Hey friends! This is a recap of how we actually got into Haiti and our first week of ministry. How we got here in the first place was an act of God. Back at debrief in the D.R., logistics had everything set for us to get to and into Haiti but literally the night before we left, the bus company canceled on us due to what was going on in Port au Prince. The Lord worked through logistics so well and they got us a nice bus with A/C and a toilet, that was going to take us straight to Mission of Hope Haiti. Of course we got to the border and they weren’t letting anyone in because of the protests in the area. We sat at the border for hours and in a bus with 50 people in it, the A/C just cant keep up. It was nice but still rather cramped. Finally, as the border was closing, a school bus and a truck came from Mission of Hope. We quickly got off, got all of our bags, loaded them into the truck, then crammed all 50 of us in one school bus to head to the mission. Of course more trouble hit. The border still needed ALL of our passports and we had to get off the bus to give it to them. All while this was happening Nikki was sick and getting worse. She was obviously dehydrated and on the brink of passing out. The other nurses and I took a look at her, gathered some water and gatoraid, and I gave her some electrolyte tablets. We then got her on the bus and begun the 2 hour drive from the border to the compound. Nikki was laying in the lap of one of her friends while I stood and periodically gave her water and prayed that she would start to feel better. The rest of the drive to the compound was nothing short of terrifying! If you think people in the states can’t drive, you should see Haitian drivers! There are no real lanes and even if there are no one follows them. There are motorbikes everywhere that pass you at will, and also semi trucks in the oncoming track lane that like to play chicken with school busses full of people. And don’t even get me started on the tap-taps. It was insane!!! Praise The Lord that we got there safely and that Nikki was feeling better. We got to Mission of Hope around 10 pm. They helped us with our bags and had stuff for us to make PB&J’s. They showed us to our rooms, which are a lot more comfortable the typical World Race sleeping arrangements. All the guys are in one room, but we all have actual beds and bug nets. There is a bathroom with an actual toilet and shower, plus the shower water isn’t even that cold! The girls have the same thing except they have four rooms because there are 40 of them.
On our first day of ministry, we ended up not going out to do what we were supposed to do, because of the protests over the extremely high gas prices. It was nice to have an extra rest day after the 13 hours of travel from the day before. In the afternoon we had some training and an orientation about Mission of Hope (MOH) and their ministry. This organization is solid! It started from one young couple hearing the voice of God and being obedient. It has blown up and now they with the help of there partners feed 91,000 children per day, have several schools that teach a Christ-centered education, (which is recognized and highly regarded by the Haitian government) and is 100% committed to raising up Haitian leaders in the church to take care of ALL the needs of the people. The calling of MOH is “to bring like transformation to EVERY man, woman, and child in Haiti for Christ” and that is exactly what they are doing. They also have a closed orphanage on site with 62 children and a clinic.
On the second day of ministry, we did get to leave the compound to do “Strategic Village Time,” which consisted of us going out to the villages with personal hygiene kits and doing a community teaching on proper hand-washing and brushing teeth. Our main objective in that is to build relationships and the teaching comes second. There is also always a presentation of the Gospel. Most of the people we talked to already had a relationship with The Lord so we just spent time getting to know and praying over them. It was a great day! We did a couple more days of strategic village time with a lot of loving on the kiddos mixed in. They are adorable! Whenever the kids see the bus the start jumping and screaming “Blah, Blah, Blah!”, which is what the Haitians call white people. As soon as we get off the bus they swarm us and ask to be picked up in Creole. Before you know it all of us have at least one little kid in our arms or on our shoulders. A lot of the younger ones don’t wear pants. It was hilarious to watch some of our squad mates get uncomfortable when the ones sans pants wanted to be picked up. Brandon on the other hand, picked up a pants-less little boy and put him right on his shoulders. To see that little boy smile, absolutely made my day. I love playing with those kids. I try to hangout with the teenagers and play soccer as well. A lot of the time they feel left out because everyone typically wants to hold the little ones. These kids are GOOD! And, to top it all off, they play barefooted on gravel. The talent here in Haiti is nothing short of impressive. The rest of the week we spent switching off between the strategic and regular village time. It was such a joy to play with the kids and connect with so many of God’s people. I cannot wait to see what next week brings. Till then, God bless!
