Livin' Country - Haitian Style

    Today was craazy. Crystal informed us last night that starting today, it would feel like a completely new trip. We have spent the past few days in more of the city area of Haiti, but starting today, we have begun our trips into the country.
   It took us about an hour and forty-five minutes to arrive on the mountain in Fauche village. It was quite the adventure driving in our mini-bus, stopping at the gas station, and trying to venture through the dirt country roads. Our poor bumper has persevered through so much already this week. Peterson, our bus-driver, has been crazy good though. He's kept us alive so far, in this crazy Haitian traffic! Arriving on the mountain was so beautiful. Right away, the guys broke out into a "football" game. It didn't take us long to bond with the kids at all.
   We were doing VBS for those in the little orphanage there, and the kids from the community. Starting up the worship time, we taught them Jesus Loves Me with the help of Rony. They learned so quickly! It was a joy to sing with them (:  Doing the craft with them was a little crazy, but they loved their bracelets. Some of the boys would try to steal the girls bracelets, so the younger girls would give their bracelets to the older ones to protect.
   During craft time, Tim passed of a sleeping girl to me, who stuck with me the whole day. She didn't say a word, but just clung to me. I didn't want to give her up...

   I personally spent my whole time holding the little dear, and getting my hair "done," [aka - pulled in all different directions...they were pros at parting hair], and my zits popped. It was pretty comical, but I didn't mind. I am learning the most important words! "Beautiful," "sing," and "thank you." That's all I really need to get by.
   Also, some of the peeps from our group were doing some construction to help Pastor Martin [can you believe it? A Martin in Haiti!] I really wasn't able, because the little girl I was carrying around ended up falling asleep.
   I was able to talk some with one of our translators, Billy, about himself. He is such an intelligent person, already knowing four languages, and hoping to learn more. I asked him how many he wanted to learn, and he said, "A hundred." Billy is such a sweet person, and has such a joy and heart for kids, which has really influenced me. It was good to get to know him. All of our translators have been wonderful. They have worked so hard, and kept such a positive attitude.

   Today was such a blessing, as usual. I keep having these moments where I need to remind myself, "I'm in Haiti." I just get so taken back, every single time. I can hardly believe I'm here. We are all learning so much, and really growing close as a team and a family.
   Sorry if my brain is sort of scattered; it was an early and long day, and we've packed so much into it. God's using us! Keep praying. There is a lot of heavy spiritual battles going on, it is evident. We appreciate the prayers already for us! God is working in Haiti, and I feel honored to be a part of His plan.


Blessings!
-Clarissa

Another Great Day in Haiti

This is Dylan bringing you some news from the day. We ate some PB&J's to fuel up for another great time at the orphanage. This morning we prepared a drama presentation to the song Set Me Free by Casting Crowns which depicts a man getting chained up by sin and Jesus comes to save him and takes the chains on himself before ripping them off and getting rid of them for good. We did the drama at the orphanage for all the children to see and they really enjoyed it. After another great day of VBS, we got a chance to play games and connect with them for our last day. Some of us got a game of basketball going, while others played hand games with them. It was a sad time, full of tears, when we needed to say goodbye one last time. We kept putting off the moment we didn't want to arrive, yet we all knew it was coming. After an eventful drive back to the base...eventful meaning somebody backing into us and ripping their own mirror off of their car. A lot of yelling followed, but we kept driving because we were in the middle of the road with many cars behind us, honking their horns, and other cars coming towards us. I still get stressed out watching Peterson drive through the streets of Haiti. We are literally inches away from cars beside us, and there are no stop signs or red lights. Its pretty much the bigger car wins and they have the right of way. After getting back from a long hot drive on the bus we were all super excited to go across the street and get some ice cold sodas. We all went inside and got our money, and as we asked Crystal if we could go get some cold soda, her reply was simply, "No." We were all very mad at her for not letting us go, but we later found out why. She was treating us all to some ICE CREAM, in AIR CONDITIONING! I forgot what AC felt like, but lets just say I didn't want to leave after I went inside. After some delicious ice cream we got to travel across the parking lot to a grocery store. We all got to pick something out. Some of us got Haitian coffee, others Haitian vanilla, and me? I bought milk...that was cold. Mmmm! Cold milk...I forgot how great it tasted. It has been really amazing to give up all the luxuries that we have in the U.S. that I take for granted. No phone, no internet, no AC, random electricity, and the biggest kicker of them all...no ice cold water whenever I want. But by unplugging from everything it has allowed me to see the awesome power of God at work. He is an awesome and powerful God and he has been doing amazing things in Haiti. I am blessed that I get to be here, witness it, and also be a part of his work. I have been challenged to get out of my comfort zone and do things that I never pictured myself doing. When in Haiti i guess. Right now it's almost 10 pm and we are all squeezing inside to sleep because it has started to rain. The power is off so we are hoping it comes back on so we can have some fans when we're cramped inside. We are getting up early to head to the countryside, which is about an hour and a half in the small bus. What fun! We will be there the whole day going on prayer walks, doing VBS at the orphanage, doing some construction, and playing games with the people. It will be a long day full of Gods amazing work! More to come...

-Dylan

Sleep in Haiti...

Do Haitians sleep? We may never know. We all chose to sleep on the roof of the building, because it was the breeziest spot at base camp. We would all go to bed with the sun, but for the Haitians in the surrounding town...it was PARTY TIME. The first day, we all went to bed early, because we were so exhausted. It was muggy and it took a while for us to adjust and fall asleep. The cement roof was hot, but that was not the main reason that I was awake at 1 in the morning. The music from who knows where, was still going strong until about 2 o clock. They would crank it up (almost as loud as the church service on Sunday) so that, even with earplugs in, I could recognize some of the American music they like to party to. And they do not sleep in! They are up at 4:30 heading to church. It was amusing. The second night was better- we were all a little bit more used to the heat. It did cool off at night, but not very much. We all slept in tents, but with the doors open so the breeze would come through. On the third day Redgi told us it would rain, and Redgi is never wrong, so we took our tents down. There were puddles on the roof, and water attracts bugs, but we decided to brave it anyway and put our malaria pills to use ;) We decided to forego the tents for the night and just laid the rain fly of the tent down and our mats over the water. I came up a bit after everyone else and it was quite the sight. It appeared as if everyone was sunbathing on their mats on the roof, all stretched out, hands above their heads- all in an organized fashion. After a few hours, however, it cooled off considerably. It was the coldest we had ever been in Haiti! In the middle of the night I attempted to pull my sheet up, only to find out that it was dripping wet. So much for staying dry. Some people even wimped out and ran inside because it was too cold. In Haiti. I never thought that would be an issue! In the morning though, everyone was well-enough rested, and happy. We all got up at different times, taking turns in the bathroom/shower, doing our morning devotions, and waiting for Madame Josee's delicious breakfast! Today we had egg sandwiches on bread, with fresh avocado, and some type of freshly squeezed fruit juice. She never fails to impress. =)
p.s It is Jacob Mohler's birthday today- Happy Birthday Jacob!


by~ Jacqualyn Weber (with the assistance of Emily;)

Photos 2

our protectors!  - hahahaha

Matt with his buddy - Charles, Jr.

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Playing cards at the base in our free time!

Teaching James to play "Dutch Blitz"  :)

Day 2 Afternoon

This afternoon 25 of us went up to the orphanage to play with the kids. We scraped a couple
of vehicles on the way up to the orphanage. The only rule in Haiti while driving is there are no rules. While we were up at the orphanage it rained really hard. And when it rains it Haiti, it pours. All the roads turned into a river. While it rained we played with the kids inside the orphanage.

-Caleb Stoltzfoos

Following the storm, we were able to return outside to play games with the children. We played a round of freeze tag until we realized running games were not a smart choice for the slippery conditions. Instead, we played the Haitian version of "hot potato." The music to this game was replaced with "tik-tok, tik-tok.....etc...BOOM!"

-Mitch Naumann

What a blessing it has been to be at the orphanage with the kids over the last couple of days.  When we get off of the bus, the children are so excited to see us & run over to us.  Many of the students have connected with one or two in particular, & the connection with them continued today as well.  After we play with the kids for a while, we gather them all together for singing, skits & the lesson.  Let me just say that we are very thankful for the wonderful translators that travel everywhere with us.  They help us to communicate to the children, as we share the love of Jesus with them.  We have tried to picked up a few phrases in Creole that we can use to communicate to the children.  The main phrases that the students have been using are "Bonjou" (Good Morning), "Bonswa" (Good Afternoon), "Kijan ou rele?" (What's your name?) "Mwen rele" (My name is...) "Ki laj ou" (How old are you?) & "Mesi" (Thank you).  The students have been doing a wonderful job jumping in, playing games, & just loving on the children in the orphanage.  It is very hard to leave the children to return back to the base house.  They plaster their faces against the inside of the orphanage, or wave to us outside as we all climb back into the bus to head home.  What an adventure it is to drive back to the base house.  Many of the students have described the traffic in Haiti as "organized chaos", but they definitely have a system.  We came back to the base house, with a wonderful home cooked meal waiting for us.  As I sit here typing, I am listening to the students in the living room laughing with each other, playing games, & teaching James (one of our translators) how to play Dutch Blitz.  Another great day in Ayiti    (Haiti in Creole).  Thank you for all of your prayers.  We feel them!

-Jen Van Dalen

Day 2

Today in Carrefour Haiti, the Hearts United With Haiti group started with a devotion based on service.  Mathew 23:11 reads "The greatest among you will be your servant.  All the members of the group were asked how they could see God serving through others today.  Today I'm going to share you my story from today's experiences.  After the devotions we were given the option of serving through prayer walks through the street or playing a pick-up game of soccer with the locals.  Half the group, all the guys and a few girls, chose to  follow Redgi, James, and Billy, three translators, to find a group of Haitians to play soccer with.  After wandering around a bit we met a friend of ours, our neighbor Damus.  He then took us up the road a little ways.  We walked along a mountain where we could see many young Haitians running up and down while others carried things such as water.  There was a Haitian man who spoke English.  He said he would get a team together and play against us.  We crossed a few streams and came to a soccer field.  The field was completely covered in white stone with two rectangular frames at either end for goals.  There were palm trees on the side and a gorgeous mountain view behind us.  Soon locals came running to watch. We soon had a crowd that easily out numbered the fans I'm used to seeing at my school soccer and hockey games. The teams would be the Americans versus the Haitians.  Many of us were scared that we would get whooped but others were up for the challenge.  The game started slow due to the fact that we needed to get used to the difficult playing field but soon the scoring started.  After many scoring chances from Matt and some great saves by Billy, we finally got the first goal.  Caleb played the ball up to Matt along their end line.  Matt turned and played it back across to Tim, who was standing in the middle, so that he could easily kick it into the corner of the goal.  Sadly this shocking lead didn't last long.  Right before the half the Haitians came back.  Their star player played a cross in the air to a waiting teammate, who then volleyed it into the goal.  The fans went wild and it was easy to see who they were cheering for.  After that we took a break.  Many of us struggled from sliding on the stones, and the scorching sun while the Haitians seemed to be just getting started.  We then shared in interesting conversations with the spectators and players.  They asked us through our translators and some of the few Haitians that spoke English about what america is like.  We were then ready to start playing again.  The Haitians dominated from then on.  They played with possession, and seemed to never lose the ball.  The weren't letting up on us.  From pushing right up against us corner kicks, to making slide tackles, we could tell they wanted to win.  The Haitians then put three more goals on the score board before calling it quits. Once again, we enjoyed conversation with the Haitians, before saying goodbye. Many of them asked us when we were going to come back to play with them again. We walked back to the base to eat lunch, and prepare for VBS later today. We are excited to spend more time at the orphanage! It looks like there may be a storm coming our way, so we might get a break from the heat and see some rain.

-Jesse Enck

Photos 1

being silly on the bus

at church in Carrefour

Haitian Father's Day- praying for the fathers

The group went up front to sing and introduce themselves

at the beach (ocean) by the church

at the orphanage

orphanage- listening to the lesson

Playing games with the kids