Hey Everyone...
The afternoon began with attending
the souvenir market in the town square.
The market can be quite a site, as it involves about 50 different women
peddling their wares (jewelry, art work, clothing, book marks, writing cards, metal
works, wood carvings, machetes, etc.) and all
just for us. However, I must write
that the 5:1 ratio (ummm...5 community women to each team member) and that almost
everything each woman had for sale was similar to what every other woman had
for sale and that the Haitians love to negotiate and that each woman knew that each
of us brought money just for this event did create a situation that was a
little intimidating. Based on what I
saw, though, it seems that the whole team rose to the occasion and had a lot of
fun despite the discomfort we might have felt.
After the market, we deviated from
the schedule and, instead of heading to Kris
El Espwa, went to Pastor Isaac's church, The Church of God, to play with about 40 children. Our time with the children began with
teaching them Connie's Christianized version of The Hokey Pokey. After that,
we headed out to a very muddy construction site (the site for the church's new church
building [they're meeting in a tent now]) to play soccer, throw the football,
toss the frisbee, jump rope, paint nails, blow bubbles, etc. We all had a lot of fun with the kids and didn't
seem to mind at all getting really dirty. :o)
After dinner tonight, the Bohoc
Leadership Council came out to the guest house to share the evening with us. I'm not going to write about that tonight,
though; please look for a summary of that in the next day or so...
Goodnight,
Dave
On behalf of Team Haiti 2012/April
Team Kenya 2013: July 25, 2013 - August 3, 2013
Thursday, April 26, 2012
25 Apr...6:01p
We just returned from our last day
in the Bohoc community. Tonight we say
goodbye to the Bohoc Leadership Council (BLC), and tomorrow morning we pack up
and head back to the New Life Guest House
in Port au Prince.
This week has been a fabulous week. I am so impressed with our team as a whole and with each member individually.
Since this is my first post of today, I'm going to write about the beginning of our day and then do another post after dinner.
Today began with breakfast and a devotion led by Julie. Julie's text for her devotion was Psalm 10:14, which reads, But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.
In addition to her sincerity of heart, what struck me most about Julie's devotion were her words of encouragement and instruction for the team. Here are a few highlights...
God has the answers.
He will take care of things.
In your life, leave nothing (good or useful!) unsaid.
Have you emptied your cup into what you are doing?
While it's not our duty to fill another's cup (that's God's responsibility), we've been asked by God to pour out what we have.
It was a really good word.
After devotions, we loaded up and headed into to town for another morning of road widening. Actually, we picked up where we left off yesterday and helped the community widen probably another 75-ft of road. All told, between yesterday and today, the team and the community widened close to 200-ft of roadway. Props to everyone for working so hard--especially, to Robert (Adias, the President of BLC, asked if Robert could stay; Denise quickly piped up, "Ummm...he's with me, so NO!") and to the ladies on the team for working so hard and for providing so much entertainment (and "for being so...interesting"--Adias) while we all worked (Singing the "YMCA" song, doing "The Macarena", making fun of Ronald, etc., etc., etc.).
After completing the road widening project, we all headed back to the guest house for a quick lunch, loaded back up, and headed back into town.
Okay...dinner's ready so I'm going to pause for now.
Dave
On behalf of Team Haiti 2012/April
This week has been a fabulous week. I am so impressed with our team as a whole and with each member individually.
Since this is my first post of today, I'm going to write about the beginning of our day and then do another post after dinner.
Today began with breakfast and a devotion led by Julie. Julie's text for her devotion was Psalm 10:14, which reads, But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; You consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.
In addition to her sincerity of heart, what struck me most about Julie's devotion were her words of encouragement and instruction for the team. Here are a few highlights...
God has the answers.
He will take care of things.
In your life, leave nothing (good or useful!) unsaid.
Have you emptied your cup into what you are doing?
While it's not our duty to fill another's cup (that's God's responsibility), we've been asked by God to pour out what we have.
It was a really good word.
After devotions, we loaded up and headed into to town for another morning of road widening. Actually, we picked up where we left off yesterday and helped the community widen probably another 75-ft of road. All told, between yesterday and today, the team and the community widened close to 200-ft of roadway. Props to everyone for working so hard--especially, to Robert (Adias, the President of BLC, asked if Robert could stay; Denise quickly piped up, "Ummm...he's with me, so NO!") and to the ladies on the team for working so hard and for providing so much entertainment (and "for being so...interesting"--Adias) while we all worked (Singing the "YMCA" song, doing "The Macarena", making fun of Ronald, etc., etc., etc.).
After completing the road widening project, we all headed back to the guest house for a quick lunch, loaded back up, and headed back into town.
Okay...dinner's ready so I'm going to pause for now.
Dave
On behalf of Team Haiti 2012/April
24 Apr...2:45p
Bonswa!!
I hope that all of you are doing well.
A common greeting in Haitian Creole' is "S'ak Pase?" ("What's up?" or "How's it going?"). The typical response is "Nap Boule" ("No worries" or, more literally, "I'm in the fire, but not burning.").
This morning began with breakfast and a team devotion led by Tracy. Her text was Mark 4:1-20, The Parable of the Sower. Tracy's word to us seemed really timely to me. In fact, she prefaced her time with us by saying that God impressed on her that He wished for her to share on something different than what she'd prepared. Between you and me, I'm glad she listened!
The question we need to ask ourselves, she suggested (as prompted by the parable), is this: Where am I in my heart attitude?
Am I in the shallow, rocky, and well-worn places of worry, concerns about money, or the fickle desire for cultural acceptance? Or am I in the nutrient rich soils of openness, thirst for God, selfless service, and humble submission to God and to those around me?
Can the soils of your life support a crop that's 100 times that which is being sown into your life?
If not, are you willing to be changed?...To let God break up and turn over the soils of your soul?
After devotions, we loaded up and headed into town where we met up with some of the villagers to work on a road widening project. On our way into Bohoc, though, we stopped at Madam Billo's (Be-LOW's) home to pray with her, and just before beginning work, we stopped at Madam Isaiah's (Aa-ZEYE-ee's) home to lay hands on her and to pray for her again. As we were praying, I heard my own spirit praying, "Break up the stone, Lord. Break up the stone." As I wrote about on Sunday, Madam Isaiah has been suffering from a gall stone for about two years. Just as Tracy spoke about the soils of our hearts needing to be broken up, turned over, and fertilized, and just as we were getting ready to work with the villagers to widen a road (which would involve some ground-breaking work, too), I felt God urge me to pray, as I worked today, "Break up the stone, Lord, break up the stone...in Madam Isaiah's body and in my own heart." Even as I'm writing this, I can hear those words echoing within my mind.
After praying for Madam Isaiah, the team worked alongside our Haitian friends to widen about 100-ft of road. The road widening process can be quite involved. The process begins with the removal and the setting aside of the cactus fence that lines one or both sides of the road, digging out a new trench (several feet beyond the original road's edge) so as to provide a conducive area to replant the previously removed cactus plants, removing any trees (even large ones) that stand within the travel way of the expanded road surface, smoothing oput the road, and followed finally with the replanting of the most viable parts of the previously removed cactus plants.
Road widening is an extremely beneficial thing to the Haitians. Most roads begin as two- to three-foot wide foot paths and then widen as farmers begin to use the paths to bring in supplies or to bring their livestock to and from the weekly market or to and from the most advantageous watering locations. The road we worked on today was widened in order to provide an additional access to the university that is currently under construction on the campus of UCI (United Christian International).
UCI and THE University (!!)
When we visited UCI a year ago, we heard about the planned university on the UCI campus. For those of you who might not know what UCI is, UCI is a ministry that was begun many years ago by Pastor JeanJean (a Haitian) and his wife, Christy (a U.S. citizen). Occupying what was once a popular, forested gathering place for voodoo ceremonies and rituals, the UCI campus is comprised of a church, a private elementary school, a bread processing factory, as well as a large garden and several other amenities. [BTW...as I write this, the lady's in the kitchen are singing as they prepare dinner. :o)]
When we were here in Bohoc this past January, we visited UCI again, and heard from the Bohoc Leadership Council (BLC) how excited they were about the coming university.
Well...(!!)...today we visited UCI again, and--guess what??--THE UNIVERSITY IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION!! While we were on the campus, we toured the three nearly completed educational buildings, saw the outside of the nearly completed women's dormitory, and, in the distance, could see the outside of the nearly completed men's dormitory.
According to Jedlain, UCI University should open next year and will offer four-year degrees in three fields of study: Education, Agriculture, and Theology/Pastoral Ministry. THIS will be huge for the people of Haiti and especially for the village of Bohoc.
All of this is falling in line beautifully with the God-inspired vision the village has to create a sustainable community dedicated to the Lordship of Jesus Christ...and a place where Haitians can be born and live out the rest of their lives with those that love them and with those they've known their entire lives. When the earthquake of January 2010 occurred, Bohoc felt the quake in more ways than one. While no buildings in Bohoc were damaged, and while no one living in Bohoc was killed, many of the families living in Bohoc suffered the loss of loved ones in the earthquake. As it was communicated to me, quite a number of the children that grew up in Bohoc, a few years ago, started migrating to Port au Prince (PaP) in the hopes of finding work and a faster pace of life. Unfortunately, many of them didn't find what they'd hoped to find and, unfortunagtely, ended up in the slums of PaP only to be killed during the earthquake.
The village of Bohoc suffered greatly over these losses. It's hard not to notice that there's a significant segment of the Bohoc population that seems to be missing. While there are lots and lots of children (elementary- through high school-age) and many adults over 30, there are not the many residents that comprise the season of early adulthood (say, from 18-30 years of age). I think it is safe to write that this demographic is largely missing from the community. While I do not wish to place words in the mouths of my Haitian brethren, I believe it is the BLC's hope, through the efforts of the village and through what the university will bring, that a flourishing, God-fearing, and wholly-represented community will be created where those born in Bohoc will choose to stay there throughout their lives.
Having visited with these beloved people three different times over the last year, I feel at liberty to write that there is still a sadness in the village that only time, God, and working and worshiping alongside each other will bring about. As my friend Jedlain has shared with me, "First we work, then we call others to come join us in sharing in the work, and, as we work, we talk, basically continuing in a never-ending conversation, and, during all this, wait upon God to display the wonders of His grace by doing for us that which only He can do." Amen, my brother...amen.
Kris El Espwa
After lunch and following a long (and much needed) nap for all of us, we spent a couple of hours this afternoon with some of the children at Kris El Espwa (Christ Our Hope). Our time with the kids was cut short as a storm quickly came in and we found ourselves needing to depart the village quickly so that we would not get stuck on any of the hills or in any of the low, water crossings. To be honest with you, it was a little funny to watch Jedlain all of the suddenly start shouting at the team, "Come on!!...Let's go!!...Hurry!!" These are NOT typical Haitian words and phrases.
I'm going to end my writing for now as I'd like to go hang out for a few minutes with my teammates before going to bed.
May God bless all of you richly.
In Him,
Dave
On behalf of Team Haiti 2012/April
I hope that all of you are doing well.
A common greeting in Haitian Creole' is "S'ak Pase?" ("What's up?" or "How's it going?"). The typical response is "Nap Boule" ("No worries" or, more literally, "I'm in the fire, but not burning.").
This morning began with breakfast and a team devotion led by Tracy. Her text was Mark 4:1-20, The Parable of the Sower. Tracy's word to us seemed really timely to me. In fact, she prefaced her time with us by saying that God impressed on her that He wished for her to share on something different than what she'd prepared. Between you and me, I'm glad she listened!
The question we need to ask ourselves, she suggested (as prompted by the parable), is this: Where am I in my heart attitude?
Am I in the shallow, rocky, and well-worn places of worry, concerns about money, or the fickle desire for cultural acceptance? Or am I in the nutrient rich soils of openness, thirst for God, selfless service, and humble submission to God and to those around me?
Can the soils of your life support a crop that's 100 times that which is being sown into your life?
If not, are you willing to be changed?...To let God break up and turn over the soils of your soul?
After devotions, we loaded up and headed into town where we met up with some of the villagers to work on a road widening project. On our way into Bohoc, though, we stopped at Madam Billo's (Be-LOW's) home to pray with her, and just before beginning work, we stopped at Madam Isaiah's (Aa-ZEYE-ee's) home to lay hands on her and to pray for her again. As we were praying, I heard my own spirit praying, "Break up the stone, Lord. Break up the stone." As I wrote about on Sunday, Madam Isaiah has been suffering from a gall stone for about two years. Just as Tracy spoke about the soils of our hearts needing to be broken up, turned over, and fertilized, and just as we were getting ready to work with the villagers to widen a road (which would involve some ground-breaking work, too), I felt God urge me to pray, as I worked today, "Break up the stone, Lord, break up the stone...in Madam Isaiah's body and in my own heart." Even as I'm writing this, I can hear those words echoing within my mind.
After praying for Madam Isaiah, the team worked alongside our Haitian friends to widen about 100-ft of road. The road widening process can be quite involved. The process begins with the removal and the setting aside of the cactus fence that lines one or both sides of the road, digging out a new trench (several feet beyond the original road's edge) so as to provide a conducive area to replant the previously removed cactus plants, removing any trees (even large ones) that stand within the travel way of the expanded road surface, smoothing oput the road, and followed finally with the replanting of the most viable parts of the previously removed cactus plants.
Road widening is an extremely beneficial thing to the Haitians. Most roads begin as two- to three-foot wide foot paths and then widen as farmers begin to use the paths to bring in supplies or to bring their livestock to and from the weekly market or to and from the most advantageous watering locations. The road we worked on today was widened in order to provide an additional access to the university that is currently under construction on the campus of UCI (United Christian International).
UCI and THE University (!!)
When we visited UCI a year ago, we heard about the planned university on the UCI campus. For those of you who might not know what UCI is, UCI is a ministry that was begun many years ago by Pastor JeanJean (a Haitian) and his wife, Christy (a U.S. citizen). Occupying what was once a popular, forested gathering place for voodoo ceremonies and rituals, the UCI campus is comprised of a church, a private elementary school, a bread processing factory, as well as a large garden and several other amenities. [BTW...as I write this, the lady's in the kitchen are singing as they prepare dinner. :o)]
When we were here in Bohoc this past January, we visited UCI again, and heard from the Bohoc Leadership Council (BLC) how excited they were about the coming university.
Well...(!!)...today we visited UCI again, and--guess what??--THE UNIVERSITY IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION!! While we were on the campus, we toured the three nearly completed educational buildings, saw the outside of the nearly completed women's dormitory, and, in the distance, could see the outside of the nearly completed men's dormitory.
According to Jedlain, UCI University should open next year and will offer four-year degrees in three fields of study: Education, Agriculture, and Theology/Pastoral Ministry. THIS will be huge for the people of Haiti and especially for the village of Bohoc.
All of this is falling in line beautifully with the God-inspired vision the village has to create a sustainable community dedicated to the Lordship of Jesus Christ...and a place where Haitians can be born and live out the rest of their lives with those that love them and with those they've known their entire lives. When the earthquake of January 2010 occurred, Bohoc felt the quake in more ways than one. While no buildings in Bohoc were damaged, and while no one living in Bohoc was killed, many of the families living in Bohoc suffered the loss of loved ones in the earthquake. As it was communicated to me, quite a number of the children that grew up in Bohoc, a few years ago, started migrating to Port au Prince (PaP) in the hopes of finding work and a faster pace of life. Unfortunately, many of them didn't find what they'd hoped to find and, unfortunagtely, ended up in the slums of PaP only to be killed during the earthquake.
The village of Bohoc suffered greatly over these losses. It's hard not to notice that there's a significant segment of the Bohoc population that seems to be missing. While there are lots and lots of children (elementary- through high school-age) and many adults over 30, there are not the many residents that comprise the season of early adulthood (say, from 18-30 years of age). I think it is safe to write that this demographic is largely missing from the community. While I do not wish to place words in the mouths of my Haitian brethren, I believe it is the BLC's hope, through the efforts of the village and through what the university will bring, that a flourishing, God-fearing, and wholly-represented community will be created where those born in Bohoc will choose to stay there throughout their lives.
Having visited with these beloved people three different times over the last year, I feel at liberty to write that there is still a sadness in the village that only time, God, and working and worshiping alongside each other will bring about. As my friend Jedlain has shared with me, "First we work, then we call others to come join us in sharing in the work, and, as we work, we talk, basically continuing in a never-ending conversation, and, during all this, wait upon God to display the wonders of His grace by doing for us that which only He can do." Amen, my brother...amen.
Kris El Espwa
After lunch and following a long (and much needed) nap for all of us, we spent a couple of hours this afternoon with some of the children at Kris El Espwa (Christ Our Hope). Our time with the kids was cut short as a storm quickly came in and we found ourselves needing to depart the village quickly so that we would not get stuck on any of the hills or in any of the low, water crossings. To be honest with you, it was a little funny to watch Jedlain all of the suddenly start shouting at the team, "Come on!!...Let's go!!...Hurry!!" These are NOT typical Haitian words and phrases.
I'm going to end my writing for now as I'd like to go hang out for a few minutes with my teammates before going to bed.
May God bless all of you richly.
In Him,
Dave
On behalf of Team Haiti 2012/April
23 Apr...5:44p
Greetings...
We just got back from Matthew 28, and I have only a few minutes to write before dinner. As such, I'd like to pick up where I left off earlier, break for dinner, and then finish writing about the day...
After devotions, this morning, we piled into the van and headed into town to begin our first work day at the garden project. As I wrote yesterday, this is a community garden and is intended to help those less fortunate in the community. By the end of the morning we'd pretty much finished breaking up the ground. Several previous teams (including Team Haiti 2012/January) had worked on the garden previous to our arrival. As we were working, I asked Jedlain what's next in terms of the garden...
"Next, we will irrigate it," he said, "then we will fertilize it, and then we will plant it."
"What kind of fertilizer will you use?" I asked.
"Paper...it's readily available and not as expensive as other kindsof fertilizers," Jedlain responded.
"Does paper contain enough nitrogen to fix what's needed in the soil?"
"Yes."
Oh...dinner's ready. More in a little while...
[Dinner looked good tonight, but I wasn't able to eat it as the pasta dish contained meat. I did enjoy watching my teammates devour what the ladies prepared for us, though. :o)]
After finishing up our work in the garden, we all piled into the bus and headed for the town market that's held weekly on Mondays. At the market, you can buy just about anything from shoes and clothing to candy and gum to beans and rice to donkeys and milking cows to radios and sunglasses. Much of the produce for sale is grown locally by the villagers; some of the livestock is raised locally, while some are purchased elsewhere. Many of the household goods are purchased at various markets throughout Haiti. Here's how the process was described to me last year. Household goods are delivered in bulk to Port au Prince (PaP) fairly regularly. Every Saturday, PaP holds a really big market (and I'm talking HUGE [Team Haiti 2011 got to visit it last April]), where thousands upon thousands of people from all over Haiti come and purchase goods that they then take back with them to other markets spread amongst the many larger towns and villages throughout Haiti. Some of the villagers from Bohoc travel to these markets a few times a year to buy wares for them to sell at the local Bohoc market every Monday.
While to the casual observer, the market situation may seem ad-hoc and a bit chaotic, it's actually quite organized. Some on the team asked me where all the goods come from. I said that a lot comes from the United States and that most of it is excess product that has either become obsolete (like non-digital TVs) or unsalable due to mistakes in workmanship. "Irregulars" (in terms of clothing) are routinely shipped in huge quantities to Haiti. In Haiti, you can purchase a Tommy Hilfiger shirt for $6-$7 that might cost $40 in the states. The only difference between the two is the $6 shirt may contain some irregular stitching that doesn't meet the strict standards for sale in the states. (Frankly, I have a really hard time telling the difference.)
After walking through the market for a little while, we all piled back into the bus and headed home for lunch.
Matthew 28
After lunch, we headed for Matthew 28, where we got to spend a couple of hours loving on and playing with the children who live there. Despite the lack of supervision, I really enjoy being with those kids. In fact, considering the lack of supervision, they really are quite well-behaved. One of our team very astutely noted: "There is definitely family structure amongst the kids." She's absolutely right; many of the older kids do in fact watch over and provide limited guidance to the younger kids.
While at the orphanage, I walked around to see if there were any adults on-site. There was one: an elderly woman cooking beans and rice in the kitchen clear across on the other side of the orphanage compound. The situation at Matthew 28 is still very concerning to me. Today, there were only 30 children at the orphanage. As I saw only three or four of the teenagers living there, most of the 30 kids there today ranged (based on my estimation) from about three- to ten-years-old. We learned from Jedlain that there are, supposedly, a total of 65 children living at the orphanage and that the orphanage is overseen by five Haitians, who live in the house next to the compound. I've been to Matthew 28 five times in the last year alone, and I have yet to see one of these five "overseers".
Despite the above, our time with the kids today was really nice. We painted nails, imprinted temporary tattoos, played with bubbles, jumped rope, played soccer, threw the frisbee, played football, wrestled--you name it. Toward the end of our time there, we all congregated in the pavilion, where Bill shared a word with the children and where Connie led us all in a Christianized version of The Hokie Pokie.
Leaving the kids at Matthew 28 is always difficult as they are so starving for love and attention and contact. This very thing is why I want us to keep going back to Matthew 28. 410 has considered eliminating these team visits to the orphanage (because of the negative [and, I've heard, devastating] effect it has had on some of the teams), but I've told 410 emphatically (almost demandingly [but not quite, as I am submitted to their leadership]) that I want teams from newhope to go to Matthew 28 at least once on each trip if it is at all possible. It's not the kids' fault that there's no visible leadership or supervision at the compound. While we know that there's little we can do to alleviate the conditions at the orphanage, we do know, though, that we can make a small difference in their lives by spending time with them and loving on them for at least a few hours during each trip.
Okay...that's all I have for now.
God's peace everyone!
Dave
On behalf of Team Haiti 2012/April
We just got back from Matthew 28, and I have only a few minutes to write before dinner. As such, I'd like to pick up where I left off earlier, break for dinner, and then finish writing about the day...
After devotions, this morning, we piled into the van and headed into town to begin our first work day at the garden project. As I wrote yesterday, this is a community garden and is intended to help those less fortunate in the community. By the end of the morning we'd pretty much finished breaking up the ground. Several previous teams (including Team Haiti 2012/January) had worked on the garden previous to our arrival. As we were working, I asked Jedlain what's next in terms of the garden...
"Next, we will irrigate it," he said, "then we will fertilize it, and then we will plant it."
"What kind of fertilizer will you use?" I asked.
"Paper...it's readily available and not as expensive as other kindsof fertilizers," Jedlain responded.
"Does paper contain enough nitrogen to fix what's needed in the soil?"
"Yes."
Oh...dinner's ready. More in a little while...
[Dinner looked good tonight, but I wasn't able to eat it as the pasta dish contained meat. I did enjoy watching my teammates devour what the ladies prepared for us, though. :o)]
After finishing up our work in the garden, we all piled into the bus and headed for the town market that's held weekly on Mondays. At the market, you can buy just about anything from shoes and clothing to candy and gum to beans and rice to donkeys and milking cows to radios and sunglasses. Much of the produce for sale is grown locally by the villagers; some of the livestock is raised locally, while some are purchased elsewhere. Many of the household goods are purchased at various markets throughout Haiti. Here's how the process was described to me last year. Household goods are delivered in bulk to Port au Prince (PaP) fairly regularly. Every Saturday, PaP holds a really big market (and I'm talking HUGE [Team Haiti 2011 got to visit it last April]), where thousands upon thousands of people from all over Haiti come and purchase goods that they then take back with them to other markets spread amongst the many larger towns and villages throughout Haiti. Some of the villagers from Bohoc travel to these markets a few times a year to buy wares for them to sell at the local Bohoc market every Monday.
While to the casual observer, the market situation may seem ad-hoc and a bit chaotic, it's actually quite organized. Some on the team asked me where all the goods come from. I said that a lot comes from the United States and that most of it is excess product that has either become obsolete (like non-digital TVs) or unsalable due to mistakes in workmanship. "Irregulars" (in terms of clothing) are routinely shipped in huge quantities to Haiti. In Haiti, you can purchase a Tommy Hilfiger shirt for $6-$7 that might cost $40 in the states. The only difference between the two is the $6 shirt may contain some irregular stitching that doesn't meet the strict standards for sale in the states. (Frankly, I have a really hard time telling the difference.)
After walking through the market for a little while, we all piled back into the bus and headed home for lunch.
Matthew 28
After lunch, we headed for Matthew 28, where we got to spend a couple of hours loving on and playing with the children who live there. Despite the lack of supervision, I really enjoy being with those kids. In fact, considering the lack of supervision, they really are quite well-behaved. One of our team very astutely noted: "There is definitely family structure amongst the kids." She's absolutely right; many of the older kids do in fact watch over and provide limited guidance to the younger kids.
While at the orphanage, I walked around to see if there were any adults on-site. There was one: an elderly woman cooking beans and rice in the kitchen clear across on the other side of the orphanage compound. The situation at Matthew 28 is still very concerning to me. Today, there were only 30 children at the orphanage. As I saw only three or four of the teenagers living there, most of the 30 kids there today ranged (based on my estimation) from about three- to ten-years-old. We learned from Jedlain that there are, supposedly, a total of 65 children living at the orphanage and that the orphanage is overseen by five Haitians, who live in the house next to the compound. I've been to Matthew 28 five times in the last year alone, and I have yet to see one of these five "overseers".
Despite the above, our time with the kids today was really nice. We painted nails, imprinted temporary tattoos, played with bubbles, jumped rope, played soccer, threw the frisbee, played football, wrestled--you name it. Toward the end of our time there, we all congregated in the pavilion, where Bill shared a word with the children and where Connie led us all in a Christianized version of The Hokie Pokie.
Leaving the kids at Matthew 28 is always difficult as they are so starving for love and attention and contact. This very thing is why I want us to keep going back to Matthew 28. 410 has considered eliminating these team visits to the orphanage (because of the negative [and, I've heard, devastating] effect it has had on some of the teams), but I've told 410 emphatically (almost demandingly [but not quite, as I am submitted to their leadership]) that I want teams from newhope to go to Matthew 28 at least once on each trip if it is at all possible. It's not the kids' fault that there's no visible leadership or supervision at the compound. While we know that there's little we can do to alleviate the conditions at the orphanage, we do know, though, that we can make a small difference in their lives by spending time with them and loving on them for at least a few hours during each trip.
Okay...that's all I have for now.
God's peace everyone!
Dave
On behalf of Team Haiti 2012/April
Monday, April 23, 2012
23 Apr...1:44p
Hello everyone,
We just finished lunch after a fabulous morning; I only have a few minutes, so I'll write a little about the beginnings of the day (and just have to pick up where I left off later) before we leave for The Matthew 28 Orphanage. Regarding Matthew 28, please keep that situation in your prayers. I wrote extensively about Matthew 28 when we were here in January. If you're interested, you can go back and read some of those posts in the archive on this site. There's one in particular, which I think summarizes the thoughts and feelings of the team back in January. The link for that is provided below:
http://hmi-nc.blogspot.com/2012/01/30-jan123p.html
Anyway...
The day started (of course) with breakfast. Okay, that's an understatement. It started with a great breakfast (basically, because I got to eat it!) of pancakes, bananas, and spam. I cannot comment on the spam, as I am deathly allergic to meat, but the pancakes with peanut butter, bananas, and syrup were fantastic. I think I consumed at least my USRDA of refined sugar for the day (maybe even the week) by the second bite (and God was most definitely pleased!).
After breakfast, Keith led the devotion. Drawing on a devotion he'd recently read by Dr. Charles Stanley, Keith shared a little about following God's schedule. The text was the Romans 11:33-36 doxology, which is a prayer of praise to God for His wisdom and plans.
Here are some of the things I remember Keith saying...
God is not arbitrary.
No one has ever been able to fully understand the Mind of God; no one is His counselor.
How can surrendering to God NOT be a benefit to us? (Rhetorical question, of course!)
Our Creator is always motivated by love. Always.
At just the right time, God will provide what we need to fulfill His plans for us.
Keith ended with a reading of The Optimist Creed. Two of the creed's statements spoke to where I am today...
Promise yourself...
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet (even a tarantula...yes, I found one on my shovel today [actually, I almost picked it up before I knew what it was]) a smile.
Okay...that's all for now. I have so much more to write about, but, alas (I've always wanted to use that word), I must post this so that I can go play with about 50 rowdy kids desperate to be touched and to be loved and to be delighted in.
Peace...
Dave
On behalf of Team Haiti 2012/April
We just finished lunch after a fabulous morning; I only have a few minutes, so I'll write a little about the beginnings of the day (and just have to pick up where I left off later) before we leave for The Matthew 28 Orphanage. Regarding Matthew 28, please keep that situation in your prayers. I wrote extensively about Matthew 28 when we were here in January. If you're interested, you can go back and read some of those posts in the archive on this site. There's one in particular, which I think summarizes the thoughts and feelings of the team back in January. The link for that is provided below:
http://hmi-nc.blogspot.com/2012/01/30-jan123p.html
Anyway...
The day started (of course) with breakfast. Okay, that's an understatement. It started with a great breakfast (basically, because I got to eat it!) of pancakes, bananas, and spam. I cannot comment on the spam, as I am deathly allergic to meat, but the pancakes with peanut butter, bananas, and syrup were fantastic. I think I consumed at least my USRDA of refined sugar for the day (maybe even the week) by the second bite (and God was most definitely pleased!).
After breakfast, Keith led the devotion. Drawing on a devotion he'd recently read by Dr. Charles Stanley, Keith shared a little about following God's schedule. The text was the Romans 11:33-36 doxology, which is a prayer of praise to God for His wisdom and plans.
Here are some of the things I remember Keith saying...
God is not arbitrary.
No one has ever been able to fully understand the Mind of God; no one is His counselor.
How can surrendering to God NOT be a benefit to us? (Rhetorical question, of course!)
Our Creator is always motivated by love. Always.
At just the right time, God will provide what we need to fulfill His plans for us.
Keith ended with a reading of The Optimist Creed. Two of the creed's statements spoke to where I am today...
Promise yourself...
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet (even a tarantula...yes, I found one on my shovel today [actually, I almost picked it up before I knew what it was]) a smile.
Okay...that's all for now. I have so much more to write about, but, alas (I've always wanted to use that word), I must post this so that I can go play with about 50 rowdy kids desperate to be touched and to be loved and to be delighted in.
Peace...
Dave
On behalf of Team Haiti 2012/April
23 Apr...6:25a
Greetings...
Today, our schedule puts us working in the community garden this morning and then hanging out at The Matthew 28 Orphanage this afternoon.
The concept behind the garden is really cool. Many of the villagers have very limited farming skills, and since developing a stronger agricultural base is one of the top priorities in the village, the village decided to create a community garden where those less fortunate can "practice" their farming techniques while providing food for their families. My friend Jedlain, who is a life-long member of the community and who was recently hired as the Bohoc community coordinator by 410, is in charge of running the garden. Jedlain is a graduate in agronomy from the university in Cap-Hatian, which is on the northern coast of Haiti and about an hour and a half's drive from here.
Following breakfast at 7a and our morning devotion, we'll load up the van and then head in to town.
May God bless all'y'all. Please keep all of us in your prayers, okay? And we'll catch you a little later...
Dave
On behalf of Team Haiti 2012/April
Today, our schedule puts us working in the community garden this morning and then hanging out at The Matthew 28 Orphanage this afternoon.
The concept behind the garden is really cool. Many of the villagers have very limited farming skills, and since developing a stronger agricultural base is one of the top priorities in the village, the village decided to create a community garden where those less fortunate can "practice" their farming techniques while providing food for their families. My friend Jedlain, who is a life-long member of the community and who was recently hired as the Bohoc community coordinator by 410, is in charge of running the garden. Jedlain is a graduate in agronomy from the university in Cap-Hatian, which is on the northern coast of Haiti and about an hour and a half's drive from here.
Following breakfast at 7a and our morning devotion, we'll load up the van and then head in to town.
May God bless all'y'all. Please keep all of us in your prayers, okay? And we'll catch you a little later...
Dave
On behalf of Team Haiti 2012/April
23 Apr...5:23a
Bonjou!! (Good morning!!)
Komon ou ye? (How's it going?)
The team was really tired last night. I'm hoping that everyone slept well.
I saw a shooting star earlier this morning. I haven't seen one of those since I was here in January. The views of the constellations in this part of Haiti are absolutely amazing. Please find below, a few pictures from the trip thus far. I'll write more about the day ahead in a little while.
Bondi beni ou!! (God bless you!!)
Dave
Komon ou ye? (How's it going?)
The team was really tired last night. I'm hoping that everyone slept well.
I saw a shooting star earlier this morning. I haven't seen one of those since I was here in January. The views of the constellations in this part of Haiti are absolutely amazing. Please find below, a few pictures from the trip thus far. I'll write more about the day ahead in a little while.
Bondi beni ou!! (God bless you!!)
Dave
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