Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Baptized in the Caribbean

Today was a travel day as we prepare to head back to the States tomorrow and bring our mission trip to a conclusion.  There was something extra special about this trip back to Port au Prince for this team.  Four members of the team spoke with Pastor Steve about getting baptized while we are here in Haiti.  Each of the students texted their parents to see if that would be okay because on this type of occasion family usually is present at a baptism.  Each of the parents said yes under the condition that someone videos it.

Kevin Heckman, Matt Crane, Carissa Schubert and Ben Seest all were baptized this morning at a beach along the road on our way back to the city.  It was a fitting way to conclude our trip- four students motivated to live a life worthy of God's call, publicly professing their faith in front of the team "family."  God's been at work not only through the actions of this team but in the hearts of the team.  And to see students take a step of obedience and get baptized is a moment that will last a lifetime for this team.

Tomorrow we head back home and the processing will begin.  Students will be processing this whole experience- what was God showing me?  What does He want me to do about it?  How can I support the orphans and pray for Pastor Jeannot?  All of those are great questions.  Every team member that has ever come down to Haiti has had to seek and wrestle with those questions.  And from my perspective, it's one of the joys I get from my job.  I get to hear and see how God uses and challenges our people.



Monday, June 15, 2015

Last Day in Desire

Last days are always tough.  It's hard to say goodbye just when you feel like you are getting a rhythm going with the kids.  We were taking the first step in establishing a deeper relationship with the children.  A few months ago our church held a sponsorship drive trying to get all the Desire children financially sponsored for the next year.  This year is different from past years because we are facilitating individual sponsorship so that people from our congregation can build personal relationships with the kids through writing letters to kids.  And this morning we had the kids do art work so we could bring it back for the sponsors.

This was the first trip in which we were bringing messages from sponsors to kids.  We gave instructions for writing brief notes to kids so that we could have the notes translated into creole.  We also encouraged people to send a photo or two and let the kids know they were being prayed for.  We have two wonderful translators who worked very hard to translate over 70 notes to kids.  Pastor Jeannot passed out the notes from our congregation.  The reaction was awesome- it was like mail call when a person is anxiously awaiting news from a loved one far away.  As each child's name was called, they wasted no time opening the note and seeing what someone from Colorado had written them.

But before we arrived in Desire this afternoon we encountered heavy rain that was washing out the road we were taking to Desire.  We decided to check on another route to Desire to see if it was passable.  Because of the deforestation in Haiti, when rain falls in the mountains, the stream beds carry the run off water creating flash floods and washing away road beds in many instances.  Thankfully the other route to Desire hadn't experienced as much rain and the roads were easily passable.  There was one moment I thought our trip earlier in the morning might be our last of the entire trip preventing us from saying goodbye formally.  So praise God for His provision.  Our afternoon time was a bit abbreviated but we got to see the kids receive their letters and say goodbye.

Tomorrow we head back to the Port au Prince area and we will have a stop off at a beach for a couple of hours to take a dip in the beautiful Caribbean waters.






Sunday, June 14, 2015

Sunday

Today was a great day all around up in Desire.  We started the day worshipping with the people of the Desire church.  I love the time of worshipping in Haiti.  Not only is it such a different cultural experience, it shows me time after time how big the God of the universe is. The language may be different but the devotion, praise and prayers all go to the same God and there is something special about experiencing that.  Tonight in our debrief worship came up as the highlight of the day.  I have to agree because for me, Sunday is always my favorite day.

Pastor Jeannot asked us if we could stay in Desire for the entire day following the service because his wife and the mamas we're going to prepare for us a lunch that included fish and goat.  It was an honor for us to have the women of Desire provide us with a fantastic meal.

It truly was a day of hanging out and enjoying the company of the children and staff of Desire as we anxiously awaited lunch.  Pastor Jeannot said his wife prepared a special fish dish for my wife Marci as a small token of appreciation for the time he spent in Colorado with us back in March.  Marci loved the fish, and knowing the work and care going into the preparation made it all the more special.

Immediately following church there was an impromptu hike up the nearby mountain that presented a couple challenges like no water and an abundance of cactus.  Our team's feet were attended to well by the children who worked quickly to remove any prickly spines that attached themselves to the feet or other body parts of team members.

On a day with high temperatures hanging out at Desire, it was fitting to spend the Sabbath with those we came to love and be with and truly enjoy one another's company and good food!

Praise God for a day to devote to Him!



Saturday, June 13, 2015

Great Day in Desire- hey that rhymes (I should use it in a rap)

So the last time I was down here in Haiti was March with a Spring Break team.  We have our high school student team here this time and it was so fun to see the Desire kids respond to this new team- many having come for one or both of the previous last two years.  One student shared her highlight of the day being that the kids remembered her name from last year.  Think about that for a minute- that is no small, insignificant thing.  When you come to Haiti, you come and make friends, good friends.  The kind that when you spend a handful of days, the impression you leave is that you cared enough to come in the first place and 52 weeks later they really remember you as if you were here just last week.

We come to minister for the week and many times we get a surprise when it's us who are being ministered to by these precious orphan children.

We have caught up on our sleep and and just spent our first full day in Desire teaching baseball, sharing a Bible story and making puppets for a craft (oh, and rapping on the bus).  I've been here with many teams over the years and one thing is certain, one or two of our activities don't go as planned.  In fact, there are times when they flat out bomb.  Well today was an exception to that reality.  It doesn't mean it won't happen tomorrow or the next day.  It just means that everything executed well with this team and it was fun to celebrate that together tonight.  Tomorrow we get to worship in Desire as Pastor Steve is going to give a message.

The team is doing well and having a lot of fun together and more importantly serving well in Desire.  Enjoy the photos!







Thursday, June 11, 2015

Student Team Headed to Haiti

This morning our Student ministry team heads to Haiti for a week of ministry, rekindling relationships, starting new relationships and having a load of fun with the Desire kids.

Pray for our safe journey of three flights with arrival in Port au Prince tomorrow morning and a long bus ride to Gonaives before getting up to see the kids in Desire Friday afternoon.  Pray that the students bond well with each other and the unity of Christ is evident among the team.

We are so excited and count it a privilege and blessing to be able to spend time with the kids we've grown to know and love!

Student Team Headed to Haiti

This morning our Student ministry team heads to Haiti for a week of ministry, rekindling relationships, starting new relationships and having a load of fun with the Desire kids.

Pray for our safe journey of three flights with arrival in Port au Prince tomorrow morning and a long bus ride to Gonaives before getting up to see the kids in Desire Friday afternoon.  Pray that the students bond well with each other and the unity of Christ is evident among the team.

We are so excited and count it a privilege and blessing to be able to spend time with the kids we've grown to know and love!