Scott/Wayne EBC Team: The Forgotten

In Haiti, the average mortality rate is an incredible 52 years of age. Unfortunately, for those who outlive their children and have no one to care for them, life can be very lonely and difficult. They are often times “forgotten” by their community. Today, we had the opportunity to visit four of the elderly who are supported by Healing Haiti’s Elder Care program…and remind them that they are truly cared-for and far from being “forgotten.”

Our first stop was to the home (concrete room with a tin roof) of a 91-year old, who absolutely loves visits from the Healing Haiti teams. Although she is almost too weak to walk and struggles with dementia, the pure joy and happiness on her face as we washed her calloused feet and massaged her frail limbs with lotion would have melted your heart.  She just closed her eyes and smiled as our team poured out compassion, prayer, love, and lots of tears toward this amazing woman.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon visiting an elderly gentleman (63 years old), who is still recovering from a hip replacement surgery, and two incredible sisters (63 and 65 years old) full of energy and life who considered our visit a “gift from God.”

Although our visit and time spent today was meaningful and impactful, the elderly were the true “gift from God.” God has been challenging us this entire trip to stretch ourselves and expand our love and compassion to those who need it most. Today, we made sure that these amazing individuals understood how much they were loved, and how they were most certainly not “forgotten.”

Wayne

Matthew 25:35-40

 “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.”

Then these righteous ones will reply, “Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?”

And the King will say, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!”

Scott/Wayne EBC Team: Curious George in Haiti?

Incredible to find Curious George at the Grace Village orphanage in Titanyen, Haiti!
Thanks HMH! Great to see amazing things happening to strengthen education for these children.

Elaine

Scott/Wayne EBC Team: A Day at Grace Village

What another amazing day! It is so great to watch this team grow in their faith and understanding that something as small as a touch, can have such a tremendous impact on someone. Today, we travelled to Titanyen which translates to ‘less than nothing’ to see Grace Village where we visited the site where Alyn Shannon’s (founder of Healing Haiti) vision became real. 

Grace Village is a beautiful compound on the side of a hill that overlooks the ocean.  We were able to take a tour of the facilities, on the way to see the aquaponics area.  They are growing fish, not only to eat, but also to use the waste to mix with compost that will eventually make black dirt.  This dirt will be used to further educate the students on agriculture practices and make them more self-sustainable by growing their own produce. Next we walked into the library and saw where the classrooms are set-up.  Both the kids that live in Grace Village and kids from the area attend classes here. We next saw the homes that the kids live in. Healing Haiti Mission: The world is a better place when families are strengthened. This is witnessed as the houses are set-up differently than other orphanages.  The houses are smaller and are structured like families, one or two adults are living with the kids.  The kids have chores and tasks to accomplish to teach responsibility and other family relationship concepts/communication. Next we saw the hospital clinic that treats local people. Today there was another mission group that was performing surgeries. Lastly we played with and loved on the kids that are staying here, coloring, playing with bubbles and trying to keep up with a friendly soccer game.  It’s obvious to see the work that is getting done here is truly incredible and so good!

Upon leaving Grace Village, we made our way down the hill to the Flueri Bakery and restaurant. The members who had been here before have noted the how large of a task this has been. What started as a vision and a prayer is now growing and equipped with ovens and utensils, and they are making some baked items.  The goal of this building is to continue to hire and employee Haitian community members, they hope to employee 70 people when it is fully operational. Of course we tried a few cookies, croissants and cinnamon rolls…all delicious!

Chris

Scott/Wayne EBC Team: A Moment of God's Presence

After a long day of delivering water to Cite Soleil, we sat around as a group and shared our stories and emotional experiences with each other. We discussed times when God showed up in our faith journey – and one moment immediately came to my mind. Yesterday, we visited Carrefour Home for the Sick and Dying. The girls in the group cared for the females by messaging lotion on their arms and legs and providing emotional support. The last woman I cared for wasn’t easy to pick-out because she was lying on the floor in the corner, instead of a bed like the others. I would have missed her if it wasn’t for a boy who kindly ushered me over to help. As I kneeled beside the woman I quickly realized how severe her sickness was. She was skin and bone. Her breath was extremely faint. Flies were swarming around her face. I became very emotional, but I knew she needed help, so I choked-back tears and began rubbing lotion on her frail arms and legs. The boy who brought me over spoke some English so I started chatting with him. He told me he was 23 years old and the woman was his mother. I asked him how old she was, he struggled to say the number in English, but he could say “birthday.” It was his mother’s birthday that day. At that point I couldn’t hold back the tears - I couldn’t help but think of my own mother and just how difficult that must have been for the both of them. I asked the boy if I could pray for his mother. I held the woman’s delicate hands, bowed my head, and began silently praying. I was surprised when I looked up and saw the boy and his friend holding hands reciting a prayer in Creole. I grabbed his hand and all three of us began praying together over the woman. I was beside myself with emotion. I have never felt God more present. We didn’t need to understand what each of us were saying to know that it was powerful. I hugged the boy as he continued to say “merci, merci” over and over.  What he didn’t know was that I was thankful for him. God is so good and I truly believe he brought me to this moment for a reason. 

Ellie

Scott/Wayne EBC Team: 1st of Two Water Truck Days

Today the team visited Cite Soleil (one of the poorest slums in the Western Hemisphere) to deliver water. Water that we take for granted, the team delivered to those who have none. As soon as we stepped out of our Tap-Tap (our transportation vehicle) children surround us to our hearts delight. Some of the team was positioned by the water spout, others helped to fill the buckets and keep the line moving.  We all took turns rotating and there was plenty to do. We held as many children as possible, they all wanted to be held and they did not want to be put down.  Some children had no shoes, others had no clothes, but it didn’t matter because they are all God’s children.  We all felt God’s love today in many ways. The smiles we shared, the hugs we gave and received.  We had three water truck stops and after our first stop we visited Hope Church. This was an incredible sight to see in the middle of what is considered a slum, God’s love is shining through His church. The grounds that the church is built on was a former garbage dump 40 feet deep.  The church also has many classrooms and children, even adults are learning to read and write. A step in the right direction to rebuilding the community.

Elaine, Eileen, Ellie, Meredith

Scott/Wayne EBC Team:La Lou Jungle Gym

Scott/Wayne EBC Team: Lean In

In last night’s meeting Wayne and I challenged the team “for each of us to get out of our own way so that God can use us in his way. We may have the preconceptions about who we think we are, but often times that is a false sense of reality. God’s version of us is who we really are. What would happen if we pushed past our fears and insecurities? Imagine what kind of potential we would reach for Him. This week, we will be challenged, stretched and uncomfortable but when that happens… we need to Lean in… because, most likely, that moment is exactly where He wants us to be. Today, we did just that.

Our first stop was to Carrefour, which is known as the Home for Sick and Dying Adults. I personally have never been to this stop, so I was not sure what to expect. Our job here was to just be… present… which in our culture is slowly becoming an unfamiliar concept. We often find ourselves connected to just about everything but the present. However, equipped with bottles of lotion we entered rooms of bed ridden patients longing to feel the touch of someone who wants to love and be near them. We had the privilege of massaging lotion onto the patient’s hands, backs, shoulders, legs and feet. Many of the sick are too weak to move or are in so much pain they’d rather not, so having us there is a real treat. To some this may sound like uncomfortable interactions with strangers, but to God, we are obediently serving our brothers and sisters.

Our next stop was to the orphanage, La Loo. La Loo has around 35 children that range from 4-16 years old. These children were a joy! They were ecstatic to see us pull in. Our 6’6” team member, Dave Holmes, quickly became their living, breathing jungle gym. J After some play time we sat down for a bible study and activity. The study pulled pieces out of the books of Ephesians and Romans. [Put on your full Armor of God so that you can take a stand…against the evils of this world… for each of you were made with unique gifts and talents by the grace of God.] In an environment where many of the orphans were abandoned, they need to know that they are still loved and important to God. Furthermore, they must use that understanding to protect themselves from a world that wants them to think otherwise.

Overall, the trip has been physically, mentally and spiritually rewarding and it’s only begun. I am looking forward to experiencing the inevitable growth of this team in the upcoming days. Next up, Water Truck Day!

God Blesses Always,

Scott