SVCC in Haiti - Day 3

Imagine its 90 degrees outside and you cannot turn on the air conditioner: that was tonight at dinner as we all sit around a long table with neatly sitting plates, cups and silverware. We are the Serenity Village team here in Haiti, all chowing down on the meal tonight called Yakisoba, prepared by the amazing staff. As the room falls silent because of our long day and undeniably delicious meal, our team leader brings up our word for the day. This is a time when we all share one word to describe our experience with the day, an excellent way to build the bonding in our team. It goes around with words like “Connection” and “Exuberance”. Then it comes to me, I first state that my “one word” is actually two; then I finally let out, “In awe”. I am in awe of God’s love for us and how it expelled out of every person we met today. Firstly we ate breakfast together then we all loaded up on sunscreen and bug spray. Then climbed in to what is called a tap tap, a large truck that carries us all in the back. It was a rushed, busy time of day, but because of the group’s discussion and closeness we didn’t notice. Once we reached our destination - Haiti Teen Challenge - we climbed out of the truck and were welcomed by the staff of Teen Challenge. Then we sat down and sang some worship songs in Creole with the fourteen women in residency there. We sat in a circle while two of the residents shared their testimonies and I immediately got teary-eyed. Being a graduate of Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge myself, I felt a rush of compassion for the ladies as they shared their vulnerability with us. I had to let out some words of encouragement but the lump in the back of my throat made my voice shaky. Finally, I was getting through the wave of emotions, and finally got to hear a testimony for Sara our team member. Her courage and testimony left the women with a glimmer in their eyes. Then I knew that I needed to let the women know what I have gone through. Listening to their testimonies, I realized that even if we lived on completely different continents and worlds apart, we felt the same inside. We felt discouraged, extremely sad, and hopeless, but now that we have found people like each other we don’t feel so alone in our fight to succeed and survive. We took a tour of the beautiful building the residents live in, the sewing room where they are learning how to sew their graduation outfits. And finally the garden where bananas, eggplants, and corn were planted as well as an almond tree. Before leaving, we sat down with each other one last time for prayer. We all prayed in our own way, language, and song. As my eyes were tearing up I started to hear the beautiful voices of the TC ladies sing, “I will call your name, keep my eyes above the waves,” “Oceans” from Hillsong. We all joined together to share an amazing experience only God would orchestrate. After the amazing experience at Teen Challenge we went to visit the kiln Serenity Village purchased for Papillon, a beautiful café and pottery shop that started with one women’s dream and four employees, and is now giving jobs to 150 Haitians that can support their families with this income. Finally we stopped at an orphanage called La Loo, we were greeted by the 20 or so children and their angelic voices welcoming us. We all become quickly attached and active with the children, playing jump ropes, catching footballs and frisbees and learning Spanish! One of the children taught some of the team members all the Spanish words he knew from his notebook. What a full afternoon of the welcoming and loving faces of the beautiful people in this country. 

~ Becca 

SVCC in Haiti - Day 2

On our first full day in Haiti, we toured Hope Church/Clinic/School/Innovaton (IT) Lab, we had our first of two water truck days on this trip as well as visited Sakala School, and then returned to the field for a second stop with the water truck.  While this sounds rather mundane as it is stated in logistical facts it understates the impact that Healing Haiti’s operations are having on the community, the overwhelming experience that seeing Cite Soleil is, and the resiliency of all the Haitian people.

Hope Church continues to be a beacon of light in an area of the world that in the physical most would assume should be shrouded in darkness.  Their faithfulness continues to bear fruit.  The newest addition of an IT Lab for the students is training the world’s most disadvantaged children with the best software, hardware and curriculum that the world can provide them.  Their futures are shining brighter than their smiles.

As we helped carry water to the homes of the residents of Cite Soleil, we saw many things that by our standards might have been lacking but one thing that was not, was joy.  Their hearts overflowed with joy just as their buckets did with water.

When we went to Sakala school a member of the team was introducing us.  As he finished our introduction, he said we come from Minnesota where all the snow is, this was met with a sea of blank stares, so he couldn’t stop there.  “Who wants to have fun?” he asked.  The children erupted YAY! I can’t hear you! An even louder roar went up, and right on queue our delightful and extremely helpful Healing Haiti staff Smith put on some music and the dancing began.

Before we knew it, we were being asked to load back up and reconnect with the water truck.  The idea of a water truck was foreign to most of us before this trip as we are accustomed to running water but we helped deliver a basic necessity to people who otherwise do not have access nor the means to procure clean water.

Exhausted physically from the experience we returned home to a delicious meal of Haitian Lasagna prepared by our loving and diligent Healing Haiti staff at the guest houses.  As we all reflected on our day it was far from mundane. Somehow as we went out into the world to love God’s people just as they are, and give what we have away, we found we were the ones who felt had received the most and our hearts overflowed with gratitude for this opportunity.

~ Kyle

SVCC in Haiti - Day 1

Travel Day! Fairly uneventful…which is a good thing when we’re talking about getting 12 people to the airport by 4am, hopping two planes, and making our way through customs and such upon arrival. I almost made all of us late by sleeping through my alarm! Never been up and out the door so quickly in my life… 

We arrived at Guest House 1 around 3:30pm and went about the business of settling in. After dinner and free time, we found ourselves all in the living room for what turned into a 3+ hour conversation that included powerful revelation and connections made, as well as a level of vulnerability and transparency that I’ve never before experienced with a team on the first night. God bonded us quickly! I am SO excited for what is to come, and for what this team will experience in the days ahead.

~Jaime 

Becci's Team Day 7

Last Day Together in Haiti

Our day started off at Rendez-Vous Church. The immediate feel of everything changed once we got into the church. It felt very warm, welcoming, and interactive and one of the reasons was because we were handed headphones that we could wear for translating. The service was started with an awesome praise and worship team and had many songs in both Creole and English. They were very powerful and uplifting. Throughout the service many of us were very moved by the Pastor's words about integrity, humility, and growth, along with a few special words from a mentor of his and how he came to where he is today.

Following church we drove an hour to see the amazingly beautiful side of Haiti at Wahoo Bay for a day of rest. The view from any point of the beach was completely breathtaking and very surreal to see after the sights we observed serving in some of the poorest neighborhoods of Haiti. We were able to snorkel, play on the water trampoline, swim, dance, and relax while reflecting on the week as a whole. The food there was incredible because most of it was fresh caught directly out of the water, which made it taste that much better. Overall, it showed the incredible beauty that God has created in this country we call Haiti.

Once we got back to the guesthouse, we ate an awesome meal prepared by the loving Healing Haiti staff. Then we had our typical post dinner team meeting. Tonight was special. It was very intimate and emotional. It consisted of our typical devotions with purpose, slide show, and our "word of the day". However, tonight we also added special shout-outs. There is so much love on this team. The family bonds, the tears, the laughs, the memories, the servant hearts, and the life long friendships made. It is a very bittersweet ending to this absolutely incredible trip. Our team over the week has really grown together and shared unforgettable experiences that we will all forever treasure.

Becci's Team Day 6

Today was another beautiful day in Haiti! We were so blessed to visit several elders in Titanyen this morning. Our team was accompanied by Katie, one of the missionaries serving at Grace Village along with 2 graduates of Grace Village who are now attending University. They were a wonderful addition to our experience because they brought their amazing voices to the visits. We united in worship together in both English and Creole, it was an incredible experience. While serving the elders our team washed their feet and massaged their hands and bodies. We had time for fellowship and learned about their life stories and families. At the end of each visit we had a special time for prayer. The entire morning was very humbling for our team and brought all of us closer to God as well as each other. We also broke out in a little "Cha Cha Slide" which raised 2 of the elders right out of their chairs to join in the dancing with us!

Next we headed to a local ice cream and coffee cafe called "Rosies". The frozen lemonades and coffees were a nice treat on a hot Haitian Summer day. Rosies supports many of the local artisan organizations by selling their products, it was fun to see products from many of the places we have visited this trip such as Papillion and Deux Mains. After a nice cool break we headed back to Grace Village for a tour!

Grace Village is an amazing representation of the work Healing Haiti is devoted to. There is a clinic, a school, an innovation center, a lovely park and family style living that gives children the opportunity to thrive as a family unit. All of us were so impressed by the creative thinking that leaders at Healing Haiti are utilizing in their vision for the organization. The goal is to create jobs for our Haitian brothers and sisters so that they can support and sustain their families. We also loved hearing about how Healing Haiti is committed to reuniting "orphaned" children with their parents to raise up the communities and the future of Haiti.  It was truly an honor to spend time with all of the missionaries and staff at Grace Village and hear their passion and hearts for the mission of this organization and for God.

Last but not least we got the opportunity to eat dinner at Fleri Resto!!! We were greeted with a smile by Jake, the long term missionary over the Bakery, Restaurant and the Transitional Program. He gave us a heartfelt tour and history of Fleri and his time in Haiti. Jake is an inspiration to all of us. His love of the people and pride in the work he is doing in Haiti shines bright with every word he spoke. The bakery has flourished (meaning of "fleri") over the last 2 years. They focus on local sourcing and job creation by purchasing all of their ingredients from the local markets and selling the bakery products at whole sale pricing to local vendors. It is a wonderful door that has been opened for this community and we are excited to see what God has in store for the future of the bakery and restaurant. Next we learned more about the resto! Staffed completely by Haitian young adults who are in the transition program, the resto serves people from all over the world who come to visit along with the surrounding communities. We ordered 5 huge pizzas and they were all delicious!! It was a nice way to end our day with lots of love and laughs.

Our team time at night is where we really unpack our day and spend time connecting with God on a deeper level. We will all continue to lift up all of the missionaries and staff that we have met during out time here. Please join us in praying for all of the people who are here serving on a daily basis.

It is hard to believe that we are down to 2 sleeps before we head back home.... our team has grown very close and as much as we miss our loved ones back home it will be hard to leave this special place.

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!