Our final day on the trip was spent in travel. We got up early, ate a quick breakfast, stripped our beds, packed our bags on the trucks, and headed out amidst many hugs and tears. The drive to the airport seemed quicker than the drive just a week ago. We were able to get one last look at the country we had all grown to love in such a short time. We quickly unloaded at the airport, headed through security and customs, and soon boarded our planes.
It was interesting to note that the flight from Haiti to Florida was filled mostly with Haitians and missionaries, sprinkled with a few tourists. I know that Haiti appreciates the money brought in by tourism, but those people were a sharp contrast from the rest of us. We used the opportunity in the planes and in the airport to witness to people about what we had just experienced. Many eyes were opened to the poverty and destruction we had seen, but we were also able to share how Jesus was working in Haiti.
After a long day of travel, we were all glad to be home in our comfortable beds. Despite the comforts of home, we would not soon forget our trip and all we had seen and experienced. I know several of us are already planning our next trip back.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Day 7-Last Full Day is Always Tough
After our morning devotion most of the team packed Love Bundles and VBS supplies for our visits to the orphanages. Several of us went into the village to install a door that we built for a widow; she has been living in her home without a door and only had an old sheet to cover the opening.
Following that, we assembled the team and went to the first stop - Barbancourt School. A well kept property in a neighboring village owned and managed by Lifeline. We sorted the love bundles by age and gender and proceeded to distribute them to the youngest children first from preschool to 6th grade. The children were beautiful, dressed in their uniforms, they smiled and carried their packages while posing for a quick photo. Even the teachers and cooks received the love bundles. All were very thankful.
Our next visit was to a Tent Orphanage also supported by LifeLine. Up until May of this year the 32 orphans that lived there were living and sleeping in tents. Now several beautiful dorms are providing shelter and living conditions to these beautiful children. After a brief worship service we began our VBS program. We split-up the girls and boys and began crafts. Our team members either worked with the girls building colorful bracelets or the boys making necklaces. They all participated and appreciated their new gift. The team was then treated to a drama by a local youth troop that performed an awesome drama about the difficulties of life’s troubles and temptations to the backdrop of the song “Everything” by Lifehouse. It was awesome. After that we handed out candy to all the children and headed out.
Our last stop was for a little R&R after a very busy week; our destination was Wahoo Beach Club in the Northwest corner of the island. We had a great time snorkeling around beautiful coral reefs, colorful parrot fish, and even saw a few jellyfish. After snorkeling we had a great dinner of fresh seafood and did a little shopping from the beach vendors waiting like barracuda.
We had a wonderful day, a week of blessings that will last forever, and a desire to bless Lifeline and the Haitian people.
Friday, November 12, 2010
More Trucks!
Day #6 - This morning started off with two trucks full of Kids Against Hunger boxes showing up just as everyone started to eat breakfast. Each box contains 33 packets of high-nutrition vitamin fortified rice-soy casserole mix, each packet feeding a meal for six people. So once again we dropped everything and headed down to unload. It took just under two hours with great teamwork. We were able to then finish breakfast and head up to the prayer rock. This morning we were asked to share how this trip compared to our expectations. It was an amazing time of sharing and learning more about everyone. I am so very thankful to have been blessed with the opportunity to come here and share this experience with such a nice group of people. It really feels like family.
We were then off to VBS with the 2nd and 3rd graders. What a fun and uplifting experience it was to work with the kids. We taught them Jesus Loves Me with hand signs. It was awesome how quickly they learned and how excited they were to have us there with them. After the song we told them how much God loves us all and how He makes us all unique. We also told them how happy we are to be here talking to them about Jesus and how much He loves us. Then we helped them paint wood necklaces in the shape of a hand. The children then put their thumbprint on them to show how unique and special they are to God. They were so excited to put their thumbprints on, they were jumping up and down all over the place.
After VBS we headed over to the storage building, next to where the much needed new warehouse will be, to hand out love bundles to the school children. A love bundle is a pack of age appropriate supplies including a towel, peanut butter, school supplies, clothing, toys, toiletrees, etc. It was so wonderful to see the children's faces as we handed them out. During this time there were some kids from the village on the outside of the compound fence watching and they caught Pat’s eye so she had someone bring them around so we could give them love bundles as well. That was really special, they were so grateful to have been included. Those sweet sad little faces staring at us from the other side of the fence became faces of joy. I really am struck by the hearts of those that run this place and how quickly needs are addressed and taken care of. It so touches my heart and makes me want to stay here forever to serve alongside these wonderful people.
After lunch we went to a tent city near Titanyen to hand out beans and shoes. Once we arrived we sang some songs and then headed to the church which consisted of four poles and some tarps for a covering. We each took turns scooping up cans of beans for each child and then each adult to hand out a total of 500 pounds of beans. What a good feeling to know at least for a day or two these people would have food to eat. Next came the shoes, everyone lined up and we fitted them individually at one of several stations. Unfortunately we ran out of large sizes before everyone received shoes. We had one box of crocs that everyone wanted, the rest were mostly flip flops. There is a tremendous need for school/closed toe shoes here, the kids are not allowed into school without proper attire, flip flops cannot be worn to school. I am going to leave both pairs of closed toed shoes I brought here. When I come back I want to bring a bunch of school appropriate shoes. It is really sad that some people don’t have any shoes at all. It is crazy to see the kids running all over the place on the rocks with no shoes. It almost makes my feet hurt just watching them.
After we were finished at the tent city we headed back to the mission for delicious fried chicken dinner. Its hard not to feel guilty eating some of the meals we have while children are starving throughout the country. Yet we are appreciative of the care we are receiving here and know the mission is being good stewards with what they have been given. After dinner, people were getting showered and relaxing and another two trucks of food showed up that needed to be unloaded right away. These trucks were unloaded by flashlight because there is no electricity in the storage rooms. What a blessing that we have had 6 trucks equaling 3 shipping containers in two days(today's trucks alone contained 144,000 meals!). And what a blessing to have a group here to help unload! Praise God, He is good - All the time!!!!!
We were then off to VBS with the 2nd and 3rd graders. What a fun and uplifting experience it was to work with the kids. We taught them Jesus Loves Me with hand signs. It was awesome how quickly they learned and how excited they were to have us there with them. After the song we told them how much God loves us all and how He makes us all unique. We also told them how happy we are to be here talking to them about Jesus and how much He loves us. Then we helped them paint wood necklaces in the shape of a hand. The children then put their thumbprint on them to show how unique and special they are to God. They were so excited to put their thumbprints on, they were jumping up and down all over the place.
After VBS we headed over to the storage building, next to where the much needed new warehouse will be, to hand out love bundles to the school children. A love bundle is a pack of age appropriate supplies including a towel, peanut butter, school supplies, clothing, toys, toiletrees, etc. It was so wonderful to see the children's faces as we handed them out. During this time there were some kids from the village on the outside of the compound fence watching and they caught Pat’s eye so she had someone bring them around so we could give them love bundles as well. That was really special, they were so grateful to have been included. Those sweet sad little faces staring at us from the other side of the fence became faces of joy. I really am struck by the hearts of those that run this place and how quickly needs are addressed and taken care of. It so touches my heart and makes me want to stay here forever to serve alongside these wonderful people.
After lunch we went to a tent city near Titanyen to hand out beans and shoes. Once we arrived we sang some songs and then headed to the church which consisted of four poles and some tarps for a covering. We each took turns scooping up cans of beans for each child and then each adult to hand out a total of 500 pounds of beans. What a good feeling to know at least for a day or two these people would have food to eat. Next came the shoes, everyone lined up and we fitted them individually at one of several stations. Unfortunately we ran out of large sizes before everyone received shoes. We had one box of crocs that everyone wanted, the rest were mostly flip flops. There is a tremendous need for school/closed toe shoes here, the kids are not allowed into school without proper attire, flip flops cannot be worn to school. I am going to leave both pairs of closed toed shoes I brought here. When I come back I want to bring a bunch of school appropriate shoes. It is really sad that some people don’t have any shoes at all. It is crazy to see the kids running all over the place on the rocks with no shoes. It almost makes my feet hurt just watching them.
After we were finished at the tent city we headed back to the mission for delicious fried chicken dinner. Its hard not to feel guilty eating some of the meals we have while children are starving throughout the country. Yet we are appreciative of the care we are receiving here and know the mission is being good stewards with what they have been given. After dinner, people were getting showered and relaxing and another two trucks of food showed up that needed to be unloaded right away. These trucks were unloaded by flashlight because there is no electricity in the storage rooms. What a blessing that we have had 6 trucks equaling 3 shipping containers in two days(today's trucks alone contained 144,000 meals!). And what a blessing to have a group here to help unload! Praise God, He is good - All the time!!!!!
Market Day
Day #5 – Wednesday morning started bright and early with two trucks arriving full of supplies from the US. An average of one container per month is shipped to the mission, full of various supplies. No container is the same. Once it passes through customs, which can take a month or longer, the container is unloaded into two trucks and delivered to the mission. The mission never knows much in advance when a container is due to arrive. When they hear the trucks pulling in the compound, everyone stops work to meet the truck and unload. Generally Haitians are hired to unload the trucks, but today the team was able to unload the truck saving the mission money, which took about 90 minutes of non-stop assembly line work to unload the boxes of t-shirts and shoes, 50 lb bags of rice and beans, and various other supplies.
Once the trucks were unloaded, we ate a quick breakfast, then several members of our team headed into Port Au Prince to run some errands while the remainder of us headed up to the prayer rock for our morning devotional. Praise God the illness that hit a few members of our team yesterday was gone and we were able to get on with our day. Those of us remaining at the mission loaded up the truck for a trip to the market. The market is held only a few days a week in each town. The sights, sounds, and smells were different from anything else we have experienced in the US. This is the main shopping area for the locals and is filled with all manner of food, staples, clothing, etc. We passed everything from small pyramids of grains and vegetables spread on blankets to wheelbarrows of coconuts. Near the water were the charcoal fields where the vendors sell charcoal they have made. Many of the people do not have propane or gas to cook with and use charcoal instead. Much of the charcoal is brought in from nearby islands because there are few trees left in Haiti to make charcoal from. The lack of trees is one of the reasons mudslides are in issue here. There is nothing to hold the soil on the hillsides. On the way back from the market, we stopped at a local basket makers to purchase baskets made from banana leaves. After lunch, we painted some more classrooms, played with the children, and built a front door for one of the villagers whose cardboard door had disintegrated.
For dinner, we were treated to an authentic Haitian meal made by one of the local women. Some foods were familiar, others not quite so. Goat, mango, fried plantain, beans and rice were among some of the delicious foods we had to choose from. After feasting we relaxed for the remainder of the evening in a variety of ways – journaling, reviewing our day, star gazing, reading. A couple of the guys from our team attempted to hand wash some of their clothing. A young local boy who frequently helps around the mission, noticed their difficulties and offered to complete the task. Despite the men’s refusal, he insisted, saying “I work for you, Jesus repays me.” At the same time, a man came in with a stab wound. After assessing the injury, the man was driven to a local hospital for stitches. When a villager comes in for assistance, everyone stops what they are doing to help out. Daily we are seeing what it means to live a life for Jesus, something we don’t often remember in the States.
Once the trucks were unloaded, we ate a quick breakfast, then several members of our team headed into Port Au Prince to run some errands while the remainder of us headed up to the prayer rock for our morning devotional. Praise God the illness that hit a few members of our team yesterday was gone and we were able to get on with our day. Those of us remaining at the mission loaded up the truck for a trip to the market. The market is held only a few days a week in each town. The sights, sounds, and smells were different from anything else we have experienced in the US. This is the main shopping area for the locals and is filled with all manner of food, staples, clothing, etc. We passed everything from small pyramids of grains and vegetables spread on blankets to wheelbarrows of coconuts. Near the water were the charcoal fields where the vendors sell charcoal they have made. Many of the people do not have propane or gas to cook with and use charcoal instead. Much of the charcoal is brought in from nearby islands because there are few trees left in Haiti to make charcoal from. The lack of trees is one of the reasons mudslides are in issue here. There is nothing to hold the soil on the hillsides. On the way back from the market, we stopped at a local basket makers to purchase baskets made from banana leaves. After lunch, we painted some more classrooms, played with the children, and built a front door for one of the villagers whose cardboard door had disintegrated.
For dinner, we were treated to an authentic Haitian meal made by one of the local women. Some foods were familiar, others not quite so. Goat, mango, fried plantain, beans and rice were among some of the delicious foods we had to choose from. After feasting we relaxed for the remainder of the evening in a variety of ways – journaling, reviewing our day, star gazing, reading. A couple of the guys from our team attempted to hand wash some of their clothing. A young local boy who frequently helps around the mission, noticed their difficulties and offered to complete the task. Despite the men’s refusal, he insisted, saying “I work for you, Jesus repays me.” At the same time, a man came in with a stab wound. After assessing the injury, the man was driven to a local hospital for stitches. When a villager comes in for assistance, everyone stops what they are doing to help out. Daily we are seeing what it means to live a life for Jesus, something we don’t often remember in the States.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
A Hike up the Mountain
Day #4 – Four AM Wake Up Call – First a quick breakfast and then onto what we thought was going to be an easy hike up the mountain to visit one of the schools the mission supports. We started our hike in the dark and it wasn’t too long before we realized it wasn’t going to be as easy as we thought. Several of our group was already feeling under the weather before we even started, one choosing to stay behind. Once we left the mission compound, the path quickly become rugged and steep. We weren’t even ¼ of the way up before two more members of our group got too sick to continue and turned back with one of the leaders. Several others were feeling ill as well, but were able to continue up the mountain with the help of the teammates. The prayed over each other, cheered one another on with encouraging words, carried backpacks, and even took turns carrying one of the younger girls. It was another great example of the unity amongst the body of Christ.
The scenery was beautiful if we remembered to take our eyes off the path and look up every now and then. The contrast between the beauty of the landscape and the trash strewn along the path was somewhat disconcerting, and the urge to pick up the water bottles and plastic bags was soon replaced by the need to concentrate on breathing and walking. It was humbling to be passed by Haitians of all ages carrying 50 pound buckets of water, bundles of sticks, or bags of bananas running up and down the mountain. And knowing they did this daily was even more humbling. Once we finally reached the top of the mountain two hours later, we were able to see God’s beauty in the beautiful blue of the Caribbean at the foot of the mountains, a striking reminder that He is always present, even amongst the ruin.
Once in the village, we joined the last few school children as they walked to school. We were met inside the school gates by an assembly of children who sang several songs during the morning flag ceremony. While they filed in their classrooms for their school day, we held our morning devotional in the church. Some of the group members shared their testimonies, and we prayed for the school and over the sick team members. We then distributed lollipops to the children, one classroom at a time. These children were different from the children from the village below in that they were much more quiet and reserved, probably a result of minimal interaction with the “Blan” (the “White”). This was the school we had made the benches for and our intention was to deliver them today. The benches were to be brought up the mountain in a truck via a longer route. By the time we were done distributing the candy, the truck had still not arrived and we were concerned that the recent storm activity had washed out that road. At the last minute, the truck arrived and the benches were delivered. We prayed over the pastor and then made our way back down the mountain, letting the two younger girls ride back in the truck. We made a stop at the local voodoo house and were able to talk with the voodoo priest and tour the house. He even allowed us to pray over him before we left. Voodoo is a common belief system in Haiti. The island was dedicated to satan twice in the past; 1991 being the most recent dedication. The walk back down was only slightly easier than the hike up, but what we lost in screaming lungs we made up for in screaming knees. Back at the mission it was a toss up what we wanted more: food or a nap.
After a short siesta, we spent the remainder of the afternoon working on some projects at the mission, building more benches, painting classrooms. Donald Jr, the President of CIL, arrived at the mission after dinner and gave us an overview of the ministry, telling us of its history, and its future goals. We were very thankful for our shower and bed as we ended this amazing yet long and tiring day.
The scenery was beautiful if we remembered to take our eyes off the path and look up every now and then. The contrast between the beauty of the landscape and the trash strewn along the path was somewhat disconcerting, and the urge to pick up the water bottles and plastic bags was soon replaced by the need to concentrate on breathing and walking. It was humbling to be passed by Haitians of all ages carrying 50 pound buckets of water, bundles of sticks, or bags of bananas running up and down the mountain. And knowing they did this daily was even more humbling. Once we finally reached the top of the mountain two hours later, we were able to see God’s beauty in the beautiful blue of the Caribbean at the foot of the mountains, a striking reminder that He is always present, even amongst the ruin.
Once in the village, we joined the last few school children as they walked to school. We were met inside the school gates by an assembly of children who sang several songs during the morning flag ceremony. While they filed in their classrooms for their school day, we held our morning devotional in the church. Some of the group members shared their testimonies, and we prayed for the school and over the sick team members. We then distributed lollipops to the children, one classroom at a time. These children were different from the children from the village below in that they were much more quiet and reserved, probably a result of minimal interaction with the “Blan” (the “White”). This was the school we had made the benches for and our intention was to deliver them today. The benches were to be brought up the mountain in a truck via a longer route. By the time we were done distributing the candy, the truck had still not arrived and we were concerned that the recent storm activity had washed out that road. At the last minute, the truck arrived and the benches were delivered. We prayed over the pastor and then made our way back down the mountain, letting the two younger girls ride back in the truck. We made a stop at the local voodoo house and were able to talk with the voodoo priest and tour the house. He even allowed us to pray over him before we left. Voodoo is a common belief system in Haiti. The island was dedicated to satan twice in the past; 1991 being the most recent dedication. The walk back down was only slightly easier than the hike up, but what we lost in screaming lungs we made up for in screaming knees. Back at the mission it was a toss up what we wanted more: food or a nap.
After a short siesta, we spent the remainder of the afternoon working on some projects at the mission, building more benches, painting classrooms. Donald Jr, the President of CIL, arrived at the mission after dinner and gave us an overview of the ministry, telling us of its history, and its future goals. We were very thankful for our shower and bed as we ended this amazing yet long and tiring day.
Haiti from a Student’s Perspective
Haiti is an amazing place. It is very beautiful. We stepped off the plane and it was so sad. Children on the street yelling, “one dollar!” “God bless!” I just wanted to scoop them up and give them everything. We had to take an hour and a half drive to the town we were serving. The road was so bumpy. We got to the village and you hear all the kids yelling and chasing us. There are great people here. They are the nicest people you will ever meet. They will give anything for you. We met Daniel, Mark, Markson, Ensil, Beritone, and Alex. They all will help you if you need any thing. They are also very funny. God has touched my heart so many times this trip. Seeing all the kids, watching them live their lives. If it would be me, I would not make it. They walk with 50 pound things on their head without a problem. Half the children are hungry and the other half get fed by Lifeline. We were helping feed the kids at their lunch time and the difference between the sponsored school kids, and the public kids was amazing. All the school kids were organized and tidy, eating with spoons and manors. Then the populous kids came and it broke my heart. They were eating with there hands and spilling food all over themselves. I saw one girl dropped her food on the dirt floor and pick it up and put it on her plate. I wanted to get her a whole new plate but I knew I couldn’t. we played soccer with a bunch of Haitians and they were really good. Me and another girl are gymnasts. None of them knew what that was so we started doing flip’s and stuff. We drew a crowd. It felt good to make someone’s day.
We hiked up a mountain today. We have made benches for the past few days for the mountain people so we brought them up today. We hiked and someone else brought the benches up on the truck. We were hiking and a girl got sick. She decided to tough it out. She is a really good role model. We all prayed over her and she got better almost instantly. She was still feeling sick when we started again but better than before. It took us two hours to get up the mountain. We got to the school and had a devotional. We were praying over a girl and her family and I started feeling sick. They instantly started praying over me, I felt very loved and special, the color restored in my face and I felt a little better. God does wonders! The girl who was sick and I rode back down in the truck and instantly fell asleep. I woke up and built more benches. I felt A LOT better. We built benches and painted class rooms. Dinner was delicious! We had a ‘meeting’ time and Donald Jr. answered a lot of questions. Tomorrow is market day and also Haitian food dinner. It is so exciting! Haiti is an awesome place. You should come sometime!
- Hannah, age 13
We hiked up a mountain today. We have made benches for the past few days for the mountain people so we brought them up today. We hiked and someone else brought the benches up on the truck. We were hiking and a girl got sick. She decided to tough it out. She is a really good role model. We all prayed over her and she got better almost instantly. She was still feeling sick when we started again but better than before. It took us two hours to get up the mountain. We got to the school and had a devotional. We were praying over a girl and her family and I started feeling sick. They instantly started praying over me, I felt very loved and special, the color restored in my face and I felt a little better. God does wonders! The girl who was sick and I rode back down in the truck and instantly fell asleep. I woke up and built more benches. I felt A LOT better. We built benches and painted class rooms. Dinner was delicious! We had a ‘meeting’ time and Donald Jr. answered a lot of questions. Tomorrow is market day and also Haitian food dinner. It is so exciting! Haiti is an awesome place. You should come sometime!
- Hannah, age 13
Our First Full Day on the Mission Field
Day #3-Monday was the first official work day for the team. After an early breakfast, we began our day up at the prayer rock for devotional, worship and prayer where we shared some inspirational words from 2 Chronicles and Hosea. The prayer rock is a large rock at the top of a hill above the main house that is covered with a sugar cane stalk roof and surrounded by benches where we start our day, devoting it to God.
Our first task of the day was to make 10 benches for one of many schools that Children’s International Lifeline (CIL) supports in Haiti. These benches would be going to a mountain village located about five miles from the mission compound. The team worked in unity to plan and build the benches, which incorporate a bench to sit on and a desk top to write on. Some of the team then held Vacation Bible School with 30 first graders, which included a devotional about love and making foam crosses and necklaces, while the rest of us continued to work on the benches. We took breaks to play basketball and soccer with some of the youth and we also observed the feeding of the village children. First the school children were fed. The children that are able to attend the school are those that are sponsored or whose parents can afford to send them. They are clothed in uniforms, provided with school supplies, and fed a hot meal 5 days a week. In addition to the school children, the mission also feeds the “populace” children – those children of the village who did not attend the school. These children are not yet sponsored, but the mission steps out in faith, believing the God will continue to provide for their needs until sponsorship is secured. These children are but a portion of the 3500 children fed a warm meal daily by CIL Haiti.
After working on the benches, we ate lunch and then went for a ride to visit a nearby orphanage, one of the 50 schools and orphanages the mission supports. The orphanage has around 45 children and currently has teams of people from the US that are helping them improve the conditions of the facility. The 15 of us packed snugly into the back of the truck for the cozy yet fun 30 minute drive to the orphanage. We had a great time holding and playing with the children, giving them lollipops and some small toys, sharing the love of Jesus.
After arriving home, we had dinner and talked about the day’s events, sharing our experiences with one another. Throughout the day, many of the Haitian people in the surrounding towns will come to the mission to get help with medical, food and other basic needs. This night after dinner, there was a need to take a sick woman to the hospital in Saint Marc. After carrying the woman through the village on her pallet, and loading her into the back of the truck, Donald Curtis Sr. (he and his wife live at the mission, their son Donald Curtis Jr. is the President of CIL), took one of the team members and 2 Haitians on the dangerous nighttime drive to the hospital. This is no ordinary drive. There are no street lights or traffic rules, many of the cars and motorcycles do not have lights and there are sections where you are required to drive fast to avoid the snipers.
After 60 minutes of prayer filled driving, the crew made it to the hospital and dropped off the patient. The hospital was unlike any in the United States. The sanitary conditions were less than perfect, people were everywhere, cholera victims filling one section. When bringing a patient to the hospital, you are required to bring enough bedding, clothing, food, and water to last for the stay. The protocol before leaving the facility included spraying your shoes with a strong bleach solution to avoid the spread of disease. The group arrived home late after most of us were already in bed, tired from our first long day.
Our first task of the day was to make 10 benches for one of many schools that Children’s International Lifeline (CIL) supports in Haiti. These benches would be going to a mountain village located about five miles from the mission compound. The team worked in unity to plan and build the benches, which incorporate a bench to sit on and a desk top to write on. Some of the team then held Vacation Bible School with 30 first graders, which included a devotional about love and making foam crosses and necklaces, while the rest of us continued to work on the benches. We took breaks to play basketball and soccer with some of the youth and we also observed the feeding of the village children. First the school children were fed. The children that are able to attend the school are those that are sponsored or whose parents can afford to send them. They are clothed in uniforms, provided with school supplies, and fed a hot meal 5 days a week. In addition to the school children, the mission also feeds the “populace” children – those children of the village who did not attend the school. These children are not yet sponsored, but the mission steps out in faith, believing the God will continue to provide for their needs until sponsorship is secured. These children are but a portion of the 3500 children fed a warm meal daily by CIL Haiti.
After working on the benches, we ate lunch and then went for a ride to visit a nearby orphanage, one of the 50 schools and orphanages the mission supports. The orphanage has around 45 children and currently has teams of people from the US that are helping them improve the conditions of the facility. The 15 of us packed snugly into the back of the truck for the cozy yet fun 30 minute drive to the orphanage. We had a great time holding and playing with the children, giving them lollipops and some small toys, sharing the love of Jesus.
After arriving home, we had dinner and talked about the day’s events, sharing our experiences with one another. Throughout the day, many of the Haitian people in the surrounding towns will come to the mission to get help with medical, food and other basic needs. This night after dinner, there was a need to take a sick woman to the hospital in Saint Marc. After carrying the woman through the village on her pallet, and loading her into the back of the truck, Donald Curtis Sr. (he and his wife live at the mission, their son Donald Curtis Jr. is the President of CIL), took one of the team members and 2 Haitians on the dangerous nighttime drive to the hospital. This is no ordinary drive. There are no street lights or traffic rules, many of the cars and motorcycles do not have lights and there are sections where you are required to drive fast to avoid the snipers.
After 60 minutes of prayer filled driving, the crew made it to the hospital and dropped off the patient. The hospital was unlike any in the United States. The sanitary conditions were less than perfect, people were everywhere, cholera victims filling one section. When bringing a patient to the hospital, you are required to bring enough bedding, clothing, food, and water to last for the stay. The protocol before leaving the facility included spraying your shoes with a strong bleach solution to avoid the spread of disease. The group arrived home late after most of us were already in bed, tired from our first long day.
Monday, November 8, 2010
The Children of Haiti are Full of Love
Day #2. We all got up around 4am (it was daylight savings so we gained one hour and we needed it!), to get to the airport by 5:30am. It was very busy at the airport, but we all got checked in and through security on time. The flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince is only 90 minutes long!! Such a short trip from one of the poorest countries in the world, it is amazing and hard to comprehend. As we got off the plane we were met by 5 men that were playing Haitian music to welcome the people that had arrived from the US. There was a hat to collect money. For a quick second, I actually thought I was at a paradise Caribbean island and we were headed to the beaches for 6 days of sun and fun.
As we got our bags, Patricia Curtis (her and her husband help run the mission) met us and helped us get our bags organized. It was not too much after we left the airport we were hit with the reality that we were back in Haiti and the need was so great that it is hard to get your arms around. There were kids just outside the airport that were asking for us to respond to them and you could see the need of a country that had been through so much. As we jumped into two trucks and drove to the mission who (it is an hour drive from the airport), many people got their first glimpse of the poverty of Haiti.
We drove by many tent cities that were still being utilized eleven months after the earthquake. There is still an estimated 1.5 million still living in tents. The smells that you get when passing these communities is very hard to explain, there is not restrooms, no sewers, no electricity, nothing but tents made out sticks and canvas tops. I think that many of our team had a hard time comprehending the smells, sights and sounds. The other thing that we got to see was some of the impacts from the earthquake. The mission is approximately 50 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, but the damage was still very visible in homes and buildings that had been knocked down and damaged by the shaking of the ground.
We unloaded our bags and got situated in our rooms and then had some lunch. Patricia talked to the group and filled us in on the do’s and don’ts and she also shared her heart with all the things that they deal with each and every day. She shared her heart on how the need was so great and also how God had provided for them right after the earthquake when the entire country was shut down and no one knew what was going to happen. Patricia took us for a tour of the grounds and showed us the school, medical facility, church, the cross on the top of the hill and other buildings to help the community.
After we were done checking out the mission, we got to go out to the village. This was an unbelievable experience of children, young and old coming up to all of us, holding our hands, having us lift them up and walking with us. Each child would grab a person and cling on to them. When new kids would see us, they would yell “Blan”, which in Creole means white. These children that have nothing, held on to us like we were their best friends. The love that they showed to our group is indescribable. Many of the children were either naked or had a shirt on with no pants. Some of the children have an orange tint to their hair which means that they are not getting the right nutrition. These same kids that have nothing, were showing us a love that is hard to believe based on the conditions that we were seeing.
After we toured the village, a group of us played basketball and Blake, Christian, Lily, and Hannah played soccer with a group of younger boys from the village. The mission built a large soccer field for the children. All the Haitian kids had flip flops or Crocs to play in, no one had tennis shoes. After the sporting activity we all ate dinner and Patricia went through the week’s schedule of building benches, visiting orphanages, feedings, painting, hiking up to see the mountain families and doing a vacation bible school.
As we were eating dinner, a young missionary that is helping out the mission, Carrie Miller, came in a told us a story that one of the young men that we just got to know (Marck), had a cousin that just died that night. His cousin was just 21 years old and was sick and died. Marck’s cousin lived up in the mountains and had gone to the mission’s doctor to get help a few days before and then went back up to his village in the mountain, but it was too late, he was too sick. This is something that the people of Haiti are very used to and in some cases even expect. The average life expectance is only in the 50’s.
A lot of people talked and shared with each other. We had a long day, and had seen so much in one day that many were tired and went to bed.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Travel Day Has Many Surprises
Day 1 was a travel day for everyone. We had the majority of the group of 15 people going on the trip fly from Dayton to Baltimore to Ft. Lauderdale yesterday. We did have one coming from Chicago, two from Cincinnati and three from Portland and all of them made it on time and safe (PTL). From the start of our trip God was moving. I had to go back on the shuttle from where we parked our car because we needed some duck tape to make a duffle bag smaller. On the drive back, the lady driving the shuttle asked me where we were going and I told her. I asked her if she knew Jesus and she did. She asked me to pray for her grandson who actually led her to the Lord eleven years ago. She said he had fallen away for his walk and that he really needed prayer. Her church had fasted for him for 3 days and he had recommitted his life to the Lord, but then got put in jail. As she dropped me off to the gate again, I was able to pray with her for her grandson, she was crying. If I would not have had to go back to get the duck tape, we would have never had that conversation.
The next experience was on our flight to Baltimore. For those that don’t know Donna Harnishfeger, she has a BIG heart for our military troops. She sends cards, food, bibles, etc. When she sat down, the person next to her was a man that was in the air force. He was being moved to a US base in London. They talked the entire flight and exchanged addresses. The man also told Donna that she could stay with him and his wife if she was ever over in London. On that same flight, Anthony sat next to a Christian brother who is starting a ministry in the Washington DC area for troubled black youth, they encouraged one another, they exchanged cards and committed to stay in touch and pray for each other.
Our next experience was in the airport in Ft. Lauderdale. Anthony DiPenti got a skycap for all our bags (we all had large suitcase full of clothes, candy, medical supplies, etc). The man that he picked was named William and as we were waiting for our bags, William grabbed out his Bible and was reading it. Anthony and I went up and talked to him and he told us that he was in the process of starting a church and that he was a pastor and evangelist. He really knew that word and encouraged us on our journey to Haiti. We prayed with him and then sat to wait for our transportation to the hotel.
As we were standing at the hotel, there was a man in a wheel chair with two women. My sister-in-law Colette asked me to help them, because the man in the wheelchair had to get up to get in a van. As Anthony, Joe and I helped him, they noticed that they were on the wrong transportation. We sat him back down in his wheelchair. I asked the lady’s who he was with what had happened to him and they told me that they were on a cruise with him and he had a major seizure. He was in his 40’s and was on a cruise for physically challenged people when this happened. These two women said that he had never had a seizure like this and he was not doing well. I asked them if we could pray with him and we all laid hands on him and asked God to heal him. We then helped him get in a cab. The airlines would not put him on a flight since he was so sick, but these women had to get him back to Rhode Island.
I am amazed how God works, we have not even gotten to Haiti to help some of the poorest people in the world and God had us pray and encourage people in the United States. It just goes to show you that there an many people that need God’s love no matter where you are in the world, even in the richest countries, the US. I do believe that we are supposed to help people in our own city, county, state and country. I also believe that we are suppose to also go to the ends of the earth with the gospel as well (the good news), that is why Jesus told his disciples just before he left them and ascended into heaven to be with the father (Acts 1:8-But you receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
We are looking forward to all that God has planned for us in Haiti, but I know that he has already blessed us and we just got started. We thank you all for your prayers; please continue to pray for BIG things in Haiti. I have been praying for salvations and healings as well as showing God’s love to the people of Haiti. Thanks
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