Photos -Day 1

Singing and dancing in church today! 

Leading the church in song! 

Praise God for relationships formed this past week. 

Both teams on the porch for breakfast- 23 people together. (not awake yet)

At the orphanage together in the afternoon. 

Practicing VBS songs for the orphanage (VBS will be Mon/Tues/Wed as will some Bible Study with the Nannies) 

Emily's blog

WE MADE IT!!! I AM BACK!!! After our flight was delayed a couple of times at JFK we finally made it to Haiti!! It feels great to be back in this beautiful country. I have already seen how God has worked here since the last time I was here in 2014. We visited Pastor Robbie’s church this morning and was able to see what the previous group last week did with VBS with the kids. Josh and our group were given an award for being the first group to do VBS with Pastor Robbie’s church and planting the seed that began their children’s ministry. In the afternoon we visited the LIW Orphanage to meet the girls that we will be working with this week doing VBS with them. I am excited to continue to see how God is working with this country and through Crystal!!!

Love Emily

Stay tuned for more about our adventures this week!!

Becky's blog

Dear Supporters and Prayer Warriors,

Hello/ Bonjou!

We serve an awesome God! This is my very first time in Haiti and I God is already at work here this week by giving my team and I many opportunities to build friendships with the translators and the children at the orphanage. Going to the orphanage and being able to interact with the kids has touched my heart in a big way!  They absolutely love to play soccer and have taught me many new moves.  Most of the team I am serving with have never been to Haiti before but have all seemed to adjust very well to start.  We have grown as a team through devotions and group activities. We also love the food here!   I have no doubt that God has many plans for us all through this missions trip and after!

In Christ,
 Becky

Final Day- CCC/First Day- Trinity

Today was so special for me!  You see, four summers ago, a team from Pennsylvania came and held the first ever Vacation Bible School for the children at Pastor Robby's church in Carrefour.  After a few days of VBS, Pastor Robby asked me if the team could meet with some of the leaders at his church and talk about children's ministry.  He was very interested in things like:  "How do you split the children into groups to minister more effectively?"; "Where do you find the material to teach the children stories that are then age appropriate?"; How the group was intentional in making a craft to remind the children of the lesson and even how often games tied into reinforcing the lesson.  

After the team left, the local church here formed a Kid's Club on Saturday mornings once a month at first and eventually leading to weekly meetings.  

The following summer another team from Pennsylvania (different church) came and led Bible School.  This time they worked with the children's ministry leaders at Pastor Robby's church and taught/modeled things as we went through the week TOGETHER.  They came the past 3 summers in a row and each year the local church has had a larger and larger role in the planning and implementing of VBS.  This summer they helped translate the songs to Creole, led the dancing/song time, planned/ran the games, cooked all the food (for 300 people daily), co-led the small groups, and assisted with crafts.  

This all fits with our ministry philosophy to come alongside those in Haiti who are already following God and walk with them- learning from and encouraging one another.  

The cool part of today was that BOTH leaders from those two churches in Pennsylvania were present in church.  Josh Good from Trinity EC Church was the one who led the group who did the first VBS and Tim VanDalen from Cocalico Community Church was the one who has led the groups who have done the last three years of VBS.  There were also four members of the original first team along.  They got to see how God used their "seed" that they planted in the summer of 2014 and has grown that into a thriving and active children's ministry program. 

 The children's ministry program at Pastor Robby's church now has about 125-150 children each Saturday morning AND they have recently started a Friday night outreach to a neighboring community and have about 50 children in that program who attend regularly!  WOW.  

To stand on the stage with both those leaders from the USA and to look out on the church as it was FILLED with parents and children from this year's VBS was humbling.  We thank Josh & Tim for their faithfulness to bring groups and for pouring into Pastor Robby's leaders.  We thank Pastor Robby and his team for continuing to grow this ministry/outreach.  And, we thank those of you who pray for God to use the teams that come to Haiti- that they may have a lasting impact.  There is NO DOUBT that is happening.

Serving Him in Haiti- Crystal

Pastor Robby telling the story above. This is Pastor Josh Good- the man whose team started it all by being obedient to follow God's direction in July 2014. 

Pastor Tim being thanked as well- for helping continue the vision set in 2014 by bringing groups in 2015, 2016 and 2017. 

Here & Beach

Group 2 is here and Group one had a great day at the beach. More later. 

Tim's blog

          Well, it is our last night!  Hard to believe that it is almost over.  Today we got to go to the beach with the group from the church that volunteered with us this week.  It was great to see our two groups interacting together in a way that we didn’t necessarily get to during the busy week.  We got to swim and play games and connect with one another.  It was a great way to end the week.  The connection between our team and the team from the church has been so great this week.  The relationships have developed quickly and our teams worked so well together.  We are looking forward to capping off the week in church tomorrow as we present what we did all week to the parents of the kids who were there.
          Our team did a fantastic job this week teaching, leading crafts and doing small groups.  They really connected with the kids in ways that we have not seen before.  So many of them learned many of their kids’ names (which is not always easy to do) and even wrote down all the prayer requests that they shared with them.  It was really fun to watch that all happen.  We asked a lot of our students on this trip and they responded so well.  We got great feedback from the church about the lessons and activities they did and how the kids learned so much.  I can’t say enough about how they stepped up to the plate on this trip.  You all would be proud of them!
          We will see you all soon!
                            TVD

Dave's Final Blog

          This will be our last blog before we head home. It is Saturday night and we are wrapping up another long day. This was a bit different as we had a more relaxing at somewhat private beach area. It was not a beach with sand but it was very enjoyable. We finally got a chance to interact with the team of Haitians from the church (without the children from VBS). It was nice to do that since we were super focused on the children all week and could not give much attention to the people we were working beside. Hearts United With Haiti has a strong emphasis on working with the local church/people in a way that they want our help. HUWH does not want to do everything for the church in a way that could not eventually be sustained on their own. So when we were working with many of the local church staff and today was a nice reward TOGETHER after serving TOGETHER as one church. What a beautiful thing.
          Over this whole week our team has been impacted in many different ways. Tonight we spent some time talking about how to deal with that. Many of the students wrote letters to themselves which they will receive in six months. It will be interesting to see how long the impact will last. For some it may be short lived, but for others this will be a life changing trip that will impact the way they live from now on. This trip certainly provided the content/experience to be a life changing experience for all of them and it is not even over. Please be praying that tomorrow will go well and add to the impact with a great close. I’ve been told that it can be a very emotional day as we will be saying goodbye to parents, church members and the children we worked with all week. Thank you so much for the prayers and encouragement all week long!!!
          In Him, Dave

Photos-Day 6

Jen leading the children during break time. 

Bryce got a new hair style

Ladies on the roof of the house behind the church- they watched all week. 

Dan with some of his crew. 

Faith also leading some songs. 

Our tech guys (sound board, video, music)

Each day we served a full meal to the children. 

Kelly with some girls at VBS

Dave got to talk to a man (Macena) who lost his leg in the earthquake. Macena dreams of opening a prosthetic/orthotic lab in Haiti and also training others. 

Ken's blog

          This week I had the privilege to meet so many amazing people that I will remember for a very long time.  From the kids that attended our VBS, to the church and Hearts United staff, to the folks that we talked with throughout Carrefour.  Each day has been filled with one special moment after another.
         Well, today’s special moment came at the end of our VBS.  You see, I had been working with one of the older groups of boys and girls.  This group was a good mix of church kids and kids from another area.  There were several kids in my small group that I felt were holding back, not wanting to answer any of the questions or engage in the activities. Perhaps they were afraid of what some of the others would think.  Well, there was one boy in particular that had gotten in trouble the day before for playing a joke on another boy for attention.  The joke didn’t go over well to say the least and the attention he received was not what he was looking for.  Today, that boy really stepped up in front of the entire group and finally spoke up.  Not only did he answer my question he also blew me away all the details and length of his response.  Later, at the close of our VBS, he came up to me and thanked me for being there this week.  He said he learned so much from the lessons in our group time.  With that he shook my hand, gave me a hug and went home.  Is that not what every youth leader prays would happen in their program?  I really hope for the opportunity someday to reconnect with him.
          With just a few days left, I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us next.

Kelly's blog

          Today was the final day of VBS with the children at the church. As soon as we walked into church we were surrounded by all of the children who we were able to love on and develop relationships with throughout the week! I always love watching the children sing and dance, and today they so into the songs! Even when the songs were playing later when the children were waiting for lunch I saw so children dancing and singing on their own! Noel and Vanessa’s bible story today was about John the Baptist in prison. They used emojis to help tell the story and keep the children’s attention. Johny, the translator for the lesson did a great job in being expressive when he translated the lesson which also keeps the children engaged. Today the children were very attentive. The bottom line was if you don’t know what God says, ask.
          Small groups throughout the week have been an amazing way for us to connect to the children on the deeper level. When we finished our small group time I got a picture of my entire small group all together, and I know most, if not all of the other small group leaders also made sure to get a picture.  At the end of Bible school we got to give out all of the crafts that the children made throughout the week and each child received a Creole New Testament to take home with them. My children were so excited about their new Bible! I also had one child, who is the cutest child ever, Rolph, come up to me all worried speaking in Creole. I took him over to Crystal to translate what he was saying; she looked very confused and took me that he was asking me for his feet. We were both very confused, until I handed him his foot print craft from day 3 then his face lit up with his beautiful smile, which the team has been talking about all week. Then it all made sense. He was very worried that he wouldn’t get his foot print back and that is why he was asking me to give him his feet.
         Even though it was a very hot day today, no one cared about the heat when the children all came to hug us and kiss us before they left. We have made so many connections with the children this week that it was difficult to leave. All of the children here are so sweet you can’t help but love each and every one of them! We are never going to forget the connections we made with the children and people here in Haiti and a piece of my heart will always to be here in this beautiful country!

Kelly Martin

Photos- Day 5

The dancers leading the children. 

More dancing ( today Pastor Tim, Dave and Ken led songs)

Small group time

Games

Craft time

Nathan fell asleep at debrief time (after dinner) 

Dakota & Melanie's blog

        I can’t believe that we only have one more day of VBS left. The connections with the kids are growing stronger and stronger each day. As we were walking in today, kids were running up to us with big smiles on their faces calling out our names in excitement. Today our lesson was about temptation and how Jesus was tempted by Satan; the kids had a great connection with this story during my small group time with them – it was the first time this week that I felt the lesson actually sunk in and they could relate to it. It has been such a powerful experience seeing the kids grow more and more comfortable with us as they are more willing to share and to engage in singing and dancing with us. The language barrier has definitely been challenging. Seeing the children come up to you with big smiles, excited to talk to you, but knowing we cannot understand what they’re saying and to easily respond to them is a constant struggle. At the same time, it is still rewarding that regardless of the language barrier we can still build relationships with something just as simple as a smile or a hug. At the end of each VBS day we serve lunch to the kids. All of the leaders from our church and Pastor Robby’s church all get in a line and serve up to 200 kids; something that is hard to explain but such a cool experience.
         Today after VBS we got to go on a prayer walk up the mountain. This opportunity was such an eye-opener; getting to connect with the Haitians at their homes and getting just a small glimpse into their lives. It is amazing how willing they were to open up and tell you about themselves. They are so friendly and definitely value building relationships with people – as well as being open to having us pray for them. It warms my heart to see how happy and positive they are despite how difficult life can be here in Haiti.
        This week has been such a blessing in so many ways; getting to watch our students grow closer to each other, in their faith, and building new relationships has been such a rewarding experience for us as leaders. This has definitely been an experience that I will never forget and I can’t wait to see what the last two days have in store for us.

Love,

Dakota and Melanie   :-)

Photos- Day 4

The group is doing amazing!  Today after we had four hours of VBS (sweating and dancing and teaching the children) we came back to the mission base and divided into 3 teams.  One team went to talk to David and his wife who recently lost a little boy who was only a few days old.  David is one of our translators and they are (understandably) grieving and missing their tiny son who they had such dreams and plans for.  We prayed with them and encouraged them as best we could and also got to hear a bit of the reality of living in Haiti- especially related to health care and the lack of quality facilities.  It was tough, but SUCH a blessing to be able to sit with them in their home a while and talk.

The other two groups went on a walk around the community.  They got to talk to some of the people who live near the base and/or were here selling items.  It is always an experience to just walk the streets and get to see what life is actually like in Haiti.  They realized that it is actually quite safe- like any suburban community, but people are so friendly and willing to stop and chat a while.  It was (again) a great way to see a bit of Haitian life that we don't always get to see just traveling back and forth to the church each day.

Unfortunately, I didn't take many photos today on my phone.  I was busy tending to a wound on the foot of a young man who was playing a relay race in his bare feet on the stones and cut a spot on the sole of his foot.  Also, I was in the group that went to David's house and didn't take any photos there- it just wasn't an appropriate time.  I am sure many of the leaders/students have photos they will share when they return.  Enjoy the few I can post! 

Vanessa holding Vanessa!!! 

More singing/dancing (from the back)

Ethan at VBS! 

We had to move debrief inside two nights in a row due to thunderstorms. But, they cool it off for sleeping. 

Keep praying! You are a valuable part of the team. 

Faith's blog

           Today we had a cool night from the rain last night. A lot of our team needed to catch up on some sleep that was very much needed.  In our VBS today Kelly and I taught our lesson about John the Baptist and when Jesus came to him to be baptized. We taught the kids when you learn what God says, following Jesus will be something you will want to do to find out more and get to know him even better. All the kids were very good today with listening to our lesson we had for them. For crafts we painted the bottom the kids’ feet and make a footprint on a piece of paper. So they remember to always to follow Jesus. After the VBS we separated into two groups and went on prayer walks around the community. My group got the chance to pray for a street vendor we met not far from our base. We also talked to a little girl who knew a few English sentences and her mother. As we walked through the community we got to see a soccer field and where the Haitians wash their clothes. I got the chance to pray for a pregnant woman with her friends and family around her.  Another rain storm came through this evening which cooled everything down… it’s a dramatic change from being in 102 weather this afternoon.
           I miss you all back home and I can’t wait to tell you all more stories from my time here in this beautiful country.

       Faith Stoltzfoos

Jen's Blog- Wednesday, July 26, 2017

          I can’t even begin to describe to you the feelings that I get each time I set my feet in Haiti.  Even though I have been here 6 times now, it is such a surreal feeling to be back in Haiti.  I have many favorite things when I come to Haiti, but I absolutely love walking into the church each morning.  It feels like my second home.  Our team is greeted, hugged, kissed & loved on by the kids & the volunteers there.  We are truly welcomed with open arms.  (Literally!)  It has been great to watch this team teach the main lessons & then reinforce the lesson in small groups.  They have all done a great job with the crafts & the songs too.   We definitely cannot dance quite like the Haitian volunteers, but we are trying!  Being back here for the Bible School over the past few years, I have loved the relationships that I have been able to make with the kids.  It is amazing the impact you can have on a child just by knowing their name.  Today I received a drawing from a child & it is one that I will treasure for a long time.  If there is anything that I take away from the Haitian people, it is their generosity & how well they love people.
        The team is doing well & I have learned some things about each of them.

Dave:  He leaves things everywhere & can’t find anything.
Melanie: She has to color coordinate everything.  She is quite upset that her sandals do not match her outfits.  (Ok, I already knew this about Melanie!)  Crystal’s coordinator is just the same way, so Melanie & Johny get along quite well.
Ken: He drops everything!  His fork, his pencil, his water bottle, you name it, it ends up on the floor.
Dakota: She loves pink & there are no more pink index cards left to write encouragement notes, so she is blaming Dan.
Tim:  He has a hard time filling his water bottle.  The first day here in Haiti, it overflowed all over the floor.
Dan & Bryce:  These two are actually going to go together.  They laugh all the time & only stop talking when they go to sleep.  Nadege who lives here with Crystal is constantly telling them , “silans.”  (In other words, “silent!” (Don’t worry, she’s teasing!)
Ethan:  This boy does not stop singing.  The amount of old songs that he knows is crazy.  He is currently sitting next to me & has been singing just about the entire time I have been blogging.  I am also his favorite C3 leader too!
Kelly:  She is the quiet one, but I already knew that.  However, she is not afraid to put the boys in their place!
Faith:  Faith is another quiet one on the team, but her & Kelly work well together by keeping the boys in line.  They need it!
Vanessa:  She is a picky eater, but has done really well eating the Haitian food here.  If her family is reading this, I think you would be impressed!
Noel:  She is the creative one & actually gave Crystal a haircut the other day.  She even brought her string & the girls at the orphanage loved making bracelets with her.

        All this to say, we are having a fantastic time in Haiti!  The team has been awesome & God has been working on each of our hearts.  I have been so impressed with how they have just kept going, even in the heat.  Thank you parents for entrusting us with your student!  I am so thankful to be here with them & to hear all that God is teaching them.  We are bringing back some great stories & memories & we cannot wait to share them all with you!  See you soon!  Much love from Haiti!

-Jen

Photos- Day 3

Today the group went to VBS and then headed off to the orphanage in the city. They taught the VBS songs to the girls at the orphanage and made a craft. We had a great day and are excited about the rest of the trip. 

Meeting with the small group leaders and helpers before VBS. 

Dancing!! This is about half of the children. 

Orphanage- teaching songs. 

Melanie and Ken got to spend time with their sponsored children and hear about their lives. 

Robinson was shy but did talk a little with Dave. 

Bryce's blog

          To start this session I would like to thank those at home who supported me and helped me get here. I still have trouble believing that I am in Haiti. At first it was almost unreal and now I feel so honored to be working along an incredible team and being served by the incredible people here. The church session on our first morning was incredible. It was different than what I experience at home, but it was a good different. I got experience a Pastor Robby hug (best hug I have ever had). Then the next adventure I was blessed to experience was VBS. I was put in charge of helping with the 12-15 year olds in the orange group. So far VBS has been a great success. The children are fun and the music and dancing is fun and the adults are helpful and the translators are REALLY helpful. The language obstacle is hard to navigate but with the help of Jen and other friends we were able to learn some starting phrases (which came in handy). I also have been able to spend time with all the members of the team and make new friendships. The food is amazing and the people are amazing and I am sad that we are almost halfway done. This trip has been eye opening and a whole lot of fun. I hope everyone is safe and having just as much fun as we are. This concludes tonight’s session.
            Signing out Bryce Bryce Baby

Dan's blog

The Haitian Way
          Since we’ve arrived here in Haiti, it’s been such an incredible experience and I’ve appreciated everything so much! Right away things are very different. Our leaders told us about the community here, and I greatly underestimated it. Getting so many hugs from so many strangers who are genuinely happy to see you is something I will never forget. I really enjoyed the church service on Sunday and being able to see how the churches are. Everyone is so passionate, and even though I didn’t understand almost all of the service, it was really great to be a part of. Singing, dancing, and praying are a great way to break the language barrier. As soon as we got here, I realized how beautiful the land is. Seeing the clear waters and the rolling hills, it truly is a beautiful country.                     Another thing I quickly realized is how great the people are. I was not really looking forward to having the 12-15 year old kids because it’s a tough age to work with, but I’m so glad to have them. The kids (of all ages) are really great. They’re kind, happy, and fun to be around. The people are all so caring and hard working. I know it’s going to be quite a shock going home and getting weird looks trying to talk to and hug strangers. Through everything I’m so happy and blessed to be here and it is something I won’t forget anytime soon.

-Dan Main

Photos- Day 2

Here are some photos of the first day of VBS- 195 children!!!! Woah. 

A selfie of the group before the children arrive. 

Listening to the lesson. 

Ethan and Ken taught the first lesson and did great! 

Games with the 5-7 year olds. 

Craft: making stars. 

Dancing and singing songs! 

Food for all children and volunteers. Yum! 

Helping serve the food to the children. 

Vanessa's blog

        Bon nwit! (That means goodnight in Creole) Being in Haiti has been such an amazing experience so far and we’re only 3 days in. The weather hasn’t been too terrible and the country itself is beautiful. When we first got here, the first thing I noticed was probably just how generally happy everyone is. It’s amazing to see all of the differences between the Haitians lifestyle and our lifestyle. We got here Saturday and didn’t do too much during  the day. I will add that sleeping is very… different. We only occasionally get power, so we all have been using our battery  fans blowing right on our faces when we sleep. The noises are also very random and loud. We’ll hear dogs barking, roosters crowing, geckos squawking;  We hear it all.
       Anyways, today was our first official day of VBS and it was so awesome. We had worship and I was up front dancing (showing off all of my (not so) amazing dance moves) and then we had a lesson and small group time. I’m in charge of the 5-7 year olds. So it’s a bit hectic because of them being so small, but they’re all so sweet. All of the kids in general just love to give hugs and just completely surround you. It’s so amazing to be around all of the kids. That was probably what I was most looking forward to and it definitely did not disappoint. I get probably over 200 hugs a day and it’s a dream come true. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me, the kids, and the whole church for the rest of this week. Thank you everyone for your prayers!

Sincerely,
Vanessa Binkley

Ethan's blog

       Bonjou, So, we are going to talk about Haiti today! Well, it’s hot. But it helps to know that at 7 am a wonderful breakfast is waiting for us. Today Ken and I taught at the VBS. It went well but our small groups were a little lopsided. There are about 20 kids per small group leader, but the 8-11 group is about 27 kids per leader.  I loved hanging out with the kids and all the hugs they give.  We all had a great time there. After coming home we hung out with the translators and talked about the first day of VBS. I am getting very excited to go to the orphanage tomorrow and see Robinson again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m also excited for another day of VBS. I love our group and am excited to work with our translators and become friends with the Haitians. Thanks Mom for supplying HUWH with 3 years worth of hand sanitizer.

Ethan Sensenig

Photos- Day 1

Sorry we did not post the blogs last night. Internet here can be sketchy at best and we spent almost an hour trying to get signal last night to post the blogs that were written. We will try again daily so keep looking! 

Here are some photos from the first day! 

Pastor Tim ( and coordinator, Johny) bringing the message. It was very culturally relevant and well received. 

The team after about 4 hours of service. They all stuck with it and seemed to enjoy the experience. 

 Preparation for leading the object lesson each day. (5 translators and 5 days/teams to teach)

Practicing the songs for VBS

Stephana and Aline (James' wife) joined in and learned some songs too. 

Keep the prayers and blog comments coming! Everyone loves to hear from you too. Thanks for joining us on this trip as well.