Haiti Day 4

Ron's perspective:

Although I was warned that I'd be challenged with extending my comfort zone on our mission trip, I didn't expect this!  Before venturing out for the day, John and Keith and I joined the ladies and some of the Healing Haiti staff for a morning Zumba workout and yoga session.  Yup... WAY beyond "the boys'" comfort zone!  We all agreed that it was a great team building activity and a wonderful way to get our blood flowing before greeting day three in this beautiful country.

Our talented fitness instructors!

In the afternoon we visited La Pherre orphanage.  Unlike the orphanage that we visited yesterday, none of the children here are eligible for adoption.  Which is a loss for all of us, because God has placed the most beautiful and happy children in this sanctuary.  After a fun go round with some of the small bottles of bubbles that many of our partners donated, we followed the smiling faces into a newly constructed church/school that was built for these precious souls.  Our team is blessed with some wonderful, spirit filled women that instinctively know what little kids love... singing and dancing!  We all joined in with the fun hand gestures, silly foot movements, and easy lyrics that the kids picked up faster than I did.  Many of the children already know traditional bible songs that many of us learned when we were kids.  In that moment, I know that the songs that were being sung, the dust from our dancing feet, the sweat from our brows, and the presence of the Holy Spirit that radiated out of that building was a pleasure to our Lord.  John was particularly touched by a resident that touched his heart.  As we were leaving, two young boys, four or five years old, softly took my hand and in a hushed tone spoke to me in their native Creole language.  I asked our interpreter what they were saying over and over to me.  My heart has been beautifully broken.  The boys were humbly asking me, pleading with me really, "Please don't leave, please don't leave".

So... I ask of you.  Would you be interested in going?  To Haiti.  To this orphanage.  To these little boys that want YOU.  Your hugs.  Your songs.  Your arms.  Your love.  Those few hours with them may change a life forever. You will be wonderfully surprised whose life that will be.  In particular, I'm talking to the men reading this.  Are we going to respond to this calling with the same numbers that the women in our lives are happily giving?  There's a need for you here too.  I challenge all of you men to answer the call.  The boys are waiting for YOU!

Carissa's perspective on the Apparent Project:

In between our sweat-filled morning of zumba/yoga (renamed as zumboga) and our time at the orphanage in the afternoon, we had the privilege of visiting the Apparent Project.  And as a result of our visit to the Apparent Project, my "word of the day" was HOPE!  After being a part of situations in Haiti that seem so hard and hopeless, I felt like this was such an amazing organization offering HOPE to Haitians who may have previously been in situations that seemed hopeless.  They have taken materials and products that would normally be considered garbage (dirt, cereal boxes, magazines and other materials that are easy and cheap to come upon) and have been made them into absolute BEAUTY!  The even more beautiful part of this is that the people that work at the Apparent Project are Haitians who would have otherwise been in hopeless situations...many of these women would have had to have given up their children to an orphanage or adoption due to not being able to care for them.  Instead, they have artists who come and teach the Haitians skills, such as bead making, jewelry making, pottery, sewing, etc....and it takes them out of an otherwise hopeless situation.  The even better part (and probably all of our favorite part of the trip) was that they provide daycare for the children of their workers...and the children are so well taken care of.  Beautiful, beautiful children.  I have owned jewelry from Apparent Project in the past, and I have always thought it was amazing...but after experiencing what we did today, it took on a whole new meaning. For starters, I had no idea how much work goes into each piece of jewelry that is created.  The process is very tedious and takes many steps and many people.  But the bigger part that I was impacted by was the fact that this company has made so many Haitian lives full of HOPE in a situation that could have been considered hopeless without this opportunity for them.  It made me look at Haiti in a different way...there are some obedient individuals who are responding to God's prompting for them to do SOMETHING...and as a result of that, Haiti is being changed and is filled with HOPE.  This is evident in the Apparent Project, Healing Haiti, Grace Village, and what is to come in Cite Soleil.  God is good!

And as a side note, while we were visiting the Apparent Project, we were asked to move aside as a film crew came through the building following Rod Stewart's 3 children as they toured the facility.  Apparently, it was celebrity day at the Apparent Project...who knew?!?!          

Gertrude's/Home for Sick and Dying/General Hospital

What a beautiful, precious day we all had!  After the overwhelming feelings experienced during water truck day we had the opportunity to feel God's love in a whole new way today.  In the morning we split into two teams: half going to the home for sick and dying babies and the other half going to Gertrude's orphanage for special needs.  In the afternoon we rejoined as one team to visit General Hospital.

Debora's perspective on the Home for Sick and Dying Babies:

I was part of the team that went to the home for sick and dying babies. Mothers bring their sick babies there to get cared for and nourished by the nurses there.  As a mother myself all I wanted to do was make every child feel loved and cared for. The first little girl I came across was so limp and lethargic...most likely from being malnourished. I held her in my arms for so long...her tiny body just clung to mine, tired and hungry, she did not lift her head once. As more babies cried I felt the need to move on and share my love. The mothers of some of the babies were also visiting their kids while we were there today. When they left you could feel the sadness as the mothers lay their sick babies back in their small metal cribs. All at once the need felt so overwhelming. We all moved onto each crying baby, trying to comfort them. Some got so attached to us and didn't want us to put them down. While others we played with and were able to make smile and laugh as we sang them songs and played silly games like peek-a-boo. Before we left one little boy stole my heart. He was so sad at first after his mother left...I picked him up and he instantly calmed down.  By the time we were done the two of us were giggling and having tons of fun!  It was so hard to leave those precious, beautiful faces.  "Those we have held in our arms for a little while, we hold in our hearts forever" - Mother Theresa 

Keith perspective on Gertrude's Orphanage:

This entire journey has been very special to me in every possible way. God lead me to come to a special Country a few months back under the guidance of some special leaders, coming to a special place, with the most special team I could imagine, for a special organization and today it came full circle when we were able to visit children and families with special needs. No matter where you, what you do and how you do it, Love is the most universal language that doesn't have any borders or language barriers. Once we arrived at Gertrude's we didn't really know what to expect or basically what to do. We looked at them and they looked at us like, "who are these people"! After about a few minutes the instincts of this incredible team kicked into high gear and we each grabbed some of the kids and brought them back to the play area where we began to push them on swings, play football, dance to music and basically love on them. The highlight was having wheelchair races with 10 kids buzzing in circles, doing doughnuts, going fast and making sharp turns. The sounds of laughter filled each of us with the most joy you could imagine. Before coming on this trip I was thinking about how I can make a difference and what I can do to love on them when in fact it is what they are doing to me, us, that is making the biggest impact.


Hallie's perspective of General Hospital:

You can never prepare yourself for the conditions that you will come across on a daily basis here in Haiti. I thought that I had somewhat given myself plenty of time to adjust, the point being is that you will never be ready. These past few days have been an emotional roller coaster to say the least but today was just a little different. I felt for the first time that what I did today was ENOUGH. Today we made the trip to go to the Acute C

are of the General Hospital in Downtown Port Au Prince. It was maybe the size of a gymnasium with patients scattered everywhere. Some were critical, some were moderate but what you really have to understand that most of the patients were infant to toddlers with severe malnutrition. Some parents were there, some weren't. Staff weren't very attentive due to the number of patients being seen and I'm not sure exactly how many times I did see a doctor but I can say it was less than five. What we did as a team was nothing short of amazing. We came in with limited supplies and basically took over! We spoiled them with goodie bags, sang songs, painted their nails, gave massages and loved on them and their children. At times you had to tuck your heart away but then at times allow it to be broken. I fell in love with each child that I came across and they will always have a place in my heart. 

Water Truck Day

Today was our first official day in Haiti where we delivered water to three different locations within Cite Soleil where the population is estimated at just under 400,000 within 8.5 square miles.   It is difficult to articulate what this actually looks like and the impact it had on each of our lives today, but this blog entry will attempt to summarize the perspectives from both myself (Jackie Rivard) and Rita Hokstad.

Jackie's Perspective...
There are really no words that can describe the devastation I witnessed today.  I had shared with my teammates that I wasn't really sure how I would react.  I have lived vicariously through my friends who had already experienced Haiti and felt that I was prepared enough from their words and also from the pictures they'd shared with me.

People who know me well know that while I am strong and independent,  my heart is huge and I have a tendency to wear my emotions on my sleeve.  I also love kids. Sadly,  I do not have kids of my own and in an honest moment I was worried about how I might react to witnessing children who were living in such poverty.  Several children greeted us as we got off the "tap-tap" (bus) with arms stretched out and yelling "hey, you;"    Kids who are half clothed, if at all.  Toddlers walking around bare naked asking you to please pick them up.

Amazingly, I was able to keep my emotions in tact and what felt the most natural is to simply just love on all those children, picking them up, hugging them.  Their eyes were so joyous and huge; you could see the love pouring out of them without words.  It was a complete Godsend that at our first stop, a little girl and boy (I believe they were siblings) gravitated toward me and taught me their dance routine (Another little tid bit about me is that I love to dance).  How did those beautiful children know that about me?  My word for the day was "Love."  Simply love - a universal, essential need regardless of the fact that a person has nothing.

Rita's Perspective...
Today was very emotional for the entire group. We had an opportunity to not only deliver and distribute clean water which is a necessity, but also give our unconditional love. Going into this trip, our main mission is to be the hands and feet of God and give back to the poorest country of the world. We all desire to connect with others on a human level. We were able to give and receive love and truly connect with these people who look forward to having someone there to show they care. The team was very strong and was able to draw from the happiness and joy.

In the evening we shared our stories from the busy day and looked through pictures. Everyone had something to share that they experienced that tugged at the heart strings. Words can not express nor pictures do it justice.

The teams words for the day were: survival, love, God's Creation, abundance, surprised, strength, willing, overwhelmed, sweet-connections, happiness, focused, speechless, compassion, contemplative, photo.

HE loves to love us!

Wow. Yep that pretty much sums it up. We started this morning at 2am with our prayer buddies making sure we were up and at it. We all showed up with expectations, backgrounds, baggage (literally and figuratively:), experiences, hurts, joys, and simply who we are. And you know what, God took that and made an incredible painting in less than 24 hours. I have been on over 15 missions trips and I can say I have never seen a group of 16 people bond so well and so quickly. People have come with open hearts, minds, and the willingness to get real, fast. And because of that, God has spoken to all of us through each other and through this wonderfully and beautifully made country. 

After two plane rides, one in which required us to sit on a plane for over 45 minutes, then get off and then to get back on again, all with a lack of sleep, a ruptured root canal, a pre-syncope spell, flying anxiety, a bumpy drive through Port-Au-Prince, a herd of loving puppies, dinner prepared for us, and a welcoming group of Haitians, we had the most unique and re-energizing "group time." We all shared one word which described our day and through that we cried, laughed, and became of family with our Father at the head, so graciously leading the way.

I have no doubt in my mind that this trip has started with a bang because of the prayers our family and friends have lifted up over us and for our Daddy in heaven who LOVES TO LOVE US. 

Joy

We All Play a Part!

As we are about to take off from Miami to  PAP, I must share this quick little tidbit that just melted my heart.  For some background, I am a first grade teacher, so I am missing a few days of school to travel to Haiti. I have told the children a bit about what we do when we are there. 

Well, just the other day, I received an email from the mom of one of my students that said this: 

Subject: Haiti

"Joe wanted to send canned food and money. I wasn't sure what you could take so we did this and he wanted me to send it =) have a safe trip."

Here is what accompanied it:

Awww!  We all have a part to play in making this world a better place. How I love that this little boy took it upon himself to do his. He gets it. Love does. ❤️ Mesi anpil (thank you very much), Joe!

Ms. Thompson 

General Hospital

This morning we were all up and dressed in our matching t-shirts, excited to do the water truck again today.  After another delicious breakfast of pancakes, eggs, oatmeal, fruit, and freshly squeezed juice (we are really getting spoiled with these huge breakfasts), Jean came in and told us we would not be doing the water truck today.  He had gotten word this morning that things were not safe enough for us to go to our water truck stops.  After some initial disappointment we regrouped, thankful that we have an amazing organization that knows the pulse of the city and always has our safety in mind.  We soon came to realize that God had orchestrated all the details for our next assignment -- General Hospital.  

Each group that comes to serve with Healing Haiti has certain donations assigned to them, depending on the need at that time.  Our assignment was to fill "goodie bags" for the 40+ staff down here, and thanks to so many generous friends and family our group did an amazing job collecting all kinds of toiletries to fill these bags with, things like shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, hand sanitizer, lotion, bug spray, etc.  We filled our bags for the staff the other night but still had boxes of things leftover.  So when the idea of going to General Hospital came up, and we realized we could pack more goodie bags for people at the hospital, we knew it was meant to be.  Even though we all had an amazing water truck day on Thursday and couldn't wait to do it again, I did not hear one complaint of disappointment all day from anyone on our team. 

We headed to the hospital, stopping along the way for water to bring with us.  They don't have bottled water here like we are used to;  rather, they have water in small plastic baggies.  We asked our driver Maxim how much water we could get for $10, and he came back with 6 giant bags, each full of about 50 small bags of cold water.  What a deal!  

We arrived at the hospital, a place no one on our team had been before (which is rare since several members of our team have been here multiple times.)  We didn't quite know what to expect but came with willing hearts to serve in any way we could.  It seems that often when we arrive at a new place it takes a few minutes to settle in and get a feel for how best to help.  We were in a children's "wing" (2 rooms with about 50 beds/cribs), most being infants or toddlers but a few a little older.  Most of them had their parents with them but a few did not.  We started passing out packets of cold water as well as the goodie bags.  We came with a large bag full of goodie bags but they were quickly gone.  We then started doing whatever we could to bring joy to the patients and their parents.  We held babies, brought smiles to the children's faces, massaged the moms, painted toenails (even Travis got some nail painting in - blue polish of course), clipped nails, sang to some, and prayed over others.  It's hard to even describe to you what we saw in there but I will try to mention a few stories.  

I held a baby there for awhile that was about 2 months old.  Her mom was there as well but I wanted to give her a break.  I assumed it was a girl by the pink outfit she had on.  As I was holding her I could tell the baby was filling her diaper, no problem.  I gave it a few more minutes and then asked the mom if I could help change her diaper.  She agreed and then started to take her baby's diaper off.  She didn't seem to be getting a new diaper out so I went to ask our driver/translator Maxim to ask the hospital staff for one.  He said they don't have any, that patients have to bring all their own supplies.  It broke my heart to go back to the lady and tell her I had no diaper (which I'm sure she expected, but still.)  I also realized that the baby I thought was a girl due to her pink onesie was actually a boy.  I realize that a pink outfit on a boy is not that big of a deal, especially here in Haiti where some kids are lucky to have ANY clothes, but it was just one more reminder of the things we take for granted, like a closet full of gender-appropriate clothes and access to an abundance of new diapers.  

We saw one baby girl with a cleft palate, another with intestines hanging out of his body, and so many more serious conditions so treatable in the U.S, but perhaps the most heart-breaking of all was one baby girl with hydrocephalus.  She was laying in a bed all alone, and based on the condition of her eyes and skin, it was just a matter of time.  My heart was breaking as I saw her condition, thinking about a good friend whose daughter also has head/brain issues but access to world-class medical care.  My emotions ranged from gratefulness for what we have in the U.S. to sadness and anger that this little one who Jesus loves just as much was laying helpless and alone in a hospital bed.  I don't know the full story but God does and his ways are so much higher than ours.  We prayed over this little girl, all we could do was leave her in God's hands.  

After spending the morning at the hospital, we headed up the mountain, making a few stops on the way for some souvenirs.  We had a lot of fun as a team, bartering with the vendors and even building relationships with some.  When we got to the top of the mountain we looked out over the city, a city with such amazing beauty but also such poverty, a city full of people loved by God.  

There are so many other stories I could share from the day, but it all boils down to the fact that our visit to General Hospital was truly orchestrated by God.  From the extra supplies and water we had to the joy we brought the patients and their parents, God truly multiplied our efforts today in a modern day "Feeding of the 5000."  Thank you, Jesus, for working through us today.  

"They said to him, 'We have only five loaves here and two fish.' And he said, 'Bring them here to me.'  Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing.  Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.  And they all ate and were satisfied.  And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over.  And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children."  Matthew 24:17-21

Glwa pou Bondye (Glory to God),

Steph 

Simple Comfort

We began our day bright and early with Tent Church at 6am. We experienced an hour worshiping God with the Haitian people of the neighborhood.  It is awe inspiring to worship with a group of people who show a profoundly deep love for the Lord.  They are uninhibited in their worship of God- something we have never experienced before. This was an awesome experience all by itself. Imagine starting your day like this everyday.   

After breakfast, we traveled to the Home for Sick and Dying.  As we arrived we were able to watch a group of 50 plus children at camp playing a friendly game.  It was joyful to see such excitement and pure happiness from a large group of children at one time.  It was like seeing kids at camp in Minnesota; bursting with energy and passion. 

We then went into the building and were given instructions by the Sisters who run the home. We split into three groups. The men cared for the men and the women cared for the women.  We spent the remainder of the time giving massages with lotion, painting nails, cutting toe nails, and laughing with the men and women of the home.  One member of our team, who is a nurse, was able to assist the in house Dr. with physical exams among other things. We expressed after our time there that this was a peaceful experience, simple comfort can go a long way.  

We had the opportunity to visit the Apparent Project next and get a tour. Simply an incredible organization. This is a NonProfit artisan guild empowering and employing Haitian parents whose poverty puts them at risk of relinquishing their children. Take a moment to visit the website .  It really is inspiring www.apparentproject.org.

Next we stopped at Gertrude's, a home for children in Haiti who have special needs.  Our time was spent rocking, singing, dancing, and loving on these incredible children.  It was a great reminder that we don't always have to be grand in our gestures. Sometimes it is the simple comforts that make the most difference in a child's day. God was seen in the little moments, a smile, laughter, and in the voice of a child.

Our final stop was at a local Missionary Pizza shop.  We had a great time laughing and reminiscing about our trip so far. 

Last but not least, we took some time to celebrate  Maddie's birthday with silly gifts, a homemade fun fetti cake, and bubbles. 

Altogether another GREAT day in Haiti

Au Revoir,
Kim and Kelly