Welcome to Haiti

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

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

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

On Our Way Home

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

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

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

Day 4: Practice and Fun

2015 Teacher Training Conference is complete.  We had a great day today as the teachers had a chance to practice with some new learning activities.  They had a blast!

They made rainbows to teach color.  

They built Catapults to teach math, science, and engineering.

They had the opportunity to practice using a magnifying glass and microscope.

They acted out the story of the 3 little pigs as a reading theater.

And they worked on shapes and  tesselations in math.

It was all so much fun and great to see the Haitian teachers enjoy the learning activities that they can use to directly impact their students.

Tomorrow is an "off" day.  Thank you for your prayers.  This has been a blessed week for everyone.

Day 3: Excitement and Growth

Our final day of training finished very well.  The Haitian teachers really jumped in to everything we shared today.  The laughter, joy, cooperation, and questions signaled their enjoyment and engagement in today's material.

The kindergarten teachers laughed as they practiced leading learning games outside.  The 1st & 2nd grade teachers were enraptured by the story of the 3 little pigs.  The 3rd & 4th grade teachers diligently worked on basic geometry techniques.  And the 5th & 6th grade teachers were in awe of the science experiments. Mike even lead a special training on using microscopes.

The best part of the day was our final large group session.  We asked the teachers to gather according to their schools and, one-by-one, pray for each other.  There is no describing the blessing of hearing dozens of people crying out for each other before the Lord.  Along with out American teachers, they prayed for ech other, for their principal, for their students, and for their school.

Tomorrow is our learning lab.  Be in prayer as the teachers "test" their new knowledge and skills.

Begin to pray for these teachers as they travel home.  Pray for them as they review what they have learned and prepare for the new school year.  So much of what they are learning is new and challenging.  Pray for them to continue to gain confidence.  Pray for their administrators (who also received training this week) as they lead and support the teachers.

Improvement and growth can and will happen, but it will take more hard work and more diligence and more courage.  But our God can and will provide everything they need as they trust Him in all things.

Day 2: Making progress...

Day 2 was a wonderful day.  All our translators did so well, keep praying for them.  The Haitian teachers had so much fun and we're really engaged today.

After lunch we had a building competition between the four schools.  Each group was given straws, paper, and a bag of marshmallows and asked to design and build a structure. Working as a team and using the straws and masmellows the largest structure in the time limit would win.  The teachers had so much fun and really put some creativity in their structures.  In the end, the group from Guibert was victorious.  The biggest joy was seeing everyone working toward a goal in unity.

Tomorrow is our final day of training.  Pray for our Haitian and American teachers as they finish well.  Pray for good rest tonight and energy for tomorrow.  

On Thursday, we will host a learning lab to give the teachers a chance to practice some of what they learned this week.  Begin praying for the knowledge and confidence the Haitian teachers will need to try some new ideas.

We are excited that the teachers seem to really be buying in to the training.  Our prayer and desire is that as the teachers improve, the quality of education will improve, which develops a stronger future for the children of Haiti.

And we're off...

Teacher Training Day 1 is complete.  We had a good first day.  Professional training in cross-cultural settings is always bumpy at the start.  The teachers here in Haiti are unfamiliar with professional training and culturally a little hesitant to fully engage.  However, by this afternoon, they were talking and asking great questions.  Our team of American teachers did such a fantastic job.  They are patient and encouraging as they work to bring new ideas and tools to the Haitian teacher's skill sets.

Pray for our translators.  They are working hard but the vocabulary of education has brought a new challenge for each of them.

Pray for the Haitian teachers. Pray they will be open and receptive to new information and challenges.  Pray for God's blessing on them and their families as they spend this week with us.  These teachers LOVE teaching and want to learn and grow in their profession.  Pray that God will increase their knowledge and confidence this week as well.

Glorious Sunday

What a wonderful day! The opportunity to worship in another country and different culture is such a joy.  It is a reminder of how big a God we serve.

Today was, as always, a wonderful day of rest and preparation.  Please continue to pray for our team as the teacher conference starts in the morning.  We are excited for what the Lord has in store.