We are sitting at a nearby hotel pool watching the Vikings game with sweat dripping down our backs. There is just no relief from the heat. We miss Autumn!!
Today was a nice midweek reprieve, so different from yesterday. We moved up in digits, which means a better neighborhood. Once again we had hope!
We first visited a place called Peace Cycle. In Haiti water is sold in many different sizes but the most common is individual 8 ounce bags. 8 million of those 8 ounce bags are consumed EVERY DAY!!!!!! There is no garbage collection so those bags are everywhere. Peace Cycle up-cycles the plastic bags into various products such as bibs, bags, purses, wallets, etc. So cool! Check them out here to learn more about their story....http://www.peacecycle.com/
Next we headed to Papillion, (Karen's personal favorite!!). Shelley Jean is amazing! She is the founder of Papillion, a dedicated advocate for the poor working in Haiti. You can learn more about Papillion and Shelley right here;) http://shelleyinhaiti.com/. Papillion employees 200 + Haitian artisans during peak season. We toured the production area and saw all the proud craftsman making everything by hand... from the clay beads to the pottery to the hand sewn stuffed animals. So much pride in their work. The best part is their children were being cared for nearby for free and mothers were encouraged to leave as needed to breast feed their babies. One of Shelley's founding goals of keeping families together. Across the street from production was the retail store where we could buy the artisan made items. Many of us bought beautiful gifts for friends and families. It felt so good knowing how we were helping by doing this. We also enjoyed smoothies and snacks in the upstairs restaurant which uses its profits to buy items such as sewing machines to reinvest into the business.
After enjoying a traffic jam with our amazing driver Valerie we finally arrived at the Croatian Relief Services Orphanage. The most joyful part of this orphanage was that the children were not starved for love. They were not desperately longing to be touched and love. This spoke volumes to our group as we realized this group of children had received more love and affection than many other children we had encountered thus far. The stickers were a huge hit!!
We end the day as always, dinner and group time. We always contribute a word of the day to sum up our day. There were so many and I did not write them all down. The 'defiant' Denise gave the phrase of the day instead of the word of the day and I think it sums up this amazing journey so well........ "Do small things with great Love".
This has been an amazing journey.
Linda and Karen (the Birthday Girl!!)
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Water truck day
WOW! That was my word of the day today. You know how we've seen on TV third world countries, countries that are impoverished, with the children running around naked and no shoes? It's real life. It's what we experienced today.
Our day started off like it has the last couple of days; waking up, enjoying coffee and eating a nice big breakfast. Breakfast consisted of pancakes, scrambled eggs, avocados that are HUGE, bananas, oatmeal and fresh squeezed juice. Our ladies (we have two ladies who work here at the guest house who cook our meals for us) treat us very well. We loaded up into the "Tap-tap" aka an enclosed truck. Our first stop was at the Elder School. This was a school located in Cite Soleil, which I've learned is the poorest city in the Western Hemisphere. Driving through the streets of this city brought a flood of emotions. It's real. It is an area that is highly populated, with garbage and smells you can't fathom. The school had kids of all ages, most of the kids are SO EXCITED to see us - they immediately cling to someone and just want touch. We talked with and played with the elementary and middle school aged kids. They love games, dance, and music. There were teenagers here and honestly, they're not much different than our teenagers back home. They have attitudes, inside jokes and some even had cell phones! They were learning calculus and English. One of the girls even tricked one of us to help her with her homework.
After this stop we went to a zone to help deliver water. This was the moment that I personally felt a flood of emotions. Seeing these shacks, naked bodies, kids as little as 2 years old running the streets barefoot. Running after our "Tap-tap" and immediately clinging onto us as we got off the truck. The water truck was already onsite and there seemed to be hundreds of people - of all ages - lined up with buckets. There's a method to how they get water and they know this. They are supposed to stand in line, but it's not uncommon for a small child, and when I say small, I mean like 3 years old or someone we would consider a very elderly grandma "cut-in-line" with a sense of desperation for water. Each one of us did something different. We learned that the part of serving was to hold the children, who seemed to climb on you like a little monkey. Another part was to hold the water hose as there was mass chaos of people trying to get their buckets under the hose, to people like me (and a few others) who tried to help by grabbing buckets, filling and QUICKLY pushing them out of the way. Part of this was constantly yelling at people to get to the back of the lines. Some of us carried 5 gallon pails (or larger) in both hands back to the homes. But what was a sight was watching kids who are maybe 3 years old and up putting these buckets on top of their heads and walking barefoot back to their homes. It is hot, roads are pebbles and rock, and they walk barefoot. Could you imagine walking with a 5 gallon bucket on your head, barefoot, walking on rocks and pebbles in 100 degree heat?
After this water stop, we went to Hope School. To go to school here you have to pay. Not all kids go to school. Again, the kids are so excited to see us. We helped serve them their meal and learned more about the construction that is currently taking place on site. The school was built on a landfill. There is so much garbage they had to dig down many many feet to bury garbage to build on top of it. It was exciting to see that they are building a clinic that will employ many more Haitians.
After this stop, we had two more water stops and visited a farm. The water stops were pretty much the same as the first as in what we were doing. Luckily the staff who are employed through Healing Haiti were incredible in guiding us, ensuring we're safe, and taking charge during the water stops because things can easily get out of the control.
At the Fleri Farm which was developed through Healing Haiti we walked part of the land, learned about the purpose of the farm and enjoyed fresh coconut and sugar cane.
We ended our day with our third water stop and headed back to our guest house. We had Team Time while it down poured before dinner. We'll probably end our evening at the pool decompressing or playing an intese game of Mafia with the other teams here.
Thank you for your prayers and support!
We each have to give a word of the day. This is suppossed to sum up our day. Here are our words from our team: Desperation, frustrating, judgement, wow, mannerisms, guilt, "hey you," strength, happy, survival, humor, joy, and heart-warming.
Sara W
Our day started off like it has the last couple of days; waking up, enjoying coffee and eating a nice big breakfast. Breakfast consisted of pancakes, scrambled eggs, avocados that are HUGE, bananas, oatmeal and fresh squeezed juice. Our ladies (we have two ladies who work here at the guest house who cook our meals for us) treat us very well. We loaded up into the "Tap-tap" aka an enclosed truck. Our first stop was at the Elder School. This was a school located in Cite Soleil, which I've learned is the poorest city in the Western Hemisphere. Driving through the streets of this city brought a flood of emotions. It's real. It is an area that is highly populated, with garbage and smells you can't fathom. The school had kids of all ages, most of the kids are SO EXCITED to see us - they immediately cling to someone and just want touch. We talked with and played with the elementary and middle school aged kids. They love games, dance, and music. There were teenagers here and honestly, they're not much different than our teenagers back home. They have attitudes, inside jokes and some even had cell phones! They were learning calculus and English. One of the girls even tricked one of us to help her with her homework.
After this stop we went to a zone to help deliver water. This was the moment that I personally felt a flood of emotions. Seeing these shacks, naked bodies, kids as little as 2 years old running the streets barefoot. Running after our "Tap-tap" and immediately clinging onto us as we got off the truck. The water truck was already onsite and there seemed to be hundreds of people - of all ages - lined up with buckets. There's a method to how they get water and they know this. They are supposed to stand in line, but it's not uncommon for a small child, and when I say small, I mean like 3 years old or someone we would consider a very elderly grandma "cut-in-line" with a sense of desperation for water. Each one of us did something different. We learned that the part of serving was to hold the children, who seemed to climb on you like a little monkey. Another part was to hold the water hose as there was mass chaos of people trying to get their buckets under the hose, to people like me (and a few others) who tried to help by grabbing buckets, filling and QUICKLY pushing them out of the way. Part of this was constantly yelling at people to get to the back of the lines. Some of us carried 5 gallon pails (or larger) in both hands back to the homes. But what was a sight was watching kids who are maybe 3 years old and up putting these buckets on top of their heads and walking barefoot back to their homes. It is hot, roads are pebbles and rock, and they walk barefoot. Could you imagine walking with a 5 gallon bucket on your head, barefoot, walking on rocks and pebbles in 100 degree heat?
After this water stop, we went to Hope School. To go to school here you have to pay. Not all kids go to school. Again, the kids are so excited to see us. We helped serve them their meal and learned more about the construction that is currently taking place on site. The school was built on a landfill. There is so much garbage they had to dig down many many feet to bury garbage to build on top of it. It was exciting to see that they are building a clinic that will employ many more Haitians.
After this stop, we had two more water stops and visited a farm. The water stops were pretty much the same as the first as in what we were doing. Luckily the staff who are employed through Healing Haiti were incredible in guiding us, ensuring we're safe, and taking charge during the water stops because things can easily get out of the control.
At the Fleri Farm which was developed through Healing Haiti we walked part of the land, learned about the purpose of the farm and enjoyed fresh coconut and sugar cane.
We ended our day with our third water stop and headed back to our guest house. We had Team Time while it down poured before dinner. We'll probably end our evening at the pool decompressing or playing an intese game of Mafia with the other teams here.
Thank you for your prayers and support!
We each have to give a word of the day. This is suppossed to sum up our day. Here are our words from our team: Desperation, frustrating, judgement, wow, mannerisms, guilt, "hey you," strength, happy, survival, humor, joy, and heart-warming.
Sara W
Day 2 Orphanages and Metal Market
9-25
Today was the first day that we went out on a true mission. It started like a normal day with breakfast and conversation, getting to know the team members,if they had kids, if they are married, career and all the small stuff that you talk about to make that awkward silence leave the room. Once that was done is what I am calling dessert, the part of meal that you wait for the whole day to savor and hang onto till the next day.
We left for our mission trip at 9am. We loaded into our truck called the "tap tap", and drove into the unknown. As we drove, I learned that they do not honk when angry, but rather as a way to communicate with traffic due to no traffic light. As we drove further, we turned into an alley way, the gates opened and our new reality began. We sat in a Gazebo and waited for the kids to take a break from school and join us. All of a sudden you could hear little voices signing a song in a foreign language and a train of kids smiling and singing. With the look that I can only describe as what my own children looked like on Christmas morning. The kids came to the top step of the Gazebo, eyed us all up, and chose who they wanted to love on them. We as the adults waited in anticipation until we each had a child or three, hugging, jumping, pulling our hands to follow us all while smiling and giggling. We had about an hour to do crafts, played soccer, held them, and some of us just cried knowing that this was there home. I was amazed to watch these 4 and 5 year old children help each other find their shoes, put them on, grab one of us to tie them then when back into their train line singing happily and walking back to class. We all got back into the tap tap and off we went to the next stop.
We drove to a Metal Market where the workers pound out tin into amazing designs. They work 12-14 hours pounding, scraping and begging us to choose their projects. They hold the tin with their feet and most of these men's toes were permanently curved due to holding the tin for so long. We got back into the tap tap after buying lots of decorations and onto the next location.
We drove to out next location which was Dio's, an orphanage for special needs/disabilities. they opened the gates and we had the happiest kids greet us with smiles. We kind of all stood there in awe not really knowing what to expect yet again. In about 5 seconds we had kids in walkers and crutches playing soccer, coloring, dancing, rapping into the speaker and loving life. We think that we go there to help them, but in reality, they helped us. They Changed us. They opened our hearts and our eyes to what love pure love is. This experience at this home was so huge for me that I honestly cannot explain it in words. Probably one of the most humbling intimate experiences that I have every been shown by the Lord. Everyone reading this and knowing anyone that came here, ask them about this experience at Dio's. Everyone's story in unique and amazing and full of love.
As we left, the children's faces that were filled with anticipation and excitement was now gone. They all stood there and waved as we left. It broke me. It hurt my heart and soul. We loaded the tap tap and drove away, crying, questioning God "why",comforting each other and just digesting what we just witnessed.
I will close with this. I and my team are blessed. We are blessed to experience this. We are blessed to be here to help and show these children that they are important and loved. We are blessed to witness the power of love in each other and these children. All in all, WE ARE BLESSED.
Lisa
P.S. Hopefully pictures tomorrow. Internet has been a little dicey here!
Today was the first day that we went out on a true mission. It started like a normal day with breakfast and conversation, getting to know the team members,if they had kids, if they are married, career and all the small stuff that you talk about to make that awkward silence leave the room. Once that was done is what I am calling dessert, the part of meal that you wait for the whole day to savor and hang onto till the next day.
We left for our mission trip at 9am. We loaded into our truck called the "tap tap", and drove into the unknown. As we drove, I learned that they do not honk when angry, but rather as a way to communicate with traffic due to no traffic light. As we drove further, we turned into an alley way, the gates opened and our new reality began. We sat in a Gazebo and waited for the kids to take a break from school and join us. All of a sudden you could hear little voices signing a song in a foreign language and a train of kids smiling and singing. With the look that I can only describe as what my own children looked like on Christmas morning. The kids came to the top step of the Gazebo, eyed us all up, and chose who they wanted to love on them. We as the adults waited in anticipation until we each had a child or three, hugging, jumping, pulling our hands to follow us all while smiling and giggling. We had about an hour to do crafts, played soccer, held them, and some of us just cried knowing that this was there home. I was amazed to watch these 4 and 5 year old children help each other find their shoes, put them on, grab one of us to tie them then when back into their train line singing happily and walking back to class. We all got back into the tap tap and off we went to the next stop.
We drove to a Metal Market where the workers pound out tin into amazing designs. They work 12-14 hours pounding, scraping and begging us to choose their projects. They hold the tin with their feet and most of these men's toes were permanently curved due to holding the tin for so long. We got back into the tap tap after buying lots of decorations and onto the next location.
We drove to out next location which was Dio's, an orphanage for special needs/disabilities. they opened the gates and we had the happiest kids greet us with smiles. We kind of all stood there in awe not really knowing what to expect yet again. In about 5 seconds we had kids in walkers and crutches playing soccer, coloring, dancing, rapping into the speaker and loving life. We think that we go there to help them, but in reality, they helped us. They Changed us. They opened our hearts and our eyes to what love pure love is. This experience at this home was so huge for me that I honestly cannot explain it in words. Probably one of the most humbling intimate experiences that I have every been shown by the Lord. Everyone reading this and knowing anyone that came here, ask them about this experience at Dio's. Everyone's story in unique and amazing and full of love.
As we left, the children's faces that were filled with anticipation and excitement was now gone. They all stood there and waved as we left. It broke me. It hurt my heart and soul. We loaded the tap tap and drove away, crying, questioning God "why",comforting each other and just digesting what we just witnessed.
I will close with this. I and my team are blessed. We are blessed to experience this. We are blessed to be here to help and show these children that they are important and loved. We are blessed to witness the power of love in each other and these children. All in all, WE ARE BLESSED.
Lisa
P.S. Hopefully pictures tomorrow. Internet has been a little dicey here!
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Arrival Day! 9/24/18
We made it!!!!! It is HOT!
Our tap tap ( our secure vehicle) drivers brought us safely to the compound- the secure gated place where 3 guest houses are located and a couple other houses for the long term missionaries and the guy that runs the place. The "ladies" Ulta and Phaunis made us a fabulous taco dinner for our arrival. We were able to go over the rules and get to know one another. A few of us even went to the hotel down the block and went for a swim to end the day. As I sit here writing I feel really safe. I can hear the guard dogs barking occasionally keeping us safe. Tomorrow is our first full day of being the hands and feet of Jesus. Off to bed in our bunks. Until tomorrow.
Linda
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
And so the week begins...
Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust /Reiser Relief:
Getting on the plane en route to Haiti in anticipation for a week of challenges and overwhelming feelings... But you know what they say... You truly can never grow until you’re pushed outside of your comfort zone. All of the emotions will be felt while in Haiti... Feeling tears come on from all the abandoned children. Feeling the rage of anger take over from all the social injustices. And the engulfing feeling of anxiety from a completely new experience. However, throughout all of this, God will always be right by our side. It is in this time that we must place faith in the fact that the Lord will bless us and keep us. He will shine His face upon us and use each and every one of us as a vessel for His testimony and purpose.
Day 1
This morning dawned with a sunrise that filled the skies with a pink hue that seemed to wash over the landscape. These quiet precious moments were a much needed inspiration for the day that awaited our team. The amazing thing about God is that when his morning glory greets us from the sky no matter where you are or what impoverished conditions may surround you, bathed in his glow, everything is beautiful.
In fact, after today myself and several other team members have seen God’s beauty here. It has been a hard beauty for sure...buried in the trash heaps of Cite Soleil. Our ladies unloaded 3 separate water trucks inside the poorest slum in the Western Hemisphere. The homes were constructed out of the best pieces of the local trash. Women and young children met the water trucks expectantly. There is zero freshwater available in Cite Soleil. It is trucked in 6 days a week. After their containers were filled the women and children carried giant 5 gallon buckets of the water back to their dwellings. Several team members helped carry this water, it was difficult and laborious to say the least.
I’ve saved the best for last! The children in Cite Soleil were among the most precious I’ve ever seen. They chased after the truck yelling, “Hey you.” As we left the Tap-Tap (our truck) they couldn’t jump into our arms fast enough. Our ladies held as many as we could trying to give everyone a turn. Most didn’t wear clothes and those that did were soiled and frenetic.
I can’t describe how proud I am to be a part of this team. These ladies gave of themselves and then gave more. We also got to tour Hope School and Church located in Cite Soleil as well as Terrepromise School. So thankful for these educational opportunities. Several of us wound down the afternoon swimming in a nearby resort pool.
Every meal has been on point and the staff have been gracious and accommodating. Tacos for dinner last night, pancakes and eggs for breakfast this morning and finally chicken yakisoba for dinner tonight. We are being well taken care of and covering each other in prayer. Decompressing has been a bit tough given the conditions of Cite Soleil we were exposed to today. Fortunately, God has placed each person here for a reason and to fill a specific purpose. We are encouraging each other and trying to share the love of God to all we meet.
Please continue to cover us in prayer as this is only the first day. We would covet your prayers for strength both mentally & physically as well as guidance and protection. We love you all and await what tomorrow may bring.
In the Company of our Mighty King.
Kate & Ashley
Saturday, August 11, 2018
Water Truck, Orphans, and Babies
Stop 17. This started out as a "slow" stop. Playing with kids while the water truck was filled. We were excited to reconnect with many of the kids we met earlier in the week. Some of the team impressed the children with superhuman feats of strength by hanging on beams. They are very humble, these members of our healing haiti team (insert eye roll). The filled truck was ready and once we started the hose, the environment got a little more chaotic. Even with rain the previous nights, the need for water was great. While some filled & hauled buckets, others got their hair done by very focused beauticians. The water truck was filled again and we were off to the second stop. Those running the hose were faced with a tough challenge. We had to stop the hose 3 times due to crowd rowdiness. It was a blessing to see piles of kids dumping buckets of water on their heads. We got to witness the benefits of rain first hand, giving the gift of play and relief, something we take so much for granted.
Walking into "For Your Glory" orphanage we were met at the door by a few kids that came rushing to be held. Some were squishier than others. All had smiles. The facility was very nice and everyone employed/volunteering there was welcoming. As we walked through the hallway it opened up to a large playground with a few tables where we chose to take out the nail polish, crayons, & paper. The nail polish was a big hit. A very big hit. It found its way onto not only nails, but fingers, toes, tables, and faces. A few of our more masculine members of healing haiti ended their visit with some glamorous manicures. The older boys were busy playing frisbee, basketball, and soccer and un-impressed by our skills. It was great to see some of the kids getting so much 1-1 time. Once again, we loaded the tap tap with the hope that the kids received as much joy from the visit as we did.
When we walked into the home for Sick and Dying Babies we were immediately asked to start feeding the babies. We were told to grab a spoon and bowl and feed them one by one. It was pretty quiet when we got into the room and surprisingly stayed that way throughout the feedings. Once all the babies were fed, we walked around picking the babies up to give them love. During that time was when it started becoming very hard. After you would put a baby down, they would start to cry but you wanted to make time for all the babies to give them all love so you had to do anyway. We took some outside and rocked, bounced and loved on them. We just tried to give as much attention to them while we could. It was such a amazing experience but so heartbreaking at the same time.
Walking into "For Your Glory" orphanage we were met at the door by a few kids that came rushing to be held. Some were squishier than others. All had smiles. The facility was very nice and everyone employed/volunteering there was welcoming. As we walked through the hallway it opened up to a large playground with a few tables where we chose to take out the nail polish, crayons, & paper. The nail polish was a big hit. A very big hit. It found its way onto not only nails, but fingers, toes, tables, and faces. A few of our more masculine members of healing haiti ended their visit with some glamorous manicures. The older boys were busy playing frisbee, basketball, and soccer and un-impressed by our skills. It was great to see some of the kids getting so much 1-1 time. Once again, we loaded the tap tap with the hope that the kids received as much joy from the visit as we did.
When we walked into the home for Sick and Dying Babies we were immediately asked to start feeding the babies. We were told to grab a spoon and bowl and feed them one by one. It was pretty quiet when we got into the room and surprisingly stayed that way throughout the feedings. Once all the babies were fed, we walked around picking the babies up to give them love. During that time was when it started becoming very hard. After you would put a baby down, they would start to cry but you wanted to make time for all the babies to give them all love so you had to do anyway. We took some outside and rocked, bounced and loved on them. We just tried to give as much attention to them while we could. It was such a amazing experience but so heartbreaking at the same time.
Friday, August 10, 2018
Thursday and Friday
Thursday our group got to go to the Mass Graves, Grace Village, on Elder Visits, and Flueri Restaurant. Over the years these places have really developed and every year that we come back we see significant advances. One of my favorite aspects of Healing Haiti is how they are able to pivot as an organization. They start or work to start a new program, see that it is not working perfectly and change that program to something even better. There are several examples from the past few days.
We began our travels by stopping at the Mass Graves. The Mass graves were a necessity after the 7.0 magnitude earth quake in 2010 that claimed over 200,000 lives. After several days, the cemetery in the city was full and there were too many bodies that the government did not know what to do with them. They brought those bodies out to Titanyen, an area about 1 hour outside of the city, to a hilly and somewhat deserted area. Once people started to hear about the Mass Graves, they began to bring their own loved ones out there as a final resting place. In the first few years it was simply enclosed by walls, but each year it seems that they develop and improve it. It is truly a beautiful place of peace. Our host, Valerie, was able to tell a little bit of the history and the importance of this day in the life of Haitians.
After a short time we traveled a little further to Grace Village. Grave Village was the dream and vision of Jeff and Alyn Gacek and has simply improved each year. It started out as an orphanage with rooms for boys and girls and a feeding center. A school was added shortly. Then a clinic for the people of Titanyen. Now the orphanage has pivoted so that permanent orphans are in home pods with house moms (and dads when available) and brothers and sisters. They have chores, and try to live as much as a family as possible. The dorm rooms are still used for housing, but now when the government needs to find temporary placement for orphans they request that Grace Village take them in. These children are called stop and go children, because they probably will not be permanent residents of Grace Village. There are also transition children that live in these dorms. These are young men and women that have grown too old to be orphans and are transitioning to life on their own. Some of them are in college, some of them are in technical school or in some way getting ready to live life outside the orphanage. The school has also grown beyond what it once was. Now students that live outside of Grace Village also attend the school. Each student pays tuition that covers their education, their uniform, a meal every day, and their books. Students can be sponsored through Healing Haiti. Healing Haiti knows that without education there is no good future for their own children and for the children of Titanyen. The school has one of the first technology labs that is building knowledge in the tech fields as well.
Finally, Healing Haiti has opened Flueri Restaurant and Bakery. The goal is to teach people to become bakers, give them skills, sell bread to people who will sell in the market, and at the same time sell to businesses. We were given a tour by Peterson, a Haitian that was educated in the U.S. in business. He is the second in command at the bakery and restaurant. He told us that they used to go through 5-6 sacks of flour a week and they now go through about 10 a day. Their business is booming. They have also opened a restaurant in connection to the bakery. They are teaching the transition students skills to help them succeed in the real world. The goal of Healing Haiti is to eliminate orphanages in Haiti by becoming job creators and eliminating the need for orphanages. The fact is that in Haiti, like in many developing countries, there is a significant percentage of orphans that actually have parents. The reality is that these parents simply cannot afford to raise their children, so they bring them to orphanages where they believe they will have better lives. Healing Haiti would like to eliminate the need for parents to feel like they need to give away their children for a better life.
Prior to visiting Fleuri Bakery and Restaurant we visited some of the elders in the community. We went into the homes of elders that are sponsored by Healing Haiti. As soon as we arrived, we got to work washing their feet, painting their nails, and giving hand and neck massages while Rocky and Izzy played the guitar and we all sang. We also brought them meals and gift bags filled with towels, soap, and snacks. This was the first time many of us have ever washed someones feet even though Jesus instructs his disciples (and us) in John 13:14-15 to "wash each others feet". It was an emotional and beautiful moment being able to serve them and see the joy in their eyes. It was easy to love on the them because they reminded us of our grandparents and how they are some of the greatest blessings in our lives. We ended our visit with a group prayer for each of their special prayer requests.
Then it was back to the guesthouse for a traditional "Haitian food" meal consisting of chicken drumsticks, meatballs, plantains, okra, beans, cucumbers, and of course rice and beans with a traditional potato and gravy sauce.
Another special time of our trips is our reflection time at the end of each day. We start with a devotion and end up sitting around for hours visiting, crying, and discussing the highs and lows of each day.
Friday morning we woke up at a quarter to six to head to Church on the Rock. It was a very eye-opening experience getting to observe a display of such great faith. It was apparent to see the Holy
Spirit living within the attendants including our team. The pastor prayed for Israel, for the U.S, and even for our whole group by name.
We then went back to City Soleil and played with the kids at Stop 17, which is where Hope Church is located. It was very exciting recognizing familiar faces that we saw the previous Wednesday on a water truck stop. We spent our time swinging children around, playing soccer (futbol), and getting fresh new updos from the little girls. Playing with the kids is amazing, but also remembering the situation that they are in is difficult. When we took out bubbles it started out very calm, but the moment other kids see the bubbles they try to take them away. It is a simple reminder that if you have little even a little bottle of bubbles is something desirable.
Lance, Nancy, Lauren, and Bailey were able to meet their sponsored child at Hope School and it was very heartwarming for them. Then we were given the opportunity to serve the children lunch at Hope School. The summer program at Hope Church feeds each of the kids a meal a day- maybe their only meal for the day.
We then headed to Fleuri Restaurant near Grace Village for pizza and fun.
We began our travels by stopping at the Mass Graves. The Mass graves were a necessity after the 7.0 magnitude earth quake in 2010 that claimed over 200,000 lives. After several days, the cemetery in the city was full and there were too many bodies that the government did not know what to do with them. They brought those bodies out to Titanyen, an area about 1 hour outside of the city, to a hilly and somewhat deserted area. Once people started to hear about the Mass Graves, they began to bring their own loved ones out there as a final resting place. In the first few years it was simply enclosed by walls, but each year it seems that they develop and improve it. It is truly a beautiful place of peace. Our host, Valerie, was able to tell a little bit of the history and the importance of this day in the life of Haitians.
After a short time we traveled a little further to Grace Village. Grave Village was the dream and vision of Jeff and Alyn Gacek and has simply improved each year. It started out as an orphanage with rooms for boys and girls and a feeding center. A school was added shortly. Then a clinic for the people of Titanyen. Now the orphanage has pivoted so that permanent orphans are in home pods with house moms (and dads when available) and brothers and sisters. They have chores, and try to live as much as a family as possible. The dorm rooms are still used for housing, but now when the government needs to find temporary placement for orphans they request that Grace Village take them in. These children are called stop and go children, because they probably will not be permanent residents of Grace Village. There are also transition children that live in these dorms. These are young men and women that have grown too old to be orphans and are transitioning to life on their own. Some of them are in college, some of them are in technical school or in some way getting ready to live life outside the orphanage. The school has also grown beyond what it once was. Now students that live outside of Grace Village also attend the school. Each student pays tuition that covers their education, their uniform, a meal every day, and their books. Students can be sponsored through Healing Haiti. Healing Haiti knows that without education there is no good future for their own children and for the children of Titanyen. The school has one of the first technology labs that is building knowledge in the tech fields as well.
Finally, Healing Haiti has opened Flueri Restaurant and Bakery. The goal is to teach people to become bakers, give them skills, sell bread to people who will sell in the market, and at the same time sell to businesses. We were given a tour by Peterson, a Haitian that was educated in the U.S. in business. He is the second in command at the bakery and restaurant. He told us that they used to go through 5-6 sacks of flour a week and they now go through about 10 a day. Their business is booming. They have also opened a restaurant in connection to the bakery. They are teaching the transition students skills to help them succeed in the real world. The goal of Healing Haiti is to eliminate orphanages in Haiti by becoming job creators and eliminating the need for orphanages. The fact is that in Haiti, like in many developing countries, there is a significant percentage of orphans that actually have parents. The reality is that these parents simply cannot afford to raise their children, so they bring them to orphanages where they believe they will have better lives. Healing Haiti would like to eliminate the need for parents to feel like they need to give away their children for a better life.
Prior to visiting Fleuri Bakery and Restaurant we visited some of the elders in the community. We went into the homes of elders that are sponsored by Healing Haiti. As soon as we arrived, we got to work washing their feet, painting their nails, and giving hand and neck massages while Rocky and Izzy played the guitar and we all sang. We also brought them meals and gift bags filled with towels, soap, and snacks. This was the first time many of us have ever washed someones feet even though Jesus instructs his disciples (and us) in John 13:14-15 to "wash each others feet". It was an emotional and beautiful moment being able to serve them and see the joy in their eyes. It was easy to love on the them because they reminded us of our grandparents and how they are some of the greatest blessings in our lives. We ended our visit with a group prayer for each of their special prayer requests.
Then it was back to the guesthouse for a traditional "Haitian food" meal consisting of chicken drumsticks, meatballs, plantains, okra, beans, cucumbers, and of course rice and beans with a traditional potato and gravy sauce.
Another special time of our trips is our reflection time at the end of each day. We start with a devotion and end up sitting around for hours visiting, crying, and discussing the highs and lows of each day.
Friday morning we woke up at a quarter to six to head to Church on the Rock. It was a very eye-opening experience getting to observe a display of such great faith. It was apparent to see the Holy
Spirit living within the attendants including our team. The pastor prayed for Israel, for the U.S, and even for our whole group by name.
We then went back to City Soleil and played with the kids at Stop 17, which is where Hope Church is located. It was very exciting recognizing familiar faces that we saw the previous Wednesday on a water truck stop. We spent our time swinging children around, playing soccer (futbol), and getting fresh new updos from the little girls. Playing with the kids is amazing, but also remembering the situation that they are in is difficult. When we took out bubbles it started out very calm, but the moment other kids see the bubbles they try to take them away. It is a simple reminder that if you have little even a little bottle of bubbles is something desirable.
Lance, Nancy, Lauren, and Bailey were able to meet their sponsored child at Hope School and it was very heartwarming for them. Then we were given the opportunity to serve the children lunch at Hope School. The summer program at Hope Church feeds each of the kids a meal a day- maybe their only meal for the day.
We then headed to Fleuri Restaurant near Grace Village for pizza and fun.
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