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.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

S'mores and goodbyes...

Today was our final day working in Haiti and it was a great one. We started out continuing and finishing our projects for the week. The painting is fully finished and touch ups are done. We were able to get everything ready for our little boys and they will get to sleep in their new room tonight. The older boys are excited too, because they get their room and space back. We finished the coats in the depot and they will be able to store all of their supplies in there tonight as well. We finished our 3rd wall today! Our arms were sore and tired but it is complete. The men will do all of the finishing and get it ready to turn it into a kitchen and great room for the boys home and church. Part of the group got to go hiking through the village and place plaques on some homes and dedicate them and pray for the families there. The best part of the day was sharing a surprise with the boys. We made smores! In about 10 min they ate 4 boxes of graham crackers, 4 big bags of marshmallows and 48 chocolate bars. Needless to say they loved them and the marshmallow covered smiles on their faces proved it. After this we were able to share Christmas with the boys. We had a gift for each of them: a beanie, crayons, coloring books, matchbox cars, personalized pencils, and dum dums. They were all so appreciative and happy. Their genuine happiness reminded us and prepared our hearts for the true meaning if christmas. We got to hang out for a short while and just spend time with them. We then got to the hardest part, saying goodbye. Leaving is always the hardest part but knowing that they are there and being loved makes it easier. Now we are just packing up and getting ready for the journey home tomorrow. Please pray for our time of leaving and for our hearts to be ready to be back. Ask all of us about our trip, we have so many more stories to share than will fit on this blog and are eager to share them. Thanks or being a part of our trip.

S'mores and goodbyes...

Today was our final day working in Haiti and it was a great one. We started out continuing and finishing our projects for the week. The painting is fully finished and touch ups are done. We were able to get everything ready for our little boys and they will get to sleep in their new room tonight. The older boys are excited too, because they get their room and space back. We finished the coats in the depot and they will be able to store all of their supplies in there tonight as well. We finished our 3rd wall today! Our arms were sore and tired but it is complete. The men will do all of the finishing and get it ready to turn it into a kitchen and great room for the boys home and church. Part of the group got to go hiking through the village and place plaques on some homes and dedicate them and pray for the families there. The best part of the day was sharing a surprise with the boys. We made smores! In about 10 min they ate 4 boxes of graham crackers, 4 big bags of marshmallows and 48 chocolate bars. Needless to say they loved them and the marshmallow covered smiles on their faces proved it. After this we were able to share Christmas with the boys. We had a gift for each of them: a beanie, crayons, coloring books, matchbox cars, personalized pencils, and dum dums. They were all so appreciative and happy. Their genuine happiness reminded us and prepared our hearts for the true meaning if christmas. We got to hang out for a short while and just spend time with them. We then got to the hardest part, saying goodbye. Leaving is always the hardest part but knowing that they are there and being loved makes it easier. Now we are just packing up and getting ready for the journey home tomorrow. Please pray for our time of leaving and for our hearts to be ready to be back. Ask all of us about our trip, we have so many more stories to share than will fit on this blog and are eager to share them. Thanks or being a part of our trip.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Another Amazing Day!

Such an amazing day today. We have been blessed with some great stories.

We continued our work at the boys home. We split into two groups again today. One group worked on concrete while the other painted. The concrete grouped hauled rock and gravel and water for a major part of the day. We added up how much we have done this week and we are at around 1000 gallons of water pulled from the cistern, transported and used for concrete, and moved about 1.5 tons of gravel and sand, this may sound like an exaggeration but we have had several trucks drop off loads of gravel and sand. And we unloaded 150 bags of cement that were 100 lbs each. All of these supplies enabled us to finish 2 walls and start a 3rd today. We also poured 2 columns. As we were working today we learned that the Haitian men we are working with this week were in the exact room we are working on when the earthquake hit. They had not been back to work since then and we have been blessed to get to help them finish.

The other group worked really hard on painting the little boys room and the depot. They were able to FINISH the painting in the boys room and only have another coat or two in the depot. We were planning to help them move beds and get their room set up in the morning. The key is were...they got so excited to see the new room with clean and newly painted walls that they started moving their stuff. We moved in beds, mattresses, clothes and school stuff. We cleaned and mopped everything. We made their beds with newly cleaned sheets an set their room up. As we were finishing the room we realized that 3 of our boys have never slept in there. The boys have been sleeping in a different place but know that this is their room and their home. They may not sleep there tonight because of the fumes but their home is ready and they will soon be there for good.

It has been such a blessing to get to help serve the people of Haiti. Tomorrow we will have our last work day and will get to celebrate Christmas with them. We have a gift or each chid and brought stuff to make smores!

Pray for our team as we finish up our work here in Haiti. Pray for us as we say our goodbyes tomorrow. Pray that we would transition back to the US and to the Christmas season with ease and would not get frustrated.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Sabbath

When dusk first scraped the horizon and the cock had yet to crow, the team emerged triumphantly from their sleeping quarters ready for a new day. The sabbath is looked forward to on each trip because it offers the chance to worship with the locals and experience church in a new cultural context. What had become a routine ride to the village for work was transformed into a pastoral picture filled with beautiful families walking to their place of worship, adorned in their Sunday best. Upon arriving at the church in Guibert, we were greeted by the sound of praise coming from the sanctuary. The service began soon after and the experience is something that will not soon leave the forefront of our team's conscious. Whether it was worshipping through music, prayer, the Word, or fellowship; it was all done intentionally and with abandon. From the smallest of toddlers to the eldest of grandparents, we saw a body of Christ who understood worship. In a country with very little, we were taught that worship is not contingent upon situations or circumstances; it is truly a measure of your heart.
After church we came home and rested. The remainder of our evening was full of fun and shenanigans. From movie watching to singing to dancing; the team grew closer together socially as well as spiritually. As we now turn out attention to gaining a restful night of sleep we look forward to the hard work ahead of us tomorrow.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Another blessed Haiti day!

Today was a great, but stressful day. Our team split up and spent most of the day painting two of the rooms while the other half mixed and poured concrete to finish repairing and reinforcing one of the rooms. The walls and columns didn't hold well at first and the men had to completely repair them, but at the end of the day, they were successful. Everyone came out with paint and concrete all over them. Sore and overwhelmed by the gratitude of the boys, the team has all had a wonderful day. We ended the workday with a trip to the Baptist mission, where we all were bombarded with merchants and people selling everything from paintings to beads. We ended the day with a wonderful meal of chicken and vegetables made by our amazing hosts.

Things to pray for:
A day of rest tomorrow
Reflections for the team
Jeff's sermon at the church in the morning

Another blessed Haiti day!

Today was a great, but stressful day. Our team split up and spent most of the day painting two of the rooms while the other half mixed and poured concrete to finish repairing and reinforcing one of the rooms. The walls and columns didn't hold well at first and the men had to completely repair them, but at the end of the day, they were successful. Everyone came out with paint and concrete all over them. Sore and overwhelmed by the gratitude of the boys, the team has all had a wonderful day. We ended the workday with a trip to the Baptist mission, where we all were bombarded with merchants and people selling everything from paintings to beads. We ended the day with a wonderful meal of chicken and vegetables made by our amazing hosts.

Things to pray for:
A day of rest tomorrow
Reflections for the team
Jeff's sermon at the church in the morning

Friday, December 16, 2011

Loving our time!

It's has been another great day here in Haiti. Our team has done an amazing job at serving in different ways. We went back to work and began the process of painting one of the boys rooms. This room is pretty big and has taken a lot of TLC to get it to the point of being ready. But, when we finish the room the boys will have a safe, clean, mold free, and newly painted room. Pray that this room would be a safe place and a room that is filled with love. We got to mix up all of the tasks that we did throughout the day. Someone got to drill holes in concrete for rebar and help tie some metal support columns. Some people got to carry 5 gallon buckets that they filled with gravel and sand and carried them down a set of stairs to a room where another group helped mix concrete and pour a new support wall for a room that was damaged in the earthquake. Other members of the team helped break away concrete blocks to make a place to hang new metal windows that will be hung tomorrow. Some of the ladies we're able to help wash a lot of dishes that were from a lunch of 150+ pastors/ church leaders. 4 of the guys got to unload a dump truck full of 100lbs bags of cement, it was really have and exhausting. The day ended with the best part, we got to spend time loving on the boys. We played games, sang songs, practiced English, and built some great memories. It has been a blessing to get to see progress In such a short time. We are being blessed beyond measure by our Haitian friends. They are spoiling us with amazing food, and sharing so much with us. May we continue to share the love of Christ and be his hands and heart to these people. May we be open to all that god is teaching us and look for other ways to serve.

Loving our time!

It's has been another great day here in Haiti. Our team has done an amazing job at serving in different ways. We went back to work and began the process of painting one of the boys rooms. This room is pretty big and has taken a lot of TLC to get it to the point of being ready. But, when we finish the room the boys will have a safe, clean, mold free, and newly painted room. Pray that this room would be a safe place and a room that is filled with love. We got to mix up all of the tasks that we did throughout the day. Someone got to drill holes in concrete for rebar and help tie some metal support columns. Some people got to carry 5 gallon buckets that they filled with gravel and sand and carried them down a set of stairs to a room where another group helped mix concrete and pour a new support wall for a room that was damaged in the earthquake. Other members of the team helped break away concrete blocks to make a place to hang new metal windows that will be hung tomorrow. Some of the ladies we're able to help wash a lot of dishes that were from a lunch of 150+ pastors/ church leaders. 4 of the guys got to unload a dump truck full of 100lbs bags of cement, it was really have and exhausting. The day ended with the best part, we got to spend time loving on the boys. We played games, sang songs, practiced English, and built some great memories. It has been a blessing to get to see progress In such a short time. We are being blessed beyond measure by our Haitian friends. They are spoiling us with amazing food, and sharing so much with us. May we continue to share the love of Christ and be his hands and heart to these people. May we be open to all that god is teaching us and look for other ways to serve.

Loving our

It's has been another great day here in Haiti. Our team has done an amazing job at serving in different ways. We went back to work and began the process of painting one of the boys rooms. This room is pretty big and has taken a lot of TLC to get it to the point of being ready. But, when we finish the room the boys will have a safe, clean, mold free, and newly painted room. Pray that this room would be a safe place and a room that is filled with love. We got to mix up all of the tasks that we did throughout the day. Someone got to drill holes in concrete for rebar and help tie some metal support columns. Some people got to carry 5 gallon buckets that they filled with gravel and sand and carried them down a set of stairs to a room where another group helped mix concrete and pour a new support wall for a room that was damaged in the earthquake. Other members of the team helped break away concrete blocks to make a place to hang new metal windows that will be hung tomorrow. Some of the ladies we're able to help wash a lot of dishes that were from a lunch of 150+ pastors/ church leaders. 4 of the guys got to unload a dump truck full of 100lbs bags of cement, it was really have and exhausting. The day ended with the best part, we got to spend time loving on the boys. We played games, sang songs, practiced English, and built some great memories. It has been a blessing to get to see progress In such a short time. We are being blessed beyond measure by our Haitian friends. They are spoiling us with amazing food, and sharing so much with us. May we continue to share the love of Christ and be his hands and heart to these people. May we be open to all that god is teaching us and look for other ways to serve.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Concrete and Cleaning

Today was our first full day in haiti and it was amazing. We had a busy day and are really tired, but we are good. It started off with breakfast and a beautiful drive to our boys home. When we got there we took a quick tour and saw all of the kids in school. There are a lot of jobs that we are going to try and accomplish this week so we split up into two teams and got to work. One team spent the morning cleaning out our depot (storage room) and getting it organized. They then cleaned out our youngest boys room, sanded the walls, bleached the walls and prepped everything for painting tomorrow. The other group helped pour a concrete floor in a new room that had been built, it is about 15 ft by 40 ft and we poured it by hand one bucket at a time. We also had to collect the water and supplies and carry it to the site. They were also able to help pour 4 new columns in a new addition to the building that we will get to put a roof on while we are here as well. The day has been full of new experiences, new foods, and new people. We have new faces that we will always remember and have been blessed to love on and laugh with. We are getting cleaned up and ready for dinner. Eager to see what tomorrow holds and how god is going to use and challenge us.

Things to Pray for:
Rest and Strength as we are working great and long days
For Gods love to be seen in everything that we do.
For our eyes to be open to what god is showing us and for our ears to listen to his still small voice.

We are HERE!

We made it safely here last night and were exhausted so we crashed pretty hard. We are excited to get to experience Haiti today.

Today we will be going and starting some of the construction work. We will be pouring some concrete, all by hand, and prepping the work for the week. We will also get to see the boys!

Pray for safe travels to our boys home, safety while working, and for god to continue to open our hearts and teach us.