Serenity Village Community Church 01-15-2018

Today was a travel day, we met at 3:30am at MSP and Pastor Jed came to send us off with hugs and a prayer (plus a fun selfie)! Thanks Pastor Jed! Overall our travels were uneventful and we arrived with hugs from Long Term Missionary - Birthday Girl Grace!

After unpacking and settling in, we ate an amazing dinner then surprised Grace with a birthday cake and decorations (thanks Jess for picking us up a surprise cake)!

Our team time tonight was great team bonding time asking the "curious get to know you" questions.  Here are the words of the day we had for our first day in Haiti:

Becci - Happy-Place
Bill - Anxious
Emma - Open-Heart
Erik - Grateful
James - Open-Minded
Jordan - Intrigued
Justin - Destination
Mary - Blessed
Raechell - Excited
Robin - Champions
Theresa - Thankful
Tim - Rejoice

We cannot wait to see what God has in store for this group this week! God is good!

Tomorrow we are heading to a couple orphanages, Papillon, and home for sick & dying babies. Stay tuned....  

Haiti Day 4 - The Last Leg

Today was our last service day here in Haiti.  We opened the day with Abbie trying to make us a great breakfast for our last day which ended up becoming burnt, but we love her for trying.  Next, we loaded up the Tap Tap and we bounced to City Soleil for our last two water truck stops. Today was our first true sunny day.  With the sun, the mosquitos came out and they were about as big as the kids.  We have the bites to prove it! It was great to go back to our previous stops and see all the amazing friends that we made on Thursday.  

After a quick bite to eat, we made our last stop.  This time we were able to carry the buckets and help the boys and girls bring the water back to their homes.  It was eye opening to see the homes that these people live in and how they live their daily lives.  We really had a blast doing these water truck days and making relations with the young kids.  After the water truck stops, we got to go back to our rooms and shower (which felt amazing!).  

Later on in the day, we went to Gertrude’s.  It is an orphanage for mentally and physically disabled children.  We got to swing, blow bubbles, and have wheel chair races while we were there.  We even got to see a pet chicken!  

Once we left, we got on our swimsuits and went to the hotel pool a couple blocks down the road.  We got our pops and went for a swim.  It felt so good to cool off and relax from our hard day of work.  

Today was our last day here in Haiti and I don’t think anyone in our group is ready for this trip to end. We all would like to go a couple more days. We are so grateful that we got the opportunity to come here to Haiti and help out.  

Haiti Day 3 - Flourish

Today began with a trip to the memorial from the earthquake in 2010. It was especially special yet somber because today, January 12, marks the 8 year anniversary of the earthquake. There were close to 100 Haitians in and around the memorial. Within minutes of our arrival, several cars came up the hill and parked in front of the gate of the memorial. A Haitian mayor accompanied by several security guards came by with flowers to pay his respects. The memorial marks the mass gravesite where hundreds of thousands of Haitians were buried after the earthquake. It was saddening to gain more of an understanding of the devastation the earthquake caused.

            

The next part of our day took a different tone. We were able to visit several of the elders known by the Healing Haiti community. This was such a special and humbling experience because we got to wash their feet, give a few treats, sing songs, and pray over them.

MarieDeloude was the first person we were able to visit. She had several children and grandchildren who were glad to have their fingernails painted – each finger a different color, of course. MarieDeloude also wanted to have her nails painted after having her feet washed. Singing songs with her and her family brought so much joy to all of us.

            

Our second stop was at the home of a woman named Charite. She has a few children and one granddaughter living with her. After having her feet washed and massaged, we asked what her favorite song was so we could sing it. She decided to sing to us instead. She knew all the words by heart and it was beautiful to hear her sing. The English translation of the chorus was “trust and obey.” This seemed to be an anthem for her life.

            

Our third and final stop was at the home of Pierre and Lauremise. Although they have been together for longer, they were recently married at Grace Church. When we first arrived, only Pierre was home, as Lauremise had gone to the market. Pierre’s personality was unforgettable. His joy came through effortlessly with his humor and smile. Accompanied by upbeat guitar music, he danced and sang and clapped with us. This was the favorite part of the day for many of us. Luckily, before we left, Lauremise came back and we were able to serve and pray for her before getting back on the tap tap.

            

After our elder visits, we rode to Fleri bakery/restaurant. Fleri in creole means “flourish.” Throughout the tour, it was clear that God has been helping Fleri to flourish since its recent beginning. The stories of those who have impacted and been impacted by Fleri are inspiring.

            

Grace Village was yet another amazing place to tour and be inspired by. The church, schoolhouse, garden, houses, and clinic make up the grounds. The impact that Grace Village has had on the community in Titanyen has been amazing. Hundreds of children have received access to education, food, and a family environment that they otherwise would not have received. They then graduate and transition to working or college to be able to support themselves.

            

Our night ended with dinner at Fleri restaurant. The food was delicious. Some of the foods we tried include pizza, chicken wings, salsa with plantain chips, and french fries. Dessert was even better. We tried banana beignets, mango crème brule, and cookies with ice cream. The service was excellent. It was a great close to the day as we shared laughs and stories.

Charity and Moriah

Haiti Day 2 - Living Water

The second day did not start as early as the first, but we ended the day just as tired! After a wonderful breakfast of pancakes and eggs made by the Healing Haiti staff, we hopped into the tap tap (vehicle) and headed off to work. Our first stop was the water distribution center. This is where the trucks were filled with water to be delivered to different parts of the city. When the Healing Haiti truck was full, we went to our first stop of the day. Each stop that we distributed water at was in City Seoul. This is the poorest area of Haiti. The water poured out of a hose connected to the truck. We had team members handling the hose and other members passed buckets down the line. Others helped people carry buckets to their homes and played with the kids. It was a busy, chaotic day, but was not short of any love. Between stops, we had lunch at Hope Church while the water truck refilled. This is a new church where children sponsored through Healing Haiti attend school. While we were eating our lunch, a few kids (who were most likely supposed to be in class) came over say hello. They were a little shy at first, but within ten minutes were sitting on our laps and showing off their school workbooks. We then toured the area around Hope Church. During our second and third stops we went to Fleri Farms. This is farm ground was recently purchased by Healing Haiti that will provide jobs, produce, and opportunity for the Haitians. Crops grown there include mangos, coconuts, sugarcane, and plantains (just slightly different from in the U.S.!). Then we hopped back into the tap tap and went to our third and final stop. This location was on a pier along the ocean.

We were able to distribute water to people in the neighborhood at each stop. Approximately 3,000 gallons were delivered at each stop. Even though we were busy filling water buckets, we were able to spend time with all the kids and splash around in all the water.  All with the focus of showing Christ’s love to these kids and giving them a fun-filled break from their daily routine.

Fun team pic at the pier near stop 26

Dave Nelson and Abbie Nelson

Haiti Day 1 - The Adventure Begins

Our journey to Haiti started bright and early at 4 am. We hopped a Lyft to the Miami airport and arrived in Port-au-Prince shortly after 9am local time. The itinerary we originally had was to head right to Sweet Home Orphanage from the airport, but in true Haitian style, our plans changed at the last minute. Long-term in-country resident Grace, calls this type of daily challenge “dégagé,” which translates to “make it work”! And so we did!

With the change of plans, we went to the Healing Haiti guesthouse to get settled and explore the grounds before heading to Papillon. It was started by a woman who came to Haiti with plans to adopt a child but when she discovered the child had a family, her focus shifted to helping families stay together. And so Papillon was born with the main goal of orphan prevention through job creation. Starting with four employees, Papillon now employs over 300 local Haitians. We got a personal tour of the production areas, including hand-made jewelry, pottery, sewing, and print screening. 

Afterwards we were given the opportunity to shop at their marketplace for these hand-made goods, which directly helps support these local artists. (Check them out at www.papillonmarketplace.com.)

We went from one extreme to the other, departing the success story of Papillon and walking into the hardships and struggles at the Home for Sick and Dying Babies. Our whole team knew ahead of time that this was probably going to be the hardest part of the trip. A main goal for all of us while there was to not have an emotional breakdown. In our short two hours, we were able to love on kids who are sick and need love. Even with a language barrier, we were able to play and laugh with them. We were even given the opportunity to feed them. Leaving them was heartbreaking because they were crying and reaching their arms up for us even as we were walking out the door. 

At the end of the day, we returned to the guesthouse for a family-style dinner, devotions, fellowship, and reflections on our first day in Haiti. We can’t wait to see what the rest of our trip holds! Thank you for praying!

-Jessica and Sarah

Gainor / Harren Haiti Trip 2018 - Day 2 - In the Middle of a Move of God

Day 2:

           

            Hello! We continued our journey in Haiti with the team favorite: water truck day. Water truck day is where we pack into the “tap tap” and follow the water truck into City Soleil, Haiti. City Soleil is known as the poorest city in the western hemisphere. We had three stops. While there, we assist with carrying buckets of water as well as play with the many children. As we were driving in, we were greeted with the sound of children’s voices chanting, “Hey you!” This was not the last time we would hear this. We turned a corner and the water truck blared its horn, notifying the community of its arrival. Swarms of kids followed the truck, sprinting and yelling; their eyes filled with joy. I was not even able to get out of the “tap tap” before I had a child hugging my legs and looking up at me and this was the same for everyone on the team. At times, some of us had three kids hanging off of us, wanting to be loved.

            While a couple of team members manned the hose to the water truck, others assisted the community members with their buckets. One thing that astounded all of us was the fact that many people carried the buckets on their heads. Many of the buckets were five gallon buckets, which could weigh 40-45 pounds. We were amazed. The rest of us played with the children. We played a variety of games, while learning names. A favorite among the kids is one where you put your hands face up in front of you. They then put their hands hovering under yours and they would swoop their hands around and try to slap your hands. After a while, a couple of us got the hang of it.  At the third water truck stop, one woman had around 20 buckets that she needed to be filled. We all pitched in and helped her carry her buckets back to her home. She was so appreciative.

            In between the stops, we went to two places that are other areas of Healing Haiti’s ministry. The first stop was Hope School. They had to dig down into 40 feet of garbage before they could even begin construction. The name describes what it does for the community: it gives them hope. Looking over the fence, you could see trash and sewage in the bay.  The juxtaposition between the school and the rest of the city was very powerful.

            The second stop was to Fleri Farms. We trekked along a muddy path to see all of the amazing fruits and vegetables that the farm grows. While we were at the farm, the farmer took coconuts off of the tree and let us taste the water, inner, and outer core. It was very cool to eat the coconut while standing right in front of the tree that produced it. We also ate some mango right off of the tree. It was a beautiful piece of land with many crops.

            Overall, it was a very difficult day. It was hard for us to see the conditions that the people were living in. However, it’s amazing to see how God is working through the situation to reach others for Him. Although it might seem like we were blessing the people, the entire team left feeling incredibly blessed by the people of this beautiful country.

Gainor / Harren Haiti Trip 2018 - Day 1 - In the Middle of a Move of God

Day 1: Dear family and friends, We began our first day serving in Haiti with excited hearts and minds for the day to come. We boarded the tap tap, our mode of transportation, and traveled to our first stop of the day, being an orphanage. When we first arrived, the kids welcomed us with singing and dancing. After that, we started the morning by Kim telling the story of Daniel and the Lion. We had a Haitian translator help tell the story so the kids could understand. After, we made a lion craft with the kids using paper plates and colorful paper. When we were finished with the craft, we split up and played basketball, soccer, tag, and games with the kids. The kids even had a contest at who could do the best backflip! While reading the story, the kids were so respectful and calm, but when it came to playtime their personalities really came alive and they were full of energy! Some of our group members even learned (and won) a few games that the Haitian kids taught us! Our next stop was another orphanage, but smaller in size to the previous one. At this orphanage, we were again greeted by song. The kids came to each of us and sat on our laps as we made crafts with clothespins, and pompoms to make clip caterpillars. The kids really enjoyed clipping their hard work to their clothes, our clothes, and hair! We had a great time bonding with the kids by playing soccer, coloring on the sidewalk with chalk, drawing learning each other’s names on whiteboards, and climbing and racing up a sand pile! As you might be able to tell, soccer is a popular sport in Haiti! When we arrived back to the guesthouse, we decided to take a quick swim at a local hotel pool to cool off and relax. Driving to and from locations has been very eye opening to all of the team members as well, seeing the way of life of the Haitian people. As we wind down from the day, our hearts are filled with the love for Christ, our experience today, and each other.