Newburyport Daily News article.

Original article here.

NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA

March 15, 2013

Heading to Haiti

Merrimac couple selling possessions, relocating for mission work

By Warren P. Russo
Correspondent

—- — At a time in life when most empty-nesters are busy enjoying the fruits of their labors, Kevin and Tammy Groder of Merrimac are packing up their lives and moving to the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti.

The 50-year-old former pastor of the North Shore Christian Fellowship in Salisbury is giving up his pastoral post, selling his truck, his pristine Yamaha V-Star motorcycle and the possessions he’s collected over the course of a lifetime in preparation for a permanent move to a country that is synonymous with abject poverty. Continue reading

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So much stuff!

Boy, you never realize how much stuff you have until to you have to move it.

Tam and I are eager to make this move to Haiti, and there’s not much that is holding us back, except dealing with all of our possessions and or home. The house, of course, is the largest item we have to liquidate. You’d think one could simply put a for-sale sign out in the front lawn and have it sell, but, unfortunately, this isn’t true. There’s a lot of prep work that has to go into getting our house ready for sale. Before we can do that, we need to deal with all of the stuff that we have accumulated over the last 29 years of marriage and child rearing.

Response code is 404

As we deal with this tangled mess of appliances, furniture, books and nick-knacks, we are often reminded of the whole purpose we are moving to Haiti in the first place. While we whine about having to makes the decision to “sell, trash or donate” our stuff, most of our Haitian friends at the mission are living with needs that are so basic… like “How will I find a meal for my family today?” or “Where can I find money to bring my sick child to the hospital?”. These are the realities of Haitian life, these are the people we are so desperate to help.

So, Tam and I will go about the business of dealing with our “stuff” and remember to thank God for His provision as we do so.

Please pray for us, if you are able, we need a number of key issues to be resolved soon. Namely, (1) finding a box truck, mini-bus or RV to pack and ship to Haiti, (2) find a stateside administrator to handle our mail and banking (a part time volunteer job), (3) figure out what to do with Indy, our dog.. take her or leave her with a good family, (4) sell the house, (5) raise the $10,000 or so we will need to make this move and (6) pray for and encourage us so we don’t lose our minds in the process!

BTW, you can see what we have for sale here: Moving!

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Home again, for now

Tam and I are home again and re-energizing for the next round of projects. This was an great trip that yielded a wide variety of excellent results. Both of the groups I hosted served the people of Haiti through medical clinics, dental clinics, food distribution, educational enrichment, constructions projects and much more. It was a whirlwind of activity for us for two solid weeks but well worth the time, money and effort.

Thank you for your financial and prayerful support. As Tam and I ramp up for our next journey, we as so thankful for you all… we truly can’t do any of this without you!

Mission USA Team, Akron, Ohio

Mission USA Team, Akron, Ohio

Bless Back Worldwide, Charlotte North Carolina

Bless Back Worldwide, Charlotte North Carolina

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A Pain in the Mouth