During our stay in Haiti, we were given able to take a look around to see the good and the not so good. Despite the hardships they have endured and will continue to endure, there are good things going on. People that find work, some that make it on any skill they can use to get by, and some go to begging.
Helen and Pastor Benoit took us to Jubilee to see what a benefit micro-loans are. That is when a person comes to Mission:Haiti requesting a small loan to start a business. This business has to be successful and the money has to be paid back when they begin earning an income. It is amazing what some of these loans have empowered Haitians to do to provide for their families. We visited a man that remakes mattresses. He strips them down to the springs. He then fixes the springs and scrubs down the foam and cover. They really get down and scrub on their hands and knees. Then they put the mattress back together by sewing everything in its place. He has already paid back his loan and now has a couple of employees. This provides for his family and the family of the employee. We met another woman. She takes care of 12 kids. Her husband and son died in the cholera epidemic. Six children are hers and six are her son's if I remember correctly. She purchases rice in large bags and re-packs them in smaller bags. She sells them and other odd things she can sell. They were very proud of there hard work and the dignity of working to provide for there families. We met with several others who do similar jobs. Forgive me, but, if some of Americans would spend more time doing whatever labor they could to provide for their own families and less time filling out paper work or standing in lines for a hand out from our government, maybe our welfare system wouldn't be so out of hand. There is no back up plan for these Haitians. There is not a safety net to catch them if they are out of work, disabled, or have chronic depression. If they want to survive they have to suck it up and do something. There is plenty of begging and many Haitians eat only once every other day. I can't begin to understand that. On the news there is much controversy over the cuts in food stamps. How about not being able to eat for 48 hours on a regular basis. I realize Haitian society and American society is vastly different but we can surely be thankful for the help we do receive and not take advantage of the system. Ok, off of my soap box....
Pastor gave us a tour of his church building. Not only to they do church services and other outreach programs, they offer much more. The building is four stories. The top floor is a radio station, the third is a technology lab and classrooms for seminary students. The second floor is similar. They have a lot of space and use it well to equip Haitians to do what God calls them to do.
We did not stop to shop at market but we drove through. The streets were lined with everything you could think of. They had clothes, food, toys, appliances, live chickens and other animals, even alcohol. They use a lot of donations that are sent to Haiti and re-sale it to other Haitians that can't afford it. Weird. That is why you are encouraged to check into the program you are donating to. That way you can be sure it goes to a needy family not just street vendors.
We took a tour of the boys home and the future girls home. The boys home has had lots of improvements since I was there last year. They had lots more plants, They planted a garden-I think corn was what they were growing, among other things. They were building an extra sleeping area. They even had already hung up the hand wreath given to them by our students at Shepherd of the Hills. The girls home is under construction. They were currently working on the sleeping area. They showed us the what the rest will look like and anticipate moving the girls in at the beginning of November. The girls that are already signed up to stay there are currently in foster homes. Just across the same property is Concordia Christian school where they attend school. We looked at the classrooms that were pretty empty. School doesn't start for them until October. Candice wrote Jesus loves you in Creole on the chalkboard. There are blocks cut out in each wall to another classroom. I would imagine that would be quite loud. Enoch told me they are required to take English and Spanish. Interesting.
We had quite a week. We served and enjoyed every minute of it. We saw things we will never Should we go home and get rid of everything we own? No, we live in a different society and we have what we need to live and enjoy. Haitians have joy and hope in a place that looks so desperate. We should be thankful for what we have, try not to misuse the blessings we have been given, and learn to love others. Jesus came to love and serve everyone. He showed it by serving the least of these, performing miracles, and teaching even those who were to proud to admit they didn't know it all. Helen reminded us we were born the way we are and where we are for a reason. Can we save Haiti? No, only God can do the work that needs to be done to help them survive and learn about his salvation. He tells us when and how to do what he needs us to do.
The last thing we did was pack up and head out closer to Port Au Prince. We would be staying closer to the airport so we didn't have to leave at 3:00 am. Our lodging was a prettier side of Haiti. There is much beauty in Haiti. We had our last night of devotions. We reflected on what we did, what God did, and how we would adjust back home. I was surprised to find myself struggling more this time when I got home. It was tough to see everything we saw and tough to leave it behind. Thankfully, we will (Lord willing) be back. This is the wonderful part of the partnership with our church and Mission:Haiti. The mission never ends. We can continue to help from home, school, and church. Look for ways you can be a part of this team!!!
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
Mission Trip to Haiti- Vacation Bible School
This was my main focus during the trip. I had worked to prepare it and the first day had not gone as well as I had hoped for. But, we knew God had a plan and the show must go on. Candice and I re-grouped and re-organized for the next day. This day Lophane, Enoch, and Sophanie would be staying with us. We were excited to get started!
We arrived earlier than yesterday but there were still about 40 kids already there and ready! As we got set up, the translators helped get named tags on. It is very helpful to us if they have name tags. We can pronounce most of them by the way they are spelled. (in English) Candice had everything ready to go for crafts! They would be doing hand prints today. The verse on the paper for that was John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave is only Son, that whoever shall believe in Him shall have eternal life. Lophane , Enoch, and Sophanie got started with music. Candice and I jumped in with movements and singing along when we could. He led the kids with excitement and joy! They sang Father Abraham-it has lots of movement and fun, Read your Bible pray everyday and you'll grow, grow, grow. This song has them reaching high as they are growing in Jesus, Jesus Loves Me, and Lord I Lift Your Name on High. We said a prayer and split into 2 groups. We did the same schedule as before. Enoch helped me with the story. It takes a special translator to translate a story. You need someone that can pass on the excitement and emotion you use to tell a story. Enoch has that special gift. (He is in school for education!!) Anyway, today's story was about God's family. I printed the title in Creole on the story board along with pictures. I explained we are all part of God's family and that is how he intended it to be. Then sin came in to our world. The children and I agreed that sin is anything that displeases the Lord and it would be unfair to let sin go unpunished. We talked about how Jesus came to take on our sin, to take the punishment of death for our sin. Then he conquered death through his Resurrection and believing in him and what he has done makes us a part of God's family. We talked about the riches that God says are ours. It is somewhat tricky to talk about riches to children that don't have much. When Americans come it seems they have more "riches" than they do. But, we talked about the riches that are not tangible. Where stealing is something that happens more often than not, we talked about riches no one can steal. No one can steal your joy, love, salvation, and faith. What a relief!! We do have riches in common! We concluded the story and then switched. Once we were done the translators helped to get everyone seated and released them one row at a time for there snack. We were prepared this time and had plenty to share. Instead of watching their reactions in panic of running out, we were able to enjoy their grateful faces. It was a good time had by all.
The next two days we were doing vacation bible school in Jubilee. Because of the large number of children we would be doing only one day for one group and then we would come back the next and do one day with the remaining children. We stuck with the story of God's family, the first day the children decorated crosses and the second day a different set of kids did hand prints. Jubilee was run a little different. We told them we only had enough to do 100 kids at a time. The pastors did a great job of keeping track of how many we had and cutting it off at 100. The kids waiting outside the first day would have there chance at vbs the next day. Just because there are a 100 kids does not make the church any bigger. So, we told the story first and then did the craft. The craft was stationed at the front of the inside of the church. This way the kids could do their craft and receive their snack without being mobbed at the door. The Pastors helped to usher the kids to the craft table and out of the door. The kids their were so desperate. The ones that did not make it inside the first day stood peering in through the holes of the walls of the church. They would reach in and gently tug at our ankles. It is hard not to give in. But, you have to be strong and confident that they will get their turn the next day. And when we are out, we are out. It sounds hard and it but that is just the way it is. Candice made a wonderful point. We can tell our kids in America sometimes things just aren't fair-deal with it. But for one day, she felt it was important for things to be fair at least one day for those kids that we served in Haiti. I absolutely agree. We tried to do just that, we just had to be careful that no one snuck in to get seconds.
Both days in Jubilee were exciting and fun! The kids had a great time and so did the grown ups. It was crazy to know that God was protecting us. He gave us this space, this time to enjoy praising His name, even when the enemy was staring right at us. We were making a statement in a Voodoo community. For all who were enjoying praising God in the name of Jesus Christ, we are also in this bubble of protection. Never have I ever seen the Holy Spirit in action presently protecting us as we served Him humbly!!! It was an experience I will never forget. Those kids had so much fun and nothing to fear, in a community that is held captive through fear. And, like all things in Haiti, when it is time to go....pack up and leave fast. All leftovers were later given to the pastors to do as they wish. As we were leaving, a woman sat across the street from the church. She sat on her porch holding a baby that was crying so loud. She was not worrying over that baby, she was busy staring at us with evil I have never seen before. She was mumbling curses at us as we loaded up. For a tiny second I was worried. I asked Helen, "should we be worried?" She said no because we are protected by Christ. WHEW!!!!!
What a day. What an experience. So many things to look back at and remember forever. I will remember that it doesn't matter what language a child speaks, what social status they come from, or even what religion. All children love to sing, dance, hear stories, do a craft, and of course receive at treat. We got to do it in the NAME OF JESUS!
As always in Christ Jesus,
Amy
We arrived earlier than yesterday but there were still about 40 kids already there and ready! As we got set up, the translators helped get named tags on. It is very helpful to us if they have name tags. We can pronounce most of them by the way they are spelled. (in English) Candice had everything ready to go for crafts! They would be doing hand prints today. The verse on the paper for that was John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave is only Son, that whoever shall believe in Him shall have eternal life. Lophane , Enoch, and Sophanie got started with music. Candice and I jumped in with movements and singing along when we could. He led the kids with excitement and joy! They sang Father Abraham-it has lots of movement and fun, Read your Bible pray everyday and you'll grow, grow, grow. This song has them reaching high as they are growing in Jesus, Jesus Loves Me, and Lord I Lift Your Name on High. We said a prayer and split into 2 groups. We did the same schedule as before. Enoch helped me with the story. It takes a special translator to translate a story. You need someone that can pass on the excitement and emotion you use to tell a story. Enoch has that special gift. (He is in school for education!!) Anyway, today's story was about God's family. I printed the title in Creole on the story board along with pictures. I explained we are all part of God's family and that is how he intended it to be. Then sin came in to our world. The children and I agreed that sin is anything that displeases the Lord and it would be unfair to let sin go unpunished. We talked about how Jesus came to take on our sin, to take the punishment of death for our sin. Then he conquered death through his Resurrection and believing in him and what he has done makes us a part of God's family. We talked about the riches that God says are ours. It is somewhat tricky to talk about riches to children that don't have much. When Americans come it seems they have more "riches" than they do. But, we talked about the riches that are not tangible. Where stealing is something that happens more often than not, we talked about riches no one can steal. No one can steal your joy, love, salvation, and faith. What a relief!! We do have riches in common! We concluded the story and then switched. Once we were done the translators helped to get everyone seated and released them one row at a time for there snack. We were prepared this time and had plenty to share. Instead of watching their reactions in panic of running out, we were able to enjoy their grateful faces. It was a good time had by all.
The next two days we were doing vacation bible school in Jubilee. Because of the large number of children we would be doing only one day for one group and then we would come back the next and do one day with the remaining children. We stuck with the story of God's family, the first day the children decorated crosses and the second day a different set of kids did hand prints. Jubilee was run a little different. We told them we only had enough to do 100 kids at a time. The pastors did a great job of keeping track of how many we had and cutting it off at 100. The kids waiting outside the first day would have there chance at vbs the next day. Just because there are a 100 kids does not make the church any bigger. So, we told the story first and then did the craft. The craft was stationed at the front of the inside of the church. This way the kids could do their craft and receive their snack without being mobbed at the door. The Pastors helped to usher the kids to the craft table and out of the door. The kids their were so desperate. The ones that did not make it inside the first day stood peering in through the holes of the walls of the church. They would reach in and gently tug at our ankles. It is hard not to give in. But, you have to be strong and confident that they will get their turn the next day. And when we are out, we are out. It sounds hard and it but that is just the way it is. Candice made a wonderful point. We can tell our kids in America sometimes things just aren't fair-deal with it. But for one day, she felt it was important for things to be fair at least one day for those kids that we served in Haiti. I absolutely agree. We tried to do just that, we just had to be careful that no one snuck in to get seconds.
Both days in Jubilee were exciting and fun! The kids had a great time and so did the grown ups. It was crazy to know that God was protecting us. He gave us this space, this time to enjoy praising His name, even when the enemy was staring right at us. We were making a statement in a Voodoo community. For all who were enjoying praising God in the name of Jesus Christ, we are also in this bubble of protection. Never have I ever seen the Holy Spirit in action presently protecting us as we served Him humbly!!! It was an experience I will never forget. Those kids had so much fun and nothing to fear, in a community that is held captive through fear. And, like all things in Haiti, when it is time to go....pack up and leave fast. All leftovers were later given to the pastors to do as they wish. As we were leaving, a woman sat across the street from the church. She sat on her porch holding a baby that was crying so loud. She was not worrying over that baby, she was busy staring at us with evil I have never seen before. She was mumbling curses at us as we loaded up. For a tiny second I was worried. I asked Helen, "should we be worried?" She said no because we are protected by Christ. WHEW!!!!!
What a day. What an experience. So many things to look back at and remember forever. I will remember that it doesn't matter what language a child speaks, what social status they come from, or even what religion. All children love to sing, dance, hear stories, do a craft, and of course receive at treat. We got to do it in the NAME OF JESUS!
As always in Christ Jesus,
Amy
Friday, September 20, 2013
Mission Trip to Haiti- Women's Ministry in Jubilee
I will start this off with noting these are just my observations and experiences. Exhaustion and nausea has set in. I would imagine I was little dehydrated too, but we gotta keep moving. I went ahead and started taking my medicine for an upset stomach. After breakfast I drank more water and laid down until it was time to head out. Today, I would be helping with the women's ministry in the morning and VBS in the afternoon.
We are in Jubilee this morning. This is a very poor community not far from where we were staying in Goniaves. Housing is poor. Most of them look like shacks. The size of the church was about the average McDonald's dining area. The walls were made of palm leaves woven together and torn tarps. It had a wooden frame and tarps were semi layered to form a ceiling. The floor was a dirt floor and inside was a wooden table, some wooden benches for pews and small wooden chairs. Chairs the size of what I sit on at the school. The people had little clothing. The adults were clothed and some of the children. The younger children seemed to have less clothing. Some did not have clothes at all! Babies did not have diapers. If they came to the church they had clothes. They will not attend church if they don't have clothes and in some communities nicer clothes. This community was blessed if they had an outfit. There wasn't a difference in their spirits. Most of the children dressed or not were eager for attention and happy, to be smiled at, touched, and hugged. Several times we all were holding hands with 5-6 children at a time. I noticed some homemade toys. A kite was made of plastic and sticks and string, a tennis ball for soccer, and most shocking- a balloon made from a condom. Yes. Gross. Where do you start? How can we make any difference? Sharing the love of Jesus is the most important thing we could do for now. Once we entered the church there was a sense of order. The pastors of this church definitely knew how to keep order in this space. And we would later find out, we needed it!
Ann and Janice had done an introduction yesterday. Today, they would be sharing the gospel using bracelets with colors. Each color represented a different part of the gospel. They had cards in English and our translators explained it in Creole. The colors would be helpful so they can remember it and share it with their friends and family. Many of these women cannot read but they have an exceptional memory. Ann and Janice did a fantastic job! The women really liked the bracelets and learning about sin, the need for a savior, the death of Jesus, and even more important- His VICTORY over Death!!! This is super important. The Voodoo religion uses the crucifix also but they claim it is Satan's victory over the death of Jesus. Jesus conquered death. That was His VICTORY over Satan. These women needed to know they were loved and they didn't need to fear! Voodoo keeps them in fear. We concluded with prayer over the group of women and their community. Afterwards, we invited them to come forward for individual prayer. Ann, Janice, Candice, Helen, and I sat with translators ( a couple of us doubled up to share the translators) and prayed for the needs of these women. I asked each of the women if they were already believers. Most were but I had a few that wanted to be. I told them they already were. If you want to follow Christ you obviously believe in him. I do not believe I or a special prayer saves them. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. I am simply sharing this moment with a new believer praising and lifting them up in prayer. Praying that they will grow in their faith, praying for their families, and their needs. They prayed for healing, their pregnancies, families, for fathers to return home to be a family, and so on. One lady managed to have an x-ray of her daughter(who was with her). A little girl, had somehow gotten a tiny circle battery stuck up her nose. (it appears that all children stick things up their noses) This was no laughing matter. She had an x-ray but no doctor to help. I was praying for a miracle! Women that became new believers were sent to the pastor to help her begin her walk in the faith. This was repeated the last day of the women's ministry. Ann and Janice did a wonderful job sharing God's Word and what it meant to them. We are all sisters of the faith. A bond that can't be broken
Just like all the ministry activities we were involved in, when its time to go, it's time to go. Now. They are desperate for anything you have. If it is removable they ask if they can have it. We had already asked to leave our jewelry at the guest house before we got to Jubilee. It's hard to believe we live in a big world that is soo different. I had a lot to think about, pray about, and try to learn what God wanted me to take away from this. I don't think it will be only one answer. I believe it will be a process. Over time God will show me more and more. This was an example of how to depend on Him for every need. They will be in my heart forever for a reason.
As Always, In Christ,
Amy
We are in Jubilee this morning. This is a very poor community not far from where we were staying in Goniaves. Housing is poor. Most of them look like shacks. The size of the church was about the average McDonald's dining area. The walls were made of palm leaves woven together and torn tarps. It had a wooden frame and tarps were semi layered to form a ceiling. The floor was a dirt floor and inside was a wooden table, some wooden benches for pews and small wooden chairs. Chairs the size of what I sit on at the school. The people had little clothing. The adults were clothed and some of the children. The younger children seemed to have less clothing. Some did not have clothes at all! Babies did not have diapers. If they came to the church they had clothes. They will not attend church if they don't have clothes and in some communities nicer clothes. This community was blessed if they had an outfit. There wasn't a difference in their spirits. Most of the children dressed or not were eager for attention and happy, to be smiled at, touched, and hugged. Several times we all were holding hands with 5-6 children at a time. I noticed some homemade toys. A kite was made of plastic and sticks and string, a tennis ball for soccer, and most shocking- a balloon made from a condom. Yes. Gross. Where do you start? How can we make any difference? Sharing the love of Jesus is the most important thing we could do for now. Once we entered the church there was a sense of order. The pastors of this church definitely knew how to keep order in this space. And we would later find out, we needed it!
Ann and Janice had done an introduction yesterday. Today, they would be sharing the gospel using bracelets with colors. Each color represented a different part of the gospel. They had cards in English and our translators explained it in Creole. The colors would be helpful so they can remember it and share it with their friends and family. Many of these women cannot read but they have an exceptional memory. Ann and Janice did a fantastic job! The women really liked the bracelets and learning about sin, the need for a savior, the death of Jesus, and even more important- His VICTORY over Death!!! This is super important. The Voodoo religion uses the crucifix also but they claim it is Satan's victory over the death of Jesus. Jesus conquered death. That was His VICTORY over Satan. These women needed to know they were loved and they didn't need to fear! Voodoo keeps them in fear. We concluded with prayer over the group of women and their community. Afterwards, we invited them to come forward for individual prayer. Ann, Janice, Candice, Helen, and I sat with translators ( a couple of us doubled up to share the translators) and prayed for the needs of these women. I asked each of the women if they were already believers. Most were but I had a few that wanted to be. I told them they already were. If you want to follow Christ you obviously believe in him. I do not believe I or a special prayer saves them. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. I am simply sharing this moment with a new believer praising and lifting them up in prayer. Praying that they will grow in their faith, praying for their families, and their needs. They prayed for healing, their pregnancies, families, for fathers to return home to be a family, and so on. One lady managed to have an x-ray of her daughter(who was with her). A little girl, had somehow gotten a tiny circle battery stuck up her nose. (it appears that all children stick things up their noses) This was no laughing matter. She had an x-ray but no doctor to help. I was praying for a miracle! Women that became new believers were sent to the pastor to help her begin her walk in the faith. This was repeated the last day of the women's ministry. Ann and Janice did a wonderful job sharing God's Word and what it meant to them. We are all sisters of the faith. A bond that can't be broken
Just like all the ministry activities we were involved in, when its time to go, it's time to go. Now. They are desperate for anything you have. If it is removable they ask if they can have it. We had already asked to leave our jewelry at the guest house before we got to Jubilee. It's hard to believe we live in a big world that is soo different. I had a lot to think about, pray about, and try to learn what God wanted me to take away from this. I don't think it will be only one answer. I believe it will be a process. Over time God will show me more and more. This was an example of how to depend on Him for every need. They will be in my heart forever for a reason.
As Always, In Christ,
Amy
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Haiti Mission Trip Day 3
This morning I got up on my own, without threats of tickling..lol. We knew it would be 8:00 before breakfast was ready so I got to sleep a little bit more:). Today, Candice and I will be helping our optometrist, Ron. He is hosting an eye glasses clinic at Faith Lutheran Church. Later, Candice and I would begin our first day of vacation bible school. For breakfast we had spam, tomatoes, bananas, toast with peanut butter or butter. ( I passed on the spam :/) Once our tummies were full and we had plenty of water we headed out.
Our team began work doing several things. Ann and Janice began a three day women's bible study, Pastor Dan began his seminar for other pastors, Herb, Paul, and Craig would begin taking a look at the construction needs and concrete evaluations ( I think...) We loaded up and went to Faith Lutheran Church. Ron, Candice, and I were lead to the backside of the church. He needed a semi-dark room to conduct his evaluations, the eye glasses were already sorted in bags. Candice set up the table and we got to work. There was a line forming already while we got set up. The translators assisted us by translating and ushering patients where they needed to go and who was next. Ron did his assessment and I wrote down whatever he told me to. Some needed basic reading glasses which he supplied, some needed stronger prescriptions that we couldn't help with. Several of the older ones had cataracts and a couple were just blind. There are always people just wanting whatever could be handed out. For them, they received sunglasses. Over the next few days, Ron and his assistants would see hundreds of people. This clinic was a huge success. God has blessed this community with this service and I know he has blessed Ron as well for sharing his expertise and generosity. Like most of the activities, when it is time to go, it is time to go quickly.
By lunch we were all hungry and ready for a little rest. For lunch we would be eating at a restaurant. The kitchen ladies back at the guest house were preparing for a Pastors' Feast. More on that later.
Once we finished lunch we quickly went to the guest house to grab our things. Candice and I got our bags for vacation bible school. When we got to the church, the children were already waiting for us. 80 so far. We decided where we would set up. Its not a very large room so it took 2 seconds. Lophane got us started with music. He did a great job of managing a crowd of kids. He does this with his own project in Port Au Prince. We sang songs that our children sing in chapel and Sunday school. Only in Creole. We chose songs with lots of movement for fun! By the time songs were finished we had somewhere around 150 kids! We split them in two groups. The first would start a craft with Candice and the other group would have a story with me. And then they would switch. Candice directed the kids in a craft of decorating foam crosses. She had a translator to help along with Ann and Janice.
I used a story board to illustrate the story. I couldn't keep Lophane because he was needed in somewhere else. I had another translator. Very nice young man but quiet. The story time for me didn't go as well as I had planned. The kids began to get bored and distracted. Somehow though, we managed to do both groups. The craft was a huge success and we even ran out. Thankfully, we had coloring pages as a back up. But the crayons were gone. These kids don't get to have a lot for their own so anything they could take, they did. We realized we would not have enough snacks to give everyone two treats so we split them up. We had so many kids Candice had to actually open the individual packages of fruit snacks and give the remaining few a couple of pieces each. Overall, it had blessings for sure but we would definitely need to regroup for tomorrow. When Helen picked us up, she asked how it went. I was honest and said I was a little disappointed with the story telling. I can only do so much when I don't speak the language. I needed a translator that was a good story teller too. I needed Lophane and Enoch, my right hand guys. She assured me Lophane would be there the next day. I was relieved. Sometimes in you can plan ministry down to the finest detail but a bump in the road can test it for sure. I was confident that even though it didn't go as well as I prayed, every child had a great time, had a great craft and treat. At the end of the day, that was all that mattered. We faithfully proclaimed the Gospel and shared it with the least of these.
Now, for the Pastors' Feast!! Pastor Dan felt it was important to gather together all the pastors and their wives for a night of great food, music, and fellowship. It was fun indeed! The same talented woman from the church on Sunday sang for us, as did another young lady. The music was wonderful!! I was eager to meet the wives. Most of them were quiet. Enoch translated for me as I got to know a few. Many had lots of children. Some sang in the choir. Some just stayed quiet. I was able to get a picture with all the wives. Pastor Dan got a picture with all of the pastors. After some encouraging words by many, we called it a night. A blessed night by all.
As always, in Christ,
Amy
Our team began work doing several things. Ann and Janice began a three day women's bible study, Pastor Dan began his seminar for other pastors, Herb, Paul, and Craig would begin taking a look at the construction needs and concrete evaluations ( I think...) We loaded up and went to Faith Lutheran Church. Ron, Candice, and I were lead to the backside of the church. He needed a semi-dark room to conduct his evaluations, the eye glasses were already sorted in bags. Candice set up the table and we got to work. There was a line forming already while we got set up. The translators assisted us by translating and ushering patients where they needed to go and who was next. Ron did his assessment and I wrote down whatever he told me to. Some needed basic reading glasses which he supplied, some needed stronger prescriptions that we couldn't help with. Several of the older ones had cataracts and a couple were just blind. There are always people just wanting whatever could be handed out. For them, they received sunglasses. Over the next few days, Ron and his assistants would see hundreds of people. This clinic was a huge success. God has blessed this community with this service and I know he has blessed Ron as well for sharing his expertise and generosity. Like most of the activities, when it is time to go, it is time to go quickly.
By lunch we were all hungry and ready for a little rest. For lunch we would be eating at a restaurant. The kitchen ladies back at the guest house were preparing for a Pastors' Feast. More on that later.
Once we finished lunch we quickly went to the guest house to grab our things. Candice and I got our bags for vacation bible school. When we got to the church, the children were already waiting for us. 80 so far. We decided where we would set up. Its not a very large room so it took 2 seconds. Lophane got us started with music. He did a great job of managing a crowd of kids. He does this with his own project in Port Au Prince. We sang songs that our children sing in chapel and Sunday school. Only in Creole. We chose songs with lots of movement for fun! By the time songs were finished we had somewhere around 150 kids! We split them in two groups. The first would start a craft with Candice and the other group would have a story with me. And then they would switch. Candice directed the kids in a craft of decorating foam crosses. She had a translator to help along with Ann and Janice.
I used a story board to illustrate the story. I couldn't keep Lophane because he was needed in somewhere else. I had another translator. Very nice young man but quiet. The story time for me didn't go as well as I had planned. The kids began to get bored and distracted. Somehow though, we managed to do both groups. The craft was a huge success and we even ran out. Thankfully, we had coloring pages as a back up. But the crayons were gone. These kids don't get to have a lot for their own so anything they could take, they did. We realized we would not have enough snacks to give everyone two treats so we split them up. We had so many kids Candice had to actually open the individual packages of fruit snacks and give the remaining few a couple of pieces each. Overall, it had blessings for sure but we would definitely need to regroup for tomorrow. When Helen picked us up, she asked how it went. I was honest and said I was a little disappointed with the story telling. I can only do so much when I don't speak the language. I needed a translator that was a good story teller too. I needed Lophane and Enoch, my right hand guys. She assured me Lophane would be there the next day. I was relieved. Sometimes in you can plan ministry down to the finest detail but a bump in the road can test it for sure. I was confident that even though it didn't go as well as I prayed, every child had a great time, had a great craft and treat. At the end of the day, that was all that mattered. We faithfully proclaimed the Gospel and shared it with the least of these.
Now, for the Pastors' Feast!! Pastor Dan felt it was important to gather together all the pastors and their wives for a night of great food, music, and fellowship. It was fun indeed! The same talented woman from the church on Sunday sang for us, as did another young lady. The music was wonderful!! I was eager to meet the wives. Most of them were quiet. Enoch translated for me as I got to know a few. Many had lots of children. Some sang in the choir. Some just stayed quiet. I was able to get a picture with all the wives. Pastor Dan got a picture with all of the pastors. After some encouraging words by many, we called it a night. A blessed night by all.
As always, in Christ,
Amy
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Haiti Mission Trip Day 2
I slept good! I was surprised by that because I wasn't home and figured I would be over-tired. The rooms were nice. The only air conditioned rooms were the bedrooms. The rest of the house was pretty warm. We slept dorm style. We had clean beds, sheets, a towel, and a pillow. The pillow was quite flat. I have been told by Aaron I snore. I usually sleep on a wedge pillow along with an extra pillow to keep me raised up enough to prevent my snoring. I feared for my roommates. I would be the ONE. But, oh well, nothing I could do about it. They were very nice and did not mention it was a problem. Haitians' concept of time is very different than ours. I knew that but I still expect myself to be on time. Anyway, breakfast was scheduled for 7:00 a.m.. I was the last to rise. I am not a morning person. Candice quickly learned that when she threatened to tickle me if I didn't get up. I didn't react well to that, however I did get up. I hate being tickled. I did appreciate her reminder that I really did need to get up. It doesn't take me much time to get ready. By 7:40 we were still waiting on breakfast and visiting on the front porch.
Today is Sunday. So we planned to attend church, have lunch with the boys from the orphanage, and enjoy activities and visiting with them. Their service at Faith Lutheran Church begins with teaching at 7:00 a.m. and praise and worship at 8:30. Because we are American and would not understand a lick of their teaching/ preaching, we waited to join them at 8:30. They dress up for church. Women in nice dresses, children dressed in their best dresses and suits, and the men wore suits. The church is small, I knew that because we did vacation bible school there last summer. The choir sat up front facing sideways. We came in and were escorted to the front facing the choir. Pastor, Helen, and John were in the front row facing the pulpit. The pulpit was in the front and the musicians were up front too. They had a drummer, base player, keyboard, and singers. 3 men and 3 women. The worship leader had a voice that was so powerful! I didn't understand anything she said but I was moved to worship the one and only Living God. The congregation sat in the second half of this tiny church facing the front. I felt kind of awkward in the middle. It was packed. Music and prayer were done together. There were times when the worship leader sang verses in English letting us have a blessed time to worship together. Prayer times were longer than I have ever prayed. They prayed out loud there own prayers, some hummed along, one in particular was so moved he began shrieking. I felt weird because I was running out of things to pray for. Partly because I was distracted by such a different worship style. So I used the Lord's prayer and expanded on it as much as I could. We were told ahead of time we could take pictures and video. So, several of us did that too. Don't get me wrong I didn't really run out of things to pray for, that's not really possible, maybe I must have had prayer stage fright. We clapped when they clapped, swayed when they swayed, and prayed when they prayed . A little girl dresses in a pretty green dress and several green ribbons in her hair just came up to me and sat in my lap. A lot of the children are not really shy. I loved it! We had the blessing of joining them in communion. We were invited to begin and then they would follow in a line. First with the bread, which was made fresh every time and was delicious. Then when everyone had bread then we had wine. We all drank from the common cup. They were so joyful about communion it almost resembled a congo line. I was so blessed by their service. Here we are coming to serve a third world country yet, they had the most joy in worship I have ever seen! It was a sight to see and a service I will never forget. I saw the Holy Spirit move like never before! Pastor Dan said it was very similar to a Voodoo service only they/we were worshipping the One True God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
After church we went back to the guest house. The boys were already there waiting for us. We greeted each other and I hugged some of the boys I remembered. Candice got to meet the boys for the first time! After seeing their pictures for a year, she will finally meet and spend time with them. We prayed for the meal and quickly got the boys their plates. The adults sat inside while the kids sat outside with their care givers. Once we finished we got ready for a craft. Candice arranged a craft to be done that involved the school and the boys. Every student had their hand prints cut out and given to Candice. We painted the boys hands and after they dried cut them out. She made (I helped a little but this was her project) a wreath of all the hands. One set will be for the boys home and one set will be for the students at Shepherd of the Hills. It was great! The boys loved having their hands painted and she got a picture with them as she gave them this great wreath!!
After the craft, some of the girls that will be in the girls home came over. We got to meet them and spend time with them. They would be the ones the school plans to sponsor this year. Candice was eager to meet them and get pictures!
We handed out Frisbees to the boys and jump ropes to the girls. We caught the boys taking several, hiding it in their backpacks and then asking for another as if they didn't get one. This is something that they deal with everyday. They are afraid of not getting enough of anything so they hide what they have and ask for more. We called them on it and they got them out. We all had a great time with them. Pastor Dan purchased ice cream bars for them and it was a great hit. They were willing to share with me but I politely declined. I do not eat after anyone. Not even my own children. They loved the attention. Little ones wanted to be held, older ones practiced their English, they loved our cameras. They wanted their picture taken and wanted to play with our cameras. I gave them my tiny video camera. It's always interesting to see what children think is important to record. They enjoyed my phone. They even enjoyed taking 10 pictures of their shoes and somehow managed to try to get it on my instagram. I don't have a connection their but they tried. One boy said he loved me and asked for my phone number. How cute!! One little girl came to me and said "Georgia." I thought she was saying her name. I asked a translator to help me talk to her. She remembered Georgia from last summer!! I was impressed. Never underestimate the impact you will make in a child's life. And how neat it was that they had a connection. We got her on video saying hi to Georgia and telling her she missed her. That video is on Facebook and Instagram. All of the boys, and the girls will have this too, get 3 meals a day, medical care, schooling, and a safe place to live. They are well cared for by a gentleman named Lenz. He runs the home and has other young men that help take care of them. Some of the boys are new. When a boy is new he may still have bad habits to work on because they get used to living on the streets and doing whatever it takes to get by. Praise God for taking these children in.
Pastor Benoit is in charge of this ministry along with several others. He has a strong desire to share Christ with a community that needs it so bad. He has several children of his own and several he has adopted. All of the projects we worked on this last week are in partnership with him and his outreach to his church and community. He has a powerful testimony. I will try to recall as much as I can. His mother was a voodoo priestess. He was 13 and became a Christian. When he told his mother, she kicked him out on the streets. He was on the streets for 2 years. He had a long road ahead of him but one that would bless him and we would bless God in return. He later went to seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana and was ordained in Canada. He felt God was calling him back to Haiti to share the Gospel. Before his mother died, she became a Christian too. God had a huge plan for him. Voodoo had a hold on his family and God made an impact on him, his family, and his community. His story is much more detailed than this. I don't remember it all but his story is changing the world of the Haitians in his community and reaching out to surrounding communities.
More tomorrow, our missions we have planned begin and many missions God had planned that were not on our agenda!!!
As always, In the Name of Jesus Christ,
Amy
Today is Sunday. So we planned to attend church, have lunch with the boys from the orphanage, and enjoy activities and visiting with them. Their service at Faith Lutheran Church begins with teaching at 7:00 a.m. and praise and worship at 8:30. Because we are American and would not understand a lick of their teaching/ preaching, we waited to join them at 8:30. They dress up for church. Women in nice dresses, children dressed in their best dresses and suits, and the men wore suits. The church is small, I knew that because we did vacation bible school there last summer. The choir sat up front facing sideways. We came in and were escorted to the front facing the choir. Pastor, Helen, and John were in the front row facing the pulpit. The pulpit was in the front and the musicians were up front too. They had a drummer, base player, keyboard, and singers. 3 men and 3 women. The worship leader had a voice that was so powerful! I didn't understand anything she said but I was moved to worship the one and only Living God. The congregation sat in the second half of this tiny church facing the front. I felt kind of awkward in the middle. It was packed. Music and prayer were done together. There were times when the worship leader sang verses in English letting us have a blessed time to worship together. Prayer times were longer than I have ever prayed. They prayed out loud there own prayers, some hummed along, one in particular was so moved he began shrieking. I felt weird because I was running out of things to pray for. Partly because I was distracted by such a different worship style. So I used the Lord's prayer and expanded on it as much as I could. We were told ahead of time we could take pictures and video. So, several of us did that too. Don't get me wrong I didn't really run out of things to pray for, that's not really possible, maybe I must have had prayer stage fright. We clapped when they clapped, swayed when they swayed, and prayed when they prayed . A little girl dresses in a pretty green dress and several green ribbons in her hair just came up to me and sat in my lap. A lot of the children are not really shy. I loved it! We had the blessing of joining them in communion. We were invited to begin and then they would follow in a line. First with the bread, which was made fresh every time and was delicious. Then when everyone had bread then we had wine. We all drank from the common cup. They were so joyful about communion it almost resembled a congo line. I was so blessed by their service. Here we are coming to serve a third world country yet, they had the most joy in worship I have ever seen! It was a sight to see and a service I will never forget. I saw the Holy Spirit move like never before! Pastor Dan said it was very similar to a Voodoo service only they/we were worshipping the One True God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
After church we went back to the guest house. The boys were already there waiting for us. We greeted each other and I hugged some of the boys I remembered. Candice got to meet the boys for the first time! After seeing their pictures for a year, she will finally meet and spend time with them. We prayed for the meal and quickly got the boys their plates. The adults sat inside while the kids sat outside with their care givers. Once we finished we got ready for a craft. Candice arranged a craft to be done that involved the school and the boys. Every student had their hand prints cut out and given to Candice. We painted the boys hands and after they dried cut them out. She made (I helped a little but this was her project) a wreath of all the hands. One set will be for the boys home and one set will be for the students at Shepherd of the Hills. It was great! The boys loved having their hands painted and she got a picture with them as she gave them this great wreath!!
After the craft, some of the girls that will be in the girls home came over. We got to meet them and spend time with them. They would be the ones the school plans to sponsor this year. Candice was eager to meet them and get pictures!
We handed out Frisbees to the boys and jump ropes to the girls. We caught the boys taking several, hiding it in their backpacks and then asking for another as if they didn't get one. This is something that they deal with everyday. They are afraid of not getting enough of anything so they hide what they have and ask for more. We called them on it and they got them out. We all had a great time with them. Pastor Dan purchased ice cream bars for them and it was a great hit. They were willing to share with me but I politely declined. I do not eat after anyone. Not even my own children. They loved the attention. Little ones wanted to be held, older ones practiced their English, they loved our cameras. They wanted their picture taken and wanted to play with our cameras. I gave them my tiny video camera. It's always interesting to see what children think is important to record. They enjoyed my phone. They even enjoyed taking 10 pictures of their shoes and somehow managed to try to get it on my instagram. I don't have a connection their but they tried. One boy said he loved me and asked for my phone number. How cute!! One little girl came to me and said "Georgia." I thought she was saying her name. I asked a translator to help me talk to her. She remembered Georgia from last summer!! I was impressed. Never underestimate the impact you will make in a child's life. And how neat it was that they had a connection. We got her on video saying hi to Georgia and telling her she missed her. That video is on Facebook and Instagram. All of the boys, and the girls will have this too, get 3 meals a day, medical care, schooling, and a safe place to live. They are well cared for by a gentleman named Lenz. He runs the home and has other young men that help take care of them. Some of the boys are new. When a boy is new he may still have bad habits to work on because they get used to living on the streets and doing whatever it takes to get by. Praise God for taking these children in.
Pastor Benoit is in charge of this ministry along with several others. He has a strong desire to share Christ with a community that needs it so bad. He has several children of his own and several he has adopted. All of the projects we worked on this last week are in partnership with him and his outreach to his church and community. He has a powerful testimony. I will try to recall as much as I can. His mother was a voodoo priestess. He was 13 and became a Christian. When he told his mother, she kicked him out on the streets. He was on the streets for 2 years. He had a long road ahead of him but one that would bless him and we would bless God in return. He later went to seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana and was ordained in Canada. He felt God was calling him back to Haiti to share the Gospel. Before his mother died, she became a Christian too. God had a huge plan for him. Voodoo had a hold on his family and God made an impact on him, his family, and his community. His story is much more detailed than this. I don't remember it all but his story is changing the world of the Haitians in his community and reaching out to surrounding communities.
More tomorrow, our missions we have planned begin and many missions God had planned that were not on our agenda!!!
As always, In the Name of Jesus Christ,
Amy
Monday, September 16, 2013
Mission trip to Haiti 2013
After much prayer and preparation, in the spring of 2013 a team was formed to return to Haiti to continue our partnership with Mission:Haiti and Faith Lutheran Church in Haiti. This team consisted of, Craig-our team leader, Senior Pastor Dan- conducting a seminar for pastors at the seminary in Haiti, Herb- an expert in concrete, to conduct a seminar on concrete and to learn about how they do things and what can be done to help. We also has Paul- assisted the team in the planning and surveying of building the girls orphanage and improvements on the boys. Ann and Janice lead a women's bible study, an out reach that brought many women to Christ and allowed a deeper knowledge of Scripture through study and individual prayer for each woman that requested it. Candice and I hosted vacation bible school. Candice is a teacher at our school that sponsors the children in the orpahanage.She is crucial to the organization of this upcoming school year and plans for how the school can help.I will get into more detail with that later in this post. Ron is an optometrist, he hosted an eye glasses clinic and handed out hundreds of free eye glasses for those in need. God put together a very diverse team that carefully took on this great mission.
Here are my notes that I took daily as I tried to take in the somewhat overwhelming task at hand. I felt we were pretty prepared. However, we did have to do a lot of re-evaluating to meet the needs for each day. We literally had to take it one day at a time, just as Jesus tells us to do anyway.
September 7th. Nine sleepy team members gathered at 4:30 a.m. to begin our long day of travel to Haiti. I sat down next to a boy to be maybe 9 years old. His mother sat in a seat several rows up. He seemed particularly excited to get going. I asked if he spoke English. He said he did a little but mostly Creole. He anxiously observed all the activity going on the ground that prepares a plane for flight. We both were delighted at take off. I like that part too. Once the seat belt sign was off his mother moved him to a seat closer to her. But, I enjoyed conversation with him while I had it. Then I moved into his window seat! Traveling went well, planes ran on time. I noticed as we flew over the ocean to Haiti that I am less nervous flying over water than driving over it. Not sure why, I will explore that another time. I began reading a book by Don Miller. He was writing about stories and how our stories play out in life. Not as one big story but many stories that encounter people that play a part in our stories. I was excited to start this story of my life. What did God have planned? How could he use me? I have been to Haiti before. There are many things I knew to expect. I knew some of the culture, poverty, and limited resources. I knew Voodoo was a strong presence but had not learned a whole lot about it. I prayed we would be prepared to serve in missions that were not on our agenda, to move with the Holy Spirit. I was super nervous however I knew this was no time to be shy.
I was and still have really thankful for such a supportive husband, children, family, and friends that helped out while I was gone. I felt surrounded by prayer that was promised to us by numerous people, our church and small groups. Aaron did a great job holding down the fort and the task of caring for me when I got home.
Once we arrived at the airport we gathered our bags, making sure all bags were accounted for. We were greeted by familiar faces. Helen and John run Mission:Haiti and met us in Florida. In Port Au prince (the capitol) Lophane and Noel greeted us with joy. They are our security. Lophane was crucial in many ways to the success of our team. Enoch was again with us as a translator and brother in Christ. Sophanie was a pleasant surprise to have a female translator. Someone us gals could relate to and become friends and sisters in Christ. We allowed them to get us loaded. Quite a task for 21 bags!! The drive was about 4 hours. We stopped at a super market similar to our HEB. We needed bottled water for the drive. Everything we came in contact with required bottled water. More on that later. There are not really any rules on driving. They knew what they were doing but it was quite frightening for me. Roadways needed improvement, crowds of people selling and begging lined the streets. Women carrying goods on there heads in bowls with no hands. Bathrooms were not as clean as we would prefer but we had plenty of Clorox wipes on hand and I brought my own toilet paper. The guest house was great. Very American and Haitian.
Dinner was ready for us as soon as we arrived. We decided to eat and then unload. The meal was Turkey, Rice and beans, the famous creole sauce, sliced avocado, tomatoes, soup, plantains, and juice.
Devotions were lead by Craig. It was taken out of Micah. It challenged us to look for chances to give hope and mercy.
I will conclude this entry with my quite eventful first shower.. I was cold water, which I expected from last time and was very welcomed because of a very hot and humid day. I took off my glasses and my hair clip and set them on the side of the shower edge. I lathered up with shampoo and soap. I looked down to see what I thought was my hair clip that had maybe fallen in the shower. Only I vaguely saw 2( I cant see anything but blurry images without my glasses). I quickly put on my glasses to see 2 huge bugs that appeared to be roaches! The size we see in Texas!. I panicked yet new I needed to be a grown up about this because I didn't want to further embarrass myself. I quickly and fearfully attempted to rinse off as much as I could and got out as fast as possible. I was still mostly wet as I dressed and ran out of the bathroom. Once I was in our shared girls room I lost it. I do not do bugs especially roaches. While I tried to calm down, Helen recruited John to take care of the situation. Lets just say, I wore my glasses in every shower after that. Since the water is cold they didn't fog up.
Praise God for BIG and small surprises. He definitely has a sense of humor!!!
Stay tuned for more entries to come. I am dividing them up in days.
As always in the name of Jesus Christ,
Amy
Here are my notes that I took daily as I tried to take in the somewhat overwhelming task at hand. I felt we were pretty prepared. However, we did have to do a lot of re-evaluating to meet the needs for each day. We literally had to take it one day at a time, just as Jesus tells us to do anyway.
September 7th. Nine sleepy team members gathered at 4:30 a.m. to begin our long day of travel to Haiti. I sat down next to a boy to be maybe 9 years old. His mother sat in a seat several rows up. He seemed particularly excited to get going. I asked if he spoke English. He said he did a little but mostly Creole. He anxiously observed all the activity going on the ground that prepares a plane for flight. We both were delighted at take off. I like that part too. Once the seat belt sign was off his mother moved him to a seat closer to her. But, I enjoyed conversation with him while I had it. Then I moved into his window seat! Traveling went well, planes ran on time. I noticed as we flew over the ocean to Haiti that I am less nervous flying over water than driving over it. Not sure why, I will explore that another time. I began reading a book by Don Miller. He was writing about stories and how our stories play out in life. Not as one big story but many stories that encounter people that play a part in our stories. I was excited to start this story of my life. What did God have planned? How could he use me? I have been to Haiti before. There are many things I knew to expect. I knew some of the culture, poverty, and limited resources. I knew Voodoo was a strong presence but had not learned a whole lot about it. I prayed we would be prepared to serve in missions that were not on our agenda, to move with the Holy Spirit. I was super nervous however I knew this was no time to be shy.
I was and still have really thankful for such a supportive husband, children, family, and friends that helped out while I was gone. I felt surrounded by prayer that was promised to us by numerous people, our church and small groups. Aaron did a great job holding down the fort and the task of caring for me when I got home.
Once we arrived at the airport we gathered our bags, making sure all bags were accounted for. We were greeted by familiar faces. Helen and John run Mission:Haiti and met us in Florida. In Port Au prince (the capitol) Lophane and Noel greeted us with joy. They are our security. Lophane was crucial in many ways to the success of our team. Enoch was again with us as a translator and brother in Christ. Sophanie was a pleasant surprise to have a female translator. Someone us gals could relate to and become friends and sisters in Christ. We allowed them to get us loaded. Quite a task for 21 bags!! The drive was about 4 hours. We stopped at a super market similar to our HEB. We needed bottled water for the drive. Everything we came in contact with required bottled water. More on that later. There are not really any rules on driving. They knew what they were doing but it was quite frightening for me. Roadways needed improvement, crowds of people selling and begging lined the streets. Women carrying goods on there heads in bowls with no hands. Bathrooms were not as clean as we would prefer but we had plenty of Clorox wipes on hand and I brought my own toilet paper. The guest house was great. Very American and Haitian.
Dinner was ready for us as soon as we arrived. We decided to eat and then unload. The meal was Turkey, Rice and beans, the famous creole sauce, sliced avocado, tomatoes, soup, plantains, and juice.
Devotions were lead by Craig. It was taken out of Micah. It challenged us to look for chances to give hope and mercy.
I will conclude this entry with my quite eventful first shower.. I was cold water, which I expected from last time and was very welcomed because of a very hot and humid day. I took off my glasses and my hair clip and set them on the side of the shower edge. I lathered up with shampoo and soap. I looked down to see what I thought was my hair clip that had maybe fallen in the shower. Only I vaguely saw 2( I cant see anything but blurry images without my glasses). I quickly put on my glasses to see 2 huge bugs that appeared to be roaches! The size we see in Texas!. I panicked yet new I needed to be a grown up about this because I didn't want to further embarrass myself. I quickly and fearfully attempted to rinse off as much as I could and got out as fast as possible. I was still mostly wet as I dressed and ran out of the bathroom. Once I was in our shared girls room I lost it. I do not do bugs especially roaches. While I tried to calm down, Helen recruited John to take care of the situation. Lets just say, I wore my glasses in every shower after that. Since the water is cold they didn't fog up.
Praise God for BIG and small surprises. He definitely has a sense of humor!!!
Stay tuned for more entries to come. I am dividing them up in days.
As always in the name of Jesus Christ,
Amy
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