Grace Village -- Glory to God

Today was amazing. God is so good. We went to Grace Village and had the opportunity to attend a worship service with the orphans. It was an incredible experience to see them praise and worship God and what Healing Haiti has been able to provide. Their faith and devotion to God was so apparent. The service was 2 hours and lead by Fanfan. After the service the kids ended with singing Glory to God on repeat. It was awesome to see their excitement and enthusiasm for the song. The song is now my favorite worship song, and I have a clear image of the kids praising God.

After the service we lead the children in an activity. My favorite part of the day was being able to really connect with the children. They were so willing to love and be loved. I talked with multiple kids that shared about their families and the struggles they had been through. It was a great way to end out trip in Haiti with the hope and faith that I saw in these kids.
-Caleb

Visiting Grace Village was by far the best way to end our mission trip this week. It's such an amazing and beautiful place! Brightly colored buildings with rolling mountains on the back side and a beautiful view of the ocean in the front. It is truly heaven on earth. I had the opportunity to feel like a kid again today and swing! There are no words to describe swinging there with the view I saw.

The children there really touched my heart and inspired me. They have nothing and yet they love, appreciate, and worship God more than people that have everything and more. Mind blowing.

I'm really going to miss my team! We have all grown closer as the week has gone on and I consider them my Haiti family. I'm so proud of us Team 3! We all worked together to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Couldn't have asked for a better group of people :-)

Bonwuit!(goodnight)
-Alex

Hydrate Your Life

Team 3- Water Truck Day and Baptism
Respekte liy a! (Respect the line)

We started off this morning with a hearty breakfast and a quick prayer. Our team loaded up in the tap tap (our transportation) and we were off to deliver clean water to three tent cities around Port au Prince. At each stop, happy children were eager to greet us as we got off the tap tap. Our team quickly adjusted to the chaos of filling water buckets. “Respect liy a!” (Respect the line!). We'd take turns filling buckets, delivering water to tents, playing with children, and practicing our Creole with locals. Resonating in our hearts and minds are the smiles and laughter brought to each city by this small gesture. After our work was done we headed back to the guest house.

Yesterday on the way home from Titanyen, I decided that I’d like to publicly display my obedience to God. There’s an opportunity to be baptized this summer with Eagle Brook; however, I felt that was too long to wait. After speaking with the group leaders (Beth and Charlie) and Pastor Mark, we arranged a baptism ceremony for today. We sang, I shared my faith story, and we prayed before heading to the pool across the street for the baptism. It’s truly an experience I will never forget. I’m so thankful for my Haiti team members. Also, I was pleasantly surprised after dinner to be treated to an assortment of cakes (pineapple, chocolate, and cheesecake) in honor of being baptized today.

Listening to the rain water pour down on our tin roof tonight, I reflect on the work we’ve accomplished so far and the friendships we’ve made here. Haiti will come home with me in my heart and in my prayers. Thank you to my family and supporters, Healing Haiti, and of course Eagle Brook Church for this life changing opportunity.

Love to all,
Sara Jameson

Amazing Haiti!

Bonswa!! (Good afternoon)The last couple days have been so amazing! Our team is working great together, getting close, and taking every surprising turn with a good laugh.
Yesterday we started the day with a super-spirit filled service and warm hug from the hugging lady. Then we headed off to shop. Everyone practiced some mad bartering skills with the help of our awesome translator/tour guides. It is an adventure dealing with Haitian tourist market workers.. and really fun! The biggest plus, though, is making it all the way up the mountain and over looking ALL of Port-Au-Prince and much of Haiti's mountains and surrounding ocean. It is such a breathtaking view!! We talked later about how the view from way up above was so different compared to the sights you see when wandering the streets below and how it might compare to who God sees things. It almost takes an amazing view like this to reiterate what a marvelous world He created.
Today we made our way out to Titanyen for an adventure. We started with a stop at a mass grave where thousands of people were buried after the earthquake. It was a humbling experience just being there and remembering and praying for those who lost their lives as well as the family they left behind. After that we stopped by a the market in Titanyen to purchase food for the elderly we were going to visit. Going to spend time with them, sing to/with them in Creole (Haiti's language) and English, and pray for them was a very moving experience. It's sometimes easy to forget how much visiting and just our presence can make a difference.
We also had some time after to go to visit the home for the sick and dying and help feed and snuggle them. Everyone seemed to feel more comfortable and make strong connections with the babies today, it was awesome. God is truly doing great things here through Healing Haiti and all of the partnered organizations. It is such a blessing to be a part of it!

Bondye Beni'ou :) (God bless you!)
Samantha Marois

A Happy Haitian Morning

Bonjoo! (Good morning)
A quick note to say hello and let you know we're all fine in Haiti! You may have heard there was a small earthquake here last night. Most of the team didn't even know it happened because it was so small or they were already in bed sleeping.

Yesterday was moving day with a morning filled with a visit to a hospice, called San Files. We were expecting most people there to be elderly but that wasn't the case (average age was 30s). We loved them by going bed to bed rubbing on lotion or nail polish. It was humbling and challenged our comfort zones. A couple of the Healing Haiti workers accompanied our serving time: one with guitar and both sang. The effect was immediate smiles on the women's faces as they joined in the songs and worshipping God. It was an honor to be there and love them.

Today is shopping and city tour day -- a welcome midweek break to the emotion-filled last 2 days.

We were up this morning bright and early for a 6:00 neighborhood church service. A great start to the day! Caleb, one of our team members, was even prayed for. It's his birthday and people whose birthdays are today were to go up for prayer. We are definitely awake after a very Spirit-filled service. For those of you who've been to Haiti before and to that church service, yes, "hugging lady" was there and came to our pew to give each of us a hug. We couldn't help but feel very loved as she made her way right into and down our narrow pew space.

Love well today! Thanks for all your prayers!
Beth

Through God's Eyes

Bonswa! (Good Afternoon),

Oh what an amazing day it has been for Team 3. We have all felt extreme emotions and experienced them first hand on day one of our mission. It is quite overwhelming and powerful to truely understand the poverty and sickness here in Haiti. We had the opportunity to work with special needs children along with sick and dying babies today. Truly an emotional experience. The United States is so privelaged and we all tend to forget it so easily. Being here really reinforces that for me.

The children here in one word are amazing. Through all the poverty and sickness, they are all still so incredibly happy. Each one with a smile on their face as you pick them up, play patty-cake, or push them on the swings. They are inspirationally grateful and appreciative of the love you give. It's as though you are seeing through God's eyes for the first time, something our whole team has been praying for.

The work we do here can seem so small in perspective to the world around us. Giving hugs and love to sick children can sometimes seem insignifigant, but it's not. To that child the time you give them, even if it's small, is impacting and changing their life one minute at a time as well as the change happening in us. In tonights devotions, we all went around the group and said one word to descibe the day. We heard words such as: appreciated, amazing, thankful, small, fear, progress, inspiring and joy.

I am extremely excited to hear from the rest of my team what God will be showing them through his eyes in the upcoming week. Should be awesome :-) As well as what God will be doing in and through me for the people in Haiti.

Being the hands and feet of Jesus,

Alex Piasecki

A Lesson in Contrasts

I love to fly. And whenever I fly I try to get a window seat. I love to see how perspective changes as you lift off and rise above the ground. Suddenly you see things from a different perspective. A higher one.

That's what I did on my plane trip to Haiti. We had a layover in Miami and then it was off to Port au Prince. But one thing that stood out to me in my window view seat was the stark contrast of views. When our plane was descending upon Miami, I saw familiar things, nice homes, swimming pools, schools and golf courses. A few hours later however, a few hundred feet above Haiti, my view was quit different. Dirt roads and tents. That's about it. These are images I'd seen on TV and from pictures of friends who've been in Haiti. but somehow this was different. Seeing the poverty with my own eyes was sobering. And I hadn't even landed yet! I distinctly remember thinking about the contrast between my view of Miami and Haiti. Both had beautiful oceans, coastlines and palm trees. Genesis chapter one tells me God created both of these places with my mighty hand and called them "good." But since then it seems, things have changed. These two cities, not seperated by many miles on the map, are worlds apart economically. And that's pretty obvious to anyone who watches TV and reads the newspaper.

What may not be so obvious is that God's love for the people of Port au Prince, Miami or Minneapolis is the same. He loves them all the same. And that love is unchanging. See John 3:16.

As I write thes words, it's Tuesday morning. We haven't had much contact with the Haitian people yet, besides the friendly men at the airport who continually tried to help us with our baggage. But my prayer for myself and my team this day is that God would give me the same kind of love that he has for the people of Haiti. Economically, they are worlds apart from my friends and family back home. But in reality, we are all the same in God's eyes. We are all his beloved children. My prayer is that I would live out the words of 1 John 3:16-18. "This is how we know that what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

Lord, give me your eyes, your hands and your heart today as we minister to your children in Haiti. Amen

- Mark Lenz, Connections Pastor, EBC - Blaine.

Beautiful Start Perfect Ending

Greetings from Haiti,

We have made it down to Port Au Prince with a great flight and Jean meeting us at the airport for the drive back to the guesthouse. Our eyes were opened as we saw the new culture here in Haiti. The team has gotten closer and began to share what this new experience is teaching them and how they have seen the acts of service and servanthood put into practice for one another and even those we have encountered on the flight and in the layovers.

Some of the new culture has been eye opening and we have already seen the hearts of servanthood displayed. We arrived at the guest house tonight and Fonese and Woodlynn had an amazing Haitian Taco dinner prepared for us. Everyone got settled in and we had a great time sharing highlights from the day around the living room. Can't wait to see what adventures God has in store for us tomorrow!!

We are looking forward to what God has in store for us tomorrow and the up coming week.

Ke Bondye Beni'ou (God Bless You)

Team 3

Suit up!

Saturday, Mar. 3rd 2012


Greetings! We have had a very eventful past two days in Haiti. It's hard to believe our trip has almost come to an end, but are so excited to share the experience with you all. Our team continues to grow strong by God's grace of the teaching through the Haitian culture. It's hard for me to even put into words the emotions that have been seen and felt over the past week. Our hearts just burn of compassion for these people, and we so badly want to reach them by sharing Christ by being His hands and feet. Ephesians 6:10-17 is our teams new verse representing God's almighty power that clothes us as we begin our day.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and His almighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand, Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all of this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. -Ephesians 6:10-17


Just makes you feel strong reading it doesn't it? Wow. Back to the details our past two days.....

Yesterday our team started the day off by attending a Haitian church service at 6am. With smiling energetic faces, we managed to make our ways out of bed for the early morning. Thank goodness Dave and Kevin don't have any hair. As we walked into the large white tent, we immediately felt the Holy Spirit's presence. Haitian worship services are quite different than ours. Rather than standing in their seats during worship, the Haitian's paced back and forth across the large white tent singing praise with hands lifted high. Their passion for worship was indescribable. Tears fell from my eyes. I know this experience was a big impact on our whole team.

After the amazing service, we spent the rest of the day traveling through Port au Prince and going up into the mountains. During our travels we were able to see the remains of damage in the city, and interact with the culture by doing a little shopping. As a source of livelihood for the Haitians, it was fun to see the team in action while bartering. You develop such a respect for the people after learning about what they simply do to get through their day. They have such passion for life.

Friday was a big "bonding day" for the team. My stomach muscles still hurt from the laughs. We all thoroughly enjoyed each others company, and were able to glorify God in doing so. To wrap up the day we shared in prayer and devotion time. Our two leaders Dave and Lisa are also exceptionally fantastic. Very strong in spiritual leadership, and compliment each other so well.

Breakfast today was again fantastic. The ladies freshly squeezed chadeque juice, it is ever so delicious. The accommodations Jeff and Alyn provide for the teams are just amazing. We are all so blessed to be here. Today we split into two different teams. Half went to the wound clinic and the other, San Fill, which is a hospice-type care setting . Team members at San Fill were able to massage using lotion and a loving touch, pray with them, and share God's love through care. I attended the wound clinic. It was an honor to be of service to the people in the first place, but to see the patients come in one after another, women with open cancerous wounds, and severe infections was heartbreaking. I saw the feeling of pain in a whole different light today. Our hearts and prayers go out to our brothers and sisters at both places today. Praise God for their lives, and for giving us the privilege to serve them. The team regrouped and reflected after our heart wrenching morning. The home for the sick and dying was our stop for the second half of the day. This has to be one of my favorites. The two levels of children are in so much need of so much love, and our team had a great time holding little ones, and playing with the children. Wilson who is a Haitian Healing translator taught us the song Glory to God in Creole. We were able to laugh and sing this with the children today which was so neat. We pray the Lord would do His will in kid's lives, and would ask that He gives them healing, health and His protection.

Another incredible two days spent serving God, and the Haitian people. We are so grateful for all of your prayers and support. We also, are praying for you. Tomorrow its off to Grace Village. It will be exciting to see what God does through us and teaches us on our final day.



Posted by. Jennifer Long