Got to hang out this past weekend with Travis Knipple, who had been independently working in Haiti while our CF team was there in June. Travis is an electrical engineer, and was installing a solar panel power system at a school in Les Cayes, a few hours from Grand Goave. he worked on the transitional houses with the AIM team and our team in Grand Goave for a couple days on each end of his work in Cayes. When we were initially talking and asking the 20 questions of where are you from, what's your story, etc., found out that Travis lives in Johnstown, PA, doing ministry work there with his brother Josh. the small world connection is that the summer camp that is pretty much a second home to me is 15 minutes from Johnstown! so this weekend, I went to pick my sister up at the end of a term of camp, and got to hang out with Travis as well. Great to talk about past Haiti trips, and to talk about future ideas that he has for continuing the electrical engineering work there, as well as all the exciting growth with their ministries in Johnstown. Awesome to see how God provides for His people, and how He is so clearly at work putting pieces in place for His work to continue to be done in Haiti!
To Him be the glory.
7.15.2010
one week later...
so yesterday was the first day since june 4 that I didn't take anti-malaria meds with breakfast, meaning it's been over a week since we've been home. not that i like taking meds, but it was a little depressing, realizing that we've been home for that long.
it's still somewhat surreal, being back. interesting to see all the things that are so different here versus there. I tend to be a person who adapts to new situations and places fairly easily, and the adjustment back hasn't been too rough. my digestive system is finally back to normal(ish), and i remember how to drive a car, which is good. one of the rougher things has been being confronted with the American consumer mindset of new, bigger, better, gotta-have-it.
I went to Giant Eagle last Tuesday, the day after we got back, and just sort of walked around a little bit in a daze. there are so many options, yet so many of them are so processed and unhealthy. pretty much the only thing that looked appetizing at all was the produce section. I just wanted a salad and some fresh fruit that wasn't watermelon. my stomach and digestive system is now pretty much recovered, but the first few days back was a little rough, after not eating much at all the last week we were in Haiti. it was really interesting, because I'm normally a person who craves cookies, but all i wanted when we got back was a fresh salad, an apple, and some salami and cheese on crackers. (all of which i had, over the course of a few days :)
the Giant Eagle trip last week was followed by Target on Wednesday, Verizon on Thursday, and IKEA this past Monday... all adventures in trying to deny the consumer mindset of new, bigger, better, gotta-have-it. Verizon worked out okay.... IKEA, not quite as much. Dangers of moving into a new apartment in a few weeks... but i digress.
I know I'll go back to Haiti soon, most likely for a couple weeks in December, and that somehow makes the adjustment back a little easier. By the time we left, reality really had shifted. Life there was in many ways how life should be. Working hard on very purposeful things, priority of caring for people and enjoying fellowship with each other. Being content with what you had, right there, right then, rather than constantly being confronted with the zillion things that you have been living fine without, but of course desperately need.
Not that life in Haiti is all sunshine and roses and perfect and wonderful. I'm not painting the picture that it was just a nice beach vacation, as though we just went and hung out in Florida for a couple weeks. There is still widespread destruction, people living under tarps, trash everywhere you look, and more severe poverty than you can imagine. As someone on the other team put it, in most other countries, there are definitely slum areas, where things are bad, but eventually you'd travel out of the slums and into a better area. But in Haiti, pretty much all of it is that slum area.There aren't any 'nice areas of town'.
And yet, in the midst of all of that, of so many things that aren't how they're supposed to be, there is still hope and joy. People still come to church and sing praises at the top of their voices. I woke up one day last week with a Creole worship song in my head, and it made me smile, thinking of worship in Haiti. it's somehow comforting too, knowing that I'm not the only one who sees all the brokenness in Haiti, all the things that aren't how they're supposed to be. all the things that are destroyed and dirty and messed up and corrupted. Because as much as it makes my heart ache, God sees Haiti and His heart breaks 10,000 times more than mine. Haiti doesn't just need a human-sized solution - this is bigger than that. and while that can definitely make us feel small and insignificant and overwhelmed and incapable of making any change, God has still chosen us to be His agents of restoration. We are still called to bring Him into those dark places, knowing that through Him, we are empowered to move things in a forward direction, even if we'll never fully fix all the problems of this world, because it is still a broken and imperfect place.
Lots of other thoughts swirling around, especially after talking with Lauren, Kelley, and Rachel Hurst last night... I'll post more as I continue to process through things.
Love you friends.
To Him be the Glory.
it's still somewhat surreal, being back. interesting to see all the things that are so different here versus there. I tend to be a person who adapts to new situations and places fairly easily, and the adjustment back hasn't been too rough. my digestive system is finally back to normal(ish), and i remember how to drive a car, which is good. one of the rougher things has been being confronted with the American consumer mindset of new, bigger, better, gotta-have-it.
I went to Giant Eagle last Tuesday, the day after we got back, and just sort of walked around a little bit in a daze. there are so many options, yet so many of them are so processed and unhealthy. pretty much the only thing that looked appetizing at all was the produce section. I just wanted a salad and some fresh fruit that wasn't watermelon. my stomach and digestive system is now pretty much recovered, but the first few days back was a little rough, after not eating much at all the last week we were in Haiti. it was really interesting, because I'm normally a person who craves cookies, but all i wanted when we got back was a fresh salad, an apple, and some salami and cheese on crackers. (all of which i had, over the course of a few days :)
the Giant Eagle trip last week was followed by Target on Wednesday, Verizon on Thursday, and IKEA this past Monday... all adventures in trying to deny the consumer mindset of new, bigger, better, gotta-have-it. Verizon worked out okay.... IKEA, not quite as much. Dangers of moving into a new apartment in a few weeks... but i digress.
I know I'll go back to Haiti soon, most likely for a couple weeks in December, and that somehow makes the adjustment back a little easier. By the time we left, reality really had shifted. Life there was in many ways how life should be. Working hard on very purposeful things, priority of caring for people and enjoying fellowship with each other. Being content with what you had, right there, right then, rather than constantly being confronted with the zillion things that you have been living fine without, but of course desperately need.
Not that life in Haiti is all sunshine and roses and perfect and wonderful. I'm not painting the picture that it was just a nice beach vacation, as though we just went and hung out in Florida for a couple weeks. There is still widespread destruction, people living under tarps, trash everywhere you look, and more severe poverty than you can imagine. As someone on the other team put it, in most other countries, there are definitely slum areas, where things are bad, but eventually you'd travel out of the slums and into a better area. But in Haiti, pretty much all of it is that slum area.There aren't any 'nice areas of town'.
And yet, in the midst of all of that, of so many things that aren't how they're supposed to be, there is still hope and joy. People still come to church and sing praises at the top of their voices. I woke up one day last week with a Creole worship song in my head, and it made me smile, thinking of worship in Haiti. it's somehow comforting too, knowing that I'm not the only one who sees all the brokenness in Haiti, all the things that aren't how they're supposed to be. all the things that are destroyed and dirty and messed up and corrupted. Because as much as it makes my heart ache, God sees Haiti and His heart breaks 10,000 times more than mine. Haiti doesn't just need a human-sized solution - this is bigger than that. and while that can definitely make us feel small and insignificant and overwhelmed and incapable of making any change, God has still chosen us to be His agents of restoration. We are still called to bring Him into those dark places, knowing that through Him, we are empowered to move things in a forward direction, even if we'll never fully fix all the problems of this world, because it is still a broken and imperfect place.
Lots of other thoughts swirling around, especially after talking with Lauren, Kelley, and Rachel Hurst last night... I'll post more as I continue to process through things.
Love you friends.
To Him be the Glory.
7.06.2010
Home!
Hey friends!
We made it home safely tonight - all flights were relatively on time - and Haley and friends came to pick us up in Detroit, complete with snacks :)
More comprehensive post to come tomorrow after sleep.... but know that we are back in Akron safely, and our God is good.
to Him be the Glory!
We made it home safely tonight - all flights were relatively on time - and Haley and friends came to pick us up in Detroit, complete with snacks :)
More comprehensive post to come tomorrow after sleep.... but know that we are back in Akron safely, and our God is good.
to Him be the Glory!
7.03.2010
Saturday July 3
Hey friends!
Can't believe we leave for home in two days!
This has been another full week of work and conference activities. The house count for the week is at 19 - not bad for five people in 3 1/2 days! We tarped houses Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all day and Thursday morning. It has been a little rough this week, as Steph was sick Monday/Tuesday and Lauren was sick Wednesday/Thursday. Everyone is doing better now, and should be good to push through these final few days.
Thursday evening, people started showing up for the conference, and it kicked off with a big church service Thursday night. The new tin roof is wonderful, and it's decorated with all sorts of bright flower garlands and such for the conference. Friday, while everyone else was at the conference, the kids from the orphanage came out to the beach property to hang out all day, and then we came back for another conference church service last night. It was a special music night, and there was a guys acappella group (with an accordion!) that performed, as well as the "We are the World" student group that has been practicing for a few weeks. The conference generally consists of a pastor speaking for a few hours in the morning, then smaller workshops / breakouts in the afternoon, and a big worship service each evening. Today, we're at the office for a little bit, then back to the beach property with the kids, then up for the conference for the afternoon. Tomorrow the plan is church in the morning, then finishing up a couple more houses in the afternoon. Because, really, the trip wouldn't quite be complete if we didn't build houses on the last day. :)
It's a little surreal that this month is almost over. Perspective is an interesting thing, how a place that used to feel so foreign has in some ways begun to feel like home. Some things definitely still remind me that I'm a foreigner - being one of six white faces at a church service of a thousand people, or having little kids just stare at you because they've probably never seen another white person before. Sometimes though, I do feel like part of the community here. When a woman whose home we built a few days ago comes over at church and says hello, or when Pepe says "Bonjou!" and gives us a handshake each morning like we're a normal part of his team. It really has been good to become a part of this community during our time here. I'm already looking forward to coming back and seeing familiar faces again!
But in the meantime... it will be good to see all of you familiar Ohio faces in just a few short days! Can't wait to catch up and fill you in on all the rest of the stories that I didn't get a chance to share on here. :) See you soon!
To Him be the Glory!
Can't believe we leave for home in two days!
This has been another full week of work and conference activities. The house count for the week is at 19 - not bad for five people in 3 1/2 days! We tarped houses Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all day and Thursday morning. It has been a little rough this week, as Steph was sick Monday/Tuesday and Lauren was sick Wednesday/Thursday. Everyone is doing better now, and should be good to push through these final few days.
Thursday evening, people started showing up for the conference, and it kicked off with a big church service Thursday night. The new tin roof is wonderful, and it's decorated with all sorts of bright flower garlands and such for the conference. Friday, while everyone else was at the conference, the kids from the orphanage came out to the beach property to hang out all day, and then we came back for another conference church service last night. It was a special music night, and there was a guys acappella group (with an accordion!) that performed, as well as the "We are the World" student group that has been practicing for a few weeks. The conference generally consists of a pastor speaking for a few hours in the morning, then smaller workshops / breakouts in the afternoon, and a big worship service each evening. Today, we're at the office for a little bit, then back to the beach property with the kids, then up for the conference for the afternoon. Tomorrow the plan is church in the morning, then finishing up a couple more houses in the afternoon. Because, really, the trip wouldn't quite be complete if we didn't build houses on the last day. :)
It's a little surreal that this month is almost over. Perspective is an interesting thing, how a place that used to feel so foreign has in some ways begun to feel like home. Some things definitely still remind me that I'm a foreigner - being one of six white faces at a church service of a thousand people, or having little kids just stare at you because they've probably never seen another white person before. Sometimes though, I do feel like part of the community here. When a woman whose home we built a few days ago comes over at church and says hello, or when Pepe says "Bonjou!" and gives us a handshake each morning like we're a normal part of his team. It really has been good to become a part of this community during our time here. I'm already looking forward to coming back and seeing familiar faces again!
But in the meantime... it will be good to see all of you familiar Ohio faces in just a few short days! Can't wait to catch up and fill you in on all the rest of the stories that I didn't get a chance to share on here. :) See you soon!
To Him be the Glory!
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