Thursday, July 23, 2015

Wednesday, July 22

Today the group went to the pediatric ward at the general hospital in Port au Prince. I always love going there because the families we meet are always an inspiration and the children are adorable. We take diapers which they quickly hand out to each patient ( yesterday everyone got three). We talk to the families, play with the children, pray with families, encourage them, and give parents a much needed break so they can get out a bit while someone else cares for their child. 

In the afternoon we got to go to a school where Jerry ( one of our translators is director) and got to just sit and practice English with students. This was always the highlight of our English classes when we had our school ( which we hope to start up again soon). The team gets into groups with Haitians who are learning English and they just ask questions of one another, learn about the other culture and practice talking to/listening to different people. It was AWESOME!!!

Then, in the evening we just hung out. This group is really pouring into the staff which makes me soooooo happy. So, they were teaching English to Mr. Alvarez and our downstairs neighbor. Friday morning one person will go to the market with Madame Carole and will shadow her while she then prepares the food. We have also invited hem to join us (Madame Carole and Sherly) when we play cards or games. Exciting stuff!!!!!

Hard to believe that we will be done with summer teams soon. Kylee leaves tomorrow (Friday) and she will be missed sooooo much!! She and Michelle took on a lot of the work involved in hosting teams and made my load lighter but they also poured into teams. It will be strange to have the house back to ourselves after Wed of next week. (Saturday we take the team to the airport and then drive to Mirebalais to pick up Darline, Mimose and Jesula/Melantchy so they can come stay with me Sat-Tues while Redgi is back with family in Delmas). I am looking forward to this a great deal. We will make bracelets and hang out!!












Wednesday, July 22, 2015

7/21/15

        Today at the orphanage, we distributed girl’s underwear, sandals, and hygienic products. It was our second and last day to visit the orphanage. We hope that even though it was something small, it brought the girls joy. After we played with the girls, did some hair dos, and talked with one another …we had to say goodbye. The experience for us was very heartfelt and we hope that our visit helped bring some love to every child there.
        In the afternoon, we had an English class with students at all levels. We had 12 Haitian students that were beyond eager to learn that some even came an hour early to class! The class was very exciting. Some of the activities involved acting, dictation, and creating stories. It was a joy to see how happy the students were to participate in the activities with some of the American team members. At the end of the class, many asked if they could return tomorrow for another session. 
       Tomorrow we are planning to visit a pediatric unit at the general hospital and offer English classes at a local Haitian school. Overall, we are having a pleasant experience and loving every minute of our time here. The food has been amazing!!

                   July 21st Liliana Vega from Lancaster, PA 

 
The left over flip flops from Bible school last week were a hit!!!


Nothing like clean, new underwear!!


Kylee handed out letters from a woman in Colorado who wrote to EACH child!!!!!


Group photo with some of the orphans

Advanced English class

Practicing together

Crystal and Mr Alvarez have an amazing connection. 







Staff Update- Kylee

I There are no words for a time like this. It’s a bittersweet kind of moment and I know that it is going to take a lot of time to process this amazing summer of learning experiences. I arrived in Haiti on June 13th, and I leave this Friday, July 24th. That’s a total of 42 days that the Lord has broke my heart and pieced it back together again in ways I never knew possible. I have been blessed with experience after experience, and each trial, both good and bad, has led me to lean on Christ alone…always. The phrase “If God is all you have, you have all you need,” became so real to me this summer. It is my desire to come back to my home in America and just be on fire for the Lord, spreading His love in all that I do, and I will continue to pray for the day I return to my second home in Haiti. Until then…I must say my goodbyes…
The goodbyes have been the hardest part. It started Friday night when I said my farewell to the translators. I clearly remember sobbing in Astreede’s arms because I knew that I don’t know how long it will be until I see my Haitian best friend again. Then came Michelle…my “Haiti bae”. I still am in shock that my favorite person from this summer, my other half, the girl that stuck by my side through the past six weeks, is at her home. Again, it’s bittersweet. Today, I said goodbye to the kids I could call my own. Clara, with her sweet voice and constant desire to wrap her arms around me and cuddle; Sandrine, with her chipped two front teeth and beautiful eyes that cause me to love her even more each time I see her; Berry, with her crippled hand and inspiring heart, whose love for me I wish to spread to others; and the list doesn’t end. Unable to process everything, I passionately said to each child, “I love you so much”, “I will be praying for you”, and I wrapped my arms so tight around them I didn’t want to let go. My final goodbyes to my stronghold this summer, Redgi, James, and Crystal are still yet to come. I wish I could continue to write about each experience and the journey I have been on, but at this point, I am filled with too much joy, sorrow, appreciation, blessings, and sadness, to simply type on this document. Maybe one day I will find the words, but until then, Mwen Renmen Ou . Thank you Jesus for your love and for blessing me with a heart for this beautiful place.
With an unending amount of joy,

Kylee <3 (Hearts United Summer Staff 2015)


Monday, July 20, 2015

7/20/15

Today was our teams first time to visit Life is Wealth orphanage.  I have been very excited to go back and see how many faces I recognized and have a chance to play with the children.  The children were the highlight of my trip last time and I was hoping it would be again.  When we first arrived I expected the kids to swarm us as they did last time.  However, it was a slow start this time.  There was not too much interaction at first.  I did noticed a boy from last time right away.  We used to call him “bare-bottom-Berlondo.”  First thing I noticed was he had pants on!  I suppose people change from a year and half to 3 years old.  We soon took out some jump ropes and Frisbees and the fun began.  We played hand games, tickled and held hands for hours with these kids.  They really are models at heart; give them your phone for a few minutes and you will get it back with 101 pictures and at least 10 videos. 
                We needed to conduct interviews with the newer children to be able to tell others about them if they were interested in sponsoring them.  The girls told us things like their favorite color and subject, but it also got very personal.  A girl was brought to the orphanage because her mom had been murdered by her dad and she did not have any family to take her in after her dad ran off with her siblings.  We asked her how she was doing with losing her mom and not being able to attend her funeral.  She said she cries sometimes.  This stuck out to me because I lost my mom about a year ago and not to the circumstances she had to.  I can begin to understand what she is going through, but never be able to fully understand all her trauma.  While the girl was speaking with Crystal I loved seeing the interaction and really asking about her feelings.  You could see how much she cared and the look in the girls eyes reminded me of how I feel when I talk about my mom; sad, but still trying to get the words out.  I feel as if people become so numb to stories such as these because they are so prevalent here.  It was heart- warming to see the genuine love and concern that was displayed.

Chasta  

Photos



Here are a few more photos from yesterday. The internet is too slow to post more. 














Updates 7/19/15

Note from Crystal....... Though it is CRAZY in the house, it has been very uplifting to see the CCC students (and leaders) process their situation as they are "stuck" in Haiti currently.  They are a GREAT group of students and I can not imagine any other group being so flexible.  Some are missing family vacations, one is drum major and should be at band camp starting today, and others have work commitments, medical appointments, child care to arrange, etc.  Through all that, they are seeing God at work in their team and in the situation.  HE IS GOOD!  They are safe, they are still having fun (evidenced by the laughing from the porch as I lay and listen from my bedroom at the opposite end of the house) and they are being taught a life lesson-- that though things do not go as WE planned, God is still God.  God is still in control.  And, God will never leave them.  (PS-  the new team of 5 people have just become part of the CCC family and God is using them too through all this.  I LOVE to see how He works in and through people.



  This morning, we all woke up to the realization that we are still in Haiti. Though we were all emotionally and physically tired, we pulled it together to make it to the church service. That’s when God started lifting our spirits, wowing us, and making us feel like we are stuck here for a reason. We walked in and recognized the tune of the song they were singing: How Great is Our God. Pastor Robby, Jonas and other friends we have made came up to us with huge smiles and let us know that they prayed they would see us soon. We were able to see children from our VBS that we thought we would never see again. The best Haitian Christian rappers happened to be at the church that morning, and they blew us away. After church, we came back to the base and had our 8th lunch of peanut butter and jelly. Since we all used up our clean clothing, each person picked out one outfit to wash. A few other girls and I took all of the clothes down in a bin, filled it with powder soap and water, and filled a separate bucket as well. Kylee showed us the ropes of scrubbing the clothes together and then rinsing them in the bucket of water. After (let me emphasize after) we were finished with all of the clothes and had them hanging up to dry, a dear neighbor that had been watching us came over and told us to get all of our clothes. He proceeded to add a ton more soap, pull up buckets of water from the well, add disinfectant, and show us how to properly scrub our clothes together. He was so thorough. I was happy when I saw that he had grabbed my shorts to clean because I knew they would be washed to perfection. He also made us laugh a ton which is something that we all really needed! He even separated our whites and bleached them, using his own bleach. You don’t need to be in Haiti long to realize that everyone here has so little but is willing to give it all away. At the end of the day, we had the opportunity to go up on the mountain to the overlook again. If we weren’t stranded here, we would not have gotten to go up there again, and that overlook was a highlight of all of our trips. From there, you can see the whole city and the ocean. We all feel close to God and are filled with peace up on the mountain. All day I’ve been repeating a phrase in Creole that we learned this week. Gen lafwa (have faith). We all love Haiti, but we all also miss our family and friends. Praying to find a way back to everyone as soon as possible. As my dad said,  “He’s got it.”
                        Kendra


So, the last several days/hours have been quite a blast. Even though it has seemed that just about everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong, there have been more than enough positive events. And I am very happy that the team that has arrived has been willing to work with us and slowly become part of our family. So, even though some believed that I have been too happy/too energetic, I truly believe that God has a plan for us and that He will provide. So, as I am staying strong in my faith, I pray that my team and those back home will do the same. I hope everyone is having as good of a time as I am and that God would be with and bless.
--
                       Evan

       It is my group’s official first day here in Haiti. We started the day by going to church, which is always a highlight of mine in Haiti. It is conducted mostly (if not all) in Creole so as an American who understands English and some French I can’t comprehend what they are saying. Although I can’t understand almost anything I can just see the love for God, which is just as rewarding. Today’s message was about how God is simple and greatness means serving others. I think it’s something most of us forget during daily life but when you really stop and think about it by serving others you really are working towards greatness, especially during the most trying times. Later in the afternoon we took formula to a nutrition center and just sat and played with a little girl named Talia and 2 babies, one of which was dropped off by a mom because she was sick but after she returns to full health she will return to her family in the countryside. Another baby was dropped off by an aunt after her mother died simply because her aunt did not want her. They are in the process of figuring out what to do with her. Talking to the nutritionists was so eye opening, they are around my age, medical majors, and planning to do missions medical work. It is overwhelmingly inspiring. A couple of us went on a prayer walk later which consisted on walking around the neighborhood talking and praying with people. One family in particular stood out to me because it was the first time I was actually invited into a Haitian home. Most families live multi-family in houses so there were a bunch of little kids running around, a few older kids, and then a few adults. But it put Haitian life in a bit more perspective for me. We then ended the day at the overlook which is one of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen (overlooking most of Port au Prince and the ocean). We also got the pleasure of playing ‘Jacks’ (like jacks but with rocks) with a few of the local kids. All in all it was a great first day and I can’t wait to see what the next week has in store.
                Shelby

Evan and Mel taking notes in church


Meeting of the CCC group. Talking about how they have seen God working through this whole situation/delay. 


Lili teaching advanced English to our translators and friends. 


The new team!!!! They are amazing already. 


Worship/team time on the roof. 


This one says it all!!!!!!









Saturday, July 18, 2015

A note from Pastor Tim

       Wow!  Where to even start?  This is the blog that was not supposed to happen.  We should be driving home from JFK right now.  However, we are back at the base waiting to hear how and when we will get home.  On the way to the airport we got stuck in traffic and the usual 45-60 minute drive with traffic turned into almost 3 hours.  As a result, they had already closed our flight and we could not get on.  After waiting on standby for a couple hours we found out that we could not get on the last flight out of Haiti for today.  So we went back and got our baggage…tried to get a new flight scheduled…and eventually headed back to the base.  Our travel agent is currently working to help resolve this problem for us.   We have a few emotional students…and leaders…but we are all OK and safe at the base.  In spite of not having things go our way today we are grateful for many things:

-Someone in our church works for the travel agent and is helping us resolve the issue
-We have a place to come back to where we are safe and can eat and sleep
-The other team that came in today is smaller so we all still fit at the base
-One of the members of the new team came in this afternoon so Redgi was at the airport with the bus to bring us back.
-Some of our friends here bought us pizza to eat when we got back.
-Crystal happens to take the same medicine as Emily and had plenty of extra toshare.

     This is an opportunity for us to trust God with situations that are beyond our control.  Life does not always go our way and we then have a chance to decide how we will react.  Good life lessons for all of us!
     By the way, we let the students do the blogging this week, but I wanted to say that they have done an amazing job this week.  You can all be proud of them!  I will get them home as soon as possible!!!

Tim

Group has arrived

Everyone is here but one girl who is scheduled to arrive later. Will update as we can. 

Also..... CCC group got off ok as did Michelle.

Staff Update...



Staff Update:

         This morning I leave my Haitian home to fly back to my American home the United States. The reality of that statement hasn’t quite sunk in yet. The past 5 weeks have flown by! It has been such a pleasure and a privilege to be summer staff again for Hearts United and serve the Haitian people and the teams that came down each week. Each team was awesome in their own way! I could write pages of stories and ways I’ve seen God at work in my life and in Haiti, but to sum them all up, God has used my experiences here and the people I met (Haitians and Americans) to teach me so much, strengthen my relationship with Christ. Thank you so much for everyone’s prayers and support! J

Bondye beni’w,

                    Michelle











Final Update

         Today for our “fun day” we took a trip to the beach and natural pools formed by waterfalls for a bit of relaxation after the ministry work we have been doing this week. Our first stop, a beach in Jacmel, was over two hours away. But despite the long, crammed bus ride spirits remained high. Upon arrival at the beach, we all marveled at the beauty of the Caribbean Sea. The water was a sparkling blue and the waves, large and roaring as they curled and crashed on the shore were glorious. We set our belongings in a thatch roofed pavilion and hit the water, only to find the ocean floor was covered with rocks and kelp. But that didn’t stop some from having a good time jumping the waves, though several members of the team emerged from the water with cuts and bruises. Others stayed in the sand and searched for shells. Meanwhile, after spotting all the Americans arrive at the beach, vendors began to swarm the pavilion like flies. They laid out their wares on the ground and urged anyone nearby to take a look at their products. They sold handmade trinkets, paintings, hats, and jewelry. However while buying, you never take a Haitian vender up on his first offer. Bartering is expected. I personally enjoyed this and made out fairly well. Some notable barters in our group were Amanda and Julie. Amanda’s strategy was to bluntly refuse high prices and Julie, with her quite sweet nature, simply talked to the venders and managed to get two bracelets for free!
       After two hours up at the beach, we loaded back on to the bus and traveled up into the mountains, traveling to a series of natural pools. The journey up the mountain had some truly spectacular views and a few too many hairpin turns and close roadside drops for my liking. Luckily, Redgi was driving the bus and made sure we made arrived safely. To reach to pools we hiked down a steep trail and passed several other white people! (Apparently it was a tourist hot spot). The pools were beautiful. Worn into the rocks by small waterfalls, the pools were over 50 feet deep and a lovely blue. One was peaceful, calm, and easy to access. The second required a moderate climb and a trip down a rope. The climb was worth it. The second pool had a waterfall and rocks perfect for cliff jumping. The most daring of the group jumped off the highest cliff (Zach, Tim, Michelle, and Kendra).
       Overall we had a very fun time.  After the long drive home, we were all tired and ready to rest and wake up early for our trip extensive trip home.


                                                     -Michael


       Looking forward to finally coming home and being able to see my family again (and enjoy air conditioning). But, this week God has really worked through me and with me and I truly feel like I have grown closer to God. I hope that everyone else on the team has had as much as an amazing time as I have. And I’m looking forward to read all of my letters. I pray that God will bless the team, the staff, my family, and Haiti.
                                                 -- Evan










Thursday, July 16, 2015

Saying goodbye is always hard, but today were some of the hardest goodbyes I have ever had. Today wrapped up our week of VBS with the kids, and personally, watching them all learn and grow in their faith throughout the week was beyond amazing. The way they learned the songs and versus so quickly was crazy! During the whole time at VBS today we could all tell that they were a little more rowdy than the other days, and we realized that they could tell we were leaving. At the end of Bible School this morning I cried for over an hour because I knew it was our last day. A little girl named Leandre was sitting on my lap everyday of VBS. During the final song this morning I was crying and Leandre kept wiping my tears and telling me something in Creole. I called a translator over and asked what she was telling me. The translator told me she kept saying, “It is going to be okay.” Then I just lost it. I said goodbye at the end of the morning and I was so upset. Later tonight we had a parent’s night with the VBS kids and once we got there all of the kids started cheering. It melted my heart. Right as we sat down, Leandre came up and sat in my lap. We sang all of the songs and reviewed what we did all week at VBS with the parents. At the end of the night when everyone was leaving every time I turned around I got a hug from either a parent or a child. I loved how loving and caring everyone was. It really warmed my heart. I have so many pictures of the children that I want to blow up and put them all over my wall. The love I have for these children is never ending and I will remember this trip forever.
~Emily White

Today was our last day of VBS. The kids learned the songs and verses so quickly and had so much energy while doing them. Today the kids were so enthusiastic about the songs, jumping, dancing, and singing. The craft today was a wordless book which taught them the gospel and how to walk through a relationship with God. Through all of this at the end of the VBS today we had about 20 kids who were saved. This made me so happy because it really showed me that we were helping the lives of these children. Later tonight we had a closing ceremony with the children and their parents. We summarized all of the lessons that were taught throughout the week. This showed the parents what the kids were learning this week and how to continue to encourage them even after we leave. When we were finished almost all the parents came up and hugged us which filled me with so much joy, knowing that they appreciated what we were doing all week. Overall the entire week at Haiti has been an amazing experience which has opened my eyes.
  ~Zach Smith

I have really enjoyed this week and have really grown a lot closer to the Lord this week. Coming into this week I really didn’t know what to expect and I wasn’t very spiritually prepared and was kind of in a valley.  On the first day, Sunday I really spent the day not only preparing the games for the VBS but also preparing my heart. It’s inconceivable what God can do in your heart when you come to him. My highlight of this week has to be the prayer walks. The first day we did it we meet a couple men and women and they a lot of them wanted to go to church but they felt they couldn’t because they didn’t have enough money to buy good enough church cloths. As we talked to more and more of them, especially the second time we prayer walked I could really tell that a lot of them believed that you had to be good enough to get into heaven, and on the second day my translator, James, got to share the gospel to a lady who believed in works based faith. I have also really enjoyed the VBS and got to play games with a lot of the kids. It was really hard for us (the game group) to come up with games that the Haitian kids could understand and play. It helped so much that one of the guys from the church, Jonas, jumped in and taught us some games they all knew how to play, like Tic Tock boom. Anyways this week is going by so fast but it has been such an awesome week, better than I imagined. Thank you for all those who are praying, we definitely need it. Shout out to my Family and of course Kerri! I miss you all J       


~ Andrew Weston

Thursday Update

Today was sadly our last day with the kids at VBS. When we arrived at the church, the kids were doing the usual singing and dancing and smiling to music playing out loud. It doesn’t take long for a child to walk up to you and grab your hand for you to sit with them, and once you sit there are 5 more children fighting for some of your attention. If they see your phone, they will start saying “photo”. They love to get pictures of themselves or take pictures of others. It’s fun until they take your phone and you have to fight to get it back. My favorite part of VBS is when we worship. Four days into the VBS, the kids have the motions and even some English lyrics to the songs memorized. They are so much fun to dance and sing with, and all it takes to put a huge smile on their face during the song is eye contact and giving them a smile. There is a girl at the VBS who is pretty much blind and she sadly gets pushed around a lot by the others, so we all made sure we made her feel special during the songs and throughout the day. I could tell that holding her hand during the songs and dancing with her definitely made her happy. Since today was the last VBS day, we focused on presenting the gospel. The craft was a wordless book that represented the gospel using black to represent sin, red to represent Jesus’s blood on the cross, white to represent how he makes us pure, yellow to represent heaven, and green to represent our growth as Christians. The children also received bracelets that had a bead with each of those colors as a reminder of what they have learned. Today, I had the sweetest boy with me all day that was too young to participate in the VBS. He has been coming with his older brother every day and he is just adorable. I haven’t seen him smile all week until today. I was so excited when I saw him give a little smirk for the first time ever for a picture with me. As the last song for the week played, we invited all the kids to come up to the front to dance.  It was fun as always but sad because I knew it would be the last time. After we fed the kids Haitian spaghetti (noodles with ketchup and meat), it was time to leave. I of course had a hard time leaving since I get attached to kids very easily. But I hope and pray that we made a difference for some of those kids this week. Later in the day we went to the grocery store and bought some special Haitian treats and presents (if you’re lucky, maybe we bought some for you). The best part about the grocery store was getting a break from the 95 degree weather to be in some air conditioning. We are about to head back to the church to talk to the parents of the kids that came to VBS this week and we are praying for a good turn out! -Cassandra

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

VBS is going well. I’m doing games along with Andrew, Emily, Jonas, and Turrin (the last two go to the church there).  Jonas has been such a big help. Whenever he feels that the game isn’t going well he asks if we could change the games, and he brings up games that works almost every time.  He then says that he will use the games that we bring there that he has never heard of or played to help out his children’s ministry there at the church.  I think that it is really cool that he is very willing to pitch in to help with the games, and he has so much energy and love for the kids.  When we get back to base we usually get a while to just bond, relax, and eat lunch.  The food here is very good.  The cooks get up around 4ish in the morning to get stuff for breakfast.  They do a very great job cooking food.  The translators are so cool.  Gady is a rapper, Reggie is really funny (when he is talking for a while), James is really good at football (soccer), David has a lot of style with the clothes he wears, Astreede can speak like 7 different languages, and Jerry is very nice and easy to get along with.  I speak for everyone here when I see this but we are having a great time here in Haiti.  I will really miss everyone here that I met and don’t be surprised if I am speaking some Kreyol when we get back.    Drew


I have been so pumped this week and just so overwhelmed with everything I have been doing, seeing, and eating. Between all of the energy from the Haitians, the team, and me being able to eat lots of food has been just an amazing experience. But one thing that brings me joy every day is the children. All of their smiles, their energy during worship, and just the overall longing to learn makes me smile everyday and gives me the desire to keep showing up. To be honest, I don’t know what I will do once this week is over, but I do know that when this week comes to an end, I will be even more passionate and more on fire to help out with the children’s ministry back home. Speaking of back home, a quick shout out to my family, I miss you all very much and hope your week has been going as nice as mine has been (and yes, they have been very nice with providing me with lots of food that I can eat!). But along with all of the children, another thing that I have been enjoying is the all of the music. With the almost constant playing of the guitar, beat boxing, and singing has really just brought lots of happiness to me as well to all of the other members of the team. With all of the constant excitement, I’m surprised how quiet it gets around here when Bible time comes around. That is the other thing that I have been enjoying, all of the time I have been able to just sit and study God’s word. With all of the Spirit moving and blessing us mixed along with the praise to the great God (whether in Kreyol or English) has made this experience well worth the “fun” plane ride. Well, that all I have to share (for now), God bless everyone!
-Evan

GO JEN!
-Andrew

To Ashley: I found Samantha : )
From Kendra

We are coming up on the end of our week here! Today was the third day of VBS and I got to teach the lesson! The kids are so well behaved and pay attention quietly the whole time, I love it! My experiment was putting Mentos in Diet Coke to make it explode and the kids thought it was soooo cool! There were some malfunctions, but overall the lessons went great and I think they understood the main point. After VBS we came back to the base for a little before leaving for prayer walks. We were split into groups with the translators and headed out in different directions to meet people in the community. I already went on a prayer walk on Monday, so I knew what to expect a little better this time. Almost everyone is friendly to us and most of the people we stop to talk to invite us into their homes. The people here take a lot of pride in their homes. They are always very organized and decorated with the few possessions they have. I was impacted by one family specifically on our prayer walk. It was a widow with four children who invited us in to sit with her family. Having something in common with the children helped me feel a connection to them, that even though we have completely different lives, we both know the struggle of losing a parent. That is just one example of the memories we are all creating down here. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity I have to meet these people of another culture and realize we are really not all that different. Pray that the rest of our week is as meaningful and that we return safely!

-Annika

Photos











July 14, 2015 Updates

NOTE:  You can leave comments on this blog (below) and we read them to the team at nightly debrief time.  They would LOVE to hear from you all!  :)  


        Today was the second day of VBS here in Haiti. I have to admit that I was slightly concerned. Today was the day that we were supposed to hand out flip flops for the kids to decorate during craft time. I had been looking toward this day with dread for quite some time; I had imagined the chaos of screaming kids running around gluing things on whatever they could find. However, when the time came that we were supposed to do the craft, the kids were actually cooperative. I couldn’t believe it. Almost all of them were happy to wait for their turn to receive a pair of flip flops which fit them. They then took their flip flops to the craft tables and began to decorate them rather non-chaotically. As I handed the children the flip flops, I could see the look of pure joy on their faces. Many of them were wearing old, ripped shoes, which I am sure were some of the only ones they owned. As I fitted the children with the right sized flip flops, lifting their dirty feet into the brand new shoes, I could only feel the same joy. Yet, with that joy, came moments of sadness. It became clear to me that these children were overwhelmed with happiness just to receive some dollar flip flops. They held onto those shoes dearly and when they were asked to put them into a basket for safekeeping until the Bible School ended, I could see the look of fear in their faces. Many of them were extremely apprehensive to place their treasured new shoes into the basket for fear that they would never see them again.
While I watched the children laughing and enjoying every moment of the craft, it actually saddened me to think of how blessed we are in the U.S. We go throughout our day enjoying various modern conveniences, taking for granted almost everything we own. And while we know that we are blessed and we tend to use the term freely, I don’t think we really know just how BLESSED we are. It hit me in that moment that I could have been one of these children. I could have had the dirty feet, ripped shoes and empty stomach. I could have been the one holding onto the flip flops as if they were the only thing I owned. Instead, I have so much “stuff” that a pair of flip flops would most likely get thrown under my bed and I wouldn’t even remember I had them until a year later. The sadness of that realization brings me to tears. I am blessed above and beyond what I deserve. I have done nothing to earn my situation in life and neither have the Haitians. It is by the grace of God that I have 3 meals a day and new shoes on my feet. I hope that I will never forget that blessings from God are just that, blessings. We don’t deserve them. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, or what little child will come my way. I only hope that I will be able to share with them the many blessings that God have given to me.
                          Janae

     Besides doing vbs today, we also went to the orphanage. I started out talking to some of the children but one little boy named Brian really caught my attention. I can honestly say he is the cutest kid I’ve ever seen. After playing with him for a little, I soon found out that he loved to spin around. So I spun around with him and soon he got me to hold his hands as I spun leaving him dangling and spinning in mid air. Once I would spin him around a few times, I would set him down and we would act like we were so dizzy that we would fall on the ground. He would usually lay there for a few seconds then get up again. I would do the same, but sometimes I would stay lying there with my eyes closed for awhile. When I did that, he would grab my arm and try to help me up. I would still lay there as he was helping me up and I could tell that he would not stop pulling me until I stood up again. It reminded me of how whenever I may fall or lose my way, God will always be there to help me up. Even when I don’t get up for awhile, he will never give up on me. He will always be there trying to get me back on my feet so I can continue to walk (or spin) on the right path serving Him. And once I would get up from my fall, Brian would wipe away the dust and dirt on my legs I accumulated from lying on the ground. Just the same, God cleanses me from my sins and continues to love me. Who knew I could learn so much from a little boy who just wanted to play and show kindness. So far, I have learned so much from these Haitians that appreciate anything and everything given to them and will show love to anyone who will come their way. This is an experience I will never forget that is filled with love for everyone especially God.

                       Amanda














Monday, July 13, 2015

Updates

Today was the first day of VBS with the kids. It was hard to communicate with the kids when we didn’t speak the same language, but the translators were very helpful. The kids were very friendly and listened to directions well. They smiled a lot and really enjoyed dancing and singing with the songs.  Later in the afternoon we went to the mountain where we had a choice of playing soccer or going on a prayer walk through the community and talking with the people who lived there. In Haiti it’s common for people to invite you into their house, so we were invited to go into people’s houses to talk and pray for them. Some of the little kids we passed on the path followed us and held our hands.
Julie

After the roosters crowed at 3 am, a beautiful sunrise at 6 am, and fresh fruit and squeezed juice for breakfast at 7 am, we loaded up the bus and headed for VBS at the church. There were already excited kiddos sitting in the church by the time we got there (an hour early). I sat down in the chairs next to a few little girls and tried to make conversation in Creole. They were not interested in conversation. All they wanted to do was take my nicely braided hair out, and knot it all up. :) TVD was right when he said that Haitians have no personal bubble. Despite the heat, they were all over me and everyone else… so sweet. Once all the kids had arrived, we began the music and dancing which they loved! After music, they were split into 3 groups and I got to present the lesson I’ve been preparing for months. My translator, Astreede, was such a huge help in getting the kids to memorize the main point, which was that after we see how God provides today, it helps us trust him with tomorrow. Our first VBS day was very successful for how many kids there were and how few of us there are. The kids here are so obedient and loving… they were actually easier to teach than my CCC preschoolers. :) After the groups had all cycled through, we made an assembly line and gave each child a rather large plate of Haitian spaghetti. This was huge seeing as it might be the only meal those kids ate all day. In the evening, we trekked up the mountain for evening ministry. I chose to play soccer even though I am very unskilled at the sport. I was wearing my Lionel Messi shorts… stupid me. Surprisingly, they knew who he was and laughed once they saw my out-of-control kicks, and I could hear them saying, “Messi hahaha.” :) After soccer we came back to the base for supper. Oh the supper. We had Haitian mac and cheese, which is pretty much just homemade spicy mac and cheese, fried chicken, fried plantains, and other Haitian foods that I don’t know what they are, but they are amazing. If you couldn’t tell, I am a HUGE fan of the food here. And after supper, more food! Crystal brought out this tiny green fruit that you had to crack open and suck on… kind of gooey but oh so good. So besides the nonstop sweating and the insane heat, it was an amazing day, and I can’t wait to go at it again tomorrow!
Kendra

Photos

Here are some photos from the first day of Bible School. Enjoy!!!! Blog will be updated soon... they are working on it.