Ending another year...

Hard to believe we are ending another year serving the people of Haiti.  So much has happened in the past year and God's hand in it all has been soooo evident.  Right now my computer (with all my photos from this past trip) is not doing well so I do not have photos to share.  I hope to get some up soon to show some of the highlights from the past year, but for now just read SOME of what God has done through your support and prayers for His people!

-  Montero IN Haiti safe and sound and used for this last trip for three teams!

    -  Rented a huge apartment in Carrefour to host teams and to leave our supplies/donations from trip to trip.

-  Clean water for Chaveneau (well, water building and water treatment system)

     -  Helped Peterson (our tap tap driver) fix the tap tap damaged in our accident in March.

-  A new roof (tin), electrical system and rubble removal completed on a house for an amazing family we have gotten to know.

     -  Jean Bernard (a street orphan we know) was able to get surgery for two hernia's - this potentially saved his life!

-  32 orphans are now sponsored monthly - providing for their physical needs but more importantly providing for their spiritual/emotional needs- to KNOW someone loves them and prays for them. (still more available)

     -  Medical clinics held in Carrefour and Chaveneau that were able to treat and dispense medication to people otherwise unable to afford medical care.

-  Feeding the entire school in Chaveneau a hot meal (and many in the community as well with the surplus)

     -  Teaching school children about the spread of germs, hygiene, God's love, the importance of healthy diet,  etc...  teaching the girls about their bodies, puberty and the fact that they are special (not to compromise)

-  SO MUCH MORE.....

Stay tuned in the weeks ahead as we post photos of some of these things.  God has been good to us and has provided for ALL our needs.  He has kept our teams safe.  He has provided needed funding for our projects.  He has helped us make connections with other organizations and individuals to complete projects. He has qualified those He has called to come to Haiti- sending the right people on each team who were needed for the tasks He called that team to perform.

THANK YOU again to all of you who came to Haiti, prayed for us, supported the ministry financially, encouraged those who came, donated items to be shipped to Haiti, supported an orphan, or anything I am forgetting to mention.  You are ALL appreciated and the year would not have been the same without each one of you and your generosity!  God bless you in 2013!  

** if you would like to donate to our ministry remember that ALL donations are tax deductible- just go to our website www.heartsunitedwithhaiti.org and go to the "donate" page to find a secure link to paypal.  

This trip to Haiti has definitely been a trip to remember. I have learned so much from the people and their culture! The Haitians show passion in every thing that do. I cannot believe how adorable the girls and boys at the two different orphanages are. It's amazing how selfless the children are. I am so blessed to have made some wonderful friends that I will have for a lifetime. One thing that really stood out to me was how much love the people here show and give to one another. If you happen to catch eye contact with a person and wave they will smile and wave back every single time. The Haitians are very passionate about their relationship with God. It was an honor to be able to meet so many people and I will never forget them.

This trip was a blessing to be a part of.
Love, Katy Keefer

We are all packed up and the bus is coming to pick us up in an hour to take us to the airport.

 It is incredible to think of all that has happened since we all came to Haiti and were at the airport before this week enfolded. Love has become the universal language for each of us this week and this new dialect will not be forgotten. 

As we leave, we will come face-to-face with the polar opposite culture of America. The only thing that we can do is pray that the LORD may grant us peace as we merge back into our previous lives. It will be interesting to observe how each of us is called to act upon what we have experienced here in Haiti. This transition will be a personal encounter with the LORD as He calls us to be like Him in every way. 

The love and support that has been shown by our friends and family in the U.S. is greatly appreciated and we are looking forward to seeing loved ones again. 

~Matthew

more photos...

Some more photos courtesy of Megan and Amanda!  :)

Final day working on the construction project...

Others helped (besides the team)

The children at the orphanage with Amanda and Megan

One of our little boys

The view of Port au Prince is stunning... always

Some of the team with some of the orphans.... we had such a great time with them this week (both the team and the orphans)

Hello all, this trip has been awesome so far I can't believe we have one day left! We have been working on rebuilding a house most of the week and today we finally finished almost everything we wanted to do. I was given the job to work on the roof with one of the brothers that lives at the house and Mike (from the Nebraska group). We hammered the rafters the other day and started to bolt the tin roof down and worked until after dark, plus I only hammered my thumb once!! Today we finally finished bolting the tin and the ridge that will keep the rain out. It was very hot on the tin this morning, but knowing that the family won't have to worry when it rains kept us going. It is so awesome to see what we have accomplished over the last couple days. Life is awesome and God is good! See everyone in a few days!

Love,

Megan and Little GrassHopper (she got unsquished) 

Hello world!

Our time in Haiti has been a rewarding experience for all.
It is interesting to realize how much has changed since my "deer in the headlights" experience when first arriving in Haiti. God's presence is evident as he uses people from very different cultures to show love to each other. As members of our team return back to our homes soon, please understand that you may not able to fully understand all the things that God is doing here but rest assured that God is working here and it is super cool to see!
God Bless
-Matthew

Welcome Home!

Welcome home...those were the first two words that I heard from Crystal when walking out of the airport into Haiti. My first trip to Haiti was in May of 2012 and I fell in love with the country and the people here. I have always known that I want to do missions work, specifically medical missions, so it has been a blessing to be able to come back and be the hands and feet of the Lord. I knew there was something special about Haiti when i flew in for the very first time, and it was very difficult to go home from that trip not knowing when I was coming back. I was very excited to be invited back here for this December trip and when flying in, I did have a sense that I was coming home. Part of my heart has belonged to Haiti and the girls in the orphanage here since my fist trip in May. It was definitely a God thing that I ended up in Haiti for this trip and I could not be happier. We have done so many different things on this trip and it has been a very humbling experience to be able to bless so many people in so many different ways. Seeing God work throughout the group and our days experiences has been amazing, even down to the little things like finding a back way home to avoid hours of traffic. God has put each and everyone of us in the group for a purpose and has been using us all in huge ways. One of the big projects we have been working on, with the last group that was here, is a construction project. With the tools that we had to use, and the lack of power tools, the amount of work we got done was amazing. No one would believe everything we got accomplished in the amount of time unless they were here to see it, and it was all God that we could get as far along on the project as we did. Today was our last day at the construction site and it was also our last day at the orphanage. This has probably been one of the hardest days for me so far. I have really connected with a little girl at the orphanage and my heart melted when I walked in today and her face lit up! It is such a awesome Christmas present for me to be able to bless these girls and to just be with them, loving them. They had us dancing and were teaching us how to play their games, and they were smiling and laughing the entire time. After game time, we were blessed with the opportunity to serve them. We had a big Christmas dinner for them, and served them their food, and they waited till the entire orphanage had their food to start eating. After that, it was time for gifts. There was a gift bag for every girl and the few boys in the orphanage. Then they all got to open their gifts at the same time and too see their little faces light up was an unforgettable experience. The little girl I have been with the last few trips to the orphanage wanted me to take a picture as she pulled out all of her gifts, and I didn't mind at all because her smile was from ear to ear. I was heart broken to have to leave the girls today. It is the last time we will see them on this trip, and it also means the end is near and its time to go home. Seeing their faces when we all left was so difficult, especially because I don't know the next time I will get back to see them. I just wish I could take those girls home with me and give them everything they don't have. Even though they don't have much, they are still very happy and they still want to give back to you! We only have one more full day in Haiti and then it is back home again for the holidays. I feel like I can speak for the group when saying that we all appreciate your prayers and support. Thank you to everyone praying and supporting our team, and see you soon!!! God Bless!!                                    Love, MegHan

Wednesday, December 19

First off Caitlin has a shout out to her man Sam!

To LeAnn and Roger Miller your sons are alive and well :) (matthew has learned almost every word in creole)

Today was quite an experience for all of us. We started off our day with being able to sleep in which was awesome! We hung around the house and made lunches for patients and family members before we went out to start our day. Our first stop for the day was at the pediatric unit at the free hospital in Port au Prince. Before we went there we were all told that the free hospital is very different from the private hospitals here in Haiti. At the free hospital the patients heavily depend on their family to provide the care. Family members have to buy all the medicine, supplies, and bring food and clean sheets. If the family isn't there then the patient might not be able to get any of their needs met.

Walking into the peds unit many of the team members and myself were totally shell shocked...

It is different from anything that many of us have ever seen before. The children are spread out in a couple different buildings that were pretty packed. They all seemed to be at different stages of their illness and recovery. While we were there we had the opportunity to pass out lunches, hygiene bags, and some track cards to the family members of the patients. They all accepted them with appreciation. We even had people coming up to us to see if we had any extras long after we ran out.

After leaving the hospital we all talked about how we saw God working in a place like the hospital we saw. At first it was a bit difficult but after some time to think about it we were all able to see one thing or another. One way is how God works in many of the families lives that were there. Many of them were so eager to read through the track cards and wanting extras to give out. Its amazing to see that even in their state these people are so faithful and reliant on God. Also, I think that another way God was working in that hospital was through this team. We were able to bless so many people with the assurance of having at least one meal taken care of and now they know that they are also being prayed for and thought of.

After we left the hospital we stopped at the Life is Wealth Orphanage where we have been before to do some hygiene education and pass out some bags. All of the kids were so excited to see us again :) We will be going back there again tomorrow too.

To wrap things up with this post I just want to share that my calling to be a nurse has been reaffirmed even more from my experience today, and I have developed a love for caring for these people in Haiti like so many other people in the group has!


Keep the prayers coming everyone!! And thank you!!

-Angie

Construction photos

Finally got some photos from the construction site!  Enjoy!!  :)  They got a LOT done... .praise and glory to God! (construction photos courtesy of Anthony- thanks!)

Working on removing the tarp roof so rafters can be built

This is what the existing tarp support looked like

Building the rafters

Making shutters for the windows

Rubble in the way to the bathroom- too high to climb on so the family had to walk far to get around the rubble.

The rubble was dug down about 3 feet for a new path to the bathroom - this is for about 20 to 30 feet!  

After the rafters are done and the roof is on.

December 18 - Clinic Day

Today half of us had the opportunity to run a medical clinic for some of the people here in Carrefour. We had a triage set up, stations with nurses and nursing students to take chief complaints and perform assessments, a prayer station for all the patients to be prayed over, 2 doctors (Dr. Carl and Dr. Wilbert), and Rob the pharmacist in the group that all the patients had the chance to see. God really blessed us with having the clinic at Dr. Carl's house. He had two rooms to see the Doctors and pharmacist. He also had a very shaded area out back where all the patients went first. The weather was very very nice for this long day. It was incredible the amount of people that came to the clinic. We started at 8 AM and we were told that people started to line up at 7 AM. We worked straight through until a little past 2 PM. In that 6 hours of seeing patients we saw about 200 people. Many people came with the whole family so that everyone could be seen. The Haitians that came were so very patient with all of us. They all had to wait a couple hours before they were seen and they were also so patient with having everything translated.

After we were done seeing patients for the day, Dr. Carl's wife came out with a basket full of sandwiches, bottles of coke and 7-up, and even ice!! It was so very kind of them to purchase and prepare this food for us. Its amazing to see how selfless these people are even when they don't have much to give. Before I left for Haiti I thought that I was going to be able to bless these people, however in return they are blessing me and the rest of the team more than I could have ever imagined. We are learning to become more appreciative of what God has blessed us with and we are learning to become less focused on ourselves and more attentive to everyone else's needs.

We also went to an orphanage that is right down the street from our house. The nursing students, with the help of a translator, taught the kids about the importance of hygiene. We talked to them about hand washing, brushing their teeth, and bathing. All the kids were so well behaved and attentive to our teaching. At the end we were able to hand out small hygiene bags that had a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, wash cloth, and lotion in them to all of the 70+ kids there. One thing that was brought to my attention earlier this week was that an orphan in the states is different than an orphan in Haiti. Many times these kids do have parents. Their parents choose to send them to an orphanage because they well be fed, clothed, and educated, and their parents just don't have the financial means to provide all of those things. Many times the orphans are able to go home on the weekend to visit their family which is really nice.

I feel that every day I am here God teaches me something new! I can't wait to see what the rest of the week has in store for us all :)

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support! :)

-Angie

More photos....

Here are some more photos from my camera- I have not been to the construction site and only with some of the other groups so I will need to borrow the memory cards from others to get some other photos for you to see.... it's been a GREAT trip so far!  Lots of people impacted- both Haitian and American!!

400 Hygiene kits made - we will hand them out to the orphans, at the hospital, at the clinics, etc...  Each bag contains soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, washcloth, lotion, etc... 

Kelsey met this beautiful little girl in our neighborhood prayer walk.

Marie and Allison were able to care for some people while on their prayer walk.

Aline (my housekeeper and assistant cook) helped us put together some Christmas bags.

Haiti--the country with joy

Can I begin by saying that I love Haiti? This is the third time I have had the privilege to be here and I am enjoying every minute of it. When I stepped off the plane the first day, I was quickly reminded of the poverty and heaviness that covers the country of Haiti. From the trash dumps to the little children running around without any clothes on, Haiti is certainly lacking in almost every possible way except one...joy. If I had to describe the attributes of most Haitians, joy would probably the first word that comes to mind. 

Today, a group of us walked through the neighborhood where we are staying and introduced ourselves and prayed with the people in the area. Two of the girls in my group are nursing students so they asked some of the people we met if they had any medical issues. Most people described a pain in their back or a cough, but there was one lady in particular who stood out to me. She explained that she had experienced a rash for over a year. It was all over her body and as she showed us the cream she had been using to treat it, we quickly realized that it was not the right medicine. This lady then continued telling us about her life and that she walked over two hours a day to reach the spot where we met her so that she could beg by the gate--she said this all the while with a smile on her face. After we came back with some medicine for her, she began laughing and exclaiming her thanks to Jesus. The joy that she had even in the midst of her life was overwhelming and quite convicting. 

Another overwhelming sense of joy came tonight during our evening discussion and worship time. The lady that has been our cook for the week came and shared her testimony with us. She told us about some difficult situations in her life, but went on to say that she wasn't worried about being taken care of because Jesus would provide everything she needed. She then went on to share some medical issues that she was experiencing. She believes that if God wants her better, that he will heal her. We all gathered around her after she shared and we prayed for her and her healing. During the prayer she just kept exclaiming "Thank you!" in Creol. After we prayed, we went back to our seats and one by one she walked around the circle and hugged each and every one of us. The joy that she portrayed could have come from no one but Jesus. 

Through these experiences today, I have realized that even in the midst of trials and tribulations, God still can and does give us joy. This trip has been incredible so far and I can't wait to see what else God has planned for us this week! 

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." -Romans 15:13

-Bethany Eder

Just another manic Monday...

Construction
A majority of our team spent the day at a construction site. We were repairing a home that was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. Upon walking up to the home, the devastating ruble pile was mesmerizing. While six of us spent the majority of the day moving ruble in order to create a path to the bathroom, the others worked on building and installing wall frames. We are hoping to finish the roof tomorrow. During the ruble removal a big spider caused quite a ruckus!  It survived being stomped on; it was a robust animal! We were thankful to spend time in the warm sun using our resources to help out a family that has been in desperation for so long. Throughout the afternoon, some of the kids from the neighborhood brought many smiles and giggles to the work site.

Home front
Some of the team stayed at our base site and their day started by making 400 hygiene bags to be distributed at multiple orphanages throughout the week. Also, the organization is trying to extend it's reach within the community, so the group did a prayer walk. Allison and Marie had the opportunity to treat many people with their nursing skills. In the afternoon, 220 Christmas bags were prepared as gifts for the local children and orphans. 

We are enjoying our time here and feeling pretty healthy up to this point! Thank you for your prayers! 

Written on behalf of the team with love, 

Caitlin Knowlton 

Photos of the group so far....

The first group waiting for the second to arrive!  WITH Rubens- Those of you who wonder who Rubens is... now you can put a name with a face. He is the smiling man who will come into the airport to get you when you arrive.  :)

Finally at the house!  Wonder what the neighbors thought....  here we are unloading the bus by handing luggage down a line.  

Mosquito city on the roof!  BEFORE the rain the first night.  Second night (last night) was dry and wonderful- almost cold actually.  

In church- everyone hot and tired still from traveling yesterday but they enjoyed it!

Teaching the children at the orphanage about God's love!

Jake (a phys ed major) played games with them (red light/green light) which they enjoyed a lot!  We broke them into different age groups so all was pretty fair

Mary with her new friend Berlandia!  Everyone was all smiles... we had a great afternoon of ministry-

Naomi with her friend Samantha... I loved watching Naomi with the children.  She just beamed.  I always knew her heart- now the Haitians do as well!  :)

Came home to find the first group (they got home before us) walking the puppy already.  

Djimmey the mechanic  worked on the car.  He is the only mechanic I used in summer of 2011 that did a good job so let's pray the same is true for the Montero.  He replaced the alternator- went to Port au Prince twice for the perfect parts.

In the evening we had some game and fellowship time before debrief and worship on the roof.  I don't know how any other day can be more perfect.  This is a great group and though it is made up of three smaller groups (actually four if you count the construction group) you would not know it.  They are doing REALLY well working together.  

A Blessed Start to the Trip!

I would just like to start off by saying God is so good! Today was a great day.  I came to Haiti this past summer and visited the same orphanage we went to today.  I met all of the beautiful children and fell in love them in June.  After returning back to the states I heard about Crystal's organization and decided that I wanted to sponsor a child, a beautiful little girl I met named Mickey.  I have been sponsoring her since July, we have exchanged letters and drew pictures for each other since but I had not seen her again since I had started sponsoring her, until today! We walked into the orphanage this morning to go to church and about ten minutes into church she peaked her head through a side door and I saw her.  We caught eye contact and she smiled so big and started waving to me, my heart literally melted at that exact moment.  I can not explain to you the feeling I experienced when I saw this amazing, young child of God smile at me and remember me, it truly left me speechless. I had been looking forward to returning to see Mickey and all of the other children since August when we decided to attend this trip and to actually do so finally was the best feeling! We spent the entire afternoon just loving on these children and playing games and sharing endless smiles.  I do not think I can get any happier than I was this afternoon.  Tomorrow we are going to spend the day making Christmas bags for each child because Thursday we are throwing them a Christmas party where our team is going to hand out presents to each child and serve them yummy food and make them feel as special as they are, I cannot wait!  But in the meantime I am going to sit here on the porch, sip on some Tampico, listen to the sounds of Haiti and prepare my heart for what God has in store for me tomorrow.

Bon Nuit,

Love Kelsey Buglewicz

Day 1

Today we got to join the Haitians in their worship at the orphanage in Carrefour. One of the things I love about the service is the way they don't put a time limit on God. The service lasted about 2 and half hours and they prayed and sang continuously. The Haitians dressed very nicely. Some of the men even wore full suits even in the heat. I love how their Sunday is fully devoted to the Lord.  After the service was over, we could still hear them singing when we were in the orphanage and throughout the rest of our night. Also, when the service ended many of the Haitians came over and shook our hands which made us feel very welcomed and appreciated. Jake, Katherine, Kelsey, Matt and I were able to join the children's church to say hello and introduce ourselves. The kids were ecstatic to see us and sang us songs about Jesus in Creole. In return, we were able to sing a song in English to them about how mighty and strong our God is. After attending the church service, we got the opportunity to share our love with the kids in the orphanage. We held a VBS for the kids as we told them the importance of being able to come to Jesus and His overwhelming love that He has for each of us . We taught them that no matter who they are or what they have done, they are always accepted by God. We also organized a craft, as they colored pictures of Jesus with His children. The kids also got to play games that incorporated the lesson of the day. After the VBS was over, we were able to spend quality time with the kids. I had one little girl that would not leave my side till I left, as she hugged and kissed me almost the entire time. I cherished this moment, as it reminded of God's unconditional love he shows us each day. All she needed was someone to hold her and show her how much she is loved. This reminded me of God's love for us and that He is always there to hold us in our times of need. Thank you so much for all of your prayers, as we are all healthy and eating the wonderful food prepared for us by one of translator's mom. God has truly blessed our time here so far and we can't wait to see what God has in store for us in the next week! : )

Marie 

Sunday Morning In Haiti

I arrived on Wed. and this has been an awesome adventurous experience.  The new base has been a special blessing lots of space.  Although just when you get use to electricity it goes off.  Crystal just says "that's Haiti."  These are the most gracious hospitable people.  Everything on the construction site has been progressing well.

So, now its time to have breakfast that Regie's mom is making with her two helpers.  We are having eggs and bananas.  Then off to the orphanage in three tap taps for church.

Thank you for your prayers.  God is certainly watching over us.   Naomi

Everyone safe

Picked up the team yesterday at the airport and all of them made it safely, they all got their luggage, the drive to the house was not bad at all, we ate a great dinner, we got the "mosquito net city" created on the roof, worship in the living room which was beautiful, retired early cause everyone was exhausted and then..... THE RAIN CAME so we all had to scramble back down from the roof, close windows and move things around (from the porch, etc) to FINALLY sleep on the floor wherever we could find a spot.  But it's good to know that at least 25 people can sleep IN the house!  :)  :)  Once we build the rest of the bunk beds we will be set!  Hooray!!!  I will get some photos up and get some of the team to write but today we are off to church early!  (leave at about 8 am) and then orphan ministry or construction.

Bill' post before Prestige time

Hey, it's just like Creation except no bands or speakers. Having a great time with the family down here. the people are wonderful and it feels great to use my talents for others who are very appreciative. It sure is a very interesting ride to Reggie's house to say the least. Plenty of God moments to go around. Looking forward to go to the orphanage. but want to finish our project also. Love you Louise and Mallory and will see you soon.                                                                    Bill

Day 2- Construction

Here are some more photos-  there are about four walls built and ready to go up, the current roof has been prepped a bit, and they started making screens for sifting sand to mix with concrete for some masonry work.  It will look GOOD when complete.  :)

Measuring and marking the boards.  

Working alongside one another and teaching.  One of my favorite things about this kind of trip.  :)  James was having fun helping the guys.  Redgi did some work too- even though it's not his thing as much (construction/manual labor)

playing with the scraps!  

Redgi making the screen for sifting sand

Redgi and James working on the screen some more.  :)  They have two sized mesh- this is the larger one.  

Construction trip

Here are some photos of what's been done so far....

Bill putting in a ground wire for the electric 

Cutting rebar

before the group came we got some of the lumber we will need (somehow the photos got out of order)

Checking out the electric situation

Naomi and I played with the girls- today I think we will have a little more work to do

Anthony and Ron trying to figure how to do the roof

Close up of Anthony and Ron

Bill and Redgi working on the electric

More of Bill and Redgi- :)  

Can't believe we already got to visit the hardware store (to show it to the crew) and start a little work before eating an AMAZING dinner cooked by Redgi's mom right there at the house.  She had the help of others who live there.  We had SO MUCH FOOD we barely made a dent.  Told her the big group (big appetites) is coming in a few days... ;)

(btw- the Montero is fixed but we may need to buy a better alternator from the states and have it brought down to replace this one they rebuilt)

Team has arrived

The team arrived on time and made it to our construction site to get to work already.  They spent most of today working on planning their work/ministry so they are ready to get to work tomorrow.  :)  Will let them post some of their impressions of Haiti.

The children of Chaveneau

Photos of just some of the children of Chaveneau who will benefit from the clean water!  THANK YOU

before church on Sunday L-R:  ??  Bebe, Doroty, Devna, Helene and Ricardo

Widlinde

Misrose

Devna (L) and ???  (R)    ..... can you tell I am HORRIBLE with names... been going there for 2 years off and on!

Jephtay

Pisket (real name is Rose Darline I think)

Ezekiel

Kerline