surrender

How do you even begin to put words to an experience that has affected you in such an intimate way? God Himself is indescribable and unexplainable and so to capture the changes that have taken place in the hearts of each individual person this week is difficult, but I’m going to attempt to anyway. Going into this trip, I had expected to see some things that were difficult or to have some moments in which I was not entirely comfortable, but what I had not expected was to fall in love with the people of Haiti. Seeing people who have so little, but are still so happy, so thankful, and so welcoming to us was incredible. Everywhere our group went, we were greeted with genuine smiles. Whether this was from the children or adults we were serving or from a complete stranger passing on the street, the happiness that radiated from these smiles were nearly tangible.

“How is so much joy in such a poverty stricken country even possible?” I found myself asking. If you try and come up with a rational answer to this question, you simply cannot. The only conceivable answer is through the strength, love, and grace of God.  A saying I read somewhere goes “If God is all you have, you have all you need.” I have never met a group of people who have exemplified this more than the Haitians. This realization starts to make you begin to search inside yourself and maybe re-evaluate some of the things you thought were important in life. For me, there was no definitive epiphany or “ah-ha” moment. As we are taught, God works in mysterious ways, and throughout the week I found myself being changed little by little without even realizing it at first. The small moments of a child falling asleep in your arms, “dabbling” in Creole, praying with the elders, or simply singing songs and joking around on tap-tap rides became the big things. Each night during our circle time or word of the day, these small stories prompted some pretty significant revelations and surfacing of emotions that had been locked away for a long time. I think we all began to recognize that it’s impossible to deny the miracle that God has created in His people and that when He is calling, you must open your heart and let Him all the way in. On one night in particular, we discussed the word “surrender” and how important it is to surrender your life to God and His plan. For me, I know that there will be times where I may stray away and not want to listen to what God is telling me and even in the times that I do follow His plan, it will probably be hard. But hopefully little by little, one small step at a time, I can strengthen my faith and commitment to Him. Each of us on this trip will have different struggles and obstacles upon returning home, but God is patient and merciful and through Him we can overcome.

This past week in Haiti had a bit of everything. It was heartbreaking, yet uplifting. There was confusion, yet clarity. There was brokenness, yet unity. Through it all, we were blessed to experience God’s overwhelming presence. In the end there were friendships gained, faith restored and somewhere along the way of this incredible journey, you realize that Haiti was the one healing you.

~Heather Herberg

Passion

When the team woke up today, we were anxiously awaiting our beach day accompanied by the local neighborhood kids. After a delicious breakfast prepared by the beautiful Haitian women in the kitchen, our team packed water toys and applied a generous portion of sunscreen. Once the TapTaps were stocked with the necessary beach accessories, we invited the kids aboard the  TapTap  to depart for the beach. Everyone went around and introduced themselves. Shortly after conversations were exchanged, we began praising God in worship lead by one of the Haitian boys. He joyfully sang and encouraged everyone to sing at the top of our lungs! It was inspiring to see his passion for Christ through his devoted worship. Throughout the ride we challenged each other to TapTap surfing battles and sang familiar songs by Justin Bieber and Chris Brown (artists the boys pronounced as their favorites). It was absolutely breathtaking to drive into a location with a lush vista of palm trees, bright turquoise water and mountains reaching the sky. Our team has not experienced a vista quite like this yet. As we pulled up to the beach parking you could read the excitement on the kid's faces.

Upon our arrival, we quickly changed and eagerly stampeded into the caribbean water. A few of the boys needed help swimming and floating, which was a lot of fun to help them with! After countless water fights, chicken fights and super soaker gun attacks, we all enjoyed peanut butter sandwiches on the beach together. I throughly enjoyed watching the kids interact with one another, they are truly like a family. Face painting was a big hit! They loved asking for paint tattoos of the sun, Jesus, fish and palm trees. A few of the kids shared their artistic talent by painting creative tattoos on a few people in our team as well! Everyone charged into the water once again and resumed the water games. The kids really enjoyed the water. A few of the Haitian boys floated on the blow-up alligator, would tip off and jump back on. One little boy had the biggest smile and would swim around and visit all of us. None of us wanted the joy-filled day to come to an end, we dreaded hearing the departure warning to leave paradise with our neighborhood friends. The drive home was even more fun than the ride to the beach. We all bonded over our fun adventure, dancing in the TapTap and our love of God. 

One of the boats in the water was named, "God is my guide" in Creole. Later in the night during our circle time, we were given our beloved childhood toy, Play-doh and asked to create a symbol for the condition of our heart. I molded the boat I saw at the beach, because throughout this trip God has captivated my heart and encouraged me to trust Him as my guide. My heart is prepared to follow His guidance and trust the path He has chosen for me. After today, I aspire to do everything I do with the same passion and zest I have learned from my Haitian friends this week. 

Sienna Schneider

words

What's your word? Every evening, after the mission team has showered off a hard days work and devoured a delicious Haitian meal, we gather together to summarize the days events in a single word. This task has proved quite difficult as a million different words come to mind as I recollect my day. Words such as hope, love, loneliness, hardship, and joy fill my head as I try to pick the word that best summarizes the days activities. As our journey nears an end, a common theme amongst fellow short term missionaries has revolved around healing. As each of us took turns sharing our word, we talked about the struggles in our life and how Haiti has helped stich together the wounds in our heart. For me, Haiti has opened up my eyes to my faith and the world like I have never experienced before by healing me from my own personal faults and giving me newfound strength and vigor to go forward with my life and continue to perform the Lord's works of mercy with the fire of the Holy Spirit that has been ignited within me.

However, to summarize the trip, my word is not heal, but real. What we have done on the mission trip cannot be fully understood without coming down to Haiti yourself and fully immersing yourself to love and serve the people of this beautiful country. Words cannot explain what it is like to pick up a child who is mentally handicapped off the floor of an orphanage and hold them in your arms knowing that they will return to the floor as soon as you leave. Yet, words can also not explain what it is like when the child's tense, suffering body eases with each stroke of their arm and how a gentle smile can turn into nonstop laughter as you blow bubble after bubble into the air. Many words come to mind as we made our way around the dirt roads of Haiti, looking out of our Tap Tap at the still remaining remnants of buildings destroyed by an earthquake six years ago or the suffering faces of children living in shacks made from endless pieces of trash lining the streets of the city. It is one thing to read or hear about the suffering of others. It is another thing to directly participate in the suffering. Who knows, maybe through this suffering you will be healed from many of your sufferings. I sure was from mine.

Jacob Mischke

chosen

This afternoon we traveled back into City Soleil for another water truck adventure. Our group felt a little more at ease going into this round. At our first stop, the kids seemed older and were thrilled to try some games with us. Members of our group were teaching the Macarena and karate moves, attempting magic tricks, and playing beauty salon. It is such a special feeling when you set a child down for a brief moment and upon your return to the group that same child runs straight back to your arms. I think each of us had our own little buddy that we held extra tight this afternoon. My special buddy was a boy about seven years old who seemed too big to pick up. When I finally caved and picked him up, he laid all his weight on me and seemed so at ease. He sang to me all afternoon. It is moments like these that make me feel so blessed to have this opportunity to serve these people and kids. They have given more back to me than I ever expected.

~ Megan

energy

This morning we were up before sunrise. We were all asked to be dressed and ready to go to church at 5:45 am. As you can imagine, being college students, some of us were not excited about the early wake up call, but we all rose to the occasion. We walked into the church as the sun was rising and I was blown away by the energy that filled such a large building. I have never experienced people worshipping God the way they did. The Haitian people walked around the church with their hands reaching for the heavens as they prayed. One thing that struck many of us in the group is that the pastor asked everyone to pray for the people in Syria. It amazed us that this man who lives in a country filled with poverty can be so thankful for what he has and so loving to those who live so far away from him. The pastor ended his service saying "Today is going to be a good day." He repeated this statement countless times. The people of Haiti continue to blow me away by their smiles and their ability to love those around them. Their faith in God is unlike anything I have ever seen and we have so much that we can learn from them. They wake up everyday telling themselves that "today will be a good day," even in all of the suffering.

-Chad

Haitian Angels

Today was a beautiful day as we traveled, toured, and served in the Titanyen area where Grace Village is located.  The students on our trip were excited to see and hear the stories of obedient hearts with our interns and Haitian staff throughout the day.

My word of the day this evening was ANGEL as God showed me some very special people who touched me in angelic ways.  My first little angel was my sweet sponsor child that I was not sure that I would run into during our Grace Village tour due to school being in session.  As we were preparing to leave one of the interns ran over and said she was coming out from lunch so we had a special minute to share a hug, small conversation, and photo.

Our team then had the opportunity to serve the elderly that are being supported by Healing Haiti and our last 90-year old lady we encountered was extremely sick today and not able to get up.  Her daughter said we could still come in to pray and sing for her.  As we entered her home, we came upon this incredibly beautifully frail "angel" dressed in a white slip lying on her side with her white hair flowing beside her.  It really looks like she may not have much time left here on this earth based on when I last saw her this past summer.  I was thinking of her life and all that she has had to experience in her 90 years in Haiti and what a glimpse it is compared to the eternity with our loving Father.  As we were nearing the end of our visit I whispered in her ear, "Jezi renmen ou", which means Jesus loves you.  The entire time we were there she had not moved and that moment with a slight smile she nodded her head "yes".  This special angel was at peace with where she was at and where she was going.

The 6 year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake this past Tuesday has been a somber experience.  We stopped at the mass grave where approximately 300,000 "angels" in heaven that weren't accounted for but whom God knows each so personally came into our thoughts and prayers for their families and loved ones still living.

Margie

Worship, Soccer, and Crowns

Today we went to a Special Needs home. We began with an intro from the pastor telling us about the home and where it has come since he first started taking kids in. During that time, the child sitting on Taylor's lap kept making me and her pet each other. It was distracting, but so adorable and funny. We then moved on to spend the whole day worshipping. Those kids really loved music. Specifically, a blind boy who was a little bit older and closer to our age loved to sing and even led a couple of songs. He had the loudest clap you have ever heard! Although it was difficult to see the troubles that these kids will be facing, it was sweet to see how much they loved to praise God. You could see how each child touched us who were helping as you looked around the room. Even though some of the kids didn't know what was going on, each kid had something that would bring a smile to their face: the bubbles, being held, the maracas, or just singing their hearts out. Everyone joined in and really came together, all we needed was God and a Guitar.
Anna

When arriving at the orphanage for disabled kids a blind boy was waiting to greet us at the door before we were even out of the tap taps. As we walked in other children were sticking out their hands and greeting us, Bonjour. The excitement the kids had as we walked in the door was amazing. I took one step in the door and a young boy who grabbed my hand and walked me over to a seat. He only had one eye, but he didn't take it off of me. Then we all started to sing glory to God in Creole to start out the fun. This little boy held my hands and led me in clapping and dancing. It was amazing how we could connect with the kids through song and dance. I especially felt a strong connection with him as we danced and sang. He was such a sweet and energetic boy. I was taken away by how generous the young boy was. We brought lotion to share with the kids and he took a little for himself and then continued to rub it all over my arms and face and other friends around. We also brought applesauce for the kids and this sweet boy ate some and then gave it to one of his friends before helping feed other kids. He made sure that all of his friends were taken care of and before himself, and being he lives the lifestyle he does it is truly amazing that he would put others first. I feel blessed to be able to spend part of my day with such a wonderful young boy. He picked me out the minute I walked in the door and we spent the whole time together. I enjoyed all the smiles, singing, and dancing we were able to share, and I especially won't forget the image of happiness that were able to bring to each and every one of the children we spent time with today.
Taylor

This afternoon, we rode the tap taps to the history museum of Haiti as well as another orphanage.  At the museum, we learned about the development of Haiti, from its discovery by Christopher Columbus, to its Independence in 1804, to the current day.  We ran through 7 stations led by an amazing tour guide who discussed in-depth how Haiti has come to be.  In the last station, the tour guide showed us a golden enclosed crown.  This represents a single monarchy, where as an open crown represents a ruler but everyone is heard.  This ties in with our second event this afternoon, where we visited an orphanage full of kids ages 3 to 17.  One of the activities we organized was to create and decorate crowns for the little ones.  We thought this was very unique that these two things tied together.  We also played soccer with the older kids, setting up stones as goals, and playing 4 on 4.  These older kids are absolutely amazing at playing soccer, and so happened to "school" most of us.  They are so competitive!  You can see the passion they have when they play soccer, as it unites so many of the kids.  We are truly grateful to be able to have the chance to see, play, and have our hearts opened to a whole new world here in Haiti.  All of the children that we have gotten to interact with have the biggest hearts and smiles and we look forward to the events of tomorrow!
Justin

Day 1 Serving...

 
 Its our second day here (first full day serving) in Haiti. The plans changed, we were supposed to split into two groups, one to deliver water while the other was going to go to the home for sick and dying children. What we ended up doing was Team 1 went to a special needs orphanage and Team 2 went to the home for sick and dying children. Around lunch time we all got back together and went out with the water truck and made two stops in addition to spending time at the Haitian Initiative.

     As you walk into the special needs orphanage, you hear the sound of laughter.  Laughter.  In an orphanage in one of the poorest counties in the world.  As the gate opened, we were greeted by one of the happiest residents, he was a young man who was displaying a beaming smile from ear to ear and wearing a cool pair of shades.  He said, "Welcome! Welcome!" as he hugged the first of us.  We were warmed by his hospitality when he started to feel along the wall to find the next person.  He was blind.  I didn't realize just how much perspective can influence a person's attitude until I visited that orphanage.  The joy of the children rubbed off on us just as much as they did themselves.  Some of the children were so severely disabled that we were told they can never sit up or stand.  What a blessing to be able to pick these kids up and show them the world.  The visit was filled with singing, dancing, holding, and kisses on our cheeks.  This stop will by far be engrained into my memory for years to come and I know it will bring a smile to my face every time I think of it.
Dick

     When we arrived at the home for the sick and dying children we were greeted by the most amazing sisters and staff you could ever ask for. They wasted no time pointing us to the rooms that were filled with children awaiting our attention. When we walked in at 9 in the morning there were countless mothers cradling their children. Even with all the mothers, there were still plenty of children for us. One of the most heartbreaking times was when the visiting hours were over and all the mothers had to leave their bawling children alone in their cribs. When it came to lunch time we were blessed enough to be allowed to help with feeding the children. Some of these kids were hardly two years old and were holding their own bowl and were feeding themselves. There was one young girl in particular, her bracelet said she was two years old and as I was walking by all the children, making my way passed the cribs I saw this smile that instantly grabbed me. This was the most precious little girl that I have ever seen. Words cannot describe the emotions that overwhelmed me each and every time this little girl smiled, which was a lot! She had this little toy that when you flipped upside down had colorful balls sprinkle down through these little barriers and every time you flipped it upside down she showed us her beautiful smile. We will be seeing a lot this week but her smile will be forever imprinted in my head.
Kyle F.
 

Delivering water to the city was a whirlwind of emotion, you get off the truck and there is a sea of children looking up at us with these giant grins on their face and everyone on the team jumped into action, whether it be giving those children some love or manning the water hose. We saw a lot of the reality that exists in Haiti, but the most overpowering sense of said reality was the interaction and what we received from the children. It was surreal to feel such gratitude and appreciation from these mobs of children who are growing up in a completely different way from what we had all experienced. Everyone had at least one connection with a child that sort struck you with an energy. For me personally the biggest takeaway was how natural it seemed, it was a situation that you could feel God working through you and shining his light on what he wants you to see in this place, at this time, and with these people. I feel closer with Him, the team, and this island in the Caribbean.
Kyle N.

   

Miracle

We have arrived in Haiti! It has been a long day of travel for us all and we are ready to sleep in the amazing guest house here. Everything is so colorful and the people here at the house have been very nice. For dinner we had some shepherds pie here at the guesthouse and snacked at the airport. Also at the airport we had the pleasure of meeting a man who actually is from Haiti. His name was Miracle. We felt like he was put in our path to teach us more about Haiti and he really had a lot of pride for his homeland. After dinner this evening we began preparing ourselves for our first serving day tomorrow! Team 1 will be going to do the water truck in Cite Soleil. Team 2 will be visiting the home of sick and dying babies. It will be very physically tasking for team 1 while team 2 will have an emotionally tasking day. Pray for us all as we embark on this journey. We are so blessed with your involvement in this and would not be anywhere without our friends and families.


Kayla Schmidt

Why Haiti?

Months of preparation and planning are now behind us.  Everyone has sacrificed in preparation for our upcoming mission trip to Haiti .  Donations have been collected, schedules have been cleared, vacations have been taken and yet, why do we go to Haiti?

What is it about Haiti that pulls me back?  In a week, I leave on another trip to this country  I had previously only read about.  I go to help and to try to make a difference in someone's life, if only for a little while.  But why Haiti?  Aren't there plenty of other countries/cultures just as poor, just as destitute?  Wouldn't the gratification of helping be just as great somewhere else?  Yes and No.

All one has to do is look beneath the surface to see the incredible need of an impoverished people.  In many countries worldwide, all need help and most would welcome it.  Whole lives have been devoted to service to these peoples and their lives have been richer because of their selfless devotion.  So why go to Haiti?  Why go back to Haiti?

I don't have a good answer.  I believe I never chose Haiti, Haiti was chosen for me.  If it were left to me, I probably would have chosen Guatemala, Nicaragua or some other Central American impoverished area where at least I could attempt to speak their language--- Creole seems almost impossible for me to learn.  How can you help if you can't communicate?  Yet Haiti has shown me that a smile, touch and a hug bridges more peoples than words.  If I can do nothing more than hold a sick child, I feel bonded.

While destitute, with their infrastructure in shambles and garbage in the streets, the beauty of Haiti is in their people.  Their faith, their indestructible spirit, their sense of community, their friendly open hearts draws me back.  I hear their voices and I see their faces everyday.  I feel their hugs even when I'm home and I know that they've become a part of me.

Why do I go back?---- because there is a friend who needs help.  How can I do otherwise?

Sydney's Day

We dedicated this day in Haiti to Sydney Galleger, on the day of her funeral back in the US. Today turned out to be the happiest, smile-filled day of our trip, just as Syd was every day. Before the trip, Marijo called down to Haiti to have the boys make us all bracelets to say Sydney to remember her kind heart while serving throughout the week. When we got them, we realized they were blue, Sydney's favorite color, and the boys had no idea, which was a chill-sending blessing from God. Bringing the neighborhood boys to the beach showed us what ideal friendships are supposed to look like, which Sydney replicated without ever meeting these boys. I have had the privilege of serving with her, and I have noticed she puts as much passion into being the hands and feet of Jesus as the people of Haiti do about loving the Lord, which is an incredibly enormous amount. The light that radiated from her will never be forgotten. We love you Syd.       Haley Nixon

The doctors did everything they could, but God wanted Sydney with him that day and forever. Sydney, and all the good she did on this Earth, will never be forgotten. The people's lives she touched were precious, and we thank God for the time he gave us with her. We pray for her family and close friends for God to keep his hands on them during this hard time. We pray that they lean not on their own understanding, but trust the Lord with all their hearts, souls, and minds for comfort and strength. We pray for our comfort that we know she is with you happy and loved. We pray that we never forget how temporary our lives are down here on earth and that we dedicate our lives to serving you and loving others. We love you Sydney and your service that made everyone else smile with you. We will miss you. You are alive within our memories and with the lives you saved with your body's organs. Thank you for the lessons you taught us down here.    Revalation 21:4 : "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things was passed away."     Lauren Stich

Sydney Gallager was one of my very best friends. She was the most amazing and beautiful person. It was obvious she had the light of the lord in her heart. You could tell through her contagious laugh and perfect smile. I debated whether or not I should go on this trip, but I knew in my heart that she would have wanted me to go and serve God's people. It has been rough for me, but I have served with her constantly in mind, and the thought that she is watching over me has kept me strong. Although we are in a different country. Sydney's name is now known here. As you read earlier,  some of the neighborhood boys made bracelets in her honor. They made the bracelets blue too, without being told that they needed to make them in a certain color. (blue was Syd's favorite color). God is so good, and works in ways that enlighten and encourage us. Sydney will be missed so much by everyone she has touched in her life.

Love you forever and always Biddy, Maddie

Beach Day

EVERY DAY IS LIKE CHRISTMAS OR YOUR BIRTHDAY IN HAITI...

I know this is a completely confusing statement to make, but I truly feel this way.  This is my second time in Haiti and it was an unexpected gift to be able to come this time. I only  jumped in on the trip about 2 weeks prior to leaving when God opened the door.    

One fun blessing is that a neighborhood boy that I am close to (and had heard had moved away) was here.  He is still going to school in the neighborhood and so I have been able to see him in the afternoons.  The best surprise was today, finding out HE was going WITH US for beach day with the neighborhood boys!  So Tulce and I got to spend the day along with all our friends splashing and playing at the beach!. I asked him on the way to the beach which bible story we should read together to the group- as we have a creole and an English Children's Bible.  He chose the story of Zacchaeus who didn't have ANY friends!  So while the kiddos were eating on the beach, my buddy Tulce read part of the story in Creole, then I would read in English. It was such a privilege to read with him out of God's Word.   Another gift to me. Another unexpected blessing was getting to take all the boys on a boat ride. We all got to go up and down the coast to see how things look from the ocean with the boys. On the way home, we visited about school, our families and I told him I would be praying for him.  He told me his favorite verse is John 3:16.  Another gift to me.  I am always way more blessed by the Haitian people than anything I do serving here.  Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to me :)               Kelly Aakhus

Hello from Haiti! Today was our first day not physically serving, instead we took the neighborhood boys to the beach. This, in its own way was a way of serving. These boys don't have much, but they have each other and seeing the bond they share and being able to be a part of it for a little bit was a huge privilege. Their vibrancy and generosity is contagious, and it was so wonderful to spend time with them today. Not to mention the beach and the ocean were beautiful and refreshing after a long week. That beach was honestly a slice of heaven amidst the usually rough looking terrain of Haiti. This entire week has been amazing and I feel wonderfully blessed to witness this beautiful culture and how God is a part of these people.       Laurie Linscott

 

Today was another beautiful day in Haiti; It is truly amazing how such a poor place could be so beautiful. The people specifically are what makes Haiti so beautiful. They don't have much but live in a more positive and fun loving way than most people in the United States. Today we took the neighborhood boys to the beach which is something they only get to do twice a year. These kids are the kindest, sweetest boys I have ever met. They are a tightly knit family and take care of one another. Some of them are orphaned and most of them only have one parent, but regardless of their circumstances these children have a very strong passion for God. You can see God working through them in everything they do. They even taught us some of the common Creole Christian songs on the way to the beach. It was a very hot day but we were blessed by these children and their love for God. I wouldn't have wanted to spend it any other way.                      Caitlin O'Leary

 

Its Friday Friday

The day started at the young hour of 5:45, with the sun still sound asleep. We attended a local worship service, unlike anything you can witness in the US. The wee hour did not impact the Haitians ability to praise Bondye (God). The service opened with multiple raps in creole which was then followed by about an hour of singing and dancing. It brought us all great joy to see the Haitians loving Bondye and being so happy.
Once the service was over, we walked back to the guest house through the village of Delmas. On the journey back we happened upon a weathered sign reading, "Thou shalt not park here." We chuckle.
After we had eaten our fill of second breakfast, we departed for another day of water deliveries in Cite Soleil. Today we had two stops. The first was similar to the three we did the other day. At the second, once the water had been distributed, we took a group of kids to the pier. Two boys, who hadn't yet seen their twelfth winter, not only because it is warm here, had a gymnastics dual which could be summarized with one word: nuts. The show consisted of backflips and backbends both done in the nude. It was a great show, the boys did not flop. One of the boys exited the competition in dramatic fashion with a flip off the pier into the ocean's waiting arms.
After the water deliveries, we went to an orphanage for deaf and mute children. Most of these children are suffering for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and were orphaned from the earthquake. We brought the kids soccer balls, jerseys, and foam baseballs. We toured the facility with the kids in tow, many upon our backs and, in Nelson's case, very broad shoulders. This orphanage aims to teach the children life skills such as farming and woodwork, so that they can lead productive lives in Haitian society despite their disabilities. They had cows, pigs, an intricate irrigation system, and copious amounts of crops. After the tour, we played soccer, baseball, and anything in between with the kiddos.
Tonight was the guesthouse staff's night off from cooking, so we went to a pizza place in downtown Delmas. The tap-tap ride turned into a bit of an adventure when a stray SUV, encroached into the tap-taps vehicular bubble. With minimal casualties (a mirror) we arrived at Pizza Amor for some high quality Za featuring lobster, an alfredo sauce, and a "meatza pizza." With satisfied stomachs, we returned to the guesthouse and watched Ben and Lauren kill it on the dance floor. S'Cute. We learned salsa dancing from the best, John. Joe and Karen struggled to master the "Titanic," a move consisting of spins and weaving of arms behind the head. Rain ended the dancing pre-maturely, but this did not spoil the night, as the rain turned the dance floor into a slippery Slip-N-Slide.
We would love to tell you more; however, it is late and Marijo wants us to publish and go to bed. So this Jack and Joe, with minimal help from Nelson, signing off.

*Mic Drop*

Day of Hope

Alo!

The last two days were both physically and emotionally draining, so we were exhausted today, but somehow God gave us the energy before each place we went to serve as his hands and feet. First we visited elders, and God blessed us by allowing us to see the beloved Marie, who everyone prays to get to visit because of her love and trust in the Lord and her precious graciousness. Getting to see the joy her heart as we played music and the neighborhood kids joined in singing "gwal pou Bondye" (Glory to God) was a bigger blessing to me than it was to her. We then visited Edmund who was blind and partially deaf and it was also a joy to see Laurie wash his feet. We realized how different it is back at home where we need more time to do all the activities and daily duties, and all he has is time and not much to do with it but think and pray. The presence of the Lord here is incredibly powerful, and is making a huge impact on all of our faith lives. Today we also visited another elderly woman named Charletude who was a sweetheart and we really saw Jesus in her as she repeated "Mesi, Mesi" (Thank you). Then we visited Grace village and Shalom orphanage. It was a well needed happy day filled with hope.

Miss you mama and daddy,
Haley

Today was a great day,  After two pretty tough days of seeing a lot of hardship in Cite Solei and General Hospital, we saw some very positive things.  Grace Village is an amazing place that is giving an opportunity to a bunch of kids by giving them schooling, food and a family environment in which to live.  It was pretty cool to see the kids and spend time with them.  We then went to an orphanage called Shalom.  The kids there were so excited.  We gave them a few things to play with but I think their smiles did more for us than we did for them.  Again the day closed out with soccer in the streets with the neighborhood kids.  It has been a joy getting to know them.  They are trying to teach me some Creole but I think I am a lost cause. 

Love to Joan, Rachel, Anna and Lydia.  Davis and I miss you.
Reid

bonswa

Bon Swa-Good Evening from Haiti, By Angie O and Karen L

What an emotional day.  We started the day with a fantastic breakfast of eggs, pancakes, oatmeal, fresh squeezed juice and mango!  Delish.  These ladies take such good care of us.  They also do our laundry and tidy our beds while we are away for the day. 

We traveled by tap-tap (a truck-bus) to the Home of the Sick and Dying Babies.  It is here that we went bed to bed holding babies that are very ill and needed some loving.  One would cry and we would pick them up only to have another needing to be held.  The home is staffed by wonderful nuns who tirelessly serve.  Their parents, if able, are also visiting daily.  Life is so fragile yet you could see God in their eyes.  It was challenging to leave these little ones behind, but we know they were in God's hands.  "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them.  He delivers them from all their troubles."  Psalm 34:17

After lunch, we did get some shopping in at a place called Apparent Project, a great organization that employs Haitians to make beautiful artesian crafts.  The jewelry was the highlight along with a round of tropic smoothies.  The employ over 200 people with the goal being to provide for their families so they can care for their children and keep them out of orphanages (many orphans in Haiti have parents that are not able to care for them because of the expense.) 

Haiti Blog By Nelson L

My day started out with a delicious breakfast consisting of pancakes with nutella and syrup with some fresh bananas and juice. After washing the dishes and filling up our water bottles for the day, we loaded up the tap tap and headed off for the Home for the sick and dying babies. The morning was an emotional roller coaster for me. For the first part at the home I was holding a three year old boy. He and I grabbed a toy car and pushed it back and forth together for what seemed like hours. We probably would have kept on doing this all day if one of the sisters had not called me on a mission. The home had received a shipment of 100 buckets and we had to fill all of them with rice, spaghetti, and fish. While I was sad I could not be with my little buddy, I got great joy from knowing that families would be able to have dinner because of these buckets. After about half an hour of filling buckets, I went back to the kiddo area. This time I picked up a tiny little girl who would not stop crying. It seemed as if this poor little girl could not be comforted, so I decided to start singing a song in Creole I had learned earlier that day. The lyrics were simple Glwa Pou Bondye just repeated over and over, Glwa Pou Bondye means "Glory to God". Once I started singing this song, the girl immediately calmed down. When I set her down, she started screaming and crying, this was pure heartbreak.

Later we went to the general hospital, the conditions were terrible and it was one of the saddest things I have ever seen. There were a myriad of babies in such a small place. A positive that came from this was handing out bibles to the parents and seeing them indulge in the word of God was one of the many moments that gives me hope in this country.

Water Truck Day

Sak pase! (What's up),

Sorry for the lack of posts so far. Service is pretty scarce here. We are doing well unconnected and sweaty! Today was our water truck day where we stopped in different parts of City Soleil and filled buckets with water. The children have the most beautiful, joy-filled smiles. The biggest job is to be human jungle gyms for the kids to climb on according to Gates, our coordinator of mission teams at the guest house. The sun is not as bad as we all expected. We are tired and ready to take on a new day. Praying for everyone at home and all the amazing Haitians we have met on our trip.

P.S. Mom, I wore plenty of sunscreen, I didn't even burn. Haley made sure of it :)

Love Lauren Stich, typed by Haley cause Lauren is apparently illiterate.

Hey you!!

This was the greeting that we received from dozens of children as we climbed off the tap-tap. For most of them, it was the only English they spoke, and no one in our group, excluding Ben, speaks any creole. Today was incredibly fun, yet exhausting. we spent the day carrying water around City Soleil, carrying little children (I had six on me at one time), relaxing on the roof of the tap-tap, and playing soccer with the neighborhood boys. I quickly discovered my incompetence in the sport. We are all looking forward to getting beaten in soccer again and again. We all appreciate all the prayers that are being sent up for us.

Love,
Davis (I typed it myself) then Haley and Laurie edited all the countless mistakes

immeasurably more

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more that all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us."  Ephesians 3:20

This has always been one of my favorite verses.   It's just so God.  We have these meek little visions, goals and dreams and He always blows them away with immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.  This trip we are about to embark upon in 5 days has already started out just that way…

Immeasurably more…

Donations - we had our packing party Sunday night and we got so excited packing all of the donations that team members had collected that we packed a few more suitcases than we are allotted for travel :)!

Lemonade Stands - some sweet neighbor friends hosted a lemonade stand this weekend and collected over $120 to bless the sweet kids in Haiti.

Team members - at the last minute, through a series of events that could only be God, we have added Kelly Aakhus to our team and she will be such a blessing to us and the Haitians in many ways.

Trip funds - a few of our goers were apprehensive about raising the necessary money to cover the cost of the trip…as donations from family and friends have come in, their accounts are immeasurably more than they ever anticipated.

Garage Sale - the Linscott family hosted a garage sale a few weekends ago.  We hoped to raise $1000 and ended up raising $1380.

Sorrow and Joy - many of the first time goers on our team don't know it yet, but they are about to experience immeasurably more sorrow and Joy all mixed in to one that they have ever experienced before.  What a blessing it is to cling to the promise that we will have His power working within us as we serve in Haiti.

All of you - So many family and friends that have come along side us in prayer, with donations and with financial support.  There may only be 17 of us physically going to Haiti but there are hundreds of you that we will take along with us in many ways.

So…we hope you will follow along on this blog as we feel so blessed to have the privilege to serve the people of Haiti and experience immeasurably more than we could ever dream up ourselves.

Glwa Pou Bondye!
Glory to God!

Marijo

What is Church?

What is church?

Today we experienced what church really is. 

In America most our churches are surrounded with walls, topped with a roof, and filled with chairs. While this description fits the basic churches of America it is not The Church that Jesus talked about. The church is not about walls, sound systems, chairs, crosses, or floors. The Church is the people. The Church is Christ in us, all of us as one body. 

This morning our team got to experience what The Church is, or more like Who the Church is. Today in the poorest country in the world, in the poorest neighborhood, in the poorest district, we had church. We had church on top of 14 feet of garbage, dirt, and buried dead bodies. We had church for the first time on this plot of land by telling one man to spread the word about church on Sunday. One man, and God did the rest. People and children poured into the lot which will one day be a beautiful church building. 

Today we had church in a circle, with one microphone and a guitar. We had church Haitian beside American, naked children in arms, holding hands, praising and singing Jesus loves me. Every detail wasn't planned out, there were bumpy moments, but above all there was God. What a site to see people standing on a mound of garbage praising, hands in the hair, lifting up bold prayers, and trusting in one God who came to save and love all of us. 

At church this morning, I (Emma) got to sing to a little boy about 4/5 years old, who, unlike all of the other children was not smiling. When I started to sing “Jesus Loves You” to him, ignoring everything else around me, this boy got the biggest smile. Each time I told him Jesus Loved Him his face would just light up. What a blessing to be a part of this community, this Church that Jesus united, where his presence is our joy, where his love is what brings smiles. I think we all learned valuable lessons about the Church today, and were each touched in unique ways. As for me, today was an epic love letter from God to us. A love letter that many wont understand, but to me will be a long treasured souvenir. 

After church, we got the opportunity to drive up the mountain and visit some markets. We business students put our sales knowledge to the test bartering with the locals. We saw amazing paintings and tin decorations. The crowning glory of it all was the view which we got to witness briefly before being encompassed in the refreshing mist of the clouds. 

To finish off the night Jeff Gacek spoke life into us. He shared his story of chasing success, and encouraged us to pursue significance. God has chosen each of us, at this time to be here together. God has a purpose for each of us. I ask you to pray with me for Holy Discontents within this team as we wrap up our trip. Let us be vessels of His love, letting His purpose flow in and through us.-------Emma

Amazing

Today was our second day bringing the water truck into Cite Soleil and it was nothing short of amazing.  The smiles on everyones faces continued to impress us and they only got bigger once we hopped out of the truck.  We brought water to many deserving Haitians in District 26 and in N'ap Boule.  After distributing water to District 26, we walked to District 17 where we learned that we will be having the first ever church service at Healing Haiti's new church in Cite Soleil.  Thus far, there is no building, seats, or structure.  It is simply an open plot of land that sits on 16 feet of garbage.  It is sure to be a powerful service knowing that even without a church we can come together and be thankful for all that God has blessed us with.

After spending a couple delightful hours with Haitians in Cite Soleil, we travelled over to Lapherre Orphanage to brighten the kids' day.  Along with our team, we brought many fun toys and snacks for the kids to enjoy.  Besides the yummy snacks, the kids smiles really glowed when we were playing with the rainbow parachute.  This also filled our teams faces with smiles as it brought joy to the kids and it reminded us of the awesome days of elementary school.  While some were playing with the parachute, others were playing soccer.  We tried to keep up, but the kids are much better at soccer and definitely made us work for every goal.  Being that we were blessed with a good amount of time to spend at the orphanage, we were also able to sing songs and paint t-shirts with the kids.  Once it was time to leave the orphanage it was hard to leave the kiddos as always, but we were looking forward to the pizza we were fortunate enough to enjoy at Pizza Amoure.  At Pizza Amoure, a local pizza place run by missionaries out of their own home, we enjoyed a fun team dinner that involved great food and even better company.

The whole team is thrilled to get some sleep tonight as the kids wear us out every day.  Tomorrow we will be going to the beach with some of the kids from Grace Village to swim and enjoy a beautiful Haitian day.

~Willie and Danny

A day filled with Grace

Day 4 started off with a special treat; a 6 am Haitian church service.  Haitian churches are much different than most churches in the US in the sense that it has less to do with listening to a sermon, and more to do with individually expressing one’s love and prayers to God through music and prayer.  We saw many people praying up and down the aisles, along with people pacing back and forth within the pews.  We decided to walk back from the church instead of taking the tap-tap in order to experience a more typical Haitian morning.  

After arriving back at the guest house we all ate our typical, delicious, family-style breakfast.  Today’s schedule consisted of a visit to Grace Village, caring for the local elders, and an emotional stop at the mass grave.  Grace Village was created by the people of Healing Haiti back in 2011.  In short, it is a place for the people of Haiti to go for many different reasons.  Grace Village is compiled of many different aspects including a school, a clinic, a bakery, and homes for children who didn’t previously have homes, or were no longer able to stay at other orphanages.  Grace Village was built to give children homes, a place learn, jobs for adults, and an opportunity for the Haitians to look forward to their future.  Fortunately, we had the opportunity to play with the kids during their recess time.  Nothing makes the kids smile more than picking them up and hugging them constantly.  I (Danny) immediately connected with a boy whom I couldn’t understand what he said his name was.  He was a young boy, probably around the age of 4, and loved when I would push him on the swing.  The toughest part of hanging out with the little kids is saying goodbye when they have to go back to class.  This little guy didn’t realize how he was making my day so much better with only a few hugs and some good ole’ fun.

Our next activity for the day included visiting and caring for the elderly within Titan Ye.  In Creole, Titan Ye stands for “less than nothing”.  We made several different stops to the homes of elderly women.  During these stops, we cleaned their hands and feet, rubbed lotion on their hands and feet, prayed for them, gave dresses and shorts to the children in surrounding homes, and sang with the help of guitar from our Haitian leader, Emmanuel.  I (Sammy), with the help of Emmanuel, freshened up my piano skills for the first time in a very, very long time and was actually awakened to the fact that we, as Americans, live extremely busy lifestyles.  Between work, school, homework, and other daily activities, we forget to take the time to really slow down and take the time to do what really makes us happy.  It’s important to take time every day to relax and thank God for the blessings and beauty in each and every day.  

Our last stop of the day included a stop at the Mass Grave.  Over 300,000 people were killed during the earthquake and being able to see the grave was extremely emotional and moving.  While at the mass grave, we got the opportunity to hear a first hand experience from our Haitian leader, Brunet.  Brunet was downtown when the earthquake hit and therefore saw everything happen right before his eyes.  Hearing his story really turned the entire situation into reality.  Once Brunet finished his story, we realized that there was a large group of Haitians that lived in Titan Ye who had surrounded us.  We decided to give them meals from Feed My Starving Children, and since we didn’t have enough to go around, we handed out two bags of our own personal snacks to help.  Perhaps the most difficult part was still not being able to give food to every person that came to us.

Sammy and Danny