Update from the Dryden Family (Haiti)

            What happened?  This is probably the question in the minds of each of you reading this letter. Since March, happenings have been taking place in the lives and ministry of the Drydens in Port-de-Paix, Haiti.
            As each of you were under stay at home orders, we had our own degree of confinement. Our church had planned a large goodbye service for my parents, Don & Bridgitt Dryden, for their nearly fort-five years of ministering in Haiti. They would then be leaving the field on March 26th.  That service never happened, and my parents stayed pretty much indoors until they were able to get a flight to the States on June 4th.  Our services here were affected too.  From near the end of March until beginning of August, only ten could be in attendance.  Praise the Lord for social media!  We were able to send out an audio recording of each service and nearly each home of our church members received it.  We have been back to mostly regular main weekly services, but have yet to completely divide the Sunday schools.  We did take advantage of the combined Sunday Schools to teach on soul-winning.  Our soul-winning program has revived and several have trusted Christ as their personal Savior.
            Remember in our last update (April) we shared with you how a canal construction required the destruction of our front wall and the bridge to cross into our yard.  Well, August was the month the we were finally able to construct the bridge leading into our yard.  And, in September, the new truck the Lord provided was available.  Halleluiah, we drove it right into the yard as opposed to parking it somewhere else for a while!
            August was also the beginning of the new school year for Grace Baptist Bible Institute.  The 139 students were glad that meeting restrictions had been lifted and it was great for them to see fellow students after many months of not.  Our church grade school picked back up where they had left off in March and were squeezing three months of educating children in the space of six weeks.  Objective achieved!
            Please pray for Kerri and Katie as they are scheduled to return to Haiti November 5th. Several hurdles have been overcome, but we are still relying on the Lord’s direction and leading in many final details.  Haiti is still in a state of political and economic unrest.  Most of what you hear and see on the news happens in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, 150 miles away from us.  Although we do not feel threatened here in Port-de-Paix, the effects of gang activities that far off trickle up here.  I do not feel that the Lord is finished with us yet here in touching lost lives with the Gospel, teaching Christians the correct viewpoints in life, and training of national pastors and church leaders. Please pray as we move forward in our relationships and goals.