Becci's Team Day 5

Happy Friday! Our day began with a breathtaking sunrise and the 6AM service at Church on the Rock, in our neighborhood. Upon our arrival there was an overwhelming sense of spirit; it's indescribable! The service not only brought most of us to tears but also moved us so much that we danced the entire time while there. Also, Haitians danced/worshipped with us to songs both in Creole and part English. What an experience - we want to go back to Church on the Rock tomorrow!

After breakfast we drove to Cite Soleil to deliver water in a few neighborhoods. Little kids running up to our Tap Tap ("truck"), chanting "Hey You!", in anticipation of spending time with us will forever be etched in our minds. This is perhaps the best part of delivering water to the beautiful people of certain neighborhoods in Cite Soleil. We worked in tandem with children, teens, women and men to fill buckets with water as well as carry the buckets to their homes. While filling buckets with water, certain kids were playing in the water and buckets. It's as if we were ata pool party - there were endless smiles, shrieking and laughter!

We visited Fleri Farm in Cite Soleil this afternoon. Fleri Farm is approximately 28 acres and is centered on job creation and education for those native to Haiti. Specifically, the staff is comprised of 9 Haitians and 1 American, a long-term missionary, Kenny Tritch from Minnesota. Kenny gave us a tour of Fleri Farm and we saw mangoes, papaya, plantains, limes, citronella grass, coconuts and eggplants. We can't wait to come back next year to see his vision come to fruition! We are so thankful for Kenny and will continue to pray for him during his mission.

Our last event of the day involved visiting children + teens in a neighborhood located in Cite Soleil. Many of the children + teens we saw while delivering water were there. We were able to celebrate Christ with them by dancing, singing, playing soccer + football, listening to Haitian music, coloring, playing basketball and most importantly speaking a universal nonverbal language...love! 

Becci's Team Day 4

Another incredible day spent in Haiti with a team that is quickly bonding and becoming close friends. After breakfast, our day started with a short walk around the block to a local artisan shop where artists have created beautiful works of metal art, wooden art, paintings, bracelets, and even coffee mugs made from coconuts. Nobody left empty handed as the pieces were stunning. 

Back in the Tap-Tap, we rode to Hope Church again in Cite Soleil where we had the opportunity to serve 6 elders that are sponsored by Healing Haiti. The team split up so each elder got plenty of love, back rubs, hand and foot massages, snacks, prayers, and songs. As a team, we sang “Glwa Pou Bondye” in Creole, which translates to “Glory to God.” The older women had their hands raised high, and we could tell their hearts were filled with Joy and the Holy Spirit. While the men sat there, grinning ear to ear. 

The next stop was at Papillon, which means “butterfly” in Creole. This is a local shop where people create beautiful works of homemade art. “The Apparent Project” is the non-profit side, whose mission is to “'make the needs of Haiti known,' to support opportunities for Haitians to provide for themselves and their families, empowering them to rise out of poverty…to be able to keep their families together... to avoid relinquishing their children to orphanages… providing educational opportunities for both parents & their children.” We toured the workshop and were amazed at the hard working individuals and their talents. There is even a free daycare for children of the workers to attend while they are working. There is also a Café where we were able to order fresh smoothies, pizza, and burgers for lunch. Followed with shopping at the store, and again most of the team found something special to take home.

Following was a visit to La Phare orphanage, where we played basketball, soccer, jump rope, bubbles, coloring, and even made string bracelets. There are 17 children who live here and it is run by a Pastor who started caring for children after the earthquake. They were happy and we could tell they were well cared for. Some of the members who had previously visited La Phare noticed dramatic improvements in the home including a brand new shaded gazebo and basketball hoop that was built just yesterday. The team had so much fun, it was hard to leave.

We came home to a delicious Haitian meal that the Healing Haiti ladies prepared for us. Beans and rice, chicken, fried plantains, Griyo, cabbage salad, and Boulet (meat balls). Followed by birthday cake to celebrate Casey’s 16^th birthday (and Ashton's 18th next week)! The kids at the orphanage sang to him in both Creole and English. We are off to bed early to prepare for a 6am Church service and another water truck day tomorrow! 

 

Glwa Pou Bondye!

Day 3 Team Haiti

What an amazing day! After a delicious breakfast of eggs, french toast, oatmeal and fresh mango, we ventured in the Tap-Tap to Cite Soleil. Cite Soleil is the most impoverished city in the Caribbean. Pre-earthquake population of 300,000. Our task was to deliver water to two of the 26 districts in Cite Soleil. Mothers and children came with various containers to fill with water and return to their families. It was a chaotic display of compassion. With one hand holding a child on a hip and another  holding a bucket, we walked the distance to homes to deliver the water. Children surrounded us with bright smiles craving human connection and touch.

Exhausted, we traveled to the nearby Hope Village which includes a school, church, clinic, and Innovation Lab. This village was built over the last three years on an existing 25 foot pile of garbage on the coast of the Caribbean Sea. Before we began our tour, our leader Smith, lead us in the Cupid Shuffle and Cha-Cha Slide for an audience of Haitians. Our smiles were as big as the people watching us. The school is available to all children in Cite Soleil, with a current enrollment of 296. At Hope Church, we learned the Pastor's role is to guide his congregation towards a future of compassion and community. Hope Clinic employs two doctors, two nurses, and an operations manager. Here people can be treated for such things as diabetes, OB-GYN issues, fevers, and other ailments. The 9-month old Innovation Lab is actually a 40-foot storage container where 25 children can access technology teaching them problem-solving skills and cooperative learning. This brand-new virtual classroom is a stark reality compared to the life children live outside it's doors.

Our last two stops were Sakala Youth Center and the Home for Sick and Dying Children. Sakala is located in Cite Soleil and gives kids access to activities such as ping pong, basketball, and meals. Materials are extremely limited; however, we had to be creative with our time. We organized a quick game of "Duck, Duck, Poulo (chicken)" and had many takers. Soccer and string games were other ways we found to interact. The Home for Sick and Dying Children allowed us to embrace and give love to God's children.

As a team we are answering God's call to serve the Haitian people and are finding ourselves served in return.

Becci's Team: Deux Mains, Monfort & Dios

We started off the day by visiting Deux Mains, a factory where Haitian fashion is constructed from local upcycled materials. It was inspiring to see how many jobs have been created by this organization. They now employ forty full-time employees in addition to granting them full benefits. Working alongside the Deux Mains company, Rebuild Globally is a nonprofit organization which partners to educate Haitian people. After their graduation, the students are entered into a job training program which offers an immediate job at Deux Mains. Our group followed a tour through the recently updated and relocated solar-powered factory. There, the employees hand-make beautiful items such as shoes, purses, jewelry and more. Most impressively, all items are made from tires and other locally sourced materials.


Our second stop was Monfort. Monfort is both a school and orphanage for people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. Although most students were home for the summer from school, there was a summer camp which we attended. The majority of our time was spent playing with the children; we danced, played soccer and basketball, drew tic-tac-toe, and learned to communicate with the people. We learned a bit of Haitian sign language and sketched on white boards to speak with one another. Most significantly, each group member adjusted in our own way to create unique bonds with the people; most of us felt that learning the children's names and them learning ours was an automatic friendship. In addition, we learned that the children worked on the campus farm in the morning to gain work-skills. The money made from the farm directly supports the organization and the children who live there. The most impactful part for many of us was the woman who was directing the camp. She was hard of hearing and she told us that her biggest goal for the children is that they will understand that hearing is the ONLY thing that they cannot do and that no matter what, they can do anything they put their minds to. She also wants to empower the older children so that some day she can step down from being the director, because again, she wants them to know that they are capable of anything they want to do.

Our last stop was Dio's which is an orphanage for children who have special needs. We were able to spend time with the 25 children who live there. Each child had a unique personality which each member of our team easily adapted to. Our favorite activities of the day included; jump rope, soccer, catch, and singing. One significant moment of the day was when the children broke out and directed several of us in a parade around the tap tap. We circled around for more than thirty minutes in pure joy while the children leading the parade sang. Another moment in which we saw God was hearing the beautiful singing voice of a young woman who lives at Dio's. The pastor educated us that the children take turns leading in church, and we were not surprised to learn that she leads worship. We also got a tour of the facility and the children were proud to show us their home.

In past trips some of our team members have visited the two sites that we went to today. They noticed some of the same children who had grown healthier, stronger and still seemed to be full of the same joy.


The night ended with a wonderful team reflection and we eagerly await to see what God has for us tomorrow.

Becci's Team Arrival July 8th, 2019

Welcome to the official blog for our group mission trip from July 8th through the 15th! We had an early start to the morning, most of us waking up before 4am. Our group is filled with individuals eager to serve coming from Chicago, Minneapolis, West Virginia, Iowa and beyond!


Once we arrived in Port-au-Prince, our group made their way to the guest house on the tap tap, which is always such a unique and awesome experience. The Healing Haiti staff was eager for our arrival and truly made us feel at home and welcomed. After some time to get settled in, we met for dinner which was amazingly prepared by the staff at the guest house: taco salad!


Our team was able to meet to go over the weeks itinerary and learn about all of the amazing places, people and ways of service we are being called to. Each day has such great purpose and potential to truly display and use God's gifts to give back to this wonderful country and it's people.


Tomorrow begins our first day with visits to Build Globally, Dios and Monfort (an academy for the deaf and hard of hearing). We hope that you will stay with us as we go through our week and read about all of the wonderful ways this country is touching our hearts and how we are using our time here as the hands and feet of Jesus.


Goodnight all!

Church at Rendezvous and Wahoo Bay

Today was our last full day in Haiti. We started the day attending a church service at Rendezvous. When we entered the church, we were given headsets to listen to the translation from Creole to English. However, to our surprise Dr. Carver, a guest pastor, gave the sermon in English and they had a Creole interpreter. His message was about Hope in our lives and for the country of Haiti. It was an honor to get to experience the service with those in the community.

We came home from church, changed into our beach clothes, and hit the road to Wahoo Bay Beach Club. It was a complete contrast to our previous days of service, but a very welcomed retreat. The scenery was breathtaking with Caribbean waters on one side, and lush green mountains on the other. We had lunch, swam in the ocean, jumped on the water trampoline, collected shells and hung out in the pool. It was a great final day of relaxation and time together as a team.

When we arrived back at the guest house, we had dinner and celebrated Janae's 11th birthday with cake. During our team time, Jess shared a devotion about Hope which tied perfectly to this morning's sermon. We shared our final word of the day and reflected on the week's blessings. As we depart for the airport tomorrow, we are sure to all take a piece of Haiti home with us in our hearts.

Jill, Donna, Lauren & Carter

Words of the Day
Jessica - espwa (hope)
Samantha - telephone
Donna - home
Jill - breathtaking
Janae - swim
Jorja - relaxation
Carter - God's creation
Stephanie - bittersweet
Hallie - difference
Sierra- water
Lauren - refreshed
Karlee - parent
Todd - wonder
Noah - salt
Nettie - thankful

Monfort and Neighborhood Play

Today we went to Monfort, it's an orphanage for the deaf. We started with a tour of the property, looking at all of the animals: rabbits, goats, pigs, cows, peacocks, and doves, then following up with touring the vegetable garden and trade school. Some of the workers used a machete to cut a few stalks of sugar cane for us to try - we all loved it! After the tour, we were able to hang out with the kids that live there and some that were there for camp. If we had any concerns of how we would communicate with barriers of language and also not hearing/speaking to each other, they were quickly forgotten as we immediately started to play. We did jump rope, played soccer and basketball, drew with chalk and markers, and played on the playground equipment. We were pleasantly surprised that they all knew American Sign Language, so those of us that took ASL in school or learned as kids, were able to talk with them - it was rusty, but they were patient with us, teaching us and writing down the words if needed.  Our experience at Monfort showed me that you don't have to fully understand the language to make connection, as long as you are willing to try, they see that you care and I believe friendships were made today.

We returned to the guesthouse and headed out to the street to play with the neighborhood kids. There were about 15 to 20 kids ready to challenge us to a soccer game, play frisbee, draw with chalk on the road - tic-tac-toe, play duck duck goose, and blow bubbles. These kids had been seeing us go in and out of the guesthouse gate in the tap-tap all week and now we were able to step out and spend time with them.We were able to really hang out and build relationships with those in the community.

After our time of serving was over, we were able to make it to the pool for some cooling off and relaxing. One of the things I'm noticing on this trip is that the kids on our team really enjoy each other. They are so creative and playful with each other. None of us knew each other prior to this trip. Watching them serve with all their heart when we are out serving and then be silly with each other at the end of the day is really fun to watch. They are making memories with each other and friendships are growing in the midst of serving.

We were reminded today that PLAY really is something that crosses all cultures, and opens people up to making connections and memories. We are able to do this with the Haitian people and also among our team, which feels like a blessing. I'm a bit in awe that God would give us this time to join Him in what He is doing in Haiti, but also build friendships in the midst of it - bonus!

Our words of the day were as follows:  Samantha - I love you (ASL sign), Jessica - camaraderie, Lauren - communication, Janae - tic-tac-toe, Jill - teach, Carter - nap, Hallie - catch, Stephanie - relationship, Todd - play, Donna - smiles, Noah - joy, Karlee - even though, Jorja - cough, Sierra - soccer, Nettie - iceburg.

~Samantha and Jorja