SLP Trip - Arrival and Travel Day

Traveling days are always long and today was not an exception.  Our 6:30am flight leaving Minneapolis ended up taking off at around 7:00am.  We made it to Atlanta and were able to able to make a tight connection to the last flight into Port-au-Prince, landing at our destination around 3:30pm.  Haiti is beautiful.  Our first tap tap ride brought us to the Healing Haiti guest house.  Tonight, we got oriented to the guest house, ate dinner, and settled in.  I think I can speak for all of us that we are grateful for a safe day of travel and looking forward to what God will do this week.

Michele S.

EBC Spring Lake Park Day 6: Water Truck #2 & Cite Soleil Elders

About 3 seconds into this blog and Stuart Little scampered across the guest house. We’re now in full blown mouse catching mode - Anna equipped with a large bowl hopping from couch to couch trying to find him (photo included). To say this is entertaining would be an understatement.

I will keep you updated with our mouse hunt, in the meantime I’ll share some highlights from our 6^th day in Haiti: We started out with breakfast, devotion, & prayer. All a little sad that it was our last full day of serving. We all jumped into the tap-tap and headed into Cite Soleil for our second water truck day. As we were waiting for the water truck to arrive we got a tour of the brand new technology pod outside of Hope School. The pod is a classroom the size of a shipping container equipped with Ipads, high definition tvs, interactive teaching applications such as Osmo, and high speed internet. This gives Hope School the opportunity to teach their kids with technology that they would have no access to otherwise.

After the tour we went right into our water truck duties. For some reason this stop seemed more chaotic than the others with water buckets lined up all the way down the street. We filled buckets and gave lots of love to the kiddos and families until the truck ran out of water.

After delivering water we got the awesome opportunity to visit a few elders in the community through the new Cite Soleil elder program. To be able to visit elders in the center of Cite Soleil and inside their homes was unbelievable – it’s hard to put into words. When we visited the first woman she beamed with happiness – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile that big. She hugged a couple of us girls and wouldn’t let go, it was powerful. As soon as we arrived she said “my family is here.” We got to sing and pray over her and a few others who really needed it. We were only able to give them 10 minutes of our time but they cherished every second and I truly think we were able to lift their spirits.

Update on our mouse hunt: Stuart found his way back outside. Phew.

The day ended at Papillion, a partner organization that makes jewelry, mugs, and other gifts out of clay and recycled material. Papillion shares a similar vision with Healing Haiti: Job creation. They currently employ over 200 Haitians, many that are single parents providing for their families alone.

Just another memorable day in Haiti.

Ellie

EBC Spring Lake Park Day 5: Grace Village, Elders, HDA, Fleri; November 2nd

Hello friends and family! Take a seat and grab a snack because it was a busy day. We woke up bright and early this morning to be on the tap tap at 5:45 for church (believe it or not, all 17 of us made it there on time). While it was still dark out, we arrived at Church on the Rock for a unique church experience. It was amazing to see how people of different cultures worship the same God. Even though most of it was in Creole, it was powerful to witness God working in the people there.

After breakfast, we spent some time at the mass graves, a memorial for those who died and were affected by the earthquake that struck in January of 2010. It has a beautiful location at the top of a mountain in Titanyen. Our translator, Smith, shared his memories with us from that day. It was hard for him to share these difficult memories but he explained how the earthquake united all Haitians, no matter their age or wealth. Taking some time to reflect on this event was a beautiful and moving way to start our afternoon.

After the memorial, we had an amazing time visiting the elders in the area. There were some heart melting moments while we danced and sang with them. It was clear that they love visitors and we were so happy to be able to pray over them. Most of them live in tiny houses on the side of the mountain but continue to have an incredibly inspiring faith.

After elder visits, we had the opportunity to tour Grace Village. The tour was led by long term missionary, Caleb. We got to see the beautiful homes the children live in, classrooms, clinic and more. We spent some time playing and laughing with all the kids in Grace Village.

Our next stop was a tour at the Haitian Deaf Academy. The kids there loved teaching us sign language and showing us our own name signs. Their joy was completely contagious and it was a privilege to visit the organization and hear from the couple who founded it.

We had a great chance to relax and eat some za (pizza!) at Fleri. This bakery is a part of Grace Village. The long term missionary there, Jake, impressed us with how much growth the bakery has had over a short amount of time. The business has taken off by selling bread at wholesale prices to street vendors. By doing this, Fleri is able to support many people within the community. It’s no surprise that “Fleri” means “flourish” in Haitian Creole. We loved chilling out in the restaurant and playing an intense game of Jenga. It was an incredible and busy day. 

Here are our words of the day:

Elaine: Flourish

Anna: Beauty

Mary: Above

Callie: Smile

Chloe: Nudged

Andee: Family

Bill: Overwhelmed

Cindy: Profound

Ellie: Dance

Meredeth: Empathy

Wayne: Humbled

Steve: Dedication

Chris: Faith

EBC Spring Lake Park Day 4: Sweet Home/Metal/Dio's; November 1st

Another great day in Haiti!

This morning, we started out at the Sweet Home orphanage where we had more time to spend with kids.  It was amazing.  The orphanage houses about 30 children and is building more space for another 50 children.  The kids were very energetic and happy to spend time with the team.  Activities ranged from coloring and blowing bubbles, playing tic tac toe and full-on soccer.  There even was a yoga session led by Elaine and Mary. 

After the orphanage, there was time to shop at the metal market.  A few of us let loose and emptied the wallet and purses – we’re talking about Bill, Dave, and Ellie of course.  It was incredible to see the workers as well.  Most are just building the metal art right on the ground – no bench, no chair, all by hand.  These people have a desire to work and it was great to support them today.  Many shop owners were pleased to see our willingness to spend. 

Last stop was Dio’s orphanage for special needs children.  It was very impressive to see the will of these kids despite their disabilities.  There were kids playing soccer in wheelchairs/walkers.  They were not going to let the fact they had deformed legs stop them.  The bubbles were a hit as well.  The children were quick to embrace us.  Their energy and laughter was contagious.  We all showed up wanting to show them love, but we felt like we got a lot more in return. 

We did have a special appearance from a snake.  One of the Haitian women cut the head off, and one of the Haitian men took the body and chased the most squeamish of us out of the courtyard.  They thought it was funny – well most of us thought it was too.  Overall, it was a fantastic day serving together at both orphanages.

During devo time we had the opportunity to share our words of the day:

Resilience (Bill)

Protection (Chloe)

Joy (Mary)

Will (Steve)

Thankful (Cindy)

Smile (Anna)

Growth (Chris)

Innocence (Merideth)

Flawless (Elaine)

Potential (Ellie)

Stillness (Andee)

Diverse (Stan)

Present (Callie)

Energetic (Abbie)

Happiness (Wayne)

Content (Jamie)

Connection (Dave)

EBC Spring Lake Park Day 3: Water Truck Day; Oct 31st

Today was water truck day, and we made three different stops in Cite Soleil.  We started off at District 17 near Hope School, and as we pulled up at least 20 kids ran up to the Tap-Tap chanting “Hey you!” They’ve learned that phrase in English, and they know that we will respond to them when they say it. They we were SO excited to see us and we were excited to see them too!  As we got off the Tap-Tap, they jumped into our arms.  Many kids in Cite Soleil are restavek children (a form of modern-day child slavery that persists in Haiti) and don’t necessarily get the love and affection they so crave. One of the most fulfilling parts of water truck day, aside from providing clean water to those who would otherwise not have access to it, is providing love and fun to kids that desperately need it.

The water truck holds around 500 gallons of water. Mostly children with some women gathered in a line with their buckets.  It’s interesting to look around and observe men simply watching the women and children maneuver the streets with these heavy buckets of water. Some of us held the children, some carried buckets and some worked the water hose. Many of did all three, sometimes at the same time which was a fun challenge. The buckets the Haitians brought were various shapes in sizes.  Some were shaped like gas cans, some were five gallon buckets and some were even shaped like kiddie pools. 

While the water trucks were re-filling between the first and second stop, we toured Hope School and Church.  Hope Church and Hope School were built on 40 feet of trash! Everyday 300 children go to Hope School who normally wouldn’t get an education. Healing Haiti is also building a clinic that will open by the end of this year.  The kids also have access to technology via storage pods that were brought in from Minnesota and stocked with iPads, drones, and even robotics equipment. Some kids are afraid of the technology and some are so blown away by it that they’ve tried breaking iPads open to see how they work! It’s so cool to see what has been done with what was formally a landfill. 

Another stop we made while the water truck refilled between the second and third stop was Fleri Farm in Cite Soliel.  Here they are growing crops such as plantains (can you believe that plantain trees only produce fruit one time and then they have to be cut down and new ones planted?!), papayas, sugar cane and even some pesto and citronella. Their goal is to develop farming strategy for the area so that they can share that with their Haitian neighbors in order to increase their growing potential, thus helping them boost the Haitian economy. Fleri Farm’s long-term goal is to be able to produce dried fruits and products that can be sold in other countries to generate income that will be solely invested back into the Haitian economy. Our tour guide said there is even talk about making a variation of sherbet someday to be sold in Haiti.

Our last water truck stop was near the ocean and there was a large pier that jutted out into the water. After we helped the Haitian children and women carry their water, we all went out to the pier. Lots of kids walked along with us and wanted to be carried by us. People were lining the pier with fishing nets and we saw them catch buckets of fish and also some squid which was really cool. We got to hang out, take a team photo, and reflect on how well we had worked as a team that day. It was incredible how a group of 17 people from so many different backgrounds came together to serve the people in Cite Soleil so well. God truly brought each of us here for a purpose and it was great to watch everyone fulfill it today.

EBC Spring Lake Park: Day 2 Photos

EBC Spring Lake Park: Day 2 "Stop for the One" October 30th

Our day started with a team devotional, titled ‘Stop for the one’ It was mostly about being present for every individual we encounter, rather jumping from child to child and person to person. Giving the entire moment to that individual.  This was a great reminder for the day that was planned.

Our first stop we were very fortunate to be able to go to Hope School in Cite Soleil. The story of the church and school itself is absolutely incredible and a miracle.  My previous trip here included a stop at the same school, the continued progress that this ministry is making in this area and with the school incredible. The care that this one building has, it’s clear the people have great pride in it.  They are currently in the process of adding a medical clinic to further expand in this area and to reach even more people.

When we arrived at the school it was a buzz with the energy from the kids, we could hear them chanting as we pulled into the compound.  Most of our members were quiet, and no one knew what to expect.  We slowly walked into the area where they hold church service, the kids started to move toward the door waving and smiling and spilling out to be picked up and held. Order was soon restored and we moved to the first classroom to work through a simple Bible lesson, as most of the kids are 3-5 year olds.  The verse we focused on was Jeremiah 1:5.  Before I formed you in your mother's womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.  We worked through a little skit to show the kids that no matter what physical attributes they had, (playing on the physical attributes we have) God made you and loves each one of you! 

We provided every child with a picture frame with the words ‘Jezi Renmen Mwen!’ Jesus Loves Me!  As the children in the first classroom started coloring and decorating their frame,  part of the team moved to the second room, to give the same lesson and skit.  A few stayed behind to help the kids color. As they finished, they moved outside and got their picture taken with a Polaroid type camera. When they returned back to the classroom, we taped their picture to their frame.  The JOY, pride and smiles these kids had with their project was so incredible to see.

We worked through five class rooms, and approximately 150 kids all completed the same activity.  The team did an amazing job adapting as needed and moved from room to room…being present in every situation.  It was controlled chaos, but so much fun.  After we got back on the tap-tap, everyone was in a much different mood and chatty as they shared each other’s experiences.

Our second stop was at Rebuild Globally, which is a company that employees about 20 people. They take discarded tires and other recyclables to create very nice items, such as sandals and handbags.  This was a nice brief opportunity for the members to shop, and visit a small business that is focused on recycling and cleaning the environment.

This afternoon, we visited two partner ministries… Home for the Sick & Dying and La Phare’s orphanage.

Since half of our group had been to the Home for Sick and Dying on previous trips, we decided to send primarily our first time trip goers to experience it. This home holds many babies and young children who are suffering from some illness or malnourishment.  With the devotional from the morning fresh in our minds we divided ourselves in to the four rooms, two people with babies under one year and two people with toddlers. We got there right as they were being fed for the afternoon. Most of us were handed bowls and spent time feeding the kids, others were given bottles for the baby kids. Many just wanted to be held. There was a line of chairs outside of one of the rooms,  facing the playground outside, filled with our team members and one (but often times more) kid sitting on their laps. We got to spend about two hours loving on these kids. It was an incredible experience.

The other half of our team traveled to La Phare’s orphanage to spend time with about 20 children. We did the same activity as earlier in the day, but these children were a little older and were amazingly well behaved. One special moment was having a conversation with a 14-year old boy who had two other brothers and two younger sisters in the orphanage. He knew enough broken English and we knew enough broken Creole to communicate, which was great. It was fun to see his excitement as we asked questions about his family but also his future. He hopes to be a basketball player (Michael Jordan is his favorite), or a builder of homes. The impact you can have on an individual is amazing when you just take time to be present and have a truly genuine conversation with someone.

Before this trip, we are often asked “what are you going to build in Haiti.” Most expect us to respond with homes or schools, but we are building relationships and confidence with these children who in many cases have been abandoned or forgotten. We cannot forget that God often places people in our path that he intends for us to uniquely intersect with. You may never know how impactful your prayer, your conversation, your smile, or lingering act of service will be on someone.