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
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