We're Off Again

Tomorrow Beth and I leave for New Mexico to spend the next 9 weeks at Broken Arrow Bible Ranch. I know it's going to be an exciting and many times challenging summer. Having been the last two summers I know, to a certain extent, what those challenges may be and am already bringing those things before my Father who can handle everything. But, I also have experienced the blessings of building relationships with the staff and campers, hearing the stories of lives changed, and seeing God work in undeniable ways. I am excited to watch Beth learn, grow, and be stretched in new ways. I have great expectations of what God is going to do in me and through me. My prayer is that I would be completely selfless, so God can use me as He sees fit. It's easy to set my own ideas of what God is going to have me do, but God's teaching me to just be willing and have a heart of service. I would appreciate prayers for our safety, good health, and His strength. Pray each week that God would place the right campers in our cabins and give us opportunities to encourage and challenge them to a relationship with God. I hope that all of you have a wonderful summer!

Haiti Trip: Part II in Peredo

On Friday of our first week in Haiti we flew from Port-de-Paix to Port-au-Prince.

 It was a very short trip and very smooth compared to the bus ride we had taken several days earlier.


 I don't like to fly, but I was not complaining this time!



The view of Haiti (especially Port-de-Paix) from the air was breath-taking.

 When we arrived, we were met by Mac (from Haitian Christian Outreach). He took us on a short tour of Port-au-Prince so we could see the local school HCO has, the mayor's offices, the hard hit earthquake areas, and the Presidential palace that was never rebuilt after the earthquake. 

 We drove along the coast and through the mountains to Jacmel and on to Peredo, where the camp is located. It was an interesting several hour trip. In some parts the roads were paved, but most weren't and were very bumpy and curvy. A lot of times we were playing "chicken" with the other vehicles. At one point we were heading straight at another vehicle as we were passing a truck and pulled back to our "side" just in time, missing the other vehicle by INCHES. I had maintained my composure most of the trip, but this incident brought a yelp and I instinctively grabbed the person next to me. I thought for sure we'd hit (as did everyone else in the jeep)! The camp is outside of town and is set on a large portion of land.

It has several simple "dorms" (a few are being used as the school currently). I had to get used to sleeping with mosquito netting surrounding me. There is no air conditioning and electricity only a couple hours a day, when the generator is on.

There is a simple outpatient hospital- in the beginning stages with plans to build on, when they are financially able. The plans include an OR, maternity ward, and dentist office.

The school rooms have a couple of tables and a chalkboard, with several grades in one room.

There is a soccer field, with wood posts and a rope as goals. Soccer is very big in Haiti, and the skills of even the young children are impressive!

We could look right out at the mountains. If you hike up to where they want to build the guest house, you can see the ocean in the distance.

This place was very different from the first part of our trip, but I learned change is good and different doesn't mean bad. The Lord had a lot to teach me. Saturday we moved piles of rocks closer to the rock wall the Haitian men are building around part of the mission compound. Instead of coming in and doing jobs the Haitians could do, we were helping them do their job so they could provide for their families. It was a lot more hot and humid than farther north in Haiti, and it took a toll on our bodies.

In the afternoon we took what was supposed to be a 15 minute easy walk to the beach. We found out what Haitian time means! An hour and a half later we finally arrived. It was a remote beach that was very pretty.

The water would have felt wonderful, but I had started not feeling good on the walk and by the time we got to the beach, I was pretty sick. It would have been a long walk back, but the Haitians realized how bad I felt and were able to call a taxi (motorcycle) to come get me. Danny (a member of our team) was going to walk back to camp to meet me when I arrived, but they said there was room for both of us on the taxi. He decided to ride behind me, which ended up being a good thing. Shortly after we headed back, I started passing out repeatedly and he had to hold me up until we got back. I regained consciousness sometime later with a doctor and several others icing me down to cool me off. I had gotten overheated, dehydrated, and stomach sick. One little Haitian girl (Kaitla) kept checking on me to make sure I was okay, because she had seen me come back and was very concerned. She was so sweet! This whole situation was scary (since I don't remember the ride back), but we all saw how God orchestrated events from getting a taxi in a remote area (I couldn't have walked back) to Danny going with me on the taxi to having a doctor close by to check on me. I was never out of my good Father's care. By night I was feeling a lot better.

On Sunday, we went to the Haitian church on the mission grounds. It is in a simple wooden building with rows of benches. It was full, with the kids sitting in the front. It was all in Creole, but I did recognize the tunes for several of the songs. One boy wanted my journal, so I tore a page out and let him draw. He was happy for that piece of paper and pen. After church some of the kids wanted their picture taken with us. Everyone was so welcoming, even though many times I had no idea what they were saying. However, a smile is a universal language.

After lunch we packed into a vehicle to head to the waterfall. It was really bumpy, but by this point I was getting used to being thrown around. I learned to brace myself well. Of course it didn't take long for the kids to realize we were around and came to hang out. The water felt so good! It was so refreshing. Elise and I sat and "talked" with several of them. A highlight of the day was singing "Jesus Loves Me" in English with them. Elise could understand more than I could and tried to translate some of what they said. At times I was very frustrated with the communication barrier.

On the way back to camp I said I was learning French/Creole before I returned, because I was missing too many opportunities!

 In the evening we watched the Haitians play soccer. Then some of us started playing "duck, duck, goose" with some of the younger kids. One of the boys tagged me "goose" and I was going to let him run around the circle safely, but he motioned that I had to come tag him. So, I chased him, in a long skirt, around the circle until I caught him. He was laughing at me the whole time (and I'm sure I did look funny). The night I shared devotions I spoke about the Potter and the clay. Sometimes God starts forming us, and then we "sit on the shelf" until God chooses to continue His work. My prayer is that God would form me into something usable and that I'd be patient with His work. I had some great conversations with team members this week. We shared the difficult, scary, and joyful moments together.

It's amazing how I'm learning to find joy in the little things- seeing the kids play soccer with a tennis ball or draw with my pen and a sheet of paper, or walk with us wherever we go. I was in a place where I was "forced" to slow down, listen, and learn. Driving back to the airport very early Tuesday morning I saw the Haitians setting up for market day, so many kids in uniforms walking to school, a beautiful rainbow, and I tried to memorize these sights and sounds of Haiti. It was hard to leave Haiti- a place I had come to love in such a short time, a place I felt close to Angela, and leaving Danny and Elise to finish their added trip. On the other hand I knew I was coming home to my students, my family, my church, and my friends. I knew I'd get to share my eye opening, life changing experiences. It was a good feeling to see the coast of Florida and know we were re-entering the U.S.

We went through customs and were happy to see all our luggage made it. We got to reconnect with our loved ones by phone after being "disconnected" for 12 days. After a long layover in Florida we flew back to Chicago, got the car, and drove home. 24 hours from Haiti to home. It was hard to adjust to being home. That first night I reached for my water bottle for water to brush my teeth, forgetting I could turn on the faucet for safe water. I found I preferred hot weather to turning on the air conditioning (my definition of hot had certainly changed). I preferred a low pressure cold shower. Our roads and sidewalks were too smooth. But, this is my life, the one God has blessed me with, and I'll be thankful for all He's given me to use and enjoy. I will continue to pray for God's will for my future and be content with His plan for me now. I will miss the team I grew to know and the joyful children I spent time with, but I'm grateful for our time time together and pray sometime soon we meet again.

(At one of our devotions, this song was shared and I love the words):

I’ll obey and serve You
I’ll obey to show I love You
I’ll obey, my life is in your hands
For it’s the way to prove my love
When feelings go away
If it costs me everything, I’ll obey.

Haiti Trip- Part I in Port-de-Paix

It's hard to believe I spent the last eleven days in Haiti. I was on the plane a couple days ago taking off over the same city we had just flown into not so long before. Yet so much had happened that it seemed like forever ago. I cried flying into Haiti, the country that I had prayed about for the last several months, and I cried leaving Haiti, a country whose people have stolen my heart. I realize that I am not the same person going home that had come on this trip. I have seen, experienced, and felt so much in these past two weeks. I want to share these experiences with you (or at least try to put them into words).

As we flew into Haiti I noticed the "tent cities". I could see the damage that hasn't been repaired from the earthquake a few years ago. This is when news became more real for me. I was seeing first hand things I'd previously seen only on tv.

 I instantly felt like I was returning to a place I'd been before. I'm sure it's the same feeling others have felt going to another country.

We had to take a bus from Port-au-Prince to Port-de-Paix, because our previously scheduled flight had been cancelled.

It felt strange to travel those rough, rocky, hole filled "roads" through the towns along the way. We saw families doing their laundry in the river.

We saw people bathing in the only water they had available. We saw men working in the rice fields.

We saw women selling their goods in the street markets. I was able to peek into the lives of these Haitian people. These things weren't strange to them. To them this was everyday life. So, why did it seem strange to me? In their simplicity they find joy. The smiles on the faces of the children reached into my soul. I smiled and waved back. As Elise and I bounced around in the back of the bus, I thought about how much I complain about the simple things- a washing machine not working, a lukewarm shower, the road construction, slow internet, electric bills. I take these things for granted every day. I also realized on this bus trip the true beauty of Haiti- the blue ocean, the mountains, the green "jungles". How many times do I miss the opportunities to look past the "negative" things about Haiti? As we neared the end of the 7 hour trip, I became more tired,sore, and motion sick. God spoke to me that I had a choice. I could dwell on the poor conditions or hum hymns and pray God's blessing on each home we passed. I chose to pray for the people in each community we passed through. I would choose to take the bus ride again if I was given a choice, because I saw Haiti in ways a lot of other people haven't.



The first six days of our trip were spent in Port-de-Paix ("Port of Peace") working with the students/teachers at Sonlight Academy.

I was able to interact with the first and third graders throughout the day. Katie Krabel teaches 1st grade and Susan Hammond teaches 3rd grade.



 What amazed me most was the enthusiasm these children had in the little things of the day- their singing, making a shadow "dance", reading a story, playing a fraction game, or drawing a picture.

In the afternoons we did different activities like going to the market, take a hike through town, or going to the orphanage. Wherever we went a crowd of Haitian children was sure to follow. We stood out! The language barrier was very difficult for me, but I learned a smile, a simple greeting like "Bonswa or Bonjou", or a hug crossed that barrier. To get from one place to another we usually took a "taxi" (a motorcycle) and after my first time I realized these drivers really did know how to navigate the streets safely! Usually people stopped to stare as a line of 15-20 motorcycles with Americans passed.

One hike we took was up the mountain to the home of a coffee grower (one of the elders of the church in La Coupe). On the way we stopped in La Coupe, where they planted a church. A lot of children come to hear Bible stories, sing, and play games. The children surrounded us, wanting to hold our hands and so inquisitive as to who these new Americans were. As I knelt with children surrounding me, I felt God saying this is what He called me to do- love these children. The ones with no shoes and tattered clothes. The ones with big smiles on their faces. They are the ones who want to hear about God- they soak it up. We continued up the mountain to this man's home to try this amazing coffee, but the message we received brought me to tears. Through a translator he shared Isaiah 41:10 and told us to not forget Haiti when we returned home- "that his home is our home". This attitude towards us was seen over and over during our time in Haiti. The Haitians are so welcoming in many ways. This man prayed a prayer of blessing over us. What an experience on the mountain!

Another afternoon we loaded around 16 people into the back of a pickup truck (a tap-tap) to go to a nearby hospital/orphanage. Simple things like crayons, coloring books, and bubbles brought huge smiles to the faces of the children. Currently there are approximately 70 children at this orphanage. I got to hold a baby that I really wanted to bring home with me. She stole my heart. These children just want to be loved. I knew again I was called to Haiti. I couldn't give all these children homes, but I could go spend time with them and brighten their days in little ways. It was so hard to lay that sleeping baby down when it was time to leave, but I knew God was saying I'd be back soon! As we walked through the hospital I thanked God for the medical care I could receive in the United States and for my good health.

By the end of our week in Port-de-Paix, I lost count of all the ways I had been blessed. I came to bless others, but I learned more about God and myself than I ever thought I would. God stretched me by taking me far out of my comfort zone. I had to rely completely on Him for direction, strength, and wisdom. He tested my faith as never before and brought me through stronger. He blessed me with a wonderful, supportive team that brought encouragement in the difficult moments. I cherish every conversation I had with them. God did great things in their lives, too. It was very hard to say goodbye to Susan, Katie, and their classes. However, I knew it wasn't as much saying goodbye, but see you again soon. In God's perfect timing I will be back.

Then it was time to fly back to Port-au-Prince to begin the second half of our trip. This time to the southern coast of Haiti.....