Day 3- Orphanage Visit and Papillon

Today was another amazing day of spending time with beautiful and joyful Haitian children and discovering one courageous woman's plan for drawing Haiti out of impoverishment one by one. We made two stops at LaLou and For His Glory Orphanages. As soon as they were released from their rooms, the kids came running out with huge smiles ready to be picked and give some love. We got to cuddle with sweet Haitian babies and spend time with first and second graders at their recess playing Hop Scotch, tic-tac-toe and coloring pictures.Tonight at our team time, we all agreed that though we are here to bless and show God's love to others, we feel like we are receiving much more than we are giving. At the second orphanage, an intense game of soccer was started in an alley next to a pile of rubble still leftover from the earthquake. Despite these conditions, the children laughed and played a very competitive game where one of our team members actually got "kicked out" of the game for not being quite fast enough :)

In between orphanages, we stopped at Papillon (Butterfly in English). This is a shop started by a woman who had a passion for empowering Haitian parents to provide for their kids instead of bringing them to orphanages. The store employs about 350 Haitians who do everything from digging the clay to make necklaces and bracelets to selling delicious smoothies and pizza to giving tours of the compound. It was very heartening to see opportunities for the Haitians to provide for their own families and feel proud of their work.

Another amazing day serving God and making new friends we will one day see again in Heaven.

Water for Friends - Living Waters Team

Today was water truck day, and we made deliveries to three different locations in Cite Soleil. At each stop the smiles from the Haitians were endless and infectious.  Immediately we were welcomed with a chorus of  "hey you, hey you", as the younger kids gathered around our transport (called the Tap-Tap).  The time spent at each destination seemed to fly by, as you methodically transition between hugging and carrying children, and hauling water.  Is it possible to develop a lasting friendship in less than an hour?  Well, as scripture tells us, "...with God, all things are possible" (Mathew 19:26).  At the first stop we made I was befriended by Oseesi, an eight year old Haitian boy who absolutely warmed my soul.  Oseesi held my hand when I carried water buckets, and was attached to my hip when returning for more. We shared a long embrace when it was time to leave, and let each other know that we are loved by Jesus.  As we were driving away I heard my name being called out.  It was my new friend Oseesi, running alongside the Tap-Tap.  I do not know how far away the next stop was, but after disembarking, and through a swarm of new faces, and cries of "hey you", I again heard my name called out in the familiar voice of my little friend, Oseesi. He stayed close to me the whole time at this stop too.  How cool is that!  I will cherish this day and the memory of my new friend, and I know that I know, deep in my heart, that it will most certainly last!

Travel, arrival and first day in Haiti Team 2 Gambino/Hanson

We have safely arrived in Haiti after a whirlwind of smooth travel from Minneapolis to a short night in Miami and an early flight from Miami to Port-au-Prince. We arrived to a relatively calm airport and welcome heat. After a brief wait in the airport parking lot we were greeted by our Healing Haiti staff and our Tap-Tap. Out into the loud and exciting traffic of Port-au-Prince and to the Guest House.

How nice to get settled in, have a delicious breakfast and a briefing of our first day in country.

 Away we go! Our first stop was to the Metal Market where Haitian artisans create amazing work in metals and the art of the haggle is tried on by a bunch of Minnesotans. Haggling is an art form in and of itself that is expected and done with a certain flourish by those more adept. After a few purchases we were off to our next adventure. Monfort School for Deaf Students,

What an amazing place Monfort is. We were given a short tour of the school and then of the grounds that included a farm on which they have goats, pigs, chickens, rabbits, cattle, plantain trees, cabbages, mango, papaya, eggplants, avocados and more. Monfort serves 380 students of which 160 live on the grounds. After our tour we were able to spend some time playing with the children once they were done with their school day. What a wonderful, upbeat and glorious group of children they are. Even though many of us had not slept much since leaving Minnesota we were energized and uplifted!

Upon our return to the Guest House we find ourselves tired but quite content and filled with the joy of the wonderful Haitian people.

We now await what wonderful adventures await us in the coming days!


Glwa Pou Bondje!

Getting Ready

Our last minute preparations are underway!  Lots of packing, verifying documents, reviewing lists, watching videos.  We are so excited to see what God has in store for us as we travel to Haiti.

Winding down

This morning we attended Grace Church in Titanyen.  The church service was full of kiddos from Grace Village and people from the surrounding community.  There was lots of music - some words we understood and most we didn't but we knew we were worshiping our same awesome God.  The prayer and sermon had amazing intensity and it was clear that this church plays a significant role in the community. 

The kiddos from Grace Village were all seated in the front benches of the church and dressed in their "Sunday Best."  So sweet to watch the older ones take care of and keep in order the younger children.

After church we brought Dave Gunnlaugsson to the airport.   We all have such immense respect and love for him.  We thank him for his leadership, for sharing his faith, for his humor and smile, for walking with us on each of the 5 trips Incarnation has taken. We wish him safe travels! 

On to the top of the mountain!  We drove by the Palace and National Cathedral, both were heavily damaged from the earthquake in 2010.  The ruins of the National Cathedral are being left as a memorial for all the lives lost during this catastrophe.  The people who had been on the first trip noticed significant progress from boulders in the streets and rubble everywhere to a community that is recovering.  Then we made our way through a light rain up the winding road to the top of the mountain to look over the city of Port-au-Prince.  As landmarks were pointed out, we reminisced about the places we served and visited throughout the week.  What a rich experience we have had in this amazing country.  

When we returned, several of us went to see the neighborhood boys who have a bracelet business - part of the proceeds go to fund their education which is a requirement to be in this enterprise!  They were excited to meet us.  

Our words of the day and conversations tonight were reflective of our week and the impact this experience has had on us, collectively and individually.  

Listening for God's Call

(Kristi) As we approach the last days of our trip to Haiti, evening conversation has turned toward discussions around what we are being called to do - not just here, but at home too.  We've been blessed by each other in so many ways, encouraging one another when we were down and reveling in the beauty of watching each other shine Jesus' light brightly in this world using our own God-given gifts.  We have witnessed the beauty of living in community and of the support and strength that it brings.

Today we met a couple at the Haiti Deaf Academy, Meredith and Keith, who listened carefully to God's call. God had planted an ember in Meredith's heart early in her career,  which turned into a flame after a recent visit to Haiti. This led to them serving as missionary directors, using their unique gifts to teach sign language to 50 children ages 5 - 15.  In their current role, they provide loving care and housing for the children until the summer, when the children return to their families.  Although there was not one, but two language barriers for us today (both Creole and sign), we found that our common language of play bridged the communication gap.  We prepared lunch, prayed, played, shared Bible stories, sang, did crafts and filled the play yard with a melee of fun... like a couple of kids using Greg's face and head as a human canvas.

(Deb) One little boy who stole my heart was Fritz, a five year old who had moved to the Haiti Deaf Academy in September with no language skills whatsoever.  Fritz cuddled right into my lap for story time and giggled joyfully while Pastor "Hurricane" Gary sprayed the kids with water.  He drew a chalk picture for me of the tap-tap that we had arrived in and ventured off to a game of basketball with Bill as the human hoop - so he made EVERY basket.  When it was time for us to leave, he wrapped his arms around my neck, squeezed me tight, and started to cry softly.  Fritz will forever be in my heart.

(Becky) I met Choisenie, a blue-eyed deaf girl from Cite Soleil. When she arrived at the academy two years ago, she had no language. She was originally believed to be developmentally delayed, but was instead found to be deaf. She approached me right away to show me that our eyes matched, and together we searched for blue items to reinforce our shared eye color. After a few hours of play, including four-square (which I had to re-learn and then teach to Choisenie), we together selected a bracelet for me to purchase in the modest gift shop which was made by residents of a nearby deaf community. I will never forget this precious girl's beautiful face, her eyes, and our time together.

(Jennie) Today, I met Noahy.  He is the only student at the academy that is truly an orphan. He was loving from the beginning.  He followed me around, helped out with passing out of the sidewalk chalk, and especially enjoyed the face painting.  He gave me a beautiful new "Groucho Marx" look. We had a long Minnesota good-bye, with hugs and tears by both of us, waving the "I love you" sign through the gates.

Service and Serving

It was a day to rise early.  We were up before the crack of dawn to be at a church service that started at 6 am.  The team attended Church on the Rock, which has several differences from Incarnation both architecturally and what happens during the service.  The church building has no doors.  It is a large single room roughly the size of our sanctuary and Grace Hall put together.  This room has a balcony as well.  When we arrived we were greeted by music and preaching, not because we were late, but because the “warm up act” was already underway.  With loudspeaker cabinets half the size of a semi-trailer and the watts to bring them to life, worship at Church on the Rock is LOUD.  What we missed in translation we gained in volume.

There were about 300 people at the service, and about 50 of them were seated.  The majority were on their feet walking up and down the aisles, between the rows and even outside the church engaged in prayer, listening to the words and music coming from the stage.  They worship in a much more animated way than the typical service at Incarnation (OK, any service at Incarnation).  These are people who come to church before going to work, or going on with the rest of their day.   It was interesting to see how other people conduct their worship, and humbling to see how many people make daily worship a part of their regular lives

After the service we enjoyed a walk back to the guesthouse on the neighborhood streets.  It was much more active than when we rode to the church on the tap-tap.  Many people (most?) walk to their daily destinations of work or school.  

Our first service opportunity was at No Place Like Home orphanage.  We presented the Bible story of Jesus calling his disciples where they were out in a boat, and while Jesus was sleeping a storm comes up that rocks the boat and it drenches the boat’s passengers.  But Jesus wakes and calms the storm.  In our presentation of the story, the tempest was brilliantly played by Pastor Gary Medin, with a squirt bottle.  The story was brought to life by our interpreter, Valery, and the kids loved it.  The Activities team put together other fun stuff for the kids as well.  We had soccer balls, plus arts and crafts and sidewalk chalk to leave with them to play with after we had gone on our way.  We also sang several songs with them, and in return, the kids sang a song for use in Creole.

Our second service stop of the day was at Mephibosheth Orphanage for special needs children.  We did the same Bible story including a repeat performance by hurricane Gary, and sang some with them as well.  But there were also some differences.  We had more time to spend with this group of kids and we had balloons to blow up for them, face paints, and bubble soap.  So we had a great opportunity to play with the kids, and be kids ourselves.  We were treated to 2 songs by a young  lady who lives at Mephibosheth who sang like an angel.

We ended the day with thought-provoking devotions, sharing what we as individuals have learned from Haiti and how we hope to bring a part of Haiti home with us.  It is clear that what we’ve seen and done in Haiti is messing with our hearts, bodies, minds  and spirit.

It was a great day for the team here in Haiti.  We got several chances to learn more about the culture and daily lives of Haitians, and to serve more of God’s children.  The weather is typically blazing sun and plenty hot (for Minnesotans), but we’ve been blessed with overcast and cooler weather that has been very easy to tolerate. Except for the occasional rain squalls caused by hurricane Gary.