Kara & Karen's Team - Day 2: We Got to See God Today

It's amazing to think that just a few short months ago, this trip to Haiti seemed so far away and yet today- here we are, holding babies, and playing with the abundance of kiddos in the orphanages that yesterday were something we only imagined in our heads. I think today we can all say that we were woken up in a very big way.  Not only are we blessed to have the little things we all take for granted like a hot shower, or easily accessible medicine, but it was made very clear that it is our job to spread the goodness, love, and resources we have. It is our job to share the love of Jesus.  The amazing thing is, the only thing you need to do to share this gift is to show love. A simple touch. A hug. The children in these homes just want to be held.  They want to be seen. It is such a simple thing that in reality is a huge thing to these kids and to their development.

Today, we visited a Home for the Sick and Dying Babies, as well as a couple special needs orphanages. Our job today was simple. To show as much love to these kiddos as possible. To change diapers. To feed them. To show them they matter.  I can't imagine the struggles some of these families go through and being able to help give a little love to these children, even if just for a short time, felt amazing. And yet, didn't feel like nearly enough.  I guess that's just the struggle we have to continue to fight on a daily basis.

Everyone is safe and sound.  We don't want any loved ones to worry.  The traffic is quite different here than in the states and we were pleasantly surprised with the driving skills of the locals...especially at intersections where stop signs have no purpose! As we finish up the day, and wind down after an emotionally draining experience, we are playing a little cards, eating life savers, and getting to know each other better.  Oh yeah, and we sing a lot of worship songs. Go team go!

Miss everyone at home! Much love to you all, xoxoxo,

Mikenzi

Kara & Karen's team - Day 1: Safe & Sound

Wow, what a day! I'd say a fair theme for the day today is safe and sound. Every destination we had today, we made it to safe and sound.

Our entire team of 16 made it to the airport right on time. Our flight from MSP to ATL was seamless, as was our flight from ATL into Port-au-Prince. From the airport, we made it to the Healing Haiti guesthouse safe and sound. We're all pretty exhausted from waking up somewhere in the 2am hour and our long day of travel, so this post will be fairly short. Here's some quick highlights from our first day:

• Some of us got to check off a bucket list item at the Port-au-Prince airport when we got to de-board the plane using the ladder straight onto the runway
• Someone in our group pointed out this evening that our team already feels like a family and I couldn't agree more. We all mesh so well with one another and are all so eager for what this week has in store. You can definitely feel the energy in the group! 
• Our guesthouse compound has the sweetest guard dogs
• We were all SO surprised to see how small our transportation truck is! It's called a tap-tap and I can't wait to show you guys pictures down the road of what it looks like to cram 16 people into this vehicle. It's pretty impressive! 

Tomorrow's plan consists of visiting a few orphanages but as we've already learned, plans can change. As I type this, almost everyone else is getting ready for bed so we can wake up refreshed, bright and early. We should have much more to share tomorrow and we can't wait to see what the day holds! On behalf of the entire team, thank you to everyone reading this for your prayerful support. We each are able to be here today because of your help and we are SO grateful. 

All for His glory,

Christa 

Day 7  

Sunday - Hello Family & Friends!

We had a relaxing morning until leaving for church. We attended service a Port-Au-Prince Fellowship. It was wonderful to worship with the local community where we have been serving; amazing to know we worship the same God, although we live worlds apart.  This Fellowship also includes a school, where a new generation is being educated, which translates to hope for the future of Haiti. 

We then enjoyed a beautiful ride in our Tap Tap up into the mountains.  Three cheers again for our amazing driver, Rinelle, who navigated winding narrow roads. It was amazing to feel the temperature change as we ascended! In stark contrast to the sights, sounds, and smells of crowded Cite Soleil, we soaked in the simple beauty that God created here - the lush trees and fresh air. The view overlooking the city and ports were breathtaking. It was heartwarming to see another side of Haiti - truly a beautiful country. We enjoyed a great meal at an open air restaurant, overlooking the city. Shopping for metal art, jewelry, and artworks made by Haitians ended our visit here. 

Our team discussed our amazing week at dinner tonight - all that we have seen and done, and the vast array of feelings we have experienced during this life-changing trip. The difference in perspectives between day 1 to now is incredible. As we prepare to return to our privileged, comfortable lives at home, we are so very thankful for the opportunity to have served these lovely people and grow in our faith. God is so very good!

Day 6: Saturday, April 29, 2017

Today we were a well-oiled machine.  This evening, David described it as harmony.  Angela described it as unity.  Each time we did the water stops in Cite Solei today, without even delegating tasks, we all jumped into action.  Some people did the hose, some aligned buckets ready to be filled, some played with kids or held babies, while others carried buckets of water.  It’s crazy to hear stories of how Healing Haiti use  to  deliver water with armed guards just 10 years ago.  Now we can accomplish a water truck delivery with our Haitian interpreters/tap-tap drivers and the water truck drivers.  Its proof that Healing Haiti has worked hard at developing a trusting relationship with the gangs in Cite Solei and God has had his hand in all of this. 

It’s an overwhelming feeling to be providing water to a community.  It’s the most basic of needs and it symbolizes so many things: life, baptism, cleaning, purifying, and refreshing.  Now at the end of the day, when I sit and reflect on our day, I imagine us delivering God to these people.  I picture them coming with a need to know Him and us opening up the faucet to fill them up with His love.  My prayer for them is that they know God deeply and He truly loves them and wants great things for them.  I pray that Hope Church, that is planted in Cite Solei (that is literally built on top of land that is covered in garbage), is so full that people in that community are standing outside trying to get in.  I pray that the fire for wanting to know God will help turn over the gang leader’s hearts and start a revival in Cite Solei. 

We finished our day (after a good shower and fresh clothes) by going to supper at Fleri Bakery in Titanyen.  The food was AMAZING and our server Renaldo was superb.  We got to surprise Barb on our team with a Happy Birthday song and some homemade birthday souvenirs.   The memories continued as the rain started which turned into a downpour that was not going to stop anytime soon.  We jumped into the tap-tap and headed for home in the torrential rains.  Most of us had some part of us that was soaking wet!  We capped the evening with playing games like telephone Pictionary and Wackee 6.  The laughter was infectious and a great way to end a perfect day.

In less than 2 days, we will all be home and tucked in our soft beds with our families near us.  We will be heading to work, kids sports, running errands and managing other daily tasks.  But there is a part of us that will remain here in Haiti.  I heard someone describe it as wanting to keep one foot here and one foot at home, but eventually the wishbone breaks.  But the great thing is that the seed of Haiti has been planted in our hearts now and it will continue to grow as we remember the drops of water we put in each Haitian bucket.  Those drops will collect over time and will add light in the darkness.

“With man it is impossible, but not with God.  For all things are possible with God.”  Mark 10:27

April 28, 2017

Today Friday April 28 most of the team woke up and went to 6:00am Church on the Rock!  Everyone had an amazing time worshiping and singing with the people of Haiti.  After a wonderful walk back to the guest house we all got on the tap tap to head to Papillon, where the Apparent Project started a business for mainly single mothers who are the sole providers for the family.  At Papillon which is "butterfly," in Creole the workers make all sorts of jewelry, coffee mugs, t-shirts, beads from scratch and recycled materials, and many many other amazing things.  We were able to shop for anything and everything they create!  We were so happy to be able to buy such amazing and beautiful things knowing that the earnings are going towards amazing Haitian people to provide for their families.  

After stopping at the cafe upstairs at Papillon we made our way to the metal shops.  The metal shops were filled with people creating metal pieces of art by hand!  Each shop had so many beautiful pieces of art.  Many of us purchased these metal master pieces and really wanted to take a puppy home too.  

We then headed to the deaf orphanage which was an amazing experience to see so many kids learning, and playing.  We had a lot of fun playing jump rope with many children and communicating in the little sign language we know.  It is so great to see such a great place for deaf orphans to live and be able to belong to such a lovely community where they are loved.  

We had a long tap tap ride back to the guest house during rush hour but made it safely back for dinner and some relaxation time!  We all had such a wonderful day today and can't believe that it's already FRIDAY!  We cannot wait to see what the rest of the week brings us!

April 27, 2017

Hello Friends and Family,

We had an event filled day today. We went to Grace Village and toured the orphanage, school, library, and medical and dental clinic. There are 4 Healing Haiti volunteers at this site. All of the teachers, cooks, maintenance, doctors, nurses, etc are Haitians. This is a great organization that has really become the heartbeat of what Healing Haiti is and does. They teach and feed 350-400 students every day, and the children are so social, extremely respectful, and beautiful in every way. Recent new additions to Grace Village include a farm for growing fresh produce to feed the children/community, as well as a new bakery and restaurant that employ several local people and have also created small business opportunities for people to sell baked goods back in their neighborhoods. Next, we visited a man in his 20s who is bedridden and cared for by his mother. Our group helped position him a bit and prayed over him and his sweet mother who is literally keeping her baby alive. We also visited a sweet 76-year old lady who was so kind and gentle. We sang songs, washed her feet, and prayed over her for her family and their safety. We learned the disparity of healthcare is powerful…we are so blessed to have the healthcare that we have. Most of the world does not have it at all. Then, we went to the mass grave site where over 300,000 were buried after the 2010 earthquake. It is very powerful to consider what happened that day, all the dead, all those who lost their loved ones and how the ones left behind had no choice but to go on. These are resilient people! Our day concluded with a home-cooked Haitian dinner and an exciting trip to the local supermarket. Imagine 11 Caucasians and 1 "Blanco Noir" (African American) wandering around and giggling as if we’d never seen a grocery store before. Thank God for our Haitian friend who accompanied us. Thanks for all the prayers! We are all holding up well. God is good – all the time.

April 26, 2017

Sak Pase(What’s up) Loved ones?

Today was a Wednesday not to forget.  It was water truck day.  What this means is we, our awesome healing Haiti team delivered water to 3 Haitian communities.  We supplied 9,000 gallons of water.  The process included filling up a water truck, following the water truck to the communities, and filling up the people’s buckets with water.  You would have thought the water was liquid gold.  When we first got out of the tap, tap; we were greeted by children with their smiles, hugs, and love.  The love we felt was over-whelming.    People came out of their homes lined up with buckets to get their water for that day.  We helped them transport buckets of water to their homes, helped them place buckets of water on their heads for transport, and helped delegate the filling of the buckets.  Meanwhile, a lot of us were spreading out love and God’s love to the community;)

From this experience, all of us will never look at water the same way again.  We all sat down together at dinner and had a heart-filled discussion about our day and one word to describe it.  Our words to describe this amazing experience included: water, survival, community, justice, protection, support, provision, sweet, revelation, desperate, family, and love.  Each of us had a unique experience that will forever change us.

Thank you Jesus for the love and support you give us every day.  We would have not got through this day without your saving grace.  We were your hands and feet.

Jezi renmen ou (Jesus loves you) and we love all of you too!

PS I love you M&M