Haiti Lesson #30....There is No Place Like Home

My life will never be the same because of this trip and I want to say thank

you for your prayer, encouragement, and/or financial support. Without

your partnership my mission trip might not have been possible. Thank you

for investing in me for the Kingdom’s sake! I know that God wants me to

be bolder about sharing my faith – not just in Haiti, but right here in Elgin.

May the Lord bless you and your family for blessing and being a part of God’s 

transformation of not only my life, but many of the Haitian people through 

Sonlight Academy. Please don’t stop praying for the Haitian people. Pray that they 

would hear and accept the gospel and pray for growth for those that

have accepted Christ. Pray also that God’s Glory would continue to be made

known among them.

Haiti Lesson #29....There is Always a Reason to Celebrate

Also that everyone should eat and drink and take 

pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man. Ecclesiastes 3:13

Our flight to leave Port de Paix was moved up one day. We were sad to leave the kids and Sonlight early but I think most of us were also missing family and ready to head home. We flew out on Friday and stayed over night in Port au Prince on Saturday night. We stayed at Mon Chez Moi Guest House. It is a complex that is like a hostel.....a large house with several rooms filled with bunk beds and a community dining room. Meals were served family style for dinner and breakfast on Saturday morning. They also served the darkest thickest coffee I have ever tasted. The complex was surrounded by a high wall topped with razor wire. I do not know exactly what type of danger was outside of those walls that required razor wire. I do know the that inside the walls was a great pool for us to relax and enjoy!! We had a very relaxing afternoon just hanging out with each other, recapping our experiences from the week and celebrating our week. 

On Friday evening, we gathered in Gene and Rob's room for our final time of devotions together for the trip. Our conversation that evening surrounded the subject of how we would spread the word. We talked about how we would prepare to talk to people about our experience. How we would share what we saw and how we would glorify the Lord during those conversations. I hope that I have honored God through these lessons I have learned. I hope that they will continue the conversation as people read them and that everyone will understand that as I have written these lessons, I have felt God telling me what I should be sharing. I have started some of these with my thoughts in mind and by the time I end....God has taken over. As people have asked me "How was Haiti?" since I returned, some are interested in the suffering and hardship and others are genuinely interested in the people, the mission and how God used us. I love the opportunity to share the things I saw, felt, learned and experienced....especially the moments that I truly felt God there with me.

Haiti Lesson #28...Sometimes a Little Buzz Can Be a Good Thing

I searched and searched and could not find a scripture to go with this lesson. In Haiti....a buzz means you have electricity and if you are from a cold climate in the US....a buzz is a good thing!!

In Port de Paix, there is not a readily accessible power system like the ones we have in the US. Electricity comes from batteries or generators and most homes do not have power. Sonlight has a couple of very large generators that John and his team work on every day to keep healthy. The businesses and some homes in the neighborhood, including the Holiday Beach Hotel (love saying that!!)

These generators cause a constant buzzing or humming sound. The first couple of days I thought I would go crazy from listening to it but I quickly realized the gift that comes from that sound....AIR CONDITIONING!!! The first 2 days we were in Port de Paix, the weather was beautiful....warm and breezy. About the 3rd day, the breeze stopped and the air because very humid , heavy and still. Getting back to our rooms at 8PM and turning on the air conditioning was a little slice of heaven and all the buzzing all day was completely worth it!!

Sonlight Generators

Outside Lighting at the Hotel - Works from 7PM-7AM

Haiti Lesson #27.... Every Lesson is a Gift

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17

I went to Haiti on a mission trip to serve others and I found that I was the one that received the greatest gift. The children in the 4th grade class showed me how amazing children are...how honest, genuine, sincere and loving they are. They loved me without knowing me. They shared themselves with me through hugs, kisses, conversations, small gifts of letters, art work and candy. One little girl even gave me a couple of her hair ties. 

It is possible that they have changed my opinion of "sticky fingers' for life. My granddaughter has been here visiting with us for the week. She is 4 and very shy. I have found myself having more patience this week than I ever have. I have enjoyed the cuddling for longer hours, giggled and played more freely and just loved her. That is the gift I received from a very special group of 4th graders. 

On this Thanksgiving Day, I am of course thankful for God and His grace, my family and friends and even the dog and our cat. But this year I am most thankful for the lessons I had a chance to learn in a place like Haiti, the team that journeyed with me and the new people I met there. My ego is smaller, I am judging less, my self is less the center, many fears have been overcome, I am more open to others and willing to share my heart. I hope that these lessons AND gifts will stay with me for life. I pray that what I experienced changes me in a way that will lead me to show love to all I meet from this day forward as freely and unconditionally as that small group of 4th graders showed me.

 

Haiti Lesson #26....Encyclopedias Have Naked Pictures

During my final day in Mme Ryan's 4th grade class, she introduced the students to encyclopedias. She passed out one volume to each student. The first task she gave the kids was to look through their volume and find a historical person. The students found Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Edison. Next, Mme Ryan asked the kids to find a place. Right away, someone found Chicago. They then looked for an animal...Muskrat and Lion where discussed. As the students where searching through their volumes, several students realized that their where pictures of naked people in their books. Soon the class was laughing and each of the kids was on a mission to find ART in their books. 

I really enjoyed spending time with Mme Ryan. This is her first year as a teacher and 4th graders can be quite a handful. At the beginning of the week I wondered why she would choose to do this job. Shortly after moving to Haiti, her and her husband found out that she will be having her first baby in February. On this final day in the classroom, I could see the love she had for these children and I could clearly see that they love her so much already. I have prayed for her and her husband many times since I have been home. I am in awe of their decision to move to Haiti and take on the role of teacher, mentor, missionary, messenger and example of Jesus for the amazing kids they spend every day with. God has a plan for them and they are obediently following.

M'yse and Mme Ryan

I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me. Psalm 119:30

Haiti Lesson #25..... School Junk Food is Universal

Each day outside the gate of the school as the students were arriving for their day....there were nice young boys (not students) acting as vending machines filled with junk food. The students would arrive at school via "taxi" (sometimes 3 at a time) and stop to stock up on goodies to hide in their desks for the day. Not much different then arriving on the big yellow bus and stopping by the vending machines.

Haiti Lesson #24...Make Use of What You Have

And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” John 6:12

At the Holiday Beach Hotel (I love saying that!!) the restaurant and bar area is an outdoor open patio area with seating, a bar area and an amazing view of the ocean. Another thing that catches your eye is the mosaic flooring. It is made up of many pieces of mismatched tiling fit together in a mosaic pattern (or lack of pattern). It is a beautiful use of what was probably a bunch of scraps.

Gene enjoying the ocean view

As I look around the community, I saw many places where the Haitian people made use of what they had. They also, take great care of what they have. It is very common to see people sweeping their floor....their dirt floor. The roads around the school (which are dirt roads) are swept overnight. I am not sure who does this but each morning you could see that the area had been groomed and cleaned over night. Event the brooms that are used are made out of recycled materials. Leave it to one of our team members to find yet another use for those brooms!!

Julie finds another form of transportation

Haiti Lesson #23....Fishermen Do Not Give Up

As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. Mark 1:16

In the morning, the fishermen took out very large dragnets. I believe there are weights attached to the nets to make them fall to the bottom. Then there are gallon sized plastic bottles attached to make the ends of the nets float to the top. They would then spend hours dragging that net in from the beach. From what I was told, they would frequently do this hard work and get only a handful of fish. There is little sea life that close to the shore but these type of fishermen do not have the bigger boats to go further out into the ocean to fish. They are limited by their means but not by their spirit. They used what they have and just work harder.

I had a feeling that the mission teams that work in Haiti are like these fishermen. I am referring to the people that have committed their lives to mission work. They put that net out there every day. They know they are in an area with limited faith and "life" but they keep putting out that net and doing the very hard work of pulling it in. They catch very little but what they do catch makes all the difference in the world. They continue to rely on their means and let God do His work through them. I am in awe of these people that have listened to a calling and "followed Him to become fishers of men". 

Thank you to the missionaries that are "Fishing" at Sonlight!!!

Haiti Lesson #22.... When You Jump Rope....Wear Tight Pants!!

1 Peter 2:2-3

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Another activity that we did with the kids at House of Hope....JUMP ROPES!!! One little boy was jumping and he was jumping fast....keeping up great....until his pants fell off!!!

I really just wanted to share more pictures of these amazing children!!!

Lisa - Master of the Jump Rope

Patty

Riley

Melissa and the baby!

Courtney

Susie 

Haiti Lesson #21... Sticky Fingers Might Not Be A Bad Thing

Finally, the story I have been waiting to tell. After surviving yet another automotive victory, we spent about 2 hours at House of Hope. It is an orphanage that is situated inside a larger compound that includes the second hospital in Port de Paix. Although the conditions at this hospital are still far worse than what we are used to, it seemed much better than the smaller hospital we visited on Monday. This compound was located in what seemed to be a better area of the city. It was surrounded by a large concrete wall with gate access. Outside of the compound were street market vendors. The hospital was supported by the United Nations and USAID. The people that had their markets set up in that area seemed much more accepting of us as a group. 

After walking through the hospital and visiting with a few of the patience, we finally arrived at House of Hope. My anxiety was a little high not knowing what kind of conditions to expect. Others had shared stories about an orphanage that had been closed by the government because of the horrible conditions. I was almost afraid to visit the orphanage. Sometimes it is easier to not see and live in denial.

I was so relieved when we got there. There are between 50-60 children ranging from 6 weeks old to 26 years old. No one is ever told they have to leave just because they reach a certain age. The lady that oversees the orphanage is probably in her 40's. She has been in a wheel chair all of her life due to TB and was brought to House of Hope when she was a very young child. You can see the love on her face for the children she has. And you can see the love on their faces for her. 

The first thing I learned that day at House of Hope was....sticky fingers might not be so bad!!?? As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am not a "kid person". When I say that, it is not that I hate them but more that I am not a "get on the floor and play" or "cuddle and read a book" kind of person. I learned on this day that I can have a warm feeling wheni see children and not have to "play" or "cuddle". Even worse that day....I loved "cuddling" AND "playing"!!!!

The team from California that was serving at Sonlight the week we were there had brought a large bag of donation items for the children. One of the things in that bag of goodies were bottles of bubbles. Susie from our group had also surprised the children with Dum Dum suckers. There was one particular little girl....about 18 months old. She had the most beautiful eyes and smile. She was busy enjoying one of those suckers and I watched her fight with a bottle of bubbles. She worked so hard to get that wand out of the bottle so she could blow her own bubbles. She finally won and was ready to blow....but she had that sucker I her mouth. I could see the deep pondering look on her face. Being the non kid person that I am....I reached down and pulled that sucker right out of her mouth so she could blow her bubbles. Well, it turns out when faced with a choice....a toddler will give up bubbles in a second for a sucker. She threw that bottle down and snatched her sucker right back out of my hand. I laughed so hard. The rest of the time we were there, every time she saw me, she hid her sucker and giggled. I was "playing" and I loved it!!!

More to come about this amazing afternoon!