Day 7 Orevwa Ayiti Cheri

Yesterday, we had an opportunity to worship and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ, right here at the guesthouse. Smith lead us in Worship, and Manny blessed all of us with a powerful message from Isaiah 58:7-12.  Abbey anointed our heads with oil from her trip to Israel. 

We are so very blessed that Jesus put this trip on our hearts and prepared our minds for such a time as this. We prayed a special prayer of blessing over our fellow brothers and sisters and said a powerful special prayer for the beloved country of Haiti  🇭🇹.

A few hours later we had an emotional send off, as Abbey departed...

We spent the rest of the day in reflection, tidying up, packing, and throwing bean bags at boards with holes.

The evening brought a pleasant surprise, as we were given Salsa lessons by Jean, a sweet and very forgiving teacher, who has been a part of Healing Haiti from the very beginning! Isabel was a natural, Minnesota look out!

All in all it was a great finale to an otherwise awesome week!

This trip has been different on many levels...from a shrinking team for a variety of reasons, but most due to Covid precautions of one form or another...to limited options due to the current political situation...to loved ones extra concerns about it all...

All that combined to make it that much more powerful...we became a tight knit family unit, everyone got along and accepted things as they happened, and God did what He does when His followers follow with willing and compassionate hearts!

Thank you, Jesus, for Blessing our efforts, thank you, Haiti, for touching our hearts, thank you, team, for being willing vessels!

Orevwa, Haiti, you are forever in our hearts and prayers, we will return again soon...we love you!

Mama Suz and Papa Manny

Day 6-Third Time’s a Charm

This week has had it’s share of surprises and uniqueness...

Some things we just couldn’t do based on the circumstances, we just accept those, it’s just how things go sometimes...

But, then there’s the bonuses, like doing something we rarely do at all not twice, but three times...

Hey, things didn’t go as planned...want to hold, change, and play with babies...yup, sure do, thank you very much!

We spent our afternoon having fun with a bunch of babies for the third time this week, and it was such a Blessing to be able to do that...

Not everyone’s idea of a great Saturday, but trust me, it was special...a Sacred time on Holy Ground!

We are Grateful for the prayers and encouragement!

We feel Blessed to have made this trip and experience all we’ve experienced!

Our team and support have all been exactly what God has called them to be!

We are sad that things are starting to wrap up, but know we’ll be returning again soon!

Thank you, Lord, for provision, safety, and pleasant surprises!

Day5-Higher Highs

Today started out with a early morning Haitian Worship session, and it was a perfect and powerful way to get us going, and that was before breakfast.

If that high wasn’t enough we got to go higher...we went for a long ride up a rough mountain road to experience an incredible view, a great picnic, literal mountaintop Worship, and some awesome prayer time!

Both examples required extra effort...one an early rise, the other an uncomfortable ride, and the results were well worth it with each.

It’s a great object lesson for our lives, 2 options...stay comfortable, get the same old stuff...get uncomfortable, experience a new better thing...

Our words were peace, revelation, enlightened, and higher...

Peace to the point of sleeping on a bumpy road and forgetting obstacles that happened earlier in the day, revelation that we all walk our own unique walk with God and no one else’s, enlightened to accept and trust Him with each step, and a higher view of God’s Grace in our lives!

Entertaining Angels

Day 4 - Entertaining Angels

Today was a gift from God! 

We started our day with a visit to Peace Cycle. Peace Cycle is a ministry that recycles the drinking water pouches found around the streets of Haiti and repurposes them into various items such as bags, wallets, placemats, etc. We were given a tour of their operations and then had time after to pour into their ministry by shopping in their store. 

In the afternoon, we spent time at Le Phare orphanage. After spending only a short time, we grew close to the beautiful children while doing many activities together.  We played soccer, jumped rope, played frisbee, blew bubbles, played tic tac toe and hopscotch, drew with sidewalk chalk, and shared a snack together. Before we left, the Lord had placed on my heart to share with them Psalm 33 so I was blessed to share with them the Psalm with our translator. After the Word, we gathered together holding hands forming a large circle and prayed together.  We prayed over the children and their pastor who runs the orphanage.  His heart for the children and the sacrifice he’s made to serve them is inspiring.

  

After we prayed, the children burst forth into a worship song.  The presence of God filled the place. Some of us couldn’t hold back the tears and they were streaming down our faces. It was difficult to stand in that moment and not feel like weeping from the power, love, and presence of God. I closed my eyes and lifted my hands and it sounded like an angelic host of angels singing praises to God. What an incredible blessing and surprise. The pastor prayed a blessing over us and thanked us for traveling and taking the risk to be there with them when there is so much political turmoil going on in the world. We were so humbled. The children hugged us tightly as we left and each one made sure to hug each of us! 

The harmony of the voices and of the day, wrecked us! There were so many blessings and surprises that filled the day, leaving us in a place of peace and serenity. We are so full!

“Let the love of the brothers and sisters continue. Do not neglect the spiraling to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:1-2

Abbey

And on the third day...

Today we had an awesome day today!

After 2 days of staying close to home, today we went to Grace Village, about an hour away.

Everything went smooth and all our stops were a true Blessing...

Our words were connected, love, easy, and eye-opening...

We definitely connected in several ways, both with each other and those we ministered to, love just flowed in several unique ways, thing went easier than we ever expected, the things we experienced opened our eyes to a whole new world...

Sometimes things don’t go as expected, sometimes God shows up and things go even better...that was our day today!

Thank you, Lord!

Day 2 - Double Portion!

 Day 2 - Double Portion!

We started our day early with devotions and a Haitian breakfast, which was amazing! Oh how we missed Haitian eggs and oatmeal! We have tried to go home and make them but they never taste the same. 

After breakfast, we traveled to the home for the sick babies, the same place we served at yesterday! What an incredible blessing to spend over three hours there all morning to tend to the babies while the nursing staff cleaned out the nursery.  Last trip, when we traveled to Haiti, we were not able to visit and serve the babies, and it’s one of the greatest blessings and one of my favorite things to do in Haiti. How good is God to bring us back this trip and give us not one, but two days with them?!? We received a double portion blessing! 

As I sit here typing this, my heart is so full and tears are running down my cheeks just thinking about the precious faces of the babies we spent time with. There is no way to adequately articulate how much my heart felt today. Maybe it’s the mommy that I long to be that gets activated when I get to serve innocent babies that long for a loving touch when they are sick, or the heart of God that I feel when I look into the eyes of the sweet faces, or both, but it’s special and unique. 

Today, something shifted noticeably after being there yesterday and the babies were laughing, and smiling unlike we had ever witnessed.  It was incredible to see the children play peek-a-boo, as if they were not even battling any sickness.  I believe God was working mightily in that place.  As we listened to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we were able to pray over each child as we were prompted.  I even was able to pray over a baby with her momma that was visiting her, which was very special!  God opened so many doors and I know He will complete the work that He started today!  We were so blessed by feeding, changing, playing, holding, singing over, and praying over these babies, that our joy is complete!

Our team words to describe today were joy, redeemed, fulfilled, and grateful!

How blessed we are to receive a double portion! Thank you, Jesus!

Abbey  

Day 1-Firsts

Today was a day of firsts on many levels...

Fist time a team I’ve been on spent the night not sleeping in the airport waiting for the morning flight.

First time for one of our goers to travel outside the states.

Normally the first day, because of how late we get in, is not a real ministry day, but really a day to settle in.

But, because we stayed overnight in the airport we were able to jump right into serving today, ministering to babies...holding, feeding, changing, and laughing with the sweetest little ones...

So, yeah, firsts were prominent on our first day :)

The words we talked through as a team tonight were worth, innocence, fortunate, and laughter...

This trip, lack of sleep, risk, these babies, all worth it...the innocence of these dear children with potentially risky futures...how fortunate we are to have the lives we have and to be able to experience a trip like this...laughter flowed from us and these children as an expression of God’s Grace and Joy on our trip and our day!

Thank you Lord for a Blessed day of firsts!