Day Five - Church and Water Truck

Today we started the day with an early church service. The way the people connected with Christ today in church was very moving for everyone. When entering the church they chose not a seat but an aisle to pace within. Their arms were outstretched towards the sky, to create a closer connection and establish an uncharted intimacy with God. The Haitian pastor was kind enough to preach in English upon seeing us arrive. Some of the elder church members greeted us with welcoming handshakes and hugs. The message was particularly centered around giving thanks to God. The phrase "just say thank you" was used a fair amount. This was incredibly moving due to it's raw and simplistic truth.

Then the team split up, majority of us going to work on the water truck. This was only supposed to occupy the first half of our serving day, so we made two stops as opposed to three. The first stop was on a narrow road, comparable to an alleyway, crowded with small children. The line for water was chaos. The locals were much in need of love and affection. Their need and desire for water grew apparent after witnessing the line's disorganization. However, the social aspect was amiable, the people were relatively friendly and the kids were ready and waiting with open arms for our love! The second stop was different from the first. At first, we were greeted warmly by chanting children, voicing the well-known phrase "hey you"! These words were commonly known amongst us, symbolizing each individuals significance. When you point to a specific child and say it, you're implying that they matter and they are loved. One word to describe the rest of the stop after exiting the tap-tap would be frantic. Mass swarms of teenagers and kids mixed surrounded us individually. At some points we found ourselves completely encompassed. Being new to these people and this environment, we were overwhelmed. Their interaction and physicality with us differed greatly from other stops. However, we overcame the foreign approach and ultimately delivered water to those in need of it.

- Kyra and Sam

Day 4-Grace Village~Elder visits

Elder visit day

Today was the most emotional day this week that I had experienced. It was elder visit day. I waited patiently before it was my turn to meet an elder. The elder I visited was a woman with a sister that looked around her age. Both were the sweetest things; sweeter than honey. One of the most moving things I witnessed during the visit was when the elder we visited asked if her sister could get the same treatment. The thing was that her sister wasn't part of the Healing Haiti elder visit. But we did, and I just saw the gratefulness in both of them. Near the end we prayed for them. I held the elder we were mainly visiting's hands. She asked me my name and then told me

hers. As we began to pray, I could hear her whispering words that I couldn't understand. This was where I started crying a little. I realized how much these elders, the Haitians in general meant to me. How much this woman and her sister had been through. I remembered that I hugged her, then hugged her sister, then hugged her again. I cried as I gave those hugs. Before we left, even before we prayed, I remember the woman stating she and her sister would pray for us.

 ~Callie

Today was another emotional day serving here in Haiti.  It was amazing to see what is happening at Grace Village with God's guidance.  From the description from those that have been here before, the transformation continues to be incredible.  The kids in Grace Village were similar to all the others we have encountered thus far in Haiti in that their first and foremost need is your attention and just for you to love on them as human beings.  They pull at you and hug you in throngs.  The smiles on their faces are priceless and have nothing to do with what they own or have in their possession.  It is truly amazing. I had two girls on my lap in giggles as I bounced them on my knees. Such simple entertainment.

After our visit to Grace Village, we did several elder visits.  Since we are a relatively large number, we broke up into three groups so that it wasn't an overwhelming number of people crowding into their small "homes".  I was in the second group visiting an older man named Lindor and it was truly an awesome visit. His face lit up upon our arrival and he allowed us to wash his feet and rub lotion on his feet and hands.  Then we sang a couple songs to which he wanted us to sing louder in our praising God.  He was such a life filled man that I couldn't keep the smile off of my face. Although we were there to benefit him, I walked away just as filled as him, if not more!

~Dawn

Day 3 Water Truck Day

Day 3 Water Truck Day

Today was an amazing day.  We made three stops with the water truck in neighborhoods of City Soleil.  We were greeted to smiling and clapping children lined up behind the truck with their buckets of water. Some of us held the water hose, some helped keep the line moving and some stayed on the sides holding and playing with the children. Occasionally we were asked to lift a bucket onto a head and a few even carried the buckets into the Haitian homes. I (Sue) felt that I could and did make a difference in the lives of Haitians.

After the first water stop we had the privilege to rest at newly opened Hope Church, recently opened by Healing Haiti organization built on top of a garbage site. It was exciting for those who have been here before to see a place of worship where there was once trash.  

I (Pauline) had an emotional experience as I held a little boy clothed in long pants and a sweatshirt.  A face to remember. The young boy chose me to hold him and would cry if I tried to put him down. Sadly, at the end of our first stop, I had to put him down and say good-bye telling him that Jesus loved him. This was a touching experience in itself but what was even more amazing was as I was holding the water hose at the next stop, I felt a tug on my t-shirt and when I looked down it was this little boy’s eyes staring up at me.  Again, he wanted to be held and not put down.  He insisted on me holding him and him alone.  As the tap tap left the 2^nd stop, I looked out and he looked directly at me and just smiled.  What a God moment it was!

After the water stops we went to the Haitian Initiative. This organization uses soccer to improve the lives of Haitian children by providing organized soccer practice, schooling and a free meal to those in need. I (Sue) was excited to see the soccer cleats we collected in MN on the feet of so many children. We also were able to serve them a meal using food prepared from Feed My Starving Children food packs. Another amazing experience to see something we are all familiar with finding the way to the children of Haiti.

Pauline and Sue

Day 2

Day 2 in a word...Amazing

What at amazing experience we had today at the Home for Sick and Dying Babies. I have to say I was a little nervous to go there and wasn't sure what to expect. The name makes it sound very daunting. As we arrived they quickly ushered us in and showed us to the different rooms of children we would be caring for. Surprisingly, there wasn't much instruction. We were able to pick up and hold pretty much any of the babies. Some were definitely sicker than others and it showed. Looking in to their little faces, my heart was both broken and full at the same time. They held their little arms out and just wanted to be held by total strangers. Anyone to comfort them is welcome :)

There were diapers to change and lunch to feed them and I felt honored to be a part of it. They needed me and I was 100% there for them. I actually wish I could have stayed longer. I also wish I had more arms to hold more kids at once! 2 was my limit. While we were there, several of the children had parents visiting them during what must have been "visiting hours". When they left you can imagine all of the sad kids. We were scrambling to comfort as many kiddos as we could.

All in all it was a wonderful experience and I am so honored to have been able to experience it. I think they helped me more than I helped them.

From Haiti with Love!

Tiffany Hugdahl



Dare's Orphanage

We arrived at the orphanage with a treasure box of toys.  We hoped to spend time engaging children with special needs in a meaningful way that would bring glory to God and bring joy to these awesome kiddos.  Mission accomplished!  We danced and made music with new musical instruments, we built towers and castles from new building blocks, we threw balls, and raced cars, we blew bubbles and laughed, we learned each others names and new words, we made friends from strangers, we served with palms up!

Engaging children with special needs can be difficult. At first we all felt a little awkward being thrown in an empty room filled with kids.  But, when we opened the toy box the smiles began curling upon the faces of the little ones. We all participated in activities such as singing, playing percussion instruments,  tying bandanas, stacking legos, rolling cars, and blowing bubbles. We felt blessed to be given the opportunity to make kids laugh and dance and play.

Lori and Gracie Friedrichs

  

Friedrichs-Aakhus Team, Day 1

Arrived Safely in Port-Au-Prince...

After a long travel day through Miami, I am very thankful that we arrived safely with our family and friends. How blessed are we that we get to experience these wonderful people and culture for the week. Once we got passed the stress of finding all the bags and getting them out of the airport and on to the taptaps, we had a short 15-20 minute drive to our two guest houses. We quickly unpacked and kids were off next door to meet up with the local neighborhood boys for a very hot game of soccer for 2-3 hour before dinner. It's been a long day and most are in bed getting ready for our first day of service; thus I will keep this short for our first day.

~Kira Peterson

Day 2-3

Sean, Age 12- Today I went to the home for sick and dying. The babies there were very sick and needed a lot of special care. The babies mostly wanted to just be picked up and showed love. Some of the babies wanted to just walk around and have fun. One baby that I played with was the first baby that I saw out of the corner of my eye. She was a girl and was wearing a purple dress. I went over and picked her up and brought her outside onto the swing set and put her in the baby swing set and swung her around she had so much fun and laughed so hard. So after a solid 30-40 minuets of holding her I went to put her back but she just kept on crying every time I tried to put her back in her crib. So finally I rocked her to sleep and put her back. That child touched me so much because it kind of represented how God comes back to us every time we reject him. So overall today was a very great spiritual day.

Water Truck Day

Today we went into Cite Soliel! I had such a fun time playing with all the kids and giving the water to all the people. I had some great experiences today and I will never forget those memories. One of those memories where Sam and I both got to hold a sweet little girl. Then at the second stop we found her again! She walked up to Sam and I and started tugging on our shorts. We looked at each other and said "how did she get here?" So we played with her and held her some more. Then at the third stop she found us again! We were so surprised and we thought how cool it was that she wanted to see us over and over again. Over all this day is definitely going to be one of my favorite days on this Haiti trip!

- Cade, age 13 (Day 2)


  Going into Cite Soliel today, I was a little nervous and overwhelmed about doing what we were going to be doing. Today was GREAT and I wish I  could do it all over again. The people there are truly amazing, they are filled with so much joy and happiness even though they don't have much. It makes us feel very grateful for all that we have. In Cite Soliel right after we got off the Tap Tap and started loving the children and helping with the water truck, all of my nervousness went away. I felt not only love from the people around me, but from God. The kids there were so loving and it really showed. One little girl didn't want me to put her down on the ground, all she wanted was some love and to be held. I was holding a different girl and her mother put out her hand and motioned that she wanted the child I was holding to go with her, and when I set the child down and the mother tried to take her hand and she started crying because she wanted to stay with me. I really felt the love in this moment. One other thing that also amazed me today was, even though we don't speak Creole we can communicate threw our body and face language and also with music. Today was a GREAT day and I hope I can come back some other day.

- McKenna, age 13 (Day 2)