Thank you all for your prayers during our trip! We made it safely back home on Saturday!
We got the chance to go to Wahoo Bay and spend the day at the beach. We left Gonaives around 5:30 a.m. and made it to the "resort" around 8:00 a.m. They served us a great breakfast. I ate the best french toast I have ever had...it was deep fried but anyways...it was delicious, not healthy. They also served us watermelon juice which was great too.
After breakfast we headed back to the room and changed into our suits and hit the beach. That water was crystal clear and perfect temperature...it wasn't hot but it wasn't cold. You could walk right in and it was so refreshing. We were in the water for a long time. There were a few people who ran over and started setting up shop and were trying to sell us stuff. They waited for us to get out of the water for a long long time.
We all had fun bartering with them. Bob and Justin ended up bartering their sunglasses for 3 items each. Then Bob got up to go to the room and the guy grabbed his towel off of him and told him he wanted it. He got a sweet pen holder for the towel. Michael took some of my things down and traded them for some more items. We had fun. Everything were giving him to barter he started wearing...he had Michael's beanie on...Bob's sunglasses...my hand held fan. It was funny.
It was a very relaxing day and we enjoyed sleeping in air conditioning that night. We woke up at 4:30 a.m. on Friday to finish the trek to the airport. We got to the airport around 6:00 a.m. where said our goodbyes to Lucma and Salonique. The airport was crazy...we went through one line after another. Went through 4 or 5 metal detectors and I'm pretty sure that only the last one worked. They hand checked every single carry on bag which took a long time.
We finally boarded the plane and began the journey back home. We landed in Miami and ended up having to wait for awhile on the tarmac because there was a plane at our gate that hadn't left yet. They were running 30 minutes behind due to bad weather. All of us were worried we wouldn't make it to our connecting flight because we still had to go through customs. We got of the plane and stood in a long line to go through customs. Afterwards we went and picked up our luggage and took that through customs. Then when we went to go check it the luggage back in, a lady told us we missed our flight and that we had to go to another area to re-check our bags. We then waited in line and Tom checked the internet where it showed that our flight had been delayed. We were still in line when we asked a lady at the counter about our flight. She said that it was delayed and hadn't left yet. She told us to go upstairs, take our bags to number 3 baggage drop off and head to our gate.
After found the place the lady told us our flight had already left. Great. We waited in another line for about 20 minutes so that we could arrange new flights to get back to Kansas City. By the time we got to the counter it was 2:28 p.m. Our flight was supposed to originally leave at 1:40 p.m. So we got to the counter and the lady pulled up our flight information and enlightened us that our plane hadn't left yet...it was leaving at 2:30 p.m. Of course we didn't have time by then to check our bags and make it on. We were all kind of frustrated that they kept telling us we missed it, that we didn't miss it, that we missed it, etc.
Justin, Michael, Tom, and Ginger ended up getting a flight to Chicago then to Kansas City. Bob, Amy, Rebekah, and I ended up getting flight to Dallas/Fort Worth then on to Kansas City. Tom's group was supposed to make it to Kansas City about 45 minutes before our group so he took the keys to the person mover so they could have it ready by the time we got there.
Naturally, both of our planes kept getting delayed. They were both supposed to leave around 6:20 p.m I think. We didn't leave until closer to 7:00 p.m. Right before I turned off my phone Tom texted me and said that they had a 15 minute maintenance delay. Wasn't looking to good for their group.
We boarded our plane and as we were getting pushed back onto the tarmac, everything shut off. It was dead silent in the plane as the engines were off and the air turned of. The pulled us back in after 5 minutes and re started the engines which took about 20 minutes. Finally we were on our way...but we weren't sure if we were going to make our connecting flight because of all the delays we had had. Our flight in Dallas had been delayed till 9:40 p.m...we were cutting it close.
We were getting ready to land in Dallas and it was 9:30...no way we could make it by the time we pulled into the gate. When we landed they began giving connecting flight information. It was music to our ears! We found that our flight had been delayed till 10:16 p.m. There was a chance! We ran off the plane and got on the SkyLink which took us to the other side of the airport. As we were doing this I called Tom and found out that they weren't going to make it to Kansas City until the next morning. Then I called my parents to ask them to come get us at the airport since we didn't have a ride. Yes, we made it to our connecting flight in time and ended up landing in Kansas City a little after midnight.
All of our bags made it! Tom's group got hotel and food vouchers from the airlines because of the maintenance delay that made them miss their flight. We were all tired as we drove to Warrensburg. Laid in bed and looked at my phone which read 2:30 a.m. It had just wake me up at 4:30 a.m. the previous day. We traveled for 22 hours to make it home. What a day. The other group landed in Kansas City around 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning and made it back to town around 11:00 a.m.
It was a very successful and safe trip! I have posted several photo albums to my Facebook page and have included some links to those albums. You DO NOT have to have a Facebook profile to view these albums.
Link to Salonique's Update at Living Water
A Glimpse of Haiti
Roof Pouring and Other Pics
Trip to Marmelade
Our Relaxing Day at the Beach
More picture links to come. Check back to this posting as I will continue to add to the list above.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
We Will Never Be the Same
We all had a very, very, long and tiring day today. We woke up a little before 5:00 a.m. as we were supposed to leave to go to Marmelade at 5:00 a.m. Naturally the bus didn't get here until 6:30 a.m.!! Bob, Rebekah, and Amy all went and laid back down after it hadn't shown up in awhile. Salonique, his daughter, Micah, Jude, Joe, and Lucma also went with us to visit.
The travel there was amazing! The scenery was breath taking as we traveled through the mountains to get there. I have several pictures on my Facebook and hundreds more on my camera. Words can't describe the sights we saw. The roads were very bad due to the hurricane so it made for yet another bumpy ride. We took 20+ pieces of rebar with us to drop off in Marmelade. They took up the whole length of the bus as they laid in the aisle. The bumpy ride also made for a loud one with all the rebar bouncing around.
We made it to the main part of Marmelade where we had to get off the bus and take a small truck the rest of the way to the church, probably about 4 miles. We all piled in the back of a small Toyota pick up and began the journey. It was quite the experience.
Got to the church and took a tour of the property and also went to look at some new property that they church is going to buy very soon. They already bargained for the price. It is very exciting to see everything that God is doing. However the pastor and his wife need all the prayers they can get.
Voodoo and witchcraft are very common in this area. They were just married December 27 and are expecting a child. They are facing many challenges in the area that they live. Salonique went on and told a story to us about how the church in Marmelade sort of started.
They began visiting Marmelade and hosting camps and concerts. This helped them see the need for a church in the area. During a camp, someone decided to accept Christ and be baptized. They went to the location where the baptism was to take place and they found witch doctors there with their whole set up (candles, tools, etc.). They were telling them that when the person was to come out of the water they would die. People were very shocked because they were doing this in plain sight in front of everybody which is very unusual.
The travel there was amazing! The scenery was breath taking as we traveled through the mountains to get there. I have several pictures on my Facebook and hundreds more on my camera. Words can't describe the sights we saw. The roads were very bad due to the hurricane so it made for yet another bumpy ride. We took 20+ pieces of rebar with us to drop off in Marmelade. They took up the whole length of the bus as they laid in the aisle. The bumpy ride also made for a loud one with all the rebar bouncing around.
We made it to the main part of Marmelade where we had to get off the bus and take a small truck the rest of the way to the church, probably about 4 miles. We all piled in the back of a small Toyota pick up and began the journey. It was quite the experience.
Got to the church and took a tour of the property and also went to look at some new property that they church is going to buy very soon. They already bargained for the price. It is very exciting to see everything that God is doing. However the pastor and his wife need all the prayers they can get.
Voodoo and witchcraft are very common in this area. They were just married December 27 and are expecting a child. They are facing many challenges in the area that they live. Salonique went on and told a story to us about how the church in Marmelade sort of started.
They began visiting Marmelade and hosting camps and concerts. This helped them see the need for a church in the area. During a camp, someone decided to accept Christ and be baptized. They went to the location where the baptism was to take place and they found witch doctors there with their whole set up (candles, tools, etc.). They were telling them that when the person was to come out of the water they would die. People were very shocked because they were doing this in plain sight in front of everybody which is very unusual.
Salonique continued on with the baptism and when the young girl came up out of the water, he said she was as stiff as a board and not moving at all. Luckily he didn't panic and just held the girl close and began praying. Within 30 seconds the young girl through her fists in the air and screamed "Satan, you are under my feet!!" What a sight to experience. He said that people began cheering and clapping as if they were at a soccer game. The witch doctors began destroying their tools and telling the tools that they are "worthless."
Salonique also told us another story the other day that was very interesting. One day some people saw a young girl with a Living Water uniform on that was running away from the school. Salonique checked with the principal at the school to see if she had permission to leave etc. She did not have permission. Salonique and a few other mean ran to go and find her. Come to find out that this young girl was being carried away by demons to be killed. Salonique asked the demons what they were doing and they told him they were taking her away to kill her...but that they couldn't do that now because there were a ton of people surrounding them dressed in white robes. Wow...the power of God.
So, we have reached our final night here in Gonaives with the Adolphes. We are leaving early in the morning, 5:00 a.m., to go stay the day and night at the beach so we are closer to the hotel on Friday. Micah is also flying out of Port-Au-Prince tomorrow so we are going with to reduce the amount of travel.
Undoubtedly when we get back people are going to ask "So how was your trip?" What do you say when words nor pictures can truly describe the experience, the sights, the passion, the hope... During this trip, my eyes were opened to see how blessed America truly is, and yet how selfish/self-centered we are.
I can't help but thing of the song by David Crowder "The Glory of it All."
At the start
He was there
He was there
In the end
He’ll be there
He’ll be there
And after all
Our hands have wrought
He forgives
Oh, the glory of it all
Is He came here
For the rescue of us all
That we may live
For the glory of it all
Oh, the glory of it all
All is lost
Find Him there
Find Him there
After night
Dawn is there
Dawn is there
And after all
Falls apart
He repairs
He repairs
Oh, He is here
With redemption from the fall
That we may live
For the glory of it all
Oh, the glory of it all
After night
Comes a light
Dawn is here
Dawn is here
It’s a new day, a new day
Oh, everything will change
Things will never be the same
We will never be the same
Oh, everything will change
Things will never be the same
We will never be the same
So...how was our trip? Well to put it short, sweet, simple and too the point:
"We will never be the same..."
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Your All I Want
Another day at the clinic! As we arrived there were people lined up outside the building and as we made our way inside, we found it packed full of people. Got to seeing people right away. Later on, Bob, Michael, and I were able to head outside and begin taking down the bamboo which supported the plywood to pour the concrete roof. Very tiring and sweaty job. You can see pictures of the bamboo on my Facebook page.
Today we were able to go out and see more of the city. After lunch, Bob, Michael and I went with Jude and Micah to go tour more of Gonaives. We are trying to compile as much video and as many pictures as we possibly can so that we can create a DVD for Living Water to mail to supporting churches and so they can get their mission heard in America.
Salonique and his family have a Toyota 4-Runner that they very rarely use. Since the road conditions are so bad, it is almost faster to walk rather than drive. Micah (Mee-kah) and Jude showed up at the house around 2:30 and went to go get the car out of the garage however since it has been sitting for so long, the battery was dead. We managed to find a spare battery and cables which we used to jump start the car. Micah then backed it through the narrow gate and into the “street” we it got stuck in the mud. After Bob was covered in mud we managed to push it out.
The trip began. We traveled to some of the pourer areas of the city and it was something we hadn’t seen since being here. We came to our first stop and got out of the car where we walked through a “subdivision.” Walked across and loosely made bridge and began walking along the metal walls surrounding some of the homes. A little further up the trail, boys were playing in the water/river naked and ran up the hill to greet us.
The living conditions of these people were extremely lower than what is around the Adolphe’s house and Living Water. One teenaged girl walked towards us with a small girl, 2 or 3 years old, who was balling. The closer she got the louder she screamed. The teenager and everyone around us were laughing. My guess is that this little girl had never seen white people before and was very scared. Everywhere we walked, people would scream “Blaho’s!!! Blaho’s!!” which means “white men” or “the whites.”
Many and most of the Haitians do not like there picture taken which made it very difficult for us. Bob and Michael each had a camera and I had the video camera. We made another stop and walked through the streets where people were talking loudly at us. The only reason we knew this was because we recognized the word “blaho.” We continued walking as I held the camera below my waist so it didn’t look so obvious that I was filming. Bob and Michael each held the camera at the belly button with one hand and were taking pictures that way.
When we were on the way to another location, we came to a street corner where a girl yelled something at us in the vehicle and another boy yelled something shortly afterwards. Both Micah and Jude began laughing. After asking them what they had said, they told us that the girl said “Please! Don’t take my picture!” and the boy followed after her saying “Please! I want you to take my picture!” As you can see it made it very difficult for us to get video and pictures as we had to try and make it as discreet as possible.
We then made our way to an area packed full with white tents. There appeared to be hundreds of them scattered around this area. Micah began explaining to us that these tents were set up after the hurricane hit Haiti. These people that lived in them had absolutely nothing. They lost everything. They had no home, very few clothes if any, and no food or water whatsoever. We stepped out of the car and a young man, probably in his 20’s, immediately noticed the cameras and began talking in Creole. Very weird for Michael, Bob and I as we have no clue what is going on. Apparently there are a lot of people that come to this place and take pictures etc. and, respectively, they get tired of having tourist people doing that. He was trying to get us to pay them to get in and take photos however Micah and Jude told them that they are not tourists…they are native Haitians. It appeared that they ignored the man and we continued walking up the hill, weaving through all the tents.
We came to a stop as Micah and Jude began talking to a family sitting outside their tent. I noticed heat coming behind my left leg and as I turned around I found some sticks that they had used to boil mango that were still putting of some heat. Micah and Jude said this was something they had never seen and was very strange to them. This is how poor these people were. They were boiling mangos which they had probably bought in market and were scrapping off slivers to eat.
We continued walking up the hill so we could get a better shot of the area. The young man who was still upset continued to follow. We passed families sitting outside their tent, some wearing clothes and others not. We finally made it to the top of the hill were we were able to get a better view of all the tents. The ocean was in the background and mountains were behind us. The young man and another older gentlemen then came up to us and asked us why we were doing this (at least that’s what Micah and Jude said they were asking).
A very heated discussion started between the people living there and Micah and Jude. Us “blaho’s” were starting to feel a little uncomfortable, as we had no clue what was being said or what was going on. We tried to talk amongst ourselves about the scenery, hurricane, etc. and quickly turned off and put all of the camera’s away…figured that would be the least we could do. After several minutes, they began giving Jude their phone numbers.
I guess Living Water delivers some rice and beans to the area every once in awhile. After Jude and Micah told them they are planning to deliver again, they gave them their numbers so that they could call them before hand. They also asked that the police came with them when they made the delivery to help keep it somewhat civil. As we made our way back down the hill, others too asked that when they came back with food that they bring the police with them. Micah told us that there is a Haitian proverb that says “A hungry dog is a violent dog.” How true in this case.
We made it back to the car and breathed a sigh of relief. This whole time we were driving in the car, they had a CD playing of music in Creole. We came to a building along one of the main roads and Micah jumped out to go do something. We sat in the car and a song came on in English which surprised me. After just visiting these people who had absolutely nothing, no food or water to drink, here I sat listening to these words:
“You’re all I want, You’re all I’ve ever needed, You’re all I want, help me know You are near.”
Here were three Americans sitting in the back of a car. We have more then we need…more then we want. And we had just seen people who had nothing, living in a depraved country. We passed by people who set up booths and try to sell things just to get a bite to eat that day or maybe a sip of water. They live like this day to day, week by week, month by month.
What do we, Americans, long for? What do we want? A quick glance at our country shows that we long for inward happiness, self-centered satisfaction, material possessions. Do we leave each day longing for the next best thing? I don’t think we realize how blessed we are. Even in just the simple things such as walking up to the fridge and pushing a button and fresh, clean water comes out. We can even push a button to make ice come out so we can make the fresh, clean water cold. We can take a shower with clean water. We don’t have to worry about getting it in our mouth or in our eyes. We can even move some knobs to make it just the right temperature we want.
Our hearts were really pricked by this experience today. Are we really being good stewards of what God has blessed us with? How can we go to the store and buy some of the things we do with a clear conscience knowing that there are people like this who are barely surviving? How can we go to car lots and spend tens of thousands of dollars on a new car when the one we have works perfectly fine? A cashier who works in a big city like Port-Au-Prince is lucky to make the equivalent of $10. Imagine what these people make in the smaller cities. Imagine what those people who live in the tents could do with even $.50 a day!
Living Water is doing their absolute best to help these people. They are constantly distributing food to families in need but they can only do so much with the support they have. The more support they have, the more people they can show the love of Christ too. The more people that can learn about the hope and salvation we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Is He all we want? May He be the one we serve . May he be the one that we long for. After we realize that He is all we need, we can open up other areas of our lives to serve people, to give money to people, so that they can have a meal…a meal that could change there life.
Is He all we want? Is He who we strive and long for? I challenge you to make this your prayer:
“You’re all I want, You’re all I’ve ever needed, You’re all I want, help me know You are near.”
Today we were able to go out and see more of the city. After lunch, Bob, Michael and I went with Jude and Micah to go tour more of Gonaives. We are trying to compile as much video and as many pictures as we possibly can so that we can create a DVD for Living Water to mail to supporting churches and so they can get their mission heard in America.
Salonique and his family have a Toyota 4-Runner that they very rarely use. Since the road conditions are so bad, it is almost faster to walk rather than drive. Micah (Mee-kah) and Jude showed up at the house around 2:30 and went to go get the car out of the garage however since it has been sitting for so long, the battery was dead. We managed to find a spare battery and cables which we used to jump start the car. Micah then backed it through the narrow gate and into the “street” we it got stuck in the mud. After Bob was covered in mud we managed to push it out.
The trip began. We traveled to some of the pourer areas of the city and it was something we hadn’t seen since being here. We came to our first stop and got out of the car where we walked through a “subdivision.” Walked across and loosely made bridge and began walking along the metal walls surrounding some of the homes. A little further up the trail, boys were playing in the water/river naked and ran up the hill to greet us.
The living conditions of these people were extremely lower than what is around the Adolphe’s house and Living Water. One teenaged girl walked towards us with a small girl, 2 or 3 years old, who was balling. The closer she got the louder she screamed. The teenager and everyone around us were laughing. My guess is that this little girl had never seen white people before and was very scared. Everywhere we walked, people would scream “Blaho’s!!! Blaho’s!!” which means “white men” or “the whites.”
Many and most of the Haitians do not like there picture taken which made it very difficult for us. Bob and Michael each had a camera and I had the video camera. We made another stop and walked through the streets where people were talking loudly at us. The only reason we knew this was because we recognized the word “blaho.” We continued walking as I held the camera below my waist so it didn’t look so obvious that I was filming. Bob and Michael each held the camera at the belly button with one hand and were taking pictures that way.
When we were on the way to another location, we came to a street corner where a girl yelled something at us in the vehicle and another boy yelled something shortly afterwards. Both Micah and Jude began laughing. After asking them what they had said, they told us that the girl said “Please! Don’t take my picture!” and the boy followed after her saying “Please! I want you to take my picture!” As you can see it made it very difficult for us to get video and pictures as we had to try and make it as discreet as possible.
We then made our way to an area packed full with white tents. There appeared to be hundreds of them scattered around this area. Micah began explaining to us that these tents were set up after the hurricane hit Haiti. These people that lived in them had absolutely nothing. They lost everything. They had no home, very few clothes if any, and no food or water whatsoever. We stepped out of the car and a young man, probably in his 20’s, immediately noticed the cameras and began talking in Creole. Very weird for Michael, Bob and I as we have no clue what is going on. Apparently there are a lot of people that come to this place and take pictures etc. and, respectively, they get tired of having tourist people doing that. He was trying to get us to pay them to get in and take photos however Micah and Jude told them that they are not tourists…they are native Haitians. It appeared that they ignored the man and we continued walking up the hill, weaving through all the tents.
We came to a stop as Micah and Jude began talking to a family sitting outside their tent. I noticed heat coming behind my left leg and as I turned around I found some sticks that they had used to boil mango that were still putting of some heat. Micah and Jude said this was something they had never seen and was very strange to them. This is how poor these people were. They were boiling mangos which they had probably bought in market and were scrapping off slivers to eat.
We continued walking up the hill so we could get a better shot of the area. The young man who was still upset continued to follow. We passed families sitting outside their tent, some wearing clothes and others not. We finally made it to the top of the hill were we were able to get a better view of all the tents. The ocean was in the background and mountains were behind us. The young man and another older gentlemen then came up to us and asked us why we were doing this (at least that’s what Micah and Jude said they were asking).
A very heated discussion started between the people living there and Micah and Jude. Us “blaho’s” were starting to feel a little uncomfortable, as we had no clue what was being said or what was going on. We tried to talk amongst ourselves about the scenery, hurricane, etc. and quickly turned off and put all of the camera’s away…figured that would be the least we could do. After several minutes, they began giving Jude their phone numbers.
I guess Living Water delivers some rice and beans to the area every once in awhile. After Jude and Micah told them they are planning to deliver again, they gave them their numbers so that they could call them before hand. They also asked that the police came with them when they made the delivery to help keep it somewhat civil. As we made our way back down the hill, others too asked that when they came back with food that they bring the police with them. Micah told us that there is a Haitian proverb that says “A hungry dog is a violent dog.” How true in this case.
We made it back to the car and breathed a sigh of relief. This whole time we were driving in the car, they had a CD playing of music in Creole. We came to a building along one of the main roads and Micah jumped out to go do something. We sat in the car and a song came on in English which surprised me. After just visiting these people who had absolutely nothing, no food or water to drink, here I sat listening to these words:
“You’re all I want, You’re all I’ve ever needed, You’re all I want, help me know You are near.”
Here were three Americans sitting in the back of a car. We have more then we need…more then we want. And we had just seen people who had nothing, living in a depraved country. We passed by people who set up booths and try to sell things just to get a bite to eat that day or maybe a sip of water. They live like this day to day, week by week, month by month.
What do we, Americans, long for? What do we want? A quick glance at our country shows that we long for inward happiness, self-centered satisfaction, material possessions. Do we leave each day longing for the next best thing? I don’t think we realize how blessed we are. Even in just the simple things such as walking up to the fridge and pushing a button and fresh, clean water comes out. We can even push a button to make ice come out so we can make the fresh, clean water cold. We can take a shower with clean water. We don’t have to worry about getting it in our mouth or in our eyes. We can even move some knobs to make it just the right temperature we want.
Our hearts were really pricked by this experience today. Are we really being good stewards of what God has blessed us with? How can we go to the store and buy some of the things we do with a clear conscience knowing that there are people like this who are barely surviving? How can we go to car lots and spend tens of thousands of dollars on a new car when the one we have works perfectly fine? A cashier who works in a big city like Port-Au-Prince is lucky to make the equivalent of $10. Imagine what these people make in the smaller cities. Imagine what those people who live in the tents could do with even $.50 a day!
Living Water is doing their absolute best to help these people. They are constantly distributing food to families in need but they can only do so much with the support they have. The more support they have, the more people they can show the love of Christ too. The more people that can learn about the hope and salvation we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Is He all we want? May He be the one we serve . May he be the one that we long for. After we realize that He is all we need, we can open up other areas of our lives to serve people, to give money to people, so that they can have a meal…a meal that could change there life.
Is He all we want? Is He who we strive and long for? I challenge you to make this your prayer:
“You’re all I want, You’re all I’ve ever needed, You’re all I want, help me know You are near.”
Persistent Women
We all had a very busy and long day yesterday! People were packed in the building and lines were forming outside. A total of 80 people went through the clinic yesterday which makes for a total of 220 people we have seen so far. We are in for another long day today as well. As the word spreads that we are offering free eye exams etc. we seem to be getting twice as many people showing up each day! We did not leave the clinic last night until 8:00 p.m. Almost a 12 hour day.
The plans right now are to go to Marmelade on Wednesday. This is where Living Water has recently planted a church. We will take a 2 hour bus ride and then have to get on a tap tap for another 30 miles the rest of the way. Check my Facebook pictures to see a tap tap (basically a truck with a homemade canopy coverying the bed of the truck). They are all over in Haiti and they cram around 15-20 people into the bed of a small Toyota sized truck. Should make for a good story.
Gene is an amazing cook! We all think that we are going to gain weight on the trip and we more than likely will. It was funny the other night as we finished dinner and headed to the roof to meet as a group. We had just made it up there after stuffing ourselves, plopped down on the roof and started to relax after a long day. Then Amy and Rebekah came up and said, "Guys, Gene wants us to come down to eat dessert." WHAT!! We all busted up laughing...surely we will gain weight.
Most people in Haiti are lucky to get one meal a day. The other day Living Water provided lunch and dinner for the men hired to do the concrete roof. After they had got there huge plate of rice and beans, there were 5-10 kids who came up to them. The men then began putting some of their food onto a plate so that these kids could have something to eat as they had not eaten all day. The kids grabbed the plate and ran over to a nearby bus and sat down underneath it and began to ate. After they finished one plate, they ran back and begged for more.
Salonique and his family only eat 2 meals a day because they don't want to live way over their countrymen's standard of living. Found this very interesting and wise as it might cause problems amongst them.
Yesterday after lunch, we left to head back to the clinic and there was a women waiting outside of Salonique's house. She had a spot on her eye and somehow found out where we were staying and wanted to ask the doctor about her eye. Tom glanced at it real quick and told her it was just a bruise and that it would heal over time...nothing serious to worry about.
We had been working at the clinic for a few hours and we looked over and noticed that there sat this same women who Tom just told she was fine a little earlier. Somehow, she sneaked through the system and sat in one of the three chairs in our room to wait for Tom (There is a huge room that they all wait in. We then take them and do the basic eye test where afterwards they go into another room where we are, and wait for Tom. We only do three people at a time in the room). She snuck through the whole system in two rooms and managed to sit in the seat. Her turn came to see the doc however she didn't have a Consultation form and she hadn't had the basic test done. Tom told her again that it was just a bruise and that it would heal over time. She was persisting that she go in and that he would check her eyes.
We couldn't let her just cut the line like that and get in...there would be a riot if that happened. So we told her she would have to get in line and wait like the rest. Later on in the evening, Salonique told her she needed to go home and come back in the morning. Of course, she didn't listen and got a paper and sat down. Awhile later, Salonique came into the clinic for the first time that day (around 7 p.m.) and his eyes fell on her. He became frustrated that this lady was not listening. However he just let her stay so that she would be seen and hopefully leave.
She made it through, got a pair of glasses and sunglasses and finally went on her way. Each night we go sit on the roof and talk about the day...stories we have or something that hit us that day. Salonique brought up the story of this lady and compared it to the women in Luke 18....how true.
We saw a lady yesterday who was 77 years old and had never seen an eye doctor and probably never seen any doctor at all. She was very joyful as she got glasses that helped her see better. There was also a lady and her son who we saw around 6 or 7 p.m. They had been waiting in line since 5 a.m. They waited over 12 hours to get in!! And they didn't complain even one time! Crazy how when we go see a doctor in the states and wait 10 or 20 minutes longer and we think the world is about to end.
We're off to another busy day at the clinic and then off to Marmelade tomorrow. Keep us in your prayers!
The plans right now are to go to Marmelade on Wednesday. This is where Living Water has recently planted a church. We will take a 2 hour bus ride and then have to get on a tap tap for another 30 miles the rest of the way. Check my Facebook pictures to see a tap tap (basically a truck with a homemade canopy coverying the bed of the truck). They are all over in Haiti and they cram around 15-20 people into the bed of a small Toyota sized truck. Should make for a good story.
Gene is an amazing cook! We all think that we are going to gain weight on the trip and we more than likely will. It was funny the other night as we finished dinner and headed to the roof to meet as a group. We had just made it up there after stuffing ourselves, plopped down on the roof and started to relax after a long day. Then Amy and Rebekah came up and said, "Guys, Gene wants us to come down to eat dessert." WHAT!! We all busted up laughing...surely we will gain weight.
Most people in Haiti are lucky to get one meal a day. The other day Living Water provided lunch and dinner for the men hired to do the concrete roof. After they had got there huge plate of rice and beans, there were 5-10 kids who came up to them. The men then began putting some of their food onto a plate so that these kids could have something to eat as they had not eaten all day. The kids grabbed the plate and ran over to a nearby bus and sat down underneath it and began to ate. After they finished one plate, they ran back and begged for more.
Salonique and his family only eat 2 meals a day because they don't want to live way over their countrymen's standard of living. Found this very interesting and wise as it might cause problems amongst them.
Yesterday after lunch, we left to head back to the clinic and there was a women waiting outside of Salonique's house. She had a spot on her eye and somehow found out where we were staying and wanted to ask the doctor about her eye. Tom glanced at it real quick and told her it was just a bruise and that it would heal over time...nothing serious to worry about.
We had been working at the clinic for a few hours and we looked over and noticed that there sat this same women who Tom just told she was fine a little earlier. Somehow, she sneaked through the system and sat in one of the three chairs in our room to wait for Tom (There is a huge room that they all wait in. We then take them and do the basic eye test where afterwards they go into another room where we are, and wait for Tom. We only do three people at a time in the room). She snuck through the whole system in two rooms and managed to sit in the seat. Her turn came to see the doc however she didn't have a Consultation form and she hadn't had the basic test done. Tom told her again that it was just a bruise and that it would heal over time. She was persisting that she go in and that he would check her eyes.
We couldn't let her just cut the line like that and get in...there would be a riot if that happened. So we told her she would have to get in line and wait like the rest. Later on in the evening, Salonique told her she needed to go home and come back in the morning. Of course, she didn't listen and got a paper and sat down. Awhile later, Salonique came into the clinic for the first time that day (around 7 p.m.) and his eyes fell on her. He became frustrated that this lady was not listening. However he just let her stay so that she would be seen and hopefully leave.
She made it through, got a pair of glasses and sunglasses and finally went on her way. Each night we go sit on the roof and talk about the day...stories we have or something that hit us that day. Salonique brought up the story of this lady and compared it to the women in Luke 18....how true.
We saw a lady yesterday who was 77 years old and had never seen an eye doctor and probably never seen any doctor at all. She was very joyful as she got glasses that helped her see better. There was also a lady and her son who we saw around 6 or 7 p.m. They had been waiting in line since 5 a.m. They waited over 12 hours to get in!! And they didn't complain even one time! Crazy how when we go see a doctor in the states and wait 10 or 20 minutes longer and we think the world is about to end.
We're off to another busy day at the clinic and then off to Marmelade tomorrow. Keep us in your prayers!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Was Blind...But Now I See
Today we got to experience something that not very many people get to experience. We woke up and ate breakfast around 7:00 a.m. and met together and prayed before heading over for church service. Very hot and humid which made for a great day!
Haitians are dressed to the "T" when it comes to church. They may only have one pair of clothes to wear during the week but they always bring their best to church. The men usually wear a suit! The guys in our group all wore ties and dress slacks. Not very comfortable due to the heat, but well worth it.
Several people that attend the church have to walk a few hours to get to the service. And that's only a one way trip!! The passion and hope that they carry with them is mind blowing. These people are there because they WANT to be there not because they think they HAVE to. Make's a huge difference in what people get out of the service.
The people here are very charismatic. They love to dance during the service, wave hands, etc. Its great to see the passion that they have for their Savior. Tonight before I got to preach, I was sitting in the very front of the room looking at all the people while they sang. The expressions on their face and their actions showed the true genuine passion they carry for Christ...no doubt about it. You see this is much different than what I see when I look out at the people at Northside. Their faces and actions show nothing...emptiness? emotionless? I don't know what it is but there is something here that the church in Haiti has that we are lacking in America. Its so awesome to look at the people and see the Spirit moving in them.
I got to preach my very first sermon today. It went very well however it was difficult for me to keep the pace up since I had to stop after every phrase/sentence so Lucma could interpret it for me. A very different experience but glad that I got the opportunity.
Another story today that is probably hard for Americans to grasp. There is a young boy, around 20, who was working on his homework a little over a month ago. During this time, he all the sudden became blind...he could not see a thing. Him and a few people came to Solonique and told him about what happened. Come to find out that this young man's grandfather was a witch doctor...who was blind as well. It appears that these spirits/demons had chosen this young man to take his grandfathers spot as a witch doctor, which consequently made him blind as well. He has suffered from blindness for over a month!! He was not a baptized believer so Salonique encouraged the men to talk to him about baptism and afterwards continue praying to God.
We don't know if the young man has been baptized yet, however he composed a song praising God. This morning, he was teaching the song to a few other people when a demon suddenly came out of him and began talking. He said that it appeared as a women with very long hair. The demon said "I am leaving you and will never return!" The man then received his sight.
God is good and faithful as He promises. This man can truly sing the words:
"I once was lost, but now I am found..."
"..was blind...but now I see!"
Haitians are dressed to the "T" when it comes to church. They may only have one pair of clothes to wear during the week but they always bring their best to church. The men usually wear a suit! The guys in our group all wore ties and dress slacks. Not very comfortable due to the heat, but well worth it.
Several people that attend the church have to walk a few hours to get to the service. And that's only a one way trip!! The passion and hope that they carry with them is mind blowing. These people are there because they WANT to be there not because they think they HAVE to. Make's a huge difference in what people get out of the service.
The people here are very charismatic. They love to dance during the service, wave hands, etc. Its great to see the passion that they have for their Savior. Tonight before I got to preach, I was sitting in the very front of the room looking at all the people while they sang. The expressions on their face and their actions showed the true genuine passion they carry for Christ...no doubt about it. You see this is much different than what I see when I look out at the people at Northside. Their faces and actions show nothing...emptiness? emotionless? I don't know what it is but there is something here that the church in Haiti has that we are lacking in America. Its so awesome to look at the people and see the Spirit moving in them.
I got to preach my very first sermon today. It went very well however it was difficult for me to keep the pace up since I had to stop after every phrase/sentence so Lucma could interpret it for me. A very different experience but glad that I got the opportunity.
Another story today that is probably hard for Americans to grasp. There is a young boy, around 20, who was working on his homework a little over a month ago. During this time, he all the sudden became blind...he could not see a thing. Him and a few people came to Solonique and told him about what happened. Come to find out that this young man's grandfather was a witch doctor...who was blind as well. It appears that these spirits/demons had chosen this young man to take his grandfathers spot as a witch doctor, which consequently made him blind as well. He has suffered from blindness for over a month!! He was not a baptized believer so Salonique encouraged the men to talk to him about baptism and afterwards continue praying to God.
We don't know if the young man has been baptized yet, however he composed a song praising God. This morning, he was teaching the song to a few other people when a demon suddenly came out of him and began talking. He said that it appeared as a women with very long hair. The demon said "I am leaving you and will never return!" The man then received his sight.
God is good and faithful as He promises. This man can truly sing the words:
"I once was lost, but now I am found..."
"..was blind...but now I see!"
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Roof at Last
Another exciting and eventful day here in Gonaives. We saw a total of 50 people at the clinic yesterday and another 58 today. It took a lot longer to examine them today because most were adults and needed a lot of other tests done to check for diseases.
We also got to take part in a very exciting thing at Living Water. Today, the roof got poured on the third story of the school. They put in over 20,000 pounds of rebar for the roof yesterday so they could stay on schedule and pour it today as planned. These men were intense. I will upload pics on Facebook, but all of the concrete is hand mixed with shovels. They dig a hole in the ground and take rocks etc. and mix it. They then took buckets and passed them all the way up the ladder, dumped it in a wheel barrel, and tossed the bucket down. It took about 45 seconds to do 26 buckets of concrete. No machines, just bare hands. It was crazy to see the 50+ people bust out that huge roof in a day. They were working nonstop besides the short break for lunch.
Got a chance to hang out with a lot of the kids today. The ones that know a little English love talking to you and trying to keep the convo going so they can practice the language. They absolutely LOVE getting there pictures taken and seeing there faces on the screen.
Sat on the roof tonight and got to lay back and look up at the stars. Don't really get a chance to do that much in the states. We all laid back and everyone got really close together and I held up my camera and we looked through the pictures of the trip so far. Salonique's kids loved that.
During our group time we got talking about demon possession which is something that really sparks my interest. We talked about it a lot this last semester and had many late night discussions. Salonique described in great detail the types of demons, signs of demons, methods to cast the demons out etc. Very intriguing conversation.
Nothing beats laying on the roof with a cool breeze and looking up at the starry sky. What a night.
Praise God for the work being done at Living Water and for the impact that they have on this city. The new roof will provide much needed space for the campus. What a huge step in the life of the campus....roof at last.
We also got to take part in a very exciting thing at Living Water. Today, the roof got poured on the third story of the school. They put in over 20,000 pounds of rebar for the roof yesterday so they could stay on schedule and pour it today as planned. These men were intense. I will upload pics on Facebook, but all of the concrete is hand mixed with shovels. They dig a hole in the ground and take rocks etc. and mix it. They then took buckets and passed them all the way up the ladder, dumped it in a wheel barrel, and tossed the bucket down. It took about 45 seconds to do 26 buckets of concrete. No machines, just bare hands. It was crazy to see the 50+ people bust out that huge roof in a day. They were working nonstop besides the short break for lunch.
Got a chance to hang out with a lot of the kids today. The ones that know a little English love talking to you and trying to keep the convo going so they can practice the language. They absolutely LOVE getting there pictures taken and seeing there faces on the screen.
Sat on the roof tonight and got to lay back and look up at the stars. Don't really get a chance to do that much in the states. We all laid back and everyone got really close together and I held up my camera and we looked through the pictures of the trip so far. Salonique's kids loved that.
During our group time we got talking about demon possession which is something that really sparks my interest. We talked about it a lot this last semester and had many late night discussions. Salonique described in great detail the types of demons, signs of demons, methods to cast the demons out etc. Very intriguing conversation.
Nothing beats laying on the roof with a cool breeze and looking up at the starry sky. What a night.
Praise God for the work being done at Living Water and for the impact that they have on this city. The new roof will provide much needed space for the campus. What a huge step in the life of the campus....roof at last.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Eyes to See
Today was a long but amazing day. We woke up early and got ready for the day. Had pancakes and bacon for breakfast to help energize us for the morning. Then we loaded up all the eye care supplies and medication on the BUV and headed over to the church.
The walk to the church is about 1/4 mile...but oh the things you see. Words cannot describe the sights, the smells, the devastation, the water filled roads....and yet the hope you can see in the Haitians eyes as you pass by.
We started setting up the clinic around 9:30 a.m. and were ready to begin around 10:30 a.m. The building we were located in was packed immediately with kids from Living Water. The heat and humidity was unbelievable and yet the kids sat for hours to wait their turn in line. Myself, Rebekah, Amy, and Ginger were responsible for the basic testing of their vision. They then sat in line to see Tom to do more extensive testing. Afterwords they went to another room where Michael gave glasses and other items that Tom recommended to them.
For most kids, this was the first time that they had ever had seen a doctor. Many of them could not see the blackboard at school or were having trouble reading. This took only a short time for us to work together and meet this great need. We worked nonstop until about 1:30 p.m. when we headed back to Salonique's house for some lunch.
Gene cooked us sloppy joes which were delicious. One reason we all look forward to meal time is because that is the only time we get "cold" drinks. They have several ice trays which have to be filled several times a day to provide ice for our group. We get ice during our meals which is a commodity here in Haiti. Crazy how in the United States we think we will die if our ice machine is broke or if we have to drink something luke warm...people here are blessed to even have drinking water which is usually hot. Maybe we should rethink the real importance of a simple ice maker...
We headed back over to the school and began seeing more kids around 2:30 and worked until 6:30 p.m. Kids sat there patiently waiting there turn in line. We would would sit out with the kids and play...record video and have 15+ kids huddle around and look at a 2" screen filled with joy to see themselves on the screen. They got a chance to use some cameras and take pictures of each other. These people who have lost everything and have very little to look forward too are filled with so much hope.
The thing that hit me most today happened when we were examining a little girls eyes. She was probably 12 years old and I noticed she was struggling when we were giving her the basic testing. When it was her turn to go in and see Tom, I went in with her and told him about the difficulties she was having. Lucma, Salonique's brother, was there translating at the time. I thought we would be able to truly bless this girl by giving her glasses so that she could see much better. After Tom finished looking at her eyes, he found nothing wrong and thought they looked to be in healthy condition. He always asked either Salonique or Lucma to ask them if they have been noticing any problems with their vision. This girl explained to Lucma, who then translated for us, that she can't really see at school. She can't see the blackboard and has problems reading. She can also go home and her mom can stand directly in front of her only a few feet away and she cannot see clearly enough to recognize her. Ok...so here Tom found absolutely nothing wrong with this girls vision and now she is saying that she can barely see sometimes??? What is up with that. My personal thought was that Tom didn't know what he was doing...but thats a different story. :)
Lucma began babbling to the girl and he turned to myself, Tom and Justin and said that this problem happens quite often. People will come to the church campus perfectly fine and then all of the sudden they are blind...not just slightly blurred, but completely blind....completely blind. He then explained that demons go into people and will alter their vision or other parts of the body. Salonique put it very well. In America we think very scientifically whereas here in Haiti they think spiritually.
Either we do not make ourselves aware of this in America or it is not as prevalent in the country. But here in Haiti, you can truly see the magnitude of spiritual warfare. Yeah we hear about it all the time in the United States but I don't think we truly understand it...we don't get it. Here we stood, looking at this poor little girl sitting in the chair hoping that we could fix her vision problem. But we can't rely on science alone...we could heal her...oh we could heal her. Maybe not through science, but through prayer.
There is a minister at Living Water that strictly devotes his time to prayer over people who are oppressed by evil spirits/demons. Imagine having a full-time minister at Northside who devoted their time to spending hours in prayer over people to cast out these demons and release these kids/adults from their bondage. This is spiritual warfare and it happens all the time and here sat a girl who has been effected by it.
We came her as a team to help give people "Eyes to See." That is our mission. We are meeting peoples physical needs so that they can see. But being here and seeing the people, and living with them has truly given us "Eyes to See." We have helped them physically and they have in turn helped us spiritually.
They have given us "eyes to see"....
The walk to the church is about 1/4 mile...but oh the things you see. Words cannot describe the sights, the smells, the devastation, the water filled roads....and yet the hope you can see in the Haitians eyes as you pass by.
We started setting up the clinic around 9:30 a.m. and were ready to begin around 10:30 a.m. The building we were located in was packed immediately with kids from Living Water. The heat and humidity was unbelievable and yet the kids sat for hours to wait their turn in line. Myself, Rebekah, Amy, and Ginger were responsible for the basic testing of their vision. They then sat in line to see Tom to do more extensive testing. Afterwords they went to another room where Michael gave glasses and other items that Tom recommended to them.
For most kids, this was the first time that they had ever had seen a doctor. Many of them could not see the blackboard at school or were having trouble reading. This took only a short time for us to work together and meet this great need. We worked nonstop until about 1:30 p.m. when we headed back to Salonique's house for some lunch.
Gene cooked us sloppy joes which were delicious. One reason we all look forward to meal time is because that is the only time we get "cold" drinks. They have several ice trays which have to be filled several times a day to provide ice for our group. We get ice during our meals which is a commodity here in Haiti. Crazy how in the United States we think we will die if our ice machine is broke or if we have to drink something luke warm...people here are blessed to even have drinking water which is usually hot. Maybe we should rethink the real importance of a simple ice maker...
We headed back over to the school and began seeing more kids around 2:30 and worked until 6:30 p.m. Kids sat there patiently waiting there turn in line. We would would sit out with the kids and play...record video and have 15+ kids huddle around and look at a 2" screen filled with joy to see themselves on the screen. They got a chance to use some cameras and take pictures of each other. These people who have lost everything and have very little to look forward too are filled with so much hope.
The thing that hit me most today happened when we were examining a little girls eyes. She was probably 12 years old and I noticed she was struggling when we were giving her the basic testing. When it was her turn to go in and see Tom, I went in with her and told him about the difficulties she was having. Lucma, Salonique's brother, was there translating at the time. I thought we would be able to truly bless this girl by giving her glasses so that she could see much better. After Tom finished looking at her eyes, he found nothing wrong and thought they looked to be in healthy condition. He always asked either Salonique or Lucma to ask them if they have been noticing any problems with their vision. This girl explained to Lucma, who then translated for us, that she can't really see at school. She can't see the blackboard and has problems reading. She can also go home and her mom can stand directly in front of her only a few feet away and she cannot see clearly enough to recognize her. Ok...so here Tom found absolutely nothing wrong with this girls vision and now she is saying that she can barely see sometimes??? What is up with that. My personal thought was that Tom didn't know what he was doing...but thats a different story. :)
Lucma began babbling to the girl and he turned to myself, Tom and Justin and said that this problem happens quite often. People will come to the church campus perfectly fine and then all of the sudden they are blind...not just slightly blurred, but completely blind....completely blind. He then explained that demons go into people and will alter their vision or other parts of the body. Salonique put it very well. In America we think very scientifically whereas here in Haiti they think spiritually.
Either we do not make ourselves aware of this in America or it is not as prevalent in the country. But here in Haiti, you can truly see the magnitude of spiritual warfare. Yeah we hear about it all the time in the United States but I don't think we truly understand it...we don't get it. Here we stood, looking at this poor little girl sitting in the chair hoping that we could fix her vision problem. But we can't rely on science alone...we could heal her...oh we could heal her. Maybe not through science, but through prayer.
There is a minister at Living Water that strictly devotes his time to prayer over people who are oppressed by evil spirits/demons. Imagine having a full-time minister at Northside who devoted their time to spending hours in prayer over people to cast out these demons and release these kids/adults from their bondage. This is spiritual warfare and it happens all the time and here sat a girl who has been effected by it.
We came her as a team to help give people "Eyes to See." That is our mission. We are meeting peoples physical needs so that they can see. But being here and seeing the people, and living with them has truly given us "Eyes to See." We have helped them physically and they have in turn helped us spiritually.
They have given us "eyes to see"....
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