DAY #3  WOODRIDGE CHURCH BLOG

Today our team delivered water in Citi Solei and spent time at Hope Clinic and Hope School.  It was an amazing day of experiencing the "least of these" whom God loves SO much!  We are all struck by the beauty found in Haiti and reminded of how everyone's "normal" is so different.

The youngest member of our team, Brenna, has come down with strep throat.  It's been a long hard day for her and for her mom, Shannon.  Please be praying for them both.

• Ann -  THANKFUL MERCY
• Lydia - NO DARKNESS
• Nick - CHAOS
• Emily - ENERGY
• Aiydan - COMFORTABLE
• Ava  - SMILE
• Heidi  - BEAUTY
• Brandon  - STRENGTH
• Andrea -  SERVICE
• Annette -  FOLLY
• Shannon - MIRACLE-WORKER
• Brenna - OWWWWWW
• Cory - UNION

Water Truck Day

We have arrived in Haiti and are doing very well! Most of the team spent Sunday night in Miami to fly out to Port-au-Prince on Monday. We met up with our two Ohio team members and we were FINALLY all ready to go! We got settled in and began getting to know each other!

Today was water truck day. We were able to see where the water trucks are filled up before they head out to Cite Soleil. When we got to Cite Soleil we were greeted with "Hey You, Hey You!". When the door opened, we were met with smiling faces and outstretched arms waiting to be held. We got right to work holding and snuggling kids, carrying and filling buckets and playing games. We visited three different neighborhoods and the kids were very excited at each stop.

We have ten children (ages 10-15) on our team. They did very well overall, but it is very hard to see such poverty and have kids beg to be held. That can become very overwhelming. 

We visited Hope Church, School and Clinic. We saw the sewing pod and innovation lab where we could see where they are creating jobs and helping the children of one of the poorest areas of the Western Hemisphere learn. One of our favorite things was to help delivered meals to classrooms in the school! We were at pier to see the ocean and we got to see our old friend.

Here are some thoughts from the kiddos today...

The kids were very excited and they wanted attention. Kai

It was fun. - Ethan

Kids liked to learn about us. - Riley

It was fun to see how interested the Haitian kids looked at our differences (skin color, hair, etc). - Sara and Tyson

We are all well and looking forward to a good night's sleep and a full day tomorrow!

Peace - Marni

DAY #2 WOODRIDGE CHURCH BLOG

Today we arrived in Haiti just after 8am.  After getting settled into the guesthouse we headed out to serve at The Home for Sick and Dying Babies.  All 13 of us found a little child in a crib and took them outside to play after feeding them (some of us had one child in each arm).  The nuns that work at this home with the children are absolutely amazing!

Here are our teams words of the day:

• Ann  - PEACE
• Emily - SURREAL
• Heidi - ANTICIPATION
• Ava - HAPPY
• Aiydan - HOME
• Nick - LAUGHTER
• Cory - SCARED
• Andrea - HENSON
• Lydia - TRUSTING
• Brenna - GRATEFUL
• Brandon - PROUD
• Annette - CONFUSING
• Shannon - JOY

Day #1 WOODRIDGE CHURCH BLOG

TRAVEL DAY - Getting to Haiti

Our team of 13 has safely arrived in Miami for the night.  We will be heading to the airport at 4am for our morning flight to Haiti.  We're looking forward to getting into Haiti and beginning our week of serving!!  We'll post a picture of our team tomorrow morning.

Day 7 - RendezVous Church & Observatoire Restaurant

 

“This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118:24
This is so fitting for the day we all had. Starting with an amazing breakfast, which, by the way, we have to keep mentioning in every post, because it’s that good. Seriously, the oatmeal and the freshly-squeezed fruit juice is fabulous.
Sunday--the day that God created to rest. It was our day of resting in His presence and each other. We started off by riding in our favorite and only mode of transportation, the tap tap, and joined a wonderful Haitian church called RendezVous Church here in Port-Au-Prince, which started as a small group of young adults meeting at Haiti Teen Challenge in 2016.
It was a wonderful experience of worshiping in both Haitian Creole and English, especially when some of us recognized the song “This is The Air I Breathe” by Michael W. Smith.
One special detail about the message was that we all were able to use headphones to hear it being translated to us. Another cool part of the service was that their theme was "The Year of Better." The question that was asked was "Is 2020 going to be better than 2019?"
Our next stop was going up the mountain to a treasured place some of us have been to previously. It’s called Observatoire Restaurant on the side of the road, up high on one of the mountains. The main focus of the area is for the incomparable view. It really puts things in perspective when seeing it from above on how everything sits and fits together like puzzle pieces. Put them together, and you have the finished picture of Haiti laying out before you.“Beauty is not the view, but in how it is viewed.” One of our team members has that saying tattooed on their arm, which is so fitting for not only the exceptional view on the mountain top, but in the rides through the city as well.

We enjoyed a lovely meal and an even lovelier drive back down to the guest house. At the end of the day, we cherished having our word of the day, Jesus Calling devotional, and finally, our live stream service at SVCC.
Today was a glorious day and thank you so much for all the support and prayers given as we definitely needed them and still need for our travel day tomorrow.
God Bless!
Cameo

Day 6 - Mountain Day

Hello, friends and family! First off, I want to thank you so much for being on this journey with us by reading the blogs. Thank you for supporting us, praying for us, and thinking about us.
Well, we woke up to another beautiful day and a delicious breakfast, followed with getting ready for our adventurous day.
We left shortly after breakfast, off to the mountains. Our ride to the mountains was filled again with laughter, joy, love, and bonding with one another, enjoying the scenic drive.
As we were driving up the mountains, the scenery, the culture, the view, the homes, all the stores, food on the side of the street, people walking everywhere, cars all around, all the music, people talking, and cars honking--it was beyond beautiful.
Our first stop was about 30 miles southeast of Port-au-Prince in a village called Kenscoff, at a church where they do after school and weekend activities for the kids. The elevation at this point in the mountains was 5,032 feet high! When we were first getting there, we all had to go to the bathroom. Because they didn’t have one there, a very kind man let us go to his home. We got there, all lined up, when a little boy came in with the man and got chairs for us, putting them in a circle for us to sit. We were so honored and felt right at home. What thoughtful, kind-hearted people they were.
We went back to where we had to back up in a very tight road and walked down to where the kids were all sitting, singing. It was angelic--so sweet and pure. Then it was time for games, and as we were pulling out the games, none of them hesitated to come up and join It was as if we had all known each other. There were kids in the corner playing some instruments, followed with some dancing, singing, and jumping for joy.
As we left there, leaving with prayer, hugs, and goodbyes, we went on a long, windy, bumpy drive even further up the mountain where we got to a farm where a lady makes homemade coffee and grows her own coffee beans.

While some went hiking, some stayed behind to enjoy the freshly brewed coffee. The lady of the house came out and started shelling beans out of pods. Those who stayed behind quickly asked if she needed help. She immediately said yes and turned it over to them. A competition quickly ensued, and they all raced to see who could shell the most beans. In the end, it was just so much fun, and they finished quickly. A little while later, they noticed her with a big bag, shelling different beans, and the ladies quickly jumped in once more to help her finish her work. She was very grateful and told them that she was the only woman at that property, which meant that she had a lot of work to do by herself with no help. We all truly believe God provided that divine appointment for those who stayed back in order to serve someone who deserved help and a well-timed break during her day.
The rest of us got to go hiking on the mountain with some other Haitians who led us. Walking down was beautiful with the mountains surrounding us and people's homes here and there. You could see rows where people garden on the hill, so perfectly lined by one another. We arrived at our destination, which entailed a waterfall down the rocks, going into a pool of water where we got to jump in. It was freezing cold and a shock to our bodies, but it was worth every second.

We left and walked back up the mountain, getting back to the coffee shop and together with the rest of our team.
Soon, we headed back down the mountain where some of us started to sing “Lean On Me” while we just reflected on the day, the scenery, God's creation, and the surroundings. It was a day we will never forget.
Following our meal of delicious Haitian spaghetti, we gathered for the night, sharing our word of the day, looking at the pictures, worshiping, and reading devotions, where we got to hear one another’s hearts, come closer, bond, laugh, and sing.
This week has gone by so fast but we are staying in this moment, cherishing every second, and basking in His love.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and God bless!
Jenna

Day 5 - Elder Visits/Grace Village

We started the morning early, going to Church on the Rock, experiencing praise and worship and a different culture. We shared the same love of Jesus with the Haitians in a different way. After church, we took a scenic walk home to eat a yummy breakfast. Then we headed to Grace Village where we got an amazing tour from our tour guide, Sara.
During the tour, we got love from and gave love to the school children there and saw a beautiful view of the mountains and surrounding area. After spending a little time with the kids, we went to visit four elders to care for them and ask them about their lives. The team worked really well together when we saw them. We could all agree that it was a moving experience that brought us so much closer. We painted pretty colors on the ladies' finger nails, and those women looked so peaceful and beautiful. Every elder we saw was grateful we took care of them, but really, they did more for us.
Leaving the elders, we went to Rosie's cafe and got some ice cream and other treats. We also ate the best queso ever there.
After we left Rosie's, we went to Fleri bakery, where we ate dinner and played bean bags. We were a little disappointed they didn't have creme brulee out, but we still enjoyed the food and time together. We got a tour of the bakery and learned "Fleri" means "flourish" in creole, which was fitting since we were flourishing as a team.
We had a long ride back to the guest house, so we had time to bond on the tap tap. We painted each others' finger nails on the long, bumpy ride. They didn't turn out well, but we had fun nonetheless.
After a long day, we were relieved to rest at the guest house, where we relaxed and read our devotional. We prayed a powerful prayer to get rid of distractions so we can fully experience the last few days of our trip. We are excited to stay in the moment together and enjoy this beautiful country.

Chloe