DeWolf 17 Trip- Day 1

Haiti Blog Day 1

Well we have arrived!  It was a really a day full of travel and introduction to Haiti.  We arrived at MSP International Airport at the very early hour of 4:30 am.  The team gathered for a pre-trip photo, full of expectation and not a few nerves!  After a few confusing bag check and security situations we made it through to our gate to find that we nearly had the plane to Atlanta to ourselves.  Likely a combo of it being 9/11 and the fact we were flying into the path of Hurricane Irma. Even the cabin crew was amazed and graciously loaded us up with extra snacks.  We could sit wherever we wanted, lots of space, what a blessing. 

We arrived in Atlanta to some very stormy dark weather and a pretty empty airport.  Most shops were closed but were able to grab a snack, as Delta was unable to supply food because of the storm.  This leg of our flight was very interesting to say the least, mostly due to the prep speech of the pilot as we prepared to take off.  It was pretty long but the jist of it was “ if you were expecting a smooth flight today, you can just forget that, we are, after all, flying by a hurricane!”  Sufficiently scared and expecting the worst flight ever, we were pleased to find it really was pretty smooth.

We arrived in Haiti on time and in good shape, if a bit weary from the early start.  We navigated the mass of humanity trying to help us with bags and found our bus (aka Tap Tap) ride to the Healing Haiti guesthouse.  There we were greeted by welcoming staff and seven dogs (including 2 puppies).  Those of us missing our own doggies were happy for their company.  We settled into our bunkrooms, had a delicious dinner and hiked up to a very welcome cool dip in the local hotel pool.

As we turn in for the night, we are so thankful for a smooth trip and safe arrival.  We look forward to our first day of serving the Haitian people and pray that mutual respect and learning guide us through the days ahead. 

-Paula

Sports/Tech Camp Day 5 - Camp & Elders

Dear Family & Friends,

Our day started bright and early (5:30 am) with an amazing church service. We were all exhausted and questioning why we were up so early, but afterwards no one regretted showing up. It was a crazy experience seeing how different they do church here. The people filled the aisles and worshiped with their whole bodies, they danced and sang with everything they had. It was not just another day at church for them, and it was not just a routine. They were so filled with life and love. What an inspiration it was seeing and hearing these people thank God for all the little things they had. It made us all take a step back and realize how truly blessed we really are.

After church we headed to Grace Village where we spent our last full day with the kids. As I stepped off the tap-tap tired and dreary, I was instantly greeted by two boys who I previously spent time with. They really boosted my mood and made me appreciate the day a lot more. Everywhere they went, I went and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. It being the third day of sport camp--relationships were fully built, and the whole team along with myself felt completely comfortable. It was eye opening to see how happy they are with so little. I couldn't stop smiling all day, my heart has been changed and I will forever remember those two boys.

Next our team made our way into the town of Titiyan to visit the homes of four elders. At each stop we were welcomed into their homes and met all the children playing around outside. We washed the feet of the elderly, rubbed lotion on their hands, sang songs to them, asked questions about their life, and prayed for them. A quote from one of the elderly women was "Pray that I continue growing in faith", keep in mind she was 72 years old and still asking for growth...how inspiring! It was extraordinarily special to leave a mark on the lives of the people that can no longer do things for themselves.

Today was so full and so long, but ending the day totally out of energy is a reminder that we gave it our all to the people we served!

God Blesses Always,
(Nicole & Steven)

Sports/Tech Camp Day 4 - Grace Village, Croation Relief

Dear Friends & Family,

On the first day of camp, I met a boy named John who is ten years old and knows little English. Everyone got out of the tap tap and went to join all of the kids who were sitting in the pavilion. Rosalinda, who I had met the previous year, was sitting down at a table and I went and sat next to her. To the right of me was a little boy and his friend. I was listening to the speaker when all of a sudden I had gotten a little tap on the shoulder. I looked over at Rosalinda only to see that she was facing forward and it was not her who tapped me. Looking to the other side, I see a boy facing forward with this look on his face. I point at him saying "you", but he then pointed to his friend saying it was not him. That there was the beginning of our friendship. We didn't talk much due to the language barrier, but we would play and play until it was time to leave. Today, as we arrived at Grace, I am standing on the side looking around when I see John. He then points at me as he sees me and I wave back to him with a smile. A little while later, we were sitting over by the playground playing with rocks sitting in silence. I wanted to talk to him so badly but had no idea how. Then an idea popped into my head. "Why don't I go get my camera so he can take pictures?" I got his attention and motioned for him to follow me. We walk over to the tap tap and I grab my camera and handed it to him. He wasn't sure what to do, so I take it back and I change the language from English to French so he would understand the different words better. John took a bunch of pictures and videos, and then he went through my camera roll. All the way towards the top were all my pictures from my trip to Haiti last year. I had pictures of these two boys who were at Grace last year but were not there anymore. John was at Grace last year, and immediately  recognized the two boys. He started to say things that I could not understand, but he had a smile on his face and then he called over a bunch of other kids and showed them the picture. I thought it was so cool how they all remembered the two boys. Just one picture can bring back so many memories.

God Blesses Always,

Sports/Tech Camp
(Grace)

Sports/Tech Camp Day 3 - Grace Village!!!

Dear Friends & Family,

To me, the children of Grace Village are my gift from God. The kindhearted, pure souls bring joy to my heart each time I see them. It does not matter how amazing water truck day was or how cool it was to visit new orphanages because visiting Grace and all the kids there will always be the highlight of my trip. Do not get me wrong, I love water truck day and I love going to see other kids at different orphanages, but I have bonded and built special relationships with the kids at Grace, and nothing will ever change that. One of the relationships I built was with a young boy named Rendy. I met him exactly one year ago during a sports camp. I hung out with him and we played basketball and swung on the swings, but I did not really think anything of it until the following Sunday. After the church service on that Sunday, Rendy ran up to me and gave me a small, folded piece of paper. Inside the piece of paper was the most beautiful, heartfelt note I had ever received. After having read it, I instantly fell in love with the little boy. Just knowing that I had done something for him made my heart smile. That day, I had made a promise to him that I would be back very soon. Recently this past March, I came back down to visit him, and I  was given yet another sweet note from him, and I also got to meet his sister, Samone. Samone had told me that Rendy prays for me every night and that he would talk about me a lot to his family. Hearing that made me so extremely happy. Knowing I had made an impact in his life is something very special. It broke my heart every time I had to say goodbye to him because he is the most kindhearted person I have ever met. So today was the teams first day at Grace and the joy inside of me could not be contained. As the tap-tap rode up the bumpy road leading up to the gates of Grace, I had butterflies in my stomach because I was so excited to reconnect with my friends. The moment I saw Rendy and he saw me, his face lit up with a great big smile. I cannot get it out of my head. I spent most of my time with him today knowing it would be very hard to say goodbye. This will by far be one of my favorite days because I got to see someone who is very dear to my heart, words cannot explain how much I love this boy. It will break my heart when I have to see goodbye, but I am hoping to return soon to see him again. 

God Blesses Always,

Sports/Tech Team

(Grace)

Sports/Tech Day 2 - Water Truck Day

Dear Friends and Family!

Today consisted of sweat, aching arms, confusing conversations due to language barriers, but the most love and joy I have ever seen from kids who have so little. Some of us had a rough time waking up but we got to breakfast, which was made by the Haitian cooks who make the most delicious food, and hopped on to the tap tap and made our way to the first of three water truck stops in cite soleil. Before I even stepped off of the tap tap I could see the kids surrounding us waiting to be picked up. I stepped off and before I knew it there was a little girl in my arms and 3 more children grabbing onto my shirt waiting to be held. I saw just as many, if not more kids, surrounding the rest of the team members. The water started pouring and the line of buckets formed. Once their buckets were filled they lifted them to their heads and headed back to their homes with help of the Healing Haiti team. Once the water truck was empty we said goodbye to the kids clinging to us and headed to the second water truck stop. While we waited for the water truck to refill we stopped at Hope church which is in the center of cite soleil to eat and see Hope church that was built on an area which was once their dumping ground. We left the church and when the gates opened children were running towards us and leaping into our arms. There we hung out with the kids and gave water just like the first stop but the line for water was even more chaotic but just as successful. After the second stop we went to check out the new Healing Haiti farm and tried fresh coconut straight form the tree. After that we headed to our third and final water truck stop. When we got there, tired and super hot, it started to lightly rain which felt like a gift from God. Just seeing all the kids and people light up when they saw us made my day. The kids have more joy by just being held than most kids who have everything they need and more. We finished up our last water truck stop and went back to the guest house and walked to the pool at a near by hotel to cool down. Finished off the night with an incredible devotion. It was only my first full day in Haiti and I can already see God working through our team in so many ways. I can't wait for to see what God does in us and through us the rest of this week. Oh, and hi Mom!

God Blesses Always,

Sports/Tech Team

(Kendra & Carly)

Sports/Tech Camp Day 1 - Travel Day

Dear Family and Friends,

Today was Travel Day! Travel day is a compilation of preparation, anxiety, nerves and excitement all coming together at once. Our Sports/Tech Team has been planning for this trip through meetings and prayer for the last 6mo and we showed up to the airport ready upon arrival. We met at the Minneapolis Airport at 3am, which was before much of the airport's staff even started their shift for the day. Although navigating through airports and Haitian customs with 15 travelers can have some challenges, we worked hard to successfully make it to Haiti!!! :) *minus 1 bag...

This trip is extra special in the fact that we are privileged to be apart of a new TECH movement! Headed up by some of our team members, we managed to bring 40 iPads to Grace Village. Wow what a feat! God's hands has been on this adventure from the beginning propelling it to heights we never anticipate in such a short amount of time.... More to come on this story...

All in all, we are so blessed to be serving with  an amazing, energetic, passionate team of individuals. One of our missionaries shared that her word/phrase of the day which was, "Step Up." These mission trips cannot be accomplished by one individual. It takes a team and each member needs push themselves to be a soldier for Chris. Furthermore, I believe God calls us all to step up every day. You don't have to travel to a 3rd world country to do it. You might be right where you need to be. Just stop, listen and step up...

God Blesses Always,

Sports/Tech Team

Day 3 - The Beauty of Grace Village & The Elderly

Grace Village, Fleri Bakery and caring for the elderly. Beauty and change are a couple of words that resonate this evening with those of us contributing to this blog. These thoughts and experiences are coming from one veteran (who has been on this trip before) and two rookies.

Our day began with a tour of Grace Village. The beauty in this place is amazing. From the brightly colored buildings, to the hillside setting with ocean views, to the smiles on the faces of those we encountered, to the impact this place is making in the community. From the moment we entered the gate it was apparent that the Lord is moving in amazing ways here. Joy and passion are clearly visible on the faces and through the words of everyone we came in contact with. And there seems to be an environment for change, improvement and growth. A new computer room has been added to the school with iPads and new technology arriving shortly. A garden has been added to grow vegetables and herbs for the feeding center and bakery/restaurant. It was really neat to see. And to hear the what the children and families experience through the facility, school, and clinic. This is a very special place.

Our next stop was a brief one at Fleri Bakery and Restaurant. We will be revisiting Fleri this weekend for a meal. However, we had the quick opportunity to have a break here. Again, it was very neat to see the change that has occurred since last year. New growth, furnishings and amazing food. Quick side-note... I love the resourcefulness of Fleri and Grace Village. To furnish the bakery/restaurant, steel barrels were used to create beautifully painted tables and chairs.

Our primary service for the day was visiting and caring for four local elders. We were welcomed into their homes and were able to spend time with them. These elders were neat individuals. They have surpassed the typical life expectancy and our time with them seemed to be the highlight of their week. We spent time washing feet, giving massages, painting nails and singing with them. It is amazing the joy they had with so little.

With love from Haiti,
Matt, Amanda and Lindsey