Haiti Team 2017 Update #8

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

Today we woke up, packed up and loaded up one final time as we prepared to leave Haiti and head home. Having a late afternoon flight, we had time for a stop at Papillon Enterprise (www.papillon-enterpise.com ), a company featured in the Poverty, Inc. movie we watched last year.

Papillon, which means butterfly, is a company that was started by a lady who had adopted a child from Haiti in 2007. While she was in Haiti, she discovered the child that she had adopted was an economic orphan, which means he was only up for adoption because his biological mother could not afford to take care of him.

 

Shane and Kalispo goofing around

She felt guilty that people in Haiti couldn’t afford to keep their children and she had enough money to come and take someone else’s child. So she decided to help change that and started a non-profit called Apparent Project, which later gave birth to the for-profit Papillon.

 

this is on the back of all the workers

“Orphan Prevention through Job Creation” became a motto for her endeavors. Today, Papillon employs 201 Haitians and provides a meaningful wage to all their employees. We had the opportunity to tour the facilities, to see all the workers busy making products, see the process and hear the story. It is really exciting to see what is going on at Papillon.

 

Screen Printing T-Shirts

Handmade beads, handmade necklaces

Making paper beads from cereal boxes

One of the pieces of art that caught my eye was a painting with the words of Micah 6:8 on it, “To do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God!” It seems so simple, but as humans we miss this an awful lot. Papillon is a company that is seeking to live out these principles as they invest in the people and families of those who work there. Like Haiti Design Co and Rebuild Global, Papillon is a place that when you purchase something from them your impact is felt immediately and benefits real people.

We then looked through their retail shop and found some amazing products that were created by hand with care. After seeing the process and the people making them, it bring so much appreciation to what they do. The coffee mug I bought (I know surprised right haha) has a woman’s name, Luafie, on the bottom of it. She is the one who made the mug from start to finish, from the unformed clay to the glazed finished product, she was with it every step. How cool is that?

 

Finished products on display

We than headed upstairs to their café where we had smoothies and our last lunch in Haiti.

The Airport

We arrived at the airport and I was surprised that we barely had any line at check in, made it through security and to our gate in record time.

Sarah helped get us all checked in and saw us all the way to security!

Home Again

My battery was about to die and the wifi wasn’t that great at the airport so I didn’t get to finish. Flying into Miami, we were met with tons of people in Passport Control and I did not think we were going to make it through in the 1.5 hours we had till our flight. We stood in line for awhile, and then thought we caught a break when someone asked for US Citizens to follow him. He ushered us around a corner to what seemed like a short cut, but turned out to be a long line that wasn’t moving.

I heard someone say, “talk to the guy in the orange vest.” So, I got out of line, walked over to him and told him we had a team of six that was boarding in an hour. Praise the Lord, he gave me a pass and all of us were ushered toward the front.

God is good! We thought we wouldn’t make it, but His provision allowed us to make with time to spare.

We arrived in Cleveland about 12:45AM and Patty picked us up and took us back to Lakeside. It is always a bit weird to get back on US roads, especially a 4 lane highway that is empty. Haitian roads are narrow and always full. There will be some time of adjustment and allowing God to continue to use this trip in our lives.

Please pray for the team as we settle back in. There are a lot of emotions and thoughts to process. We are excited to tell stories and look forward to sharing with everyone. But in reality, there are things that we can share, pictures we can show, but it is the deeper things, the heart things, that are either too raw to understand and/or share, or the things we haven’t figured out yet. But God is using them all in a big way!

 

Our Team thanks you for your prayers and support!

Thanks for following along! To God be the Glory!

Haiti Team 2017 Update #7

 

The whole crew and kids at Valley of Hope

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” Psalm 28:7

Today was our last full day in Haiti as we fly out tomorrow at 4:45pm, and it was a good day!

Returning to the Valley of Hope

We headed back up to the village of Chambon to the Valley of Hope church today. It took a lot longer to get there due to traffic, which can be crazy here in Haiti. Our mission was a volleyball clinic and spend time with the children. Our Lakeside crew wasn’t sure what would be asked of us, but our goal was to get plugged in a serve where ever needed.

 

She is so precious!!

Once we arrived, the kids had gone home because it took so long for us to get there. So while we were setting up, a few kids went to tell everyone to come back.

I noticed my friend Amchel and some of the older guys shooting basketball. So I jumped in and began shooting around with them. Now soccer is their sport of choice and basketball is newer to them and they were impressed at my “skills” haha.

 

Jeremiah playing hoops with the guys

An opportunity to help in the kitchen came up and our girls, Ashley, Daisy and Alexis, quickly volunteered without complaining. They helped prepare the lunch and wash a lot of dishes. Daisy shared that while washing dishes, she had a great opportunity to connect with Wesley, one of our interpreters, through worship songs. But I’ll let her tell you that story.

Shane and I were asked to help out with the Volleyball clinic. I love volleyball so it was a lot of fun! Each coach was assigned 5 or 6 students to run drills with. I had the high school girls and they were quick learners! Volleyball is new to them and so it was fun to introduce them to it.

This was the first time to watch the team coach and see how they instructed the kids. They were so helpful, fun and patient! We have been blessed this week by how our teams have come together. Big answer to prayer! Being the last stop, the Volleyball team left their net and some balls for the school.

 

The Team with Evens, the principal of the school

After the clinic ended, we had lunch at the school. Today we had Haitian spaghetti, which is a lot different than ours. They cut up hot dogs and put ketchup on their noodles. Sounds weird, but their ketchup tastes different and the combination really works. Of course, I spiced it up with some Haitian hot sauce.

 

Sarah snapped a shot of the Haitian Spaghetti

Heartline Ministries

We left the Valley of Hope at 2:25pm and headed to visit the OK where Heartline is based. Traffic was bad and we arrived at almost 4pm. Most of the staff had already headed home, but we ran into Moise, who heads up the Men’s discipleship group. We saw the bakery, the offices, the school and the Women’s training center.

 

Moise sharing about the Men's Discipleship group

It was really cool to see the café the women have that we helped build last year!

Dan, the new director of finance, came out and met us. It was great talking with him and getting to know him. There are some really good things happening at Heartline!

Evening Devotions

Each night we have done group devotions as a big group. All of them have been good, but tonight was fantastic. Shane suggested we start with an icebreaker by having everyone share their favorite verse. It was so encouraging to hear all the Bible verses being quoted and read out loud! Then we got a treat, Kalipso read John 3:16 in Creole for us!

 

Shane and Stanley

We then shared our highs and lows for the week, the lessons we learned and what we hope to take home with us. Without fail, every team member has talked about the joy and the love they see in the Haitians, and how they can be so enthusiastic with so little. The source for their joy is the strength they have from the Lord (Psalm 28:7). Not every school, orphanage or church in Haiti teaches the Gospel clearly, but the ones we encountered this week did. It was so encouraging to hear them teach and interact with the children, knowing that we are truly partnering together with brothers and sisters in Christ. I was reminded of the truth that the same Jesus who brings joy and love in the midst of poverty here in Haiti is the same Jesus we worship at home. The question is, are we willing to allow him to be our true joy and only source of satisfaction? We can bring the smiles, the joy and the love to the world through the same Spirit that empowers the believers here.

Lastly, we closed in a sweet time of prayer together, praising God for what He has done.

 

We had to stop and say hi to Yolonda!

 It’s been a good day, a long day and a quick week. Thanks for following along.

We got some fresh coconut on the side of the road, delicious!

Haiti Team 2017 Update #6

At HAC, picture with Sammy

            [4] The LORD is high above all nations,

                        and his glory above the heavens!

            [5] Who is like the LORD our God,

                        who is seated on high,

            [6] who looks far down

                        on the heavens and the earth?

            [7] He raises the poor from the dust

                        and lifts the needy from the ash heap,

            [8] to make them sit with princes,

                        with the princes of his people. (Psalm 113:4-8)

This morning I stumbled upon this verse during my quiet time. It wasn’t difficult to be prayerful about orphans and to have them in mind as I read this. I am overwhelmed with God’s great love for us and that He would pay attention to us. The fact that He looks down from the heavens and lifts the needy is such an important promise to cling to. Though these orphans are poor in this life, thanks to the Gospel they will be received as princes by our heavenly Father in the next.

Some will even escape poverty in this life too, thanks to these orphanages and schools like the one we visited today.

Haitian American Caucus (HAC)

HAC is a school that cares for the local children, but not just their education but their physical and spiritual lives as well. Today we met Sammy and heard the story of this school. Sammy’s father and mother were originally from Haiti, but moved to America. Sammy was born and raised as an American and became a business man in NYC.

 

Sammy

In 2003, his father, a minister, returned to Haiti to set up a retirement plan…which included starting a school for the children who couldn’t go to school. His father ran the school for a while but the earthquake in 2010 brought Sammy down to help his dad keep things going. Sammy never left.

Now the school hosts over 450 students from the surrounding area. Some of the students have to walk for hours to get there, but they are faithful to come. Each student gets a hot meal every day. The meal is so important as it might be the only food some of these kids get each day. It was great seeing them all today, in good spirits and in good health.

Today the Volleyball team took some kids to the field and ran their camp. It was a lot of fun and good to see the kids engaging the game.

Our team was asked if we would be willing to help by painting a class room. We had planned to be playing with the younger children, but had a great opportunity to help out the school. Once we got the paint figured out, and the brushes came, we busied ourselves with the task at hand. I am so proud of our team, they all had good attitudes, worked hard and barely got any paint on themselves. This is a good thing as it was oil based paint.

 

before

before

after- Jeremiah getting the final touches

After

The room brightened up significantly and Sammy and the other staff were super thankful for our help and willingness to jump in.

For lunch, we had a Haitian meal at HAC and Sammy shared his story with us. HAC also is reaching out to educate parents and help small businesses in the community. They have a whole microfinancing program, giving entrepreneurial ladies $50 loans that help them grow their businesses. This doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but it is a big game changer here.

When someone applies, they check out their whole story, their economic situation, and take them through classes on budgeting, planning and finances. They set up a payment process and 92% of those involved have repayed their debt.  It was exciting to hear of the small businesses that have grown because of their work.

This was also the type of impact we learned about in preparation for our trip by watching the Poverty Cure curriculum. I’d recommend you check it out, or at least watch Poverty, Inc. on Netflix.

Haiti Design Co (www.HaitiDesignCo.org)

After lunch we had the opportunity to hear the story of Haiti Design Co, a company that was begun by two people that used to work for Heartline Ministries.

“Haiti design co was founded in 2014 with the goal to bring about sustainable development through design, training, and job creation.” (From the website)

The founders partnered with women who graduated Heartline’s program, and others who needed a job and life skills. It started small, but today has around 65 Haitians meaningfully employed. Their products cost more than other places in Haiti, but that is because they pay their works a good and fair wage. I’d highly encourage you to check out their stuff and buy some, it’s rewarding to know that every purchase you make is making an impact on someones life.

 

These two ladies work at Haiti Design Co and graduated from Heartline

We got a quick tour, saw all of the workers busy at work and then stopped in their store. Oh, and they have a café that makes the best mango/banana smoothies!

Rebuild Global (www.REBUILDglobally.org or www.deuxmains.com)

Somehow, we managed to be ahead of schedule and had the opportunity to stop at Rebuild Global. This is also an amazing company that fulfills the principles we were learning about. Like Haiti Design Co, Rebuild was founded to help Haitians find meaningful work. The founder started with four ladies working under a tarp, and today they have over 25 full time employed Haitians.

Rebuild staple products are sandals made from tires. Now these are not the clunky sandals you’d find in Africa, but are designer sandals that are handmade and crafted from products that come from Haiti or the Dominican Republic.

Jolina Sharing with us and Sarah, the director, translated

 We met Jolina, a manager and shareholder of the company. She shared her story of how she could barely feed her family and education for her children was a stretch. When she started working with Rebuild Global, she began to make a meaningful wage. She was so excited to tell us how she wasn’t just an employee but also a shareholder in the company. Because of her job, she has been able to buy her own property, house and provide quality education for her children. She has also been able to start a peanut butter company that she employs 4 people at right now.

They make fantastic sandals that you can purchase at many stores in the US or online.

More Than Tourism

These companies we visited was not just a shopping trip, but an educational experience. Many of us take work and jobs for granted. We have our 5 year plans and goals. We aren’t worried about where our next meal is going to come from.

In Haiti, there is over 40% unemployment, but that statistic barely scratches the surface. Today we learned that only 15% are employed by the private sector, meaning that they have meaningful employment and know that a check is coming.

There are many “working” but there is no security. Seeing these two companies, hearing their stories and the story of the school today helps us see the importance of a job and education. It’s no coincidence that all those involved in starting and running these ventures are believers who understand that God desires us to seek the welfare of others.

When it comes to ministry, global missions and impacting the poor many think that it is only by being a pastor, church planter or doctor that you can do something. In reality, all fields and all people have unique opportunities to impact the world. Pray about how God could use you to change a life.