The mission of Hope For The Hungry is to "Share the Bread of Life with a Starving World". God has called us to serve people who suffer from hunger that is both spiritual and physical. According to scriptural mandate, we offer food for the body and salvation for the spirit to those who do not know Jesus Christ and will suffer eternal death without Him.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Magalie The M.D.



Magalie Surling
Magalie was one of the first eight children in our home in Guibert, Haiti. She came to us as a three-month old baby, malnourished and near death. She fought a courageous battle to survive and, with the help of God and a loving staff totally dedicated to Haiti's children, grew stronger and stronger with each passing day.
By the time Magalie began school, the effects of malnutrition and abuse began to be replaced by her devotion to Jesus and His miraculous provision of health and unconditional love, administered through our staff at the Spirit of Truth Home in Guibert. Magalie blossomed as she learned more and more about the uncoditional love of the Savior who made a commitment to those who would "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness...". Magalie decided that she wanted to become a doctor and give her life to the heling of bodies, just as her Messiah had done for her.
This weekend, she will be graduating from Universidad Technologica de Santiago (UTESA), a Medical School in the Dominican Republic. Upon the completion of her studies she will return to Haiti to be the only medical professional for about 60,000 people in the far Northeast region.
We are so proud and excited for Magalie and her accomplishment! Please be in prayer for this lovely young woman and her ministry as a doctor in Haiti. We look forward to see the people God will touch through her.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Last day in Haiti

Today was the team's last work day. The men continued to dig a hole and the women organized a storage room. We spent the afternoon playing with the kids and practicing our creole. It was so neat to see how joyful the kids were despite circumstances and how eager they were to teach us. It was bittersweet because we were bonding with the kids, but we also knew that it was our last day to be with them. It was hard for all of us to say goodbye, but we know that as brothers and sisters in Christ we will see each other again. We have all been challenged and changed this week and these memories will stay with us for a very long time.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

A beautiful day in Haiti

The pace of things was a little different today in what we did. Our team split up into two groups again. One group stayed at the missions house and continued to work by digging a hole and moving rocks. As far as workload went, it was much slower, but still productive.

The other part of our group went on a hike to a nearby village to put more plaques up on new houses. It was cool to be in the midst of nature and see Haiti from a perspective that we (or at least I, Landra) haven't seen yet. As we walked I was reminded of how beautiful our God creates and how much he must love us to want us to enjoy such incredible sights. On our journey we put plaques up at five newly built homes. The gratitude that the people showed us because we had come and hung something up was amazing. It was truly humbling to be a part of such an awesome experience.

After lunch the team all went and played with the school kids at recess. We sang songs and fellowshipped with them. It makes you feel pretty good when there are kids just tugging on you wanting all of your attention because they are excited that you are there.

From there, the men on the team went down and worked for a while longer digging and moving rocks. The girls went up around the school and spent time with the kids as they got out of school for the day.

Today was amazing and it's so evident that God is at work here everyday. Please continue to pray for us as we wind up the week. It's going to be hard to say goodbye tomorrow to everyone (it's the last day we will be in Guibert). The love that fills this place is wonderful and it's encouraging to see the body all working together to glorify the Lord on a day to day basis. As we get ready to leave we know what true joy looks like now, if we didn't already, and for that we are thankful.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Finished foundation

Day after the cement....more like day after the battle of the buckets. We all woke up with questions. Questioning if we would be able to move our arms. Questioning if the blisters would prevent us from doing more work. Questioning if we would give 110% again. Arriving in Guibert wiped away any doubt from our minds. The foundation was complete. The Haitian's smiles were beautiful. And the scars on our hands were for all intents and purposes healed with the joy that welled-up once again unfailingly. We split into two groups again today. Jeff's group helped flatten out the land for the porch of the mission house. Jen's group hiked throughout the town of Guibert hanging plaques on the houses that we built through Hope and the Haitian church. The plaques read the verses from Acts and Revelation 3:20 and the faces on the families read hope. After a lunch of hot dogs, fried roots, and meat pies we got back to work. Teams Jeff and Jen reunited for passing bricks assembly line style. Once all the bricks were gone, the team got their first real afternoon to play with the boys. In my opinion "ou vle jewe" are the three most beautiful words in the creole language. They translate "do you want to play", but most importantly they orchestrate something that transcends all language barriers- basketball and soccer, Haitian's vs. Blancs(the name the Haitians give to white people). Both games ended in a tie. Once again, dinner was amazing and we spent the night playing games and sharing about our days.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Buckets and sore muscles

Oh how Americans take things for granted... Today was the day we poured the foundation on the mission house. However, Haitian foundation and American foundation are very different because in Haiti everything is done by hand. Some of the Haitian men mixed and shoveled concrete while a few of them and us created a long assembly line. All day long we passed heavy buckets to one another. We will never take another concrete truck for granted! Little did we know, buckets after buckets were tearing our hands, stomachs, legs, and forearms up. As we all settled down for lunch we inspected our wounds. Even though they were bad, they were easily forgotten when lunch arrived. We were treated to the best chicken wings imaginable, along with french fries, fried plantains, and a spicy onion, pepper mix. The second half of the day went smoothly. The boys did incredible, working like true Haitians while the girls mastered the art of bucket throwing. As the clock neared four, we finished our work with only a small corner of foundation left. Stepping back and looking at how much has been done, it was evident that we could not have done that without God. Even though we were hurting and tired, the smiles were stuck on our faces. The team got home and began the washing process. Quickly it became apparent that the cement, well, was cemented to us. The team was treated to another delicious meal, and a special treat because today was chloe's birthday! The night ended with team meeting and contagious laughter. It seems like we never cease to have fun together.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Rocks and roofs

Today was an incredible day for Jeff and his team of the "tall ones" (Amanda, Bret, Clay, Kristen, and Taylor). We had the opportunity to roof a house for a family! We started off with a great system... for the first five minutes. The pastor working with us said that a battery was dead for our drill. No problem though because we had 6. Well, they didn't work either. Jeff and Clay headed back to the boys home to try to find batteries. While they were gone a few of us had the opportunity to meet two ladies and their one year old baby. Through broken signs and a minimum English, it turned out the lady was pregnant during the earthquake and her roof collapsed. Luckily, it was their house we roofed. They were so excited to get out of the single shack house that five of them lived in. As Jeff and Clay approached the house it was apparent that they had no batteries. Instead, the girls learned how to use a hand drill and hand saw. Not fun... But shortly after lunch we finished the roof and had the opportunity to pray for the family in their own house. The smiles on their faces can not even be expressed in words. The group then packed up and hand carried the tools and 4 sheets of metal to the boys home. It was an awesome experience to give a family their own home, something none of us will ever forget.

The other half of the team spent the day shoveling and moving rocks. As the construction on the missionary apartment is getting ready to have the foundation poured, there was 2 large piles of rocks and dirt that needed to be moved away. Also, we needed to dig down about 4 feet around the front of the house that will be a porch for the apartment. As we began moving the rocks we only had our hands and 1 bucket. So, we got to work. After about 15 minutes Jean Alix Paul brought us 3 more shovels and about 6 buckets. Needless to say work went much quicker after that! We worked alongside a couple of other Haitian workers that put us to shame but, as a group we worked extremely hard. The work was monotonous and dirty but I know for me (Evan) that God really humbled me through the work that has absolutely no pay out for me. Every day we spend here, we become more and more respectful of the Haitian people and culture and enjoy spending time every minute we can with them!

Pray for us tomorrow as we will hand pour the foundation.
Pray that our sore muscles will be healed in the morning
Pray for continued relationships.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

The sabbath

Today was a day of new experiences for a lot of us. Half the team started off their morning waiting for a plane in miami at 7:45am after daylight savings had occurred and the other half started off their morning getting ready for church and expecting to arrive back home to meet the rest of the team. We were all saddened by the fact that half our team would miss the only Haitian church service we would see. Oh how sweet it is to trust in Jesus, because the Lord proved his faithfulness once more! Haiti does not participate in daylight savings, so the time did not change for us. That means that the team leaving from Miami were actually leaving an hour early and were able to make it to Haiti for the church service! How awesome is the Lord? Woohoo!

The service was held in Creole, which is not the native tongue of anyone on the team. This gave many on the team to witness and experience the Spirit through seeing the actions of the Haitians worshipping and their unashamed love for Christ and service in the body. Our team was also able to see a housing dedication. Several families in the church had homes that were destroyed in the earthquake a year ago and through Hope's connection with the church, they were able to assist in building homes for them. It was neat to see the body of Christ come together and build homes for each other. We were also able to meet the boys in the orphanage and get to know them and learn Creole from them. It was a beautiful experience and many of us will keep the things we witnessed in this church with us for a long time.

Sunday as the Sabbath is taken seriously in Haiti, which means that it is a day of complete rest. It was different for some of us, because we aren't used to doing absolutely nothing for a whole day on a mission trip. It was a wonderful day as we had the opportunity to bond and rest and prepare for tomorrow. We anticipate a long day ahead, but we know that the Lord sustains and keeps us strong.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

When we all get to Haiti...

Our trip has been an adventure so far! As of Saturday night, 9 of our team members are in Haiti! They flew into Port-au-Prince, picked up all of our bags, and got in the tap-tap for a bumpy trip up to Pastor Jean Alix’s house. They’ve spent their afternoon playing games and had an amazing supper with the Paul family.

A little further away, in Miami, are 5 of our team members… They weren’t able to get seat assignments on the horribly overbooked flight, so they’ve spent the day working out their next travel plans. They are now booked on the 7:45 flight in the morning and will soon be joining the rest of the team.

Tomorrow is going to be a wonderful day… it’s Sunday in Haiti! Haitian church is one of the most beautiful things to be a part of and tomorrow’s celebration is going to be extra special. We are having a house dedication service for 10 of the homes that we’ve helped rebuild. We will hand over the keys to the families and have a time of prayer for them. It will be a great opportunity to remind them of the reason that we do what we do!

Pray for our team to adjust well to Haiti. Pray that we embrace every part of our experiences and have great attitudes. Pray that the Lord would use us in great and mighty ways.

Please pray for our team members that are still in Miami. Pray that they will make the early flight and not have any more issues with getting bumped off of the flights.

Pray for the church service tomorrow. Pray that the Lord would be glorified in the house dedications and through our worship with our Haitian brothers and sisters.