Wesley’s niece, Karen. Both Juan Carlos and Marvin were huge assets to the team, which traveled up and down the Amazon Basin, treating patients and preaching the gospel.
In June Wesley and I went back to Puerto Rico together for him to meet his namesake. We had a good visit with Travis, Kelsey, Helena, and little Wesley. We were able to fly out to Flamenco beach for one day to celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary.
In July Wesley and I traveled back to Honduras to Tegucigalpa for Wesley to officiate the wedding of Eleazar Coello, one of Lazaro’s sons, to Maria Fernanda. We had a blessed time visiting with all of the extended Coello family, praying with them, and catching up on their lives.
For the past 10 years or so, we have helped a number of students to attend the Global Missions Health Conference in Louisville, KY. Travis and Kelsey attended all the way from Puerto Rico his first 2 years of medical school and took one other Puerto Rican student with them each year. This year they could not attend, but we sent 4 other students from his school in Puerto Rico and a newly -wed couple who has been in medical school in the Caribbean. Wesley and I were able to meet with three of those students while we were in Puerto Rico during Thanksgiving and hear about the many things God taught them at the conference.
Wesley’s niece, Karen Ramos, her husband, Marvin, and son, Thomas, plan to move to Honduras in mid-January to Pena Blanca. They believe God is calling them there, so they are leaving their jobs, friends, church, security, comfort, and safety nets to venture out in faith, not knowing what lies in front of them, but trusting in Him who calls them. Marvin’s brother Delmer and his friend Manuel will be living with them to attend high school since there are no secondary schools where they now live. Karen hopes to help disciple girls at The Eternal Family Project and both she and Marvin want to be of service to other existing ministries in the area. They have made several ministry trips to Honduras with World Evangelism Foundation in the past few years. If you wish to contribute to the needs of their ministry you can do so by sending a check to the address on our letterhead made out to World Evangelism Foundation and putting “the Harvest” on the memo line or going to our website www.wefinc.org . You can keep up with the Ramos family on their blog: theharvest-honduras.blogspot.com .
Daniel and Heidi are about to begin their fourth year in Chattanooga, where they moved to start Scenic City Church. Isabel is 11, Carson, 9, and Kylie is 5. Most of you already know that Kylie was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in July of 2014. She is in the maintenance phase of chemo, which will last almost 10 more months. This phase has been much harder on Kylie than any of us expected, especially her emotions. Please continue to pray for her and the whole family as they try to make all the adjustments needed to finish her treatment. Our hearts are filled with gratefulness as we see God’s faithfulness and presence through this long and difficult trial. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support for them during these past 18 months.
Travis and Kelsey are in their 4th year of living in Puerto Rico. He just finished his 3rd year of medical school and is preparing to take Step 2 of the USMLE. Helena is 2, and Wesley is 9 months. Pray that God will really use them to shine His light there in Puerto Rico, and that they will accomplish all that He has called them to do and to be. Pray for their health, especially for Helena, who has suffered much with asthma.
As I end this letter and the year draws to a close, we are awaiting the birth of our 8th grandchild, Temperance Harris, to Tim and Taryn. Her siblings, Thad, 3, and Taylin, 21 months, are excitedly anticipating the arrival of their baby sister. As we await her birth and begin a new year thinking about her name, I have decided to make temperance my word, goal, theme, and prayer in 2016. Temperance (self-control) is something we all need more of and is one of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit.
Thank you for your love, prayers and partnership in ministry. We love you and thank God for you.
In Jesus and for His kingdom,
Terri Harris
Please note that we have updated our website at www.wefinc.org I will begin a blog there in January which will contain some of the stories of our account of God’s faithfulness. Please send me your email if you wish to subscribe terriharris@gmail.com.