Sunday, August 28, 2016

Sunday Funday

As some of you know today was our last full day in Haiti. Although all of us are sad to leave we ended up having an amazing day. Our morning started off with people watching the sunrise and others (us) sleeping in until the last minute. We had and amazing breakfast and great Haitian coffee to start our day. Afterwards we all prayed before we piled into the tap-tap, during the ride to Grace Church we played an intense game of Catch Phrase.

     It seemed like a very short ride and when we pulled into Grace Church we were immediately welcomed by big bright smiles from amazing kids and adults. Even though most of the sermon was in Creole, we could still feel the power of the preacher’s words. We have never seen kids praise God the way Grace Village kids did today; the elders were also jumping up and down praising God. Towards the end we had to leave to go the beach.

     As we got closer to the beach the view was absolutely breath taking. We could not help but run into the water WITHOUT sunscreen… Running into the cold water was such a relief after baking in the heat all week long.

     As our week came to an end we are very happy we had this opportunity to be God’s hands and feet. We would like to thank our amazing leaders for making this trip as fun as possible. We are also very thankful for the team we have.

Bon wit (Good night)
(Grace & Dacia)



     

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Mesi Jezi pour L’eau!  - Thank you Jesus for water!

We woke up and had breakfast to start our morning. We were also blessed with bacon to eat, thanks to Haley’s kind heart who bought it at the Haitian grocery store earlier this week. Jaime shared a devotional with us to help fuel our hearts for the day ahead.  It was a good reminder to keep our main focus on the Lord throughout the rest of the time we are here, “I can brighten up the dullest of gray days; I can add sparkle to the routines of daily life.  Even the most confusing day opens up before you as you go step by step with Me. My presence goes with you wherever you go, providing light for your path.” – Sarah Young; Jesus Calling

After praying we loaded up on the tap tap and headed towards Cite Soleil.  It was our second water truck day for the week so we were excited to be able to give water and see the smiling faces of all the children.  Once again, before the tap tap stopped, we were greeted with the familiar shouts of kids lined up behind the truck yelling, “Hey you! Hey you!” As the door opened, the swarm of kids pulling at our shorts and shirts asking to be held was an indescribable feeling of love, because we were immediately accepted by people we’ve never met before. As half of us worked together to fill up buckets of water the other half of our team immersed ourselves in the language of Creole, trying to hold conversations amidst the joking, laughing, hugging, and embracing. We may have a language barrier, but the common language of love was easy to fixate. We also helped carry buckets of water and watched as the strong Haitian women were able to carry gallons of water on top of their heads.

Each time we had to wait for the water truck to fill up before we ventured out to the next Haitian neighborhood, our team spent the time together jubilantly singing, chatting, and growing closer together as a family. Some of our team even decided to cool off by taking a quick shower under the water truck spout. We originally only planned two stops for the day but after our teams chanting protest of, “one more stop, one more stop!” our drivers gratefully took us out one more time. Water truck day is always a day where pieces of our hearts are left all over the city each time we have to say goodbye and move on to the next stop.

After water truck, we got ready for dinner. This evening was distinctive, we got to go out for dinner at a pizza place called Pizza Amour, run by an American family who opened up a business after falling in love with Haiti. We were able to enjoy dinner with outdoor seating and a peaceful atmosphere. They had a small gift shop inside that we all got to explore. Val, our truck driver and friend, blessed us with his presence and joined us for dinner as well. We ordered five pizzas that our team happily devoured followed by root beer floats, key lime pie, and mocha frappes for dessert. We are all sad that the trip is coming to an end soon because we feel like we’ve gained a second family. We are hoping and praying that this bond continues to grow after the trip! Thanks for all the love, prayers, and support back home! See you all soon!

John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up in eternal life.
Pdslm 63:1 O God, You are my God, I shall seek You earnestly; My Soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You.  In a dry weary land where there is no water

Love and Blessings,
Michelle & Lita
#blessed



Friday, August 26, 2016

Fantastic Friday!



It’s the Lisa’s here-again! Wow! What a day! We started off our visits at The Home For Sick and Dying Adults.  Soon after we arrived, the team split into guys and gals.  Benny and Rich, our amazing guys of the team, visited the men where they were massaging mad-men!  In all they were able to give 14 massages! So awesome!  The lovely ladies of the team divided into two groups to visit with the women.  We too gave massages, but we also got to paint lots of fingernails and toenails.  We all just enjoyed being in the presence of such strong yet such fragile men and women.   

Next stop was the Haitian History Museum.  It was very educational!  All the names of the Freedom Fighters were on a wall.  The guide explained what the names mean in English, let’s just say many were very demeaning.  The four founding fathers were buried in tombs inside the museum, there was an anchor displayed from the Santa Maria and a piece was taken out which was given to Charles Lindberg.  Many paintings depicting slavery and how harshly they were treated.  There was also a wall with pictures of all the leaders of Haiti’s history.  The Haitians optimism and pure happiness is remarkable.

The last visit of the day was to Laloo Orphanage.  The first line of business was doing a craft with the kiddos.  The craft-a paper fish.  It required lots of glue which the kids went crazy over. Nothing like having a bunch of kids and lots of glue!  Hilarious! Written out on the tail was Matthew 4:19. “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men” translated in Creole.
After the clean up, we headed out to play!  Lots of hair braiding, piggy back rides, an intense game of soccer, and basically just loving on these precious children of Haiti.

We wrapped up our evening with a quick swim at the hotel pool, a spaghetti dinner that the ladies prepared for us, birthday celebrations, devotions, salsa lessons and yard games!   It’s clear to see we make the most of every day! And now it’s time for us to go to bed!  

Bon wit (Good Night)

Lisa, Lisa and the Jesus Jam!!!:)