Sunny Sunday!

Alo!

We started the day off this morning with a wonderful breakfast of eggs, oatmeal, and pancakes. Following that was a great devotional which was led by our very own Alicia du'Monceaux. Then we all got beautiful and went to church at Grace Village. Church was led by Pastor Wesley and he did a great job leading us in worship. He is very exuberant and so full of the spirit, especially when he is praising our Lord. The service was mostly in Creole but some of the verses that we sang were repeated in English. We sang and praised God while many local kids sat with us.

After church we all hopped in the Tap-Tap and headed to the beach! We made it there in record time as Valery was dodging in and out of the lanes to pass vehicles ahead of us. On the road trip there everything was flourishing with green plants and colorful scenery. We arrived at Wahoo Bay Beach and put on a lot of sunscreen before going out into the water.

At the beach there was a water trampoline, loud music, and people in rickety boats trying to convince us to go snorkeling with them. We did flips and jumps off the trampoline. We also had breath holding contests and swimming races. The water was a very clear, beautiful aquamarine color. After we were done swimming, many of the team went out snorkeling while the others stayed back to relax. While snorkeling, we saw an eel, a lot of coral, and sea urchins. We also saw many cool, colorful fish and one of them was very sparkly! We all left the beach happy and very grateful for the time of relaxation; however, it was very weird to be in a place of such luxury when just the day before we were serving a basic need to people who don't have water.

We safely arrived back to the guest house to, not surprisingly, discover many sunburns. We ate a healthy supper with chocolate as dessert. Then we got the opportunity to play soccer with the neighborhood boys. We had a lot of fun and we all got very sweaty.

We finished our day off with our last nightly devotional from our wonderful leaders. We had our own little communion where we reflected upon the past week and our experiences here. We have all had a great week and we can't wait to come home to see all of you!

Bon Nuit!

-Eric and Beebs-

Serving Saturday

Greetings from Port-Au-Prince!

Today was our second water truck day. The day began with (as usual) a devotion led by Alicia, and a delicious breakfast. Our first stop was at the Haitian Initiative (H&I), a nonprofit organization founded by Former Galaxy player Tony Sanneh and is connected with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) based in Minnesota. H&I is a soccer-orientated program that supports the local Haitian youth. We learned that a group of the players gets to travel to Minnesota to play in the USA Cup at the National Sports Center in Blaine, MN.  This year will be the first time H&I sends a female team to participate in the USA Cup as well, which is awesome! We got the opportunity to help serve food that was packed at FMSC. Many of us have packed the ''manna packs'' at FMSC before, and it was really cool to be able to distribute the food and see the kids enjoying it! 

Our second stop was ''26'' in Cite Soleil to deliver more water. This stop was far less hectic than past stops. Many members of our group enjoyed spending time with the locals (many knew quite a bit of English) and had opportunities to play games with the younger kids. Those of us in the water line appreciated the cooperation of the locals. 

''21'' was our last destination in Cite Soleil. This was by far the most chaotic stop we have had this week. Although many of us in the water line were a little jostled and frustrated, it was a unique blessing to witness all of the young children playing in the puddles and connecting with other members of our group. However, the crowds were growing larger and more uncontrolled to the point where our translators determined that the stop was no longer safe. We quickly shut off the water and piled into the tap-tap. We were very grateful for translators and full-time Healing Haiti staff that could determine the safety of a situation and have protected us the entire week. 

After our water stops, we took off to a local grocery store called DeliMart. This really was a different experience for all of us: the entire store was air conditioned and well-stocked.  We were able to get "papitas," our favorite, which are fried plantains. We all got an assortment of goodies! The check-out process was incredibly interesting because the American-Haitian currency is complex. It was a unique experience for all of us! 

Lastly, we were treated for dinner to a delicious pizza place called "Pizza Amour". We had an assortment of pizzas, cokes, and a delightful chocolate cake or key lime pie at the end. This is a pizza parlor founded by American missionaries. It employs local Haitian youth and, to us, they are the best pizza place in Port-Au-Prince. Then we came back to the guesthouse for Russ' devotion on pursuing significance rather than success along with leaving a godly legacy. We are now settling in to enjoy a relaxing night as we listen to the downpour outside. We are all really excited to be attending church at Port-Au-Prince Fellowship Church tomorrow and having a fun day at the beach for our last full day here in Haiti!

Please continue to pray for those that we have served this week: the elders in Titanyen, the families in Cite Soleil, the children at Gertrude's and Home for Sick and Dying Babies/Adults, and the many others that the Lord has brought in our path. Pray for the full-time staff members here at Healing Haiti that they would continue to be the hands and feet of Christ, and pray for our safety as we spend one more full day here and begin our travel back to the US on Monday. Also, pray for us as God shapes and molds our hearts based on our time here in Haiti.

Glwa Pou Bondye (Glory to God)! And Bon Nuit (Good night)!

- Jake and Kendra

Fun Friday!

Bonswa, Zanmi!

Today was another beautiful afternoon exploring the beautiful city of Port-au-Prince. Again, most of us woke up before the sunrise to go to the tent church. Pastor Gary preached this morning in half English and half Creole, so we could understand a lot of what he was saying. Dickenson graciously led us back to the guest house and we all loved that he was able to join us before school.
After a delicious breakfast, we loaded up the tap-tap with our supplies and set off to the Home for Sick and Dying Adults. The boys stayed downstairs in the men's ward, and the ladies went upstairs to the women's ward. We took care of some of their needs by cleaning their arms and legs, giving massages with lotion, and giving the ladies pedicures and manicures. With the help of the translators we were able to connect with the patients and get to know them and bring them a little joy to their day.

The next stop we made was to General Hospital - Pediatric ward. The night before we all worked together to make care packages for the families to bring with us when we visited. We worked as a team to make sure all of the packages got to the families in the ward and everyone had some water. The patients in this section were mostly infants and young children, and it was touching to see their parent's sitting next to the crib and holding their hand. Many of the parents had been there for hours and the care they had for their children was so inspiring. After the care packages were distributed, we got a chance to interact with the families a bit and some of us got the honor of holding their little ones. The scene was pretty chaotic and it wasn't the most comfortable environment for a lot of us to be in - but we learned a lot and better understood what these families were going through.

After seeing the thousands of street vendors our whole trip, we finally got the chance to do some real bargain shopping. 'No merci!' was the phrase of the afternoon as we made our way through all the vendors beckoning us all to their stands to 'give us a good price.' We all came away with cool Haitian oil paintings and wooden knickknacks. As we were making our way out of the market, we all jumped into the tap-tap to escape the very persistent street vendors who had abandoned their cart and followed us to the tap-tap. It was a fun and unique experience, and we all came away with a hundred new friends each!

Our last stop was to Apparent Project - a non-profit organization that employs the local Haitians and uses recycled materials to make various forms of jewelry, ornaments and other products for world-wide purchase. We got a chance to have a tour of the facility and got to see where the necklaces, bracelets, and pottery were made. And some beads were even made out of recycled cereal boxes! Then we enjoyed a delicious homemade smoothie and got to shop around and spend all of our money!

Valery proved his mastery at driving the tap-tap as we pushed through the crazy traffic to go back to the guest house and have some dinner. The cooks did a fabulous job and made us some delicious spaghetti.

As the weekend is much to soon, we're gearing up for another water truck day and an adventure to the beach to finish out our week!

One of the pottery rooms at Apparent Project. The phrase on the wall described our team very well:)

Thank you so much for all your support and prayers, they are very much appreciated. We can't wait to come back and share all of our experiences with you!

Orevwa,

Megan & Beebs

Thursday: Thankful

Bonswa!

Today we had the opportunity to do elderly visits in Titanyen. We visited four elderly in their homes: Marie, Merolen, Edmond, and Marcia. It was an honor to be invited into their homes and to take care of some of their basic needs. We brought them each a sandwich, juice, water, and applesauce. We then had the opportunity to wash their feet, legs, arms, hands, and backs followed by lotion and massages. For the ladies, we painted their nails and they all chose bright colors.

Marie was our first visit. She is the oldest elder that Healing Haiti works with at 104, but you wouldn't be able to tell by her joyful and vibrant personality. She is a prayer warrior. She was praying over us as we washed her arms and legs. She loved singing along with us.

 Marolen was our second visit. She was a quiet-spirit in comparison to Marie, yet she was very gentle and giving. She cared a lot for her family. She loved watching us work and pamper her. While we were visiting, she was listening to Matthew 1 on her audio bible. She really appreciated being prayed for by the team.

 Edmond is blind and almost completely deaf but that doesn't stop him from finding joy in life. He has a beautiful smile. He was very thankful for our company today. We sang and prayed with him and he loved having people sit next to him.

Marcia was our last visit. Right after we arrived she got up from her chair and gave everyone in our group a hug. She was so excited to see us and her personality came to life. She chose bright pink nail polish which was just like her colorful, lively personality. She had very contagious laughter that brought joy to our group.

After our elder visits, we headed up to Grace Village. Grace village has a school for 450 students as well as a home for 45 orphans. We got to spend some time with the kids while they were on a short break from classes and then we had a tour of the compound. Grace Village is currently expanding. There is an aquaponics center where they are growing plants in water troughs and raising fish to provide fertilizer and food. They are also working on building a bakery which will provide jobs for local Haitians as well as bread for the community. The school is also adding on a new library which is just getting started, and they are working on getting a computer lab with internet up and running. It was really cool to see how all the workers at Grace Village are Haitians and to see their passion for serving the kids.

On the way back to our guesthouse, we stopped at the mass grave site from the 2010 earthquake. It is estimated that 300,000 Haitians were buried at that site. We were not able to go in today, but our translator was able to share his earthquake story with us. It was really neat to be able to hear how he was affected by the earthquake personally.

When we returned to the guesthouse, we refreshed and had some fun in the pool. It is really cool to see how our group has bonded through serving and having fun with each other these past few days.

Thanks for your prayers!

Glwa Pou Bondye (Glory to God)

Christine and Ashley (and the rest of our team!)

Wednesday: Water Truck

Today was a more physically strenuous day than the others we have had so far. We started off the morning by going to a church at 6:00am. It was great to be able to see how the Haitians worship, giving their all to God. We had the opportunity to be led back to Guest House by one of the neighborhood boys. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast, Alicia led us in a devotion, and we then were off for the day!

Our main task for the day was delivering water to the poorest slum of Port-Au-Prince, Citie Soleil. The process began by filling up the 9,000 gallon water truck at the local water station, and then driving to each section of Citie Soleil. These sections we visited today were: Seventeen, Four Coffins, and Nap Boule. As soon as we pulled into the neighborhood, the children knew what the large truck and tap-tap meant. They instantly began chasing after our vehicles, even climbing on the vehicles shouting, ''Hey you! Hey you!'', a traditional Healing Haiti phrase which we echoed back at them. Once the doors opened, we were engulfed by a mob of Haitian children, attempting to climb us, trying to feel and touch our hair, and asking to be held. Upon each stop, the members of our group would be divided into four different categories: 1) those working the hose in front of the water line, 2) those shuffling the buckets in the water line, 3) those that remained engulfed in the Haitian children, playing with them and showing them practical love, and 4) those who carried buckets back to the houses with the families. The entire ordeal was one of semi-ordered chaos. We stopped a total of three times in Citie Soleil. We are all incredibly blessed and exhausted to show these people the practical love by serving them with water and with our personal attention. We encourage you to ask whoever it is you're supporting about this experience. The children's joy and laughter, their care for each other and for their visitors, and their constant desire to tangibly feel and express love is still impacting us as we settle in for the night.

After we got back to the guesthouse and gathered several of the neighborhood boys, we all piled into the tap-tap and went to a local field and played a game of soccer (we were definitely outmatched!). Even though many members of our group were exhausted from going to church at 6:00 that morning, we mustered the energy to play a full game with them. It was a fun and tangible way to build relationships with the local neighborhood boys and a stress-free way to wrap up our time of service.
Our day ended with tacos for supper, a devotion on thankfulness, and a relaxing night at the guesthouse. We are all excited for tomorrow to visit Grace Village in Titanyen and to serve the elderly there. And we will have another round on the water truck on Saturday!
Please continue to be praying for us. Pray for willingness to serve, hearts that are grateful for what the Lord has given us, and for health and safety as we continue our journey.

Sincerely,

Jake and Tina.

Tuesday

Bonswa!
Yesterday we forgot to put a blog post up, so I am going to tell you about part of our day yesterday!

Our team split into two groups, one group went to the Home for Sick & Dying Babies and the other group went to Gertrude's orphanage. I was part of the group that went to Gertrude's, which is an orphanage for children with disabilities. When we got there one of the ladies who works there, named Lauren, showed us the therapy room and told us her story of how she came to live and work in Haiti. It was really awesome to hear about how God placed her here even though she never expected it. While we were in the therapy room there were about six little boys who most likely had Cerebral palsy. We were asked to sit with them and massage their arms and legs. I was with one little guy and he loved to be tickled and to have his ears rubbed! After we spent time in the therapy room, we went outside to play with other kiddos who were having recess. As soon as we got outside the kids came up to all of us and wanted to be held and loved on! It was so precious to hold these kids and give them love. For me going to Gertrude's was an amazing experience! I love and have a passion for people with disabilities and seeing that these kids are being given a chance to live and to be loved was so exciting to me! It breaks my heart to know that so often these kids are the forgotten of Haiti's society. These kids have so much to give and it is my prayer and hope that someday everyone can see the amount of joy people with disabilities bring to the world! I hope you are all having a great day and thank you for praying for our team as we are serving in Haiti!
-Steph

The other part of our team went to Mother Theresa's home for Sick and Dying Babies. When we got there we were split again into two groups. One group went into the room of the sickest babies where infants and babies up to three years old were resting in their cribs. We changed diapers, fed the babies, held them and tried to make them smile. The other room had toddlers, many of which had fevers. We played with toys and tried to keep them from crying. We saw many smiles and beautiful eyes looking up at us. The particular day that we visited Mother Theresa's was a day that parents of the sick children could come visit their children in the home. The hardest part of our time there was when the all of the parents had to leave. This meant that ALL of the babies were crying at the same time. It was overwhelming. The next hardest part was putting the babies back in their cribs when we had to leave. They cried a lot then too. The nurses there took good care of the little ones; I was impressed by how incredibly patient and gentle they were with the babies and toddlers. We cannot take pictures at the Home for Sick and Dying Babies out of respect for them. So ask your son/daughter/friend/relative/roommate/coworker or whoever you are supporting on this trip to tell you about their experience when we get back; hearing about it will likely be much more enjoyable than a glancing at a picture anyway.
-Joleen

The next part of our day was spent at another orphanage called La Phere! First we took a tour of the home and many children were wanting to be near each of us! We went into their school room and sung a fun song and did a great dance with the children! Then a craft with the kids and played with bubbles! The kids LOVED the bubbles and wanted to catch them, blow the bubbles, and pop them! There was a energetic group of boys that were showing off their kicking moves some of us tried to join in with them. We ended our time there singing and giving lots of hugs good-bye.


When we got back most of went to be refreshed in a pool near by, and let me tell you it was wonderful! We were served a wonderful dinner and had a relaxing rest of our night! Thank you so much for reading and praying for all of us!

Orevwa!

-Joleen & Steph

Travel Day

Hello Family and Friends!

We are officially in Haiti and we are all doing well! God is SO good. Today has been an eventful day. We arrived at the airport at 3:30am and our flight took off at the early time of 5:30am! Yikes! At least we were able to see the beautiful sunrise and God's miraculous masterpiece. We are all a tad exhausted to say the least. We arrived in Miami late morning, grabbed a quick lunch, and were on our way.  We arrived in Haiti around 3pm. :) We were greeted by two of the tap-tap drivers (this awesome caged vehicle that we are driven around in!), Maxim and Jonas.  We made our way to Guest House 1, where we will be staying for the next week. We arrived to more of our Haitian friends, friendly dogs, and a beautiful place to stay.  Our beds are made, the house is clean, and we have 5 bathrooms...5! I Think the ladies are pretty pleased.  I have to say, we are not used to this crazy HOT weather and humidity!  But we sure do appreciate the hospitality and love of our Haitian friends.

We made it to Haiti!  

We ate a wonderful shepherd's pie dinner prepared by the Haitian women.  :) We all went around the table and shared a specific word that portrayed our day.  Words included: curious, waiting, watching, anticipation, humbling, colorful, flow, etc. It was neat how each team member had a different word and reason why they picked it! The heart of this team is absolutely amazing! We will have plenty of food for this week! Our team even provided many snacks that will equip us for our long days ahead. This afternoon after lunch, we took a tour of the complex we are staying at, and enjoyed a gorgeous view off the balcony of Guest House 2 (which another team is staying at).  We enjoyed playing soccer with the neighborhood boys! However, we definitely got 'schooled' in our moves ;) A few of us (Alicia), even stated, "Wow, I think I pulled a muscle!" The boys loved the interaction and it was awesome to learn more Creole (the language they speak).

We were able to play a little soccer next door.  Many of us enjoyed watching and a few brave soles joined in :)

After soccer, we were led in a devotional by Russ, one of our team leaders. We talked about the importance of saying "Yes" to God and going where He wants us to go (Isaiah).  Russ also spoke on the critical aspect of how we should follow God's commands and calling on our lives. We all said, "Here I am Lord, send me."  As a team, it is our goal to be the hands and feet of Christ.  Pray that our hearts break for what God's breaks over. Pray that we can stay strong as team, supporting and encouraging one another, Pray that we can share the love of Jesus and step out of our comfort zones. Most importantly pray for the hearts of the Haitian people. The Lord is mighty and we are all looking forward to what He has in store for us this week! 

Thank you for the love, support, and prayer!

Much love, 

Kendra and (Our wonderful team of 15!)