Team Haiti 2012 (April Trip): The Members and Their Prayer Requests

Greetings, everyone...

Please find below the prayer needs and requests of the ten team members from newhope church in central NC, who will be traveling to Bohoc, Haiti, this Friday, April 20, 2012.  Please keep us in your prayers throughout the time we're in Haiti (April 20-27, 2012).

Oh...and don't forget to keep up with all that's happening on the ground while we're in-country.  It’s my plan to post two to three times a day so that you can share in what God's doing in the lives of Team Haiti 2012 and in the lives of our precious friends in the village of Bohoc.

God's blessings,

Dave

PS…For those of you who may be wondering…No, I am NOT Tompy’s cousin.  Peace…

Dave Brown

Team Father

Age 46

Thou wilt make known to me the path of life.  Thy Countenance is fullness of joy; at Thy Right Hand [Jesus!] are pleasures forevermore.--Psalm 16:11


The Lord has appeared to us from afar saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."--Jeremiah 31:3-1


Father, I bring before You my dear friend and brother, Dave…

May he KNOW that You love Him, and may he experience the power and meaning of Your Son’s death and resurrection in every aspect of His life.

May he have Your Heart beating within His very own, and may he see and think about things the way You See and Think about them.  Oh that he might feel Your Heart and live from the Deep Places of joy and sorrow that reside Therein, and, oh, too, that he might have the Mind of Your Son and that he might live, serve, and give of himself wisely and selflessly to all those who need him.

May he, as he has prayed so very often, walk before You in holiness, humility, and purity all the days of his life, and may he, indeed, live a simple, open, and ordinary life inspired by a great love for You and for others and by an insatiable enthusiasm for life and for everything that has life.

May he be a missional conduit of Your healing and of Your loving-kindness, joy, compassion, and equanimity to all those within the realm of his influence and existence.

Use Him, Lord, to extend Your kingdom; use him, also, to hallow Your Name.  Listen, write, and express Who You Are through him, Lord, and enable Him, oh God, to inspire those around him to dream and to pursue those dreams.  May he be used by You to bring physical and living water to those who thirst…wherever they might be.

Place a hedge of thorns around his heart, soul, mind, and body, and please protect him for the attacks and assaults of his enemies.  Rise up, oh God, and defend him.  Come quickly to his aid, and rescue him from the fowler’s snare, for Thou Art his Refuge and Ever-Present Help in times of difficulty and trouble.

May the both of you forever enjoy the times you get to spend together, and may each breath Dave takes be of, for, and all about You.

And, last but not least, oh God…may Dave continue to find in You his greatest pleasure and satisfaction in life, and may the peace and humble joy that arises from such things spill over liberally, gracefully, and unashamedly into all those around Dave who love him so much.

For it is in the blessed and hallowed Name of Jesus that I ask of You these very things,

Amen.

Denise and Robert Caylor

Ages 34 & 30

Dear God,

We pray for protection as we travel to a foreign land.

We pray for health against disease and illness so that we may be fully functional to accomplish Your mission.

May Your will be done as You guide our paths on this journey.

Protect us as a couple overseas, and protect our 9-year-old son, Tyler, in the States.  Our son will be staying at our uncle's house and will be away from us for the first time.  Guide him and be a Father to him in our absence.  May he use this opportunity to lean on You and look to You during this time.

May You allow us to be Faithful, Available, and Teachable in this moment and in every opportunity that You open up to us. Open up opportunities to be faithful and give us the desire to genuinely love Your people.

Allow us to love people as You have loved us.  Allow us to sacrifice our wants and our own comforts in order to walk in Your light and accomplish Your will.

Allow us to put away all selfishness and show the love of God in how we think, what we say, and what we do.  Do not let us complain about any situation we may face, but rather praise You in every challenge that You allow us to encounter.

Allow us to be ALL IN and put forth every effort to please You with all diligence.  Allow us to be changed as You work in us and through us.  Do not let this be a one-time event, but a memorable one.  Allow us to be changed in such a way that we will change others in our everyday lives.  

May we touch those that we are helping, be touched by the experience, and touch others upon our return.  We have been Reached and Saved by You; we’ve been Taught the Bible; and now we’re being Released into the international mission field as followers of Christ.  May Your Holy Spirit guide us, speak through us, and work through us as the very Hands and Feet of Jesus.  We have answered the call and have said, "Send Us, Lord!"

We also pray for those praying for us.  May they be diligent and fight alongside us in spiritual warfare.  As we are prayed for, we know that You will hear the cries and offer Your Hand.  Offer protection for them in their day-to-day lives.  Allow them to understand that attacks will come during this time to distract them from fighting with us.  Do not allow them to lose heart, but offer them encouragement to sustain in this fight.  We are all in this together as one body and even though we are the hands and the feet, they are offering the hearts and minds of Jesus as well. We are unable to do this alone and their diligence is what will sustain us to victory.

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen.


Tracy Crosby

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.--Matthew 5:16

Lord Jesus, I pray that I will seek Your plan and purpose for this trip to Haiti, not only for my life, but for every life I come in contact with.

I pray that I will think the thoughts You want me to think, say the words You want me to say, and do the things You want me to do.

Lord, this trip is not about me, my agenda, or expectations; it’s all about You and Who You are and the love, grace, and mercy You have for everyone.

I pray that I am a bright shining light, that everyone I come in contact with will see the love of Christ through me, that hearts will be forever changed, and that lives will be saved.

Lord, I pray that I will be a source of comfort for my team; that I will encourage and strengthen them and love them unconditionally.

And finally, Lord Jesus, I pray that my heart will forever be broken and that I will be closer to being conformed to Your image.  Help me to know You in a deeper way, Lord Jesus.  I love you Lord.  Amen.


Keith Fox

First and foremost that the newhope Mission Team has a safe and uneventful trip to and from Haiti;

That the people of Haiti find our visit as a blessing and favor;

The our visit and interaction with the Haitian people continue to build on previous mission trips and that we continued to expand the bridge between Haiti and newhope church;

I pray that my experience in Haiti matches the vision of what I believe it will be and hope for;

I pray that I return from our trip a changed man, a better person, closer to God, and with newly formed friendships with my fellow missionaries;

Finally, I pray that my family and friends remain safe and sound during my absence and that their prayers sustain me before, during and after our trip;

Amen.


Bill Hailey

Co-Team Leader with Brit Smith

Age 42

Please join together with me, my brothers and sisters, in the prayer below...

Father,

I pray for You to be first and foremost in my thoughts, my actions, the relationships I build, and in every part of my life.  It is my desire to be totally consumed by You and totally committed to advancing Your kingdom in Haiti and everywhere I go.

I pray that in everything I do, that I will do it to the best of my ability in order to bring glory to You.  May my heart and mind to be receptive to any changes that You want to make in me, and may Your Spirit live in and express Himself freely in and through me that these changes might become reality.  May my words encourage, help, bless, and heal and not hurt nor hinder.

I pray that I, my team, and my Haitian brothers and sisters will be prepared to experience all that You have in store for us on this trip.  Father, protect each of us from our enemies when they attempt to hinder us, discourage us, and place discontent within us.   God, I place my faith in You alone, knowing that You will guide and protect us and will provide for our every need.

Help me to live out the life as described in Colossians 3: 12-17, which reads, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.  Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

And lastly God, but certainly not least, I pray in every situation Your perfect will be done.

I ask all of these things in the precious name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior...

Amen.


Julie Harbert

Holy, beloved Father...

In the scheme of your all-knowing, this small fragment of time (April 20-27) is but a brief moment.  But as we prepare, and then finally arrive in Haiti, I pray that Your Hand is on each member of the group – keeping us safe and always pointed in the direction of Your will.

As I make final preparations this week, I pray that You will guide me to be ready to do Your work – so that Your loving power can be received by as many of the wonderful people and children of Haiti as possible.

I feel fortunate to have this opportunity to help spread Your love and do Your work here on earth; I know and understand that fortune is received from you.  Thank you for giving your Son so that I could come to know You.

Please bless the people that we encounter along the way and the people at home at newhope, especially those who have not found their way there yet.  Amen.

Melinda Duarte (Hester)

I pray for safe travels for Team Haiti 2012 to and from our destinations as well as for us to remain in good health so that we can fully serve energetically and enthusiastically.  I pray for my friends and family while I am gone to know that I am safe and that I am doing good works in the name of the Lord.  I pray for our team and for our own relationships to build as we serve together and for this to grow and stretch us all in our relationship with Christ.

I know that this trip was in God’s plan long before I ever imagined it, and He orchestrated me to go on this trip on HIS calendar, not mine.  I pray for my eyes to be opened to all that God intends for me to see through this trip.  I pray that I will fulfill the mission He intends for me to accomplish, just as He set it in motion, that I will decrease, and that He will increase.  I pray for my heart to be opened to the people of Haiti so that I may pour the love my faithful God has showered on me right back out to them.  I pray that in all my serving, the people of Haiti will not just see me, but see our loving God in me.  I pray for all communication barriers to be broken down and that God will be our universal language.  I pray for restoration of hope of the people of Haiti in Bohoc and beyond through all who go abroad to serve.

HOPE= Helping Other People Everywhere!


Connie Richeal

Pray that each and every day of my life I would........

Always be Absolutely Surrendered to God

Believe that all things are possible to those that are in Christ Jesus

Continually have Compassion and Care for all of God’s creation

Deeply Devoted to the One that gave His life for me

Exalt His Name forever

Faithfully serve Him

Glorify Him

Humble myself in the sight of the Lord

Immerse myself daily in the Word of God

Joyfully endure all trials and tribulations

Know that all things work together for good to those that are called

Look for opportunities to share God’s Word to a lost and hurting world

Marvel at the beauty of His Holiness

Never stray from the Truth

Obey Him

Pray without ceasing

Quiet and Confident strength in Him

Remain steadfast and immovable on The Rock of my Salvation

Speak the truth in love

Tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy

Unconditionally Love

Value the time God has given me

Wisely seek the Will and Ways of God

Xtreme faith

Yield myself to the Holy Spirits leading

Zealous for the Kingdom of God


Britany Smith

Co-Team Leader with Bill Hailey

Age 25

I pray that God works through my heart along with the hearts of my fellow team members and those we will be serving in Haiti.  Let this team be a testament of God’s love, and may we be a witness to all those with whom we come into contact throughout our travels.

Lord, please protect us from things, be they physical, emotional, or spiritual, that may harm us or hinder us from doing Your work.

Lastly, as we prepare for this journey, help us to remember Philippians 4:6-7, which reads, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.

Haiti Trip Response Road Map

Greetings Team Haiti January 2012…

I miss all of you soooo much!!  I hope to see some of you tomorrow morning at newhope.

Provided below (and as I promised) is the responsive road map (plus a little extra) that I suggested at the debrief last Wednesday night.  Please know that I love all of you deeply, that I treasure each of you greatly, and that I look forward to where God leads us as a community.

Your friend and brother,

Dave, Team Father
Team Haiti 2012

THE MAP

Part A: Scriptures

1 Corinthians 9:24-27:  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.   

1 Corinthians 10:31:  So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6:  There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

Philippians 2:12, 13:  Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for God is at work within you both to will and to do His good pleasure.

Part B: A Few Ground Rules Suggestions

While strict obedience to what I provide below is not necessary (or, even, recommend), I do recommend that you consider the following suggestions as you think of, feel, and pray through the many things that have arisen within you as a result of the 2012 trip to Haiti:

• Take all of these things slowly; please give yourself some time over the next few minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and, it is my hope, years to work through these things.
• Please know that God is a Perfect Gentleman and that He is not at all interested in destroying who you are as a person.  In fact, He is so interested in you as you are right now in this moment that, even though He does wish to bring about change in your life, He will do so in what I like to call an aggressively unaggressive manner.  Through the mighty working of His Spirit within you, He will mold you into the person He intends for you to be without destroying who you are or overriding your will in any manner.  The ability that He alone has to do these things is truly extraordinary.  With all of this in mind, I urge you to adopt a posture of surrenderedness, and I urge you also to pursue God with all that’s within you...just as He passionately pursues you.
• Don’t make any significant life-changes (for example giving notice at work or selling your home) for at least 30 days, okay?  Again, please just give yourself some time with all of this.  Relax, okay?  Since God's not in a hurry, it's probably not necessary for you to be either. :o)

Part C: A Suggested Road Map for Responding to the Kenya 2011 Trip

Step One: "Telling Your Story"

To aid you in answering the question, “How was your trip?,” I suggest writing out a (1) one-sentence answer, (2) a two- to three-sentence answer, (3) a two-paragraph answer, and (4) a two-page answer.  By having these answers, you will, I have discovered, be able to effectively move from one answer to a more detailed answer depending on the interest of the person asking you the above question.  By having such answers already written out, it will, I believe, help you to be sensitive to and to accommodate (within your own heart and mind) the varied degrees of interest/disinterest in those around you.  And, through preparing such things in advance, it may also help you to adopt a posture of forgiving in advance those who will hurt you (through their interest or lack thereof) even before they do so.  I write all of this because I can guarantee that most of you will experience at least some emotional pain from those who reject you in some way over the next week or two.  Jesus once said, “if the world hated me, it will hate you as well.”  He also urged His followers to rejoice in persecutions (see Matthew 5:11-12).  So….with all of this in mind, tell your story with great joy, and allow God to pour His love through you to everyone you encounter in the coming days...irrespective of their response.

Addendum:  In an e-mail from Leah MacMillan on 4 Feb 12, she suggested that each of us consider trying to answer several questions to help each of us think through what each of us saw.  Her e-mail is provided below.  Perhaps your answers to such questions could help to guide you in "Telling Your Story."
-----
From: Leah Macmillan <ramsayleah@aol.com>

To: haiti-2012-newhope-church@googlegroups.com

Sent: Saturday, February 4, 2012 8:47 AM

Subject: January team

Team, Daves debrief has given you many useful tools to keep this trip alive and help you transition back to life in the states, help you make changes in your life.

As one of your team leaders, I have a couple of last questions to pose to you for guiding your thoughts as well. I plan to send these out over the next two weeks (maybe we could actually take some time to discuss some of them next sat). These are not my thoughts but paraphrased from a book I own.

What You Saw

Remember the things you saw. Your eyes were "open" on this trip. They often are not here. We get too busy.

1) what did you see in the people?

2) which of their needs are most vivid?

3) what aspects of their lives impressed you most?

4) what did you see in the country that was different from your expectations?

5) is there a mental picture that comes to mind?

6) what keeps you from "seeing" in your world?

"Seeing" is a discipline. It is the first step in making a difference in our world.

Avek amore

Leah

-----

Step Two: "Recalibrating Part 1:  Stream of Consciousness Exercise"

Allow yourself over the next few days to begin to write out all the things on your mind and in your heart concerning changes you’d like to make in your life in response to the trip.  As a model, I have included the list I generated immediately following my most recent trip to Haiti (see Part E). The purpose of the stream of consciousness posture is to allow everything to come out unfiltered and unedited.

After you’ve allowed yourself to sit with things for a few days, narrow your list to no more than ten desired changes/recalibrations.  The list should include at least one or two items that deal with your desire to become more connected with your community of faith. The list should include also one or two items that deal with your desire to become more missional in your life.

In a couple of weeks, narrow your list to no more than five recalibrations and then rank them in their order of importance.

Step Three:  "Seeking the Fruit of the Spirit"

Complete a study on the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), the love passage (1 Corinthians 13:4-8), and the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). Completing a comprehensive study of the ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) is recommended as well.

Galatians 5:22, 23:  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8:  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.

Matthew 5:1-12:  Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Blessed are the meek,  for they will inherit the earth.  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.  Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Exodus 20:1-17:  And God spoke all these words:  "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  You shall have no other gods before me.  You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.  You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.  Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.  On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.  Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.  You shall not murder.  You shall not commit adultery.  You shall not steal.  You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.  You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.  You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Step Four: "Reacquainting Yourself with Yourself"

Ask yourself (and answer) the following questions:

1. What were your dreams as a child?
2. Who were your heroes as a child?
3. What are your dreams now?
4. Who are your heroes now? 

Take a spiritual gift inventory.  If I recall, newhope church still offers one on the newhope website.  There are, though, several offered on-line that I think will be very beneficial to you.  One such inventory can be found at http://www.kodachrome.org/spiritgift/.

Step Five: "Recalibrating Part 2"

Ask yourself (and answer) the following questions:

1. Where are you now?
2. Where do you want to be a month from now?  And what will you do to migrate toward that place?
3. Where do you want to be in three months?  And what will you do to migrate toward that place?
4. Where do you want to be in twelve months?  And what will you do to migrate toward that place? 

Step Six: "Beginning with the End in Mind"

Ask yourself (and answer) the following questions:

1. Where do you want to be in five years?
2. How do you want to feel in five years?

Allow the revisioning of this part to draw you like a huge magnet toward the fulfillment of what you are envisioning.

Part D: A Few Things I'd Like to Learn from the Samurai

Provided below is something I wrote a year or so ago…

A Few Things I’d Like to Learn from the Samurai

For most of my life, I’ve been fascinated by the warrior classes—especially, the ancient Samurai of feudal Japan.  To say they were a paradoxical people is an understatement.

The Samurai trained in the arts of life and death:  they studied and practiced haiku and swordsmanship…the tea ceremony and field applications of archery...gardening and submission grappling.  They prepared for the future, but didn't wait for it to happen; they lived in and for the moment as though tomorrow didn't exist—because, to them, it didn't.  They had children, and yet raised them to live as though Mom and Dad might not be around an hour hence.

Theirs was a way of life so utterly simple, and yet incomprehensibly complex.  They cultivated an unnatural naturalness and a natural unnaturalness in nearly every aspect of life, and they lived by an ancient, internal code that simply reminded them to be present and devoted completely to their current experience...for there really is nothing else.

I recall a story I heard once about a martial arts instructor, who posed the following question to his adult students:  "If you discovered that you had only twenty-four hours left to live, what would you do with the time you had left?"  The answers he received were varied, as one might expect.  Some spoke of how they would spend their time with their families; others of how they would visit places they’d always wanted to see but never did; and still others of how they would devote themselves to some form of service to humanity.

After listening intently for a few minutes, the teacher beckoned his students to stillness and then spoke of his disappointment with the answers they’d all given.  "No one answered with what I would consider the best answer possible," he began.  "And that's this: I wouldn't live any differently than the way I'm living right now, right here."

In the United States alone, more than two million people died last year—many from things unexpected.  Just like some of us will, too, someday.  Perhaps, even, today or tomorrow.

I’d like to ask you the very same question the instructor I mentioned above asked his students so very long ago...

If you had only twenty-four hours left to live, and knew it, how differently would you live that last day than the way you'd lived, say, the previous 365 days?

Take a few minutes, and really give it some thought.  Perhaps, even, write you answers down or, even better, go and live them out—and do it today...right now.  And then do it tomorrow...and the day after that...and the day after that, should you, Lord-willing, be blessed with such a precious gift.

Part E: My Most Recent Stream of Consciousness Big List (Prepared in April 2011 During My Initial Responses to the Haiti 2011 Trip)

1. When taking a shower, turn off the hot water while lathering up your body or washing your hair.
2. Go out of your way to be the first to greet another—be it a friend or a total stranger. Be the first to smile and say "hello."
3. Greet people properly. Smile, look them in the eye, and speak clearly and genuinely.
4. Spend some time every day working on your business contacts—Ummm...not your website, Dave; your contacts. :o)
5. Redo your budget during the first part of May, put together a revised financial plan, and then live by it.
6. Step up your purchasing from Goodwill of the things you need, and donate back at least as much as you buy.
7. Pursue up-to-date news about Haiti and Kenya. KNOW what’s going on in both of those countries.
8. Open yourself up to those around you—almost to a point that’s pretty much unheard of in our culture. But do so in a manner that's sensitive to others. Be open, but in a kindly manner.
9. Speak the truth (or what you know or believe to be the truth) in kindness with everyone (even yourself), all the time, in every situation, and without hesitation.
10. Reinvigorate your inventiveness. (It’s been a while, Dave. It’s time to create stuff again, dude.)
11. Develop an exercise routine that can be practiced effectively overseas.
12. Devote considerable time to the personal (meaning, in-person) cultivation of missional partnerships.
13. Write with all your heart and mind, and let what’s inside you come out. Share who you are with as many people as possible.
14. Complete your tax returns on-time, Dave. THEY OWE you money. What are you waiting for?  Go get it, dude.
15. Be faithful in your Sunday morning and Monday night Missional Houses of Prayer.
16. Pay all your bills on-time.
17. Ask for prayer.  Plead with those you know to pray for you.
18. Tell those you love how much you love them and what they’ve meant to you in your life.
19. Be super-expressively grateful.
20. Cease all complaints, all blame, all criticism, all gossip.  All of it, Dave.
21. Confront misbehavior lovingly, but firmly—in yourself and in others.
22. Reduce your wine consumption.  I know you love it, Dave, but it can easily begin to hate you.  Enjoy it in moderation.  Remember this:  A second glass never tastes as good as the first.
23. Fast, on occasion, the watching of movies by yourself.  Do so for a day, a week, or, even, a month at a time.
24. Build deep and abiding friendships with your work colleagues.
25. Create missional culture by living it and inviting those you love to practice such things with you.
26. Pursue Acts 2 community living within the newhope community.
27. Pray for people on the spot.
28. Go to bed earlier.
29. Get up earlier.
30. Keep your kitchen sink clean and your dishwasher empty.
31. Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes.
32. Forgive quicker. Decide beforehand that everyone around you is automatically forgiven—long before they irritate or hurt you.
33. Stop thinking about what you’re going to say while someone else is talking. Take the time to really listen and absorb what another is saying to you.  Then, after that person feels that he or she has been heard, think about what you might like to say.
34. Let go of your attachment to specific outcomes in your life.  Do you really HAVE to have x y z to be happy?  Ummm...the correct answer would be NO, Dave.
35. Submit—completely—to those in authority over you.  Submit also—and do so completely—to your brothers and sisters around you.
36. Stop caring so much about what others think of you.
37. Take the time to really prepare at least one meal a day, and then give yourself permission to actually taste it, okay?  Dine, Dave, dine…and have fun eating, because having fun is at least half the point!  These are all novel concepts, I know!
38. Dine on your conversations with others, too.  Sip—don’t gulp-their soul’s wine.  It will change your life, dude.  And theirs, too!
39. Take care of your paper work.
40. Always respond to others with an almost overwhelming kindness, respect, dignity, and compassion.
41. Smile before you answer the phone or before someone even says “hello” to you.
42. Go out of your way to acknowledge the person waiting on you in a restaurant or in the check-out line at the grocery store.  Learn—and remember—his or her name.
43. When someone comes in to your office, stop what you’re doing—immediately (unless you’re on the phone)—and give that person your full time and attention.
44. Live in the moment, Dave.  Yesterday no longer is, and tomorrow doesn't exist.  All you have is right now.
45. Invite God to be an integral part of every though, feeling, word, and action.
46. Be happy...all the time...even when you’re feeling sad or broken.
47. Enjoy your friends.
48. Be prompt in returning phone calls.
49. Engage in language training (especially Haitian Creole and Kiswahili) weekly.

Part F: Some Final Thoughts

The purpose of the above exercise conglomerate is to provide you with a road map for responding to the Kenya trip in a way that is generative, life-affirming, and life-giving.  I believe with all my heart that if you really do work at it…prayerfully…you and the kingdom of God will benefit greatly. I speak of this from my own personal experience.

Part G: One Last Thing

As I wrote above, aside from making a decision to pursue Jesus with all your heart, don’t make any significant life-changes for at least 30 days (specifically, before March 1, 2012).  But…if there are significant life-changes that you think you’d like to make, add them to your list of recalibrations, and let them marinate with all the others. :o)

Peace out, y’all, and have fun with all of this (for having fun is, I believe, half the point!).

Also...please, please, please let me know if I can be of any help or service to any of you in any of the above (or anything else, for that matter).  Again, I love you all so much that it hurts inside.

CU,

Daver

2 Feb...5:07a

My apologies, but I have been unable to connect to the internet since yesterday afternoon.  Now that I have a connection, though, I'm going to post this right now!

...

Touring downtown PaP, yesterday, was still pretty sobering.  Even though rebuilding is occurring, and the city is looking the cleanest I've seen it, tent cities are still a reality, and, it would seem, they are expanding and becoming more permanent.  Initially, these "cities" were established to provide a temporary place to live (with water points and a few latrines) for the 1.2m people who were displaced by the January 2010 earthquake.  It would seem, though, that many who were without means before (and who were not displaced by the 2010 earthquake) have begun to take up residence in these pseudo-permanent cities as well.  Their hope being that they can, in some way, take advantage of the systems of international relief that have been created and put in place over the last two years.  Things like this are NOT uncommon or unexpected; it happens all over the world.  Such are the many plights of the human condition.  (Oh...how we are all in such need of the reconciling and regenerating power God!!)

I'd like to take a step back though...a step back to the meeting we had with the Bohoc LC Tuesday night at the guesthouse in Bohoc (actually, the guesthouse is located in Pignon, the village next to Bohoc).  Needless to write, our time with the village elders was very emotional.  It was made quite obvious to all of us on Team Haiti 2012 that the village of Bohoc loves The 410 Bridge organization and that they absolutely love it when we come and visit.  The village elders were quite expressive in their love for and gratitude toward us over our coming back this year (as well as over our intentions to keep coming back!).  I did not feel this nearly as much last April.  We have not just been warmly welcomed by the village but have been made a part of it.  This, my friends, is extraordinary and is, indeed, a very great honor.  Trust is being built with a people who have been let down and abandoned time and time again by those who claimed to love them but maybe never really did.

"We are one," they all said to us.  "Please come whenever you can;  in fact, come stay with us longer (even live amongst us) because you are now a part of us, and we are now a part of you.  Oh...and don't forget to pray for us and to tell everyone back home about us."

Bohoc is experiencing an excitement about their village that is palpable.  In the air is the feeling that "something is happening here...something special."  Last year, I looked at the village elders as a collection of Nehemiahs, men and women who'd been raised by God to inspire their people to work together to renew and rebuild Bohoc.  This past week, I began to experience them also as a collection of John the Baptists, again raised by God, but anointed for an expanded purpose:  To prepare the way of the Lord's favor, to make straight His paths of blessing.  The community and its leaders, through their love, their courage, their dedication, and their diligent work, are doing what they need to do to position themselves for the blessings of God.  They are making themselves blessable (if I can use that word) by God through doing those things that they must do for themselves...those things that God will not do for them.  God will not clear their fields or break up the soil in preparation for garden planting.  No.  God will not create the planting rows and irrigation trenches.  No.  God will not plant the vegetables or fruit trees or "tend to" the plants as they are growing.  No.  All of these things must be done by the people, and they are doing these very things.  And they are looking to God for those things that only God can do:  Provide sunlight, bring the rain, and create growth.  It is a partnership, and the people know this, and they are energized by it.  It is, in fact, life to them.

And it is to us, too!

Yes, indeed, "something is happening here...something special."  A New Haiti is rising, my friends.  What an honor it is to be able to witness some of it and to play a small part in it!

...

A Final Word

Given that the internet connection here at New Life has been so sketchy, I'm going to let this be my last post while on this trip.  I have so enjoyed being able to write of all of these things and to share some of our experiences with you in this way.  I hope that, in some ways, you've felt like you were right here along side us and our our Haitian brethren.  Know this, my friends:  You were...in spirit, through your love, and through your prayers.  Please continue to pray for all 11 of us as we make the trek back to the U.S. today, as we assimilate back into life in the U.S., and...as we prepare to return to Haiti in April (!!).

Oh...

And don't forget to pray for our brothers and sisters in Bohoc, either, okay?  We are one with them, and they with us.  We need them just as much as they need us.  May we all walk in the humility that such a realization brings about.

God's peace and blessings to all of you,

Dave (On Behalf of Team Haiti 2012)
New Life Guesthouse
Port au Prince, Haiti
2 Feb 2012

P.S.  For those of you who were with us in Haiti last April, our great friend and sister in the faith, Tara Thorn came out to see us last night.  It was so good to see her.  She told us to tell all of you from last April (and you know who you are!) that she loves you all very much and that she hopes you'll come back to Haiti again.  (BTW, Tara, Keith has your choclate bar!)  Okay...that's about all I have.  CU... :o)

THE END...for now.

1 Feb...1:30p

H E L L O ... from Port au Prince, Haiti!

Yes, we made it here just fine!

We got to the New Life Children's Home and guesthouse about an hour ago and checked into our rooms.  We got here a little earlier than I thought we would.  Tompy drove, and, even though we missed Edwin (Tompy's brother), we enjoyed Tompy's company for most of the morning and early afternoon.  As it turns out, Tompy is not at all bashful around the bumps, puddles, and deep ruts that litter the roadways in the mountains of Haiti.  It seems also that he has a particular interest in "hearing" the engine roar as that enables him to better monitor the performance of the fuel delivery and drive systems in the bus.  Riding in the back reminded me a lot of some of the rides I've been on at Disney World.

In a few minutes, we're going to be heading out to tour downtown PaP.  But...before we do so, I want to get out some of what transpired last night.

As I wrote last night, several of the Bohoc LC members came to share and pray with us on our last night in Bohoc.

This didn't happen last year.

Later, I'll write more about this and some of the other feelings that were expressed by the LC.  But for now, I just want to communicate a little of their answer to the question:  Would you tell us your vision for the community?  Provided below is a summary of what my friend, Jedlaim shared as his response...

Our Vision

To become a village committed to practicing sustainable ways of living.

To become a village where more and more of the adults fear God and are devoted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

To become a village where a solid education is available to more and more of the children in the village.

To become a village where more and more of the children have become disciples of Jesus Christ.

Our Priorities

Agriculture

Education (and the coming university!)

Healthcare

Okay...that's it for now.  There will be more personal stuff later.

Peace-out!

Dave (On Behalf of Team Haiti 2012)

1 Feb...6:03a

Good morning from Bohoc, Haiti, and happy February the 1st!

Today is, indeed, a happy day!!

But it is also a day wrapped up in the sadness that comes with having to leave a people we have grown to love so much.

The plan for the day is as follows:

6:03a...

Wake up

6:03a+...

Drink some coffee

Talk to God

Breathe in and out some

Go to some places

Do some stuff

Love and enjoy some people

Cry a little and laugh a lot

Eat and drink things (besides just coffee)

Go to bed (at some point)

(THE END)

Okay...so that's the general plan.  As far as some specifics are concerned, we plan to load up the bus and leave Bohoc for Port au Prince (PaP) at around 8:30a.  The bus ride should take between four and five hours.  In PaP, the plan, as I understand it, is to tour the city some and then head to the guesthouse attached to the New Life Children's Home.  For those of you who were a part of the Haiti 2011 trip, that's the same place we stayed at last April when we were in PaP.

Okay...I'm going to sign off for now, eat some breakfast, and finish packing.  We may not have internet service until some time tonight.  Until them, may God's peace and rest be with all of you throughout this happy day.

In Him,

Dave (on Behalf of Team Haiti 2012)