Danielle - Malieka - Beyonce - Sanja

These names, among many more belong to beautiful Haitian children that we were able to love on today.  We started our day with VBS expecting a traditional Saddle Ridge Ranch type theme with a brief opening ceremony and the typical stations.  However, we quickly realized that VBS here is very different.  The "brief" opening ceremony lasted about an hour with chanting, dancing, screaming, and games.  The groups in which we joined were formed based on which child clung to us the most (and with the hardest grip!).  We went with our groups to several different stations, one of which included a hygiene lesson on teeth brushing.  Other stations focused on anything from agriculture to bible stories.  At one point, 80 children were packed into a classroom (which was the size of a medium-sized bathroom in America) in order to make a craft. VBS also included a snack time with a common Haitian meal consisting of rice and beans.  The kids were anxious for a snack and often emptied a plate full of food in under 5 minutes.  Mark watched as one girl ate every single grain of rice on her plate.  Small bags of water and juice were provided as drink for the children.  One child showed selflessness by pouring his juice into his sister's cup.

Fortunately, we didn't have bugs for lunch this time.

After lunch, we traveled back to Leveque for our work project.  We were able to be apart of something amazing - providing improved and strong homes for displaced families that currently live in tents.  These houses have one larger room and two smaller rooms typically used for bedrooms.  The approximate size of one of the concrete homes is 14 x 14 and can house a family of up to 8 people.  We unfortunately were assigned painting time during the extreme heat of the day with little breeze or shade.  We painted two houses a beautiful sunshine yellow in about 2 hours. We were also able to hang out with and talk with several of the children who live in the Leveque village.  It was truly a humbling sight to see children with no clothes watching us paint their future homes.  

We ended the long and tiring day with a spontaneous dance session to Cupid Shuffle. (this only includes the Blogettes)

Sincerely, the Blogettes    

We caught Mark Hollar dancing with the children!

Craft time at VBS!

Team member teaching the kids how to brush their teeth.

Snack time at VBS.

A sweet brother giving his juice to his sister.

Trim work crew.

Today was Susan's birthday!

These two houses now complete plus one more yellow one!

We will forever be marked with the sunshine yellow paint!

"Bondye merite louwanj"

"Bondye merite louwanj"-Our God is Mighty to Save 

These precious words and many more were sung today in our worship service at the outdoor church.  Hundreds of Haitian people were crowded into this space prepared to worship the Lord passionately.  It was such a blessing to sit amongst this body of believers who sing to and praise the same God that we do.  The passion that was exuded from every Haitian's mouth was overwhelming.  The praises lifted were songs we were familiar with such as Mighty to Save, I am a Friend of God, and This is the Air I Breathe.  The majority of the songs were sung in Creole but there were portions where EVERYONE sang the beautiful melodies in English as one united army worshiping God.  It was a remarkable and moving experience.  Once the hour long worship time ended, a Haitian pastor spoke all in Creole for over an hour.  (Him and Mark have a lot in common!) We were able to follow along with some of the scripture verses he shared and just sit back to soak in the moments.

Earlier, we were able to go on a walking tour of the MOH compound.  The facilities on campus include:  a school K-13th grade, a clinic, a hospital, a food warehouse, prosthetic/rehabilitation center, a church, and a repair garage (the Depot).  Our tour guides shared heartbreaking testimonies from the aftermath of the earthquake such as the thousands of people who required an amputation of at least one limb.  Many of these patients had to be carried up a steep hill on a stretcher to a dome tent in order to have the limb removed - WITHOUT anesthesia.  Through this unfathomable situation, hope still came through.  These patients are given the amazing opportunity of receiving a free prosthetic ($4,000 a piece) that is custom made for their individual needs!  What an amazing way to show the love of Christ by offering these Haitian people who survived great turmoil that there can be a hopeful future for them.  We were told that one man had been crawling around on the ground for nearly 2 years prior to being able to receive a prosthetic!!  The food warehouse was simply framing only one year ago and now it is completed and fully functional with food storage and office space.  Out of this food warehouse comes a supply of food to feed 69,000 people per day!  It was very humbling to stand before this beautiful structure knowing the impact its goods are making every single day in the name of Christ.

For supper, we had bugs.  Oh, and chicken too. 

Later in the day, we were able to travel to some surrounding villages where we were able to love on some dear children.  This was truly our highlight of the day as half dressed children began climbing up our legs or jumping onto our backs.  Despite the fact that their clothes were tattered and they were covered in dirt, their smiles and unconditional love were contagious.  Each of us had at least one child wrapped around our necks or holding our hands as we walked around to take in the sight.  There are still tent cities remaining from the earthquake but we saw some of the new homes being built that we will start painting tomorrow.

We ended the night with Lacey standing on the rooftop taking around 800 consecutive photos of a beautiful lighting storm over the ocean.  We would share these breathtaking photos with you...but lightning is faster than Lacey.....

The Blogettes  

An orphan at the Village of Hope

The building where amputations were performed after the earthquake

The MOH clinic, seeing 20-30 people a day

The MOH school

Sunday morning Creole worship service

Our intern Layne with one of the children from the village Leveque

Rebekah and Sashu

Ken and one of the children from Leveque

Bonding with the children

Our two teachers in front of the soon-to-be-finished school in Leveque

Group photo opp!

      

Go ye therefore...

“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11.

As we drove through the city of Port Au Prince towards Mission of Hope, this verse resonated.  The devastation and poverty were truly overwhelming, yet incredibly humbling.  The thousands of Haitian people we drove by, need to know there IS hope and there IS a future for them through Christ Jesus.  Here we are, five disciples anxious to settle into the Mission of Hope (MOH) compound, but yet all we do is ride along in a vehicle traveling 90 miles an hour and look around, ashamed.  We were all close together in the vehicle, very sweaty, and with little AC, yet the heat of Satan’s distractions did not phase us.  

As we were leaving the airport, it was as though we were entering another world.  We drove by homes made from sticks and tarp, makeshift gas stations, destroyed buildings, and people simply looking for food and shelter.  Small children played among the rubbish, some even without clothing.  Much of the graffiti along the walls were in French Creole, but one English phrase among them tore at my heart: We Need Help.  This is why we came- to be part of the change and to help these people. The ride to the compound was only a glimpse of what Haiti is and what still needs to be done.

Thankfully, we were greeted at the MOH compound with smiling faces and a warm BREEZE despite the hot temperature!!!  The interns and staff here made us feel very welcome as they immediately served us potato/pasta salad and PB & J sandwiches.  During our lunch, we were told that as of now MOH purchases 9% of their goods in Haiti.  The goal by the year of 2020 is to be able to purchase 100% of the goods here in order to support the economy!  Later on, we were able to walk around the compound some, see precious children, and get acquainted with everything.  The compound houses 63 orphans right now whom we were able to observe playing the classic egg on the edge of a spoon game!  How it always amazes us that kids can be so innovative with what little they have.  The remainder of the day until supper time was spent unpacking in our non-air conditioned rooms, reflecting on our day thus far, and napping.  Although there are plenty of plug in fans and about 5 ceiling fans in one large room, with no electricity, it is kind of hard to utilize these resources. haha  One leader told us that electricity is typically accessible at 7pm and until early the next morning (5:45am).  Expect blog posts later in the evening!   

After supper, we had a brief orientation lead by Pastor Dave Fox from Indiana to explain the vision of MOH.  He shared that their passion is to give life transformation to every woman, man, and child of Haiti.  They are in the process of more than doubling the enrollment at the schools from 1,200 children now to around 5,000 children by September.  WOW!!  This would be a tremendous blessing for the children here in Haiti as only 2% of the children here finish high school.  Pastor Fox also shared that the MOH    serves meals to around 69,000 people a day.  Abbotts Creek youth, imagine the meals you packed at Caswell feeding these people!!

Looking forward to a Creole worship service tomorrow morning at 9:30am.  This service is expected to last around 2 1/2 hours!! What an amazing time of glorifying our Father with Haitian people this will be!!     

Until tomorrow, The Blogettes

Our mosquito den for the week! 

 We take back our comment earlier about no duct tape on Spirit Airlines...

 Gas station along the road.

Pastor Dave Fox

Delayed flights but not delayed spirits...

Departing from ACBC Friday morning. 

 After a long journey traveling to Atlanta airport yesterday and meandering aimlessly around the outer loop, we arrived to our gate 3 minutes prior to our original departure time.  Thankfully, our flight was delayed by about 3 hours out of Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale due to stormy weather.  Our anxiety associated with the unknown Spirit Airlines was relieved once we landed and not a second before!!  There were no duct taped wings or credit card swipes outside the lavatory.  We arrived to the Hilton hotel around 10:15pm and had peanut butter crackers and brownies for "supper."

Finally aboard the mysterious Spirit Airline!

We woke up at 4:45am in order to catch the Hilton shuttle back to the airport for our 7:20 flight.  Thanks to our "fearless" leader, we arrived to the airport 3 hours early for our DELAYED flight!!  However, we are very thankful for a safe trip thus far and are anticipating an amazing day ahead!  We have a welcome time at 4pm with Mission of Hope team and then orientation at 7pm.  We have already made unique memories as a team and have already been blessed by our travels.  Please continue keeping us in your prayers but especially prayers for the Haitian people we will soon meet!!

Going forth with great anticipation and trust for what is in store for us all!!

Until next time, The Blogettes