Haiti Update #7

Spencer, June, Zark, Lance and I at the beach on Thursday

(sorry no more pics today, my cord is in my checked luggage)

I’m sitting in Miami Airport waiting for our flight to board and thought I’d take a chance to update you all. We were delayed leaving Haiti for an equipment change. This delay led to us missing our flight to Cleveland last night and caused us to have to stay in a hotel last night and head home this morning. They were able to get us on two flights back to home. 10 members of the team are flying through Philadelphia and 2 of us have a direct flight. Unfortunately the we couldn’t all be on the same flight, but we will arrive back in Cleveland about the same time. We thank God for safety in our travels and ask for prayer until we are safely home!

Morning Devotions

As I type this, devotions were yesterday morning. Frank led the devotions for us yesterday. We discussed the Matthew 25 passage together, about what ever is done unto the “least of these is done unto me.” We should never minimized the importance of looking out for others. As Melody pointed out, these people Jesus is talking about didn’t even realize they had done these things, these acts of grace were like second nature to them. We should be following Christ so closely that it is our natural desire to care for others as if they were Jesus.

Frank’s testimony was very challenging to me and our team. Again, I wish you could have been there to hear him tell you as this post won’t do it justice. Really the best option for you is to just go on down to Haiti with Heartline an you will be blessed while you serve Jesus.

Frank grew up in a pastor’s home and accepted Christ at a young age, but in his teenage years he decided his father’s way was not the way he wanted and he moved out. It was harder then he realized and he had a season where he had very little. He allowed this to fuel a desire to “succeed” and gain material status. Over the next 15 years he built up a sum of wealth and continued to be driven.

Until one day he lost most of it. He was less disappointed with the loss of money as much as he lost all that time. He then did what he said he’d never do; he went back to church. He realized he had worked toward a temporal material goal and missed out on eternal values. That’s when a friend invited him to go to Haiti. He accepted the invitation but had no idea what he had just said yes to.

In Haiti he was exposed to extreme poverty as he had never experienced, really most Americans have never experienced it either. They went through a tent city on their way to a school. The school yard was also the tent city trash heap and he couldn’t believe that these children played soccer in these conditions. Most of the kids were naked and bare foot running around the trash.

He was sitting there trying to process this scene and thought and figure out what he could even do. As he looked down he saw nails mixed in the trash and the thought “I could pick up nails” came to him. So he began to pick up nails, filling his pockets and his hands the first day. Then he came back with buckets. Later he came back with buckets and Smarties and the children would gather nails and trade them in for Smarties.

So many things about Frank’s story amaze me, but I love the truth he impressed on us. When facing such insurmountable odds, and looking at a mountain of problems it’s easy to just give up and walk away. God gave him that picking up nail idea, and that one task to focus on got him moving. Then God gave him another one idea task, and then another. Now he is working with Heartline and has led 26 short term trips this year.  He is an amazing man to watch lead a team. He is real with you and admits his own shortcomings. He is confident leading the team. His driving skills amaze me. He knows so many of the Haitian people, every where we went. He has a deep love for Jesus and that love flows to the orphans and the Haitians in a very clear way.

I’ve said it a few times in these updates, I thank God for Frank. I’ve learned a lot from him this week and I’ve made a new friend and co-labor of the Gospel. I look forward to seeing how God works in this new friendship and partnership in the ministry.

Rebuild Globally

Being the last day and a travel day, we didn’t have time for much. So Frank took us to Rebuild Globally (www.rebuildglobally.org). Rebuild was started as a ministry to help provide Haitian jobs, and God has blessed this ministry and has grown it into an established independent business. You should check out their story.

The make sandals out of tires. In Haiti people either burn old tires or throw them in the ocean. Rebuild has developed a way of making sandals out of them. After several attempts, their standard sandal is made with an old tire, leather tanned in Haiti and then hand stitched to make a good looking and comfortable sandal. Kenneth Cole sent a designer/consultant down and signed a contract line with them. Their sandals are being sold all over the world! This has allowed them to hire 15 Haitians in well paying jobs that allow them to buy a home and send their kids to school. Really cool!

UN Base

We then had a great opportunity to meet up with Steve Nuzzo’s team from Dayton, Ohio for lunch at the UN Base. It was great making this connection and seeing Steve. Steve was a part of the Akron Area Youth Workers Network and we’ve become good friends. Now that he is in Dayton, we don’t get to see each other that often. It was a blessing to find out we were in Haiti at the same time.

Oh and Steve used to be Sam Preston’s youth pastor. She was excited that her first youth pastor and her current youth pastor were with her in Haiti!

Departing

Well you already know the out come of the traveling. But leaving Heartline was hard. The time sure flew by and we were all ready to come home, but at the same time we weren’t. We’ve made new friends in Frank, June, and Kalipso. Of course there was John, Beth, Matt, Nick, Recky(sp), Rob and the list goes on.

Haiti is a place with great need and a place you feel like you are needed, even if you don’t know what to do. Leaving brings with it a sense of unfinished business and a “wish I could’ve done more.” It was hard saying good by to June and Kalipso at the truck. Frank came into the airport to make sure we got checked in. But it was hard saying good by once we left him.

Hard. That is a word that describes the Haiti trip in many respects. It’s hard to see poverty. It’s hard to feel inadequate to make change. It’s hard to see the systemic problems that permeate a culture. It’s hard to imagine ways of bringing change. It’s hard to not want to be involved. It hard to leave our friends and it’s hard to leave Haiti.

But Hope is another word. The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings hope in this life and in the one to come. There are sings of hope all throughout Haiti. Heartline is a ministry that brings God’s hope, hope of real change. Hope that equips Haitians to a self sustaining lifestyle and faith in Jesus. Heartline partners with many other like minded ministries in Haiti that are building bridges of hope to people who desperately need it. Whether you ever go to Haiti or not, you could be a partner of hope with them in more ways then you can imagine. Prayer is the most important and first place we should all start. God is the source of hope and He will give it to those who ask!

Prayer Requests

Pray for orphans, children, moms, dads, and families of Haiti to have hope. Pray for jobs. Pray for Haitian pastors to preach the word faithfully.

Pray for our travels. Just about to board so I will end now. Thanks for your prayers!