Healing Haiti Trip, Oct.20, 2018

We slept in a little due to a change in schedule. Breakfast was at the usual 8:30. Besides French Toast, oatmeal, bananas, avocado, juice and scrambled eggs we had cinnamon rolls and monkey bread from Fleri Bakery. (Thanks Deb and Wendy)
Fabrice and Chrissy from White Bear happened to stop in to visit this morning.
   Charlie and Mike had gotten a haircut last night, from the new barber down the street, and looked very nice.
    Then we did some shopping at the Papillon Gift and Enterprise. They have a job creation company for Haitians.  They buy their goods from locals artists and companies. They also purchase clay powder, mix it and form it into ceramic items and fire it in their own furnace. We enjoyed smoothies and coffee upstairs at the Clay Cafe.
   The  " For His Glory Orphanage" was next. (Also called Maison des Effants de Dieu Orphange) There are about 70 kids there. We played  and held them for 1+  hours. One of, our driver and interpreter was amazing interacting with the kids. He had some doing gymnastics and the worm crawl. The parachute game had the kids laughing for 20 minutes.
   Lunch was at the Compound and consisted of snacks and then we had to wait until 3 PM to go to "Sick and Dying Babies Orphanage." It is associated with Sisters of Charity. There were more than 75 children there. They varied from pretty healthy to very frail. After 2 hours of holding them and nurturing as best as we could we went back to the Compound.
   Dinner was a wonderfully prepared spaghetti, red sauce and garlic bread.
    Both teams gathered for a debriefing together to finish the evening.

   
 

Healing Haiti Team 2, Oct. 19,2018

  6:00 AM service at Church on the Rock. There were about 150 locals present and only a few were not up walking and moving with the spirit from the service in them. The church looked like it would hold 500 parishioners. It was clean and neat throughout. We were greeted by the first speaking Pastor and many parishioners returned our smiles, hand shakes and one gave each of us a hug. We all walked home and the children were walking to school in their uniforms.
   Breakfast was pancakes, avocados, mango, bananas, scrambled eggs, juice, oatmeal.
   After devotions the Tap Tap took us to the site of the Mass Graves. The guide mentioned 300,000 people died in the earth quake and a majority of them are buried here, Almost every person in Haiti lost someone that day. There is a site up the hill from the Mass Graves where non Haitians quake victims are buried. It is marked by 3 large crosses. This area of Haiti  is called Titanyen, (tea- tawn-yeah)   which means "less than nothing
    Next stop was Grace Academy. It looks like an oasis with its new buildings and bright colors. A 2 y/o named James greeted us . Mackenzie (sp) greeted us and showed us around. The classrooms are small but organized and the students were attentive to their tasks. There are 150 sponsored student and about 450 total. Only 60 of them live there in family style settings. Kinder garden covers grades 1-3 and there are 13 grade levels in all. Last year students are called  "Filo" for "last year". They were a different uniform too. All of the teachers and the dentist are Haitians.
   There is a medical and dental clinic there along with a small library.
    Next we went to serve some elders. The first was Deaufort, a somewhat frail man who lives alone. ( he smiled when he explained that God lives with him so he is not alone) It appeared his only family contact was with his daughter, Claudia and she had written her name and number on the outside of his small house. We bathed his feet and put lotion on his hands, feet and shoulders. He received a meal. We prayed for his well being and that his roof would get fixed.
   Maricia was next and we did the same with her. She was cheerful and in generally god health. She cares for a grandchild. She asked for prayer for spiritual strength and enough health to care for her grandson.
   Elafet has an approx 20 y/o granddaughter who doesn't speak and did not respond to our greetings. She was sitting in the hot sun. Elefet was also frail in appearance. She asked for prayer to find a better living situation as only one of them can sleep on the bed and the other, (usually Elefet) is on the floor.
   Next we toured the Fleri ( It means to flourish) Bakery. Jake is the Executive Manager at there. Every employee is Haitian. We ate their pizza an it may be the best we have ever had. Wendy bought Monkey Bread there for our breakfast treat tomorrow.
   After we got home, Mike and Charlie went for a haircut.

Haiti Team 2; Oct. 18,2018

   Last night several members of both teams had some significant stomach distress. This morning most felt improved but Charlie was uncomfortable. Despite our urging to take the day off, he insisted on accompanying us on the trip.
   Coffee was started a 6:30 am.
   Breakfast included french toast, juice, avocados, mango, oatmeal, scrambled eggs.
   Our first stop was at Haiti Design Company Boutique and Workshop. We had a tour of the work area and met workers and observed some of the shop employees doing their jobs. We supported the economy by purchasing some beautifully made products. Iced coffee, smoothies and other choices were purchased and we all sat up on the rooftop patio in a cool breeze while enjoying the shop managers company, (Tess)
   Next stop was at Sweet Home Orphanage. The children were in good spirits and seemed pleased to have us there. They were all neatly groomed and wore matching attractive uniforms. We played for about 30 minutes on the swings, "keep away", and various children's playground activities.
    LaPhare Orphanage was our next stop. The children were attentive to Kathleens'  Faith Presentation."  She colored water with dye and said the change was like our pure lives being tainted by sin. She then added bleach to neutralize the dye and the water cleared. This is like our sins being forgiven by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. She described how Jesus desires a personal relationship with each of us. She gave an example of a simple personal prayer to God.
   We described the life cycle of a butterfly and compared the change from egg to caterpillar and from cocoon to butterfly . These dramatic life changes were compared those that take place in those who invite Jesus into their lives.
   We then spent nearly 45 minutes playing jump rope,catch, coloring,beading and holding the children.
    All the children were beautiful today and we felt gratitude and blessed to have them share their lives with us.
    We met Team 1 at the pool and wound down with socializing there.
    Dinner was a Haitian style meal. Chicken legs, kibby, coleslaw,dark  rice and beans, potatoes and carrots with broth, and a squash like veggie.
 
 

Sabbath

Haiti Team 2, Weds. Oct.17, 2018

Charlie had coffee ready at 6:30 am. We did sleep in a little because there was a protest scheduled in our area. The details/purpose of the protest are still unclear but we were unaffected by it.

    Mike offered a nice devotional for our team this morning. That was after a breakfast of oatmeal, pancakes, bananas, mango, avocados.

    Jean, (vision expansion coordinator),  shared his story and his history with Healing Haiti.

    We spent the morning and early afternoon reflecting on our purpose here and enjoyed sharing time together. Some games included bean bag and Farkle (sp). 

   From about 1:30 until 4:00 both teams and the team from Reiser Relief ( White Bear Lake, St Mary’s Church) went to the local pool/hotel just a couple blocks away. We used the beach ball to volley around the edge of the pool and reached a remarkable sequence of 52 volleys before missing a hit.

    The were remnants of 3 burned tires on the road along our walk. There was no evidence of a protest. 15+ local young men were casually sitting along  the roadside. They smiled and returned our greetings. 

    Dinner of Haitian lasagna and fresh veggie salad was tasty.we were essentially unaffected by it. So our teams were advised to not go out of the compound

Day 2

Haiti Trip, Team 1, Oct 16, 2018

     Charlie started coffee at 6:30 AM. We slept varying amounts between strange (but comfortable) beds and new nighttime noises. The roosters get up early and seem quite proud to announce it.

     Breakfast at 8:30 after prayer and a devotional. French toast, scrambled eggs, avocado,juice, bananas, oatmeal. 

     At about 9 AM we left in the Tap Tap to serve in Haiti. Our first stop was at Hope Church and School in City Soleil. As we approached, the children were curious and started poking their hands out the windows to touch us. When we went into the worship area, (connected to the classrooms)  the children came out to greet us. (hey you!)

The children are all wearing matching uniforms and are neatly groomed. They seemed to not get enough of our holding them and giving them attention.

 There are two Pastors and we met them too.

  The Technology Pod was ready to start up today and we had a tour. We had brought down 23 IPADS on our flight and each one can be used by up to ten students. It is State of The Art in teaching technology.

   We split up into two groups of 5. Our two Haitian guides introduced us to 3 different elderly Haitians. We asked each what they would like us to pray for them. They have so little and their situation seems so desperate that my prayers seemed empty.  I thought of my faith and focused on Jesus promise of a life after the time we spend in these bodies.

    We then went to the 4 Coffins area and again delivered water. It is fun interacting with the Haitians despite the strenuous work carrying water with them to their homes.

At both water stops the children were swarming around us and wanting us to hold them. Their dark eyes and smiles are easy to love and they genuinely enjoy our attention.

   There was a Haitian protest planned that seemed potentially risky for us so we returned to the Guest House. So, we all went to an adjoining property to use the pool. The setting was beautiful. It was great fun and we set a record of volleying a beach ball 34 times in a row.

Dinner was supurb.

Rendevouz Christ/Wahoo Bay Beach Scott/Wermager 10-14-18

Today we went to an amazing service at "Rendevouz Christ" where the Haitians were extremely welcoming and loving towards us.  We were able to worship with them in half english and half creole, and for the actual sermon we were given headphones with a translator.  The pastor spoke biblical truth in a way that was extremely relateable and just reminded us that no matter what city, state, country, or culture we are from, we all worship and praise the same God.  The music was absolutely beautiful, and the church was stunning, you can tell they have a lot of pride for their congregation.  We were grateful to have been part of it.

We then stopped at the guesthouse quickly to change and get on the road to Wahoo Bay Beach.  The hour long ride there seemed like an eternity, because we were all so excited for the ocean!  This entire week we were blessed with beautiful weather, and today was no exception! The sun was shining, and most of us have burn lines to prove it ;)  We were taken back by the beauty God has created.  The crystal clear blue water, the mountains with clouds coming out from the tops, and the vibrant flowers were stunning.  We enjoyed swimming, kayaking, jet skiing, jumping on the trampoline, drinking cocounut water and authentic fruit smoothies for several hours.  It's remarkable the vast difference we have seen from different parts of Haiti throughout the week, it really is such a beautiful country with even more beautiful people.

We ended the night singing happy birthday to our team mate Leah and enjoying some chocolate birthday cake, and had one last devotional with each other.  We collected all of our pictures on the computer, and had an hour long slide show, reminiscing about the past week we were blessed to spend with each other.  It is so hard to believe we are going home tomorrow.  We may be leaving Haiti tomorrow, but it will be engrained in our hearts forever.

Please help us in praying for safe travels, continued safety and love for the Haitians, the staff here that have played such an important role in our success of this trip, and our friends and family back home as they will also have to adjust to our changed hearts.

Teen Challenge/Papillon Russ/Wermager 10-12-2018

This morning we woke up much earlier than usual. Rudy the rooster was still asleep and it was still black outside when we left to go to Church on the Rock. To experience church in a Haitian community was so amazing. This community is so incredible that they put on a service that has English spoken at it during friday morning services. To watch the Haitians walk up and down the isles praising God was so inspiring. We got home in time for some of us to get in a quick nap before breakfast.
After our delicious breakfast we hit the road to Haiti Teen Challenge. What an experience to be able to hear the stories of these young women and then to be able to encourage them also. To be able to show them that addiction doesn't descriminate and it's not because of the color of our skin or becasue of the country we live in, but because the devil wants to kill and destroy. We felt united in such a way even though we don't even speak the same language.
From teen challenge we continued onto Papillon Enterprises. Papillon is a cafe/giftshop that was started by an american women who went down to Haiti to pick up a child she was supposed to adopt. When she got to Haiti she found out that the birth parents didn't want to give up their child, but they couldn't financially support that child. So instead of taking their baby, she decided to figure out a way that the family could make money to keep their baby. This is what started Papillon Enterprises. They are so resourcesful in everything that they make. All the pottery, jewlery, stuffed animals, metal art, and beads are all made there on site. Beads made of cereal boxes, bracelets made of recycled t-shirts, everything made by hand, but so beautiful. Over 200 Haitians are employed by this company keeping kids in their parents homes. The tour was so eye opening and made us want to spend even more money in their gift shop to promote this mission. While at Papillon there happened to be a Haitian woman who was pregnant with twins go into active labor across the street. This was her 3rd set of twins and her water had broke 2 days prior. 2 of our team members stepped in to make sure she was breathing through the contractions and that her blood pressure wasn't getting to high. They stayed with her the whole time until a car came to get her and bring her to the hospital. Their willingness to step in without a second thought to make sure that if this woman gave birth that it was still a good experience was heart warming.
From Papillon we went back to Fleri for some delicious pizza. We got to enjoy this dinner with our driver, translator and hospitality team. We had so many laughs, probably more than we should have due to lack of sleep, and we continued to create more memories together as a team. We got back to the guest house to have an amazing devotion together where one of our team members was lead to give their testimony for the first time.
This experience continues to grow deeper and deeper and we are sad that this is slowly coming to a close.