Hope For The Hungry

Two Years Ago in Haiti

2012-01-12T15:37:00.010-06:00

Since 1983, Hope for the Hungry has served in Haiti alongside many volunteers and nationals to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of children and their families. Hope for the Hungry also believes in breaking the cycle of poverty by offering these little ones a Christ centered education. Two years ago today marked a day which claimed the lives of over 210,000 men, women and children from the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Hope for the Hungry has worked to continue our efforts to educate, feed and disciple children as well as help their families. 1,100 children in four schools and two children’s homes in Haiti are fed, loved and educated daily plus the provision of other basic needs. Additionally, Hope for the Hungry has help rebuild or replace 37 homes since the earthquake.

Today, while our ministry extends far beyond Haiti, we are still determined to serve the children and families of Haiti and have 5 open trips scheduled this year. We are also committed to the construction of a new Mission & Training Center to help us more effectively serve in this region. The kids in our schools are excelling in education and growing in Christ. While the rebuilding and restoring process is a long way from finished, progress is being made in this nation and God is being glorified in Haiti.

Remember Haiti today and join with us in prayer or join us on a trip to Haiti this year. You can also donate to Hope for the Hungry and we can use your donation where it is needed most. Thank you for your contribution (prayer, volunteer and donation) in helping to restore lives, rebuild this nation and offer them a fresh start in Christ.

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Click Here to Donate to Hope for the Hungry

2012-01-12T13:19:00.001-06:00

Remember Haiti: Two years ago on Jan. 12, 2010 the earthquake that devastated Haiti and took over 200,000 lives. Here is one man's story of Hope.

Joseph Masillon took out a loan in October 2009 to pay for a roof for his house. It was to be a typical Haitian roof: a solid two feet of concrete with little rebar in it to hold it together, costing approximately $9,000.
On January 12th, 2010, an earthquake destroyed 80% of the homes in Joseph’s village of Guibert (“Gee-bear”). Joseph’s home was one of those destroyed. Joseph was inside the home at 4:53pm when the ground started to shake. As his home began to crumble on all sides of him, he was able to escape, unharmed. His brand new roof came crashing down, but no one was hurt. What a miracle! However, Joseph and his family didn’t have a place to live AND still had to pay off the loan for the roof, which was now in pieces and worth nothing to the family.
By late February, Hope for the Hungry decided it was time to move from emergency relief, where we handed out tents to those whose homes were destroyed, to begin rebuilding Guibert. Temporary shelters, such as tents, last for only a year. Permanent homes are important for everyone for both safety and security. We are currently working with the local church to assist in building homes (38 are completed now) because it gives us the opportunity to share Jesus with the home owners and teach them ways to walk with Him daily.
The Haitian church leaders determine which families qualify for a new home and Joseph was on the list! In May 2010, Joseph and his family of 12 were able to move into their brand new home!
To remind the community of the focus of our efforts, we have a dedication service for each of the home owners when the construction is complete. Each service includes a prayer of dedication, a reminder that Jesus is our true and ultimate Shelter, the installation of two scripture plaques, and the giving of keys to the home. So, now at the front door of Joseph’s brand new home is a plaque that reads, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20, NIV). Inside his home is one that reads, “They replied ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved- you and your household.” (Acts 16:31, NIV). Joseph may still be paying off his loan, but he and his family are now able to begin putting their lives back together in their new home, encouraged that Jesus, our true Shelter from the storm, is always faithful.

Ronald

2012-01-12T13:14:00.002-06:00

Remember Haiti: A story of Hope of a rejected and abused boy named Ronald (“Whoa-nal”).

Ronald’s mother died a few years ago. His father got remarried to a woman who hated Ronald and would not allow him to live with them. His father sent him to live with an Aunt who was very abusive and made him beg on the streets of Petionville for money and food. Our Haitian pastor saw him on the streets and went to his father and asked him to let Ronald come and live in our boys’ home. If he were to come, he would receive not only food, clothing, shelter and an education, but love and daily teaching about the Lover of our Souls, Jesus. His father agreed and Ronald came to live in our home on Jan 11th, 2010. The very next day, Petionville was completely destroyed in the earthquake. The streets where Ronald roamed were completely covered in rubble. If the Lord would not have lovingly placed Ronald in our home, the day before the earthquake, he surely would have died.

When I met Ronald (10 years old) for the first time in January 2010, he was a broken little boy with no life in his eyes. He had seen no love and had obviously been abused. He cried all of the time and was shunned because of the horrible skin condition that he picked up from the streets. He had never been to school, and didn’t even know the alphabet.

At the New Year’s Eve celebration this year, only a few minutes after I had seen Ronald during this trip, he immediately took my pen out of my journal and quickly wrote his name in cursive on his hand. When he raised it up to show me, there was such joy and excitement in his eyes. He was so proud of himself and was beaming! He knew how big of an accomplishment this was and couldn’t wait to show off his new skill!

I’ve been able to watch Ronald transform before my eyes over the past year. He is no longer the empty shell of a boy that he once was, but has a beautiful new soul. He has the Love of Christ in his heart and it’s evident in his eyes!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

S'mores and goodbyes...

2011-12-20T17:04:00.003-06:00

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...

2011-12-20T17:04:00.001-06:00

Another Amazing Day!

2011-12-19T17:20:00.000-06:00

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.

Sabbath

2011-12-18T20:28:00.000-06:00

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.

Another blessed Haiti day!

2011-12-17T20:46:00.001-06:00

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!

2011-12-17T20:46:00.000-06:00

Things to pray for:

A day of rest tomorrow

Reflections for the team

Jeff's sermon at the church in the morning

Loving our time!

2011-12-16T17:48:00.002-06:00

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!

2011-12-16T17:48:00.001-06:00

Loving our

2011-12-16T17:48:00.000-06:00

Concrete and Cleaning

2011-12-15T16:55:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-12-15T06:00:00.001-06:00

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.

Day 6 - Winding Down

2011-10-27T19:50:00.001-05:00

Today was our last full day on the construction site. The depot is coming along quickly and will be complete early next week. We have sifted an unbelievable amount of rock, moved lots of block, and carried several buckets of mortar. It has been enjoyable to serve alongside our Haitian brothers as we worked hard on the depot.

We had the opportunity to play hopscotch and soccer with some of the local children this afternoon. It was fun to see the joy on their faces and hear their laughter as we played.

Our time in Haiti is coming to a close. We are ready to see our families and friends, but we will miss the time we've had here.

Thank you all for your prayers. We are looking forward to sharing our stories with you soon. Pray for us as we wrap up our time and begin our journey home.

Day 5

2011-10-26T20:48:00.001-05:00

Danny and I sifted more rock today. Preston got promoted to mason apprentice. The construction on the depot is coming along very well. It is such a blessing to see the kids at the school when they come out for recess. They are always happy and smiling. Played soccer with some of the boys. They are much better than us, but it was lots of fun.

- Nathan Evans

Day 4

2011-10-25T19:09:00.001-05:00

We all woke up pretty sore from yesterday's work. But when we started back to work on the depot, the feelings of soreness quickly went away. We were able to sift a lot of dirt and move brick for the masons.

After work we walked down to the creek by the boys home. It was good to see some of the beautiful country of Haiti. Pictures don't give the mountains and countryside justice. It is God's creation that you just have to see for yourself.

Pray that we will continue to display Gods glory to the workers and children and for strength to work through the week.

- Preston Smedley

Day 3- Let it begin

2011-10-25T06:59:00.001-05:00

Monday was a beautiful day! The weather was pleasant, the air was cool, and we even experienced an afternoon rain storm.

The work is challenging. We spent the entire day sifting rock & sand by hand. It is a tedious job, but it allowed us to talk and fellowship as we worked. We are working right next to the school in Guibert, so at various times of the day we had numerous school children gathering to watch us work.

It is such a blessing to see the impact that the ministry is having on the local community, especially the children. They are so full of joy and hope. God is at work in this place and it is evident on the faces of the people.

Thank you for your continued prayers. Please pray that God will renew our tired bodies and grant us energy for the tasks ahead.

Day 2 - A Day of Worship & Rest

2011-10-23T18:10:00.001-05:00

"This is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it!". We had a wonderful morning in worship with our Haitian brothers and sisters. Although most of the service was in Creole and we could not understand the words, the presence of The Lord was evident and God was glorified.

This afternoon has been a wonderful time of rest and preparation for the week. We have enjoyed tremendous fellowship with Pastor JeanAlix and his family. We are ready to begin construction on a new depot (storage shed) tomorrow. Once the depot is complete, all the food and construction items used at The Boy's home, school, and surrounding community will have a new "home". This will free up at least two rooms for future classroom expansion at the school.

We are excited about what the Lord has in store for us. Pray that God works beyond our language barrier. Pray that the construction goes well and that all the needed materials are readily available.

Day 1- Travel

2011-10-22T19:01:00.001-05:00

We are resting comfortably after a wonderful meal with our friends here in Haiti. Our day of travel was long but good. We made it all the way with no issues or delays and found all of our luggage had arrived with us. While it is often easy to take those things for granted, tonight we thank the Lord for delivering us here safely.

We are looking forward to worship with our Haitian brothers and sisters I. The morning. Pray for Danny as he preaches God's Truth in the morning. Pray for a great week of ministry and that God is glorified in and through us.

2011-07-21T22:13:00.001-05:00

Hello sweet friends!

So tomorrow is our last full day here in Haiti. It is so weird that VBS is over, but I know that God used us to plant seeds in the hearts of these sweet kids this week. Today was a really fun day because we reviewed everything we learned this week with the kids and then shared with them the great comission. It was such a precious way to spend our last day with these kiddos.

The rough draft of a plan for tomorrow is that we spend some time with the boys from the home and eating lunch with them. My favorite part of the day tomorrow will be when we give the boys their new shoes. More on that tomorrow...

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

2011-07-20T21:31:00.000-05:00

Today was the third day of our Haitian VBS. The two prior days built up to the story of Jesus and the plan of salvation. The team went into the day pumped up and prayed up; expectant for God to take our efforts and multiply them as only He can!

Each classroom experienced great success in communicating the story and at the end of the day close to 400 children left knowing that God loved them and Jesus died for their sins. Even the crafts reinforced the story and acted as reminders of a plan for salvation.

The team has continued to bond and grow as a family. We are both excited and saddened by our last day of VBS tomorrow. We hope to go out with a bang!

2011-07-19T21:50:00.001-05:00

Today was our second day of VBS and I think we all hit our rhythm. Many children brought their friends, so the rooms were packed full. It was amazing to see children that had gone home and shared what they learned the day before. Even with a language barrier, the message is being received by the kids.

It's hard to believe that we are already halfway done with our trip, but we've only just begun to build relationships with the kids. Tomorrow at VBS we're sharing the story of Jesus!

First VBS

2011-07-18T21:02:00.001-05:00

Today was s great first day at VBS! We all had amazing experiences sharing God with the children. Many beautiful children ready to sing, play, and learning about creation and the fall of man. We ended the day with a rainstorm...looking forward to tomorrow. Stay tuned!!!

A Haitian Sabbath

2011-07-17T22:17:00.000-05:00

This morning we got to worship with the church in Guibert. We arrived as the boys from the home were still in Sunday school, but as they came out we were met with smiles, embraces, and even some happy yells as the returning members of our group reunited with old friends. As we participated in worship with our friends, we were separated by language but connected by our father. Songs like "we exalt thee" in Creole rang through the air, passing through lifted hands and dancing bodies.

We spent the rest of our Sabbath resting and preparing for the VBS in the morning. All our supplies are organized and ready for the day leading the students in lessons, games, songs and crafts.

It has been a beautiful day in Haiti. Tomorrow will be spent with the kids.

Travel Day

2011-07-16T20:51:00.000-05:00

Today was full of airports and plane rides. Once we finally got to Haiti though, we were able see some sights on our drive to the Pastors house. The newcomers were surprised by the beauty of the land and the amazing Haitian gardens.

After getting to the house we had a wonderful dinner! Everyone was caught off guard by the delicious food. Even though it's not even 9 pm yet, we are all so exhausted and ready for bed.

Tomorrow we will attend Haitian church and enjoy the sabbath by preparing for our four day VBS! Be praying everything goes smoothly.

Our final day

2011-06-03T22:56:00.000-05:00

Wow. What an incredible day. We started off the day as tourists. We got to drive around town and do some souvenir shopping. It was a lot of fun. We got some cool stuff, but it was exhausting. We came back to the girls home, and had a quick macaroni and cheese lunch. We prepped for vbs and headed out for our final day of vbs. The kids were so excited to see us. We had total of 2,100 kids in attendance. The rooms were packed. We had 3-5 people per desk... It was crazy, but glory was brought to god. We told them about how they need to go and tell the good news of Jesus. Some made crafts of megaphones and tambourines. After vbs ended we had a service that the children invited there families to. However, the rain clouds decided to flood Ferrier. It started raining and didn't stop until recently. The rain kept many people away, but some braved the weather. We sat in the tin roof church with no power as the rain pounded down. After a while we had a short service: a message, singing, and prayer. Then we ventured home. They planned something special for us for dinner. We all ate together. Yes, 50+ people ate in one room. It was amazing. Such a sweet moment, everyone mixed together for our last supper. We were then blessed with the opportunity to pray for them and then they prayed for us. The sound of English and creole crying out to god sent chills through my spine. It was an amazing experience. We have slowly started the process of saying goodbye. It is a sad process... Pray for us as we continue to say goodbye and transition back to life in the US. Pray for safe travel. Pray for our Haitian friends who will continue the work here.

Our God Is great!

2011-06-02T21:24:00.000-05:00

Thank you Jesus for the rain! We woke up this morning to very wet ground with more rain falling from the sky. The crops in this area were close death, so we were praising along with the Haitians for the rain. Even though we were thankful for the rain and cool weather, we weren't able to continue painting outside. Instead we did chores around the home for the girls. We quickly became very grateful for their hospitality throughout the week. We washed all of the dishes (a lot of them), washed sheets, and cleaned windows. It was a long morning.

After that the fun stuff began, today was the salvation story at VBS. We were able to tell the story of Jesus' sacrifice to roughly 800 children! We had several kids accept Jesus as their Savior today and it was a beautiful sight to see. Also, watching the children worship in song was so sweet and heart warming. We came home to many happy and hyper girls! Our next two hours consisted of dancing, hair braiding, clapping, duck duck goose, and keep away games. We may have been dripping sweat by the time dinner came around, but it was more than worth it. We made so many fun memories during that time!

We have been so blessed to have these beautiful and sweet girls to share a home and play time with. As of now we are under the stars dancing our hearts out to Jesus music.

Please pray for us tomorrow, as we will be encouraging the kids to share Jesus with others and as it is our final full day in Haiti.

June 1st: An Amazing Day

2011-06-01T21:37:00.000-05:00

Today we woke up for an early breakfast and went right to work. Half of the group continued painting the windows and while the other half sorted through crafts and decided how to redo the crafts to fit our huge number. After such a crazy day yesterday we readjusted our plans and split the children up by ages. This way worked extremely well. Today was all about how God cares for us. We told the story of the great Samaritan and made a craft that went along with the story. We sang great songs consisting of Hallelujah Praise the Lord and other simple songs explaining Gods care. So todays vbs was a huge success and God was definitely glorified. After vbs we returned to the compound and jeff taught the older girls several praise songs in English and they also learned in creole. Listening to the girls worship was such a beautiful sound. tomorrow we will be sharing the story of Christ to anywhere from 600 to 1500 children. Please pray that God would speak through each leader and translator and that his words would be extremely clear and well perceived. Pray for rosna (the church children's minister) as she follows up with the children who will make the biggest decisions of their lives tomorrow. I have high hopes that tomorrow will be even greater than today!

Day 1&3

2011-05-31T21:19:00.000-05:00

Words cannot describe our experience up to this point. Our travel to Haiti was long. We left Sunday and made it to Miami where we had an overnight stay. We left Monday morning at 4am to board our 30 person flight to Cap Hatian. The flight was an experience for all of us. As the plane began the descent we caught our first glimpse of Haiti. It was beautiful. We landed and then waited 2 hours for our luggage to get there. We packed up the trucks and got on the road to Ferrier which will be our home for the next week. As we pulled through the gate we were greeted by smiling kids who just hugged and loved on us. The rest of the day was spent preparing for our vbs. We got to go on our tour and see the girls home, school and the church. We were able to spend some amazing time in prayer as a group. Our voices filled the church, it was amazing. We came back and had dinner and then crashed. We woke up this morning and painted some of the doors and windows at our girls home. It looks so nice. After lunch we got our Vbs supplies together and headed to the church. When we got there we had a huge crowd waiting for us. We had originally planned the vbs for 300 kids, last week that number was changed to 700. Well, today god had different plans. In the midst of rain, we had over 1500 kids attend. It was crazy. We were in no way prepared for this many, but flexibility was key. Everyone stepped up and served above and beyond. It was crazy and chaotic but we managed to get through. There was some discouragement, but we know that despite our desire for perfection glory was brought to god and that His will was done. We regrouped and headed back to the girls home where we had another amazing meal waiting for us. We ate dinner followed by team time and replanning our vbs. We are being stretched and god is doing some amazing things. Continue to pray for our group. Pray or us to know how to handle these large crowds. Pray for our communication. Pray for us to love harder. Pray for gods will to be done.

Btw today is Molly's 22nd birthday and she said spending it with 1500 kids and doing crafts is the best!

Magalie The M.D.

2011-03-25T10:12:00.000-05:00

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.

Last day in Haiti

2011-03-18T23:29:00.001-05:00

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.

A beautiful day in Haiti

2011-03-17T22:04:00.000-05:00

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.

Finished foundation

2011-03-16T21:04:00.000-05:00

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.

Buckets and sore muscles

2011-03-15T21:45:00.001-05:00

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.

Rocks and roofs

2011-03-14T20:31:00.001-05:00

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.

The sabbath

2011-03-13T21:20:00.000-05:00

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.

When we all get to Haiti...

2011-03-12T20:55:00.002-06:00

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.

Sunday in Haiti!

2011-02-27T21:27:00.000-06:00

Our last day in Haiti has been bittersweet. We are so excited to see you guys and share with you the things the Lord has done this week, but we are also sad to leave our new friends.

We woke up and headed to worship with 350 of our closest Haitian friends. The church was filled with the Holy Spirit and it was sweet to worship with people so different from ourselves. It was humbling to see people who have nothing by the world's standards, worship with everything they have... After spending much time singing praises to the Lord, Danny got up and preached about faith. He encouraged the believers to live out their faith in a radical way. It was a very powerful message and was very well received. We ended the service in a time of prayer for people who came forward with a need.

The remainder of the day has been spent in rest and fellowship with our team and the Paul family. We had a great final team meeting, and have packed up all of our things to leave in the morning.

Please pray for us as we leave Haiti. Although we will be gone, we will leave a piece of our hearts here. Pray that we will have safe travels. We cant wait to see you guys. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Our last workday!

2011-02-26T21:27:00.000-06:00

Our last workday was a huge success!

Our team travelled to house #6 and got to work. In a matter of hours, they finished a house for a family of four. They were also able to teach several young men how to put on metal roofs! When they finished, the Haitians sang a blessing over the house and we prayed for the family. It was an incredible sound!

Dan, Andy, and Jen went to visit Village Madam Bellizaire and Village Canes. They are neighboring villages in a very primitive area in Haiti. Combined, there are 180 families with an average 6 people each. There are only about 80 homes for all of these people. The Lord is preparing for great and mighty things in these villages...

Pray for us to know what our ministry's part in His work in these two villages is.

Pray for the church service tomorrow. Haitian worship services are always wonderful. Pray that we would be able to fully worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray for Danny, who is preaching tomorrow, that he would boldly preach the word the Lord has given him.

Pray for our team as we say our goodbyes tomorrow to the people we have ministered to and alongside of this week. It will be difficult for us to say goodbye.

This has been a wonderful week. The Lord has done some amazing things and we cant wait to get home to share stories with you. Thank you for your prayers.

Another great day!

2011-02-25T20:50:00.000-06:00

Today was another great day. We split up into two different teams, again: dental clinic and construction team.

When we arrived on the compound we heard beautiful singing coming from the church. Jean alix told us that it was all of the school children singing in their weekly Friday worship service. We were planning on going to each of the classrooms teaching about tooth brushing, which would have taken all morning. Instead, since all of the children were already together in one place, we were able to teach all of the children at once. It was really sweet! We were able to give each child a toothbrush and toothpaste or mouthwash. Since we finished our main task for the day, we were able to start seeing patients. We finished the cleanings on all our boys and began working on the school staff and church members.

The construction team helped out at the mission hose. They spent hours moving handmade blocks from the truck, to the ground to the masons stack for the walls. The masons were very appreciative of their help and willingness to work hard.

Tomorrow is our last workday. One team is going to build house #6, while some will stay behind and inventory all of the supplies. Please pray for all of us tomorrow to finish our tasks strong. We will also get a little time in the afternoon to play with our boys. Pray that we would use our playtime wisely and encourage our kids to love the lord with all of their hearts.

Thank you so much for the prayers!

Day 4

2011-02-24T21:32:00.001-06:00

Today was another wonderful day. We woke up early, and started our day with pancakes and coffee. Once we got to our ministry complex, we again split ways. One of our teams returned to the two homes that were framed yesterday and added the tin roof. They were able to pray with the families after their homes were finished. Another team went to LaGrenei and framed and roofed house #5. The others continued on in the dental clinic. They finished up the last of the boys with more significant needs and started on some of the church members. Pray for the team tomorrow as they decide what to do for the next few days. The homes that the building team was planning on working on aren't ready for roofs, yet. Pray that we would be intentional in everything we do, with everyone we meet. Pray that the Lord would use us to show His love to those who have never experienced it before.

Day 4

2011-02-24T21:32:00.000-06:00

Day 3

2011-02-23T20:46:00.000-06:00

Today was a great day. We were able to accomplish so much! We split up into two groups: roofing houses and dental clinic. So far, the construction team has completely roofed two houses and have another two framed, ready to be finished tomorrow. The dental team saw several more of the boys from the home. They have almost completed all of the more serious work that needed to be done, and will finish it up tomorrow and move on to school children and staff.

The Lord has provided for our team in many ways. The dental team was able to find medicine they needed for some of the infections they have seen. The construction team continues to build relationships with home owners and volunteer workers. The Lord is working... It's amazing to see!

Please continue to pray for us. Pray for strength and endurance as we begin to feel overworked. Pray that the Lord would give us the desire to serve Him and those around us, even when we don't feel like it. Pray for each of our teams. Pray that the construction team will have all of the tools and supplies they need to finish the roofs. Pray for wisdom for the dental team to know what direction to go after they finish with the boys home children.

Thank you guys so much for your prayers.

Roofs, Rocks, and Removing Teeth

2011-02-22T21:29:00.000-06:00

Today was our first workday and it was wonderful! We headed to the boys home complex at 730, and came up with a game plan. We divided our group into 3 teams: home building, mission house crew, and a dental clinic.

Our home builders were able to frame two houses today, alongside of the new home owners. They were able to not only help build their home, but also share the love of Christ with the owners and builders.

The mission house crew was working to clear rocks out of the way so that the foundation can be poured. They then started laying rebar so that tomorrow they will be able to pour the foundation.

Our dental team was able to assess the dental needs of all of the boys in our home. Then, all of the boys were given a hygiene class, with their new toothbrush and toothpaste. We were able to work on five of the kids who had the most significant needs and will continue on to the rest tomorrow.

Please pray for each of our teams. Pray for safety and wisdom for our construction teams. Pray for wisdom for our dental team to know how to best help the children of Guibert. Pray for all of us to stay focused on the most important task, showing the Love of Christ.

Day one- 2-21-11

2011-02-21T20:48:00.000-06:00

Today has been a long travel day. We left the Hope office this morning at 3:30 and finally arrived at Jean Alix's home around6:30. Weary and hungry, we sat down to our first of many amazing meals with the Paul family.
Tomorrow we are breaking up into three ministry teams. One will be putting roofs on 7 houses, one will work on the mission house, and one will be doing a dental clinic for the children in our boys home and our 370 school kids.
Pray for us as we start our first work day. Pray for the leaders of each of our teams. Pray for safety for each of us and patience as we learn how to work together and alongside of those who speak a different language. Pray that our hearts would be sensitive to the needs of those around us and that we would be intentional in sharing Christ's love in everything we do!

Remembering Haiti

2011-01-12T16:50:00.002-06:00

Friends of Haiti,

As you know, we have reached the one year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti on Jan 12^th, 2010. Jean Alix called this morning and asked that we pray for the people of Haiti. He said that today is going to be an extremely hard day for the entire nation…. Please continue to pray for our Haitian brothers and sisters. Pray that this day would not be one of mourning, but of restoration in the Lord: in a God of HOPE. Pray for the many Haitian churches that are reaching out to the lost and broken, that they would be able to share the Love and Hope that can only come from Him. Pray that the “God of refuge and strength” will lift up the broken hearted. Pray that the Lord will, “turn their mourning into gladness, and give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow” (Jeremiah 31:13b).

On the news, all that is being shared is the message of defeat and brokenness in Post-earthquake Haiti. I wanted to remind you, in the midst of such negativity, of the joyous amount of HOPE that I’ve experienced. I was in Haiti over New Year’s and have several encouraging stories to share.

1.) Dec 31^st marked the end of the “40 Days of Prayer” event that the Guibert church had been participating in. Because of that, and New Year’s Eve, we had a HUGE celebration that lasted from 6pm on Dec 31^st to 5:00am on New Year’s Day. This celebration was the most amazing thing I have ever been a part of… and it was just that: a CELEBRATION of what the Lord had done 2010. We literally danced in the New Year, before the Lord, with 300 of our closest Haitian friends! For the first 45 minutes of the year, we spent time in prayer, thanking the Lord for the past year and praying with anticipation for what he has in store for 2011. It was beautiful to watch these people, who had experienced such a traumatic year, worshipping and on their faces before the Lord, thanking Him in the midst of their pain and suffering.

2.) In previous years, my experiences of Haiti have mainly been with our boys and girls in our homes, some of our school children and a few church members. But because of the earthquake, we have been able to get outside of our “typical” ministry sites, and go into the community and create relationships there. As of today, we have helped build 34 homes in our villages! That means we now know of 34 families (ranging in size of 2-25), with whom we have worked side-by-side, building them homes. During the New Year service, I began to notice how many faces I recognized… began to put faces with names and houses… began to match the school children with their parents. And these were people who were LEADING in the service: leading the group prayer, singing solos, reading scripture! The Lord encouraged my heart with this visual of how much of an impact our ministry is having on the community as a whole. We have been able to serve the leaders in the church, and walk alongside them in their ministry, encouraging them as we go!

3.) Ronald is a 10 year old boy who was abused and forced to beg on the streets of Petionville. The Lord brought Ronald to our boys’ home on Jan 11^th, 2010. On the next day, the streets where Ronald roamed, were shaken and covered in the debris from all of the buildings that collapsed that day. If Ronald hadn’t been lovingly taken off of these streets, the day before, he would have been crushed by the rubble. When I met Ronald, 10 days later, he was a broken little boy, with no hope or joy in his eyes. He had never been to school, had never been loved. Over this past year, I have seen him develop into a beautiful child. He is no longer the broken shell of a boy I met at the beginning of the year… he now has the hope and joy of the Lord in his heart! When he was sitting by me at the New Year’s celebration, a few weeks ago, he took the pen out of my journal and wrote his name in cursive on his hand, so proud to show me how well he is doing in school. He wrote out all of his numbers, 1-120, in my journal, along with many other words. In that moment, I was overwhelmed with the Lord’s protection and Divine plan for his life! He has come so far in just one year, and I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for him in the future!

I wanted to share these stories of HOPE with you, to let you know that the Lord is doing amazing things in our midst. He has used you this year to go, pray, and give to the work that He is continually doing. We would not be able to have our ministry without people like you who give, so that others can see the love of Christ in action. You have been responsible for sharing Christ with hundreds of people this year, who have been devastated by tragedy. Most importantly, each one of the people we’ve assisted knows the help comes from Christians, who love the Lord.

Thank you for sacrificially giving to our ministry. Please continue to pray for the people of this beautiful nation.

Jen Sutton

Day 7

2011-01-03T11:54:00.001-06:00

Haiti Day 7- 1-2-11

Today was our last full day in Haiti. We woke up and went to church with our Haitian friends. It is so good to get to worship with them and see what it is like to worship in spirit and truth. They asked us to sing a song on very short notice. It was alot of fun. After church we got to hang out with the boys for one last time. All of them were wearing the sunglasses they got for christmas. We began the hard process of saying goodbye. It was hard because in such a short time god has really impacted our lives and theirs. After goodbyes and hugs were shared we went back to the house where we had a birthday party for Stephen Sarah and Ryan. They had decorated the house with balloons and streamers and we had purchased a cake. We shared a great meal together and enjoyed the cake. After dinner we hung out for a while, played football and sang songs. We were able to pray for the pastor and his family which was a really sweet moment. We had our last team time and processed what all had happened this week. Our eyes were opened to new things and our hearts are broken. But god is good and is teaching each of us new things. We ended the night with encouragement and prepared to leave. Tomorrow we leave...

Pray for our transition back to life in America and for our hearts.

Day 6

2011-01-03T11:53:00.000-06:00

Haiti Day 6- 1-1-11

Wow. Words cannot describe our experience. Last night we took part in a Haitian celebration of the new year and the end of 40 days of prayer. We had worked a long day, but it was far from over. We left the house before 8pm and arrived at the church and orphanage. The program had already begun, but our boys were in their rooms so we went and saw them. They greeted us so warmly. Our necks were hugged and checks were kissed. We then went in and joined the service. The only way to describe the service was true and genuine worship. They sang with their whole hearts, danced around the room, let out cries of praise, and read scriptures. It was do great to be apart of this. They took a short break and passed out coffee and tea at 11pm, and then started back up. There were many people who sang solos and group numbers. Our group got to perform as well...it was awesome! The night ended at 4:00am when they served pumpkin soup. Not necessarily what we wanted. We then waited for our ride to show up. We eventually got home at 5:25am where we crashed. We slept til noon then went to the boys home. We got to hang out, play sports and practice english. We brought 2 special treats for them. The first was s'mores. They loved them and had marhmallows all over them and us. The second was a Christmas present. Each of the boys got a bag of goodies which included a bible, sunglasses, a toy car and more. They loved them and it was a blessing to get to give it to them. We are now back at the house for dinner and some team time before bed. We get to go to church tomorrow and spend a little more time with the boys.

Pray for us to finish strong. Pray for our hearts to be prepared to leave Haiti and come back to Texas. Pray for knowledge and wisdom of what to do with the experiences we have had here.

Day 5

2011-01-03T11:11:00.002-06:00

Haiti Day 5-12-31-10

It is really weird to think we are spending new years eve in Haiti. However it has been a great day. We went back to Marotierre at 745 this morning and finalized our painting with as much paint as we had and cleaned the school. We ran out of the wall color and were not able to get as many coats as we would have liked, but it looks a ton better. As we left Marotierre we rejoiced because we had finished our task and cleaned the school, but were sad because we would not return. On our walk back up the mountain, we passed out dum dums to everyone that we passed. It brought smiles to everyones faces, and made us pretty popular people. After Marotierre we went to a restaurant where we ate lunch and went shopping out in the market. We allgot some good stuff. After this we took a nap, because we have a long night ahead...

Day 4

2011-01-03T11:11:00.001-06:00

Haiti day 4- 12-30-10

Today was a great day. It has been a lot of fun and we are very tired. We worked extremely hard at the school and almost finished. But we have a few touch ups and a lot of cleaning to do. Our team worked very well together and we have had a lot of fun getting to know each other. Our Haitian friends taught us some songs in creole. All in all a good day.

Pray for us to complete the work on th school tomorrow. Pray as we attend and participate in a new years eve celebration service that starts at 6pm and goes til 4am...pray for our hearts as we will have to begin preparations to leave and come back to Texas.

It's been a long day...

2010-12-31T05:45:00.000-06:00

Haiti day 4- 12-30-10

God is good

2010-12-29T17:02:00.000-06:00

Haiti Day 3- 12-29-10

Happy Birthday Stephen! Today is stephen's 21st birthday and he celebrated in style in Haiti! We have a party scheduled for Sunday after church. It was a beautiful day in Haiti today. Our day started off early again. Up with the sun and out of the house not too far behind. We picked up 6 of the older boys and 2 ladies to take with us to Marotierre. The ladies prepared our lunch and the boys helped with the work. The walk to the school was really foggy and we could barely see 10 ft in front of us. When we got to the school we immediately got to work painting. Some of us continued To paint the ceiling while others started sanding the walls and then started cutting in the wall color. It was a long and tedious process but by the end of the day the hall and 8 classrooms were finished cutting in and 3.5 of them had been rolled with paint. Our arms are sore but we were very happy with the work that was accomplished. And we got to know some of the boys better. The highlight of the day was painting rooms and hearing the voices of Haitians and Americans singing praises as they worked. After we finished work we had to clean up. Cleaning rollers and brushes without running water is difficult. It truly makes us appreciate what we have been blessed with. All in all it had been a great day. We are ending the day by singing worship songs lead by clay. God is good and is being praised in this place! Please continue to pray.

Pray for rest and for our soreness. Pray for friday night as we get to celebrate the end of 40 days of prayer in our church here with 6+ hours of praise, worship, drama and preaching to ring in the new year.

God is good!

2010-12-29T17:00:00.000-06:00

Walking through Clouds

2010-12-29T16:24:00.000-06:00

Haiti Day 2- 12-28-10

Today has been a great day. We were up and started at 6:00am which is 5:00am Texas time, no daylight savings in Haiti... We had breakfast and left the house by 7:30am. We got in the tap tap, a Haitian means of transportation. Picture a box truck that has 3 wooden benches in the back with a few metal bars to hold on. we road the tap tap for 1.5 hours up the side of the mountain on unpaved roads. It was very bumpy ride but a true Haitian experience. We got to a point where we had to stop and walk the rest of the way, which was about a mile away. The village we are serving in is called Marotierre and it is beautiful. It is perched atop of one of the hatian mountains surrounded in lush greenery and gardens. When we got to Marotierre we started work on the school. We scraped paint, sanded walls, and began the process of painting. This school is a 10 classroom school that houses 300+ haitian children. Some of the kids helped us paint and work on the school as well. Day one of painting is done and hopefully we will finish the work in the next two days. The thing that has surprised most of us is the beauty of Haiti the land and people are some of the prettiest people in the world. Another great experience from today was walking through clouds. The clouds were rolling through the mountains and we got to be in them! It was alot of fun.

Praise- Sarah made it here safely and has begun learning new things about Haiti. Our team is now complete!

Pray for new friends we meet, for the work to go smoothly, and for everything we do to reflect Christ!

Crazy Travels

2010-12-27T20:27:00.000-06:00

Haiti Day 1- 12-27-10

Today has been a crazy day. We all started out at about 3am to begin this crazy travel day. The airports were crazy and several of our flights were overbooked. When we got to Dallas we learned that the flight to ft. Lauderdale was way overbooked. Everyone was there with the exception of our team member Sarah whose flight from Abilene was delayed. She literally ran to the gate and they wouldn't let her on and gave her seat away. Although she got stranded she is safe and will join us tomorrow here in Haiti. Once we arrived in ft lauderdale we learned that they checked ryan's bag to ft lauderdale and not port au prince... So, with 15 minutes until boarding time Ryan and jeff ran to baggage claim and got his bag. Then, with the help of some airline personnel they were both put into wheelchairs and were allowed to go straight through security. It was craziness but they made it just in time. God is good. When we finally made it to Haiti everything went smoothly. We are learning new things. Tasting new foods (goat). And eager to see what god does this week.

Pray for-

Sarah as she travels to Haiti to join the team.

The team as we continue to learn new things about each other, and for unity to come amongst us.

Tomorrow we head to Marotierre where we will be painting and repairing on of the schools.

Praise- we learned that a witch doctor at guibert accepted and believes in Christ yesterday during their service! PTL

Stay tuned for more daily updates. And feel free to share these requests with everyone.

The beginning of our journey

2010-07-26T09:17:00.002-05:00

Our team of seven left Dallas on Thursday, July 22nd and arrived in Port-au-Prince around 3:30pm. After a brief orientation and prayer time, we turned in for some eagerly awaited rest.

On Friday we constructed a roof on house #23 of our first 30 homes replacing those destroyed by the earthquake of Jan 12th.

On Saturday we built door frames for ten doors which will be complete on Monday while some of the homes are being painted.

On Sunday we all went to church. Stuart and Angela Platt, Megan Hennig, Amanda Merrell, and Steve and Jake Utley went to church in Guibert with Jean Alix Paul and his family. Dan went to church with Junior Paul in the tiny village of Madam Belizaire. Belizaire is on the large salt lake "Azuei" and has a population of about 250 souls. It is heavily steeped in voodoo and slow to respond to the gospel. About 30 adults attended this church service. The message preached was about the TRUTH that sets us free. There was a positive response by those who attended.

At our evening meetings we have shared the ways God is speaking to each of us and how He wants us to be responsible for what we are observing. We have also determined that we can't get bogged down looking at the huge picture of destruction here but we need to understand that our response will be most effective if exercised "one at a time". We continue to be amazed at the energy and commitment of our Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ who are volunteering their time. Please pray for their strength to continue to assist those in desperate need here.

Final day was a success but goodbyes were hard

2010-07-19T22:24:00.000-05:00

Today was a great finish to a wonderful week encounter with God. We left this morning and headed back to Marothiere to finish our last house of the week. During the exhaustingly long walk down the mountain, through cornfields, we could look across to the surrounding mountains and see all of the other homes we finished this week.

When we got to the home, we quickly got to work. Ermisteal, his wife, and 4 children were going to live in the house that we were about to finish. The work went by so quickly and before I knew it, we were all inside, praying for this family in their newly finished home! I think it might have taken longer for us to walk there and back than it did to finish the house.

We walked up to the school to eat lunch and all of the kids were outside! We got to play all sorts of kids games with them and had a blast!

A few hours later, Jean Alix took us to Guibert to finish up a last minute inventory of all of our supplies. When that was finished, we got to play with the kids one last time. We brought suckers and bubbles and all had a wonderful time. Our smallest family member, Mackenlay, was going crazy with the bubbles and was so excited when he got to blow and pop them himself. When our driver arrived, we had to say our goodbyes and leave. It was hard to leave our new friends, but we are happy that we had met them all. As we came back to the house, we had dinner, and our team had our last meeting and we are now heading to bed.

Things to pray for:
- our traveling safety tomorrow, both in Haiti and in the States
- our hearts as we process this experience
- us as we try to acclimate back into American culture

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2010-07-18T22:07:00.000-05:00

Today was amazing! Worshipping with our Haitian brothers and sisters is always one of the highlights of my time here in Haiti. Being able to sit in a room full of people who are whole heartedly worshipping our Lord is almost overwhelming. Even though we didn't understand any of the songs, we could feel the spirit of the Lord among us. As a special treat, Jeff preached the sermon, so we were actually able to understand that part of the service! He did an awesome job of teaching us about the love of Christ. It was beautiful to see that the same truths that God has for us are the same truths that He has for our friends here in Haiti.

After church, we got to give the boys their shoes and backpacks. It was such a precious time! We had a translator this time, so we were able to tell the boys exactly what we wanted to. We let them know how much we love them and how blessed they are to be living in our home. They were very appreciative when we let them know that these gifts don't just appear, but that they are coming from people, who love them and the Lord. There were many hugs, kisses, and I love yous when all of the gifts were given out.

After we got back to the house for the afternoon, Jeff grilled for an 8 yr old's bday party. It was really fun. There were hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken, goat, and of course, rice.

Please pray for us as tomorrow is our last day here. It has rained most of the day today, so the mud could put a damper on our plans for tomorrow. Pray that as we say our goodbyes to new friends, that the memories would be sweet and lasting.

Down the road again

2010-07-17T21:53:00.001-05:00

Today we went back to Marothiere to finish another home. This house was down the mountain where vehicles aren't necessarily meant to travel... But none the less, we made it down there (and back up)!

We worked on the house of Madam Vanius, who lives with her husband and 8 children. So, of course, as we were working on the house we had a huge audience. We had to make some adjustments to our design because of the supplies that we had available, but once it was figured out, we moved quickly along.

As we were finishing up the house, Jean Alix told us that while we were working, he started talking to the oldest son in the home, Patrick. And under a tree, this teenager accepted Christ! It was so amazing to see the Lord working in the middle of a construction site. Jeff got to pray for him and rejoice to the Father, for drawing Patrick to Himself.

After we finished the home, we headed to the Baptist Mission for lunch and to buy some souvenirs. We had a great time and met some new Haitian friends.
Prayer requests:
- Tomorrow is church day. Jeff is going to be preaching in the morning, so please pray for him as he prepares.
- Pray for us to have an amazing day of worship and rest tomorrow.
- Pray for Jeff and Jen as they have some serious talks with the boys in the children's home.
- Pray that as we hand out shoes and backpacks tomorrow that the boys recognize God's provision in their lives.

A hike for 1.5 hours and 1.5 houses done today! 3 in total!!!

2010-07-16T21:52:00.000-05:00

Day 4; Today was a challenging day but it was so good. Our day started off the same. Up by 6. Breakfast at 7. And leave by 8. We drove the hour up to marotiere, and then hiked to the house we were at yesterday which was in LaGrene. We put the metal on the roof pretty quickly and prayed for the family. We then loaded things up and hiked back to a house in marotiere. We got there and started working so hard that we had all of the wood up before lunch. We then hiked about 15min from the house to the church in marotiere where some ladies had made us some spaghetti with hotdogs in it. It was really good and we ate it all so fast, we were done with lunch in 5 min we were that hungry. We then headed back to the house and put up the metal. A storm rolled in with some intense fog that made us all work even faster. When we finished the house we prayed which is such a sweet time with the family. We decided we wanted to go to the next house but we were told it was too far. I called jean alix to see what he wanted us to do. And he told me that it would be several hours before he could get to us, and that the house wasn't ready,'so no more work for today. However, we had to walk from marotiere to robin in order to get picked up. It took us 1.5 hours to get there. Most of this was up a big mountain and we were exhausted... It was a beautiful walk that taught us a lot in the way. We then loaded up into some Haitian transportation and headed back to jean alix's house where we are tonight. We had an amazing dinner and are off to bed. Very tired and very sore. More houses tomorrow.

Pray for strength and stamina, we are very tired and sore from today's hike.
Pray for the village we will be in tomorrow and for the family we will help.
Pray for church on Sunday. Jeff found out today that he will be preaching. Pray that his message speaks to the people and that his translator, Leo, will understand and communicate effectively.

Hiking, roofing, singing and now sore...

2010-07-15T21:01:00.004-05:00

Day 3: today has been a great day. We are really tired but amazed beyond belief at how good god is! The day started of a little bit earlier and was followed by an hour drive up and down the mountains to some church members from Marotiere but they actually live in the village of LaGrene. The village is about a 2 mile hike off of the main roads up and down the mountainside. We had to carry in all of the supplies in, including water and food. Once we got there we were tired but got right to work. Thankfully some Haitian friends carried all of the wood and metal in. We learned that the house we were working on is for a man named Woohlah and he had been in the process of building a house for him and his soon to be wife when the earthquake came and collapsed all of his hard work. So they delayed their wedding until they could have a house to live in. This couple is amazing and always makes sure the neighborhood kids are fed. Today about 15-20 kids showed up for a plate of rice and beans and jean alix, our pastor and connection in Haiti, told me that they do this often. We finished the house and they told us that they can now get married And will now be married by the end of the year. Amazing. As we finished up the house we invited the family in to pray. Danny prayed for them in English and jean Alix prayed in creole. It was such a cool experience. When we finished Woohlah's father spoke to us in creole and thanked us so much for what we did and for god sending us to him. He want on to say that he was sorry he had nothing to give us but would pray for us and ask god to bless us. This was so humbling and truly meant alot to us.

We then left this house had a quick lunch where we were serenaded by some neighborhood girls who were so happy to see the "blancs" that they went and changed into their Sunday best dresses and sang their hearts out. After this we went on another hike up the mountain to a house that overlooked a beautiful valley. We worked on this house until we had to leave. We were able to get everything finished except for the metal on the roof. We will go back and finish that house in the morning.

On our hike back we were struggling and tired but made it. Jeff got to drive us home because our driver had to go into town earlier that day. He did a great job and is becoming a true Haitian. Tomorrow our goal is to finish the metal on the one house and do another complete house.

Pray for our strength, energy, and stamina. The terrain, altitude and pace is kicking our butts.
Pray for the new village we will go to tomorrow.
Pray for great and renewable rest.

We love you all and cannot thank you enough for your prayers. They are working and we are seeing results.

Day 2- Internet didn't work yesterday so you get this today!

2010-07-15T20:56:00.000-05:00

Day 2: Today was our first full day in Haiti and it was quite an experience. We have been using the term TIA (This is Haiti) a lot. One of the key aspects to missions is flexibility, and we have definitely learned a lot about flexibility. The plan for the day was to tour Guibert which is where our boys orphanage and church is. We saw homes that we had previously built, saw future projects, and loved on some kids. We thought we were going to start building but that was not the case. Instead we pulled all of the supplies we would need in order to roof six houses and delivered it to 2 of the churches in different villages where we will be building later this week. The plan for tomorrow is to head out early and drive over an hour on rocky mountain roads to the village of Marotiere where we have the goal to roof two of the houses. We are all excited and ready for this. The land here is beautiful and the people are amazing.

Pray for safety in our travels tomorrow.
Pray for our team to continue to be unified and work well together.
Pray for the new people we will meet.
Pray for our eyes to be openned and our hearts to be prepared for what God has in store for us.

2010-07-15T20:02:00.001-05:00

Traveling Tuesday

2010-07-13T21:45:00.000-05:00

After a long day of travels we have made it safely to Haiti. It has been a really long day but so excited to be here. All of our luggage and supplies made it. We've sorted it all out and ready to see what tomorrow holds. God is going to do some great things this week. Pray for rest and energy tomorrow.

4 Roofs & Goodbyes

2010-05-10T20:48:00.001-05:00

Today was our last day of work in Haiti and it was a good one. We put our 4th roof on for a man named Augusta and his family. They were there living life amongst us as we worked. They were doing laundry, bathing children, nursing children, and preparing their meal. We just continued to work and shortly after lunch their house was roofed. We prayed for them and began to clean up. They were so appreciative of their new roof. We then went back to the boys home and did an inventory of the materials we had left. As we got back school had just let out so we got to play with the kids. We kicked a soccer ball, colored, played with bubbles, jumped rope, threw a frisbee, and sang we are the world with them. It was a fun time. We shared candy and cards that people had given from the states. After this fun time we began to say our goodbyes. This part was difficult, because we had grown to love so many of them. When we got back tonthe house the rain started and continued for a few hours. We are now packing up our bags and leave here early tomorrow morning.

Pray for safe travels and for god to prepare our hearts as we come back home. Pray for those who will continue work here: Jean Alix, Mylene, Rosena, Sinclaire, Paulvere, Angelo, Denis, and many others.

BTW We worshiped and rested yesterday and it was much needed. We were blessed to worship with our haitian friends. They truly worship god from the pit of their soul!

3 Roofs down 1 to go!

2010-05-08T21:05:00.001-05:00

Today we finished our third roof. This was a special day because we were roofing the house we helped lay bricks and tie rebar on two days ago. Unfortanetly this house was not on the road and we had to walk the supplies down part of the mountain. The homeowner was Joseph and he is this little old man who was so appreciative for the work we were doing. He helped with what he could and had a lot of people there to help us. Everyone did an amazing job at their tasks and the roof went on fast. As we finished the roof we were able to pray for Joseph and his family. It was a sweet time. He thanked all of us and gave us hugs. Tonight we found out that there would be over 20 people staying in this home. Also, they were not going to be sleeping in the homes until they were fully finished but we got a call tonight and they are sleeping in the house we roofed. After 5 months of sleeping in a tent they are now in a home! We also got to go and have a meal at a restaraunt and did some souvineer shopping. It has been an amazing week and we have truly been blessed. We are looking forward to tomorrow and getting to worship with our Haitian friends.

Pray for much needed rest tomorrow. Pray for the last few days here and that we would continue to be intentional. Pray for God to be glorified in all things.

Friday!

2010-05-07T21:20:00.000-05:00

Today was another exhausting day. After the changed plans from yesterday, we really weren't sure what we'd be doing once we left Jean Alix's house. But after a days break from roofing, we got to go at it again today! Thankfully the home was on the side of the road, so we packed up all of the needed supplies into the tap-tap and dropped it off on the curb. Shalmai, the home owner, was right beside us the entire day. It was so encouaging to see him take ownership of his home and put so much sweat labor into it.

Our team works together so well! Everyone has been so joyful in every single task they have been given. It's been so sweet to watch our our team minister to their Haitian brothers and sisters.

Pray for us tomorrow, as we are working on our third roof. Pray for our safety as we handle heavy materials and for endurance as we continue our work in the hot sun. Pray that we continue to shine the light of Jesus to everyone we see and that we would be intentional in everything we do.

Flexablity is Key!

2010-05-06T20:51:00.000-05:00

It's another beautiful day in Haiti. Last night we had a rainstorm that cooled things off and the sound of rain on the tin roof put us to sleep. One of the key words to missions is flexablity and we have learned this one today. Our plan was to put a roof on house number 2 but it was not ready for us. So, we regrouped and switched to plan b. Plan b included is breaking up into 2 groups with different tasks. Group 1 stayed at the boys home and built shelving for our supplies. They had to move everything out in order to build. The shelving is built as far as we had supplies and will be finished once it gets here. Group 2 went to one of the houses that we will roof later this week. We helped with different aspects of the house from moving blocks, mixing concrete by hand, handtying rebar, and various other tasks. All of us were stretched beyond measure. We were challenged with our plans not working out and doing things we weren't ready for. But in everything God was blessed.

Pray for us as we continue to work on homes and plan to roof again tomorrow. Pray for team unity and strength. Pray for communication to not be an issue and find new ways to share the love of Christ with those we come in contact with.

It's a long way down!

2010-05-05T20:57:00.000-05:00

Today has been a long and tiring day. We started the day at 6am to the sun and breakfast being prepared. The goal for the day was to put a roof on a house. We left Jean Alix's house by 8am and headed to the boys home. When we got there we took a quick tour, saw some of the roofed houses, and began to prepare for the house we would work on.

Side note- school is back in session and the temporary classrooms we built at spring break are in full use. Such a sweet site to see.

Once we had gathered the supplies from the storage room we learned that the house we would be working on is about a mile and a half down the side of the mountain. So, we carried all of the supplies down the long path to the house. After a long day and many trips up and down we accomplished our task and ROOFED a HOUSE! We were able to pray with the family and had some really sweet moments. They were so appreciative and their smiles will forever be engrained in our minds. It truly took teamwork to finish the task and everyone did great.

PTL our prayers were answered and our cement is here, so work can continue. We got to help unload 100 bags of 50k bags of cement. Incase you didn't know 50k=100lbs! Although we are tired it is a huge blessing to be able to continue our work here.

Please continue to pray for our team and for the work we are doing. We have 3 more houses to roof and several other projects and tasks. Pray for stamina and strength to get through the days. Pray for openness to opportunities to share and love on people.

We've Arrived!!

2010-05-04T20:04:00.000-05:00

So, after leaving Belton at 3am this morning, we've finally pulled in to Jean Alix's driveway! Such a welcome sight! We are sitting down to a wonderful dinner and then are all headed to bed after such a tiring day of travels...

For those of you who didn't hear, we have purchased 200 bags of cement, but haven't been able to get it because it was out of stock. The work here has been at a standstill until the cement is onsite. This was a concern for our team and the weeks tasks ahead of us. But praise the Lord, when we got here, Jean Alix told us that there are 100 bags waiting for us in Guibert!

Please pray for us as we begin our work tomorrow. Pray for strength and endurance as we evaluate the work that needs to be done.

April 22, 2010

2010-04-22T10:10:00.003-05:00

Our team in Haiti is being abundantly blessed by the Lord. I spoke with CJ yesterday and he told me that they are already on their 3rd house! Praise the Lord! To be more productive, the 7 men are broken into 2 teams, one making the bricks, and the other laying the bricks and working on the tin roofs. For the most part, the rain has stayed away. Pray that the rain continues to wait, so that the team can work on the houses as much as possible.

They also reported that school is in full force and that the classrooms we built at spring break are full! The kids are getting a little stir crazy because we built on their playground (the basketball court), but its ok because they are LEARNING, for the first time since Jan 12th. What a blessing!

Please continue to pray for our team as they are serving along side of Haitians, providing a permanent structure of shelter. Pray that the men would have opportunities to tell the homeowners who the true Shelter of their lives should be.

April 19th, 2010

2010-04-19T10:27:00.001-05:00

Here is the latest update from our President, Dan Kirkley. Please continue to pray for him and his team, as he is in Haiti this week. If you are interested in joining us on a trip to Haiti, please feel free to reply to jen@hopeforthehungry.org, or call our offices at 254.939.0124. Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support for the people of Haiti. -- Jen Sutton
___________________
April 19, 2010

Since the Haiti earthquake of January 12, we have witnessed some incredible events there which have encouraged us tremendously. As you know, statistics are still not firm regarding the death and injured totals but the number remains between 220,000 and 300,000 dead and 1,200,000 displaced. With the rainy season upon us, the need for shelter for the homeless has become a top priority. Food remains an issue, but assistance is reaching the neediest in most places. Yesterday, we provided enough food for a month for 400 people camping on an orphanage compound thirty miles Northwest of Port au Prince. I learned of the need while attending a meeting in Dallas last week….Jean Alix had the resources, so we shared. God really has blessed us to be able to assist! As of last week, fifty one Haitian churches of various denominations have joined our fellowship to assist those in need and to pray together for healing of the nation.

While in Haiti over Spring Break, Jeff and Jen Sutton and I took 13 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor students to Haiti where we worked in the village of Guibert, repairing 10 of 12 trusses in the local church roof and building 10 16’X16’ temporary classrooms (now housing 330 students) so school could resume the last week of March. Also, we prepared and poured the foundation of the first of the tract homes we will be building in the village of Guibert and in many other villages across the areas where houses were destroyed. (Our village saw about 80% of the homes there rendered unable to be occupied).

I leave again for Haiti on the 19th of April with CJ Rich and five other men including Danny Davis, Emil Studinka, Rusty Russell, Justin Rich and Edwin Robinson. Our task is to complete the roofs on what we believe are tract homes numbers 3, 4 and 5. Rain is now coming daily and work has begun to slow. My hope is to visit some of the organizations we have been able to assist with food, tents, water filters and medications. Additional planning will also be a priority as we see what progress is being made in other areas and ways we can help.

One week after we return (May 4) Jeff and Jen will take another group to complete additional homes. Pray that as they work with Sinclair, their Haitian counterpart, the relationship will grow stronger and stronger and that Sinclair will be encouraged to strengthen his walk with Christ

Please pray that as we go we will be able to encourage the Haitian leadership and provide for them some relief and rest. Jean Alix, Mylene and their staff have been working non-stop to ensure that as many as possible are receiving the help they need along with the opportunity to know Who really is supplying the resources. Pray for us, also, that our Belton based staff will continue to walk in wisdom in managing the resources God and His children have supplied to demonstrate His incredible love to the people of Haiti. Pray that the materials for the tract homes we are building will continue to be available. Yesterday, Jean Alix told me that since the government declared that only “sea sand” can be used for concrete and not the normal mountain calcium based sand, that sand is no longer available. That means costs will rise dramatically (even though our structural engineer tested all our blocks and concrete and found that, without exception everything held the U. S. standard of 3,000 PSI or better. Above all, know that God continues to win the victory in Haiti.

In His Indescribable love…dan

2010-03-24T13:57:00.003-05:00

Friends,

Thank you so much for your prayers throughtout our trip. We definltly could not have accomplished as much as we did without them! That being said, the Lord has done some amazing things through us and in us this past week, while we were in Haiti. We never thought that we would get anywhere close to finishing every project we needed to do... but we did! The foundation for the first home was built, we built all 1o temporary classrooms, and we finished all 12 of the rafters in the church... and even had time to paint some of them, as well! Not only did we get to all of the "tasks" that were set before us, but we got to play with the kids. Not just play with them, but truely invest in their lives: learn their personalities, recognize their giggles, and hold each one of them in our hearts forever. Long after the memory of all of the hard work and exhaustion leaves, we will never forget the smiles on the faces of "our" kids.

Please pray for our team as we try to adjust to life back in the States. Pray that we have patience for people who didn't get to experience Haiti with us and who dont understand our new passions. Also, ask us about our trip and truely listen to every single story we have to share. This is the best gift you could EVER give us.

Again, thank you for all of your loving support through out our journey. You each mean more to us than you'll ever know.

2010-03-19T23:25:00.000-05:00

Today was a very unplanned adventure. As we left the boys home yesterday, the rain started and didn't stop until 9am this morning. Because of this, the Tap-Tap couldn't make it down the slippery muddy rock road, so we had to tweak our plans a little. At first, we thought that today would just be our "tourist" day where we would go to the Baptist Mission to buy gifts. BUT Jean Alix gave us the go ahead to walk to the boys home when the roads got too muddy. So we drove half way there and then walked about 30 mins down hill to the home. We looked at the foundation on the new home and they have done a great job!

About the time we got to the boys home, the rain started again... We all went inside, with our entourage of small Haitian boys, and started finishing the church rafters. While the rafter team worked, we helped some of the older boys empty out the cisterns to clean it. It was hilarious!
The boys climbed down the ladder and between hoisting up buckets of water, they were swimming and splashing, and just being boys. It was so sweet to see after seeing them working so hard with us this past week.
After lunch, the church crew finished up the rafters and the others got to play with some of the boys. We left a little earlier than normal today because we had to walk the 30 minutes back uphill to the Tap-Tap...

Tomorrow, we will spend the morning at the boys home painting the rafters in the church and saying our final goodbyes to the boys. Then we will have our "tourist" day. Pray for everyone on our team as we leave new relationships behind. Pray that the Lord would remind us that the kids that we are leaving will be cared for even after we leave. It will be a hard day for all of us, so please pray that the Lord would guard our hearts during this emotional time.

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

2010-03-18T22:21:00.000-05:00

Today was an incredibly sweet day. When we got to the boys' home, we went down to the basketball court and they were having class in the new rooms we had built! It was such a precious sight. Even though some of them didn't have walls or roofs, they were still being used. We finished putting the roofs on the remaining classroom and then finished them up by adding walls/chalkboards to each of them. When we finished with the last nail, we all cheered really loud and the Haitian children around us laughed!

Tommy's team was absolutely fearless in the chapel. They got the job of rebuilding rafters done with very few of the needed materials... Such great improvisers! In 3 days, they've built 12 rafters and have only a few boards left to do!

While we were working on the other two projects, the foundation for the first rebuilt home in Guibert was laid. Tomorrow we are going to help mix cement and move bricks for the home! Pray for us as we finish our last work day. Pray that we will end strong and finish the jobs we started. Pray that the Lord will be glorified in everything we say and do.

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

2010-03-17T22:49:00.000-05:00

Tap-Tap day 2 went well, no incidents or mishaps. We've framed all 10 classrooms and have 8 of them roofed. We have completed 6 of the rafters in the church... Such a productive day! We've had such a good week so far, growing in Christ as a team. It has been so encouraging to see all of the different gifts and talents the Lord has given each of us.

Please pray for us as we finish the last two classrooms, the final rafters, and begin the first house. We have a very exciting day ahead! Thanks for your prayers!

Tuesday, March 16th

2010-03-16T20:16:00.000-05:00

After breakfast this morning, we got a special treat... Jeff got to drive us to the boys home in the Tap-Tap (Haitian taxi). Before we left, we prayed over him and for the Lord to bless our travels and our days work. And He did.... We arrived safely and even though Jean Alix was out of town, we were able to coninue on... I'm sure that this won't be the last time that Jeff gets to take the drivers seat!

Once we got to the home, we went looking for extra lumber and more supplies for the day. We pulled out all the stored supplies and dug for the new things, but praise the Lord, we found everything that we needed, so we started working and kept it up until 5! In between all of our hard work, there were many play breaks with the kids who were very eager to play. When we left for the day, we had a total of 7 classrooms framed and 5 rafters in the church repaired. When we finished, Jeff drove us back home!

Pray for us to get amazing sleep and rest tonight so that we have the energy to go on tomorrow. Also, pray that we will be able to use what resources we have to do the work that is needed.

Monday, March 15th

2010-03-15T21:24:00.000-05:00

We arrived at the boys home around 8:30 this morning. We started out first thing by sorting all of our materials for the days work. There was a storage room full of roofing metal and boards of random sizes. Once we knew what we had to work with, Jeff and Tommy drew up plans for the temporary classrooms and the church ceiling. When the plans were in place, we started moving the materials to where they needed to be and began our projects.
To our surprise, there were already 3 makeshift tent classrooms set up where the youngest of the classes were going on! Since they were on the basketball court (where we were planning to build) we decided to start on the opposite side of the court. To do this, we first needed to build a trench around that side of the concrete so that water wouldn't seep into the classroom once it was completed. Meanwhile Tommy's team was working tirelessly to get the rafters in the church repaired. After lunch, school let out so we were able to begin building on the open side while our team was digging the trench.
At the end of our day, we had completed the trench, rebuilt a rafter in the church and had 4 schoolrooms framed. We will build 6 more rooms and finish the other 11 rafters as the weeks progress.
Please continue to pray for us as we minister here in Haiti. Pray for the relationships that we form as we are working together with our Haitian friends. Also, pray for the details and logistics of our trip that are to come. We have materials to buy tomorrow to be able to continue our work here, so pray that they will be available for us. Thank you guys for all of your love,supposrt, and prayers!

Sunday, March 14th

2010-03-15T20:30:00.000-05:00

After a midnight layover in Miami, we have finally arrived in Haiti!! The original airport was deemed condemned after the earthquake, so now a new airport 'system' has been developed. Instead of walking onto the Tarmac, we got to go through an actual gate..with air conditioning! Once we all filed through customs, which is now located in an adjacent warehouse, we got our bags and headed outside. Once outside, craziness ensued! There were people trying desperately to help us, but we had to look for our specific friends who had come with Jean Alix. When we finally found them, we loaded all 14 checked bags into the back of a tap-tap ( Haitian taxi bus), climbed in, and we were off. We bumped along for a little over an hour as we gazed at the city completely destroyed. We arrived at Jean Alix's home, met his family and kids, and ate a delicious meal together.

Tomorrow, our plan is to head out to Guibert to begin working on repairing the church. Please pray for us as we arrive at the places we are called to minister. Pray that the Lord will put specific people in our path that need to see the Lord's love in their lives.

March 5th, 2010

2010-03-05T11:52:00.001-06:00

March 5th, 2010

Good morning all. After returning from Haiti last Saturday night (2/27), our Hope family has been scurrying to plan and prepare for our next trip, since we are on a "short clock”. The three primary objectives we needed to accomplish on that trip were: 1) determine the structural stability of all our facilities in Guibert and prioritize repairs to be made; 2) make a final decision regarding the plan for the "tract" houses we will be building in that village and others as we have opportunity and resources; and, 3) finalize plans for our first construction team which will be in Haiti from March14-21. As you might imagine the logistics for arranging travel to and from Haiti at this time are still an enormous challenge. Jen Sutton has been incredibly diligent and relentless in her pursuit of finding flights for the 16 who will be making that trip.

First, with the wonderful aid of a local structural engineer who gave his time to go with us, we discovered that there are some important repair priorities to complete before we move our children back in to the facilities. They are:
#1. Repair damage to the second floor boys’ suite in their home by creating two 18"X18" columns with 12" beams to carry the weight of the concrete roof that is in place. We will be "overbuilding" the structure as a precaution.
#2. The stair well between the first and second floor of the boys’ suite will also be reinforced with the addition of another concrete column and the addition of a 12" beam.
#3. The middle wall on the first floor of the three-story school building will be restructured as a solid concrete wall.

Other projects to be accomplished are the repair of the two of our three 10,000 gallon water cisterns that failed and the strengthening of the truss system on the church roof. The top three priorities should be completed in the next month to six weeks.

Second, final plans were drawn for the tract houses. The houses will be 11'4"X30', about 360 square feet, having three rooms. The walls will have steel reinforcement vertically every 16" and horizontally every two rows of block. The roof will be a shed roof made of roofing metal. All labor will be volunteer, a combination of Haitian homeowners and church members, with American volunteer teams to assist as available. The cost of the materials will be about $7,740.00. I have attached a copy of our cost analysis.

Third, our desire was to build the first house on the first group trip after the earthquake. Transportation and customs challenges as well as building repair priorities have put us in the position of working on the minor (comparatively speaking) building repairs and beginning construction on the first home. We are excited about the construction of the houses because they will be built while sharing a curriculum of what it means to build a home and not just a house.

On Tuesday afternoon (3/2) at about 2:00 PM 12 pallets of emergency relief goods were released to us by Haitian Customs for NO fees or duty! That was the culmination of an eleven-day ordeal during which, at one point, they were demanding $14,000.00 in duty….another miracle has occurred! We also think this may be a hint of future help for us getting essential supplies in.

In the course of all our labors and relief efforts, we are engaging our Haitian leadership and village families in plans regarding long-term financial recovery through micro enterprise and job creation.

Everyday we see results that strengthen our resolve, and demonstrate the Lord’s favor. Thank you all for your faithfulness and your continued encouragement.
BLESSINGS...Dan

Friday, February 26th, 2010

2010-02-26T15:35:00.001-06:00

Friday, February 26, 2010

Our most recent team, consisting of Dan Kirkley, Tom Popelka, and Jeff Stegall, has been very productive on the ground in Haiti. One of their main goals was to check out the structural integrity of the school and orphanage. They have found three problem areas that are keeping the buildings from being occupied, but the team believes they can be resolved relatively quickly. Also, before they leave, the team needs to solidify details for our future rebuilding teams. We need specifics about project locations, house blueprints, material lists and final costs. Please pray that our team is able to accomplish all they have set out to do.

Another goal of the trip was to investigate any damage to our two cisterns. After inspection, one of them is cracked, but should be fairly simple to fix. The other one, however, may be a total loss. Please pray for the guys as they determine what steps are needed next.

Also, the supplies that we sent down last week (tents, water filters, food, etc) are still sitting in customs. The Haitian government is requiring us to pay a significant amount of money to get our supplies out of their possession. Pastor Jean Alix has been at customs several times over the past few days, trying to work with the authorities to get our supplies out. Please pray that all of these relief supplies will get released with minimum expense, so that they can get to people who desperately need them. Thank you for taking the time to pray for these needs. You are making a difference in people’s lives!

Jen Sutton - Director of Children's Ministries

Tuesday February 23rd, 2010

2010-02-24T15:35:00.003-06:00

Latest update for our President, Dan Kirkley:

On Monday, February 15th, we packed up and sent 372 tents, 400 water filters and 3600 dehydrated meals to Florida to be Airshipped into Port-au-Prince by Friday. Today, I am going back to Haiti with a structural engineer to check our buildings for structural integrity and to finalize a plan for the "tract" homes we will be building in our village in the future. Our first construction team will go down on March 14th to assist in the building of the first one. Last week 51 churches of different denominations gathered in the Kenscoff area to distribute 40,000 lbs.of food we were given through the Dominican Republic. There was not one fuss or threat the entire two days of the distribution and new relationships were formed to increase cooperation within the Christian community. Outreach to the non-christian community has, also, brought encouraging results, as voodoo seems to be losing the battle regarding genuine care for those in need. Thank you for thinking about the people of Haiti and our children there.........

On February 23, Tom Popelka, a local structural engineer, Jeff Stegall and I will be returning to examine the structure of our boy's home and school and to see if we can salvage the use of two of our three 10,000 gallon water cisterns which have now failed.

On March 13th- March 22nd, a group of 13 UMHB students, Dan Kirkley, and Jen and Jeff Sutton will be heading to Guibert to help with the rebuilding process. As we rebuild homes in our communities, we will be discipling the families through a curriculum we are developing based on the scriptural illustration of building a HOME. The foundation, the roof, windows, doors and walls will be erected with verses corresponding to God's idea of what a HOME should look like.
Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti. Pray that the Lord would raise them up from their despair, into a place of indescribable peace that only comes from our Savior.

Dan Kirkley,
President
Hope for the Hungry

Friday, Feb 5, 2010

2010-02-18T10:46:00.000-06:00

Here is the latest update from our President, Dan Kirkley, about our most recent trip to Haiti and details about what’s to come. Thank you for your love and support of our ministry.
–Jen Sutton
_______________________________
Friday, February 05, 2010
In the midst of unimaginable tragedy and destruction God has provided miracle after miracle for the Haitian people. During our trip to Haiti, January 24-30, our team of Mike Lawson, Jen Sutton, Lindsey Weaver and I saw His hand at work to bring hope into a hopeless situation. Even our travel was supernaturally scheduled as we found it necessary to go to Port-au-Prince and return to Texas with last-minute arrangements created when normal travel methods failed.The fear in the faces of moms and dads determined not to house their children in dangerous structures was evident as they shared that fear with us, standing next to temporary housing made of bed sheets. The tents we set up for them brought hope and the opportunity to share our real hope. During our stay we gave out twenty tents, 100 water filtration systems medical supplies and 455 boxes of dehydrated food, each box providing up to 600 servings. Additionally, we leased warehouse space for additional five forty-foot containers of food which are to arrive within a week. Eight pallets of tents, food and medical supplies are scheduled to be airlifted within ten days.On February 23, Tom Popelka, a local structural engineer, Jeff Stegall, Chance Riehl and I will be returning to examine the structure of our boy's home and school and to see if we can salvage the use of two of our three 10,000 gallon water cisterns which have now failed.During spring break (mid March), three teams will travel to Haiti to begin construction work on village homes and a new school in Ferrier in North Haiti. These will be the first of our rebuilding groups which will, also, include counseling teams and micro-enterprise teams to assist the villages in returning to normal life as soon as possible.As we rebuild homes in our communities, we will be discipling the families through a curriculum we are developing based on the scriptural illustration of building a HOME. The foundation, the roof, windows, doors and walls will be erected with verses corresponding to God's idea of what a HOME should look like.Over and over again we've seen God work to insure the demonstration of His power, divine love, and mercy. We have, also, seen Him working through the marvelous generosity of His people. Calls continue to pour into our office from brothers and sisters in Christ, ready to sacrifice to give money, supplies, go or send to help in our efforts. Each morning at our devotional time at the office we share a story or two of what we've witnessed, cried or laughed (or both) and asked God to give a special blessing of peace to all who have prayed or given.Join us in our asking our heavenly Father to demonstrate great mercy toward the people of Haiti and to continue to provide His supernatural wisdom to know HIS priorities in our ministry to our children, family and friends in Haiti.
BLESSINGS, BLESSINGS...dan

Earthquake Updates

2010-01-19T13:14:00.000-06:00

As of Monday morning, American Airlines has once again closed flights into Haiti and will not reopen them until the weekend. We are trying to decide how to rework the trip around this set-back. Please pray for us as we follow the Lord's leading. --Jen

________________________________________________________________________
Haiti Update #3 from our President. (Sunday Jan 17th, 2010)
Thank you for your incredible prayerful consideration for the plight of our precious friends and children in Haiti. I am copying to you notes I have sent to our Hope Board which will give you a bit of an update on our efforts so far. A significant part of our trip this week will be to detail plans for future relief and rebuilding efforts. If anyone feels led to be part of a team effort to Haiti, an e-mail to me deliniating your availability to travel, length of stay, dates available and interests and skills will help. Or reply to this message. Again, Thank you for caring. I will update you as we go along...dan

Saturday, January 16. Hello all. I spoke this morning to Jean Alix and he requested that along with water filters and meds that we would bring any tents we can get our hands on. We are beginning to go get refugees from Carrefour and bring them up the mountain. Obviously, they must be very light peight and simole to assemble. We have talked to American Air and we will be limited to two check-ons of 50lbs each plus a carry-on of 45lbs. We will travel out of our carry ons, filling our check-ons with essential relief supplies. I'm requesting your help in finding tents that will work for us. Please call me if you find something or know where we can buy them. We have 100 water filters that we think will fit in one of our check ons. Thanks for praying!!! Keep it up!

Dan Kirkley
President
Hope for the Hungry

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Haiti Update #2 (Friday Jan 15th, 2010)
From the Hope for the Hungry President:

Greetings on Friday....Early this morning, I spoke to Jean Alix Paul about conditions in Haiti. He confirmed that all our staff, children and facilities were unscathed by the earthquake but that the majority of the homes in the Guibert area were destroyed. He spent yesterday in the Carrefour ("Car-Foo") region assisting in the resacue efforts. The greatest needs right now are for medical supplies and water purification. He has been able to procure fuel and is able to travel with difficulty into Port to help.

He has requested that we come to assist and plan relief efforts as soon as possible so reservations were made this afternoon to travel to Haiti. Those of us going are:

*Jen Sutton...Children's needs coordination and photography
*Lindsey Weaver...Administration and financial needs / budget coordination
*Mike Lawson...Project Planning and Volunteer Team / Travel coordination
*Dan Kirkley....Funding and distribution coordination

We are leaving Wednesday the 20th and returning Wednesday the 27th. We will be ditributing +/- 100 water filtration systems we are purchasing at cost...to be delivered to our office by Tuesday. We will take medical supplies including wound meds, antibiotics, etc. and use those as far as they will go. We will begin planning the long-term efforts, including the medical teams, food distrubution gorups and construction teams.

We are building our team volunteer profiles now, so if you know anyone who would like to go and help, let us know. This is, obviously going to be a lengthy journey, so we will be sending groups on a pretty constant basis.

Pray for the multitude of Haitians who are still alive under the rubble that God will come to their rescue. Pray, also, that many many Haitians will meet Him during this crisis.

Dan Kirkley, President
Hope for the Hungry
(254) 939-2795 ext. 204
(254) 718-1462 cell
PO Box 786
Belton, Texas 76513
http://www.hopeforthehungry.org/
_________________________________________________________________________________

Update #1 From the President of Hope for the Hungry: (Wednesday Jan 13th, 2010)

Friends and Family,

Thank you for your prayers and concern for the people of Haiti. Below is a brief update from the President of Hope for the Hungry. As more information becomes available, I will pass it along. Please continue to pray for this dire situation. ---Jen Sutton

____________________________
At approximately 10:40 PM last night, we were able to get a call through to our leadership in Port-au-Prince. We have found out that our children are safe, our staff and families are safe and that our facilities are principally untouched. Sadly, however, the single-family homes around our Children's homes are about 80% destroyed.
Today, we are searching for survivors and the injured. In the next few days we will be sending teams as transportation permits. Our first priorities are:
#1. Assist the injured
#2. Provide potable water
#3. Provide food
#4. Provide sanitation
#5. Begin rebuilding

Please feel free to call us (254) 939-0124. As details are provided from Haiti, we will keep you informed of the progress being made in our assisting the people of Haiti.

If you would like to partner with us in this effort, go to our Cause site: HOPE FOR THE HUNGRY and click on the fundraising bar, or follow the link:

https://www.causes.com/fb/donations/new?ts=1263419835&campaign_id=83074&cause_id=109803

100% of contributions made toward the "Haiti Emergency" fund will be sent to Haiti. (We will use none of those funds administratively in our home office).

Thank you, again, for your interest and prayers. We are asking God to touch Haiti and her people with a new hunger for Him.

In His service,

Dan Kirkley
President
Hope for the Hungry

Marie's Testimony

2009-01-28T11:36:00.000-06:00

Haiti was poor, but still rich; ugly to man but beautiful in the site of God. It is hard to understand, but the people don't let their poverty hinder their joy. In America we just assume that God's blessings are wealth. The big super-churches must be the most spiritually attuned. That is not the case in Ferrier, Haiti. The church service we attended was by far more amazing than words could express. The single light bulb hanging from the ceiling revealed a people more eager to worship God than look around and notice what others did. It didn't matter that not everyone sang the same song or that the prayer lasted 10 minutes. There was no bulletin to follow and not a word of English was spoken. God was in that place and you could sense His presence and power.
God is the same at home and in Haiti. You don't all need the same language to have the same prayer. "Mersi, Pappa" is a phrase I will never forget. To thank the Father for a gift incomparable to any other, even if it is all you have is the true sense of worship. I thank God and want to live like I am that thankful.

Marie
Bryan, Texas

Bread of Life

2009-01-27T14:50:00.000-06:00

Hope For The Hungry is an interdenominational ministry dedicated to helping children worldwide and supporting missionaries who are living God's call to:
"Share the Bread of Life with a Starving World."