Our VBS is done!

VBS 2015 has come to an end and what a ride it has been! We ended the week just shy of 400 kids... From the original 300 kids we were expecting, we had a few challenges along the way. Praise the Lord it was nothing significant other than the diminishing sanity of a few of our American teachers with 60+ students each!

As we wrapped up the week we taught about the life of Joshua and how God is bigger than what's possible. We told the story of God using Joshua to part the Jordan River and taking stones from the middle to remind them of God's work in their lives.

Our Haitian teachers are the best.. Today they performed a skit for the children about the fall of the wall of Jericho. They had bricks stacked at the front of the church and had Joshua and a group of followers walk around seven times. The even had it fall down when they shouted. It was the funniest thing and the kids had such a great time watching their teachers be silly and get in to their roles. 

At the end of lunch, we had an assembly where all of our classes got to perform in front of the school. Every class got to show off a memory verse and song. 

They all did so well... I am always astonished at how quickly they pick up scripture and memorize it for years to come. It's very convicting to realize how little I have stored away in my memory and how long it takes me to put new ones in.

At the conclusion of the VBS we had all of our Haitian partners (teachers, administrators, and translators) join us as we thanked them for being so wonderful this week. They truly did make this VBS a success. We wouldn't have been able to pull the week off without them.

Looking back over our time with the children, I truly see the Lord's hand all over the week. From the words spoken to the multiplied supplies, God has been at work in the school and in the lives of the people in Guibert. 

There is Power in the Name of Jesus!

Tomorrow is our last full day in Haiti. We will spend it relaxing and having a party with the kids. We will hand out backpacks and shoes to the kiddos in our home. It's always a sweet time to see the Lord provide for the kiddos in such a tangible way. 

Here are some ways to pray:

- There are several of us who are not feeling well. Pray that it will pass quickly.

- For us to have a fun filled day tomorrow as we hang out with our team and ministry family. 

- Tomorrow we will have to say goodbye to all of our new Haitian friends. Pray that our goodbyes will be sweet. 

God is Bigger than our Abilities

Day 3 of our VBS went wonderfully. We had sooo many kids. Multiple classes were running between 60/70 kids a piece. But God is good and we had everything we needed to make the day a success. 

I have been so impressed with our team. They have truly embraced my catchphrase "the keyword to missions is FLEXIBILITY". Anyone who has ever gone with me on a trip knows that I say this at least 12 times a day.  There is no other way that they would have been prepared to plan for one craft but do another due to lack of supplies. It helped them through a classroom full of sweaty teenagers, sans deodorant, with one tiny window and no airflow.

Our devotion this morning was about letting God sustain us when we are tired and needless to say, we relied on him a little extra today.

 

Our teachers did a great job today. They taught the memory verse, reviewed all the info from the week with the kids and told another story in the assembly time. They are such a huge help and are instrumental in making this week a success.

We were able to help with the VBS meal again today. It is so sobering to think that most of these kids are only eating today because they are at school. Doing the dishes after lunch only solidified the sheer number of kids that pass through our program. 

Tomorrow is our last day of VBS. Here are some ways you can pray.

- We are getting weary. VBS is tiring and although we have downtime, we feel we must fill it up playing with kids. Pray that we are able to get some good rest tonight so we are recharged for our let day of VBS tomorrow. 

- Goodbyes are always hard. Pray for us as we say goodbye to our translators, teachers, and kids.

- Pray we end our VBS well. Pray that we've made a positive impact on all who have heard the message, ourselves included

Thank you all for joining in on our journey. We truly couldn't be here without all your support.

God is bigger than our circumstances

Our 2nd day of VBS went very smoothly. After learning from yesterday and making some modifications, everyone was much more comfortable in their classroom.

The kids are having a great time as they learn memory verses and new songs. They are learning and sharing bible stories with each other in their classes. The girls from Ferrier are showing off their knowledge from the same VBS we did there in May. They are quite proud.  

Our teachers are continuing to amaze me as they participate.  Just during the assembly time, we had one teacher teach the memory verse to the kiddos and another who taught the day's lesson. My prayer from the beginning has been to get the teachers and administrators involved in running the VBS and they have all been a tremendous help so far. 

We were able to feed all of the kids at the end of our VBS day. 

We had around 400 kids today so meal time could have been quite a challenge. But the staff and volunteers here are quite remarkable. 

They had everything running smoothly and were able to make sure everyone got their fill.

 In case you're not sure what 400 kids look like, this is just half of the room! Kids everywhere...

After lunch, we headed back to the house to relax for a bit. Part of our team went back to the school to help with the dishes. A LOT of dishes!

The rest of the evening was spent playing on the playground and hanging out with the kids from the boys and girls home. Our team is having a lot of fun serving together, so thank you for your prayers.

Here are some things to pray for tomorrow.

- Day 3 of VBS

- for our teachers to remain involved and take on more responsibility

- for our team to continue to find opportunities to serve in our down time 

Day 1: God is bigger than what's expected

VBS Day 1 was a success! We had a great day. The first day of anything is always such an unknown, but we were ready for whatever God had in store for us. Our assembly time started out slow with only a few students there, but as we sang and made some noise the kids started coming out of the woodworks. We are spending the week focusing on the power of God and today we looked at the life of Jesus. The kids learned new songs and memorized 2 verses today. Your prayers from yesterday were answered... Our translators were awesome. And we had some of our teachers step up and share a story with the kids, complete with costumes and props. 

It was amazing and a definite highlight of the day. What a way to kick off the week! 

After the assembly we broke up into our classes and had some time with each class. Everyone did an amazing job with their classes. 

These kids are having a blast and are really learning Scripture. We spent some time on the playground playing with the kids too. As lunchtime approached we finished up our teaching and helped serve food for the 300+ kids and teachers we had today. We have learned a lot about the process and are really looking forward to what is in store tomorrow.

This afternoon we had free time so some of us took naps, others payed games, and others enjoyed the scenery. It was a much needed time after today. A group of us decided to go on an adventure. We hiked down the steep side of the mountain to the creek at the bottom. This is the water source for many to clean and wash with, but it was a tough hike to get down. We had some of the boys from the home go with us to show us the way. We also got to attempt carrying a load of wet, freshly washed clothes in a bucket balanced on our head. It was so hard and it is crazy to think that this is reality for so many. As we caught our breath and returned to our home we noticed a tap tap (Haitian taxi) in the driveway. Then we saw a bunch of girls... They were all of the girls from our girls home! They travelled 12 hours just to come and spend the week with us. It was such a surprise and we are so excited for what is in store.

The rest of the evening was spent in team time and preparing for tomorrow's vbs.

Pray that our vbs would continue to go well

Pray for relationships to form and communication to flow smoothly.

Pray that the minor hiccups from today will resolve themselves tomorrow. 

Pray for our teachers to continue to invest in the material and have another story for the children tomorrow.

Thank you all for the love and prayers!

Resting in the Lord

What a beautiful sabbath we have had. I love that things in Haiti stop on Sunday. It gives everyone much needed rest and after a long day of travel yesterday, we needed time to recoup.

Our day started with a great morning of worship. Mark preached at the Agape church and Jeff preached at the Guibert church. Both did a great job teaching, so thank you for your prayers. 

After we left church, most of us took a good long nap and woke up to a Sunday feast with our Pastor's family. When the meal was over, we spent some time outside playing soccer, basketball, frisbee, and played on the playground. Today was our first taste of the language barrier and it was a relief to see how much can be communicated without words. 

All of our supplies are packed up and we are ready to begin VBS tomorrow! We are all excited for the week to begin but are anxious to get started. Day 1 of VBS is all about the life of Jesus and God's power in our life. 

 

Here are some ways you can pray:

- Pray that the teachers and church helpers in our classrooms will actively participate in the VBS. They have been given the material in advance in hopes that they will lead the Bible story time. Pray that they have prepared and are ready to teach.  

- We haven't met any of our translators yet, so pray for those men and women who will be serving alongside us this week. 

- We are anxious about the language barrier and uncertain about our Haitian teammates, pray that the Lord would give us peace and go before us and prepare the way this week. 

- Pray that our words get communicated clearly and that our message gets across well.

Thanks for the love and support. We are excited to see everything the Lord has for us! 

Welcome to Haiti

After a mostly smooth travel day, we have arrived safely in Haiti!

We look forward to what the Lord has in store for us this week and we are excited to worship with our Haitian brothers and sisters. Tomorrow Jeff is preaching at the Guibert church and Mark at Agape Church. Pray that both of these men proclaim the Lord's goodness in a way that is easily translatable.

We are all exhausted and are looking forward to a good nights sleep. Check back daily for updates and pictures! 

On Our Way Home

We are on our way home today.  As I am writing this our team is 30,000 feet in the air, making our way back to Texas.

We thank each of you for your prayers and support during our trip.  Our time with these teachers was a blessing to both our team and the Haitian Teachers.

But just because the trip is over does not mean your prayers and support must end.  Please continue to pray for the Haitian teachers as they prepare for the upcoming school year.  Pray for the administration as they incorporate the new ideas and materials into their planning.  And pray about partnering with  Hope for the Hungry in financially supporting our "Educate Haiti" initiative.  For as little as $12 a month you can provide an education and a free lunch for 1 child for 1month.  What an easy way to partner and support with the ongoing educational initiatives in Haiti.  For more information or to donate, please visit www.educatehaiti.org