KCC Day #5

"God is on the move, God is on the move, Hallelujah!"

Starting off with an early morning, headed over to the local Haitian church, the Church on the Rock. This feeling of being connected with the community despite the obvious difference such as cultural and language bariers, were far surpassed by serving the same God. Worshiping with them in their home church, in their community, was really awesome. We worshiped along side them, they even sang some English songs with us, making us feel so welcome while we visited. There is just something about this community that is so warm and loving, feeling God in the midst of it was evident.

We headed to the Home for the Sick & Dying Adults next. What a humbling experience that blessed us in so many ways!! We went from room to room, painting the women's finger nails, praying over them, singing, and even dancing.  It was powerful to see these sick and dying women dancing and worshipping when clearly they are in so much pain. Even in their poor health conditions, they still were joyful and enthusiastic and happy to see us! How humbling it was as these women ask for us to massage their fragile and weak limbs. God really stretched us, pulling us out of of comfort zone, making us rely on His strength and peace as He used us to serve others. What an honor it was to get down on our knees as we rubbed feet and painted toe nails. God is on the move, using us to touch and live out the Gospel in their lives.

We ended out our day on the field with a visit to La Loo Orphange. It was amazing interacting with the kids. They were so ecstatic over just bubbles and jump ropes, so simple but yet bringing so much joy.  The Bible talks about in Matthew 18:3 having a child like innocence and faith. I can't help to be reminded that this is what God is talking about, these kids with very basic needs and unlimited child like innocence and faith. Something about their joy in the simple things puts my heart in over flow. It still amazes me at how needy they are for the basics such as love, so eager and open to complete strangers. They would jump into our arms, literally, and never want to let go. Just leaves me full.

Our words for the day are: Strength, complete, community, humbling, enthusiastic, touch, continue, and connected.

- Danika & Stephanie

KCC Day #4

How could you not know that we serve a mighty God when you witness the country of Haiti? On day number 4 of our mission trip, our team visited the Elders. We brought them a meal and water, worshiped with them, washed and lotioned their feet, legs, and arms, and prayed over them. It was humbling to get down on your knees and wash someone's feet, what an act of being a servant. It was a blessing to be able to fulfill Gods desires of having a servants heart. It reminds me of how Jesus washed the disciples feet so unselfishly. It was so powerful listening to what they had for prayer requests. They have such a strong faith in God, yet they live in poverty, some without legs and are confinied to their makeshift home of brick and and sheet metal, everyday in less then a 6x 6 space.  With no social security check coming in, no pension, no government assistance, no food pantry, the list goes on and on. How lucky we are in the states to receive free services, yet how often we take them for granted when there are other people in other countries suffering, daily but have an overflow of joy, of peace, of humility. These Elders and their immediate community welcomed us in with open arms. Worshiped along side of us, and prayed with us. It fills me with hope for Haiti that these people still know the love of Jesus, despite their circumstances. It was so humbling and a great reminder of the mighty God we serve, and how big and powerful His love is even in the distraction.. His love surpasses all.

After the Elders, we went to Grace Village. Built by Healing Haiti, it houses children from age 2 to young adults, about age 16-18. And also aids in transitional living for those not exactly ready to leave.  It also serves as a "stop and go" orphanage, with reunification and parental support as the bones of their mission, along with a school for kids and teens. On site their is also a health clinic, open to the public and fully staffed by Haitians, a bakery which promotes job opportunity and growth for Haitians, and Grace Church where people Worship on Sunday's and through out the week. Grace Village brings so much hope to Titanyen, which translates to "little nothing", with a dark history, but god always manages to make beauty from ashes, drawing hope and inspiration to the Haitian community. Places like Grace Village are changing lives and Haiti, one leap of faith at a time.

Lastly we visited the earthquake memorial, also known as Masquerade by the locals. What an emotional stop. The bodies of the earthquake victims are buried there, and they built the memorial structure right on top of the mass graves. The memorial remains unfinished do to lack of funding, none the less the feeling of this symbolic, and visually beautiful sight is quite tangible. The memorial is placed dead center of mountains, canyons and the ocean all in one place. Filled with beautiful flowers and the brightest greens and deepest browns. The tragedity and destruction is very much alive in this place yet such a holy ground! Over 300,000 Haitian people died in the January 2010 earthquake. Once again, we see God bringing beauty from the ashes in Haiti. We serve such a mighty God,who's power and creation is display in clear sight in ways that you can feel and see easier then ever before!



Our words for today were: Perseverence, hope, joy, rebuild, healing, rebirth, mighty, humbled.

-Danika & Stephanie

KCC Day #3

Water truck day, incredibly moving on so many levels! One of the most moving days of our lives thus far, so awe inspiring to see God work though us and use us to serve His beloved. Having the ability to move lives, move water, move our soul! God is so good!!!!! Day 3 of our Haiti missions trip was a life changing experience. What a blessing it is to fulfill Gods plan for our lives. 

"Hey you!"... That was the one phrase we heard all day long. As we would pull into our water stops, the children would flock to us, demanding our attention and love. As soon as we were out of the tap tap, these children's arms were held up anxiously waiting for someone, anyone, to hold them, embrace them. Even just something as simple as touching them for the brief time we were there serving water was enough. Some of us would pick the little ones up, and they'd hold onto us so tightly, trying to make some communication at least with us since we don't speak their language. Some of us would man the water truck, filling bucket after bucket with clean drinking water for the people of Cite Solei. Today we delivered 9,000 gallons of water!! Not only did we impact Cite Solei and it's people, but they impacted us in amazing and powerful ways.

One thing that was incredibly powerful that spoke volumes into my life was the ability that these children have to carry 5 gallon water buckets, flawlessly, on their heads! We often get so caught up with: I'm too tired, I don't feel like doing it today, I'm too busy; but these children just do it !! They have an incredible strength, not just physical but emotional! These children are survivors, and they are good at it! It's quite humbling just being in the present time, watching these children go and help their families without a complaint. We have another water truck day this Saturday, and I know our whole team is already looking forward to it. We didn't just give water today, but the true living water that is Jesus himself.

Our words for today were eye-opening, overwhelmed, glory, uplifting, captivating, full, and small.

Please keep our team in your prayers over the next few days as we continue to serve Haiti and it's people. 

- Danika & Stephanie 

KCC Day #2

The face of Jesus, in those little eyes, in those warm smiles. Day two of Healing Haiti, Jesus was in the midst of it. We started off our day with visiting home for Sick & Dying Babies. We went in and held these sweet, sick babies, we wrocked them, changed them, fed them, and most importantly gave them the comfort of Jesus. We are God's vessel to reach people, and He definitely used us today to be His hands & feet. In exchange these babies were too being the hands and feet, humbling our spirits, opening our hearts. They helped us to see God's plan, and our purpose in this journey. 

Our second stop for the day was visiting the disabled children. What a humbling experience!!! We went in and sang to them, played with them and helped feed them. To listen to these kids sing the same songs in English that we hear on the radio was awesome and inspiring, all in one. Just worshipping God through song with these kids was extremely bonding. It was humbling and fulfilling being given this opportunity to share Jesus' love with these children. To close off this section of our day we prayed with, hand in hand, some of these disabled children. Seeing this particular Haitian boy, eyes closed, worshipping and praying along side of us reminded me of how big the God is we serve. Never ceasing to reach the sick and broken in all areas of the world. 

To end out our day on the field, we took a tour of the Apparent Project, which supplies jobs for over 200 people. Giving jobs to the local Haitians, supporting indepdance and job opportunity. The Apparent Project also provides childcare and pre-k for all the mothers who work there, so that way they can have a job and support or help support their families. Inspired by a woman who initially planned to adopt a Haitian baby, but appon arival realized the mom did not want to give up her baby, only didn't have the means to support it. In response she started a business for mothers to be able to provide financially for their children and family. The Apparent Project is an excellent example of what gives hope and support to Haiti and its people, and yet again a true reflection of the mighty God we serve that blesses His people that he faithfully loves. 

Our words for today were joy, soverign, love, hope, humbling, contrast, hopeful, and joyful.

What a wonderful day, praise God! 

- Danika & Stephanie 

KCC Day #1

"Ringgggg"... That was the sound we all heard at about 2 AM this morning to start off our day. Barely awake I turned off my alarm, as I'm sure everyone else on my team did as well. A little frustrated to be waking up in the middle of the night at first, until.... we realize that today is October 24th, and that means the start of a week long adventure of stepping out in faith, coming face to face with new experiences, and truly being the hands & feet of Jesus. 

After flying from Portland to Philadelphia to Ft. Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince, butterfly's in my stomach from the built up excitement, we finally land in Haiti.  What an eventful day we have already had!! Restroom...check, immigration... check, baggage.... check! And now welcome to the tap tap! Smiling faces offering help from all angles, all cramming in the tap tap, winding roads, children running along side, crisp dirt in the air, and lots and lots of goats... Haiti welcomes us with a somewhat familiar home-like vibe, and God's presence fills the atmosphere. We had a fantastic dinner and a deep testimonial time. I can't even imagine how bonded our team will be by the end of this week.

Striking, Surreal, finally, powerful, beautiful, creation, inspiring, expectant. Those are the words from today when we asked our team to think of one word to describe their day. Today was a big day, and the rest of the week should be even better. Please keep us in your prayers this week! 

- Danika & Stephanie 

To Him be the Glory

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurable more that all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory..." Ephesians 4:20

Beauty, Beautiful, Hope, Amazing, Connection, Worthy, Blessed...
These are just a few of the words that our team used to describe our week. 
Oh, we have been stretched this week.  God has broken our hearts in different ways each day. From the little kiddos in the orphanages or at the water stops, to the elderly, or the wound clinic downtown, God has stretched us way way outside anything we have experienced before.

Yet, God provided all that we needed for each day, for each hard hard thing.  We all had fears, anxieties, worries. Some spoken out loud, some not. At the end of each day, we felt wrung out, yet weirdly filled up at the same time.  How does that happen in Haiti?

One team member said it well tonight when she said we all had divine appointments with people here in Haiti.  God gives us those same divine appointments with people at home, but do we have the eyes to see them? Let that be our prayer...

I am praising God for His faithfulness to this team this week. He is our strength, He answered some big prayers for us, and ALL THE GLORY GOES TO HIM!!

Kelly

 

Praise His Name with Dancing

"Let them praise His name with dancing;" Psalm 149:3a
Today, we were split into two groups. One group consisted of all nurses that went to the wound clinic bright and early. They were able to help all the wounded that showed up with medical needs to the free clinic. They handed out some medications, redressed wounds, and helped the nuns with whatever was asked as best as they could.
The rest of us went to two orphanages, Dios and La Loo. Dios had a team visit them yesterday for the first time, so it was pretty new and we did not know what to expect before arriving.
It was a special needs orphanage with about 20 kids. We got off the tap tap and as usual were greeted by little ones with smiling faces who just wanted some loving. We brought a tote of goodies with us that had bubbles, chalk, and musical instruments.
After awhile of endless bubbles and pictures of multiple animals on the driveway, the fun began, and all that was needed was a beat! It started with some singing and handclapping, but soon turned into full out dancing, all while praising God! A few kids even took off their shoes to get fully into it! I've never seen so much joy than what I saw on these kids' faces just dancing and using musical instruments. A beach ball had even turned into an instrument and a boy was hitting it with a stick and it instantly became a drum! They definitely had rhythm and it was an absolute fantastic and super fun experience to witness these kids enjoy themselves and our company!
At La Loo, they had about 40 or so kids. We started with a mini bible study on Zacchaeus. We then had arts and crafts which was a little more of a challenge due to our smaller group. But we still had fun watching the kids spell their name with stickers and markers. A few pipe cleaners had even turned into glasses and bracelets.
On the way back to the guesthouse we stopped by the metal market and grocery store and bought a few goodies!
This is our first ever mission trip to Haiti!! We are being molded by God everyday here. We continue to pray and trust that God will show us what he is trying to teach us from this experience to Haiti
both about others and even ourselves. We hope to continue to make a difference wherever God leads us whether back here in Haiti someday or just back home. Please continue to pray for us while we finish up our time down here and for the amazing people of Haiti!

Ashley and Delanie