The Most Incredible Experience I Have Ever Had! Adrian Center

This trip was the most incredible experience I have ever had. God revealed himself to me and opened my eyes in so many ways. The night Mrs. Bunse told me about this awesome experience and invited me to go, I immediately felt God speaking to my heart. I knew He wanted me to trust Him, take this opportunity,and ignore all the doubts and fears racing through my mind. In just a few short weeks, God provided all the funds.
The day we arrived, we had a tour of the mission, then went to the village. I instantly fell in love with the people and all of the kids. They are the most beautiful people I have ever seen. They are so genuine and the joy in their smile is unforgettable. These people have so little, yet they are always willing to give more and help out in every way they can. As soon as there was a need and work was to be done, there was always a Haitian there ready to help. Everything we did was appreciated, even the smallest acts. My favorite part of every day, was watching the children go to school. When they stepped inside the gates in their adorable school uniforms, excitement would be on their faces, as they got ready to learn. It made me think of most Americans and how they view school. Every morning I wake up and complain, as I have to face another day of learning. However, with these people it is a privilege to go to school. In just one week I realized I need to trust God in whatever he asks from me and to not take for granted all that I have been blessed with. The people were so inspiring.
Leaving an experience like this is always the hardest part, especially after seeing so many needs that still need to be met. I did not want to leave those people and I wanted to spend everyday with those amazing kids. Even though it's been a few weeks, I have not lost the excitement of my experiences when I first arrived back from Haiti. I talk about it every time I get the chance, to anyone that will listen. I'm pretty sure I am annoying my family by my endless stories of Haiti. But I plan on going back as soon as it's possible; and this time, I hope it's much longer than one short week. I am graduating from high school this spring and I am not still not sure what God's plans are for me. I have a strong feeling it's going to do something involving missions, though. But I sure hope He wants me to go back to Haiti as much as I want to. (:

The Team Travels Home

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.

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.

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!!!!!

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.

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.

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