Bayside/Tonka Day 1 "God is in the unexpected"

This was the message of our sermon Sunday, and was oh so fitting for our journey to Haiti! For the Bayside goers, we had to patiently deal with road construction(or impatiently) that put us through security just in time to board. Then nice flight to Miami, and then we find we had to claim our donations bags which were maximum weight and haul them with to the hotel, and back. Had great shuttle helpers and actually turned out she was from Haiti:)
A late dinner at Ihop and most of us were full and smiling as we finally called it a night. Kristi and kids, though, slept at the airport, or should I say in Kristi's words, "it was an adventure". But not really sleep.
Things went smooth in every way to finish our trip to Haiti, and we ended up getting in early, around noon to the guesthouse. We then took care of our organizing for the week, and checking out the guesthouse and grounds. We had a refreshing trip to a nearby hotel which allows us to use their pool in exchange for just buying a beverage:) It's hot here and I've never seen people get into the pool so fast in my life:) A relaxing, reenergizing time and finished with shepherd's pie and soccer with the local boys.
We have some other new friends with Team 3, and enjoyed games, talking and the soccer time with them too. We finished with a devo, and the word of the day, which is where we all pick a word that describes our major thought for the day. Some examples, beautiful, grateful, peaceful, and relieved.
Now early to bed and rest for our big day delivering water with our water trucks to City Soleil. Tomorrow the adventure goes to the next level! Thx for prayers and interest in our team.   Al

Hamilton/Loween Day 7

Today was our last full day in Haiti…and we were looking for opportunities to serve, so we got lucky enough to sneak one more orphanage visit into our day!!  First…we had church.  We walked back to the same church we were at the other day…Church on the Rock and enjoyed an inspiring service.  Today’s service included an American pastor who spoke some of the message in English, so that was fun to be a part of it.

From church, we loaded up in the TapTap and went to a new affiliated orphanage with Healing Haiti. The Cardinal Stepinac Children’s Center [by Croatian Relief Services] includes about 60 kids. The property was very nice…they had the first patch of green grass that we have seen in all of Haiti.  Of course…we played soccer! We joked it was skirts v. skins because we were all still in our church clothes.  The kids had a blast.  The property had quite a few mango trees, bunnies, kittens, and a great water filtration system.  The kid’s age ranges appeared 5 to 17.  They were all very well-mannered and loved the time we spent with them.

Last stop for the day was to a local grocery.  People stocked up on Haitian coffee which is delicious.  Once we got back to the guest house we walked over to the pool and enjoyed a little relaxation time.  Fun Fact we learned about our team: Tammy is the acting mayor of her town!  We will know call her Madam Tammy😉

Tonight, we are wrapping up with group time and worship with the other teams on the compound.  This trip is coming to an end sadly…the week has flown by!  We are staying in the moment and will continue to learn and listen to what God has as he continues to influence us all here in Haiti.

Looking at a brochure we got from the orphanage today – it reads: Mathew 24:40 “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”  For us this is a simple summary of the work we have done all week. 

AND in conclusion…we owe many thanks to the Healing Haiti staff and all the Haitians that have been extremely hospitable to us during our stay.  To our team members specifically – we have learned a bit about each other and now will have a memory to cherish for a lifetime.  To our leaders – the little things did not go unnoticed from packing us up for the day to uploading all of our photos…you truly lead by example!  To the HH staff, your work ethic and kindness exceeded expectations!  Merci, Merci!

 

Jill and Emily

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hamilton/Loween Day 6

We can definitely say that today was a full day.  For some of our team, the day started early with an opportunity to serve at Haitian Initiative. Haitian Initiative is an after school soccer program in Cité Soleil. This is a place where the children in the community of all ages, boys and girls, are given opportunity to play soccer, and so much more. They have the opportunity to go to school, be coached and mentored by peers and adults who care about them and their development. They are fed a meal, and get to play the game they love most. The athletic trainers on our team were able to run a sports injury clinic this morning. We saw about 20 kids and coaches today with a variety of ailments, from blisters and lacerations to knee and elbow sprains, and fractures. We know the need is greater than what we were able to provide today, but we just pray we were able to be a blessing to those we did treat.

After that, our team served in Cité Soleil delivering water at two different stops.  The first stop was one of the same stops from Wednesday.  The second stop seemed to have so many more young children than our other stops.  The need also seemed much greater today.  At both stops, there was still a line waiting for water after the truck was empty.  For many, today was difficult.  The lines were longer, the buckets seemed heavier and the desire from the children to be held and loved was so much greater.  We struggled with trying to fulfill the needs of carrying buckets and loving on children.  It was a good reminder that we, as human beings, cannot be and do it all.  We need to rely on God for every need…and ironically that is exactly what the Haitians are doing – trusting and relying on God to provide for all their needs.  And in a very small way, we had the privilege of being part of that plan today.

Our next stop was back to the guesthouse for a quick and much needed shower before heading to a nearby orphanage.  The orphanage that we visited has around 35 kiddos ranging in age from 6 months to 18 years old.  The children were well cared for and genuinely excited for our visit.  They welcomed us with open arms.  We did a variety of activities, including sidewalk chalk, jump ropes and of course soccer!  Our time there seemed to fly by and before we knew it, we were saying good-bye to some amazing kids. 

Lastly we had the treat of going to Fleri Restaurant for dinner.  Our server was one of the kids transitioning out of Grace Village.  The transition program is for the kids that have reached adulthood and are in process of finding a trade to allow them to become independent.  We ordered appetizers, pizzas and of course some amazing desert!  Fleri is such a great example of the hope and beauty that comes from empowering the Haitians to flourish.   

~Amy and Marcia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hamilton/Loween Day 5

“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them.  But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God” Mark 10:13-15

 

We started this morning out by attending a Haitian Church on the Rock.  It was amazing to see the love that these people had for God.  Most locals spent the service standing or walking up and down the isles with their hands raised in praise. Although the service was all in Haitian Creole, it was still very moving to see the passion that these people have for our Lord.

 

Next for the day was the Metal Market.  It was here where we saw metal transformed into beautiful pieces of art.  The Haitians rely on the sales of their artwork to support their families so buying from them was a win/win situation for all of us.  While some of us waited for the others to finish, we took out a soccer ball and started playing soccer with a group of young kids who had gathered outside the tap tap.  The smiles on their faces as they played were priceless.

 

We had scheduled 2 visits to local orphanages: Monfort and Dios.  Monfort is an orphanage and school for the deaf.  Upon arrival, we were given a tour of the farm and the classrooms.  The animals on the farm were raised for the purpose of feeding the children of the orphanage.  And finally what we were all anxiously awaiting…..playtime with the kiddos!  We had brought soccer balls, jump ropes, and dry erase boards for interacting with the children.  They were so curious to know our names and ages and to write (in beautiful cursive) their names and the names of their friends.  We played tic-tac-toe, drew pictures, and some of the kids even had us doing math problems.  We wrapped up our visit at Monfort with one last visit through a room housing furniture and other wood products made by the these very talented deaf kids. 

 

Last visit for the day was to Dios, an orphanage for children with special needs.  We brought along a craft project to do with them—a foam visor and stickers to put on them.  The kids had fun putting the stickers on their visor, themselves, and others!  After completing the project, we took out the soccer balls, which is always a hit with the children.  Disabilities?  Did someone say disabilities?  We watched as they kicked the ball back and forth with us and others.  To watch one child play while on crutches was amazing!  The children in wheelchairs got in the action too by throwing the balls back and forth to us.  We wrapped up our visit with singing.  One of the little girls had the voice of an angel as she sang, “Lord, I need you.”

 

We are here to help the people of Haiti as best as we can.  Our team stay is short and our impact minimal relative to the need in Haiti as a whole.  The reality is that the beautiful people of Haiti have no idea how they have forever impacted us. 

 

Glwa pou Bondye!!  Glory to God!   ~Tammy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hamilton/Loween Day 4

DEFEAT.

We woke up early today and prepared for a much different day than yesterday. Yesterday was action packed – a good thing for many of us busy bodies on the team. I couldn’t help but feel a little bit defeated this morning. We did wonderful things yesterday and planted seeds of hope and joy in many people. But as I prayed and thought about our day, I couldn’t help but feel defeated by the life that these joyful Haitian children will grow up in. We worked hard all day and came home sweaty and tired, but how much long-term impact can delivering water to a couple hundred people really have when they grow up in this cycle of poverty?

“FLERI”

Day 4 began with a 45 minutes tap tap ride up to the city of Titanyen to Healing Haiti’s Grace Village. Grace Village is a school and orphanage built by Healing Haiti to educate and house both local kids from the community and kids who have been orphaned. We met with Kiki who gave us a tour of the village. As we have seen all week, Grace Village is operated by local Haitians. With a 70% unemployment rate in Haiti, it is important for the sustainability of any organization to empower their people and make them a part of the process. Everyone from the teachers, house mamas, gardeners to the medical staff and bakers at the brand new bakery, are local residents. Fleri – the Creole word for flourish and also the name of the new bakery attached to Grace Village that represents the hope and promise of the Haitian community. There is hope for the children who have been orphaned to Grace Village to flourish, be educated, know Christ and go back into their community and continue to flourish. There is hope for the people of the community who now, thanks to Healing Haiti and Grace Village, have hundreds of new employment opportunities that weren’t previously there so they can flourish and provide for their family.

PRESENCE.

Following Grace Village, we stayed in Titanyen for elder visits. Paralleling a program similar to the American Meals on Wheels, Healing Haiti also has an elder care program. We delivered a hot meal, care package and water to four different elders in their homes. Many asked to have their feet washed and their arms and hands massaged. We were thankful to bring along Healing Haiti’s full time missionary, Grace, who led us in some incredible worship with the elders. Our first visit was to 91 year old Izna who was alone in her home. By the second song we sang together, (the first time in English and the second time in Creole), in Izna’s one room tin shack, there was not a dry eye in the room. Presence. The Lord has been so present in so many different ways on our trip and it has been a blessing to witness. One of our team members, Tammy, explained to us the presence of Jesus she felt in that moment was nothing she’s ever experienced before. A woman of 91 years old who couldn’t get out of her bed, but asked to dance and sing upon our arrival.

BEAUTY.

Our second elder visit was to Diefort and his pet pig Pasyans, which means Patience in English. Diefort was the proud father of four and grandfather to many. As we washed his feet he asked us to pray for a pig mate for Pasyans and lots of piglets. In case it ever comes up at Thursday night trivia – Haitian “law” says if you have a litter of pigs born you have to give one back to the owner of the pig that fathered the piglets. What great beauty there is in a Haitian man who has been through so much in his life who continues to laugh, sing and smile in our presence.

HOPEFUL.

Our third elder visit was Gerard, the proud father of ten children. Gerard sat outside his little cement home built by missionaries with his daughter and granddaughter inside. His granddaughter came out shortly after we arrived and joined us for our worship songs. She had her nails painted while her grandfather had his feet washed. Though our actions seem so insignificant we find hope in knowing we are planting seeds that God will harvest. We gave his granddaughter hope and joy.

JOY.
Our last elder visit was to Lindor. When we arrived he already had his shoes off and shouted to us that he was ready to have his feet washed! Along with a back and hip massage. Lindor had an exuberant smile that radiated his joy. Shout out to team leader Amy and her grandmother who sponsor Lindor’s medical care via Healing Haiti. By the end of Lindor’s visit there were ten school age children who had gathered around to have their finger nails painted. A few lucky team members got beautiful ‘manicures’ from the children as well.

REFLECTION.
The last stop of the day was at the mass grave constructed into a monument for the hundreds of thousands who were killed January 12^th, 2010 in the earthquake. It was a solemn moment but explained so much about how Haiti has become the community it is. The Haitian people are so full of joy and pride in their country – it is the culture that makes Haiti such an amazing place. And we are so blessed to be a part of that.

 

Bon nwi from Alyssa, Jill and the rest of the team in Delmas, Haiti.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hamilton/Loween Day 3

Water Truck Day

“Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, ‘Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! The Scriptures declare, Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” John 7:37-39.

No words can describe the desperate need for clean water in Cité Soleil. Cité Soleil is 8.4 square miles and is estimated to have around 300,000 to 500,000 people. It is considered one of the poorest and most dangerous areas of the Western Hemisphere and is also one of the biggest slums in the Northern Hemisphere. The mortality rate is very high due to diseases such as AIDs, or from violence.

Our impact today was so small and yet so helpful. Our first stop this morning was to see the water truck filling station – so many trucks filling water to sell. What a sight to see! Through generous donations, Healing Haiti is able to provide free water to several districts of Cité Soleil. A gift of life – both physical and spiritual!

After our water truck was full, we headed to our first of three stops in Cité Soleil. We took turns holding the hose, filling buckets of water, hauling the filled buckets to the residents’ homes, and playing with the children. They constantly wanted to be picked up and held!

There were so many people in Cité Soleil. It was humbling to see their living conditions. They don’t have much, but they’re resilient and do what they can with what they have…what a beautiful thing to play a small part in their everyday lives.

Between water truck stops we met the children at Hope School, which is a school recently started by Healing Haiti. They have 70+ kindergarteners who are sponsored by donors. The children are adorable and so joyful! “Souri” (Creole for smile) is a great word to sum up our experience at Hope School.

Fleri Farm was our last stop of the day. Fleri farm is owned and operated by Healing Haiti and is one way they provide jobs for Haitians. Healing Haiti’s Purpose Statement is “The world is a better place when families are strengthened.” The organization does as much as they can to help Haitians help themselves so they can keep their families together.

We capped off the evening with a worship session with all three mission teams here this week. It was awesome to meet new people and sing together. What a blessing to be able to openly worship in such a beautiful place! Although this was not one of our song selections for the evening, the song “Overwhelmed” by Big Daddy Weave sums up our day. Here are a few phrases:

I see the work of Your Hands

Galaxies spin in a Heavenly dance

All that You are is so overwhelming

 

I hear the sound of Your Voice

All at once it’s a gentle and thundering noise oh God

All that You are is so overwhelming

 

I delight myself in You

Captivated by Your beauty

I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You…

 

Blessings to all of you reading our blog. We hope you will join hands with Healing Haiti if you have not already done so.

 

Take care!

 

~Nora