Praise and Worship - Haitian Style!

Last full day in Haiti was an emotional one for the team!  We started our day at Grace Village, where there was a worship service held in the church and open to the community of Titanyen.  There was a full worship band singing in Creole and English.  The Haitian style of worshiping with their entire body - raising their hands and voices heavenward and jumping up and down in joyful celebration brought many of us to tears.  We had two pastors speak; Pastor Wesley and Pastor Gary, and the place was standing room only.  The message was about how worship is a lifestyle of refusing sin and pleasing God over just singing and showing up for service.  Then there was an offering, to see the people rise up from their seats without hesitation to give to God of what little they had was yet another unbelievably powerful moment.

After worship at Grace Village we made a quick stop back at the guest house to drop of Feed My Starving Children meals which we will distribute tomorrow morning before we leave for the airport.  Then it was off for some serious shopping. 

There is some amazing and beautiful artwork and jewelry in Haiti and you can get it at a great price as long as you have good barters with you to help you out!  Much like America, the sales people can be a little pushy but polite.  We stopped at  three different stops, the first was by the Capitol of Port Au Prince and there was many tent stands where the Haitians were selling jewelry and souveniers.  Our second stop was on our way up the mountain and it was so interesting to see how the shops were set up right on the side of steep areas of countryside.  The third stop was at the top of the mountain where there were a combination of  both tents and shops set up along the roadside. 

The journey up the mountain was winding and adventurous but the view of the city was so picturesque it took our breath away.  This country is so beautiful and so spiritual and it was all right there to see at the top of the that mountain!  God is truly amazing with his creations and He blessed us with a view of one today! 

We got home to the guest house and said our goodbyes to some of the staff that will not be at work tomorrow to bring us to the airport. This was very sad as the guys have been our guides all week and have spent their days keeping us safe, giving us Creole language and song lessons and Haitian culture education along with many, many laughs and a few practical jokes along the way.  But we all agree it was not goodbye it was see you later.

As our week finishes we all shared some moving Godly moments from the week in our devotions and agreed that we will return another day to continue to see God's work here in Haiti through us and to us!  Although this has been a life changing journey for us all we truly miss our families at home and are excited to come home and share our experience with all of our friends and family.

Good night and God Bless! 

Sue Kidd

United As ONE

As we traveled through Haiti today we saw more similarities than differences. We started the day by going to an orphanage, near Grace Village, consisting of fourteen children who are housed and educated through the grace of God. Isaiah is the “father” to these fourteen children and lives a life of service. We were inspired by his commitment to the children and to the school. As we entered the school, every single orphan hugged each of us with a warm smile. We played with the children with homemade play dough, made cross crafts and getting a bit wild with balloons. Each of them was given a doll with bible verses.  After crafts, we played soccer and basketball with the beautiful kids. Through this trip we found that the kids here like to play soccer, and basketball which is the same in any other country. There are many similarities between the Haitian and American culture, however, in our opinion, Haitians are very deeply rooted in faith. Through all of their struggles from having no food, clean water or losing a limb, they continue to worship and praise The Lord and believe He is for them. Haitian faith is more proclaimed and unashamed. They are excited to talk, share, and praise Jesus in front of anyone. This is our prayer to carry home with us, to proclaim and be unashamed in our declaration to Christ.

 After the orphanage, we have a long journey through the beautiful mountains, ocean view and multiple cities. We arrived at a hidden oasis. It was intimidating being the minority, however, it helped teach us to see how other minorities may feel in our country. There was lively music, people playing soccer on the shore line similar to many other beaches around the world. The beach had large white rocks, palm trees and was surrounded by beautiful mountains. The water was a mix of light aqua and a deep blue. We enjoyed wading in the water and found it funny when Haitians would sneak up behind us to take a snapshot of the “white” people. It was so relaxing to take a break and experience God’s beautiful creation!

With all of the similarities between cultures that we experienced today, we found a deeper similarity. As we have been loving the Haitians and talking about Christ with them, we remember that we are one body in Christ with not only the Haitians, but with all believers from other nations around the world. This helps us stay focused on our mission here and helps us put our differences of cultures aside. 1 Corinthians 1:10 says, “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” Through conversations we have had with the Haitians about Jesus, we feel an instant unity with them. We eagerly await the day we bow down together and proclaim that Jesus is Lord. We have been learning to focus on the heart and soul of each individual. We hope to bring this mind-set back to America and love each person for their heart and soul and not their culture, looks, etc.

“For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part, but of many.”  (1 Corinthians 12:13-14).  It doesn’t matter who you are, we all have the opportunity to have faith in Jesus and follow him! We are united as one and live to share this good news and glorify Him!  

In His name,  Carly, Bridget and Monica

Today our team returned to the home for the sick and dying children. Everyone of our team members had at least one child on their heart from our visit just a few days ago. Some kids were so happy, some so sad and some very sick. I walked into the building where the sick babies live. I picked up a baby and held her for a while. As I was holding the baby, I noticed this little boy sitting in his crib who was quietly looking at me. His eyes were filled with sadness and he had an illness that caused his skin to have open sores, discoloring and flaking all over his body. Then another baby started crying so I picked her up. As I was holding the second baby, my eyes kept going back to the quiet sick little boy sitting in his crib. After holding the second baby for a while, I put her down and went to the little boy's crib who had stolen my heart. He was sitting without a diaper on so I asked for a diaper and put it on him. I took him outside and stroked his arms, face, legs, and back. I sang to him over and over again. I told him that Jesus loved him so much. After a while, my daughter sat next to me and asked what was wrong with the little boy, I told her that I did not know but that I knew he was very special. She asked to hold the little boy. She could not take her eyes off him and kept kissing him over and over again. Then the question came. "Mom, can we take him home, please"? I explained to her that it was not that easy. After 15 or so minutes, she began to cry as she was holding him. I could see and feel the love that she had for this little boy's heart. He stared at her as she was crying showing no emotion. She could not quit crying, he had completely broken her heart. It was the most touching moment of my life; to witness my 14 year old daughter see through someone's physical appearance and look straight into their heart. I think of Matthew 25:3-36 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Had I not taken a step out in faith 2.5 years ago when I went on my first mission trip to Haiti, I would not have had the opportunity to know what it is truly like to serve people who are most in need. Now 4 trips later, my daughter is living that same experience. God's Holy Spirit has filled her with love and compassion that is hard to truly understand living the American way. For those of you that are reading this and have gone on a mission, you can understand exactly what I am writing. For those of you that are reading this and have not gone on a mission trip, my question to you is "What are you waiting for"?

All the glory to God!

PS - to the moms of the kids on our team - everyone is doing great!  Everyone is happy and healthy but most of all, everyone is growing in their faith each and every day!

Serving and loving Him,

Heather

DAY FOUR!!  Our time here in Haiti is going so fast! 

Our day started out with yet another wonderful breakfast made by our Haitian sisters, along with some incredible Haitian coffee and freshly squeezed juice.  We then proceeded to climb into our top-top transportation for our journey to Grace Village, which is located in Titanyen (up in the mountains) about 45 minutes from the guest house.  Please don't worry, we have more fun on the way to our destinations by singing, laughing and taking in the sights, sounds and smells.  When we arrived, we were so inspired by all the wonderful, amazing things that Healing Haiti has accomplished already and the future plans they are preparing for! 

First of all, the accomplishments.  Grace Village is equipped with a wonderful learning environment for the children, one of the largest playgrounds in Haiti, their own fish farm which incorporates hydration of their gardens, and much more.  Then there are the future plans; those include a medical clinic which is in the process of being completed, an addition to the school which will provide for all the children in the community and accommodations for the elderly. 

From Grace Village we stopped at some of the homes of the elders in the village.  We provided them with food, water, songs and lots of prayer.  The smiles and joy that God brought to them through our visit today was touching and inspirational.  The hope that the elders maintain even through the roughest times is a lesson we will all take home with us! 

We wrapped up the day by stopping at Jean Gary's school, where we spent time holding and hugging the children and providing them with much needed donations.  Knowing that these children are getting an education and a meal during the day a blessing from God. 

Our evenings always begin with a wonderful meal and then we spend time in devotion and prayer before turning in to rest for our next incredible day being God's hands and feet here in Haiti.  We all agree that we are truly blessed to be a part of this incredible mission trip.  God is working through us to help the Haitians but He is also working through the Haitians to help us realize God's Grace!!

Sue, Alison and Ryan

Day THREE! HAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHJ

Today was a day filled with laughter and joy! We started off by stopping at the Terre Promise School. We saw many classrooms filled with a variety of kids at all ages! They wear uniforms and sit in very small rooms. They know some English which made it fun to talk with them! They are fed through Feed My Starving Children food packets. We then headed to our first water truck stop. As we were getting off of the top top (the vehicle that transports us), kids ran to us waiting to be picked up and held. The desperation of these children and the people in Cite Soley was heart breaking to experience. We walked down a path that led to a shore by the ocean of garbage and shacks. We learned that people have to pay to go to the bathroom; otherwise they go to the bathroom outside. We sang and danced with the children by the shore. Their laughter and joy covered the horrible scenery and circumstances around us. These kids brought us so much joy. They taught us that you don’t need materialistic things to keep you happy. We repeated, “God is so good!” singing it over and over, reminding us that He is all we need to be fully satisfied! We completed four truck stops. The girls loved braiding our hair and wanted our accessories, as all girls do! We are learning so much about the Haitian people. They are so hard working and give glory to God through everything. Their faith has been very inspiring and they have been teaching us so much! They have faith through everything, as we should! Our drivers, translators, and “bodyguards” are some of the funniest and most loving guys we have ever met! They are FILLED with energy and We danced and sang in the top top and they loved joking around with us. We are so thankful for them! They work long days and are continually filled with joy and energy. They rely on God’s strength and joy every day, so inspiring!

The team is getting along great and the mothers and daughters are bonding so well!  We have quite the funny crew and are becoming a big family!:) For dinner we had some Haitian pizza, fries, and a cold Coca-Cola! We had the opportunity to relax at a nearby hotel pool.

We can’t wait for tomorrow, we are going to Grace Village, to visit elderly, and a school! We are having a BLAST and cannot wait to continue this journey! God is keeping us all healthy and energized! It’s so exciting to see God working through us and through these Haitians! Continue the prayers for energy, health, and of course for all of the Haitian people!!

Glory to God!

(Written by the lovely, beautiful, funny, amazing, intelligent, caring, dorky, and silly, Kalley and Carly)

 

Day Two!!

Today in Haiti we started off on a bad note! We woke up an hour late due to Heather's bad clock time skills! Haha just kidding. We were confused on day light savings time. We started the day with some great pancakes and fresh squeezed juice! We ventured off to the home for sick and dying children. Right as we walk in, we saw about 20 small children on a mat. This was a heartbreaking scene, but we were excited to love on these kids. They reached their arms to us and we scooped them right up. We got to play soccer and basketball with them, fed them, changed diapers, danced with them (they know Justin Bieber!), and of course gave them lots of hugs! We all became attached to one or more specific children, and Heather's favorite was "Grandpa's Little Buddy" because that is what his shirt proclaimed. :) Even though these children are sick (or healing) they still had a smile on their faces! We all agreed that we received joy and love through loving them! We got back more than we gave! We spent about three hours there and loved every moment! It was very hard to put the kids down, hear their cries, and walk away... :(

We then stopped by the guest house for a quick snack, and headed to Gertrude’s. The roads, oh the driving, let me tell you! There are no street lights, no lines on the streets, and no stop signs. It was a busy and bumpy ride in the top top to Gertrude’s, yet very adventurous and nerve racking (says Monica)! Gertrude’s is a home for disabled children who have been given up by their parents. The children are a variety of ages and different disabilities. We had the opportunity to play with them and feed them. This event made us all step out of our comfort zones, but we trusted God that he would use us to be his hands and feet! He (of course) came through and helped us all find joy and love through these kids! It was a unique experience that we will all remember! Once again, it was hard to leave these kids. Even after spending an hour with them, we become attached to these precious children! We know God's got His hand on them.

Today we were peed on, pooped on, drooled on, etc.! But love covers all of this and we are so grateful for the events that happened today!!

We ended our day enjoying some spaghetti for dinner!

Prayer requests: energy for the rest of the week, Alison has an upset stomach, God would humble us, and of course, for the people of Haiti to see that our love comes from the Father and that they would have an eternal mind-set hoping in Jesus!!

Glory Be To God.

(Written by Carly, Monica, and Kalley)

God has called a new team of Haiti missionaries who will be leaving for beautiful Haiti to be Jesus' hands and feet on Monday, March 11th.  We will be packing our suitcases with needed generously donated supplies tomorrow night. We would like to thank our family and friends for all of their support financially and with prayer as we have been preparing for this trip over the past few months.
We look forward to sharing our trip with you through our stories of connecting and sharing with our brothers and sisters in Haiti that God has already planned out ahead of time for us.

All Gory to God!

In Humble Service to Him,

Heather, Kalley, Bridget, Sierra, Sue, Monica, Carly, Alison, Ryan and Lisa