Thursday, January 31, 2013

January trip in pictures

The trip to Haiti in January was a difficult one in some ways, but overall it was a blessing as they all are!  :)  Here are some of the photos I took.  I didn't take many, but these are highlights.....

Landed and went immediately to the wedding of two good friends/fellow missionaries in Haiti.  It was a beautiful wedding- just as beautiful as their story and I was soooo blessed to be invited and able to attend.  :)

Day 2 we were able to drive to Mirbilais to see the girls again (haven't seen them since August).  I would love to do ministry in this area!  It is beautiful and so are they.  :)  :)  

Mimose and Darline with their mother.  She is a beautiful lady!

Here are all the girls from the orphanage who moved to this town.  How I miss them!  

The girls took me to their school.  It is very nice and they are proud to attend.  

Sparky is growing up so much!  Overall he is very well behaved but as you can see by the photo below he LOVES to get into mischief when left alone for long periods of time.  :)  

This was supposed to be paper for Sparky to go to the bathroom on.  Apparently no one told him it wasn't his duty to destroy it by shredding it.  But, I am sure he had a great time!  (in his defense- we did leave him alone for about 12 hours)

Thanks to funds donated by the December mission team we now have bars on our kitchen window so the entire house is now totally secure!  They look nice and are well done.... (the window glass was replaced later- he just had it out to drill and install the bars)

We were able to deliver the fruit since I was there over the 25th!  Each orphan got a large mango, a small mango and a large glass of milk!  Yum...... (I personally wanted to make mango smoothies, but not enough time)

Berlando enjoying his mango....  (the children were so cute- they ALL washed their mangos and hands even if it doesn't look like it and ran back to me with them dripping wet to show me- we ARE making progress!)

We were able to get interviews completed on a lot of the children but ran out of time.  It was crazy busy and I didn't really calculate how long it would take (if only 5 min. per child were spent you can only do 12 children per hour and believe me, no interview takes 5 min.... LOL)

28 new mattresses were purchased in December and are ready to use!  We just need to move the beds to the new living quarters and cover them with sheets and every child has their own bed.  :)

About two weeks before I left one of my Haitian friends who is involved with a choral group called Gospel Vision asked if I knew anyone who had extra choir robes to donate.  I put it on facebook and God put the details together.  A church in Michigan donated these beautiful robes to the group.  You should have seen the smiles and heard them as they tried them on.  Then, they sang a song to say "thank you" to the church.  I will send video to them.  It was beautiful and a blessing to be part of!  

More photos of  Gospel Vision in their robes (check them out on youtube- they are excellent).  
Well, that shows you SOME of what we were able to do.  We lost about 2 days of "work" due to different circumstances (a funeral Redgi needed to attend, some issues with his driver's license, missed planes/late arrival to Haiti, pre-carnival celebrations so roads were inaccessable, etc...) but when standing with that choir the last day and seeing their excitement it all melted away and I knew that God's plans are not ours ---- they are FAR more important and FAR more amazing!  We just need to take time to remember that and bask in the blessings He gives us....  Overall, we were blessed to have this week in Haiti and I was especially blessed to spend it with a GREAT friend and woman of God.  He used her to teach me much!  :)  :)

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Saturday...

Yesterday we did a bunch of little stuff around the house in the morning (ie: the man came to finish the bars on the kitchen window and I thoroughly cleaned/organized the bedroom here), then at about 1 pm. Redgi and I left to go buy the fruit for the orphanage (mangos) and milk, searched for soil for the small pots the girls will grow their seeds in and went to the orphanage to do interviews on ALL 56!  It was crazy.... each interview typically takes about 10 minutes so you figure it should take 560 min. which is not what we had time for.... so.... we did our best.  Each girl also got a piece of candy and two pair of underpants (which is a whole different story- lol).... left and went to pay Pastor Cornet and Pastor Duval some money I had for each of them still, then grabbed some dinner (hadn't eaten since 10 am and it was about 6:30 pm.) and came home.  I was in bed early (praise God) and didn't hear a thing until this morning at about 6 am.  Today we should get final things done because tomorrow we will leave early in the morning for Miami.  Crazy productive trip this has been....

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Friday update

Yesterday (Friday) we got my friend made an amazing breakfast of egg sandwiches with cheese.  After we feasted we went to meet the well driller in PAP.  It was a good meeting but unfortunately he told us that he would not suggest putting a well that far up the mountain. He has been all over that area and there is rarely water (it runs in underground streams and the chances of finding a stream  are rare.  He said he would still have to charge us for at least the drilling (not the pipe and stuff if he didn't hit water) but that would just waste the money we have.  So.... back to square one!  He suggested petitioning the water company (public) that runs the line down the mountain to see if we can tap into that but that will be COSTLY and would require monthly fees forever.  We also talked to Pastor about the feasibility of upgrading the collection system he currently has for catching water from the roof.  Argh... lots to pray about here.

We then went to register Redgi for college which turned into about a 5 hour process!  Interviews, walking from one building to the next, meetings, more interviews, paying application fees and then picking classes once he was ACCEPTED!  woo hoo!  He will be taking four classes (12 credits) and will start Feb. 4th providing we get to the bank and pay the fee (yes, you pay at the bank for your classes, get a receipt and then take that back to the college to prove you paid).  Then he gets his student ID and can begin the first week of classes. 

We also met with Pastor about future plans for the school/orphanage and that was a very very productive meeting.  Today we still need to do interviews on all the orphans and take photos. 

We left the house at 9 am yesterday and got home again at about 8:30 pm.  Overall it was a good day, just lots of "down time" we didn't plan on.  So.... now today we will pick up the excess and move forward.  It's Haiti!!!  :)  :)  We are blessed God is doing so much in the ministry and we are part of all that.  These are good "problems" to have. 

Thanks for the prayers.  Today will be a LONG day again. Keep them coming!  God bless

Friday, January 25, 2013

Trip so far...

Sorry I haven't kept you up to date- the computer is act really really stupid so I can't get online.  Here's the basics...

Arrived in Miami Tues. to a bunch of missed phone calls and texts from my friend who I was to meet in Miami and trave to Haiti with.  Bottom line, she missed her plane and came in on Wed.  Then, prior to leaving I had forgotten Monday was the holiday so I had hardly any cash to travel with.  I had to have money wired by the treasurer for HU (to Haiti) so we needed to leave the airport when Redgi got me and go in search of a moneygram place that had enough money and a short enough line to get through quickly as we travelled to the wedding of two friends of mine here.  We made it to the wedding (IT WAS AMAZING) and then afterward went straight home and crashed!  I was exhausted cause it was about 9 pm. after being awake since 1:30 am.

Wed:  We woke and went directly to the airport after having a planning meeting.  Then off for a sandwich at the National gas station (like a subway) and to an important annual meeting with the organization providing the fortified rice for the orphanage.  (it's called Manna Pack rice and has dehydrated vegtables and vitamins in with the rice)  They have been providing this for one year so it was time.  We met Pastor for this meeting and it was about 40 min. north of the city- just outside Croix de Bouquets.  Since we were that direction we decided to go the rest of the way to Mirbilais and visit the girls who had left the orphanage a while ago.  It was soooooo good to see them.  I went in August but not since.  They are all in school and looked very good.  They have moved houses and are living with their mother instead of father.  She was a very nice lady.  They got to show us their school and we got to spend some great time with them.  Then, on the way home (about 2 hours) we stopped to see the girls at the orphanage.  My friend sponsors one of the girls there and has known her since summer of 2010.  It was a BEAUTIFUL reunion.  They had a little "catching up" time and I got to spend some time with the rest of the children.  Friday (today) we will return and spend most of the day.  Then, dinner and home (left the house at 8:30 am. and returned at about 8:30 pm.)

Thurs:  We had a kind of relaxing morning (my friend and I) because Redgi went to a funeral.  Peterson's mom died about a week or so ago.  We had stopped to pay our respects the night before so I feel there was a need to go to the funeral.  This also gave Redgi some time to spend with Haitians and not have to feel he had to check on me or stay with me.  I cleaned around the house and did some organizing of donations from the last group.  After Redgi came we went to visit an orphanage my friend's organization supports here in Carrefour. It was a beautiful place and I was very happy to meet some of the people I have heard a lot about.  My daughter, Emily knows this place and these people.  They said they remember her too.  We left there and went to have a meeting with Pastor Cornet and then off to find some groceries/supplies for the house.  Ordered four more mattresses for the bunk beds so we will be ready for the March group coming.  :)  Then, Dr. Carl came to visit because we were BLESSED to be able to bring 36 choir robes down for the group he is part of- a choral group.  They are having a practice on Sunday afternoon and we will get to spend some time with them, but he was extremely grateful for the gift from a church in Michigan.  I was blessed that my friend could bring them with her all the way from Michigan to North Carolina to Haiti!  Now this group will look more professional and will feel special.  This is what it's all about!!  I also got some good time with Dr. Carl, his wife and their son-- talking about possibilities for the future with medical groups coming to serve with our ministry. 

Well, that's about it so far.  Today we will go to the college to pay Redgi's tuition so he can start this next session the first week of February.  We will then go to the orphanage to meet with Pastor about the future and some ideas we have, to do new bios and photos of each orphan and to meet with a well driller.  LONG day ahead.  But, then after that we should have some time to rest and relax a bit cause my "to do" list will be MUCH shorter.  :)  :)  :) 

SORRY- photos will not load- you can see them on the facebook page for Hearts United.... log onto your facebook and search for Hearts United with Haiti. 

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Year in photos...

Here are SOME of the highlights of 2012...... Enjoy!  :)  (note that if you click on one of the photos you can scroll through them all- you just don't get the captions- but they are larger and easier to see)

Let's start the show with Haitian Pumpkin Soup- traditional on Independence Day (Jan 1st)

In January "the boss" started working for Hearts United..... what a blessing he has been!

Our dear Sarafina- the reason we ended up at the orphanage.... taken Dec. '12

Newest addition to the HU family- Sparky!    Dec. '12

Dr. Carl at the medical clinic

We made sure to pray with everyone at the clinics.... 

Haitian hospitality- food/drinks for the medical team after clinic...  Dec. '12

I was blessed to visit some of my favorite orphans after they were reunited with family- May '12

We were able to buy all the sponsored orphans books, uniforms, and pay for their schooling this year..- Sept. '12.

We had a few fund raisers.... this one was a hoagie sale and was a BIG success!  

LOTS of donations were sent to Haiti this year.... these are just a few!

Montero FINALLY in Haiti!  After two months of praying for it... and months before that of seeking God's direction for a vehicle that would serve us well for what we need in Haiti.

Some of the girls in Chaveneau with new dresses thanks to donations.... - Nov. '12

CLEAN water in Chaveneau after 8 mos.... :)  - Nov. '12

The celebration to dedicate the water building to the church/community!  - Nov. '12

Another successful fund raiser- roses for sale (made from wood shavings)-  Sept.'12
NOTE:  There are still some available if you are interested.... :)

Prayer walk/medical check ups in our new neighborhood-  Dec. '12

Every child in the orphanage got a water bottle, backpack, candy and gift-  Dec. '12

Christmas party at the orphanage.... everyone got TONS of food and a gift-  Dec. '12

Here's a sample of the backpack full of "goodies" each orphan got for Christmas-  Dec. '12


A Hearts United first!  A proposal on the beach the last day the team was in Haiti!  :)  CONGRATS to Allison and Adam.... love you guys!  -Dec. '12


After much prayer we started our sponsorship program officially in Jan/Feb. of 2012
Got one meal per day provided for the orphans thanks to Convoy of Hope.  - Jan '12

Tested the water in Chaveneau and found it to be contaminated- March '12

Bible school with the children at the orphanage- March '12

One of the children in Chaveneau (3 year old little one) passed away and the entire school came to pay their respects to the parents/siblings- each class escorted by their teacher.  - March '12

Reading stories to the children of Chaveneau-  March '12

We got to take a bunch of Chaveneau children to the beach- their first time!  :)  - March '12

We were able to provide a hot meal (with fish) for each of the 250 school children and some of the community too!  -March '12

Peterson (my tap tap driver) and his newborn daughter- Crysta  -  April '12

Providing dental care for the community in Carrefour- April '12

Hygiene training with the orphans, school, community-  April '12

Spending time with the orphans-  April '12

Medical clinic in Carrefour- April '12

Jean Bernard at the general hospital- we were able to get him surgery which potentially saved his life -  May '12

Another Bible School with the orphans- May '12

Bible lessons in Chaveneau- July '12

Showing proper dental care (toothbrushing)-  July '12

Walking in the mountains in Chavenau-  July '12

Working on the outhouse in Chaveneau- with the children helping!  - July '12

Putting in a public water spigot-  July '12 (even though the water is "bad" it is still ok to use for laundry, cleaning, etc... )

Teaching the children to care for their community by picking up trash-  July '12
Team on the roof of the house in May '12

God protected all five of us in this tap tap when we were broadsided by a city bus- March '12
The water building in Chaveneau- all done and serving water now!  - Nov. '12

New stone driveway up to the water building-  Nov. '12

This is the site of the water building before it was constructed.  It was 8 months from the time we tested the water until it was operating- well drilled, water building constructed, system installed, etc... - WOW!  (Sept '12)
Here's the base God provided.. no more living out of suitcases, no more renting someone else's house, etc... We have the second floor and roof access!  Praise GOD!  - Sept. '12

Inside the kitchen of the house!  :)  - Dec. '12
Our big construction project in Dec. '12.... putting a tin roof on this house and adding windows/electrical work.  

An "after" photo of the house above... it was SUCH a blessing to do this project!  .-Dec. '12
One of our medical groups in front of the maternity hospital.  - May '12

Service project at the orphanage.  Painting a hop scotch for them.  - March '12
Some of these are repeats from other blogs but they were worth posting again. And we were not able to include a sample of ALL our work this past year.  These (as stated) are just some of the highlights from each trip... God has done amazing things through and in our ministry this past year.  We are truly blessed to serve Him in Haiti!  :)