Children's Lifeline

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 – Update #9

2012-02-01T01:53:00.000-05:00

We have huge news from Haiti today – an answer to prayer. The final container that has been stuck in customs for a looong time was released today. They have all the contents (which includes the main orphanage building, roofs, windows and other items for the smaller buildings) in storage at the Lifeline school next to our property. Praise the Lord! The team also got the walls up for the 2^nd agriboard building that will be the other side of our hospitality house.

This was an extremely productive trip in so many ways, blessed by God – the new vehicle, the container, the construction progress, the orphanage licensing paperwork started, connections with critical people made, village children’s ministry and so much more – and we give God every bit of the glory for guiding and providing for us. This team was wonderful all the way around. Everyone from our youngest member, 14 year old Cameron Colace, to our oldest members, 70 year olds Gary and Kathy, they all worked so hard and contributed a tremendous amount, not only physically, but the camaraderie through unity in Christ was wonderful. Equally important were all of those at home lifting up the team and specific needs in prayer daily – we couldn’t have done it without your support.

The last 7 people on the team head home early tomorrow morning and should arrive in Holtville by midnight, Lord willing. Please pray for this last step in the journey.

Also, our next trip will be March 16^th – 26^th. The purpose of this trip will be to build the orphanage for the first week and then to go over to La Gonave Island to do a revival with Pastor Benis during the last weekend. You do not have to be there for the entire time if you can’t get away that long. If you are interested and have any questions, let me know.

Blessings in Christ,

Nikki, aka Madame Ryan

Monday, January 30, 2012 – Update # 8

2012-01-31T13:22:00.004-05:00

Today was bittersweet as 7 of the 14 headed home. We left early in the morning to drive to the airport and the 5 of us flying to San Diego were dropped off. Kathy & Gary had an afternoon flight so they stayed with Candice and Michelle in Port for a while. They had to take little Junior back to the orphanage they found him at. Everyone was sad to see him go and Junior was probably the most sad to go back. The girls are hoping that now that the director knows that they will be checking in and there will be some accountability, that he will take better care of the children and make sure they are fed properly.

I haven’t heard from anyone in Haiti since we were dropped off at the airport so I have no idea how that went or what went on with the remainder of the building team there today.

Ryan, myself, James Hawk, Brian Floyd and Cameron Colace are all home now. We got Brian home at 11:55 pm, on the night of his 20th wedding anniversary. When we pulled up to his house it was the cutest thing ever. His wife and two kids were hiding in the front yard waiting for him with silly string. They had decorated luminaries lining the walk-way and had a big “We love you” sign hanging over the front porch. They were so happy to have him home.

I will send another update as soon as I hear from Haiti. The remaining 7 on the team return home Wednesday.

I am so tired from traveling all day, but it sure feels good to be home and it feels great to have had such a productive trip, completely blessed by our wonderful Heavenly Father.

Niki

Sunday, January 29, 2012 – Update #7

2012-01-31T13:21:00.005-05:00

The internet has been down most of the time at Lifeline for the last few days so we haven’t been able to communicate. Sunday was our day of rest. No one went to the work site. After getting up and having breakfast (prepared by Ernie), Candice and Michelle led us on a tour of the Lifeline property and then through the village of La Digue. We heard the history of Lifeline, got beautiful hilltop views of the ocean, went up to the dam, visited one of our Haitian friends’ very humble home and were followed around by village children all wanting to hold our hands.

We then had a little church service on the balcony and after James & I led worship, Pastor Moore gave a wonderful message.

After lunch, we drove about 30 minutes down the road to the Wahoo Bay beach resort. We enjoyed relaxing in the beautiful environment there and the fellowship was great – it was very refreshing. Quite a few of the guys swam, played football, etc. out in the ocean. Ernie and Pastor Benis rented a Sea Doo jet ski and rode around for their first time doing that. Others sat around and talked or read or swam in the pool or played ping pong.

Before sunset we did something really special. Bob and Linda Stovall celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary tomorrow so Linda and I plotted behind the scenes and planned a little surprise vowel renewal ceremony. So Pastor Moore had a message from Song of Solomon prepared and stood at the water’s edge and we gathered everyone else to form in lines on either side of the “isle.” Then Pastor Benis’ children descended down the lovely concrete stairs onto the beach as the flower girl and ring bearer, then came Dominique, then me and then finally, the lovely bride with a flower in her hair and in her hands. Celissa was the DJ playing pretty worship music for background on her laptop. Bob stood up with Pastor Moore and Jeremiah was his best man, who was holding little Jean Fritz (how appropriate in Haiti, ha ha). The ceremony was very romantic and after Bob kissed his bride, we got lots of pictures, then group pictures, and then we went up to the restaurant area and enjoyed our dinner. Some got lobster that was caught right off the shore there.

After dinner we headed back to Lifeline and I had “counseling” sessions with the girls who live there, ha ha while the men got things figured out for the building since half of our team would be leaving the next day.

By the way, James Whitehead is feeling much better. He thanks you for the prayers.

Blessings,

Nikki

Saturday, January 28, 2012 – Update #6

2012-01-31T13:20:00.002-05:00

Poor Ryan had to go to Port AGAIN today! BUT, praise GOD, he got the truck! IV HOPE for Haiti is now the blessed owner of a 4-door nice, new little Nissan truck. Yay! He worked more on getting the container released and now we think/hope/pray that will happen on Monday.

A precious little boy from the village showed up at Lifeline this morning with terrible burns on his leg. He had been helping his mother cook the night before and tripped and fell down carrying boiling water. The skin was completely gone and he was shaking because he was in so much pain. Poor thing! I tried to comfort him while Candice put special ointment on and a nurse staying here wrapped it. Junior, the little malnourished 7 year old seemed to be doing much better today, but pray for him because they have to return him to the orphanage Monday and they don’t want him to go back to not being fed properly there and be right back where he started.

I got to go to the open air market today in Arcahaie with Celissa and a 3 of the other American women living at Lifeline right now. It was great getting to see where it is, how it works and what they have there for sale. I love seeing all the big baskets full of various beans, rice, nuts, produce, herbs, etc. The end of the market is right at the water’s edge. This is a very sad area. It’s where they bring charcoal over from the island of La Gonave on little boats. All of Haiti’s hills have been stripped of trees over the decades to make charcoal (they use it to cook with). Now they are getting it from the island. The people who work there have a very hard life. It is a big open area next to the water, the ground covered in charcoal, the people covered in charcoal, their lungs, I’m sure, covered in charcoal, and they are bagging it and sorting it to sell. Celissa said that she did that for a year when she was 12 to pay to go to school. She said it makes people sick and they die, probably from lung cancer they don’t realize they have.

After that, we took lunch to the men and I got to spend the afternoon in Barbancourt at the building site. Our property is coming along quickly. It is an absolutely beautiful piece of land with lots of potential, and all the buildings look great. They used the backhoe to put all the heavy roof panels on the agriboard building and have one side of our guest house done. Gary, Kathy, Linda and Jeremiah got the drywall and tin roof put on the administration building, where Jeremiah will be living. Brian, Cameron, James Hawk and Ernie did the electrical wiring in the kitchen supply/prep house. James Whitehead rested in the morning and then went over and worked in the afternoon on the wiring and taking measurements of the whole property with Ernie so that he can draft the property layout. The wall, which Haitians are working on even while we are gone is about 2/3 done around our 4 acre property. It is cinder block and looks really good.

There are always village children hanging around. Today we came across 2 little girls, probably age 2 and 5. They looked ill – orange hair, distended bellies, yellow, watery eyes. We had Celissa look at them (she’s almost completed her nursing education) and she confirmed that they have worms, malnutrition and one has an ear infection. She told their moms to bring them to Lifeline’s clinic tomorrow to get medicine. We also pulled them inside one of the houses and Brian Floyd gave them some of our extra food. We have to be so careful about handing out food because it will turn into a mob of kids constantly begging us for food. All the children are poor, but these 2 girls were definitely not well at all so we helped them out discretely. We decided that we are just going to have to be careful about who we give food to and make sure it is discreet so it doesn’t get out of hand with mobs of kids begging. That’s a difficult stand to take, but necessary. Some on our team members have big hearts and have a tough time saying no, and some have big hearts, but have no problem telling them no – like Mean Ernie, ha ha – I guess that’s why he’s the security guard.

Pastor Benis and his family arrived today and it is so good to see them. They will be staying 2 nights with us. They seem to be doing well, but pray for them because their children still ask on occasion to go back home. It’s a difficult transition, but they will be ok with the Lord’s help. When Pastor Benis first showed up at the building site, he went up to James Hawk , who didn’t know him, and told him that he was a Haitian building inspector and that the pipe (I think, I’m trying to remember!) was 45 degrees in the turn but it must be 55 degrees. He had poor James going and then finally told him who he really was!

Candice and Michelle took us on a walk through the village of Barbancourt. We got to go to Osmy’s step-mother’s home and visit with her while she prepared dinner in their outdoor kitchen and then we bought sodas from her. We saw the soccer field where the Barbancourt team practices and competes against the La Digue team, which plays at the Lifeline soccer field (the 2 neighboring villages). I guess it is quite a fun rivalry. J We also got to see more of the agriculture, which is beautiful. Some of the things they grow in the village are: beans, tomatoes, mangos, vitiver (a plant they make perfume out of), plantains, papayas, coconuts and bread fruit. They also raise animals like chickens, goats, cows and pigeons (yes, pigeons!).

Tonight after dinner we had a big meeting with Pastor Benis and Dominque to discuss the March trip and the revival. That trip will be March 16-23 staying at Lifeline and building the orphanage and then the 23-26 staying on La Gonave Island with Pastor Benis and putting on a large revival. So let me know if you’re interested and have questions. Not everyone will be able to come for the entire time, but it is going to be a great trip. I will email more details later.

Today was our last work day for half of the team. Tomorrow is Sunday and a day of rest and relaxation. It’s bittersweet - I know the men want to do more, but they also feel they have accomplished a lot and are looking forward to a wonderful day tomorrow.

Blessings,
Madame Ryan (My Haitian name)

Friday, January 27, 2012 – Update #5

2012-01-31T13:18:00.002-05:00

Today we went 3 different directions, as usual – a lot going on! I went with James Whitehead to see the doctor at the clinic here at Lifeline and Michelle took the little boy, Junior, as well. That doctor sent us to the larger hospital/clinic in Arcahaie for blood tests for both of them. I hate that they are both sick, but it was a good learning experience for me – to know where the clinics are and sort of how they work. While we were there we witnessed the victim of a motorcycle brought in and pass out in front of the crowd waiting and his sister hysterical. I was praying! Thankfully, a while later, they wheeled him out with an IV and he was conscious and his sister was more calm. We found out that James (supposedly) just has a bad cold/flu virus and that all that was wrong with Junior had been so malnourished and then ate too much food too soon for several days and it caught up with his digestive system. He was extremely bloated with severe gas and was vomiting. Both of them were a lot better by tonight, praise the Lord!

Ryan and Osmy had another long and frustrating day in Port – dealing with the container, the vehicle and supplies.

There was lots of action at the building site…

The BIG news was that they got this huge beam that’s 32 ft. long and weighs well over 1000 lbs. up in place. If Cal OSHA had been there they would have required scaffolding and a crane. But our resourceful guys used straps on either end, lifted it high into the air with the backhoe, and then Jeremiah climbed up and carefully put it in place. The entire village came out to witness the event. It was exciting! Later, Ryan and a Haitian man were lifting smaller beams together and the man told Ryan, “Together, we are backhoe!” Ha ha.

I didn’t even realize this, but all this time we have had tons of wall panels stored inside the classrooms at the Lifeline school next door. They moved all of them out today and it was a miracle that as they maneuvered those 500-600 lb. panels they didn’t kill any kids because they were all around. Now the school actually has room for more kids in it! Wow – thank you Lifeline for letting us intrude for so long! I can’t even begin to tell you all what a blessing straight from Heaven our partnership with Lifeline has been – in so many ways.
Here are some of things the various people were doing today…
Brian Floyd was REALLY happy and was running around working like crazy everywhere – he took an extra dose of powerful painkillers! (That, and God has answered your/our prayers of course!) I keep telling them that he is supposed to be taking it easy and doing security for Ernie. But everyone said Brian was way too happy to do that today – he would have happily given everything away ha ha! And Brian said he is not as mean as Ernie, he says, (to the villagers that want our teams supplies), “Get out of here, PLEASE.”
Ryan invited the neighboring Voodoo priest to church with us on Sunday. The priest told him he might have an emergency come up, but Ryan told him, “No, you won’t.” J Pray for this man’s salvation and for our team to be able to minister to him.

Kathy Rinkenburger helped with dry wall, organizing the men’s tools, and then went and did more children’s ministry with her crafts at another nearby orphanage. There were 50 kids and they sang a welcome song when she and the team (another small group here with Candice and Spring) arrived and bowed in gratitude when they left. She said they were delightful. The pastor had just had hernia surgery so the team prayed for him. Candice tried to get Cameron to go to children’s ministry with them, because we hear he’s so good at it, but he wouldn’t leave building site – he’s BO!

James Hawk and Cameron Colace cut out bigger windows in one of the houses and did lots of other work on the site. Pastor Moore says James is a “haus.” He even drove the backhoe. We were reminded that there hasn’t hardly been a team come to Haiti that didn’t have a Hawk on it. Wow!

Noe, our Spanish speaking quiet, gentle giant, was pretending to be a backhoe today and lifting kids up over his head. They love him. He has been very helpful in every aspect with the building.

Gary Rinkenburger did drywall and loved how the village kids come around and hug you. There was one little girl, maybe 4 years old, who doesn’t talk, but has been clinging to him all day for the last 2 days. He is concerned about her because there doesn’t appear to be anyone claiming her when the team leaves the site at the end of the day. Pray for her. He was amazed at how he has to have work boots and yet she runs around barefoot on all those rocks.

Pastor Moore’s knee was hurting him quite a bit today. He put Ernie’s essential oils on though and it was feeling better tonight. Keep him in prayer too, please. He commented that even though he’s been here more times, everyone calls him Bob, Pastor Bob or even Bobson – ha ha!
Tonight, I led the devotional and we had a lovely time of fellowship after. This is a great team and it’s so fun to get to know people in this environment, as we are serving Christ and others together. Chef Ernie, aka, Mr. Popular, got out his homemade salsa again late tonight and there was another party in the kitchen. We got to see Bob, Linda and Jeremiah do the Stovall family dance. The Rinkenburgers sang and did a lovely, choreographed hula dance. And (Grisel, forgive me for egging it on), Cameron made techno sounds while Jeremiah danced around with a wind-up strobe flashlight. It was all quite comical and yes, I got it on video!
I found out I get to pick colors for the orphanage buildings to be painted soon so, naturally, I’m excited about that!
Tomorrow, Ryan has to go to Port with Osmy, again. Please pray for him. All these meetings are so frustrating for him, and we really want the vehicle and container released, but we also trust the Lord and know that it will happen in His perfect timing.
Pastor Benis, Dominique, their 3 kids and his cousin are coming over from La Gonave Island to stay 2 nights with us. Please pray for a safe journey as those boats can be dangerous.
We have been blessed with wonderful weather. Yes, the sun is intense for the guys out working in the sun. But in the shade it’s quite nice, and at night, it cools down and is very comfortable sleeping. This morning when we went out on the balcony for our devotional, I almost got cold! God is good.
Blessings,
Madame Ryan (as the Haitians at the building site call me)

IV HOPE for Haiti Day 3

2012-01-25T22:15:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 – Update #3

This morning we woke up to a lovely breakfast of eggs, cornedbeef hash (?) and really good pancakes, courtesy of Chef Ernie. Then Pastor Bob Stovall led adevotional and James W. led worship with his guitar out on the front porch.

Later, Michelle and I took Cameron, Linda and Brian (sinceit is their first trip) to Port with us to pick up Gary and Kathy Rinkenburger fromthe airport. Cameron and Brianworked most of the morning at the building site with the men and then we sortof kidnapped them when we brought the team lunch.

I had warned Gary and Kathy not to let go of their luggageat the airport because they would be bombarded with people trying to “help”them with it for a tip. Theycarried multiple 50 lb. bags all the way out almost to the parking lot when theHaitian trying to “help” him pointed at me (I was waving at them) and said,“Mama!” (Like he knew me and I washis “mama” – I’ve never seen him before, lol). Gary dropped his bag for 2 seconds at that moment to greetme and the guy snatched up the bags, took them to the bus and was then upsetbecause he didn’t get a bigger tip. Welcome to Haiti Rinkenburgers! Ha ha.

After that we went on a tour of Port-au-Prince. First we met Ryan and Osmy at the EcoDepot (a wanna-be Home Depot) and Linda and Brian advised him on electrical andlight purchases.

Then we drove through City Soleil and La Saline, the poorestslums in the entire western hemisphere, where they make the mud cookies forkids to eat (although we didn’t go in where they do that because it’s also themost dangerous slum). Brian saidit was difficult for him to comprehend the chaos and that people actually livein that trash. Kathy couldn’tbelieve kids are actually raised in that environment. There is no personal space, no identity – in other areas ofthe city we saw women bathing and relieving themselves alongside the busystreet – there’s no privacy for people.

After that we took them to the Presidential Palace where welearned that although they’ve done nothing to try to rebuild it, they stillhave a flag raising ceremony in front of it every day. Next we went to the wood market to buysome hand-made Haitian souvenirs and Gary bought a $5 “Picasso”.

And finally we drove out of the city and to Titanyen, wherethe mass grave is. This is wheremore than 200,000 bodies were dumped into pits by dump trucks after theearthquake – a very surreal and solemn place to experience. It looks different than before becauseJanuary 12^th was the 2-year anniversary of the earthquake and PresidentMartelly wanted to commemorate the site. So they moved a lot of dirt and rocks and made a big terrace on one sidewhere he gave his speech and they build a big round monument with black tilesand a large rock on top with a plaque. I was surprised that they would have moved all that dirt with that manybodies buried not far beneath. Wefound 3 human bones among the rocks in just the short time we were there. Another interesting side note is thatthe land right next to the mass grave (that is a very controversial site amongHaitians because of their respect for the dead and the way they were treatedthere) was selected by the government to grant to people as an incentive to getthem to move out of the tent city right next to the airport – they are tryingto clean up the area a bit as they attempt to revive tourism and industry. So that tent city that people are soused to seeing is pretty sparse now and the hill-side next to the mass grave isfilling up.

Ryan and Osmy spent a long, frustrating day in Port tryingto find necessary supplies and purchase the 4 door Nissan truck he found at adealership. It is evident that wedo need our own vehicle here.

In the morning, Ryan and Kenol had taken 3 differenttap-taps (Haiti’s version of taxis) around to different places like Cabaret tofind supplies. That was quite anexperience. One was a scary rideon the back of a motorcycle, one was in the cage of the back of a truck completelyfull of chickens (glad I wasn’t there!) and one was blaring Haitian music andeveryone was dancing inside and the ladies were poking Ryan, trying to get himto dance with them. (I wonder if Ishould be jealous…;-) To get off a tap-tap you push a button that is an actualdoor bell that goes ding-dong, signaling the driver to stop, then he “tap-taps”the side of the truck, you pay him and he leaves you and takes off.

Bob also gave Kenol (a good Haitian friend here) drivinglessons today – apparently poor Kenol is not a good driver and they had a fewlaughs and got into a few pickles.

Saying the driving in Haiti is crazy is a hugeunderstatement. Cameron Colace,aka Jimmy Johnson, thinks it’s quote, “fun and exciting.” The only time he got a little scaredwas when Jaques, our driver (who I think would be capable of winning the Baja1000) was passing a truck on the highway, with an oncoming vehicle and he justwent right in between them at full speed. Linda said she definitely feels God’s hand of protection on us!

The men got some electrical work done and beams out at thebuilding site. They were glad theygot those Agriboard beams out when they did because the termites were startingto eat them!

Things are going well here, but we also see the enemy atwork trying to put obstacles in our way. So we need prayer from our prayer warriors out there.

James Whitehead is very sick and had to quitworkinghalf-way through the day and went to bed early tonight without leadingworship– that is saying a lot because he is really tough. Wildo (a Haitian)got a very heavy beam dropped on hisfoot. Jeremiah cut his finger witha knife and was treated at Lifeline’s clinic. A few people have gottenpretty dehydrated. Brian is still having his pain off andon. Noe, who is like a gentlegiant – a sweet, burly man who doesn’t talk much, because he speaksSpanish. His wife, Reyna, ishaving a very emotional time at home because this is their first timebeingseparated. Pray for her, as thiscan be difficult on the families left behind. Also, Candice and JeanFritz (the little boy Adrian takescare of) have been sick. Some ofus are also still trying to get our residency paperwork, driver’slicenses andthe container released from customs. It’s a slow and frustrating process and it just doesn’t seem likethere’s enough time here to do everything we need to do while we’rehere.

Thank you for all the prayers. I can’t even begin to tell you how much the team appreciatesand feels the prayers from you at home.

Blessings,

Nikki

IV HOPE for Haiti Day 2

2012-01-24T14:54:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 – Update #2

Our team of 10 flew overnight via LA and Miami and arrived in Port-au-Prince at 9:30 am safe and sound. We drove the hour and a half out to Lifeline so the team could eat a quick lunch and then go over to the building site to join Ryan and Jeremiah working. They hit the ground running, meeting a truck at the blacktop full of supplies that Ryan had purchased yesterday. They began construction of the Agriboard buildings, which will serve as our guest house in the future. They also started working on what needs to be done to finish the future orphanage administration building, which will be Jeremiah’s temporary house.

Gary & Kathy Rinkenburger had an issue with their flight so they won’t be arriving until tomorrow afternoon.

I personally only had time to use the bathroom and fill up my water bottle and I was back on the Lifeline bus headed back to Port with Candice, Michelle and Adrian. Adrian had a meeting set up with an American lady at an orphanage who does adoptions to discuss the process of a couple from Ohio adoption Jean Fritz, the little boy Adrian cares for. That turned out to be a divine appointment! The lady, Chris, was amazing. We spent more than 3 hours with her and learned so much about the orphanage and adoption process that I could say that one meeting made my entire trip worthwhile and I could go home now and feel like I got something huge accomplished! She has great connections with people we will need to work with, understands the system, has a heart for the kids, is well organized and since she sees this all as a ministry of the Lord, she was VERY willing to help us any way she can. I am so excited! Oh my goodness though, this is a HUGE undertaking…Lord, be with us!

I want to take this opportunity, on behalf of the, let’s say…”thin skinned” in the bunch, to give a big shout out to Donald Curtis and all those who made possible…HOT WATER!!! After 2 days of travel with no shower, and wondering if it would have to be a cold one, that was quite possibly the most enjoyable shower ever in my life. Thank you! Aaaahhh….it’s the little things, right? :-)

Blessings,

Nikki

Afterthoughts of Earthquake

2012-01-23T13:08:00.003-05:00

The mention of the country Haiti brings what to your mind? It is easy to understand without some experience or attachment it is possible that nothing of impact comes to mind. We as American’s are a custom to not having an opinion or thought unless it affects us. This is not the recommended path I would suggest for anyone, but this is often sadly the way many live their lives. As a Minister of the Gospel since 1982, I have had the experience of many moments that I cannot shake from the memory of my mind involving people, and situations.

The most impacting moment of my life happened while I was in Haiti this past Thanksgiving 2011. Sometimes it is the unexpected that catches you so off guard and unprepared. It is for me not the lack of knowing what I was about to experience or see but rather the actual experience itself that touched my inner most being. I have been called by many families to attend to a hospital bedside or to an accident in an attempt to minister God’s love in a crisis. The biggest crisis many ministers attend to is during the hour or time of a death. The loss of a loved one, family member or friend can be challenging not just for those that loved and cared about the one deceased, but funerals are also significant challenges to ministers. Finding the right words to say is not always easy but I believe the most significant challenge for those leading such a service would be keeping their emotions in check.

While in Haiti serving our mission team had daily activities we were attempting to complete which included everything from feeding children, busting up rocks for new construction and our work as a team also included trips to different orphanages where we delivered food, conducted programs and loved on people. My moment of unpreparedness came when we visited the mass gravesite for the victims of the January 12, 2010 earthquake. I am not sure where I was or what I was doing when the announcement was made that we would be stopping at the mass gravesite but for whatever reason, I was caught off guard. I was at the front of the bus talking with our driver when he made the turn to go up a gravel road toward the mountainside. It was at that moment when I asked where we were going that I learned our destination. Here in American after the attack of 9-11 there has been millions of dollars spent building memorials to honor those that were killed. Not only millions of dollars but the projects have taken over 10 years to complete. All the dollars and time to honor 3,000 lives and what I was about to see was to honor over 300,000 lives. What I saw was what left me unprepared, and speechless.

In Haiti over 300,000 lost their lives in a single earthquake on that January afternoon and our bus made its way up a dusty gravel road that had no road markers, no road signs, and no monuments. There was no parking lot to get out of the bus and walk over to a viewing area that allowed for the hallowed ground to remain in a memorial state with honor and dignity. There was no historical marker describing what had happened, how the Government of Haiti had to dig a mass grave and that they placed the dead bodies of her citizens here as a final earthly resting place. No mention how the men, women, and children buried here had been removed from their homes, buildings and the streets and brought to this place as the government’s only solution to the staggering death toll from the quake. Yes, I was totally speechless to see only black wooden crosses that once stood lying on the ground. I was unprepared to know that cattle walked and grazed over this mass cemetery. There was no fence, there was no official marker to say anything….not a single word written to honor those that once lived and died because of the earthquake. Without thinking I took my camera out of my pocket and I began to take pictures, and honestly I found myself wanting to take 300,000 pictures, but I knew it wasn’t possible. I wanted to somehow honor the lives of those I was now standing over, looking at, and with my mind racing with the thoughts of a hundred cemeteries I had preached at and conducted services at, I knew this one was different and I would never be the same.

You may never have been to Haiti. You may not know or have ever met a single Haitian. You may think that what has happened over there is of no concern to you. You might have never thought for a second is there something you can do, but there is.

-Tim

New Team Arrives! IV HOPE for Haiti Day 1

2012-01-23T11:30:00.000-05:00

Imperial Valley's HOPE for Haiti (building orphanage in Barbancourt)

Good morning! Just letting you all know that Ryan and Jeremiah arrived in Haiti yesterday morning. They went to church and got to hear Donald Curtis (Lifeline Executive Director who we are partnering with) preach with a translator at the Lifeline church, and they said it was excellent. They went to the building site and thought through a lot of things with Donald's experienced advice and developed a supply list. They also discussed IVHFH purchasing it's first vehicle. To get a reliable one, it is very expensive there, so please be in prayer that we make a wise decision in how we spend the money God has supplied us with through our wonderful supporters. Donald left this morning to go back to Kentucky and Ryan and Jeremiah are spending the day vehicle shopping, building supply shopping (so they will be ready when our team arrives tomorrow morning) and they have a meeting with a man at customs regarding releasing our last container. Earlier this week, Donald negotiated with them to get our fee reduced substantially (they charge you storage fees - crazy), so that was nice, but that's also still expensive. Please pray that the meeting goes well for Ryan and that the container is released soon for a minimal amount. At 1:30 pm, the rest of our team meets at Christ Community Church parking lot to depart together for an overnight flight. All except for 2 people who are flying from Central California, the Rinkenburgers. Gary used to by Ryan's corporate boss and we are so excited to have him and his wife along on this trip. Below is the list of the team - 14 people. We all appreciate your prayers for a fruitful and safe trip and for the anointing of the Holy Spirit as we do the Lord's work in Haiti. Thank you!

Blessings,

Nikki

Junior, Lifeline's newest addition

2012-01-20T12:33:00.001-05:00

Last week we visited one of the orphanages we provide foodfor in Port-au-Prince with a medical team. We hadn’t been there since Octoberand were sad to find the children still in poor condition. We have concernsabout dishonesty going on within the system and sadly, the children suffer forthis. Please be in prayer for this situation.

Junior is a small, 7-year-old boy living at the orphanage.He is one of the more malnourished children and clearly needs proper nutrientcare. On Tuesday, Jacques drove me (Michelle) to the orphanage again to takeJunior to the hospital. The doctor was not in at 2 in the afternoon so Idecided to bring him back to Lifeline. In the hour car ride back, Junior sat on mylap and I was terrified if I held him too hard I would break a rib, but if Ididn’t hold hard enough he would fly off my lap from the bumpy roads; but as wesat there I had a strong feeling he would be at Lifeline for a while.

Once back at the mission, we all decided it was best forJunior to stay with us for we would be giving him the same care a hospitalwould (we have a doctor here 5 days a week if we need anything), plus we wouldgive him love and constant attention.

Just to give you an idea of his size—he wears Jean Fritz’sclothes and weighs the exact same amount as Jean Fritz. They weigh 31 poundsand wear size 2T pants and 3T shirts. Junior is 7 and Jean Fritz is 2. They are 5 years apart…

It’s been a mere 4 days since Junior came to stay with usand we put him on a eating/hydration plan and we have already seen significantimprovement! Adrian is playing soccer with him right now and I can see him running around on the soccer field. He could barely keep hiseyes open when he first came.

He smiles a lot now too. He takes joy in such little things,like bath time and being read to (even though he can’t understand English).

The pictures are from the 2nd day he was here- as you can see he still wasn't smiling a lot.

Junior and Jean Fritz

Please be praying for Junior as he finds nourishment andlove. Also, please be in prayer for his future as it is unknown.

Baby "David"

2012-01-13T22:30:00.004-05:00

Last month a baby was brought to Lifeline that was very sick. He had been born between 6 and 7 months gestation and his mother had passed away shortly after giving birth. When he arrived at Lifeline he was a little over 3 months old and weighed only 3.3 lbs. With help from Lifeline and doctors in Port Au Prince the baby is now 5 months old, doing very well and is pleasing the doctors with his progress. He is receiving nutrition and diapers through Lifeline. We visited with the baby and his family today. Here is the evidence of what a difference child sponsorship can make. Please go to www.childrenslifeline.com and check out how you can sponsor a child. Also, for Baby "David's" full story and for pictures from last month, please go read his blog from December.

We came to Haiti to help a difference, but you don't have to make a trip to make an impact on a life!

-The Suttles Family

2012-01-12T22:19:00.000-05:00

Today the people of Haiti remembered the devastating earthquake that hit their country two years ago. The earthquake turned this country upside down and left so many people hurting, both physically and emotionally. Families were torn apart and children left without much hope in sight. This earthquake, however, could possibly have turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to this country. The amount of aid and attention this country has received as a result of the earthquake has begun to help the people. However, since the media has stopped reporting on the devastation still remaining in this country, it's as if we have forgotten the country all together. We were able to attend the two year memorial event held at outside Port Au Prince at the site of a mass burial ground where approximately 200,000 people were dumped and covered over with gravel shortly after the earthquake. For the people of Haiti, this site will forever serve as a memory of the devastating tragedy that happened at 4:55 PM on January 12, 2010. This single moment in time was able to captivate the world, but time will tell if the ever present needs of this struggling country will become just another distant memory of a story on the 11 o'clock news. One thing is for certain though, the struggling people of Haiti will never forget.

Please take a moment to pray for the families of those lost in the earthquake, as well as for continued support for the constant needs of the survivors.

- Kurt and Morgan Oetken

2012-01-11T21:45:00.004-05:00

"I woke up this morning with $14 (USD) and wondered to myself how I would feed these 79 children, then you come and bless us with medical care and 3 bags of beans. Now I can feed these children for an entire month without worry!"

What else can we say?! We came on this mission with a vision of touching the Haitian people, yet we have found that the love and appreciation that we have been shown will far greater impact our lives. We have never been more heartbroken than looking into the eyes of children that are orphaned and malnourished as they sing praises of thanks to us; when the pastor of the orphanage prays for our safety and well being as the children he cares for are starving; when they thanked us for leaving our families to help them and they have no family. Oh how we have been humbled!

-Miranda Davis & Allison Justice

Our Five Senses

2012-01-10T22:03:00.001-05:00

Our day began today with devotions about how our entire being, all the way down to our senses, were created by God for His purpose to be accomplished for His glory.

Today my senses were challenged. My day began by smelling the meals being prepared for the day - one perk of having a room on that end of the house. My hearing was awakened with the sounds of children coming to school and roosters! My taste buds woke up to pancakes this morning. My eyes saw the beautiful faces of these people, especially our sponsor children whom we met today for the first time. My sense of touch has been invigorated today because of all the little hands that want to be held.

But of all these senses, I believe it has been my heart that has been touched the most. I had to explain to our kids that my tears were those of joy not sorrow. I only hope they can understand. As the song says, I Will Never Be the Same Again.

Dear Father, thank you for all of my senses and please may they all be used for Your glory. Amen.

- Mary Jane and Randy Suttles

2012-01-09T21:38:00.004-05:00

Will we have electricity? What about clean water? Is there a shower? Where will we sleep? Can we wash our clothes?

These were things many of the team members were concerned with when planning to come on this mission trip. How would it compare to being at home? The answer to all of these questions is yes. The mission house has most modern amenities...minus just a few luxuries (air conditioning) staying here at the Lifeline mission house is much like being at home! We have learned that all of these things we were all so concerned with really don't matter at all. We have yet for one moment to ever feel unsafe or unwelcome. The truth is.... we are so appreciated and so welcome here you can almost feel guilty for never having been here before.

Today we visited two different schools and treated 180 children. This is just a fraction of the people here who need our care - but maybe, we have touched at least one life and made a difference. Mary Jane led the devotions this morning at the prayer rock and spoke of ordinary people doing extraordinary things through Christ - well we are here through Christ and for Christ and we are receiving a much larger blessing than we are giving. What an extraordinary experience!

- Amy Chase

Amazing Grace!

2012-01-08T20:26:00.000-05:00

Amazing Grace!
This is what our team sang in church for our Haitian Christian Brothers and Sisters in Christ this morning. They know how to worship the Lord in music and Word. The children were delightful and so loving and friendly. We may speak different languages, but the Spirit is the same...amazing!

Today was a day of extremes, coming from a service of worship to a heartbreaking tour of the mass grave site of over 200,000 Haitians lost in the January 12, 2010 earthquake. In spite of overwhelming, unbelievable poverty, we were encouraged to see God's amazing grace at work in Haiti!

-Ruth Oetken and Donna Wainright

2011-12-28T21:55:00.004-05:00

http://wp.me/p23ZFT-U

And Jesus said, "...Go and sin no more."

2011-12-17T19:45:00.000-05:00

Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her,"Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."

Many were impacted by the story blogged on September 22^ndabout a young lady resorting to prostitution to feed her two young girls. Although Lifeline began as an organizationbringing relief to Haiti by meeting the basic needs of children, they haveexpanded to offer sustainable change to adults and communities as well throughthe trade school and other programs.

The young lady of the Sept. 22^nd blog is named Kettma St.Pierre. After talking to Donald, thethree of us girls: Michelle, Adrian and Candice decided to work with Kettma,not just on her immediate needs but for a better future for her and herchildren.

When Kettma came to us, we addressed the immediate needs of food andmedical care. Kettma had TB but couldnot afford her medicine so we bought it for her. Her baby girl Jenima had been very sick andone day was even in and out of consciousness. We prayed for healing and sent money with Kettma for her to take thebaby to the clinic. A few days passedbefore we were able to do a follow-up with Kettma but before we even calledher, she came to our door to tell us Jenima was well! She hadn’t even had to buy medicine or getfurther tests, she just got better. Kettma said it was our prayers that healed Jenima.

We figured out with Osmy how much rice and beans we could give her tolast a month. Each time she came to us,we gave her tap-tap money since she lives a few miles from Lifeline.

Our first few visits met the most pressing needs and if that was all wedid, we were likely to see her a few months down the road once again resortingto prostitution to feed her family. Sowe began to work on a long-term plan. There are no jobs open at Lifeline so we couldn’t give her a job. But just as we began brainstorming microloansand business ideas, Kettma broke in and said she had an idea. Through Celissa translating, she explainedthat she wanted to start a small store selling used clothes. She could buy the clothes in Port au Princeand sell them here in her village. Allshe requested was a loan to start up. With the help of Donald and Christian Bunse, who sees this as the firstof many such projects with women like Kettma, we came up with a plan.

We first required that she get an HIV test and bring it back to usbefore we continued working with her so that we could know what needs had to beaddressed. She took weeks to bring usthe test so we were very worried that she tested positive and was ashamed. When she brought us the unopened testresults, we held our breath; we had been praying and meeting with Kettma forover a month and had heard there were rumors about her having HIV because ofher rapid weight loss. We opened thetest from Sada Clinic and have never been so happy to see the word“negative”.

Next we drafted and translated an official loan contract. We met with Kettma two days ago to go overthe loan and terms of the contract. Wecould provide the loan and she would pay back the specified amount eachmonth. Her mother and grandmother, bothwidows, were present to hear. Her mothersaid she was so thankful for this opportunity for Kettma and wished there weremore people like us to help young women and widows. We later met with her pastor. We are aware that the issue is more than justfinancial and that she needs spiritual accountability to grow and succeed. Her pastor said he’s known her all her lifeand is so thankful we are helping her. He prayed over her and promised to continue watching over her as herspiritual father. He asked us if therewas a way we could help other girls in Kettma’s situation. We said this kind of work is new to us but wewill continue to meet and pray together that God will provide a way for us tohelp more girls like Kettma.

Yesterday we took Kettma to the market in Port au Prince to get somethings to start the store. She chose tobuy nice shoes to resell since around Christmas time people like to get newshoes. Later we’ll take her back to buysome boxes of used clothes to sell as well.

It has been exciting to start this journey with Kettma. It hasn’t been easy and his has taken somework to instill some foreign values that she seems to have gone without. Such as not asking for things from multiplepeople or sneaking extra shoes from our storage room (she tried to sit on themso we didn’t see). She is a good girland is trying but I think she’s been in survival mode for so long its gonnatake a while for her to develop the pride of working for herself. Right now she calls us her mamas and says shewon’t do anything without permission. This is better than stealing from us I think but we hope as she growsand learns, we can be more like partners and less like parents. Keep praying with us for Kettma and for othergirls like her we hope to reach in the future with similar microloans and discipleshipprograms. We do have a sewing class andare starting a paiting class soon and both of thses will help to provide womenwith a skill they can market. Praise Godfor creativity and new opportunites.

Lifeline Garden!

2011-12-13T21:16:00.000-05:00

Lifeline's new garden is here! If you read the "Kathy and the Compost" blog a few weeks back, you've been anticipating our garden! The time has come to plant. After weeks of composting, the soil is ready and according to the locals, its the season to plant. A couple weeks ago, plantains were planted on the back part of the garden, and last week a fence was put up around it to keep the goats out. Cayil, our employee in charge of the garden proudly planted the first seeds today with a friend of his we hired for the day. We planted squash, radish, eggplant, watermelon and okra this time around. The kids who have been helping Cayil in the garden made signs with me to label the areas of the garden where each vegetable is planted. We are excited to see the children learning about gardening, Cayil taking leadership and a long anticipated project in motion. The gardens at Lifeline in the past have apparently been ravished by goats or other wandering neighborhood friends. This time, we're hoping the fence will do the job of keeping unwanted snackers out. Along with the trench composting in the garden, our compost bins are getting hot and black and ready to spread as fertilizer to our trees all over the mission. The trees have been growing slowly and looking a bit scraggly to be honest so we're excited to see the home-made fertilizer work its magic.
Keep all of these exciting projects in your prayers. We are currently brainstorming ways to recycle the water used to wash the canteen to water the plants. We'd like to cut down on water wasted during the dry season. The people living outside the gates are also not fond of our waste water that flows past their houses, causing a bit of a stink.

Love Bundles and Feeding Center

2011-12-12T22:20:00.000-05:00

Love Bundles being given out at the Barbancourt Lifeline School

Carpenters from Iowa!

2011-12-09T22:39:00.000-05:00

Iowa Team posing with the benches they made for churches and schools in the area.

New shelves for the eye clinic!

Markson with his interesting shelving creation.

One of the team members teaching Markson how to use the drill.

2011-12-07T18:46:00.001-05:00

We missed our blog last night, we were exhausted after dinner. We all forgot how exhausted new parents are! LOL On Dec. 6 we went to a mountain village approx 45-60 minutes riding in the back of an supply truck with all our equipment. The road was one lane, with an occasional passing spot, with ruts that threw you all over the back end! I will never complain about my gravel road back in IA again! These mountains looked like some of the Rockies, especially when you are looking over the edge praying you didn't go over! We all arrived safely thanks to our great driver Osbe!
People were already waiting for us when we arrived. We were set up in there medical clinic/school. No electricity or running water, that day they decided to run wiring for electricity, we were dodging workers and ladders most of the day! We sat up quickly and got to work.  Most of the people had not seen a doctor for 5-10 years. Many people had walked for 4 hours to see the doctor, incredible!  We seen 113 people in 5 hours. We seen many children who were incredibly ill, malnourished, worms, worms, worms, many pregnant women, and pneumonia. We had a lady who thought her water had broken last week and had walked several hours to be seen, sweaty and tired. We were thinking at first we might be delivering, but she was not in labor. Many women die during childbirth due to difficulty during labor, sepsis and no help at home with delivery. We seen many abdominal hernias on children and adults. We had to have crowd control at the door again, people desperate to be seen trying to push there way in.  People were still waiting when we had to shut down, due to having to have daylight to get back down the mountain. Heartbreaking when we shut those doors, because people had been all day hanging on to the windows begging in Creole, madam, madam, I have walked all day, please see me, I need to see the doctor! It brought tears to your eyes, but if you started crying you wouldn't stop, these people are in despearate need!
Many of the men stayed back and built shelves for the eye doctor. He was extremely thankful!  Some men moved rocks from a foundation so they could continue to build on it. Hot, hard manual labor!  Craig and Jim road in the back of a truck, with Haitian style driving, to the lumber yard to buy lumber to build the shelves. The first stopped to change the American money at a money changer, which is a man sitting at a table with a roll of bills. Then on to the lumber yard, which they both said was an aweome experience.
When we all returned home, we were so excited to see baby David.  Angie weighed him an he gain 5 ounces. He is growing and doing okay.
Day 7-We went to a tent city today! What an experience. We were set up in there church, which was a scantly put together wood frame, covered with tarps. We had a few wooden benches, to work with an a table. Again we got set up and people were there already waiting. The pastor of that tent church ahd complete control. Those people were quite, polite, respectful of each other absolutely amazing.  We seen 153 patients in 4 hours, incredible! I love this whole thing of no documentation!!!!! Amazingly the kids seemed to be very healthy, and also the adults. They hear the word doctor and they all want to come see him, and us. We are different, and they are curious!  We ALL LOVE THOSE KIDS! They are so receptive, and just love to be close to you and hold your hand! We passed out lots of tylenol, ibuprofen for headaches, and generalized body aches. Also vitamins and sunglasses. We have seen lots of cataracts from sun damage!  During the day we had a few little boys come to the side of the tent that had a large rip in it. They hung out and attempted to talk with us, they were selling bracelets. We Learned the one little boy sold bracelets to pay his way and his brothers way through school! Again Amazing children! The men prayed over all the patients after they were seen, and the team gave shoes to each person. People were very happy!
We came back and started working on cleaning out the medical supply storage area. That will take a few days.  We will be staying at the mission tomorrow and running the clinic here and working on organizing the storage room. The guys will be building shelves in the medical clinic.
Little David was taken by part of the team to the hospital today, with aunt and grandma, to get checked out. It was a free catholic hospital, and the er had to Ohio residents working in the ER. They said the see at least two kids a day like this. They kept him for IV fluids and feedings, the grandma stayed with him. He has to have someone with him at all times to be able in the hospital. He is doing amazingly well. We will keep everyone up dated on baby David!  The pictures are not uploading tonight, will try to upload more pics tomorrow!

2011-12-06T22:28:00.000-05:00

Darbens Wadley Normil (David)

David and Jean Fritz

Baby David

2011-12-05T19:21:00.001-05:00

Dec 5-Our team started at the prayer rock for morning devotions. What a beautiful day the Lord has made! We then split up into two groups, part stayed back at the mission to build benches. They built 19 benches to be distributed to several different churches. They did an awesome job! The medical team drove 20-30 minutes away to a nearby school and set up shop in a 3 room school. Some of the team did some VBS activites with the children waiting to be seen and also handed out Love Bundles. The medical team went to work, in the first small room Angie triaged patients, we ended up seeing 91 patients in about 5 hours. It became very chaotic, people were trying to push into the room to be seen. The mission leader talked with the man in charge, and informed him that they needed to talk with the people and get organized or we would not be back. We went to the bus to eat and then went back. The number of people there had decreased significantly, people were sitting down and came up to be seen in an orderly fashion. After triage they stood in line and came in to be seen by the doctor one by one. The doctor saw the patient with an interperter, the triage nurse gave each patient a peice of paper with symptoms on it and the doctor wrote the medicine needed on the back. After being seen they were taken next door to the pharmacy where Lari Jo and Darci, with an interperter passed out meds with instructions and education. Some of the things we treated today were lots of diarrhea, fever, runny noses, some parasites, aspirated a ganglion cyst, & aspirated an abscess on top of a little girl's head.
Things we saw today that we weren't able to fix were twins with heart defects, an elderly lady with a probable bowel obstruction, and a little eight year girl who was blinded during the earthquake, a door blew out and hit her in the left eye. It's heartbreaking when you look at these people and tell them there is nothing you can do, or try something minimal and if it doesn't work they really need to go to the hospital. They will never go to the hospital because it is futile because you need money to be treated, and these people don't have it.
Last and the most heartbreaking, a three month old baby, the team named him David Christian, was brought to us by his grandmother, weighing in at 3.3 lbs. That is right 3.3lbs!!!!! He was born at noon and his mother had died by 8 pm that night of unknown causes. There was no one to breast feed him and the family was poor and had no money to buy formula. The family was mashing up food and feeding him regular food! We ended up bringing him back to the mission and putting an IV in and giving him fluid boluses, and feeding him formula with an eye dropper. I am sure this will be a long night with a baby in the house, getting up every hour or two and feeding him. I'm sure we will all fight over this opportunity, he is the center of attention!!!! We have been back to the mission for about 3 hours and just since the fluid boluses and food he looks amazingly better. We ask that all who read this, to please pray for this little guy!!!! He is a fighter since he has made it this far and was brought to us today, God has a plan for this sweet baby!

Tomorrow we will go into the mountains to a village with our medical team.

Jean Fritz Pierre in the Christmas Spirit!

2011-12-03T19:56:00.000-05:00

Jean Fritz at the Kalico Resort posing in front of his first Christmas tree!

A close up of Jean Fritz at the Christmas tree.

IV HOPE for Haiti Dec. 1

2011-12-01T19:29:00.000-05:00

Pastor Bob andJeremiah led a team that finished putting up all the framing for the 2 housesfor Pastor Louisainte’s orphanage. This is where they laid one foundationseveral days before and the other foundation was already there from a previoustrip – that one was the last foundation Filiberto did in Haiti.

The rest of the menfinished pouring an 1800 sq. ft. foundation for our guest house behind theorphanage on our new property.

The farmer who we arepaying to take care of our plantain trees came to Ryan and brought him ourfirst profit of $300. Ryan instructed him on where to plant more trees onour new property so that will be a growing source of income for the orphanage –Ryan thinks it will bring in several hundred dollars per month until we needthat property for orphanage expansion if necessary. Later, he will havehim plant other kinds of trees too.

There was a man in thevillage who came up to Ryan and thanked him for the blessing we are to theircommunity. He asked if we have any children and when Ryan told him, yes,one little daughter, the man took a bracelet off his wrist that he had justmade and told him to take it as a gift for her. Ryan was very touched bythis sweet gesture of gratitude.

In the afternoon,Candice took Sally, Kerstin, Aly and I to a beach resort about 10 miles downthe road. It was very nice, but not Haiti’s nicest resort, there areothers, but they are more expensive to get into. It was SObeautiful. The water was warm, the sand was lovely, the views were likeany other gorgeous Caribbean Island would be. We felt very spoiled havinga snack to share of lobster, shrimp and drank straight out of a coconut that aman opened skillfully with a machete. Candice said that they bring everyteam here for an afternoon during their trip to enjoy a relaxing/refreshingbreak from the work, but also so that we can have the opportunity to seeanother side of Haiti. She said that so many people see the poverty andugliness and see it as a barren land without God. But God has always beenin Haiti. He made it an absolutely beautiful land that has muchpotential. This place that has been ravaged over the centuries due to theconsequences of making pacts with the devil and dedicating the country toVoodoo twice over the years and then continually making poor decisions, has thepotential to be a beautiful place if they will turn from their ways back to theGod who loves them and created them and this lovely land. Ryan has neverbeen to the beach and we found out that his teams are the ONLY ones that don’tget to experience this because he just wants to get as much work done aspossible! Oh my goodness…that’s Ryan! He gets tunnel vision when hearrives in Haiti and never stops till the last possible minute. I realizethat when we go to Haiti, it is to serve God and the people and we aren’t thereto be pampered or to be on vacation, but now that I have seen it, I will makesure that all of our teams in the future get to experience it too, if only fora couple of hours, even Ryan’s teams, ha ha.

IV HOPE for Haiti Nov. 29th

2011-11-29T19:28:00.000-05:00

It was a wonderful day– no injuries and lots accomplished. The building team is separated– the one at the Lifeline/IV HOPE property continued assembling panels for thebuildings and began the foundation for an 1800 sq. ft. guest house that willinclude two Agriboard buildings next to each other with an expansion in themiddle for a common area. This means that many of you can come down herein the future and stay right on our property next to the orphanage andexperience it for yourself.

Ryan’s quote for theday, “I love backhoes.” They got so much done on the property with thebackhoe it was amazing – they are going to rent it for 2 more days. Thekids were jumping in the powder the backhoe left behind thinking it was sogreat – they had never seen in – only hard dirt with rocks. There aresooooo many rocks here.

The team at PastorLouissainte’s orphanage down the road finished the 2^ndfoundation forthem. We are giving them a building to house the girls and a building tohouse the boys. I wish you could see their living conditions and then theheart of this pastor to know what a blessing this is.

John Ming is buildinga pulpit for Pastor Benis so he’s been busy in the woodshop at Lifeline.

IV HOPE for Haiti Nov. 28th

2011-11-28T19:27:00.000-05:00

Today Ryan went intothe city to pick up Joe and Sally from the airport, work on paperwork, purchasethe property, rent a trencher and a backhoe – he was there all day and for awhile tonight, we were getting worried because Joe and Sally got a ride back tothe mission but then we never heard from Ryan. We went out on the porchto make phone calls to find out where he could be and low and behold, a backhoecomes driving through the front gate and there is Ryan – some people weresurprised, but to me, that was just Ryan – ha!

This morning, thegirls sorted through some love bundles (gift bags prepared by people back homefor specific ages and genders of kids) and took some to Pastor Louissainte’sorphanage to pass out to the kids. This is the orphanage that they cameacross last year where the pastor has such a good heart, but no money, and thekids were starving and living in horrible conditions. Since then, Lifelinehas been giving them food and the kids are doing much better. While wewere there we ran into Pastor Moore and John Hawk who were teaching about 12Haitians how to lay form boards for a foundation for a building they are goingto build for the orphanage – this one is right down the road from our orphanageproperty. The rest of the men were up at our site working away withanother crew of Haitians, who basically get on waiting lists in hope of workwith us – it’s a blessing to be able to bless them.

Now that we are buyingthe property, we are working on re-designing some of our plans. They aregoing to lay the foundation for the guest house we are building for futureteams that come in as well as for a small building to house our generator thatwas donated by a Valley farmer that will power the whole compound.

In the afternoon,Sally, Aly and Kerstin sorted through a whole bunch of donated shoes in theLifeline storage room and labeled them for specific kids at another orphanagebased on a list Candice had with names and sizes. I think they will takethose tomorrow.

The dinner the Haitianladies made tonight was really good! This team is just wonderful. The men are such hard workers, have huge hearts, are great with the people andchildren here – the community loves them. It makes my heart proud of ourValley boys. J God has reallyblessed this ministry with wonderful people and I can hardly wait to see thefruits of their labors when this orphanage opens – but even in the process, Godis doing wonderful things.

Imperial Valley's HOPE for Haiti

2011-11-27T18:33:00.000-05:00

There is a team of 14in Haiti and this time, I’m reporting live instead of via Ryan on his satellitephone! The 7 with Pastor Moore arrived yesterday and went to Haitianchurch this morning next to Lifeline and then worked all afternoon getting ourbuilding supplies out of storage and sorting them – that was a big job. They believe there are enough parts for 10 or 12 more small houses (I thinkthat’s what he said). Today Ryan, Ernie, Kerstin, Aly and I arrived. Tomorrow Sally and Joe Colace arrive.

We got a tour ofPort-au-Prince by Candice and Michelle (and Jack, the driver) and even got togo to a small market where they had beautiful hand-carve souvenirs. Thisis Ryan’s 7^th trip and he didn’t even think they had souvenirsto buy here, so we were thankful for the girls to give us the tour, they knewthe shopping spots, ha ha. In front of the Presidential palace we stoppedto buy some paintings by Haitians for $5 and I almost caused a big fightbecause the artists were all coming around me shoving paintings in my hand tobuy and I gave the wrong ones back to the wrong guys. Ryan banished meback to the bus at both stops, lol. Ryan noticed that they have come along way in cleaning up the rubble in the city, so that’s a good thing.

On the way from thecity out through the countryside we stopped at the place where the largest massgravesite is. 200,000 bodies were buried with backhoes and dump truckshere after the earthquake. It was a sad place to be. Among all thesmall rocks covering the site, we found a human femur bone.

Next we went to theorphanage site in the village of Barbancourt. This is where the choleraoutbreak originated and 2000 people died. Because it’s more rural and hastrees, it’s a much lovelier area than in the crazy, polluted, congested city ofPAP. The orphanage site looks great and we are going to be able topurchase some more property right next door that wasn’t for sale lastyear. It will double the size of our property and give us much moreopportunity for expansion later on if necessary and for self-sufficient typeprojects such as raising rabbits, tilapia, a garden, etc – so that isexciting. I got to meet the pastor from the church right across thestreet from the orphanage as well as the principal of the Lifeline school rightnext door – good contacts!

It was warm and muggy heretoday, but tonight, especially with the ceiling fan on in our room, it’s quitenice. It’s 3 hours ahead. The sounds here are quite vibrant. All afternoon, everywhere we went around here we heard beautiful Haitianworship music - the guys even had it to listen to as they worked at thebuilding site. Tonight, as I sit on my bed in my room I hear a symphony ofloud bugs, chickens and roosters, goats and sheep, a cow and Ryan snoring. Ryan and I are blessed to have our own room with our own bathroom! It's far from fancy, but it is really nice for Haiti and we are grateful. Candice and Michelle are doing well and are wonderful hostesses. They and the 18 year old girl from Ohio, Adrienne, who has been here sinceJune, are taking care of a 2 year old boy named Jean Fritz whose parents diedof cholera. He is absolutely adorable.

2011-11-19T20:34:00.001-05:00

In our short stay here with the Haitian people we have learned a lot about their culture, work ethic, and their love for God. How humbling to see a people that have so little, but yet live abundantly. One specific occasion comes to mind when handing out a love bundle early this week. A young boy of maybe 7 received his bundle and he continuously repeated saying, "Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus". For something that was so small, he was so thankful, and gave God the glory. Yet in our own lives we take so much for granted and feel so entitled to everything we have and even want. This little boy taught many of us a valuable lesson in gratitude.

2011-11-19T19:55:00.001-05:00

Our Hawk Creek Love Loud Mission Team includes ten member ranging in ages 29 to 56. For the majority of us this was our first overseas mission trip. Our vision for our mission trip to Haiti was to Love Loud... to show the love of Christ to all those we come in contact with. We didn't have set task in mind to complete during our stay here, but rather wanted to be used how ever the Lord revealed. Our team is diverse in both age and talent.

No one would put the ten of us together, but God. Our group contains a jack of all trades, an artist, a nurse, two respiratory therapists, a pastor, an accountant, a realtor, a biologist, and a collection specialist.

Kathy Cadden and the Compost

2011-11-16T13:04:00.000-05:00

At first the children were confused why the crazy “blan”wanted sacks of donkey poop but soon caught on that this was a job they couldhelp with and get to spend some time at Lifeline and maybe get a pair ofshoes and/or a hot meal. Kathy worked with many of thekids until she found a group of dependable workers (about six young teenagers)and she taught them about composting and gardening.

The groundskeepers at Lifeline became theoverseers of the project and they learned alongside the kids what goes in acompost heap and how to turn it, etc. They dug holes and made a three section cement bin for the donkey poop,leaves, and organic food waste to compost. The soil here at Lifeline is not the best and our little seedlings seemto be growing at half speed. Once webegin to produce our own fertilizer we can improve the quality of our soil,grow more, produce good vegetables in our garden and possibly begin to sell ordonate bucket gardens with good soil to villagers.

The process: we collect organic food waste in buckets from the kitchen at Lifeline, sacks of donkey poop from the village and dead leaves and plantain stalks from the fields and compost it in the bins (for later use as fertilize all over Lifeline) and in the garden trenches. We’re excited to see if this catches on and waste no longer becomes wasteful!

Hawk Creek & Love Bundles

2011-11-15T13:10:00.000-05:00

A team of 10 from Hawk Creek Baptist Church from London, Kentucky arrived today! The main projects for this team will be distributing Love Bundles to schools and orphanages in the area. A Love Bundle is a bag of necessities for children. They are packed by churches, schools and individuals in the US. Each bundle has a towel, hygiene supplies, school supplies, a jar of peanut butter and clothes. Find out more: http://www.childrenslifeline.com/help-us/love-bundles/

One Child at a Time

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Clayson on my lap last year

Last year, I met a boy named Clayson that stole myheart. He was skinny and sickly but hadsuch a cheerful smile on his face. Clayson lived at Pastor Louisainte’s orphanage in Barbancourt. His orphanage just began receiving food fromKid’s Against Hunger (KAH) through Lifeline. This past year over multiple trips, I have watched the health get betterand better for most of the orphans. KAHfood has the nutrients they need to be healthy and strong. As the children gained weight, strength and ahealthy glow, Clayson’s health deteriorated.

The waiting extends outside the two waiting rooms at Arcahaie clinic

One of Clayson's few smiles after receiving a Love Bundle

When I moved to Haiti full time I was able to visit Clayson more often and learn that he has always been sick. His caretakers have neither the money nor the time to figure out what is wrong with him. They have tried giving him basic antibiotics, as recommended by a clinic but nothing seems to change.

Last week Lifeline Director Osmy, Michelle, Adrian and I were visiting the Children of Hope orphanage under construction in Barbancourt. We decided to stop by and check on Clayson. He did not smile like the other kids and did not seem to have any energy at all. We decided it was time we do something about it. He has had many tests, but no records have been kept. We brought him back to Lifeline and over the course of a few days, had him tested HIV, x-rayed for TB in his lungs, and tested for worms. We made him drink water and insured he was eating regularly. The HIV test was negative and the TB test inconclusive. The doctor in Arcahaie recommended we take him to a specialist in Port au Prince where he can have more tests done, since their lab is limited. He was given some medications which we were able to purchase with donation money.

Clayson trying to share his new shoes with Jean Fritz

We took Clayson back to the orphanage (he was excited to see his twin sister and friends again but sad to leave his new mamas). We brought his vitamins, strong worm medicine, and bronchitis medicine and instructed his caretaker how often to administer them. They seem to love Clayson but do not have the means to care for his needs, especially since we’ve yet to discover what they are. Too often kids like this get left to deteriorate. There are about thirty children at his orphanage and only a few mamas and no money for expensive tests for one little sickly boy they say is probably sick because he’s a twin. We thank God that KAH is provided for the other children and they seem to be maintaining health. Please pray for healing for Clayson, for wisdom for the doctors, and money for his next set of tests.

Waiting for TB X-Rays

Clayson laying on the table at the TB Center

Changing Lives...One Family at a Time

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The Russells brought a team with them this week not only to bless Lifeline but to bless the community. Here at Lifeline they had a hand in fixing pipes, water heaters and other odds-and-ends all over Lifeline, helping install a new generator, teaching daily English classes, continuing plans for the new orphanage, painting artistic scenes in the preschool, and so much more. They brought shoes and clothes to bless those in need in the community and began construction on a house for a family up on the mountain. This family lives on the side of the mountain, next to the glowing cross above Lifeline. They are extremely poor with only tarps to shelter them from the heat and rain. The Russells and their team decided to make a lasting difference and provide in a miraculous way for the Adil family.

Construction on the a new house for the Adil family of 8.

Kids in front of their old house made of tarps.

The outdoor kitchen of the old house.

The VERY steep road up to the house after much work to make it more accessible for the construction.

One of the youngest children with a belly swollen from worms.

All the kids in the clinic after getting new clothes and shoes and being treated for stomach worms.

*Keep checking for updates on the construction

Powering Lifeline

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NEW GENERATOR!

The new generator is working great! We've already saved a ton on diesel costs because its so fuel efficient. We also got new batteries for the house so the generator only has to be on a few hours a day and the mission stays charged. Praise GOD!

Jean Fritz goes to School

2011-10-31T15:56:00.000-04:00

Jean Fritz, the 2-year-old Haitian living atLifeline, began school last Thursday. He is in the preschool-A class at Lifeline'sschool.

First day of school breakfast

Dropping him off has been a challenge the past few days, but he calms down eventually. Osmy’s 2-year-old daughter Doe is in hisclass as well, which is perfect because they are best friends!

School gets out around noon and on Thursday wewere watching for him to be released from class so we began checking around11:30, but each time we looked the Lifeline yard was still silent. All thesudden around a quarter to noon, little Jean Fritz nonchalantly walked up thestairs and into the living room and started playing with a puzzle. The three ofus (Adrian, Candice, and Michelle) starred out of disbelief for a brief secondbefore we rushed to him and asked him how he got up here and how school was.After getting no answers from the 2-year-old (shocking), Adrian ran outside tosee who brought him from his classroom down near the front gate all the way upto the second story of our living quarters. There was no one around. We eventuallyasked Osmy and Jacques and it turns out he walked himself home!!

Since then, we have made sure to have someone down there around 11:30 so he doesn't have to walk home alone even though everyone here knows him and he is safe.

Little Jean Fritz is growing up!

First day of preschool!

Posing for the camera.

La Gonave Outreach

2011-10-28T23:02:00.000-04:00

Lifeline took its first team (a team of doctors) to La Gonave Island, off the coast of Haiti, to hold a clinic at the mission of Pastors Benis and Dominique Guerrier. The Guerriers are missionaries from Florida and have been living full time in Haiti since February. They have already started a church, school and have more projects in the works.

The very early morning boat ride to La Gonave was exciting, watching the main island fade behind us and having no idea what to expect ahead. A missionary captain steered us through the unusually choppy waters.

We arrived two hours later-- all wet, some seasick-- but ready for the next leg of our adventure. We loaded about twenty people and at least six crates of medical supplies on two small rusty trucks and two small SUVS and began the ascent to the tip top of the island to the town of Mapua. The roads we took were more like donkey paths, boulder piles, and flood ponds but by the grace of God and our expert drivers we arrived at the Guerrier mission.

The children ended school early so that we could convert the school rooms into doctor's office's. We set up clinic right away and served over a hundred children and adults from the community.

Please continue to pray for Pastors Benis and Dominique Guerrier. Benis grew up in this very village but lived his adult life in the US. Years later, he felt called back as a missionary to his people. He took his wife, a New York native, and their three children to move to Haiti full time last February. They have done so much for their community already. Lifeline has been helping provide Kids Against Hunger food to the village children and hopes to continue to find new ways to partner with the Guerrier's mission.

Lifeline School's New Toilets!

2011-10-27T08:35:00.001-04:00

The construction is almost complete for the new toilets for Lifeline's school children. The buildings were designed and overseen by Lifeline's directory, Osmy whose degree is in engineering. They have multiple rooms for privacy and include an area for washing hands.

Back to School!

2011-10-13T12:17:00.000-04:00

Lifeline school just started this week. It was so exciting to see the yard full of children playing and eager to start class. They look so proud in their clean new uniforms and shiny shoes. The younger girls all wear socks with huge lace trims and have ribbons and barrettes in their braids and the older girls wear knee high socks and fancy shoes. We waited until the little metal bell rings and they went in to each of their classes then we went with Osmy to each class (kinder-high school) passing out Skittles and taking pictures of the first day of class.

Many of the children are sponsored by Lifeline and by many of you reading this blog. I guarantee you the money is well spent and the children are so eager to learn and take part in their classes. They have been waiting so long for school to start! The Haitian government postponed the start of school more than a month because they decided to make more government schools. As I write this, I can hear the kids out playing; it must be recess time. When we ask the kids what their favorite subject is, they each have a different one but none of them say "lunch" or "recess" like most American kids. I hope they hold on to their eagerness to learn and are able to finish school.

Here are some pictures of the first day!

Candice & Michelle

2011-10-07T21:08:00.000-04:00

Candice DeGeus from California and Michelle Welke from Iowa, both graduates of Biola University in LA just moved to Lifeline! We will be living and working here for a few months. Our time here is not definite because we are helping to start an orphanage in Barbanourt (Le Digue Mattieu’s neighbor village) on property donated by Osmy, Lifeline’s Haitian director. The property borders the Lifeline school in Barbancourt and the buildings are almost finished! We will keep you posted about the orphanage progress. We are excited to be here with Adrian and Celissa to serve at Lifeline and already God has used us in ways we did not expect. If you have visited, you know there is never a dull day at Lifeline; we never run out of opportunities to serve.

Last night we went to sleep to the sound of Haitian creole worship at the Lifeline church. This morning we awoke to hear it continuing. The church had an all night service and fasting. What a blessing to know how fervently the people of our village are seeking the Lord. Be encouraged in your prayers that the people of Le Digue are praying as well.

Today our team of mothers just left. They were such a blessing and it felt like they did more work for us than we could even do for them. They were so helpful and kind and they handled every new situation with a great attitude and a willingness to serve. We were sad to see them go but grateful to let them share their stories with their families and communities.

Today Kitma, of the September 22 blog, returned to visit Lifeline with her four year old daughter, Myalin. Please pray for her as she still struggles with the choice to quit selling her body. We pray that she will learn to trust God to provide and allow us to help her. She tested positive for TB so we are hoping to get her to a TB clinic soon. We were able to provide her with school fees for her daughter and are getting her in the system to be sponsored.

2011 Haiti Mission October 5th

2011-10-05T22:06:00.000-04:00

We started the week not knowing exactly what God had in store. There were seven mothers on this team, and we left 15 children behind to GO!!! We wanted to be the hands and be the feet and show Gods love to the people of Haiti. It was a little intimidating at first, but God knew what we were here for.
Our first agenda was to give some supplies to the kids. Our children in Illinois collected coloring books, crayons, matchbox cars, and flip flops and made bracelets to give the children in Haiti. They wanted the kids to know that we hadn't forgotten about them and were still praying for them. We took a picture of our children with the bracelets so that they could see the children that had been and would be continuing to pray for them. The bracelets are a reminder to our children to pray for Haiti and a reminder to the Haitian children that our children would be praying for them.
We also went to several orphanages and schools to tell them about Jesus and show them love. The children were very appreciative. Some of the children had started school, and others will start real soon. We had two teachers on our team that could relate to the teachers in Haiti, but some of the conditions were hard to see. The comforting thing is you can tell the people in the schools care for the children and are working hard to get them the education they need. Lifeline has been a big help to the schools and orphanages. We have been impressed with all that Lifeline has done. We wanted to help everyone but it is so overwhelming because there is so much need.
Another way we got to help was to build some benches for school. We had no idea how to build benches, but we had several helpers, including children. So we got to use our mothering skills and let the children help with building the benches. We all learned together and worked as a team and got several benches done.
We have met so many wonderful people here. There are some really hardworking adults and kids.

We hope to come back next year and be used by God in Haiti. It was a wonderful experience that has helped us grow as Christians and mothers. We have been blessed in so many ways. We know God had a reason for us to be here. We hope we helped in some small way to show Christs' love to the people here in Haiti.

Starving for Jesus

2011-09-22T13:32:00.000-04:00

Lost in my own world, running errands in a Port-au-Prince market, I suddenly wake up to poverty smacking me in the face. She is a beautiful young girl who appears to be about fourteen and looks very lost. Sensing her panic and urgency I approach her to see if she is ok. Upon asking what she is looking for, I am shocked to learn she is shopping for supplies for her four-year-old daughter. I later learn she is twenty-three, but nothing about her hints at her age. Her body is painfully skinny. I wonder how she stays alive with such a skeletal frame. The dark circles around her eyes reveal wounds of a troubled life and sadness seems to pour from her eyes. Years of poverty have taken its toll on this woman. As she speaks to me, I soon learn the four-year-old is not the only daughter she is concerned about. She also has another daughter who is only eight months old. This is when the real story begins to unfold. Her youngest daughter has terrible diarrhea. She is quite ill and the woman is unsure if her daughter will survive. They have no money to buy diapers or see a doctor. As she is wandering about in a state of sheer desperation, we know the Lord brought this woman to us. After talking a few more minutes, I tell her to come to Lifeline and we will help her. I can only pray she will come quickly.

The next day, after having walked more than an hour to the mission, I am thrilled to see her arrive. Unable to afford even the cheapest means of transportation, a tap-tap, blisters bulged on her feet from her walk towards hope. We joyfully provide her with medicine for her child, toys, formula, diapers, and other goodies. After blessing her with much needed supplies, we seek more information to insure the safety of her children and her. Asking questions about what kind of water she gives her two little girls, we learn she gives them any water she can find – even if it risks giving her children Cholera. She tells us she has no money for clean water, nor does she have money to buy charcoal to boil dirty water. She is a single mother with no income. After pressing her for more information, she shamefully admits she sometimes resorts to having sex for money. She does not like to do it, and only does it when she feels she has no other choice; but when her children are starving, she feels she has no other choice. Seeing the shame and sadness permeate throughout entire body, we know her story is true. It is a story told by many in this poverty stricken country.

Brought to tears from this woman’s sad story, we know we can offer her hope. We tell her she never has to resort to selling her body again. We explain to her that all she needs to do is trust in the saving power of Jesus and He will provide. Seeing the slightest hint of a sparkle in her dark lifeless eyes, we share the Gospel and invite her to continue to seek help from us and from the Lord. After providing her with money to get home by tap-tap and to buy food and for her and her girls, we ask her to bring her family back to Lifeline the next day. Promising to supply her with enough rice and beans to feed her family, the young woman leaves extremely grateful and ready for a new life. As we continue to pray for Jesus to enter her heart, our only desire is to see Christ work in her life and bring salvation to the Haitian people – one poverty-stricken life at a time.

James 1:27

2011-09-17T11:57:00.000-04:00

“Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:17)
After reading this scripture, I sat back and thought about the true meaning God seeks to convey through this message. “Look after the widows and the orphans…” In my experience, it seems people are much more eager to help orphans and often forget about the widows. Here at Lifeline, we go above and beyond to help orphans. While we love them dearly and enjoy taking care of the children of Haiti, we decided it was time to apply every aspect of this verse and really seek after the Lord’s will.
No longer wanting the widows to fall through the cracks of love, Lifeline sought to take care of the widows of Haiti by providing baskets of love for each of the wonderful widows of the village. Knowing that few things make a woman feel as good as a make over and a good meal, these lovely and appreciative women were provided with a new dress, laundry soap, bath soap, shampoo, nail clippers, lotion, wet wipes, beans, and spaghetti. Such a simple gift brought tears of joy and appreciation on grateful faces I will never forget. For the first time in maybe days, weeks, or even months, they were receiving the gift of cleanliness and a moment of complete satisfaction. As we watched them dig through their new treasures, however, we realized there was much more to give. Some of the women were in need of medical attention and not able to walk to the clinic. We happily drove them to see the doctor and get their ailments taken care of and then drove them back home to their new treasures.

At the end of the day, we felt blessed to have been able to provide these women with much needed love and care. Not only that, we were humbled by the spirit these women carried. Despite their poverty, they were smiling, happy and grateful for the Lord’s blessings. Their attitudes and appreciation were so inspiring and uplifting it was as though they were the ones blessing us with the gift. After such a fulfilling experience, we are excited for many opportunities in the future to bless and be blessed by the wonderful women of Haiti.

Delivering benches & making a difference

2011-09-10T23:27:00.000-04:00

We started out our morningup at the prayer rock, the pastor gave communion and it was very touching.After the prayer rock we came back and got started on our day building benchesfor Barbencourt school, a few of us took a little break and went to see a babythat was just one day old. He was such a tiny little thing. We got back from the seeing the baby and hadlunch. Then went and delivered thebenches we had made to Barbencourt. Onour way home we stopped at a nearby orphanage and handed out a few littlethings to the kids. There was one littleboy who was very malnourished and they just can’t seem to get him healthy. It definitely opened a few eyes as to howlucky we are back in the states to have hospitals and doctors right at ourhands for situations like that. Once wegot back from delivering the benches we had some down time and then ate supperand had more relaxing time to end our last night.

Amazing and Rewarding Time in Haiti

2011-09-07T01:17:00.000-04:00

This is day four for our small group from Ohio. It has been an amazing and rewarding time for us so far. Today we awoke very early to go to a small village on top of the mountain. It was about a 2 hour hike and it took us approximately about an hour and a half to climb it. It was a tough hike but very worth the while. The view was absolutely amazing and the people are precious.
We started out by handing out some backpacks for the kids to use when school resumes. The kids then sang some songs to us and we made a feeble attempt to sing to them. Then we acted out a David and Goliath skit for them. We followed this with a rousing game of duck duck goose. The kids absolutely loved this. It was a fun time had by all. It was very rewarding for us to laugh so hard and to see them have so much fun. They are rich is spirit and we are blessed to share time with them.
On our way back out of the village we visited a very sick woman who is battling an infection that is trying to take over her whole body. She cannot walk or talk and eats very little. We laid hands on her and prayed over her for God’s healing hand and comforting touch to be upon her. Her husband will be coming down to Lifeline tomorrow to get some bandages for a wound she has on her leg and for some food and water supplies.
It is not unusual to experience such a stark contrast in experiences and a wide range of emotions here in Haiti. Sometimes it is hard to process it all. But one thing is for sure, the people here are always a blessing and leave you feeling closer to God.

Looking into the Eyes of a Haitian

2011-08-06T22:47:00.002-04:00

Sadness, pain, and heartache are what we feel when we look into the eyes of an innocent Haitian child. However, when they look back at us they are full of happiness, excitement, and life. Each day is a new blessing as we bring joy and wellness into their life.

Today we adventured into ObamaVille, which is a tent city right outside of Port au Prince. There were approximately 200 hundred tents in the village. In which we provided medical help to 49 adults and 67 children. We supplied nutritional supplements, skin treatment, worm treatment, and overall assessment. When living in a tent city, the food supply is very low. So, Lifeline brought rice and beans to give to the villagers. It was heart breaking to see the desperation in their eyes as they nearly cried tears of joy as they were given one scoop each. They brought rags, shirts, plastic bags, buckets, or anything they could find to gather what was allowed. Haitians of all ages came to gather food.

After leaving the tent city, we went on another journey to help a small orphanage, Titanyen, of 23 children. Here we were shocked by the living situation of the dorm rooms. The two rooms were extremely small with a bed in the corner that held ten children each. After providing medical care, we sang songs to the children and gave them candy.

Finishing the day off, we developed a different perspective on the life of a Haitian and how they receive their everyday needs. We went to the market, which is like a huge flea market in the US but here this is where they purchased food, clothing, toiletries, and charcoal. Food, such as fresh meats, was not refrigerated. It was left out in the heat. To us it was not acceptable, but to them it is their way of life.

Overall, it was a very rewarding day, not only to us but to hundreds of children. We never imagined it could feel this incredible to have these precious children running to us and wanting nothing more than to hold our hand. We both feel very blessed to have helped make a difference, put a smile on a child’s face, and to be a part of this amazing experience.

Kynea Johnson and Tiffany Fletcher

http://www.flickr.com/photos/65968419@N02/

Haitian Hope

2011-08-05T22:52:00.000-04:00

To begin our day, we arose bright and early and were loaded on the bus by 4:45 am. By leaving this early we would arrive at the first orphanage at 8:00 am. After our long and bumpy ride in the back of a bus and a truck we arrived at the orphanage, which consisted of three tented structures. This is where the children sleep, eat, go to school, and worship. We were welcomed by the sound of children screaming “blah, blah” (white, white) while running toward the bus. The faces that were gazing up at us were filled with excitement and fear knowing that they were to be treated by our mobile clinic. The children at the first orphanage had not been seen in over a year, and the second orphanage had not been seen in approximately six months.

After quickly assembling our stations we began to treat the children. Since neither orphanage had been seen in a while we began with a thorough assessment. Assessment findings indicated ringworm on the scalp and body, scabies on various areas of the body, their teeth were beginning to show decay from lack of treatment, multiple skin impairments to the feet and toe nails, and their bellies were distended and painful to touch. We quickly began treatment by applying various creams to help treat the ringworm, scabies, and feet. Each child was given a multivitamin and a dose of medicine to treat the suspected worms that would explain their distended bellies. Unfortunately we had already given out all our toothbrushes the day before to another orphanage in need. While we treated the lacerations and missing toenails, we unable to ensure that it wouldn’t happen again because of the shortage of shoes for the children.

At the end of the day we treated 167 Haitian orphans in all. After all treatments were done it was playtime! We began with songs of worship and praise in both English and Creole and danced around the tented room. It was such a blessing to have the children laughing and dancing with us. The joy from the children escalated when we presented them with the toys we had brought. We had toys for both boys and girls. Even though we did not have enough for each child they were overjoyed and shared with one another. At the end of our day as we looked into the Haitian children’s eyes our hearts were filled with love and hope. Hope for the Haitian people and their country.

To view today’s pictures please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/65968419@N02/

Hannah Wagner and Amber Miller

Haitian Love

2011-08-05T22:47:00.005-04:00

Sorry! This post was from August 4, 2012. Due to the storms that surrounded us, but missed us, the internet was down and we could not post this. Hope you are enjoying following our trip!

Being in Haiti for the first time is absolutely incredible! We started the day off with a wonderful devotional that certainly prepared us for our day full of service. All 20 of us, along with our interpreters, loaded the bus and headed to our first of two destinations in Williamson. One of these destinations was an orphanage and one a school. At the orphanage, they sang beautiful songs in their native language, and were even excited and enthusiastic about learning some of the songs we had to share with them! At the school we treated many children, as well as some adults. At both places we were able to figure out a system that helped us see many, many people. After all was said and done, 204 people had been cared for and given medical assistance! Being amongst people who appreciate something as simple as hydrocortisone cream (something in every American medicine cabinet) was an amazing, heartwarming experience. To see the joy expressed on their faces when given a lollipop brought smiles to our faces and we couldn’t deny the pure joy we felt, even though we were certainly not used to the absence of air conditioning! Holding a Haitian child’s hand is one of the most memorable moments we will cherish upon returning to the United States. The love they express and the happiness they have, in the midst of so much tragedy and despair, truly is eye opening.

Although this is only day 3 of our 8 day adventure, there is still so much work to be done in Haiti. Even after we leave, Haiti will still need help. We feel very privileged to be able to serve here and know that our work has not been the first, and hopefully will not be the last in helping these wonderful people live a better life. The future of Haiti is looking bright, as long as the help continues! We look forward to the possibility of returning, even though the week has really just begun! The people of Haiti are truly magnificent, kind people. We look forward to the rest of our time here, serving our new Haitian Zamis (friends)!!!

To see today’s pictures, please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/65968419@N02/

---Noelle Smart and Erin Hughes

A Hopeful Return

2011-08-03T21:34:00.000-04:00

After anxiously awaiting another year to pass, we have finally been given the chance to return to Haiti. Upon arrival, we were quickly taken back to the poverty and devastation still lingering here. In contrast, seeing familiar faces and warm smiles, we were quickly reminded of our desires to continue mission work in this country.

Since last year, we have witnessed several changes and improvements, both at the mission and in the villages. Children’s International Lifeline was blessed with a nice bus for missionaries to ride in while traveling to surrounding villages. This has been a great improvement compared to the gated truck beds we rode in just a year ago. They are also doing great work in the villages. They have added a roof to a neighboring church, bought land and started construction on a new orphanage; as well as initiated a block-making trade school. Also, they have expanded their feeding program from 5,000 children to 8,000 children within just one year.

During our last mission trip, we were shocked at the conditions that most Haitians were living in. There were tons of tent cities and it was hard to believe that four sticks and a tarp could be called home. Today, we are happy to report that many of the tent cities have diminished or been replaced with wooden homes. It is evident that God has been working and shining his light on the people of Haiti and Children’s International Lifeline.

Hannah Adkins, Tabbetha Loan, Heather Knipp, Evan Bennett

Day 7

2011-07-22T23:45:00.003-04:00

What a fantastic, unbelievable, and life-changing trip this has been! Our day today was one of hope. We attended a graduation ceremony for both kindergartners and sixth graders. The ceremony was beautiful; all of Haiti seemed to be celebrating. The ceremony took most of the morning, and then we had lunch. The group of us who spent the week at the church visited them after lunch and it was so great to see what our dedication and hard work had done for this church. Saying good bye to the children that we had played with all week was hard, but we knew that because of our efforts they could now attend school even when it rained. When we returned to the compound we as a group pitched in and helped out around the Mission Lifeline compound. We handed out donated clothes to children from the village and we organized and cleaned the tool and storage rooms. A few of our group was invited to visit a home outside of the compound which they described as modestly sized. The family owned 2 chairs, a table, and a cot to sleep in. Their kitchen area was a small two foot by two foot square. The last part of our day as a whole group was to visit the church and it was clear to see how much this new roof meant to the pastor. It was truly an answered prayer for this man, and it was so humbling to see this man’s passion and love for Jesus. This week has been an unforgettable experience, and we will be forever changed by the experiences we shared while living here. I hope and pray that we do not too quickly forget the people that we met here and the unconditional love they shared with us.

Day 5

2011-07-22T23:44:00.003-04:00

What a shock. The day began as it had the previous days; the groups split up, one to the wall and the other to the church. I went with the group to the church but instead went on an adventure with my dad transporting supplies to a nearby port that would go to help build a school on the island of La Gonav, which is about 5 miles from the mainland of Haiti. Both groups ended early so that we could witness what a Haitian market day looked like. Food was laid out on dirty blankets on dusty roads. We traveled through the meat section of the market and quickly lost our appetites. Flies swarmed everywhere which went seemingly unnoticed by the men and women that sat and tried to sell us goat hearts, and the butt of a pig. Thousands of people were gathered in little wooden tents all selling fruit and meat to the locals. At one end of the market was a mountain of charcoal, packed in bags and ready to ship to other parts of Haiti. We learned that Haiti was at one point 95% forest and because of the deforestation is now down to 5% forest. Wood is now being taken from La Gonav to be shipped to the mainland and made into charcoal. When we finished our tour of the market we made our way back to the bus where it promptly died. It was a patience learning moment. All of us were hot, sweaty and hungry and we were stuck in the market without a means of returning to the compound. Through prayer and quick thinking by one of our team leaders, the bus was fixed and we eventually drove home. Our meal was a classic Haitian meal; rice and beans, plantains, goat, Haitian chicken, bread fruit, and a special Haitian sauce. We again played basketball and swung on the swings until it was time for devotions. We finished our day tired and drained but hopeful and happy.

Day 6

2011-07-22T23:40:00.001-04:00

It is unbelievable how much beauty and sadness can reside in the same island. We began our day early, 4:00 early. Our plan was to climb Mount Matthew to a village located at the top. The hike itself was a task. It felt almost like a straight vertical climb, even though the entire path was switchback turns that zigzagged up the mountain. The village if possible was even more primitive that some of what we had seen around our compound and Port-Au-Prince. We sang a few Haitian songs we learned to a group of children that congregated around us. The children loved it! After our tour of the school and church we made our way back down to our compound. We had lunch then visited a resort that was owned by friends of Donald’s. We paid 10 dollars to go snorkeling and it was unbelievable! The colors of the coral and the variety of fish were breathtaking. We had a beautiful dinner at the resort. It was hard to comprehend that such a beautiful resort could exist on the same island were people are starving every day. It was a very relaxing and beautiful day, and it was wonderful to see a different side of Haiti than what we had seen.

Day 4

2011-07-22T23:38:00.002-04:00

Day 4 of our trip was much like Monday, with one key difference. Wanting to help as much as we could, we felt as if our entire group was not being as productive as we could all situated at the church. About half of us decided to work on another project that had come to our attention. This group’s job was very labor intensive. A wall needed to be built at an orphanage within walking distance of our compound so the group hauled rocks from a dump site not too far away over to the mason who cemented them into place. They felt at the end of the day hot, tired, dirty and thirsty, but proud at what they had accomplished. The group that stayed at the church mostly hauled cement buckets over to the mason who had to level out the walls to prepare for the roof to fit on. We learned Haitian songs from the children there, engaged in a spirited water fight, and eventually returned to the compound. Our afternoon was spent catching up with group at the wall and playing basketball with a few of the older Haitian boys. We played with the kids on the swings and really tried to integrate ourselves into their culture. We had devotionals at night and settled down, dog tired but glad that we were able to help in even the smallest ways possible

Day 1- 3

2011-07-22T23:37:00.002-04:00

My name is Nick Sibley-Jett, and I am 19 years old and live in Connecticut. I attend the Congregational Church of Eastford and this year our Youth Group decided to spend a week living in Haiti. What an unbelievable trip it’s been, and we’re only on day 2 of our 7 day journey! We partnered with an organization called Children’s Lifeline Ministries, and they have been outstanding in taking care of all of the details that have made this trip so far unforgettable. Day one of our journey began when we landed in the Port-Au-Prince airport. Within about a half hour of landing, we found our guide, Ray, and the director of Children’s Lifeline Ministries Donald -------. Our transportation was an old school bus and we headed out from the city on very bumpy, dusty roads. Our first stop before arriving at the village was at a deserted plain that had because of the earthquake become a mass grave for hundreds of unidentified Haitians. It was truly sobering to know that hundreds or perhaps thousands of Haitians were buried there. Sunday began with a church service where we worshipped with Haitian locals. Despite the conditions that they live in, they praised God with unrivaled passion. We joined in the worship by singing two American worship songs which the congregation loved. After church we toured the capital, Port-Au-Prince. The conditions there were unbelievable; garbage everywhere, the streets still dusty and much of the capital still recovering from the earthquake nearly 18 months ago. We stopped in front of the National Palace, and it was now abandoned and largely destroyed. A local street vendor who we talked to took us for a tour of the tent city across from the Palace which used to be a park. We were amazed at the stamina of those who lived in these cardboard shacks. Monday we finally began the project would be working on for the week. An orphanage nearby by that is supported by Children’s Lifeline doubles their church as a school for the children. The roof on this building leaks so badly that when it rains (and it rains quite frequently) school is cancelled. Our main task on Monday was to take down the roof completely. Our task for the rest of the week will be to rebuild the roof on the building so that the children can attend school rain or shine. We are tired, but are feeling content because we know that the work we do here will mean the difference between whether a child gets an education or not.

Day 6 in Haiti

2011-07-05T21:10:00.000-04:00

"Adam and Lauren"

Well today started off at 6 am so we had a little time to sleep in which was very nice. The boys/MEN got an earlier start then the little girls who did no labor at all today. The men went out to another village to unload two crates from the shipyard full of materials for houses. it took about 15 men to carry one part of a wall for the houses. Jimmy finally broke a sweat today and was extremely exhausted and took a two hour nap when we got back. Also surprisingly jay did not fall at all today. I believe he is finally starting to realize that you have to put one foot in front of the other to be able to walk. we gave him a two hour lesson last night on how to do that... jk. Later on in the evening we helped with johns house and did as much as we could. Today was not very eventful so we had to cope with all of the sick people from our team. Lets just hope that they dont have cholera. Maybe lauren will get it and they will have to put her in the quarantine camp so she wont have to come back with us. that will make the whole trip worth it. Now i will let her tell you the day in her eyes.

Adam

Today we all woke up around 6 am, for some reason i cant figure this hot water thing out because im the only one that has been taking cold showers and its not by choice. Let me correct Adam.. the LITTLE boys all went out this morning around 7 to go unload some crates. AND the WOMAN not little girls went out to a school in a village to record medical records for all of the children... We kinda got off on a late start because Robinson didnt have a driver, Beth wanted to drive but i dont know if that would have been a good idea. We normally just ride the bus but today we rode in the back of a truck... lets just say its not as fun as it looks haha we felt like our insides were being all shook up! Once we arrived to the village/School all the kids were so welcoming giving us hugs and holding our hands...Beth, Kayla, Emily, and I all taught the girls a cool handshake type game! they LOVED it. Then we began weighing,measuring, and taking photos of the children for the records. This took about 2 hours after we finished we left and went back to the compound. As the day went on we hung around the compound and played with the kid i once again reunited with my little boy named Lavo he is the sweetest boy ever. Throughout the rest of the evening i was called to bandage and comfort those that were hurt with the help of Jay and Adam. Jay gave them candy and welcomed them with a big smile. :)

Now we are all just hanging around playing card games, and such.

btw i DONT have Cholera and I WONT get cholera ADAM so i wouldnt get your hopes up :) haha

P.S I would just like to let all of ya'll know that one of the haitian children that has truely touched my heart, His name is Noah we believe that he may have contracted Cholera please pray for him. He was driven to a Cholera camp in Mercy and Just pray for his recovery. Also pray for Billy Kline he isn't feeling very well.

I would just like to say that i am very blessed to be here in Haiti and everyone here has been such a blessing and i would like to thank everyone that has gotten me here. I just want Haiti to know that this is the first time i have been here but it most defiantly will not be my last.

Matthew 5:16

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.

Lauren

Please Pray for Noah, he is the one in the plaid shirt. :)

Day 4 of our trip ! Adventure time!!!

2011-07-03T21:13:00.001-04:00

Today's experience was quite adventurous! Of course, since it's Sunday, we went to church. We didn't go to the church in the compound, i am not exactly sure why.. but i DO know that Lauren, and I know exactly what the songs would have sounded like this morning in that service ! The ONE day we did not have to get up at the crack of dawn to do something absolutely different, we were both awoken by the Haitians worship practice. Although their voices are amazing, and beautiful beyond compare, we didn't exactly care for them starting at 6am extremely loud, and practically in our window. lol.
So today's morning service was unusual to us. Mostly spoken in their language, a ton of singing, and dreadfully HOT. (that is,of course, to be expected.) We did hear the Haitian children sing a few songs, and the church as a whole though. The not-so-unusal part of todays church trip, was the fact that we had to travel about 15 minutes to get there, whereas we would've traveled two seconds (in walking) to get to the church in the compound. haha. Donald ended up preaching today, which was really nice. He read from Ezekiel chapter 37 talking about how we need to trust in God, and his unimaginable ability to do things we never think are capable. However, we have to trust and follow Him no matter how crazy the idea sounds. (Even if it's waking up dead and dry bones hahahaha) I encourage you guys to all read and look into the first couple verses, and think about what i just said.
After service, we were thanked with hugs and hand shakes for visiting. We, then, came back to the compound and changed into our bum clothes to prepare for lunch, and an outing to Port au Prince (i believe that's how you spell it..) There we saw some intense devastation that pictures cannot even BEGIN to explain. We stopped at a few street shops to buy gifts and items for relatives, friends, and our own selves. Billy and Lauren learned to break down the prices at the markets. Billy does it so often, that he does it to the people he doesn't even want things from. hahaha !

After being out, we came home and Emily, Sydney, and I goofed off and relaxed after that long, sweaty outing. A little boy that we all often see in the compound somehow got cut under the right eye. Em and I both bandaged him up and Hannah gave him a banana to calm his nerves (: We watch Hannah, also get tickled to death while getting a pedicure from the Haitian girl. Hilarious. but we ate, then Billy, Kevin, Josh, Emily, Sydney, and Me all went down on the basketball court and played ninja !! greatest, most time consuming game EVEERRRR ! lol. After that i was called to do this blog, and now our group and a few of the compound boys are heading up to the cross for a worship sesh again! I love worshiping at night, best time to do it! Marck says he loves Blessed Be Your Name, and anyone who knows our church and attends it , knows we love us some Jesus dancin music !! :D

well, Stout's outt (;
love you guys, and miss you. but were not gonna be excited to leave <3
Miss you all, see you soon.-Emily

Mission Impossible?

2011-07-02T22:35:00.003-04:00

I think we are all walking around like zombies today. We were up at 4am for a two hour hike up a rocky mountain to a village. All but two made it all the way up!

I will let you try to figure that one out..and it wasn't the youngest or the oldest. It was a tough climb but we all worked together to get up there. Some of us got to ride a donkey up a ways which was fun. Water was a definite must! It was amazing to see the villagers climbing up and down the mountain with pounds/gallons of food and water on their head and in flip flops. The view was absolutely beautiful....words can't describe. When we made it to the top 2 hours later...we visited a voodoo church...don't worry..Greater is he that is in us; than he that is in the world! We prayed with the voodoo priest in his church and he was very receptive. We then headed to the church where we gave out shoes and some dresses to some children. When then had time for about an hour VBS. We sang motion songs with the children, face painted..which was a hit...Lauren did well at doing lizards, blowed bubbles which was also a hit, played a game and also had a puppet talk to the children about Jesus. We enjoyed the experience! ...but then it was time to head back down. You would think it would be easier, but for this old person it was a lot harder on the knees! I just don't know how the Haitians do it walking in flip flops! I decided to take me good old time... unfortunately that got me an hour behind most of the crew getting home! Nicely enough Lauren, Dan and Adam joined in on the scenery walk. A Haitian family walked with us bring their little girl Filencia to the medical clinic..one eye was swollen shut. Not sure yet what is wrong but please keep her in your prayers. Once back at the compound..we ate lunch. After lunch, some of us fell asleep, some went to finish the floor of the house we are building for John Renel, and some went and played with the kids of the village. Later on we gave out more shoes, and the guys played basketball in the rain with the kids. Mud is the common link with our shoes right now. We then had the opportunity to eat a Haitian dinner! We ate Plantains, Bread Fruit, Goat, and unique dishes that we have at home just cooked another way! The majority loved it! We voted to have it another night. The guys were late for dinner they were putting up a tent in the village down the street for our church service tomorrow. Needless to say they were very hungry and finished everything up. The kids and Dan are currently up at the 30ft cross in the compound praying and wrapping up the day. They are tired, but laughing and enjoying the children especially. It is truly an experience that they will never forget! We did accomplish our mission for the day and are all feeling it...well, some of us anyway! Have a good night from Haiti! Love and Miss you all!

Call to Duty

2011-07-01T21:32:00.000-04:00

FYI - we are an hour behind you guys at home...we just found out they do not participate in day light savings so when we sprang forward they stayed behind! In October we will be back to the same time again.

Anyway we woke this morning: lisa, carrie and tim, to the sound of that lovely rooster...he is still alive! lol We climbed a small hill to our devotion time..where Kevin and Cayla lead with worship music and Don encouraged us to serve..to again be the hands and feet of Jesus to these wonderful people. Yesterday when we stopped at the mass grave site of those thousands of people, I took a picture of one of the crosses laying on the ground. It was a picture in my mind of someone else's burden. Christ wants us to help carry the burdens of others. Here in Haiti what any opportunity we have to lay down our own cross and help others carry their cross (burden) we realize that we might not be able to fix the burden... but God says to HELP..and that is what we have all set out to do this week. The teen's hearts are great and their compassion overwhelming. Dan, Adam, Jay, and Billy all set out after devotions to help finish laying the foundation for John Renel's house. They were exhausted after three hours from the sun and hard work. Cayla, Emily, Sydney and I all sorted and created care bags for the school kids, who were finishing their last day of school today. We were able to pass them out to every class(Kevin and Lauren came and helped) and their response was a song Jesus Loves the Little Children and Read Your Bible and Pray everyday. We were also able to give the principal a bag full of small supplies such as pencils, pencil sharpeners, notebooks and erasers. Jimmy and Donald, the leader here, headed to Port au Prince to pick up rice that the Air Force had brought in.

Then we had lunch. Some of us ended up taking a nap...waiting for Jimmy and Donald to get back...they were to be back at 12....they didn't make it back until 6pm....three flat tires on the way back! Around 3 we went into the village to see the old house of the man we are building a new house for. We all fit inside the one room...he is so overwhelmed with the thought of having a house by the end of the week. The children of the village just flock to all of us. Joshua had a hard time holding hands with little girls who just loved him. He kept asking for help! lol We walked to the village dam where the children just striped and jumped in to swim...some also bathed. I had the opportunity to try to carry a 5 gallon bucket of water on my head and Dan got to ride a "tap tap" (motorcycle). The entire walk the children of the village were glued to our hips and wanting our sunglasses, water, shoes and cameras. The kids also taught our teens a new foot game.

My neatest experience for the day is when we came back... I walked by two girls playing jacks with rocks...we had two set of jacks packed and I had the opportunity to sit and play with them for a while. The kids just love you loving them! We have been having a late afternoon rain each night. Tonight the teenagers decided to play soccer with the village boys in the rain...talk about mud!! oh my..if you moms only new...there are plenty of pictures....they were wearing it, throwing it and I think eating it...but they had a blast!! Dan, Jay and Adam helped load the bags of rice by carrying on their backs..50 lbs each...they were carrying up to four bags at a time...somebody dropped their four bags but I won't disclose who..so I don't embarrass them...you can guess! nah..jay..cough cough! We ate a delicious dinner..with bread from the sun oven. We then passed out shoes to some of the workers of the compound and now we are sitting and relaxing..playing the guitar, girls are getting their hair braided and Dan and Jay are no where to be found...oh well! Tomorrow we are up early at 4AM for a 3 hour hike up a mountain....so keep us in mind! We love you all and miss you. Have a wonderful night! We are loving it!!!

Taking things for Granted

2011-06-27T23:48:00.000-04:00

It’s another beautiful blue skied day in Haiti. Here, you wake up to the sound of children playing, adults working, and roosters crowing at about 5:30 a.m. Once you get used to the early wake up, it becomes a sound that you want to hear every morning. There are plenty of tasks to be done throughout the day. A few include fixing the internet from lightening damage, fixing generators, fixing trucks, and taking food to people in the village. One of the most rewarding tasks that we do though, is visiting orphanages or schools that this mission feeds. We have done that a few times since I have been here, and it’s truly awesome to see the healthy children that would be starving without this mission.

The most heartbreaking sight for me this trip is a house just over the hill from the mission. It is made out of branches, some sort of grass for the roof, and pieces of tarp also on the roof. Six kids and two parents live there! It is probably about a 10x8x7 ft hut (that’s a generous estimate). It wasn’t until it started storming and raining when it dawned on me how miserable those people must have been on nights like that. It would cost about $4,000 to build them a new block home. I’m praying that this mission will receive that amount for this family’s new home. We take so many things for granted in the U.S., one of them being shelter.

--Landon

Market Day!

2011-06-09T05:28:00.000-04:00

We met at the rock for devotion and prayer at 7a.m. again this morning. By this point in our week of mission in Haiti, it is easy to be less concerned about prayer and more concerned about sleep. But we were reminded of how Job came naked into the world and would return into eternal glory naked. Our lives, in Haiti, are but a vapor and physical thing we can gain in this life will be lost. So we prayed for forgiveness for seeking ourselves, and pressed our spirits on toward the mission of Christ in serving and ministering to others. Off we went again in the big yellow lifeline bus!

After being jostled through the streets of Haiti, (though we really didn’t notice it as much as we did the first day) we arrived at Labarre School. We got to do VBS with 172 children grades kindergarten through 6^th. They really enjoyed the music with motions and listened (fairly:) attentively while Josh presented his lesson. Then we helped the lifeline folks with their child updates. The children of Haiti are so beautiful!

We also got to view the market at Arcahaie. Wow, what a conglomeration of people and things. All things, as our devotion reminded us, that we will not take with us into eternity, but that seem so important to everyone, including the Haitians. Jeans, t-shirts, toothpaste, cleaning supplies (which is ironic), books, and food. Lots and lots of fresh food and cooked food. We ended up in a huge place for buying charcoal. This place was right on the ocean, and we saw fishing boats moored off-shore. We got some pictures, but this place was incredibly crowded so we didn’t stay very long. The experience was amazingly sobering, and reminded me that consumerism and worship of self is not confined to the United States of America.

Finally, we returned to the compound, and our team spread out doing needed work for lifeline. Raking the soccer field, pulling weeds, fixing soccer goals, some landscaping and more. We were tired but very thankful to help.

The final thing I must highlight was our dinner meal this evening. Our lovely cooks served us an authentic Haitian meal which included: rice and beans, cooked chicken, cooked goat, goat sauce, fried plantains, fresh lettuce and tomatoes, pasta, fresh pineapple, fresh mangos and even more. It was fabulous. We are incredibly indebted to our cooks. They have and continue to do a tremendous job.

Praise God for cooked goat! He is Lord of all Nations and He is our King!

Waves of Mercy!

2011-06-07T22:33:00.000-04:00

Today we woke up to see the sun rise and to start our journey up the mountain to the village of Petit Bois. The hike up the mountain was very exhausting, but humbling. God showed all of us that we are very weak without Him.

However tired we felt, God supplied us with the endurance to conduct a VBS at the school, Evangelique Mixte de Petit Bois, and travel back down the mountain, without stopping. This VBS experience was one of the best so far. There were approximately 325 children in the school, and the church was packed. We sang "Waves of Mercy" during worship and the children absolutely loved this song and the hand motions we showed them. In return, the school children blessed us with a song in Creole that was so much fun! We had no idea what they were saying, but we did the motion and danced to the beat along with them. Although this was a fun experience, we left with a heartbreaking story told to us by the pastor of the school, Pasteur Millien Jean Jules. He humbly came to us and asked us to sit so he could talk to us. He explained how the school worked and how he unfortunately had not paid the teachers since January due to lack of funds. Thankfully, the teachers have been volunteering, but they may soon quit leading to the closing of the school. He told us that he understands that there are poor people in America too, but that if anyone would be willing to help the school, it would be a great blessing.

Once we returned, we rested up and began working around the compound. The chores consisted of housework, shoveling dirt, and even attempting to pick up all the trash. All of this work helps the mission, and the people of La Digue more than anyone can imagine. Hearing about how poor the school is and the willingness of the teachers to keep educating the children has been a great blessing. God has opened our eyes to so many things and we are in awe of His wonderful creations. The Haitian people are wonderful and the island of Haiti is beautiful. We experienced the wonderful work of God upclose today, and this experience will stay with us forever.

Praise God!

"Do you love Jesus?"

2011-06-06T22:22:00.000-04:00

This morning we started out by taking a walk to the Barbancourt School. It was exciting to traverse across the rough terrain and see the countryside. We enjoyed crossing the flowing river on our way to Barbencourt. We had many young guides that helped us through the water. We visited the school and presented a bible school lesson. We acted out the Nativity story for the children. Josh was our donkey, Kristen was our Mary, Dave was our Joseph, Jonathan was our innkeeper, Kaylee and Todd were the shepherds, and Bryan was the angel. We also sang songs, played games, and made crafts. My favorite part was feeding the school and village children. They enjoyed their meal of rice, beans, and bread.

Next, we went to an orphanage in Barbancourt. It was wonderful to meet the beautiful children in the orphanage and show them the love of God the best we could. Our team member, Dave, taught a powerful lesson about Christ on the cross. We helped the children with crafts and played some games.

We went back to the mission and helped clean up the courtyard. We worked on the pews at the church and did other odd jobs. Later on, we gobbled down a delicious meal and finished off the day by playing some sports.

My favorite part of the day was talking to a young man named Jauq while watching the nightly soccer game. We struggled to understand all of what we were saying to each other, but very clearly he asked me if I loved Jesus. I said, “Yes, I do. And you?” He replied, “Yes, I love him.” I was so moved by his witness to me and his love for the Lord.

Night three of our trip.

2011-06-05T22:20:00.000-04:00

As we settle into night three in Arcahaie, Haiti, the sound of rain on the roof is gently reminding us of God’s mercy falling and his compassion on us. We have all experienced a great day of seeing how the people live here in Haiti, from observing Haitians homes which are mainly tents at best seeing people come up to the Mission Lifeline compound and get clean water from the spigot outside of the wall. It is amazing at how children respond with heightened excitement as we participate in each of the planned events. We participated in the local church service this morning as the Haitians brought worship and Word. Through the afternoon we hosted a Bible Club where Jonathan, Todd, and Dave, led the kids in music and Russ brought a great Bible story. Each student traced out their feet on a piece of paper signifying how we should be followers of Jesus.

Tree 63 has a song called The Revolution:

The Revolution
Who will feed the hungry if we don't?
There's people losing their lives 'cos we won't
If we believe but we still do not follow
Then maybe we don't believe

If we could only love this world like we've been loved
Then all the world would know what love is really made of
We live in plenty, there is more than enough
For what the world needs but not for our greed

Another world is possible, yeah
Another world is possible, yeah
The revolution's far from over
It's not over, it's not over

Once upon a time a small seed
Died in the soil and became a small tree
Now it's a forest still growing silently
A waterless earth turns green

Another world is possible, yeah
Another world is possible, yeah
The revolution's far from over
It's not over, it's not over, yeah, yeah, yeah

We are the ones we've been waiting for
We are the ones we've been waiting for
We are the ones we've been waiting for
We are the ones, we are the ones

Full stomachs and both parents
And a church that acts like it really believes
That the good news is good news
For everybody everywhere

Oh, another world, yeah

Another world is possible, yeah
Another world is possible, yeah
The revolution's far from over
It's not over, it's not over

The revolution, yeah, yeah, yeah
The revolution, yeah, yeah, yeah
The revolution, yeah, yeah, yeah
It's not over, it's not over, oh, oh, oh, oh

Truly “another world is possible” as we look to Christ and the Biblical commands which have been given by our King we see this clearly! Scripture tells us that WE have been ENTRUSTED with the message of reconciliation! Us? You and I? We must be people who believe that the Good News is really Good News for EVERYBODY, EVERYWHERE! God has given us His best through Christ by loving us in an immeasurable manner! His love that has been poured out so richly upon us cannot be left on a shelf somewhere to become stagnate. We have not been entrusted with it to hide it! The Good News must be preached and taught! Christ is our greatest treasure.

It is easy to be overwhelmed with the long list of continues “problems” that seem to mount up higher than Everest here in Haiti, but we realize from Mark 2 that really there is just one problem. And only ONE solution to that problem. Sin entered the world through one man, Adam, and was completed taken by Christ for us. The problem must be revealed and the good news of the solution must be shared. Simply put, “preach the Word.”

Wow! What a Day

2011-06-05T22:16:00.000-04:00

Wow. Today has been one of those days that will impact me for the rest of my life. I think I can speak for the rest of the team and say it was equally as impactful to them. Today's agenda consisted of visiting two orphanages. I had tried to imagine what a Haitian orphanage might look like. I had heard testimonies of couples who had adopted from all over the world. However, every effort I had made to prepare myself was washed away by a flood of tears. There is simply no way I can explain through any use of poetic, descriptive words what we witnessed today. I am not being theatrical, nor am I being overly-dramatic. What we experienced today was unspeakable.

The first orphanage consisted of a number of tents that were sprinkled around pools of standing, mosquito-infested water. Malaria is a major concern at this orphanage. 85 children and roughly 2 staff live here in these conditions. Some of the children were sick and could not come out. We dropped off some rice for them to eat. Josh delivered a message about how God loves and cares for little children. Jonathan and Dave led music, and the rest of us prepared crafts and played some games. The highlight of this orphanage came when the children sang to us with a jimbay drum. It was beautiful to hear them sing in Creole.

The second orphanage was staffed by 2 men and and 2 women. One of these women was probably 75 years old and she was blind. We went into a block building in the village that was dark. The block building consisted of 4 small rooms. We were led out the back door under a makeshift canopy shelter. The children began to appear in a line. It was like ants marching into the front rooms. One after the other the came in. Some would smile at you, some had blank stares. Spring delivered a lesson to the children about the creation of the universe. We then used a mural that Todd had creatively drawn to better illustrate creation. Painting was involved and the children participated.

The remaining time at the second orphanage was spent drawing "creation pictures" on paper with markers for the children. They would bring me their paper with their marker and want me to draw for them. They absolutely did not care about how terrible of an artist I am. I began to write "Jesus loves YOU" at the top of each drawing. The rest of the team was doing similar stuff with their papers. I could not get over, personally, how some of the children were the same age as my children are. Can you imagine your children living in these conditions?

Many of the children were severely malnourished. Many had hair-growth problems. Some were very skinny. The one that I will never forget was named Edison, who is my son's age. He sat on a small bench during the entire service, completely emotionless. You could tell that he was all cried out. I picked him up and taught him how to give me five. I simply could not get him to smile. As I was holding him, another child that I had drawn for came up and told me that he loved me. I looked through tears the entire time I was there, and it came to a climax when we had to leave. I sat Edison down on his bench next to the blind woman, gave him five one last time, and walked out of his life.

There are other stories from last night and today that I could share. They are all unforgetable, too. However, I want to leave you with that last image. The American church needs to hear Edison's story. And the American church needs to act now. This is not a guilt trip. It is Christianity.

Please pray for the orphans of Haiti. I am typing this on a laptop with a full stomach. Edison and thousands of other orphans like him will sleep on the ground tonight, empty and utterly alone. May the Gospel of Jesus Christ compell the church forward to do what is necessary. Until you understand the Gospel, that you were an orphan drowning in your sin before God the Father adopted you into His family, you will never understand the profound nature of orphan care.

I am attaching 3 pictures. May God bless you. We are sincerely grateful for all your prayers.

Yours in Christ-

Russ Kreuter

For the Love of the Sport!

2011-05-03T07:53:00.000-04:00

The rainy season has begun! Though we are beginning to get rain almost daily now, it is still only for short periods at a time. The time it takes to have a soccer practice for instance.

Just after Monday night practice started, the rain began. You could hear the sound of the large drops pounding into the dust before they even reached the field. The ground was so very dry, that even as the water continued to pour from the sky there was still no mud. The dust soaked up the water quickly as the players continued with their practice, undaunted by the showers that were upon them.

Even the youth that were having a side game on the basketball court continued, their passion for the sport of soccer could not be drown by the spring rain. If you have ever been on a trip to Haiti and given your sponsored child a soccer ball then you have seen already the delight that the Haitians have for this sport. We are happy that Lifeline can provide the facilities for La Digue to demonstrate the excitement that they have; to endure the elements, not for money or fame, but for the simple love of the sport.

Twins

2011-04-28T17:31:00.003-04:00

22 days ago a pair of twins was born to a mother in our village, one boy and one girl. When they were born, they could not drink milk from a bottle because their mouths were so tiny. We went to visit them to offer more formula to the mother. What a blessing it was to see these small children again and see them growing. They are still small, but the mother said they are eating well. We are so thankful to the people back in the states that make donations to us such as formula and baby supplies! It really can make such a big difference here because of lack of nutrients in the mother’s milk.

Day 4 of our trip and what a day!

2011-04-23T09:53:00.000-04:00

Day 4 in Haiti with team PA and Delaware…at first I was an “outsider” to the team but the group has welcomed me as one of their own. By an outsider, I mean that I am from Illinois and the rest of the group is from the east coast. However, I could not think of a better group of people to be in Haiti with and will forever be thankful for the opportunity I have been given by this group. Lifeline is loosing a short term missionary tomorrow…she has been here for a month…Stacey, and after 4 days she has become a sister to me and feel that her absence will be hard to swallow.

Among the activities of day 4, the team started off with gathering all the kids enrolled in kids club at Lifeline. We told them that they were a treasure to Jesus and we handed out bookmarks with the pennies taped to them. After the lesson, one row at a time every kid was given a pair of shoes collected by the team members prior to the trip. Some smiles, some high fives, and some were just silent but thankful.

As some team members stayed at Lifeline to distribute shoes to the kids, others went to one of the schools near by to complete child updates for kid sponsors. This consisted of taking pictures of each child and gathering stats to see how they have grown from the last update. During this time, inside the school there were sounds of children laughing, hands clapping and God’s Word being spoken. It’s amazing how the attention of 40+ Haitian children can be captured and held by the stories of Jesus Christ! After singing numerous songs, evangelizing, and connecting on a level never sought by many before, the team regrouped at Lifeline HQ.

The team, all four missionaries, and Robenson went to Wahoo Bay, which is a beach / resort and was able to snorkel, watch an amazing sunset, and eat amazing food! On our way back to Lifeline however…when in Haiti…just roll with it! Two miles from our arrival back at Lifeline; we pulled up on a wedding processional, which consisted of 15+ motorcycles, people dressed up in colorful outfits, and the newlyweds. Horns were honking, people were lining the side of the streets to greet the new couple as they headed to the reception…simply amazing that we had a chance to see that tradition.

The last event of the night was a group walk to the glowing cross. The group was met by one of the local boys that had a cut and needed bandaged so he joined us as well. As the group sat at the cross and looked at the lights of Port-au-Prince, the stars, and glowing cross, a silence grew over us and the music from the wedding reception grew louder. The nightly devotion was focused around Hebrews 11… faith and what it means / how it has affected us. It was even cooler that Pastor Benis, a Haitian missionary, who was spending the night with us, sat in on our devotion, what a great chance for us yet again to encourage and be encouraged by our Haitian brothers and sisters. Really…how awesome is God, putting them and us here on the same week and getting to sit down and talk about God with each other? Individuals shared stories of faith and each one of us would listen and respond with amazement.

The ending to a long, eventful day came swift as we run to showers and to beds ready to wake up and just open our hearts to God and his will first thing in the morning. I am so thankful that God wanted me to be here with this group at this time. Perhaps we will return to Haiti again (hopefully!), however words cannot describe how today’s events unrolled and what God wanted us to take from each encounter. Smelling of salt water and sweat, this Christian is headed for the shower and short sleep only to awake again tomorrow and tell others how great our God is and why!

Madison

The Haiti Adventure Continues!

2011-04-21T09:01:00.000-04:00

Today the adventure in Haiti continued. We started by fixing and painting pew benches at a local church. Afterwards we drove to the local market in central Archahaie to buy song-books for the pastor here at Lifeline and tour the market itself. The sights, sounds, and, yes, smells, of the market were indescribable. The market, only open on Wednesdays and Saturdays, is made up of a maze of tarp-covered plots with locals selling all types of goods right on the ground. This market is not a place for tourists and there were no souvenirs to be found; rather this is where locals shop for food and supplies, so the vibrancy and pandemonium we saw are genuinely and distinctly Haitian. We walked through the market and toured a charcoal market that lay next to a small port. The coastline is filled with empty conch shells and small fishing boats that bob gently in the surf. The market stands out in my mind as a true slice-of-life picture of Haiti.

With song-books in hand we returned to the Lifeline compound for Bryan and Bill to host a soccer game with local children. We also took time to sort the 19 or so suitcases full of shoes and clothes we brought to Haiti. Sorting the shoes and clothes today prepared us to give away shoes tomorrow to the Kid’s Club, a group of local school children who attend the church here.

During the soccer game, it began raining and for the first time we saw a real Haitian rainstorm, brief but intense. Unfortunately, the soccer game was rained out and Bryan and Bill did not get their chance to preach to the children, but regardless they were effective in building relationships with the children and sharing God’s love. Meanwhile, a delicious Haitian dinner was being prepared for us, featuring chicken; goat; rice and beans; fresh mango and fresh pineapple; piccole (habanero coleslaw); plantains; corn and pea salad; and pasta salad. The taste of this meal was indescribable. While Haitians do not eat as much of the food as we had and not all of those dishes together in one meal, we had a great sample of local cuisine. Believe it or not, Haitians love pasta salad.
As is our nightly tradition on this trip, we shared thoughts on the day and meditated on God’s Word. I mentioned how our time in Haiti feels like going back in time, and I speculated that what we’re experiencing must have been similar to the Apostles experience walking through the ancient world on their missions, who also dealt with dusty feet and oppressive heat, beholding the sights and sounds of local markets. Stories in the Book of Acts have come to life so much more now that I’ve been in Haiti. Then I spoke of Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12 and its implications for us to the Jesus’ Great Commission, specifically with making disciples of all nations. We discussed how the body of Christian believers is made up of many members, each with different gifts and callings, and how we are each indispensable and interdependent in carrying out the Great Commission, being only as strong as our weakest member. Thus, as believers we are not only called to evangelize throughout the world (finding believers) but to teach and strengthen each and every one of those believers (growing disciples). Our mission team is a picture of the diverse body of Christ in that we each bring unique skills and talents with us as we work together for Christ’s glory in Haiti, and God has so richly blessed us.
I can’t wait to see what our mission in Haiti will hold for tomorrow.

-Stephen

"Tickets" for the Kingdom!

2011-04-20T10:16:00.000-04:00

The team handed out a lot of “tickets” today. Tickets of seeds for the kingdom, such as Christine’s taking care of an older man’s injured foot, and his big grin of happiness and thumbs up as he left the porch with a bandaged foot. Or the enthusiastic singing and skits provided by Bryan, Madison and Stephen as the children had the biggest smiles of joy and anticipation for what was coming next in the skit.

The vehicle of sports, especially through soccer, with the older boys in sharing the gospel at the end of the game talks. Jaco, working with Logan from Lifeline Orphanage to get our blown out tires (you would understand how vital this is if you saw the roads) up and running to get us to various schools and orphanages. The week is going too fast, but we trust more than anything else that sharing the gospel through the relationships we have developed will eventually bring others to know the Lord someday!

Bill Geating

Full day of Activities

2011-04-19T06:59:00.001-04:00

Today was our first full day in Haiti. We started the morning at 7:00 with breakfast and a quick overview of what we were going to do for the day. We started going for a tour of the compound and saw many cool things. The cross, the children’s watermelon patch/ corn patch, the soccer field, the clinic, and the place were the women learn to sew.

After that we went to go see where the compound gets their water. It was called the dam and was not expecting for children to swarm like they did. I was told they would surround you at the tent city but not so near the compound. Well the kids all found someone to latch on to and we started to walk to the dam. We saw many things that were in the culture, a Voodoo house being one of them. We made it there and back fine and then had lunch. After lunch, our team with a couple of interrupters headed off to a tent city. We had a schedule planned out and we stuck to it pretty well. Bill started off with a felt story and Jaco, Bryan and Steph did a “Chair Skit.” They got a lot of laughs and Bryan broke off into a testimony. After that Bill finished off with an evangecube and another felt story. We handed out a couple of supplies before we felt that it was time to go.

After we left, we were within 2 miles of the compound and the bus we were traveling in got a flat tire. We spent the time waiting for another vehicle to get us in one of the best times of the day. We broke out felt boards and the “cube” to spread the Word of God. We had a lot of small children close and teens further and the parents on a canal wall just watching us evangelize. The emergency vehicle came and we all climbed in to go back to the compound. We got back and as soon as we did, Bill and Bryan hurried to the sport courts to play a game of soccer and basketball. They used the end game to speak to the children and just spread the good news. We ended with dinner and some devotions. We are very much looking forward to the next couple of days and the experiences that God will put in front of me (Jaco) and the Tea

The adventure of missions!

2011-04-18T12:08:00.000-04:00

While I have been a Christian for the past 8 years, today was my first experience on a mission trip in a foreign country. We started the day with a 3am wake up call followed by a 3 hour drive to JFK airport in New York. After a 2 hour delay and a 4 hour plane ride we arrived in Haiti. From the air peaking over the wing over the plane I noticed what a beautiful country Haiti was and I remember being very eager to see what it would be like. I went into the trip with no expectations excited to see how God would use the team. Our group of 10 were all very excited to get started.

The plane was packed with Haitians and we were pleased the plane landed safely after a shaky wheel landing. The plane applauded the landing and we were finally on the ground. The next half an hour was filled with a lot of adventure. The original airport had cracks on every wall. We took a bus to a different terminal where we scavenged for our luggage among the crowd. It was more like a freefall than a baggage claim. When we realized we were on our own and got the hang of it we pulled together as a team and managed to find all of our 23 bags filled with shoes and clothes to give to the kids. We left the airport and walked outside to be greeted by many airport workers looking to help us with our bags for a fee. It was a bit overwhelming but made it to our bus. I was very thankful for Lifeline’s support and guidance through the airport. It was interesting to see many Haitians outside the fence reaching out with their hands for American money as they shouted “We love America.”

The bus ride to the complex was the best amusement ride I have been on my entire life. I closed my eyes and was fearful on a number of occasions as cars wizzed by us on the left and right. I thought twice we will head on collide with opposing traffic. The main road built by the Domincan Republic was excellent while the rest were the bumpiest and narrowest roads I have ever seen. On the way we saw a lot of poverty. I was not expecting to see so much poverty. I saw trash everywhere and people living in tents. I saw kids and adults bathing in the canal on the side of the road and cows and goats crossing roads as if it were apart of every day life. It hurt to see such a beautiful country in such a mess. They aren't doing anything with their trash and live in the worst possible situations I can think of. It was overwhelming.

When we arrived at the complex I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was and how it was the center of the village. There were kids hanging around coming out of church and even some challenged us to basketball. I couldn’t believe how quickly I felt at home and was enjoying my time here. We had a great home cooked meal and had a great devotional time to get us focused for the week ahead.

I am most looking forward to the soccer games this week where I will have the opportunity to give a halftime message. I am looking forward to seeing how the Haitians live and hopefully sharing the love of Jesus with them.

Short term team member,
Bryan

Great Day at Lifeline!

2011-04-16T14:11:00.001-04:00

Today, we had a great day! 2 trucks were full of rice and beans! They arrived around 6:00. It's a wonderful sound when the trucks come rolling into Lifeline’s back yard!! Ten workers helped us unpack the 50 lbs. bags of beans and rice! Such hard workers!! We were waiting for the rice and the beans to show up so we can hand out to the village people. God is so good to us and to the village! He makes that we are provided with food! He will never take His sight from you! That is really comforting to know that He is watching out for you and that He is taking care of us! He loves us all!!

Planting a Seed

2011-04-11T21:10:00.002-04:00

It took me back to my own boyhood. As the 8 boys came through the gate with their tools, ready for a “man sized” day of work I remembered the feelings of years past. These boys had wrapped tape or bandages around old machetes, to make handles. Most seemed to be old and broken tools borrowed from their fathers; they also had two picks with them. They waited in line for a man to sharpen their tools on Lifeline’s electric grinder. I could not understand the language but I know well the excitement of being with your friends and telling each other, “we will work really hard, and every day, and this will be the best garden ever!”
However before starting on the melon garden they planted some banana trees and put up a “living fence.” (A plant that seems to be of the milkweed family, called “Chandalee” in Creole) This barrier of protection from goats is supplemented by the boy’s watchful eye. They have already caught one goat and returned him (with stern warning) to his owner.
The hope is, by the end of the summer the boys will have their own watermelon to eat as well as profit from the sale of the extra fruit.

Love and Family

2011-04-06T10:13:00.001-04:00

This week in Haiti has been an eye opening and amazing experience for everyone. It is amazing how close you can feel to people you don't know through a third world country mission trip. Everyone here has been blessed by each other’s presence and that of the Haitian people. These people can teach us so much if we would allow them. I have learned personally how in shape these people have to be to walk and go where they do. These people are the most influential people I've ever met. We all have different perspectives on this trip but it all comes out the same- God loves us and we are all a part of the family of God no matter how bad the conditions or where you’re at you’re never alone.

-Tori Monnett

Child Updates

2011-04-04T23:44:00.000-04:00

Monday April 4th The mission team started the day at the top of mountain for a review of the previous day. We discussed what our perception of the area and the people we had encountered. Everyone agreed that the children were such an inspiration to us all. They were all well behaved and did not complain even though they lived in a very desperate land.
To begin our day of work a large group loaded on the truck to visit a school, while a few stayed behind to work on the compound. The truck that we traveled in was the same truck that picked us up at the airport. The truck is covered with metal and has benches on each side. There were about 15 people in this group. When we got to the school we set up stations. The first station checked children in, weighed them, measured their height, and wrote down information about their home and family. The next stationed took their picture. The last station was the medical station. We checked in around 200 elementary students. It was a hard, hot day (average temp around 94) but we all felt good at the end of the day because these children now will be able to have sponsors who can assure that they will have food and medical care.
After the school we returned to the mission for a short break of solar baked fresh bread....it was great! Next each of us began various chores cleaning rooms at the mission and tending to sick children who were waiting for the nurses when we returned. Our host couple --Kendra and Chewie are wonderful people and each evening Kendra has a wonderful meal planned. Dinner time and it's Mexican ...yum.

Evelyn Neely

Fire, Turkey, and Sign Language

2011-04-03T23:09:00.003-04:00

Today was an amazing experience. God has really opened up my eyes to be much more thankful for the things that He has blessed me with in life. I had a lot of funny experiences also. I was the "trash man" and got to burn trash in Lifeline's fire pit. I didn’t know that there was an aerosol can in one of the bags so I’m with a member of the team trying to revive a dead turkey when we hear a boom and see a small mushroom cloud appear. The fire apparently hit the can and it exploded. I went to kids club today with Evelyn and we had a blast. We taught the kids ‘Jesus loves me’ in sign language and they sang it the rest of the day. Church this morning was an experience. I had one kid asleep in my lap and there were two other kids there with me. I loved it!

Dustin Bowen

Expecting the Unexpected

2011-04-03T00:12:00.000-04:00

As a Christian going on a mission field most of the time other Christians who have experience doing mission work will tell you to expect the unexpected. Also, the mission field is anywhere you are. This includes the travel time to and from the mission field. A lot of times it’s easy to relax from listening intently to what the Lord is calling me to do in the moments of my travels to and from the mission trip location because I’m focusing so much on what we will do once on the ground in a foreign land or what I need to do when I get back home.

Today was a great example for me of how Christ can work through people for his glory even in the transition to the mission field. I sat down on the airplane today for our connecting flight from Atlanta to Miami. I was sitting by a young adult named Michael, and began to talk with him about himself and his mission trip to Honduras he was heading to. Some ways into the flight he asked me where the barf bags were and as I went to pull out the one in front of me, a fountain of vomit began pouring from his mouth and nostrils. It ended up all over him with some of it ending up on me and my possessions. Instead of freaking out, the Lord gave me peace in the moment to be able to properly handle the situation with more compassion than I could ever have had on my own. He was very embarrassed afterwards, but the Lord prompted me to write out a letter of encouragement to give to him before the flight landed. I gave it to him and after we got off the flight we kept running back into him and his parents on our layover in Miami. He told me he had read the letter, thanked me for it, and his embarrassment had now faded to eye contact and smiles.

I know it seems like such a small thing but the devil uses embarrassing situations like that to try to destroy your confidence in Christ. Without proper encouragement, you could feel defeated the rest of trip before it starts and really miss God using you in such mighty ways.

I just want to praise God for that opportunity and the peace and compassion to carry out what he called me to in that situation.

Mark Newlin

Helping the people of Haiti

2011-04-01T22:36:00.001-04:00

In America, most people have jobs and get a regular paycheck. That money is then used to buy groceries, clothes, etc.

In Haiti, a lot of the people don’t have jobs at all. It’s hard for them to get a job because of the economic conditions. God has blessed Children’s International Lifeline with the means to provide several jobs to the Haitian people.

One of the men from our village came to the mission asking for food. He said that he had no money for him and his three boys. The man was willing to work for the food, so he came the next day to our compound and worked a full day to get the food he needed! It was so exciting to see his face when he received the food!! He was so happy and thankful!!

Stace Jarvis

Shoes for Samuel

2011-03-31T21:55:00.003-04:00

Today Samuel, a boy that lives in La Digue, the village where Lifeline is located, came to the mission with our Pastor. Pastor told us that Samuel’s parents had both died and he and his 3 sisters and 2 brothers had moved from the mountain to our village. Pastor had taken in one of his sisters and the other siblings are living together in a house just behind our compound. The boy had a pair of flip flops on that the heel had been torn off. The terrain in Haiti is very rocky and dusty. The people go through shoes very quickly because of all the walking they do. We were very happy to give Samuel a brand new pair of blue Crocs! We are so thankful for the donation of these shoes! The people love them and they seem to work really well with the conditions here!

And the good news doesn’t end there! We are very fortunate to have Stacey with us for a month. She heard the story about Samuel and said she wanted to sponsor him through Lifeline which gets him in the feeding program and pays for medical treatment.

In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35 (NASB)

If you would like to learn more about the sponsorship program, please visit www.childrenslifeline.com.

Construction in Barbencourt

2011-03-29T16:49:00.002-04:00

Last week we had a construction team here, half of the team was from Tennessee and the other half was from California. They were here to build individual homes for our upcoming orphanage in Barbencourt. Each morning at 6:00, they would leave our village in la Digue and head over to the worksite in Barbencourt. The team would also bring all of their tools with them. Screws, drills, hammers…. You name it!! Everywhere you looked, you saw someone either drilling or cutting wood for the sides of the house. It was just so neat to see how the homes were coming together. The Haitian people would come and watch us work. They looked at the houses with approval looks! At the end of the day we would step back and look at what we had done. We were progressing with our work! The last day we were there, we put tarps, windows, and doors on each house. That was the last step to do. They look so good! They are now ready for the children. They now have a house where they can cook inside, take showers, and be warm!!

Stace Jarvis

A Changed Haiti

2011-03-25T09:47:00.001-04:00

As we look back on the past week, and think about all the wonderful experiences that we have had we are amazed by all of the changes we have seen. For many of us this is our second trip to Haiti and so much has changed. Roads are paved, political change is on the horizon, and new life is evident. Today, we were able to work side by side with the Haitian physician at the Lifeline clinic where we assessed and treated about 150 patients. We were blessed to be able to perform several ultrasounds which revealed healthy mothers and babies! It was amazing to see the mothers' faces light up when the translators explained that the muffled noise they were hearing were their babies' heartbeats. It is stunning to witness the change that our group and so many others like ours have made half a world away. We all feel truly blessed to have been given such a wonderful opportunity.

-Brittany Kellum, Jessica Wells, Jade Campbell, Brittany Johnson

See pictures of the ultrasounds at http://www.flickr.com/photos/60783408@N02

Teamwork, A Big Mountain & 700 Patients

2011-03-23T21:47:00.001-04:00

Half the team (7 nursing students) was up at 3:30 am, out the door by 4:30 am and had a blast trekking up the 2,100 ft mountain in the dark. Thus began day 4 of Haiti Spring Break 2011. The terrain was very steep and rocky, and thankfully not muddy from the rainstorm during the night. While hiking up the mountain, we were surprised to see that so many Haitians were making the journey down the mountain so early with little footwear and heavy loads, many of which the women carried on their heads. A beautiful sunrise about halfway up the mountain and a breathtaking view greeted us upon reaching the top. We were in awe of the view of the Haitian countryside, which alone made the climb up the mountain entirely worthwhile. We made excellent time and reached the mountain top by 6:15 am and everyone was feeling exuberant and ready to take on our next challenge: treating the patients of Petit-Bois, the village situated in the mountains.

We were very surprised to learn that the people of Petit-Bois had not received any medical attention since August 2010, when the first batch of MSU nursing students had made the very same journey up the mountain. We assessed and treated over 500 patients of all ages with a variety of health disparities in the small church of Eclise Evancelique de Petit-Bois in the mountains. All of the people were very appreciative of the care they received, although it felt to us as if there was so much more we wanted to do for them. We have to mention how thankful we were for our translators, with whom we could never have accomplished as much as we did. It was an incredibly productive and rewarding day.

Meanwhile, back in La Digue Matheux, the other 7 nursing students traveled down the rocky dirt road into the village to a small church. It was there that we set up a clinic for the people of La Digue, where we too saw patients of all ages. The people of La Digue were a physiological paradox. Many of them had very little issues with some of the more acute health disparities we had seen in other areas, such as skin conditions. Conversely, they seemed to have more chronic conditions such as hypertension and gastroesophogeal reflux disease (GERD). By the end of our clinic, we had assessed and treated nearly 200 patients. Upon returning to the Lifeline Mission, we continued our work by organizing and taking inventory in the storage room of the Lifeline Clinic. We were amazed at the sheer amount of supplies and medications that people had donated, but also discovered that there is still a significant need for many other medical necessities, such as antifungal ointments, various pediatric medications (Tylenol, Motrin, antibiotics and oral rehydration supplements); Diflucan (fluconazole); and other basic medical supplies such as thermometers, and blood pressure cuffs of various sizes. If anyone would like to donate any of the above supplies, please visit the Children's International Lifeline website at http://www.childrenslifeline.com or call 606-663-3459.

After reflecting upon our days with the group re-combined, we both agreed that we have become much more proficient and have strengthened our team. We hope to continue this trend as the week continues to progress.

Please visit our Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/60783408@N02 to see our photos from today!

Written By: Connie Yan, Tonya Drake and Joseph Caldwell

Barboncoure

2011-03-22T08:41:00.002-04:00

Today started off quite eventful when a father brought his six year old daughter to the lifeline clinic just after sunrise. He carried her down the mountain, a two to three hour hike, seeking care for a systemic fungal and scabies infection. The diseases had progressed to the point that over 75 percent of her body was covered in sores. Some of the lesions, especially on her head, had become infected, further exacerbating the problem. Several of us jumped in, calming and caring for her until the doctor arrived. She was given a medication regimen free of charge, and follow up care will be provided when we hike to her village tomorrow morning.

After the initial excitement of the morning, we packed up and headed to Barboncoure to set up another clinic at Lifeline’s school. The hike there was absolutely beautiful and included weaving through banana trees and over streams. Following our arrival, we set up vitals, assessment, skin and wound care, and pharmacy stations. When we opened the doors, an incredible crowd was awaiting our help. In total, we cared for 235 patients. We saw various problems, including fungal, wound, and vaginal infections. All of our patient were dewormed and given vitamins.

When we finished our scrumptious lunch of MREs, we headed off to another orphanage not far from the school. When we visited in August, we provided care to this same batch of children. It was a true gift to get to see them all again. We dewormed, gave vitamins, and treated skin infections. The children had a great time singing Father Abraham for us, just as they had last year.

The day finished off on a high note, with a total of 285 patients treated by our group. The mission had a wonderful treat fixed for us this afternoon: fried bread served with french vanilla icing. We finished off the evening with a hair braiding and pedicure party, which the girls AND guys participated in! We have to get to bed early tonight though, because tomorrow at 4:30 AM is our big hike up the 2,200 foot mountain!

For today’s pictures, go to the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/60783408@N02

Caleb Dean, Angela Hall

Beans, Rice, and Jesus Christ

2011-03-21T22:09:00.001-04:00

Today began with another chance to catch a little extra sleep before being awakened by the beautiful singing and worshiping of the Haitian people. We also realized we were fortunate enough to stuff our bellies with delicious pancakes this morning (thanks Pat!) before heading down to church. We were all once again amazed by their tremendous faith in God despite their everyday trials and tribulations. Immediately after the service, several people followed us to the mission porch for general medical attention, such as for fungal infections, dehydration and fevers, and worm infestations. During this, we all realized that the mission porch was too crowded and unorganized to properly care for the patients in a timely manner, so we put our OCD skills into effect and began cleaning house!

We divided into teams to tackle the task at hand. One team cleared off the porch and properly stocked it with all the necessary medical supplies while two other teams went to the storage building to gather supplies to pack for medical clinics outside the mission. Some of the supplies in need of severe replenishment included antifungal creams (like what you would use for Athlete’s Foot), calamine lotion, and de-worming medication, such as Albendazole, which can be purchased at your local pharmacy (hint hint)! For children who walk barefoot, like those here in Haiti, the de-worming medication is especially important. When these children become infested with worms, the food they eat is completely insignificant to their well-being because essential nutrients and vitamins cannot be absorbed. Because of this they become very malnourished.

For example, the previous night a young girl was brought to the mission with complaints of diarrhea, not eating well and a distended belly. We suspected worms, so we gave her a dose of the de-worming medication. This afternoon, as we were organizing the medical supplies, the girl’s parents brought her back with proof of the effectiveness. Wrapped in a blanket was a large tapeworm (check out the photos on Flickr) that the girl had passed this morning. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case…all of the children here need to be treated for these worms in order for them to survive.

To wrap up the evening we went to the cross and all shared a bit of our stories and how important it is for us as nurses and people to care for those who are less fortunate than us, regardless of where they are, what they need, the language they speak, or the color of their skin.

To see pictures from today, go to the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/60783408@N02/

Megan Neal, Morgan Oetken, Mike Flesher

Obamaville

2011-03-20T09:16:00.001-04:00

Here we go again! After a long trip back to Haiti, we have all made it here safely and are ready for Haiti Version 3.0. For those of you who didn’t tune in last time, we have been blessed with a wonderful facility to host us for the week here at Children’s International Lifeline in La Digue Matheux, Haiti. When we arrived last night many of us were surprised at how cool the temperature was, as compared to when we were here in August!

Donald was in an especially good mood last night, and actually let us sleep in until 6:30 this morning! After a small gathering we headed out to Obamaville, which is a tent city located on a mountainside seen on the way from Port Au Prince to our village. After the 30 minute trip, we all filed out of the tap tap (basically a glorified cattle car) and were greeted by a village full of smiling faces. After our fearless leader Dr. Gross got us all in order, and we split up into 5 different work stations including triage, wound care, skin care, pharmacy, and de-worming. We saw a wide range of patients from age 2 months to older adults. After everyone received medical attention, we took a tour of the tent city and hiked up the hillside with the children of the village. Each one of us having at least 2 children latched onto each hand, while others had even more hanging any way possible. After the tour we all went back to the tent where our clinic was held and we had A-packs for lunch, or M.R.E.’s (Meals Ready to Eat). After we had full bellies, we crammed back into the tap-tap and we were on our way!

Our next stop was at a small school in Titanyen, where we quickly saw 16 more children and some of the adults who worked in the school. While waiting for their vitamins after receiving medical care, the children sang us songs both in English and Créole. Before returning back to the mission we made one brief stop at an orphanage right down the road from the school. 20 orphans received medical care, as well as a few more who filed in to claim their candy and toys. Afterwards we finally headed back to the mission for some Haitian food and some relaxation before another busy day tomorrow!

If you want to see a few pictures from today go to the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/60783408@N02/

Orevwa!

Blogged by Chris French and Bethany Split

Perfection

2011-03-18T23:24:00.001-04:00

What’s the perfect way to begin a day in Haiti? Whole milk. Now I’m not talking about the water inundated Hiland product found at your local Wal-mart, this stuff had the consistency of ranch dressing, and let me tell you it’s amazing! Life changing. Follow that up with fifty awesome Haitians that show up for work, a beautiful shady day, and a hike through gorgeous sunset filled banana fields and you wind up with perfection. I can’t decide whether it is more fun trying to learn Creole with a thick American accent or pronounce and remember all the kid’s names. There is not a minute of the day where the cutest little Haitian kid is not standing at your side asking your name and going on and on in Creole. That has to be the best part of every day! The second greatest moment was definitely when there was no food for lunch. I know you are probably thinking this sounds like it should be on the “Worst part of the day list,” oh, but just wait. Half an hour later Jonathan, one of our teammates, comes walking up with two big black sacks full of traditional Haitian food. Mind you the first rule we were given upon arrival was “Do not eat the food.” So we all look at each other, give a simultaneous shoulder shrug, and dug in to the most amazing concoction of rice beans and mashed vegetables you have ever tasted. If productivity, awesome food, and wonderful people weren’t enough, the day ended with a short hike across rivers, through Haitian villages and banana fields all back-dropped with beautiful mountains and a gorgeous sunset.

Logan R.

The Awakening

2011-03-16T21:48:00.002-04:00

For a while I like you have heard so much about Haiti, but seeing things with ones own eyes confronts ones heart and mind on a whole new level. On our way out to Mission Lifeline we saw a number of tents where people are still living after the earthquake. Then someone pointed off in the distance to a place where there was a mass burial of some 20 to 30 thousand people! As the day went on we started doing some construction which was great because we initially had one or two tools and about six people! Because of this the locals and I had to resort to using rocks to break up the concrete! It was such an enjoyable experience because I was able to interact with the locals as we did the work. Later on in the evening I experienced a very dark reality. Donald brought me outside the compound and showed me many women who were pregnant because they have sold themselves for food. It is hard to grasp this in our minds and even more difficult when you see them standing in front of you. In all my travels around the world this is one of the most needy and destroyed countries I have seen. Praise the Lord that though there is so much darkness God’s light is shining and changing lives!
Jonny Hawk

Gospel On A String

2011-03-14T13:52:00.006-04:00

Every Sunday at 2:00 children from La Digue, Barbancourt, and other villages around the mission meet to sing praises to God, listen to Bible stories, and do activities. Today, the "Kids Club" children were given "The Salvation Bracelet." On these bracelets were 5 different colored beads. In order, there was a black, red, white, green, and then yellow. The teacher told the children how these colors stood for something. The black represents our sin. The blood of Jesus was symbolized as the red bead. He told the children how Jesus washes away your sins and makes you clean again. The cleanliness was shown by the white bead. The green bead was to signify spiritual growth and the final bead, yellow, was to remind us of our hope in Heaven. The children were so happy to receive these bracelets and we are so thankful to the people back in the United States who took the time to make these for the Kids Club at Lifeline! What a unique way to remember the Gospel and teach these wonderful children about their hope in Jesus!

A Wonderful Day for Haiti!

2011-03-13T07:47:00.000-04:00

Lifeline has been working for almost a year with the city of Chicago and the United States Air Force to donate a fire truck and ambulance to the city of Port au Prince, Haiti. These vehicles will help build the nation's capacity to respond to emergencies!!! On Saturday that finally became a reality.

What makes this whole thing better is that fire fighters from Local 270 of Florence, Alabama has agreed to provide a training group to go to Port Au Prince and train their Haitian counterparts on the vehicles.

There was a lot of coordination between everyone involved and we truly appreciate everything that has been done to make this project possible. The City of Chicago for donating the vehicles, the United States Air Force and all the military that assisted in transporting the vehicles, as well as the Alabama Fire Fighters Union 270 who will do the training.

We at Lifeline have been working with the Haitian National Police Department on this project and we are so happy to see this vision be a reality!

After speaking with the head officer of the Air Force that brought the vehicles, I know that God had His hand on this project. The Captain told me that because of the expenses being cut that he was told that they could not make this trip, HOWEVER He was working on this plane for inspection purposes and told them that he needed to make some test runs AND that is how he was able to transport these vehicles to Port Au Prince today! Praise the Lord for His Wonderful Greatness in ALL the things!