Haiti Trip 2016 update #6

Children playing on their rocky soccer court after we gave them toys

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40 ESV)

 

Morning Devotions with the whole crew

Frank shared with us these verses with us for devotions this morning. He pointed out that verse 40 is his favorite verse and I loved his emphasis on the verse. He brought out the point that Jesus says “my brothers” when referring to the less fortunate that they ministered to. Jesus doesn’t see poverty, prison or orphan as the identifying mark, but that they are His brothers.

This week we literally had the opportunity to feed the strangers, cloth the naked, care for the sick and visit the prisoners! It is so humbling and exciting to know that what we did this week was for the King!

Trip to the Museum

Today was filled with all kinds of amazing activities and it would be impossible to capture it in a few pages. We went to the Museum of Haiti and learned the history of Haiti from the time of the indigenous Indians, to the time of Christopher Columbus, the struggle for independence and all the way to the present day. We saw the actual anchor from the Santa Maria, the golden crown of a past Haitian emperor and amazing artwork from Haitian artists to name a few things.

The one thing that hit me today was how power corrupts and leads men to do awful things to other men. There were over 1 million indigenous Indians on the Island when Christopher Columbus came and within 50 years there were only 600 left. Then the slave trade hit the shores of Haiti and they continued to dehumanize men and women for power and control. In the paintings I could see how the disfigured the representation of the Indians and slaves to make them look less the human and it deeply saddened me.

Why does God put up with such heinous acts against humanity? Why does mankind continue to kill each other? Why don’t we celebrate life and value each other by celebrating our differences? I looked at the images and realized we haven’t learned much as a people in the last 400 years because we are still dehumanizing and killing each other.

Sin is the reason that humanity keeps following this pattern. We are born enslaved to it and cannot escape it on our own. That is why Jesus Christ came into the world, to set captives free. In Christ we can break the cycle of hate and violence. End of sermon, back to our day.

Haiti Design and Coop

For lunch we had the unique opportunity of going and getting a tour of Haiti Design and Coop, which is a business that had it’s beginning with Heartline Ministries. Some of the ladies that graduated Heartline’s Woman’s Training Center began a business to create and sell their products. Through some strategic partnerships, they became their own business and now employ over 60 Haitians and are selling their products all over the world. Be sure to check out their website http://haitidesigncoop.org/ and support an amazing company that is changing the lives of many Haitians.

 

After the tour, we received an amazing lunch from their café. Mango smoothies with homemade tacos. By homemade, I mean she hand made the tortillas this morning and used fresh ingredients to make the best tacos!

Traveling to the Beach

In route to the beach, we drove through the Market district. The Supermarket we have been going to all week is a really nice store, but only the top 5% of Haitians shop like that. The Market District is where the average Haitian goes. The district was too busy and there was no place to park so we just drove by, but we got a good idea of it.

Our next stop was outside the new and developing Olympic training center that provides selected children to get to train and develop to be on the Haitian Olympic team with access to state of the art equipment.

Shortly after we left there, we did a quick stop at a very somber place. The mass grave for many of the bodies from the 2010 earthquake. Nobody knows the exact number, but the low end is 200,000 bodies. It’s a place to be silent and reflect on the loss of lives and long for the day when Christ will return and make all things new.

For our time at the beach, Frank took us to a friend of his who is a fisherman and was willing to take us out on a boat ride. 

Frank and Sarah on the boat trip

Girls getting back from boat ride

We had an awesome opportunity to play with kids and give out toys and dresses to the children. We also gave out soccer balls and sunglasses. It’s hard to describe what it’s like, but when you are holding one of these little kids, you just want to give them the world. When they receive a gift and their face lights up with a beautiful smile it warms your soul.

 

Jeun helping girls out of the Canter after getting dresses

Kids anxiously awaiting their turn

Traiana holding a precious baby

Mark and I helping the little ones out of the Canter with a new dress

We concluded the night at Pizza Amour, the best pizza place in Haiti! It was a really nice restaurant and great pizza. We had a great time!

It’s hard to believe that tonight is the last night we are here. I’ve made some great friends with our extended team. I’ve really enjoyed seeing parents here with their kids. Patrick and Kim brought their daughter Rylie and son Regan. Jeff brought his daughter Ashley. Sandy came with her daughter Tatum. What an awesome opportunity for a family to experience together.

The Heartline Staff and interns have been wonderful! It was great meeting Scott Hodges at the beginning of the week. Reconnecting with my good friend Frank Verdi has been a blessing. Kalipso and Jeun are always a joy to work with and a huge blessing. Having P help translate and drive was awesome. Sarah has been so sweet and helpful to our whole team and great to work with. Gary was a great foreman and spoke some amazing truth into our team this week. John and Beth challenged and encouraged us spiritually. Moise continues to faithfully pour his life out into the discipleship program and welcomed us into his ministry. And the list goes on!

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I am very appreciative of all their efforts and providing us with a great opportunity. As our group gathered tonight, jus the 7 from Lakeside, we reflected briefly on this week. Some stated this has been the best week of their lives. I pray God will abundantly bless the seeds planted in our hearts this week! Thanks for your prayers back home!

Prayer Requests

Pray for some on our team who are not feeling well, but especially for Ashley as her stomach has been upset all day. Pray that God heals her and gives her a comfortable ride home tomorrow. It is a miserable thing to be sick so far from home.

Pray for our travels as well as the rest of the team. We leave at 7:55am, another group is leaving at 1:05pm and the last group is at 4:30pm.

Pray that God continues to shape our team for His glory and that we will have wisdom in sharing about our trip and boldness to proclaim the Gospel as we return to the States.