Nothing but Bleu

Yesterday, we all did our best to not look like a smurf. After much discussion on the paint color, a decision was finally settled on blue (bleu). The paint arrived and jumped in, we attracted quite an audience throughout the day as the color rolled on throughout the mission center. We were able to get the entire first floor complete with the first coat. We will finish up today.

Jean Renald was of the boys in our boys home around twenty years ago. He has helped with numerous construction projects over the last few years and has been hard at work with us during this trip as well. While he has some physical setbacks of his own since birth, he is a very hard worker and as a true servants heart. Yesterday, he invited us to his home and while he lives from day to day like many Haitians he is filled with joy. You can see he is loved still by those within the community. We thank God for Jean Renald. He grew up in the boys home and that in itself was a blessing given his physical limitations, because he had a family who loved him. Today, he works as a mason, helping where he can to serve his community and you can see the peace of God in his life. God did not skip over Jean Renald, he too was created in the image of God and he leans on the same promises of Bible that you and I lean on. We invite you to pray for Jean Renald, pray that God would continue to bless this community through his life. He has been a true blessing to Hope for the Hungry over the years.  

 

Paint, Play, Repeat.

Yesterday was another busy day here in Guibert, Haiti. We continued painting the mission center and have made great progress overall, there is such good teamwork. After school we had a couple of other visitors from the children's home: Rony, Gardson, Ronald, Pouchon, Desilien, Willie and Angez all came to see us. After a few minutes, each of them had a paint brush and doing a great job of painting themselves... I mean the walls. Yesterday was also the day the team really stepped out and began playing and interacting more with the children. Their were plenty smiles on the faces of the younger children and great discussions with the older kids. This week the kids are taking exams at school and after we finished painting we hung out around the children's home and observed the older boys hard at work studying. Spanish, History, Math, French the kids poured over their study notes, were reciting vocabulary words aloud or were deep in their textbook seeking to do their best. You can see it in the eyes of the boys, they want to learn and they are doing amazing. We also played plenty with the younger kids after their tutoring session was complete. Today, we repeat.

From Handwriting to Painting

Yesterday was our first work day on the mission center and our objective was to begin painting the interior. Upon arrival we had a few minutes to take the beautiful mountains that surrounded us and took a tour of the school, children's home, church and the future mission center. We also spent some time with a group of local high school kids, they have exams this week and they were eager show and read with us in English. Their journals are packed with notes and as is typically the case their handwriting is very good. Once the paint arrived we jumped and began painting. Every person from our small team of six had a task and did it well. Before too long, one by one local help began to trickle in to the mission center to simply help. One thing you cannot deny is the work ethic of this culture. And today we saw it from the handwriting to painting. Of course, school was in session so we got to see, love and speak with many of them. Since we have two kids of our own on our team they were of particular interest by the Haitian children. They were especially interested in the braces on their teeth. We will continue painting throughout the week and building relationships along the way. Last night, we had a long reflection of the day and discussion on the history of Haiti. It is important to note, that despite the setbacks and devastation that have hurt this nation over the last couple of centuries, there is Hope. You can see it in there eyes, you can see it there efforts, you can see it in the progress all around. We must continue to reflect Jesus, we must continue to make disciples, we must continue to help provide an education to the children the Lord brings to our ministry. Why? Because, Each One Matters.    

God's Steps

Winter has taken a toll on the majority of the United States over the last week and we certainly had to redirect our plans in order to arrive in Haiti today. I am reminded of the verse in Proverbs, In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9. It was a great reminder that God is in charge. The good news is we did arrive hear in Haiti today, and the eyes of our team were wide open to the sights and smells of this nation. Please pray for this trip as we rest tonight and get ready to work on the mission center tomorrow. Throughout this trip we acknowledge that God will establish our steps. Thank you for your support and prayers.

Returning Home...

We are home!  Our team arrived back in Texas late Saturday night, tired but grateful for the time we had in Haiti.  Our week ended well, with lots  of hard work.

As I have reflected over our time last week, I think the overwhelming word that keeps coming to mind is "potential".  As Stephanie met with teachers and administrators, we saw potential waiting to be unleashed; potential that when armed with the right training and tools could take our schools in Haiti to a new level.

As we interacted and played with hundreds of school children in Guibert and Marotherie, we saw the potential of Haiti's futue  in each smiling face and curious gaze.   The education they are receiving will be life changing.  The love of God that they are taught about and shown will change their eternity.

The Mission Center is ever closer to completion.  It is closer to fulfilling it's potential for relationship and community development in a new and fresh way.  We still need $50,000 to complete the final stage, but it is exciting to be so close.

The boys in the Boy's Home are shining examples of unbelievable potential. Their stories and circumstances are often heartbreaking, but they are being given a chance at a life that few in Haiti even have the opportunity to consider.  Theses boys have an opportuniity at an  eduction and a life that few in Haiti dare to dream about.  By next fall we will have 7 children from our homes (4 boys and 3 girls) that will be elidgible for university studies.   Most importantly, these boys are being  taught about  the importance of their relationship with Jesus. They are surrounded by godly men and connected to a dynamic, local church.    I had the opportunity to visit with the older boys (ages 15+) in the home last Friday.  I shared with them of the characteristics we are praying they developed, I encouraged them in the things they must be focused on now, and I reminded them that their relationship with Christ must be the most important part of thei lives.  It was a true priviledge to share with them.  As I  looked in their eyes, it was in awe of the young men I saw staring back at me.  These young men are overcoming so many obstacles and have such bright futures.

Finally, I am waiting an anticpation of the new church start in Petionville.  This new church represents such enormous potential for the future of our church  partners in Haiti.  God is already using this church to reach people for Christ.  Their small leadership team has already shared the Gospel with hundreds of people in the community and seen over 50 profess faith in Jesus. They have ministered to over 700 children in the commmunity, many who have never heard about the love of Jesus. All this and they will not officially open their doors until January.

People always ask me how things are going in Haiti.  Politically and economically, the country is a mess.  But spiritually, there is a revival coming.   God is moving, the church is active and passionate, and lives are being changed.  I praise the Lord that I am able to bear witness to His mighty power moving in this tiny, island nation.  Like many others, I have seen God at work in Haiti. Like a few others, I have joined God at work in Haiti.  Like a small number, my experiences with God because of Haiti, have radically changed the  course of my life and I am all the better for it.   Join us.  Visit www.hopeforthehungry.org and learn what God is doing.  I promise that you will be better for having joined God at work.

God is doing a new thing...

Isaiah 43:18-21 NIV

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.   See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.   The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen,   the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise."

Today was such a blessing!  For the past couple of years, our Haitian partner, Pastor JeanAlix Paul, has been praying about God's leading to plant a new church somewhere in Haiti.  Over the last 20 years, JeanAlix has planted 9 churches in 9 villages throughout Haiti.  At the beginning of this year, The Lord began leading JeanAlix to a new location in a suburb of Port-au-Prince called Petionville.  Over the last 10 months, God has brought together a dynamic, passionate leadership team, including 30 families that will be a part of the launch team.  The Lord has also provided meeting space that will allow for tremendous growth and be a strategic point of ministry in Petionville.  Today we were able to visit the new space and hear the vision God has given JeanAlix for this new work.  It was our priviledge to pray over the new building, to pray over JeanAlix, and to pray over some of the church leadership. It was a powerful time and a true blessing.

Comfortable being uncomfortable...

"I think to really be able to enjoy missions you have to set aside your self and learn to comfortable being uncomfortable" - Wayne Zeh

Wayne made this very profound statement after he, Danny, and David spent the morning carrying buckets of concrete and buckets of rocks.  It made us laugh, but is also so very true.  Often God asks us to do things that move us outside of our comfort zone.  Whether it is sharing our faith with a stranger, giving sacrificially, traveling to another country, or showing kindness in  all circumstances.  We must make the choice to obey even at the expense of our comfort.

Stephanie is enjoying working with the teachers.  We are excited about the way the possibilty of providing training for the teachers is coming together.  Please continue praying for wisdom and insight into how best proceed in the ongoing evaluation.  We will be heading to the village of Marotherie on Thursdayto met with the teachers and administrators there.

The primary focus for the ministry here in Haiti is the launch of a new church start in Petionville.  Petionville is a large suburb of Port-au-Prince, with a population of several hundred thousand.   The launch team and leadership are in place and have begun holding special events for local children and evangelizing in the community.  Many have professed faith in Jesu.  Be in prayer for this new church start that will hold its first public service on January 5,2014.

Romans 8:31-35, 37-39 NASB

"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Underway

Our task has begun! And we are all now exhausted ;-)

Wayne, David, and Danny jumped in to the construction process as work resumed on the Mission Center.  We are making great progress, but still have lots to do.  It is exciting to see this project moving ever closer to completion. 

Stephanie began working with the teachers and administators as we prayerfully plan a teacher's conference for next summer.  The teachers and especially the administators seem very excited about the potential of partnering with American teachers to help impove their skill sets.  Matthew is doing great.  He is such a trooper and handling a new environment very well.

Thank you for your prayers for our team.  We are greatly enjoying our time and look forward to serving alongside our Haitian friends.

Saints around the throne...

Revelation 7:9-12 NASB

"After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,  "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying,  "Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

I cannot begin to gauge the scope and magnitude of the scene that Revelation 7 is trying to describe. But every time I have the opportunity to worship in another culture, I believe I get a small glimpse of the worship being described here.  This morning was no different.  The joy and abandon with which our Haitian brothers and sisters worship is a deeply moving and spiritually uplifting experience.  One of the greatest joys of my life is the priviledge I have to worship with these passionate believers several times a year.

This morning we talked about the Kingdom of God. We learned from the gospel of Luke, that not only do we get to look forward to an eternity with our Savior, but God is building His kingdom right now.  God is using ordinary People, like you and me, through the Power of the Holy Spirit, to share the story of The Person of Jesus Christ. We have experienced His grace, received His forgiveness,and have  been tasked with sharing the story of His saving work for all who believe.

Our work day begins early tomorrow.  Pray for good rest tonight and energy in the morning.  God is at work!

We Have Arrived

Our team has officially arrived in Haiti!  After a few flight delays yesterday, we arrived safe and sound.  Being in Haiti the first day is always a surreal experience.  To be instantly thrust into an environment where you are surround by the fight to survive is often odd in contrast to the world you left behind only hours before.

This experience is even more unique as we have Matthew, my 5 year old son, with us.  It is fascinating to experiene Haiti through his peerspective as he asks questions and observes the worldaround him.  I am excited to see how God will use Matthew's point of view to influence our team.

Be in prayer for the week as we seek to be used for God's glory.

Party Time!

We had a very relaxing and fun filled last day in Haiti.

We first went to the Baptist Mission and did a little souvenir shopping. When we finished, we headed back home to get ready for the party!

The party was for Mackley's bday and all of the boys and girls from our homes came! We had a huge BBQ, played games, and had a water balloon fight. It was great to spend just a little more time with the kids we've grown to love over the past week.

We were also able to pass out new backpacks and shoes to the boys in our  home. It's always such a sweet time to watch and see the Lord providing for their needs. They are always so thankful for everything we are able to bring to them.

We head out at 6am tomorrow morning. Pray that we have safe travels and no flight delays. Pray for us as we leave the wonderful people here. 

Pray for us as we return to American culture. Pray that the Lord would continue to do a great work in each of us. Pray that we would follow His leading in our lives at home as well.

Thank you so much for your prayers this week. You've been a huge asset to our team. We would love to share more with you about our trip, so next time you see us, ask us about it!

God Always Wins- Day 4

What a great end to an amazing VBS!

Today we taught the kids about choosing a side. They can make the choice to be on Gods side (and we know that God always wins) or they can choose to not be on his side.
Our stories for the day were Jonah and the whale and Saul's conversion to Paul. The kids enjoyed hearing both of these stories and making their related crafts.

After our classroom time, we had an assembly for all of the children to perform some of the things they've learned this week. Each class got to choose which song and memory verse from the week that they wanted to show off. It was such a great show! All of the classes did an excellent job showcasing all that they've learned and it was quite impressive how much they picked up in a week.

Tomorrow is going to be a great day! All of the kids are coming to our house and we are having a party! We're going to BBQ, play games, and have a balloon fight. We are excited to spend some time just having fun with one another.

Praise the Lord, with us, for the wonderful week of VBS that we've experienced. Pray for our day tomorrow. Pray that we cherish each moment we have with our new friends. Pray for opportunities to show Christ's love... even in the mundane.

Pray for us as we prepare to leave. Leaving a place that's dear to our hearts is going to be tough. Pray that we would have peace as we say our goodbyes.

God Always Wins- Day 3

Today was the best day of VBS yet! Everything went well, everyone was well prepared and the kids were all excited to be there!

Our assembly time was great. We taught the kids all about how God wins over Satan, sin, death, and wins in the end.

The kids made empty tombs and lots of other cross crafts while they leaned about Jesus' sacrifice for their sins. They were excited to talk about the Good News of the resurrection and how God has won the battle!

After our vbs day was over, we got to hang out at the boys home for a while. One of our oldest boys, Gunsley, brought out a guitar and we spent the afternoon worshipping together. What an amazing experience to sing praises to the Lord while on a mountain, looking out at His beautiful creation!

We can't believe that tomorrow is our last day of vbs. Tomorrow is all about choosing who's team you want be on. Pray that the children would understand the importance of being on the Lords team and would chose Him.

This week has flown by and there seem to be so much to do still. Pray that we would finish well. So much of our hearts are with the children we've met this week. Pray that we have a great day and would feel at peace for the way the week has gone.

Pray for our goodbyes to the school children. And pray for our last days here.

Pray that we would begin to process coming home and that it would be an easy transition back.

God Always Wins- Day 2

Day 2 of VBS went even better than the first day! We had a lot more children today, but luckily we were prepared. We had over 300 kids and had a blast!

We started our assembly going over all that we learned yesterday. The kids had the memory verse down and love to sing the theme song! We taught them new songs and verses today and they caught on well. 

Our theme for today was "God wins over all other gods". We studied the stories of The Golden Calf and Elijah and the Baal prophets. 

The kids made crowns to prove that God is the King above all, and flags to wave in praise to Him!

After the VBS was over, some of the team went to fetch water for the home. It was a hard hike up and down the mountain, especially with buckets full of water!

All of the girls from Ferrier made a surprise trip to Guibert to surprise Jen and meet Baby Jude! We are enjoying having them with us and they are being excellent baby passers!

Pleas continue to pray for us. Tomorrow is the best day of VBS. We are teaching the children all about the life of Jesus! Our theme for the day is that "God wins over Satan, sin, death, and wins in the end." The whole week has been pointing to this day!

Pray that the children would be receptive to this message. Pray that He would be speaking to each of them as they are hearing the stories and would touch lives and hearts!

Pray for us as we continue to work with these precious kids. We are having so much fun and can't believe the week is already half way over!

God Always Wins!

Our first day of vbs was incredible! The Lord has assembled the perfect team for this week and they did an awesome job today.

The assembly time started with our translators singing lots of songs. The kids were so excited to sing praises to the Lord.  We taught them "Our God is so Big" and they caught on quickly. Our memory verse for the week is John 16:33.  "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!" Our translators even came up with a song to go along with it and the kids love singing it! Jen then taught about how God wins against all kings and armies, using the stories of Gideon, and David and Goliath as examples.

After the assembly and a few changes, we all finally settled into our classrooms and got to work! Each of the classes had lots of help from an assortment of translators, teachers, and church helpers. It was so great to see everyone working together for the Kingdom!

Pray for our day tomorrow. We are expecting many more children and are trying to accommodate all of them! Pray that we are able to handle the new number of kids and love on each of them the way Christ calls us to.

Pray for each of our helpers. Our translators, teachers, and church helpers are such an amazing asset to our team. Thank the Lord for them and ask Him to bless them as they help this week.

Pray for the children to respond to the fact that God is bigger than all others gods. This is a very important lesson for the kids here. Voodoo is a very prevalent practice here. Each of the children are impacted by voodoo in one way or another. Pray that the truth of Gods power will penetrate their hearts and wash away all of the fear and bondage from voodoo.

Thank each of you for your prayer support! We can feel your prayers, so keep them coming!

A day of rest

Today has been a great day! 

To start off our Sabbath,  we spent time with our Haitian brothers and sisters at the Spirit of Truth church. The presence of The Lord was felt by everyone as we sang praises to Him in our own language. It was such a beautiful picture of what Heaven must look like with the global church. Danny was able to preach during the service. He spoke about the power in the name of Jesus. It was a powerful message that leads perfectly with our VBS theme!

After church we had a meeting with some of our helpers for VBS. Everyone is excited to work together to teach about how "God Always Wins".

Once we returned home, we spent some time preparing for the week. We have all of our crafts prepped and have gotten everything ready for the morning! 

Pray for us as we start vbs tomorrow! We are excited and anxious to meet the children and start the week.

Pray for everything to run smoothly. 

Pray that we would have a manageable number of children and would have adequate supplies for all of them.

Pray for Jen as she prepares to teach during the assembly time. 

Pray for the children who hear the message this week and that they would choose to follow Him!

Haiti or Bust!

Today has been a long day of travels. We started at 2:30 this morning and finally arrived at our Pastor's house at 630! Although its been a long day, our travels could not have gone any smoother. Even baby Jude was a trooper and slept through most of the flight time!

Once we arrived at our home for the week, we met our wonderful host family, The Paul's. They fed us well and are already loving us well through their hospitality. 

Tomorrow we get to worship with our Haitian brothers and sisters! We are excited to experience a new worship style and are eagerly awaiting the morning! We are also meeting with all of our helpers for the VBS after church to go over the plan for the week.

Pray for our time of worship tomorrow. Pray for Danny as he preaches in the morning. And pray that the Spirit would move in a great and mighty way! Also pray that our VBS meeting goes well and that the teachers and church helpers would be excited about the week!

Friday- Finishing Memories

Our last day in Haiti was such an exciting one! We did lots of things and had tons of fun with the girls.

First we woke up and headed into Cap- Haitien to go souvenir shopping. When we finished, we went to a restauran for lunch. It took way longer than expected, but was tasty.

After our drive back, the girls were all lined up in the driveway with their bags, cause we were going to the beach!! Because our lunch took so long, the girls were more than ready because they'd been waiting for us to get there.  The beach is a special treat for the girls because even though they live close to the beach, they only go once a year.

So, we headed to the same beach we went to last year. When we pulled up, there were people everywhere. Two busses were parked and all of the passengers were letting loose on the beach. Since we had a bunch of little and big girls, we had to make the call of leaving because they didn't need to be around all the crazy that was happening on the beach. Luckily we found another beach a little down the road and were able to swim there. It was a little placed tucked away at Fort Liberty, so we had the whole thing to ourselves! The girls had SO much fun! Several were a lot more daring than last year, venturing out a little further than waist deep. Most of them were still pretty timid, so we got to hold lots of hands!

After we got home from the beach, we passed out the new shoes and backpacks for the upcoming year. All of the girls were so thankful and excited to receive the new and shiny gifts.

The rest of the evening was spend getting last minute pictures and hugs. At the end of the night, we brought out glow in the dark balloons and the girls went crazy! Especially Thaina... our littlest one. It was the perfect way to end the week.

As we sit here in the Cap Haitien airport, we want to say thank you for your prayers. We really couldn't have gotten through this week without faithful supporters like you guys. 

Please pray for safe travels today. Pray that we make all of our flights on time and that we arrive home as expected. Also, pray for us over the next few weeks as we continue to process all the Lord has done this week. 

Thursday- VBS Day 4

Today was our last day of VBS and it went great! 

School was not in session because it was a national holiday. Because of this, we had about 100 extra kids at VBS.  We ended the week on a really good note and are all pleased with the way the week turned out. The Lord did some great and mighty things with our limited abilities. We'd love to tell you all about it... ASK US!

Since it had been storming every afternoon this week, we decided to make our night service an 'after vbs rally'. For this, each class got to go to the front of the church and recite one of the memory verses and one of their favorite songs. It was such a sweet thing to hear!

After we said our goodbyes to the school kids, we headed back to the girls' home. We had another good afternoon hanging out with the wonderful girls and had a blast dancing and singing with them.

Tomorrow is going to be a fun day! We're going to the beach with the girls! Tomorrow's also gonna be really tough because it will be our last full day with the girls. 

Pray that we enjoy every minute we have left here. Pray that we're intentional with our time. And pray that we get (and take) an opportunity to shine Christ's love to someone.

Wednesday- VBS Day 3

Today was another spirit filled day. Our day was all about how God wins in the end. What a great truth to bring to the village of Ferrier!

The children all enjoyed the stories, crafts and songs. It's crazy to think that we only have one day of Vbs left!

During the afternoon we had a great time at the children's home.  We had English lessons, a lot of singing, and got to dance in the rain! It's been a great day!

Pray for our last day of vbs tomorrow. The lesson is over choosing your team... We've taught all week that God Always Wins so now they'll have the opportunity to join His team! Pray that our words and actions would clearly speak the love of the Father. We are having a night service for the parents if it doesn't rain tomorrow night. Pray for those who will be in attendance. Also, pray for our team as we say goodbye to our school kids. 

Tuesday- VBS Day 2

Tuesday was a wonderful day. 

We taught the children all about how God wins over all other gods. This is an important lesson for children who live in the very real world of voodoo. We taught that God is bigger than any god made by human hands. 

The stories we went over were Moses and the 10 Commandments, the golden calf, and Elijah and the Baal prophets.

The kids learned another memory verse, did lots of crafts and sang lots of songs.

Our time after VBS was spent with the girls and translators. We sang English and Creole songs, played clapping games, and played futbol. We even taught them how to play American football!

We had the third day in a row of evening showers. Not only is it a blessing for the crops, but for us too because it brings wind and cooler weather!

Please continue to pray for us. Wednesday's lesson is about how God wins over Satan, sin, death and wins in the end. Pray that we proclaim this truth well and that the children will come out of the day knowing all about Jesus' sacrifice.

Monday- VBS Day 1

Our vacation bible school is off to a great start! Our theme for the week is "God Always Wins". The first day was all about how God wins over all kings and armies. We talked about Gideon, David and Goliath, and Daniel in the lions den. 

We did all sorts of crafts and went over our theme verse of the week, John 16:33 "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world!"

Each of our team members went into their classrooms and with the help of their classroom teachers, church volunteers, and translators, were able to continue to tell the good news of God's love.

Please continue to pray for us. Tomorrow we will talk about God winning over all other gods. This is going to be an important topic for these kids because they are constantly surrounded by voodoo. Pray that Jen would have the right words to say during our group bible study and that the rest of the team would be able to communicate this truth during their classroom time.

Sunday- A Day to Worship and Rest

Today has been a sweet Sabbath. It's been a time to refresh from all of our travels and worship together with the people of Ferrier.

We went to church this morning and had an amazing time singing and praising the Lord, despite the language barrier. We all realize just how big God is and how He can hear us all, in our own language, at the same time. 

After much singing and praying, Danny got up and gave a sermon about finding contentment in the Lord. It was a much needed message to hear as we go into this week of unknowns.

After church, we had a meeting with the church helpers who will be at our VBS. They seemed very eager to jump in tomorrow and we're excited to see them in action!

Once we got back to the home, we had a great time with the girls. We had lots of playtime and did many things. Some helped with homework, some took pictures, some braided hair, and others had a mango eating contest!

All in all, today has been a much needed sabbath to reflect on how we got here and prepare for all the Lord is going to do this week.

Pray for our first day tomorrow. Pray that the day goes well. Pray for Jen as she is leading the group bible study. Pray for each of our team members as they lead their classes. And pray for our teachers and church helpers to take on their role of disciple maker.

Saturday- We're in Haiti

We finally made it to Haiti and today has been a great day! We landed at the airport and were immediately met by our bags... praise the Lord they all made it!

We made it safely to the girls home and quickly made friends with 28 of the sweetest little ones you'll ever meet! They are such a joy to be around and we're excited to see the relationships grow over the week!

Pray for us as we rest up from all of our travels. Pray for us as we experience Haitian church for the first time tomorrow morning. We are excited to worship alongside of our brothers and sisters here. Pray that the Spirit would move and many would come to know Him. Also, pray for our meeting with the teachers and church leaders. We will talk with them about the VBS and ask for a lot of participation on their parts. Pray that they would be willing to take ownership and really catch the vision of our "God Always Wins" week.

Friday- Heading Out!

So, we've had an eventful day so far. Because of storms, our flight out of Austin was delayed several hours. Because of this, we weren't going to make our connection to Miami and weren't going to be able to fly in until tomorrow afternoon.  Well the small airline that takes us into Haiti only flies every other day, so if we didnt make it to Miami tonight, our whole trip would of had to be cancelled.

But, luckily we were able to get 9 seats on a flight to West Palm Beach. Not exactly Miami, but it's a whole lot closer than Dallas!

So, we are currently on the hour long drive to Miami and will fly out tomorrow morning!  This is definitely not the way we saw today happening, but The Lord has been faithful in taking care of even the smallest details for us!

We are so excited to see and experience Haiti.  Pray for us as we prepare for the final leg of our journey. Pray that our bags actually ARE waiting for us at the Miami airport. Pray that we get good rest and arrive at the girls' home safely.

Finishing Well

It is crazy to think that today was our last full day of work. It  is encouraging to see progress on the buildings. We have a team of about 10 haitian men working with us as well as the older boys from our home. They stuccoed the interior of the mission house and will move on to the final wall treatment tomorrow. We  helped clean, sift truckloads of sand, and bring them whatvever they needed to continue working. We also helped pour the final verticle beams and 3 of the longest horizontal beams. The work here is so different than back home. It truly takes every person to do this job. It is a beautiful picture of the church  as haitian and american, young and old work to complete a task that will be a blessing for years to come.

We continued to teach english with the school kids and teachers and they are loving it. We are seeeing confidence grow in our teachers and they are getting it. We are seeing smiles on their faces and building trust. By the end of the day we were able to laugh and rejoice in what God was doing. We look forward to tomorrow when we get to work with the boys in our boys home.

Part of our team was able to spend some time with our boys getting their shoe sizes, so that later  this summer we can bring them all a new pair of shoes. This may have seemed like a menial task, but it reminded us of the time when Jesus took on the role of a servant and washed his dicsiples feet. In order for our work and minstry to be productive we must serve at whatever level that is. If it is passing buckets, teaching english, helping people see clearly, or measuring feet, we must serve like Christ.

Pray for our final day of work.
Pray for our hearts as we say goodbye.
Pray for the transition time back to the states.

Hope

There is a young boy here name Mogley.  Mogley has a birth defect called club foot that has distorted the growth of his right leg while the rest of his body continues to grow normally.   He has taken on a great afffection for our team and spent the day hanging around our project sites.   Inspite of his physical limitations, Mogley is a smiling, mischevious, joyful little boy.  His eyes are full of hope and promise, not because of our presence this week, but because of the power of the love of Christ shown to him.

Mogley represents Haiti.  So often this beautiful country is crippled by the deficienceies that surround it - corrupt government, economic disadvantage, educational gaps, and spiritual depravity.  But over and over, the teams that come here with Hope for the Hungry see something different.  Like Mogley, the deficiencies are obvious but they do not define the future. Instead these teams see a ministry that is pushing back against the darkness with the light and hope of Christ.  These teams meet men, women, and children whose lives are full of promise and joy because of the difference made by Christ.

This trip has been no exception.  Our team has worked hard and made a significant impact; however, our conversations at the end of the day most often entail the stories of the Haitian people we meet whose lives are being changed by the Gospel.

Pray for energy and strength for our last full day of work

Seeing Progress

Today was a great day!  We began our work in Guibert this morning.  It is amazing to see the progress that is being made in this community.  Construction on the Mission House continues, as a part of our group joined in the work by sifting rock, carrying buckets of mortar, and pouring the vertical beams.  We also continued with our vision clinic,  helping many of the local school children see clearly as well as some of the teachers.  In the afternoon we started working with the teachers from Guibert on three English Language program. These teachers are an intelligent and hard working group that are thrilled with the opportunity to sharpen their skills.

One of the repeated highlights of the day was the interaction everyone had with the local community and the boys in our children's home.  The progress being made, not only academically, but most importantly spiritually is obvious in the hope and joy in the eyes of each of the children. The love we express and share is being recieved as a direct reflection of the Savior we serve.

Pray for our continued strength and perseverence to the task.
Pray for the teachers as they continue to learn and improve
Pray that God is continually glorified in all we do.

Memories in Marothierre

Today has been an amazing day. We ventured out to our first full day of work. We travelled to Marothierre which is about an hour drive and 40 minute walk. This is a different part of Haiti than we have ever seen. It is beautiful mountainous terrain and the people are just as beautiful. When we got to the church and school here we immediately got to work. Half of the team went and did a vbs for 250 kids in the school. They taught about god's promises. We sang many songs and did a craft that shared the gospel with them. It was an amazing experience and we were really able to reach these kids. The other half of the group set up a vision clinic. They were able to help teachers, students and others from the community. It was so amazing to see the look on their faces when they could finally see clearly. This simple task is going to help more than we will ever know. We then took a quick break for lunch and then came back with an English clinic. All of the teachers came in and we were able to go through several different materials and help them learn new ways to teach and learn. They loved it and didn't want to leave. After a while they eventually headed home and we gave all of them materials to help continue their education. It was a long day, we are exhausted but it was so good.

Pray for us as we head to Guibert tomorrow to work.

Pray for our English clinic.

Pray for our vision clinic.

Pray for our construction work as we begin to do some hard labor.

Pray for health as sickness has hit some in our group, they are doing better but not 100%.

The Sabbath and baby Jeff

Yesterday was an amazing day. We learned the true meaning of sabbath. This was our first time to drive up to the church and boys home. The views were amazing and the people's smiles were great. As we got to the church we took a short tour of the faculty and saw where we would be doing some of our work. We then got to meet the newest addition to the boys home, baby Jeff, who was going to be dedicated in church. We then made our way up to the sanctuary for worship. The people were beautiful and it was so great to worship with them. They sang their hearts out. Prayed with great conviction, and were the body of god. They dedicated   Baby Jeff and it was such a sweet moment. Danny preached, so we were able to actually understand something that was happening, and he did a great job. After church we got to meet more of the boys and hang out for a short while. We then came back to the house, unpacked and sorted supplies, and rested. Haitians truly take part in the sabbath, and it was a nice change of pace.

Tomorrow we head out to Marothierre, which is a village about 1-2 hours away. We will be doing a VBS, vision clinic, and English clinic. Pray for safe travels. Pray for our clinics. Pray for health. Pray for god to move.

March 16, 2013

After leaving Belton at 3am to begin our journey we are finally here in Haiti. We landed around 3pm and then journeyed through port Au prince on our way to the pastors house. The sights, sound, and smell really opened our eyes to the new things here. Pastor Jean Alix and his wife Mylene have opened their home to us and are spoiling us. We just had our first team meeting and are now about to crash from a log day of travel.

 Pray for us tomorrow as we venture out to the boys home and church. Pray as we meet and see new faces.

Pray as we worship in a new place in a new language.

Pray for Danny as he will be preaching tomorrow.

Your prayers mean so much to us here. Thank you.