Our First Full Day in Haiti - Emily Sensenig (aka Shorty)

Wow! Where can I even start?! Our first full day here in Haiti has been absolutely amazing! We started off our day with a simple breakfast and quiet time to do our devotions. We then got ready for church and headed out on our tiny little bus. We have to sit 2 people to every seat, and then we actually have little benches that we sit in the isles, between the bus seats and sit 2 people on every one of those too. Needless to say, it's a little cramped. But that's okay, this is Haiti! Our ride to church took about twenty minutes to a half an hour. When we got to the church, we were met and ushered in by our translators. (Who are absolutely amazing, by the way!) The church building isn't really a building, it's a pavilion with a roof made of tarp. They have a stage up at the front and all of the pillars were decorated with palm branches. We sat down in about in the middle of the congregation and right away things got started. Everyone stood up and immediately started singing praise songs. And when I say praise songs, I really do mean praise songs! Everyone was standing up, raising and waving their arms, dancing and just having an absolutely wonderful time praising God for all that He does and who He is. I can honestly say I have never seen a group of people so pumped up and excited to praise our God. It was amazing. At one point the singing and just the spirit of the people actually moved me to tears. It was amazing. After the praise was over, we moved into a special service that they had planned for the day. They were looking back on the "old Haiti" and celebrating how far they have already come. They danced and had skits and games to represent many different aspects of what life would have been like in the "old Haiti." But the biggest point that they made out of all of that was that they really and truly do desire to give their country over to God and have Him work in it and change it.
After church we went out and looked over the ocean for a few minutes (because the church is right at the shore line) We then loaded back up on the bus and headed back to base camp. We enjoyed a lunch of peanut butter and jelly and also some Pringles. We then got our things together and hopped back on the bus to go to the girls orphanage up on the mountain. That bus ride took about half an hour. We got there and got off the bus and waited for the pastor who runs the orphanage to come meet us. In the mean time, we stood around and began to learn some of the girls names. They were all so sweet. Many of them would walk right up to you and just take your hand and not let go. Others were extremely shy and it took a little bit for them to get used to us and come out of their shells. But they all eventually did and we began kicking a soccer ball around with them. After a little bit we began our VBS. We started it off by singing a few songs with them like Amazing Grace, Jesus Loves Me, This Little Light of Mine and a few others. After that we had our skit that illustrated our theme for the day which was "Because Jesus loves us, He accepts us no matter what." We then had our lesson with them and they all listened very well and seemed to enjoy it. After that we split into two groups and made bracelets with about half of them and played games with the other half. That took us up to the end of our time for VBS and we had to head out. For me, the time just flew by and when they told me that it was time to go, I didn't want to leave yet! Many of the girls gave us hugs before we left and we told them that we'd be back tomorrow. I for one, can't wait to go back! We loaded back on the bus and now we're back at base camp. We had a delicious dinner prepared by our wonderful cooks and had some down time.
Now we're about to have our final debrief meeting, so I must say goodbye. Thank you all for following the blog and keeping us in your prayers. God bless!

Good morning!
We have been in Haiti for less than twenty-four hours and already so much has happened! Our team of eighteen landed in Port au Prince, Haiti right around 1:30, however we did not make it out of the airport until 3:30-4:00.  Friday night before we left two women from our church who had previously traveled to Haiti with Hearts United came over to talk to our team and tell us a little of what to expect, however it was one of those things that could be explained and explained and explained but until you step off of that plane and into the Haitian culture you will never fully understand what it is like.  Once we had landed we had our passports checked and went down to baggage claim.  That all seemed normal but then as soon as we started to collect our bags mad chaos started and really didn't calm down until we made it to the base a few hours later.  Gathering our bags alone was quite the job because if you didn't grab them the first time they went around the belt the airport employees would pull them off and put them in a pile beside the belt.  Several people from our team dug through the pile, other small groups stood around the conveyor belt pulling off the few that we actually saw still on their, and others stood around our growing pile of luggage.  Once we finally gathered it all together, which though I honestly have no idea how long it actually took us, felt like it took at least an hour just to get it all together. Then we huddled together and tried to get through customs.  This was the craziest thing I had ever seen.  This is one thing is specific that we were warned about.  But again didn't fully understand until I was experiencing it.  We tried to stay together as a group but that was almost impossible.  The moment our large group of eighteen entered the line to get through customs we started feeling people pushing in from all sides, quite aggressively.  It was like everyone absolutely had to be first and it was a little scary and overwhelming.  I had started out right behind one of my group leaders and followed by one of the guys in my group so I felt very safe, but then we started to be separated and I started to feel very scared.  We made it through safely and much to everyone's relief saw our guide sporting his blue Hearts United with Haiti shirt.  We were right by the door to exit the airport and walk through the parking lot to make it to our bus, easy right? Not so much.  Right before we walked out the door our guide told us to hold on tight to our bags and if anyone asked to help us say no thank you and keep walking.  We were told that they would be quite bold and follow you and keep asking to help, but not to accept.  I grabbed my friends hand and we plowed through the crowds full speed ahead and a few minutes later our whole group was together loading into our bus.  James was our bus driver and absolutely the BEST driver I have ever ridden with.  The streets were crazy...the sights, the sounds, the smells, the overwhelming absolutely no type of set road rules everyone just drives just purely completely different from anything you would ever experience in the states.  But so awesome!!  We made it to base and set up camp on the roof,  had debriefing with the team, relaxed, ate some amazing authentic Haitian food, complete with plantains!  We went to bed early partially because we were all exhausted from the crazy day partially because it is hard to do anything past dark when your electric is turned off.
       Well, it is Sunday morning now, and we are all getting ready to go to church.  We are ready to start another crazy day!  And I am soo excited!  Because of all the craziness of travel yesterday we didn't get much opportunity to interact with any of the Haitians besides our staff.  But today and the rest of the week we will, and I am so incredibly excited to do that.  I can hear all the "Haitian" sounds outside my window as I write this and cannot wait to be a part of it.

-Kristin

Team has arrived

Just wanted to let you all know that the team has arrived and is up on the roof already setting up tents!  We will try to blog later, but didn't want anyone to worry.  Dinner in one hour!  YUM!!!!!!  Thanks for the prayers- keep them coming.

Photos

Here are some photos from the past week (set-up and errands in Haiti)...

Redgi and Sparky at the beach

A starfish we found on the beach!

The house we worked on in December... the yard is all cleaned up!  (debris gone)

From the back of the house looking front- w hole new room was found under the rubble!  

Inside of the bus we will rent for the team coming this Sat.... it just needs a little cleaning!  :)

the bus we will use for the first team...

My photos from home- in the office

The plants (peppers, beans and tomatoes) to use for the orphan garden

The office/staff room at the base

Sparky is getting SOOOOOO big!

The plants were getting eaten by worms- but we got them all (I hope)

One of the worms that was eating the plants

Here you can see the damage that was done by the worms...

Update

There has been so much going on I don't know where to start!  First of all, Monday afternoon we went to Petionville to get the Montero windows tinted (safety issue- now people can't see inside as easily) and when we went to leave the place Redgi noticed that the battery charge was going down.  He drove in traffic to a gas station and (PRAISE GOD) we pulled in and parked just as the engine died.  Again, a praise is that we were near one of his friend's houses so he left me sit with the Montero and grabbed a moto to get his friend's car (to borrow) to return me and all our valuables to Carrefour which is about an hour drive.  The next day (Tues.) James and Jimmy (our Haitian mechanic) returned for the car while we had to rent an SUV to get some errands done like fruit which is on the 25th of each month, arrange for someone to lay block at the orphanage with the group coming, measure for the block, purchase a bunch of small things needed for the next team, rent a "short bus" to transport the team, etc.... We returned late last night and Redgi took back the rental car and then his friend's car.  In the meantime I started to feel sick because I was not drinking enough water and the SUV did not have air conditioning nor did the windows work properly so we were melting all day.  Another praise is that we called my Haitian doctor who was just getting off work so we gave him a ride back to Carrefour in exchange for him writing a prescription for medicine which we promptly went to the pharmacy to purchase.  Today has been spent waiting on the mechanic who said he will return at noon with the parts to fix our car but is still in Port au Prince (typical) and it is 4 pm.  I hope to get to the city still tonight because I have some things I want to do there, but it's not looking too promising.  So sad!  I will keep praying for a way to get in there and that the car is fixed because we pick up our summer staff for this team at 9 am. in the morning at the airport.

Keep praying- we can tell you are!  No coincidences here- the gas station, the friend's car available, the doctor being right by the pharmacy, etc.... ALL direct results of your prayers for us here in Haiti.  God bless!

Another 2 days...

I think I last wrote two days ago so here is a brief accounting of all that has been happening. We did meet with all our ministry partners for the summer and all are excited as are we!  James, Redgi and I met with Pastor Robby and Redgi and I met with Dr. Carl.  We got to have some great fellowship time and pray with them and commit our summer ministry with them to God.  We even got to stop by the orphanage down the road AT THEIR REQUEST (those of you who were here in March would know that this is a big step).  We even found out a little about the vacant lot next to the house and I pray we can talk to a man who has the phone number for the owner of the lot.  We would love to be able to work out a deal where we can either cheaply rent the lot (or just let us use it) in exchange for cleaning it up.  It would provide many great ministry opportunities right here by the base.  God knows the desires of our heart and if it is His Will, it will come to pass.

Yesterday Redgi had the day off and so did James (both had things to do) so I spent all day alone-- just me and Sparky.  I had some great time of prayer and reading the Word.  This was especially sweet because I will be bringing the message at Pastor Robby's church tomorrow.  It is a message God has been giving me over the past three months at home and even more so since returning.  I will be speaking about "being content".  Pray with me please that His message is heard loud and clear and that I will be obedient to bring what He would have me share with this congregation.

The office is much more organized, the receipts entered into the computer files and e-mailed off to the person who does our bookkeeping, the calendar for the summer has been posted, etc... yet the list of "to do" items is still present and even growing.  Isn't that always the case?  The enemy loves to keep us busy so we lose our focus.  My prayer is that I take time daily to spend with the One Who has called me here for the summer and that I will remember that He is in control- no matter what gets checked off the list or doesn't.

God bless you too for reading and following this blog and continuing to support our work in Haiti. You truly are a blessing!

BUSY BUSY

Wow- where to start????  I got in on Tuesday to Haiti and we immediately (after stopping for a sandwich and to catch up a bit and look at the "to do" list with Redgi) went to Digicel and Natcom.  The first is the phone company and the second is internet.  We got sim cards for my phone so I can use my iphone in Haiti as well as recharged the internet stick for the laptop and got a plan for Redgi's phone so he has internet all the time on it.  Now, he can set up a "hot spot" when we are out and I should be able to update easier from my phone.  The clincher?? I need power to charge it- hahahaha.  We then came to the house where we unloaded the suitcases and he showed me the new water system they put on the roof.  It is not operating yet so we have no water our section of the house so I have been doing bucket showers and conserving the two buckets of water we have.

Yesterday (Wed.) I got up early and worked on unpacking not only the two suitcases I brought but a bunch of other smaller boxes I had of office supplies and things.  We rearranged the staff room and created a work area which includes three small filing cabinets and the desk, the printer, etc. and I began to organize that.  We had a 9:45 am. appointment with a fellow missionary friend at her place to talk about some situations/concerns she had, to catch up, and to share advice one to another. Then James, Redgi and I went to meet with Pastor Martin (our new contact) to talk about some plans for the summer.  We were originally going to help him build up his church building, however, after talking to him more in depth he has a greater need.  He needs a "depot" build which would house food and other supplies and keep them safe and dry.  The existing depot is being used by a family for housing. We spent many hours with he and his wife just getting to know them, hear a little more about their ministry, share an amazing lunch, pray together, etc... It was fantastic!

After leaving the countryside we arrived back home where we sat with the schedules for the summer and talked about logistics for a few hours- particularly in regard to Pastor Yves and the orphanage.  I wanted to be sure Redgi/James both know as much as possible what God has put on my heart for the teams so they can clearly communicate that to our ministry partners and others.  After compiling quite a list of questions for Pastor Yves we set out (at 5 pm.) for the orphanage and James left us.  We drove directly to the orphanage where we met with Pastor and his wife and got to hear about his life and that of the orphans since I left in March.  I was so excited to hear that he has a second grandson- born just four days ago!  Also, his one daughter is getting married on the 29th and we were invited but a team comes that day so I doubt I will go.

During the meeting a horrific thunderstorm blew through Port au Prince heading toward Carrefour so we quickly called James who took a moto to the base and tried to beat it (he lives about 2 miles from base and we were about 30 min. away) but quite a bit of stuff got wet which we will deal with today.  I should know better but it is just so hot when you close up the house and nothing happens.  Argh!

We left the orphanage at about 8 pm, grabbed a quick bite to eat and went to Redgi's house where we were greeted by his mom and SPARKY!!!!  Wow did he grow!  He is above my knees and looks just like a doberman.  It is still dark as I write this and we had no power yet today so I can not really get the complete idea of how large he is.  He is much better behaved than when I left- quieter and calmer.  I will post photos as soon as I can (4% batter on the phone and not too much more on the computer).

Thanks for the prayers- I know this is long, but we have been so busy.  Today we have a meeting at 1 pm. with Pastor Robby and his family and then at 4:30 pm. with Dr. Carl and that should conclude the ministry partner meetings.  When we sat with the list of "to do" items Redgi and James just laughed when looking at the list compared with the days we have to get things done.  "Not gonna happen" is a favorite quote.  LOL  We will see what God has planned- His ways are best anyway.

Technology update!

So, here is the exciting news.  In an attempt to maintain better contact while in Haiti with our future participants as well as our volunteers in the states we have set up a wireless internet system from Redgi's phone.  This means he should have wireless readily available a large majority of the time.  It really drains his battery so he may not be using it a lot, but we should at least be less dependent upon the Haitian government for power (thus internet) from our laptop at base.  We will use the system for checking mail.  This means, however, that when my phone is close to his it will synch together and appear that I am online all the time on facebook and such.  Be aware that this is not the case- my phone may just be in my pocket or purse near his phone.  These are exciting times for Hearts United and hopefully this means we can get more photos up and online for you to feel more connected with the ministry (as well as stories, be more readily available should there be an emergency, etc...)  We still DO NOT intend to let teams us the internet provided- our policies on cell phone/internet usage remain the same.  Thanks-  let's see how this goes!  

note:  I am not sure how this will work with the blog cause I have to continually sign out of different accounts to access the blog and I don't want to be doing that on my phone all the time- we will do our best!

The worst thing I have seen in Haiti...

When I tell people that I am a missionary serving in Haiti the first questions I usually get relate to the 2010 earthquake- the clean-up, the mismanagement of funds intended to help, the people living in tent cities, etc.... But, it doesn't take long until I get the next most common question:  "What is the worst thing you have seen in Haiti?"  And my answer to this question, unfortunately, usually is received with far less enthusiasm than it was asked.  The reason?  Because people do not want to hear the answer I usually give.

I will give you an example that you will be familiar with.  Did you ever encounter someone you haven't seen in a long time when out shopping or running errands only to hear yourself saying, "We really should get together sometime"? All too often we say that with full knowledge that we have no intention of calling the person. Or have someone ask, "How are you doing?" when you have a real burden you are struggling with, yet you answer, "I am fine, and you"?  We are polite and we say what is expected.  Well, this is kind of the same thing.  I tell people what we do in Haiti and they ask a question expecting to hear juicy stories of abuse, corruption or something of the sort.  They do not expect to hear something else- yet they do.

Sure, after over three years of serving in Haiti I have seen my share of heart-wrenching situations.  I have had a baby I considered my first grandchild die from something completely preventable here in the USA-just two days before I arrived with finances and medicine that could have saved her life. I remain in contact with a young woman who is now 16 years old with a 4 year old child because she was raped and thrown out on the street when she became pregnant at 12 years old because it was "her fault".  I have experienced corruption when some employees from the very agency intended to protect vulnerable children were using their position as a way to abduct children from the streets and supply a child trafficking ring. I have witnessed a violent interaction between the Haitians and  UN which involved gun fire into a random crowd of bystanders.  I have spent countless hours at the general hospital in Port au Prince where there many heartbreaking moments.  I could go on and on.

But none of these are the worst thing(s) I have experienced so far in Haiti.  Yes, they are all sad moments and evoke some intense emotions, however I trust that my God is bigger than all of these situations.  I have been blessed to see Him at work in each of them and I continue to be encouraged as I see His hand upon the Haitian people and country I have grown to love.  This brings me to my worst experience(s) in Haiti and the answer I give to those who care to listen and hopefully learn from my answer.  The thing that continues to break my heart over and over is those who come to Haiti with THEIR agenda- THEIR plan and who do not take time to get to know the very people they intend to "serve" often leaving behind a wake of consequences they aren't around to see.  It grieves me to read their blogs, see their facebook updates, watch them in the community, etc... and see their focus on what THEY are doing in Haiti.  I have read countless blogs and facebook posts about "If we didn't come to this community they would have nothing".  REALLY?????   Do people honestly believe this stuff?  Are they really so arrogant to feel they are the solution to the problems the Haitian people (or anyone else for that matter) face?

Too many are so caught up in what they DO when they come to Haiti that they miss the opportunity to rest in God's beauty, see His hand in things and give Him the credit/glory for ALL that happens.  Yes, God can put us all in a certain place at a certain time to be used- but it is always meant to show His provision and His love/compassion for His people.  All too often I see lists of the number of people in/out of a clinic but the group that came was so hurried to put numbers on their blog that they didn't take time to sit and talk to those very people they treated and hear their stories or find the condition of their hearts.  I hear of groups going in and building houses or fixing ones that are in need of repair yet when they turn their nose up or laugh about the person's current living conditions what message do they send?  Is this really showing the love of Christ or is it giving them opportunity to return home with a list of THEIR accomplishments in Haiti?

When these people take photos of the sickest, saddest, dirtiest child and post it on their blog, what is the motive?  Is it to receive more funding for future trips or is there another intended purpose?  What about the family of that child?  No wonder they often feel exploited and used for financial gain of the photographer.  Why not photos of the child who is happy, smiling, clean?  Because, unfortunately, pity is a stronger motivation than joy.  A Haitian man once told me, "It is marketing, Crystal.  If you keep the children  well dressed, fed and healthy you will not receive help.  The help goes to the ones whose children look sick, hungry and dirty with no consideration that those people may be already receiving help from people.  If the money received goes to those items, the help will cease and will go to others who appear more 'needy'".  That, my friends, is pathetic yet unfortunately so true! And yet groups coming buy into that same mentality by posting photos of the poverty, the tent cities, the trash, etc...  Why?  Because we, as people respond to it.

Don't get me wrong.  There are plenty of well-meaning people and groups who come to Haiti to serve.  My reason for writing this is to ask that we ALL consider what our motive is for serving and how our actions are perceived by those very people we plan to help.  What does "help" involve? How did Jesus serve others?  What model should we follow?  I know it's a radical way to think, but what about measuring "our accomplishments" by the following questions.  Did we seek God and follow His direction during our trip?  Did we look for those moments to share His love and encouragement with His people?  Did we give Him all the glory - realizing that we can do nothing (lasting) without His hand upon it?  This list can go on and on as well.  We need to remember the One Who called us to Haiti and ask that when we minister people see HIM and not us!    (** stepping off my soapbox now**)

My prayer as I begin yet another summer in Haiti with many people coming to serve is that I can clearly communicate this (foreign) way of looking at short term mission trips and that God will use me to help those He has called to serve with our organization to take time to see Him.  I pray we will be used to bless others and to build relationships that will bring people closer to Him.  I pray that people will measure the success of their trip by moments they saw God at work rather than by the amount of things they DID.  Overall, I pray to remain humble as well because it is easy in ministry to fall into the cycle mentioned above- with the way we measure our success, the photos we take, the blogs we write too. May God and His plans be the focus of our ministry always.    -Crystal

This 55 gallon drum was our wash water.  This little boy getting into it meant it was now "dirty" water.  Yet, this team saw the chance to make some memories.  Instead of getting frustrated/angry, two of the men on the team climbed in too (not at the same time- haha) and made some LASTING memories that this little guy talked about for a long time.  Sharing Jesus?  Not directly, but it showed that relationship was more important than some other things (like "clean" water).

On our way to go somewhere (running behind) we could have just walked quickly by these school children.  Instead, the team took time to stop, play with them for a bit and then continue on with the children tagging along.  But, in the meantime, memories were made and the children were given the message that they are important.

Congratulations!

I don't know what happened- I thought I had posted these shortly after the wedding, but they were not here, so......here are some photos of the wedding of our daughter Danika Funk to her amazing husband, Mikal Little on May 18, 2013.  The wedding was at our home (in the woods behind the house) and it was absolutely beautiful.  Though it rained a little just before the ceremony, as Danika walked down the aisle the rain stopped, all umbrellas were put away, and it held off for the rest of the evening until all guests had left.  So, as much as I love Hearts United with Haiti and the ministry God has called me to (and Ron) THIS was the focus for a few months.  I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I truly enjoyed spending time with Danika working in the woods and gardens, planting flowers, going for dress fittings, making centerpieces for the tables, etc....   Those moments will never be taken from me and I cherish every one.  If you think of it, Mr. & Mrs. Little can use your prayers- especially for the next 10 months when he will be in Japan and she will remain living at home.  They pray to begin their time living together as husband and wife in March of 2014, but until then will rely on skype, texting, phone calls, and more to keep in touch and begin this life as a married couple.  We love them both and wish them the best always!