team highlights

so we just got back (well, almost a week ago now) from haiti trip #3, spring break 2011. i didn't post much in the short week we were there, but hopefully this makes up for it. :)

one of my most favorite aspects of this trip was getting to see six of our team members (ashley, becca, ben, casey, jenn, and matt) experience haiti for the first time. there were life-changing experiences, wonderful conversations, so many ways that God showed up this week. a few highlights that people have shared as being specifically important to them:

-tuesday night church. the power went out part way through the service, but haitian church doesn't skip a beat. people kept singing, the drummer kept playing (even after a cymbal fell off of the stand), everyone continued to worship God. by american standards, this would have been a crisis, but in haiti, the important part was that people were worshiping God, no matter the circumstance. microphones and lights weren't necessary for God to hear us.

-conversations with patrick and ricardo, two haitian guys. patrick lives near the beach property, and a few people from the team got to talk with him out on the beach Monday night. they invited him to church with us the following day, and he came. it was great to see how energized the team was from connecting with him, despite the language barrier. also a few team members really connected throughout the week with ricardo, one of the drivers for Mission of Hope. solid conversations, true friendships established - that's really what it's about.

-getting to connect with the kids at the orphanage. we had the chance to give each of them a childrens' bible (written in creole, donated by ashley), as well as a treat bag of goodies, and each of the girls received a blanket as well, all handmade by a girl scout troop from ben's church. it was great to see their faces light up not only when they received their bibles, but each time we drove into the orphanage yard. suddenly there's a flood of haitian children yelling "steph-an-ie!" and "keem! keem!" (how they say our names :) there is so much joy in each of their faces... something that never gets old.

everyone on this team was wonderful. they each did such a great job of really intentionally connecting with the people we encountered, whether it was the families from the community that we got to build homes for, the kids at the orphanage, or the people with MOH that we saw everyday. God was very clearly present in each of their smiles and laughter and conversations in broken creole. there has already been much talk about the next trip, which we're planning for mid to late may! more details to come very soon ;)

thank you again for all of your support of our trip! we truly could not have done this without your prayers and generosity. we love you all!

to Him be the Glory!

home?

got back to the U.S. Sunday afternoon, back in Akron Sunday night, back to school Monday morning. and while Ohio is home, Haiti felt just as much like home. already looking at plane tickets to go back, most likely late May / early June. I'll post more reflections on the week soon, promise. love you all!

to Him be the glory.

18 Mar 2011

sorry it's been a few days since the last update. because our work sites have been close to the beach, it's been more difficult to update as frequently as the last trip. i plan on writing a more thoughtful, reflective post on the flight home, so stay tuned for that. :)

everything has been going really well all week. monday and tuesday we worked at the beach property, collecting and organizing rocks from the beach to make a new tone floor for the choukoun (which is now otherwise finished, with a roof and everything!)
wednesday, thursday, and today we built 11 Samaritan's Purse transitional houses, at a site just up the road from the beach property where we are staying. it has been wonderful watching the team interact with the people at the worksites - dancing, holding babies, learning new vocabulary words in three different languages (english, creole, spanish, courtesy of miss jennifer), ya know, just a normal day of work. :) today was especially good. we finished up the rest of the houses that we had supplies for, then walked back to the beach property with a bunch of the kids from the village and went for a swim.

this team has been fantastic. it's been really great to see another group get to experience Haiti for the first time. lots of great conversations of big life-changing things going on in people's hearts and minds. also great to see those who have been here before reconnecting with people here. seeing the look on kids' faces when they see a familiar blan (white) face that's back to see them again... so much joy.

wish i didn't have to leave tomorrow. can't i just stay for another week (or three)?
love you all!

to Him be the Glory!

Sunday in Grand Goave

I love Sundays in Grand Goave. Sabbath is done well here. Church this morning, then relaxing back at the beach property this afternoon, barbecue chicken for lunch, and eventually church again this evening.

backing up to yesterday, the rest of our trip was fairly uneventful, which in Haiti is a good thing. Our flight got in a few minutes early (which never happens), we collected all of our bags from baggage claim (which is SO much calmer and more organized than it was on previous trips), and made our way to the parking lot where Cheribin came and picked us up. No fighting through crowds with people trying to grab your bags and 'help' so you will tip them. An actual paved parking lot with a shaded waiting area. So different, but good different for sure. We rode to Grand Goave in the big red truck, and it was really interesting to see how so much has changed since June, but yet, how some things are still exactly how they were. Some of the roads are cleaner, many are not, some buildings are being rebuilt, a few still haven't been touched. So much work has been done at the beach property - the new guesthouse and choukoun are wonderful! We'll bring many many pictures back to share. :)

More later, but just wanted to let you all know that we got here safely, are having a great trip so far, and can't wait to get started on projects first thing tomorrow! Thank you for all of your prayers for us.

to Him be the Glory!

Miami!

quick update...
we're at MIA, getting ready to get on the plane to PAP. all is going really well so far. picked up two donated charge controllers for Travis and his solar panel projects from Sun Electronics here in Miami. John Kimball, the owner of Sun Electronics, was so generous, and offered that we could stay at his downtown condo instead of camping out the terminal, so we took him up on the offer. After some really great cheeseburgers from the restaurant downstairs, we all got a few hours of sleep before heading back to the airport at 4:30am for our early flight to PAP.
more soon!

to Him be the Glory!

packing day!

[don't think i'm crazy, but...]
i love packing.
love.
it.

i think it's because:

A) it's like a giant puzzle. Trying to be as efficient as possible with space, keeping things organized, and making sure each bag is just under the magic 50 pound mark.

B) it means we're going on an adventure. new experiences, new people, new stories to return home with of all the ways we saw God at work.

C) it's such a tangible picture of the generosity of our community. it's especially fun packing up all the supplies and tools and clothes and books that everyone on the team has collected from so many generous people, knowing that everything will be put to good use in Haiti when it all gets unpacked on the other end. good stuff. :)

stay tuned for more updates soon!

to Him be the Glory!

a few details...

for those of you keeping track at home, here are a few logistical details:

- the team is:
myself
Ashley Day
Becca Lamb
Ben DiMarco
Casey Shaffer
Ethan Schenck
Jenn McAninch
Kelley Parker
Matthew Moore
Stephanie Kline

- our general itinerary:
departing Akron [The Chapel] Friday morning [March 11] 830-9am
flight leaves DTW [Detroit] Friday afternoon 3pm
overnight layover in MIA [Miami]
arrive in PAP [Port Au Prince] 10am Saturday morning [March 12]
drive to Grand Goave
work, etc. for the next 7 days
drive to PAP Saturday [March 19]
depart PAP Saturday afternoon 4pm
arrive DTW Sunday afternoon 230pm
arrive Akron 630pm[ish] Sunday evening [March 20]

- communication:
we will have VERY limited internet access while in Haiti. I will post on here and facebook as soon as possible after we arrive in Grand Goave on Saturday, and a couple times throughout the week as I'm able to. also, american cell phones don't work in Haiti, so you will hear our wonderful voices when we get to share all our stories with you after we get back. :)

- anything else:
we are working with Mission of Hope, located in Grand Goave, Haiti. the MoH website [ http://mohintl.org/ ] has any additional information you may need.


thanks for all of your love and support! please be praying for the people we will encounter in Haiti - both new friends and old - that our team would be a strong example of Christ and His love for His people. pray that this trip would not be about of a bunch of college kids from ohio (and pennsylvania) going somewhere sunny and taking zillions of pictures with some cute kids, but rather, that it would be about us coming alongside of people, helping them to restore what has been destroyed, piece by piece advancing the kingdom.

to Him be the Glory!