Coming to a Conclusion

Another great day with a lot of excitement.  Teachers arrived ready to dive into today's topics.  As is the case when in Haiti you adjust when things don't go quite as planned.  But that's one of the reasons I love working and being in Haiti- everything is at a different pace and things happen when they happen.  Our late breakfast turned out to be good on timing because of our late lunch.  

I would say that on this trip I have had to step out of my food comfort zone.  And what I mean by that is having meals cooked by the host mamas for the teachers.  It is quite an experience to actually see the goat you will have for lunch tomorrow being "prepared" today.  It really has been delicious and interesting at the same time.

Our day got cut short by a torrential downpour and the raindrops on the metal roof made it nearly impossible to hear.  So we resorted to doing math games with decks of cards.  All in a day in Haiti.

One of the things we are doing as a group from the States is asking what are the teachers finding helpful that they would want to implement in the classroom when school starts in a couple of weeks.  Today a young man stood up and expressed his appreciation for spending time with other teachers to collaborate with same grade level teachers.  They are having intentional time to discuss and share ideas with one another and that seems to be a new idea for them.  

Someone else said that our team has been challenging them to answer their own questions by discussing challenges and issues that they face as teachers.  This has been intentional on our part- we don't want to presume to have answers that they are looking for but instead open dialog with each other and us at times, to find the answers.  Hearing those kinds of responses let us know that we are accomplishing some of our goals.  It is important for the teachers to not look at us as someone who has all the answers and that they do not.

Tomorrow is a celebration and certificate day for the Educator Exchange.  We will have fun celebrating all their hard work of the past four days.

Depending on the roads from today's rain, we are going to try to make it up to Desire to visit the kids up there.  All of the mamas are enjoying a much deserved break from their responsibilities as Global Orphan is sponsoring a retreat for the area mamas at a nice beach resort.  Pastor Jeannot as well as the other project pastors have recruited people from their congregations to stay with the kids while the mamas are on their retreat.  So we will get a report on the road conditions in the morning when Pastor Jeannot joins us at the Exchange.

Haitian Educator Exchange Day 2

Yesterday was great and today was even better because the teachers were fully engaged from the beginning through to the end.  As someone who has never been a part of something like this, it has given me a new perspective about things in Haiti- like education in this instance.  I came into this expecting to "equip" the teachers to be more effective with their students.  That is my ignorance showing through.  What I am now witnessing is a group of very passionate, dedicated teachers who are seeking to improve but the benefit of something like this event is bringing the teachers together to share experiences and ideas and begin to create a true collaborating effort between 3 Gonaives-area schools.

Dennis started the conversations this morning by inquiring with the teachers on classroom management and the difference between dealing with the difficult students and creating a positive atmosphere in the classroom to give students the best chance at success.  They discussed strategies and things they could do to create a positive classroom.

I then had the opportunity to share about active storytelling with the teachers.  Asking how can we make learning the Bible memorable for the students.  I then demonstrated telling the story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers in a fun, active way that all the students (teachers) would have an active role in telling the story.  After the story we used time to ask questions to help cement the message of the passage so that kids could make the connection between what the Bible says and what it means for each of us in our lives.  We had a hilarious time as 10 volunteers placed sticker dots on each other only to find out that they were going to be the "lepers" in our story.  We made them feel like lepers- left out of everything and cast out.  In the story, the lepers wanted a chance to see Jesus but were made to stay far away because of their leprosy.  Jesus healed the lepers when He told them to show themselves to the priests but only one came back to give thanks to Jesus.  The moment wasn't lost on the teachers as one of the lepers came running to the front of the room to give me a hug and say thank you as if I were Jesus in the story.  The point of my exercise was to get teachers thinking about creative ways to bring Scripture to life for their students.

The rest of the day teachers really engaged with the exercises and worked together to create strategies.  Their passion became even heated at times and we ended up with some really great teaching moments with the teachers as they were challenged to actively listen to one another and use encouraging words with each other as they shared ideas with the whole group.  We couldn't have scripted that better.  The Lord was at work with our time today.

Tomorrow is day 3 of 4 and we have another full agenda.  I am looking forward to the conversations that will come out of this experience as we seek discernment and direction for our church and these exchanges in the future.

Haitian Educator Exchange

As I shared in my earlier post, I am here in Haiti on a different kind of mission trip.  Exploring the possibilities within education to help the Haitian teachers grow in their teaching ability for orphans and community children.  It is true that if a child receives a good education, they can accomplish just about anything.  And in the context of a Christian school, they also grow in their relationship and understanding of God's incredible love for them.

Today was our first day of the Educator Exchange and being on "Haiti time", those of you who have been here know what I mean, the 8:00 start time really got going at 9:00.  But once we started, we were in high gear.  About 30 teachers from area Global Orphan Project schools are in attendance from Gonaives, Desire and Marmelade.  The turn out is a huge encouragement for me because I realize that each of these teachers really desire to be the best they can be in educating children.  We have three more days of the Exchange and while the teachers may be exhausted at the end of our time together, our prayer is they will return to their schools recharged and encouraged to try new ideas and collaborate with one another in teaching these children.

Return to Haiti

It's been a long time between blog posts.  Almost as long as the time gap between my trips to Haiti.  It has been almost 10 months between trips to Haiti for me.  That is something new, especially for someone who had an average of 3 or 4 months between visits to Haiti.

This past year has been one of transition for me and it has forced me to remain close to home to ensure a good transition for my new role.  It has also forced me to spend time reflecting and praying for our ministry in Haiti.  So the absence has been fruitful for me and is focusing me to look at the next period of three years of our partnership in Haiti with Desire and Pastor Jeannot.

I am in Haiti to explore an opportunity to help Haitian teachers look at other methods for teaching, learning new strategies for classroom management, and becoming better equipped to teach the children in Haiti.  I invited a retired, seasoned educator to accompany me and participate in the Exchange.  This is Dennis Baker's first trip to Haiti.  As we pray, process and evaluate this opportunity, we look forward to engaging teachers, project Pastors and administrators.

Tomorrow starts the Exchange where there will be 8 presenters- 4 Americans and 4 Haitians.  By Saturday afternoon we will have covered various topics, observed teachers impletement new concepts with students and celebrate the hard work they are investing in this week.  

It's good to be back!  And I am trusting The Lord for His direction for the future.

Spring Break Team: Treasure and Friendship

From Hayden:

Today was our last full day in Desire.  The team worshipped with the kids and the community.  Pastor Charlie preached about the treasure of Jesus.  When presented with that amazing gift, we have to ask ourselves, what will we do with it.  Do we embrace it, do we run from it, do we hide it?  When we embrace it and accept it, we have true life.  This message hit home to us as we wrestle with what we see here in a land filled with hopelessness, poverty, and corruption.  How do we reconcile with it? As we were worshipping with our Haitian brothers and sisters, we were reminded that no matter where we come from, we all get that chance to choose God because He first chose us, and He sees all of His children the same.  They are His children.  And tomorrow, we say good-bye to these children that we have embraced.  While we say good-bye, we know in our hearts that these children represent God's treasure on some level.  Their love, their desire for a relationship, and their hope of a future beyond our wildest dreams all point us back to what we know is the greatest gift of all, God's treasure.

Spring Break Team: Sunday in Desire

From Hayden:

On Sunday, we had the chance to worship in Desire with the kids and some from the community.  Pastor Charlie spoke on behalf of the team and preached on God's treasure.  Afterwards, we had time with the kids.  The highlight was a gift of a picture to each of the kids and mamas.  They were so excited to have this special piece of them taken.  In the afternoon, we had a quick review of the English lesson and some music.  It was mainly a time to play with the kids.  We saw girls jumping rope, soccer, dodge ball, and kids learning to make friendship bracelets.  It was great when a team member heard Pastor Jeannot say, "when the kids play, I am happy."  And, so were we.

Spring Break Team: Ruth and Dodgeball

From Hayden:

Today the team really poured it out.  They  spent time playing with the kids in the morning while we took pictures of all the kids.  Each child will receive a picture of themselves by the time we leave.  It was exciting to see the pride and excitement in their eyes about getting their picture taken.  In the afternoon, our team shared the story of Ruth and shared the gospel with the kids.  The story involved the team and the kids and was entertaining.  Later they were introduced to the game of dodge ball.  How exciting it was to see  the kids enjoy this classic game.  No one was hurt, and the team had great fun playing with so many kids at one time.  The last part of our day was spent visiting  with Jan Thompson and the 32 kids (Hopesters) at Christopher's Hope Mission.  It was another look at an orphanage in Haiti and time to hear Jan's story.  In all, it was a great day and the team really emptied their tanks to fill these kids with hope, love, and time.  Tomorrow, we get to enjoy worshipping with Pastor Jeannot, the kids, and the community.  

Spring Break Team: Saturday Photos

More pictures from Bob Schuchard:

Spring Break Team: In His Arms

From Hayden:

In HIS Arms.  What does it mean?  It means letting go of everything: my fears, my past, my hopes and dreams all fall onto Jesus.  My trust rests in Him.  When  I do this, I can rest in the comfort and strength of His arms.  Nothing else matters then.  Joy and peace fill me.  With these kids, it's kind of like that too.

Spring Break Team: More Photos

Spring Break Team: One Body, Many Parts

From Hayden:

This afternoon, Ryan shared from I Corinthians 12 about one body, many parts.  "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ."  The body has many parts, and each plays a role in making the body move, breathe, and function.  Just as the body has many parts, so does the body of Christ.  We each have our different gifts and personalities, and together, reflect the love of Christ as a church.  And, just as we are a team from Fort Collins and a village of orphans in Haiti, we bring our differences together as one body to reflect the love of Christ.

--

Spring Break Team: Best Friends

Here is the latest from Hayden Camp:

This morning we spent some time with the kids teaching English.  In this lesson, we talked about friends.  Who is your best friend?  What do you do with them.  How do they make you feel.  If Jesus is our best friend, we know that we have Him for life.  The kids enjoyed the entertaining lesson, reading with team members, and coloring friendship links.  This afternoon we will go back and have some bible story an game time!

Spring Break Team: Haiti Bound and Arrival

From Hayden Camp:

Our team, from Faith E Free Church, left on a 16 hour journey from Fort Collins to Gonaives, Haiti Wednesday night.  Our team of 20 has retuners and those new to Haiti.  Our purpose is to make a difference to 72 orphans, their house mamas, Pastor Jeannot and his family.  We also hope to make an impact on all those we come across by being the hands and feet of God.  Our journey was smooth, but long.  We arrived Thursday and went up to Desire in a rain storm.  We didn't get stuck, but one of the tires was damaged.  So, we weren't with the kids very long, but the smiles and joy were enough for energizing us all.  The team is tired, but content in knowing they have an opportunity to shine for Christ in the coming days.  Tomorrow, we will spend time teaching English, a story from the Bible and engaging the kids in games and fun.  Tonight we enjoyed goat, chicken, and fish together as a team.  Then we debriefed the day.  The team shared encouragement from seeing the kids, seeing the progress made in this country, the opportunity to be in this place doing God's work.  At the same time we deal with the challenge of langauage barriers, of processing what poverty really is, and the struggle of sinful nature.  It is exciting to see what God will do through this team, but also in this team.  Please pray for opportunity to be the hands and feet of God, for perseverance, and for selflessness.  

Spring Break Team: Traveling

The Haiti team is currently on the road in Haiti heading towards the city of Gonaives where they will stay at a hotel for their home base.  Each day they will journey out to Desire- about a 45 minute, 12 mile drive through rural Haitian countryside to visit the orphan project.

Please pray for the team's safety, health and unity.  Pictured below is the team.  They will arrive in Desire to see the kids and Pastor Jeannot by this afternoon.

Spring Break Team headed to Haiti

We have a team preparing to leave tomorrow to visit Desire.  It's been a while since my last post and it's time to get caught up.  This team leaving tomorrow is being led by Bob Schuchard and Hayden Camp- two seasoned Haiti leaders.  I will be posting their updates here on my blog as well as adding my own thoughts and comments during the course of this trip.

From Hayden:

In just a few days, I will have the opportunity to help lead a team of 20 men and women, from our church, and travel over 2400 miles to a little village at the end of a dusty road in Haiti named Desire.  We will have the chance to see 73 orphaned children and spend time loving on them, playing with them, teaching English, sharing stories from the Bible and sharing God's love with them.  It is our prayer that we engage them in these things, but in the end we want to build a relationship that will hopefully point them back a Father whose love is beyond our comprehension.  Please pray for our team: for unity in purpose, for safety, for strength, and most importantly that we will serve Him.  I hope to blog daily, so check this site when you can.