Hearts and Hands for Haiti

Thank you Sean for your wonderful blogs. I have felt no need to add to his insightful words.
And it is a good thing because everytime I have tried to blog, I have experienced some kind
of computer glitch. (Tom, I hear you snickering!)
This has been an incredible journey. It will take us a while to process all that we have seen and felt.
So if we seem to be incoherent when we return do not worry, we will get better. Although I doubt that we will every be able to adequately describe this place and experience.
God has been present with us in many ways: through the smiles and laughter of incredible Haitians who have opened their hearts and lives to us; through the natural beauty of this land; through faith at work as we serve and have been served.
As American Christians we have so many blessings, but all of our blessings may be stumbling blocks to our spiritual life. Here, our brothers and sisters live everyday totally dependent on the grace of God, with no illusions that they could handle life on their own. What they say is "If you are alive, it is good, it is the grace of God. Everything else is just the situation."
Amen.
Kathryn

Praying for Peace and Patience in Petionville

 Today was one of the most emotionally and physically draining days I have ever had; and this was our day off from working! We "toured" up the coast all the way to Petit Goave, making stops in Leogane and Mellier. We got a great glimpse of the country side here and I must say this place is blessed with a lot of natural beauty. In Petit Goave, we stopped by the Methodist mission and I am proud to say that things are moving in the right direction. We also stopped for a little r&r on the beach. The scenery there was absolutely beautiful; however, a month long beach sweep of just a 1/4 mile area is much needed. Many of the guys here believe a well developed fish camp would be nice! Although I think, instead of doing much fishing for men, we would be doing a lot of fishing for fish.
   Traveling back I wish I could say the same for down town Port au Prince. It is so difficult to describe the scenery. There is much progress and work being done amid chaos. I'm afraid much of the "negative" out weighs what good is going on. Throughout our travels through there I realized that this is where Jesus met the Samaritan woman. That this is where Jesus healed the crippled man. This is where Jesus Christ lives and walks today and although I blessed to be able to see this and be aware of it; it is quite unnerving that one must go to such extremes to see His love and His opportunity for action. There is no way to live here without Jesus in your life. There is no way for any reason to wake up in the morning and face this mess without placing your full trust and faith in our Lord. There is so much to be learned on the personal level that I must leave you at that. These mission trip are truly about building relationships upon the rock of our Lord Jesus Christ. If not, all other ground is sinking sand!
Sean

Praying for Peace and Patience in Petionville

Bonjour amis! The internet connection has been quite patchy for the last couple of days. We are very spoiled having this luxury everywhere we go. We are now approaching the halfway point of our mission here and I must say "what a long, strange trip its been." We have had many small adventures and revelations that will have an impact on our lives forever. Each new day brings a new opportunity to strengthen our relationship with our fellow freres et soeurs (brothers and sisters) here. This trip is teaching many of us to look for and see Jesus in all that we meet. He comes in many forms; boss man, Mama Ruth, the children, Lamiere, etc... It is impossible not to see Him on a daily basis because when you have Jesus in your heart, which many people here do, you take on a personality, characteristics and attitude that resembles Him little by little. Yes it may be hard to realize that you can be slightly compared to Jesus when you have Him in your heart. You cease to be a servant of the Lord, because Jesus now sees you as a brother or sister with Him and in him! It should be a goal of us all, to one day call Jesus my brother. It has been an absolute pleasure to serve (worship) the Lord here in Haiti with this team and these people. I pray that God continues to open the eyes of the blind (at times us) and reveal even further His glory in the light of these people. Thank you all for the support that you all give us. Your prayers are heard and felt.
Sean

Praying for Peace and Patience in Petionville

   What a day! In Ed's words we saw the complete range of "the spectrum" here today. Our morning began with an awesome breakfast prepared by the great staff here at the guest house; oh by the way, the coffee here is amazing! I have finally found my true love. We were able to attend service here on campus. What an amazing worship experience. We could not understand very much of what was said; but the feeling of God's love flowing from everybody was unbelievable. We were introduced to the congregation and asked to speak just a bit. The hymns are quite beautiful. Many are recognizable but obviously they were sang in Creyole. There were many experiences just at the church that we look forward to sharing with you all.
   We were also taken on a tour of the city today and I must say, there is nothing that can prepare you for that. At this moment I can only stop and reflect because words DO NOT DESCRIBE what has happened and continue to happen.
   After swimming in the guest house pool, we were greatly surprised by Jean's three sons, daughter in law, and cousin. Many of you know Jean. If you do not, he has done an incredible job of raising his three boys and the world is a much brighter place with them here! We were blessed to have them with us this afternoon and were even more encouraged by the spontaneous worship inspired by God we took part in together.
  The only hope that this place has is in God. Without Him, and there are those who this is truly evident of, that have neither. We are all greatly inspired by the love of Christ and the pure trust in faith that those who we have met have in God. They have truly turned over everything to Him, and many of their lives are full of joy (and smiles with laughter) that is difficult to understand. The sermon today was about how we on many occasions receive God's blessings and gifts with an ungrateful heart. And this was being given to a Haitian congregation? How then, must we evaluate our own reception of God's gifts? We have all received an undeserved, yet freely given inheritance by Christ's sacrafice. Let us praise God with joyful and grateful hearts! Lift up His name in praise for all that He continues to bless in your life.
Sean

Hearts and Hands for Haiti

I have no idea where to begin. This day in Haiti has been full of contrasts.
We worshiped this morning with the Methodist congregation here in Petionville. They are gracious and loving people. The entire service was in Creole so we did not understand a word - other than Jesus. But we certainly felt the spirit and love of God and the people.
This afternoon we toured Port Au Prince. There are not words to describe the devastion and destruction of the earthquake. It is poverty on top of poverty.
Yet, the joy and faith of our Christian brothers and sisters is a shining light in the darkness.
What a priviledge, and how humbling, it is to work and stand with them.
May God's light shine through us as brightly as it shines in these Haitian Saints.
Peace, Kathryn

Praying for Peace and Patience in Petionville

   WOW!!!! What a day. As it started at about 3 o'clock for everyone this morning, we are just now settling in for the night at the Methodist guest house in Port au Prince. To say that this day has been a bit crazy does not do it justice. We had a 5 hour delay in Miami and somewhere along the way between Miami and Haiti, our luggage decided to part ways with us. We all have our carry on's; however, all of our personal gear and tools/kid supplies are M.I.A.  We will be searching vigorously for them tomorrow. What is important is that we are all safe and here in our destination.
   Words CAN NOT describe this place! The sights, sounds and smells are truly unique and possibly tread on the cusp of disturbing. Although we drove through the city at night, I can not imagine what awaits our eyes once daylight approaches. We are eager and excited to worship with our brothers and sisters tomorrow morning and we are looking forward to spending this time in fellowship with them; with or with our clean underwear. UGH!!!
   The roles have been reversed. We came here to provide comfort and relief to those in this area; yet, it is us receiving the charity today. I thank God for His presence with these people. This experience is truly a blessing to be shared!
   Sean

Praying for Peace and Patience in Petionville

Dear God,
   Thank you so much for the abounding grace and blessings you place in our life! Our packing has been done, our planning is finished and now we ask for your protection in our Haitian mission team's trip in the morning. I lift up my praise in thanks for all of the support given to us by our brothers and sisters in Christ at our church, as well as our friends, family and co-workers. All this we know, can only be given by you.
 Allow for us during this trip, to be the feet and hands of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us have a rejoicing heart when we use our words, thoughts and actions. Above all, let the love of Christ, our Lord and Blessed Savior flow from us as the living water of the Holy Spirit.
 We now depart from here, in your name, knowing that Haiti is not our end destination; but rather a brief stop, in our life long journey to you. You are the presence that gives me comfort in all situations and I pray to you that our presence may bring a light of hope and love to those who we touch. For it is in the name of Jesus Christ that we love you, praise you and worship you. Amen
Sean

Hearts and Hands for Haiti

Well, we are actully packing up. There were a few weeks in Jan. when it seemed doubtful that we would be able to travel to Hait. But God has opened the doors and I think it is going to happen!
We have just finished packing 5 big bags full of children's toys, books, crafts, soccer balls, water bottles, toothpaste and toothbrushes. Next, come the bags of tools.

Flight leaves at 6:15am tomorrow. And we arrive in Port Au Prince around 11:00am.

Thanks for the prayers!
Kathryn