Haiti Team Update - Day 8

Just a quick note to say we're all home safe and sound, and praising God for an amazing week in Haiti.  We can't wait to tell you all about it!

Haiti Team Update - Day 7

Today our team enjoyed part of the day at a beach resort. The ocean was beautiful, the swimming refreshing,  and the rest well earned. We look forward to our return late tomorrow night. 

Haiti Team Update - Day 6

Today was our last day of VBS, which was exciting and sad all at the same time.  The most exciting part was during the opening program and Bible story.  The leader presented the gospel, which had been building all week.  He gave the kids a chance to respond, and 117 kids came forward, indicating that they had received Jesus Christ as their person savior.  Praise God.

As we wrapped up our final VBS session, it hit many of us hard that this would likely be the last time we would ever see these kids again here on Earth.  I'm grateful that because of Christ, and the work this week, we will see many of them again for eternity.  Goodbyes were hard.  There were many tears by both Haitians and Americans.  They have left a lasting mark on our lives too.

During our afternoon ministry, we returned to Cabaret for some village ministry.  We went to a church playground and began playing soccer (football), American football, and basketball.  There was an instant swarm of kids. It's fun to love on these kids, many of whom don't have much to look forward to each day.  While we were there, we met a school teacher who was working on registering kids for school.  While education is important to the future of Haiti, only 2% actually graduate from high school.  While schooling is expected, it isn't provided by the government.  Mission of Hope runs a fantastic school, and is working hard to expand their Christian based schools in the 7 villages they are currently working with.

Our village ministry provides so many opportunities for each of us to connect with Haitians on an individual basis.  I can't possibly summarize them all hear.  All I can do is encourage you to talk with the team members when they return to hear the amazing encounters they had each afternoon.

Haiti Team Update - Day 5

Like each day this week, we started out ministry off with VBS in the morning.  It's fun to recognize names and faces as we get to know the kids, in spite of the language barrier.  As we connect with the kids, we have begun to think of some of them as "our own". As the kids pile off the bus, I find myself looking for "my kids".  I wish we could bring them home with us.  Each day they enjoy singing, crazy contests and games, and work on a memory verse.  While all of this is happening, we become human jungle gyms.  They love climbing, cuddling, and holding hands.  They're also fascinated with our hair.  They love braiding the girls and some of the guys hair.  They find male arm and facial hair interesting, as most Haitians don't have much.

We had a neat honor in the afternoon.  On Monday, we were at Bercy for our afternoon work project. (See Day 3)  Our team did such a great job working on the pastoral and teacher institute and conference center that the foreman asked for us to be reassigned to come back for an extra day.  So we got our sweat on, moving concrete block, backfilling parts of the foundation, trying rebar for the foundation, and a variety of other tasks. While we in no way completed the job, we were able to get large part of the project jump started.  Jake, the foreman, said we saved his crew weeks of work.  We're excited for how God is going to use that facility to further His Kingdom.

Thanks for your prayers and support!

Haiti Team Update - Day 4

Today we began wtih VBS, this time right here at the Mission of Hope main campus.  There were tons of kids.  Each campus runs the same 6 stations, some of which were described in yesterday's post.  Another station is lunch - every kids gets a meal.  For many, this is the only meal they will get all day.

In the afternoon, our team went to the city of Cabaret.  Mission of Hope is working to build a relationship with this city. So we spent the afternoon meeting, talking, and praying with residents.  We have some amazing stories and experiences from this time.  Be sure to ask a team member about it when we return.

We closed our day out with a powerful time of worship with the Church of Hope, here on campus.  It was over 2 hours of passionate and engaging worship.  Amazing.

We're grateful for your prayers and support!

Haiti Team Update - Day 3

Today has been an amazing and exhausting day.  We started early with breakfast, and quickly departed for the village of Bercy, where Mission of Hope has another campus.  We spent the entire work day there, and it was fantastic.

Our day began with VBS.  It's a lot like what you'd expect, because kids are kids.  We traveled from station to station working with the kids.  There were a couple of unexpected stations.  There was a hygiene station, where the kids were taught to wash their hands and brush their teeth.  There was also an agricultural station, where they learned some of the basics of planting basic bushes and fruit trees.  It was fun to work with the kids, even though we couldn't speak the language.

In the afternoon we stayed at Bercy, but began to do some manual labor.  We helped in the building of a pastor and teacher institute.  This will have a huge impact in the country for years to come.  They hope to have it completed by January, which is when they have their first conference scheduled.  A pastor can attend as long as he brings 5 farmers and 1 teacher to be trained.  Many of our team tied rebar for hours for the foundation.  Others backfilled gravel and dirt.  We also dug trenches for future footers.  Words cannot describe the intensity of the sun, or the gallons we both drank and sweated today.

We're back on campus, enjoying cold showers, and waiting for dinner.  We will sleep well tonight.

Haiti Team Update - Day 2

Today has been amazing and eye opening.  We started our day with a tour of Mission of Hope.  This took nearly an hour and a half, because of the large scope of their ministry.  The campus is 72 acres and it seems that they are using every inch of it for ministry.  We learned about their orphanage, housing 63 kids on campus, their medical clinic, their dental clinic, their food distribution center (69,000 meals a day), the prosthetics and the 3-cords ministry (a place for amputees to work).

Our tour ended outside of the church, just in time for service.  We joined nearly 1500 Haitians for a powerful worship service.  It was over 2 hours long, but never felt long, even when most of it was in Creole. Singing familiar worship songs in English while our Haitian brothers and sisters sang in Creole was moving.  Then the pastor preached, with energy and passion, about the importance of the biblical family, and the responsibility of the various family members.

The last part of our day was a tour of their village ministry in Bercy, followed by lunch a local Haitian restaurant.

Tomorrow we begin our morning VBS ministry and afternoon village and construction ministry.  Please continue to pray for us.  Not only that we would be heathy and safe, but that we would have an impact for His Kingdom, and that we would learn to see people they way Christ does.

Haiti Team Update - Day 1

We're here! After a long day of travel, we have arrived at Mission of Hope, in Titanyen, Haiti. (Click here to see it on the map.)



Before signing off, we would like to remind you of a few things:

• Prayer Meeting: There will be a prayer gathering for the team on Sunday, July 28^th, from 6-8 pm at the home of Ed and Lorraine Predota. You can contact the church office or the Predota’s directly for more info and directions.
• Return Info: The team plans to return to PHBC late on Saturday, August 3 (or possible after midnight). We are departing Port-au-Prince, Haiti at 2:31 pm on Delta Airlines flight #684. We have a brief layover in Atlanta, GA, and will arrive on Delta Airlines flight #1096, scheduled to arrive at 10:53 pm.  It will take some time for us to disembark and get through baggage claim. We will return to the Youth Center by church vehicles.  If you’re picking up a team member, they will call to let you know that we've arrived, and when to expect them back at the church, probably somewhere around or after midnight.  Please be flexible.
• Communication and Updates: No news is good news. If we have internet access, we will share periodic updates on this blog. 
• Tropical Storm Dorian: The PHBC Haiti Mission Team leaders and Mission of Hope are committed to the safety of all participants.  Currently, it looks like Tropical Storm Dorian may weaken to a "tropical depression" by the time it passes above Haiti.  Wind and rain are predicted along the northern coast (not our region.) We will take all prudent safety precautions.  

We are grateful for your prayers and support!
2013 Haiti Mission Team

Youth Mission Trip 2012 Video

Youth Mission Trip 2012 Days 3-4

The week is flying by! We are making significant progress at each of our work sites.  We’re also building relationships with and loving on the kids at the day camps for the disabled.  It has been exciting to see how God is working both in and through us. 

Yesterday after another hard day’s work, the group had the night off, so we went to a nearby state park. We spent some time down by the beach swimming and recreating, grilled up some perfect burgers, and ended the night with meaningful sharing and an outdoor worship session.

Our youth has connected well with the other church groups sharing LifeStream with us for the week. And our Worship Team has been phenomenal at leading both the morning and evening programs.

One of our youth crews is spending the week at an animal shelter. The woman who runs the shelter is Beth. The crew members who have spent the week with her will have plenty of stories to share about this incredible person. They spend their days doing anything that needs to be done, especially the dirty work of cleaning up after all those adorable animals.

The teens have had a chance to see the James passage in action. “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (v.17) Jesus is the life – the guarantee of what is to come and the sustainer of the faith we live by now.

Pray for our team: that they would have energy to finish strong and that they would look for God to work. 

Youth Mission Trip 2012 Day 2

We are finally here! After months of planning and praying our group made it safely on Sunday afternoon to the beautiful area of Botavia, a small city outside of Cincinnati. LifeStream Christian Church is our base of operations. The amenities are simple, a stretch from what most of us are used to back home. But spirits are high and the group has exhibited a mature attitude of willingness every step of the way.

The mission team of 34 was divided among a number of smaller crews, which were then assigned to roughly half-a-dozen local ministries. Two of the largest assignments were Stepping Stones and Matthew 25 ministries. Stepping Stones is a day camp for disabled children. Each worker was assigned to an individual camper to spend the day with. Their activities included water games, board games, dance parties, boating, fishing, and valuable one-on-one conversations.

Another handful of crews spent the day at Matthew 25 ministries. Matthew 25 takes in donations of everything from clothes to household supplies and sends them to groups in need all over the world. Our teams spent the day stuffing pillows and mixing paint. These options allowed our team members to connect with other students from around the country as well as a chance to get messy.  

Before the trip every member of the team was asked to memorize James 2:14-19. This short passage discusses the relationship between faith and works. It begins as such, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?” Every member on this team at one point in their lives has made a claim to faith in Christ. Week of Hope asks the same question as James, what good is a motionless faith? Pray this week that as our teens move their bodies, God will move their hearts.

Youth Mission Trip 2012 Day 1

We arrived safely in Cincinnati. More to follow as internet connection allows. (No easy access.)