Hosanna Student Ministries Day 3!

Hi! This is Abby from our Healing Haiti Team!

Today we had our water give out day, it was the hardest day both physically and emotionally...but also the most rewarding. After eating a delicious breakfast at our guesthouse including freshly squeezed juice and nice fluffy pancakes (yum!), we put on our neon-green dry-fit Healing Haiti shirts and headed out on the tap-tap. Our new favorite thing to do while we ride from place to place is play a fun game called interrogation (I think). It's basically just a game where one person doesn't know what's going on and has to ask questions and based off our answers they have to find a pattern. 

We went to three different places in the slums of Cite Soleil with the water truck. As soon as we would climb out of the tap-tap (the vehicle our team travels in), all the kids would come running up to us asking to be picked up and held. At first it felt a little overwhelming, but having so many kids freely giving out joy and love is probably the greatest feeling on the planet! Kids and adults would form a line like half a mile long and would bring everything they had that could contain the fresh water. We would then help different people carry heavy buckets of water down the street back to where they lived and their faces would express a look of complete thankfulness and gratitude. It seems like such an insignificant thing back where we live, but water... water is everything for them. We forget how to live lives full of joy and always seem to want more, more, more but in Haiti you can tell from the full smiles on faces that from come hearing 'jezi remen ou" (Jesus loves you) that they really are the ones who have this complex journey called life figured out. They know that having complete and radiant love from our Creator is enough, and we can learn a lot from that. While we were at each stop we would just love on the people there as well as receive love from them. We also played games like jumprope with an old wire and different hand clapping games. 

In between different stops we toured different parts of Hope Village like the farm, the school/church, and medical clinic. It's amazing to see how much thought and love has been poured into this place that used to be an 80 foot trash heap.

To wrap it up I'll tell you guys about some of my favorite and most impactful moments that came from today. At our second water stop, I was able to comfort a crying girl and wipe her tears away as she wiped the sweat from my face. I could feel her heart beating in her chest, and that's when I realized that we are all just humans on this planet and we all have the same needs to feel love and happiness. At our last stop I helped some kids and a mother transfer water from a massive bucket into jugs with one makeshift funnel and one tiny measuring cup, with each scoop of water I just prayed that this would give them new strength. Finally, at that stop one little girl hung on to me the whole time and we laughed and laughed. I told her and all the kids around them to never forget that they are loved, wanted, and important and even with the language barrier, I know they understood and some would repeat the words back to me and tell me that Jesus loves me. Right before we went back we all walked down a dock leading out the the rough ocean and took a group picture. Finally, this little girl took my hand and noticed the yarn heart bracelet on my wrist and gave me the biggest hug. I motioned if she wanted it to remember this day so I slipped it on her wrist. This made final goodbyes the hardest moment of my life as we drove away from the ocean and towering mountains I couldn't help but think, everyone needs to go through this too to feel God, and to feel life. More to come tomorrow!

Hosanna Student Ministries Day 2!

Hey guys it's Nicole from the Haiti team! Today we went to two orphanages, one of which was a orphanage for special needs children. The orphanages we went to were called Laphare and Dios. We got to preform a little faith skit about Jesus multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish into enough for everyone to eat. Afterwards we gave them bags of goldfish since goldfish is both fish and bread related. We spent the rest of our time with them coloring, jumping rope, and playing intense ball games like soccer and "keep it up." They basically creamed us in soccer. We had so much fun with them it was hard to say goodbye when it was time to leave. After the orphanages we stopped at a super market and we got a chance to buy a fun soda that we can't get in the US. Since we have been back at the guest house, we have been singing songs, taking naps, and bonding with each other. It's almost dinner time and we are having garden rice! More updates are on the way, stay tuned!

Hosanna Student Ministries Day 1!

Hello Family, Friends, and Prayer Partners!

Our Hosanna Student Ministries Team has safely arrived after a long day of travel! We landed at about 3 pm today, took a short drive to our Healing Haiti Guest House, and have been getting settled in and prepared for the week. Everything went so smoothly for our travel today, so thank you for your prayers!! The team is doing well, laughing a lot, and looking forward to our first full day in Haiti tomorrow. Tonight we ate a great Taco dinner, went through this week's schedule together, and practiced a Faith Lesson that we'll be sharing with two orphanages tomorrow. Some of our awesome students will share a more detailed blog tomorrow once we've got a full day behind us, but know that we're all thinking about you and looking forward to sharing the amazing things God does in and through us this week. More to come tomorrow night!!

Blessings,

Pastor Erik and Brianne

SVCC in Haiti - Day 7

Our last full day in Haiti is winding down ... we've had our final dinner here, group time, word of the day (I had two -- Blessed and Convicted), and are now packing bags for departure. Today was another beautiful day that started off with morning service at Rendezvous Christ Church in Port au Prince. This is an amazing, Spirit-filled body that is affiliated with Haiti Teen Challenge and reminds me a lot of my home church. It was really awesome to see Ruth leading praise & worship - I remember meeting her a few years ago in HTC's Women's Program and was blown away by her vocal talent. She has since graduated the program and is now serving at RVC. For more information on the church, go to: https://rendezvouschurch.org/.
     Today's message was on God's calling on our lives, what He asks of us and how we are to respond. Some of my takeaways were:

• We receive to be givers. What God gives to us is meant to be given away. 
• God does not send temptation, but He does allow trials. 
• God does not want the child (Isaac); He wants the father's heart (Abraham). 
• Surrender. Obedience. 
• What is your Isaac? Are you willing to give it to God? 

     I need to reflect on this more. I really don't know what my Isaac is. I do know that there are certain mountains in my life that I continue to circle. God has been working on me this week and has brought to light some things that I need to take a closer look at when I get home. 

     After church we rode in the tap tap for about an hour to Wahoo Bay Beach Resort for a time of rest and reflection. On the way, our team continued to bond and reflect, sharing stories and laughter about various experiences here and at home. We enjoyed seeing the beautiful countryside as well and noted that there is a lot of awesome work going on - several new construction and other projects in the works in Port au Prince and surrounding areas. 

     This has been an incredible week with an amazing team that only God could have selected. Aside from the leaders, all were first-timers with varying degrees of nervousness or apprehension. Unless you're a seasoned Haiti goer, you wouldn't have known it...these guys jumped into every activity put in front of them, loved on everyone without hesitation, and were absolute champs day in and day out. From the first night and our several-hour bonding session, I knew it was going to be a great experience but I had no idea how great. The levels of caring, love, vulnerability, transparency, and compassion were astonishing. I am so grateful to have seen what this team has experienced, and I am so excited for what God has in store as we head home, taking some of Haiti home in our hearts. 

     If you have ever considered going on a mission trip, this would be a great place to start. Haiti and its people leave me in awe and wonder every time. Their pure love, joy, strength, and resilience are at levels I have not experienced before in places of need. I absolutely love and am humbled to witness what God continues to do through His people here. 

     Thank you for tagging along with us this week!

~Jaime

SVCC in Haiti - Day 6

Before we got in the tap tap this morning to head out for the day’s activities, God put it in my heart while praying (probably because our time here is coming to an end soon) that the ‘us’ in us should seek to leave no trace of our presence here because this country does not need it. That we should seek only for the God in us to leave some kind of lasting, indelible mark.

This was a day of many different perspectives for me. That was my word for this day.

As we drove through the city my mind was very focused on the reality that we are leaving soon and it made me kind of sad. Yesterday I had one of the most powerful, Spirit of God’s presence, moments I have ever had, with one of the elders that we visited. As I had to get up and leave, I began to experience heartache and the enemy started chirping in my ear with one of his lies - ”It wasn’t enough”. I know it’s a lie from the pit of hell but it still affected my perspective for a bit. Today, we Collage Baptiste de la Grace, which is a church and school that was started in 2005 and Healing Haiti has recently partnered with to help feed the many children that come from all over the neighborhood. Upon our arrival, my perspective was immediately shifted to the kids there and my awe for another avenue here that God is right in the middle of in a huge way. 

      It is really cool to see how the Holy Spirit can enter into a place, and in this case, a room full of very reserved, shy children in the beginning of our visit, be transformed by first a bible study given by our own Mike and Sara and then a meal, singing and ending with a full on dance party. It was awesome!

      After this we were scheduled to come back to the guest house but as it was still pretty early, our staff person Smith came and asked if we wanted to go up the mountain, which wasn’t originally on the agenda for this trip. Of course we all agreed we should go!

It was a pretty long ride that took even longer due to traffic, but we got to have another change of perspective as we went higher and higher up the mountain. We got to see some really cool neighborhoods literally built into the side of the mountain.

When we finally arrived at the top, we were treated to a view like none I have ever seen.

We could see all way over to the northern part of the country that makes the kind of reverse C that forms the eastern profile of the country. It was truly breathtakingly beautiful.

My eyes kept returning to where Cite Soleil sits. I wanted to be back there. I will be back there.

      As we were reflecting on the day later on, one of our team members shared that he had seen many beautiful vistas around the world before and wasn’t sure how this one was any different.

      This was my final perspective for the day. You have all most likely seen the kind of art that is made up of many very small photographs, that are arranged in such a way that makes it appear from a distance like a portrait or picture of some sort, but when you move closer to it, the large image begins to become indistinguishable and you can see that it is actually made up of multitudes of tiny photographs. The large image and the photographs often have no resemblance to one another.

      This is what I saw from that high and distant perspective. From a distance you see a sight similar to somewhere else in the world but this is like nowhere else. As you move closer, you begin to see some of the brokenness and then even more as you move closer. 

Before we left, I said that I hoped to understand how you can see pictures of people, especially children, from the most impoverished places in the world, with huge bright smiles on their faces. I had to come here to see, to understand, for God to reveal it to me. 

      Only God can take the broken and make something beautiful from it.

      There is brokenness all around this country but because of the God in these people, there is beauty and light everywhere you look.

      So, the people of Haiti have so much more to give and teach us then we do for them. Not to say that we don’t have a mission here - we do - but there is a huge lesson for us who are the “haves” in the world versus the “have nots”. These beautiful people are so rich in ways I could only understand by seeing first-hand.

Thank you Haiti. 

~ Matt 

SVCC in Haiti - Day 5

As the sun rose over the horizon, our team was already assembled in the driveway eagerly awaiting our first opportunity to attend Church on the Rock.  We piled into the tap-tap with the other mission team and off we went.  Not even 6:00 AM we climbed the hills of Haiti on our way to a powerful church service.  One might think the pastor preached on the woes of his people but this was not the case; his prayers were for America and Israel.  His own people were included but in a general sense that we might hear our own pastor say as he tends to his flock.

Returning home our delicious breakfast prepared by our loving Haitian staff awaited us.  We devoured bananas, mangos, papayas, French toast, and eggs.  This was food to nourish our bodies as we prepared to go into the world and do God’s work.

We again loaded up into the tap-tap after our morning prayer with our ice cold water bottles and elder care supplies.  We did not know what to expect other than our leaders had given us a brief bio of the various elders we would see.  On the way to Titanyen we had roughly an hour drive and got to see even more of the natural beauty of this country.  We have also come to enjoy our rides together as our group has gelled in a way that is hard to explain.

Arriving at Titanyen, we apprehensively approached the first of four elders unsure what would take place. God showed up in a big way, allowing for transformation on our team.  Titanyen means “less than nothing”, but what we found was a whole lot more than something.  We brought them food, washed hands and feet, and provided whatever care we could or was needed/requested.  Their families allowed us to do this but watched over their elders with a fierce love. 

When our elder visited had been concluded we hoped back on the tap-tap and off we went to Rosie’s for ice cream and coffee! Ok there may have been some retail therapy too but for purchase of goods made by local artisans, and the greeting cards and food provided support 26 jobs locally. 

After being recharged we went to tour Grace Village.  This, like so many of the stops we made today, was a powerful one.  The Lord has been so faithful to the goals and dreams of Healing Haiti on this and so many endeavors, and His work is not done!!!  Our fearless leaders lead a tantalizing tour of the grounds showing us the original bakery, original orphanage structures, the beautiful playground, the school the children from the orphanage and surrounding areas attend, the newer family style housing now occupied by the kids, and the clinic.

Needing more nourishment, we loaded up and headed down to the Fleri bakery and café. Peterson, the manager of Fleri Boulange (“boo-lan-zhey”, which means “bakery”) gave us the tour of the premises, answered our questions and shared with us the tremendous growth this God-filled operation has experienced.  Being full of the spirit, we gored ourselves on pizza, wings, fritz and pork with plantains.

Unsure if we would all fit, we waddled to the tap-tap and prepared for the drive home.  The laugher and joy was harder to fit into the tap-tap while we rode the hour back to Port-au-Prince.

After some rest and personal time, we gathered as a team to reflect on the day that was spent and what is to come tomorrow. God is good! 

~ Kyle

SVCC in Haiti - Day 4

            

Spicy peanut butter was present at the start and end of the day…and it was amazing. I will be bringing some home with me. Along with lots of awesome coffee and incredible memories. We started the day with a delicious breakfast of syrup-Nutella-peanut butter topped pancakes and eggs accompanied by sliced bananas, mangos, and avocados. Following breakfast, we made our way to the Artisan Shop and purchased hand-made decorations from recycled tin, cloth and various other materials. Our next adventure was to Hope Church and Clinic in Cite Soleil to assist the locals in filling and carrying water buckets. It was the team’s second day of ‘Water Truck Stops’ and it was made apparent by each individual’s confidence and enthusiasm to complete God’s given task. We took a short break, and sought shelter under the coconut trees at Fleri Farm. Here Kenny gave us a tour of present crops and farming methods. He introduced various ways in which Fleri Farm plans to innovate to create jobs for many more and improve the economic well-being of Cite Soleil and surrounding areas. We made our way back to Hope Church to spend some time with the beautiful and bright-souled children of the neighborhood before venturing out to complete two more Water Truck Stops. Fresh water and sweat soaked, our team made its way back into the Tap-Tap and headed to the guest house. A scrumptious Haitian meal of chicken, rice and beans, and dried plantains was waiting for us and did not sit long before it was devoured. As night approached, the team gathered around the living room to reflect on the day and pray to The Father. I sit here, as the rest of the team has settled into bed, snacking on spicy peanut butter-filled Oreos and sharing with you what a thrilling day it has been. 

~ Morgan