Christiana's Blog

Today I experienced a Haitian church service. It was beautiful to see all the little children dressed up with their parents early in the morning walking to church. As we walked into church several children I recognized from the village came and grabbed my hand. One little girl about 3 years old came and took my hand and walked into church with me wearing a pretty yellow dressing clutching her kreyol children’s bible. She had so much fun dancing to the hymns and wanted me to take her picture. My favorite part was my mother getting up in front of the church- a native to the country of Haiti- to translate for my American pastor who preached. The sermon and the choir were wonderful. The children sang beautifully. It was also wonderful to meet the birth family of Tim Wampler’s adoptive children who came to church today.

We then traveled to Port au Prince and passed through Cite Soleil. It was unbelievable to witness the amount of devastation, ruin and trash. The city smelled so bad and the amount of poverty seemed so much worse than the other parts of Haiti we have visited.

(Photo courtesy of UNICEF)

We saw the damage of the capitol building. We traveled to the marketplace to buy souvenirs and it was nice to see all of us look out for each other to make sure we stayed together and were safe as we walked around to bargain with the vendors.

There were two sad parts of the day….my mother looking for her family home (since she left Haiti 42 yrs ago) and the community being completely gone…homes torn down or destroyed and the neighborhood unrecognizable to her. This brought us to tears. Driving home through the city in the dark, was quite an experience and somewhat scary. It was also very difficult to witness a motorcycle accident in which 3 men were killed, laying in the street.

It was a full day, with many different emotions but it was a good day. I’m sorry the week is almost over.

-Christina

Lisa's blog

What a beautiful day here in Haiti. I have had the opportunity to aid the nurse Becky from AI Dupont of Wilmington De. To see how someone of the medical profession must adapt to these conditions is amazing. You must work with what you have and be the best you can for each patient. I was blessed by Becky and how she was able to do her job in an environment not of her own.

I was so touched by the orphan children we visited today. We played with them and gave them suckers, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.

A little boy about two years old took to me and never let go. He was so beautiful. Every fiber in me wanted to bring him home. All he wants is a mommy to hold him. Doesn’t every child deserve that? I held him until I had to go. Then I kissed him goodbye and a little girl asked me, do you love him? I answered yes and I love you too. She seemed surprised and smiled.

The Haitian meal we ate tonight was wonderful. I am in love with it and am going to try to make some when I get back to the states. I’m so looking forward to Sunday and all it brings.

Lisa Coleman

Shoes 2 Share Post 1

Today was day one with the Shoes 2 Share team. The day started out with some of the team helping with the feeding in the canteen. One of the team members, Phyllis, was especially touched when one of the children offered her some food. Phyllis said no thank you and remembering she had some crackers in her pouch, pulled them out and shared them with the kids sitting nearby her. Phyllis then witnessed pure love when one child broke the cracker into pieces and shared it with her sister.

The team then ventured out for a tour of the village. The kids all took a hold of their hands and walked proudly with their new friends. The team was impressed seeing even the littlest of kids working and carrying buckets of water to their families, some of them even trekking up a hill.

After that we all went to Barbancourt where Blueridge Ministry was working on a newly dug well. Seeing water spring out of the ground caused so much excitement. This well will not only provide clean drinking water for our school children and kids who eat at our feeding center in Barbancourt, but it will provide clean water for the entire village. In day where cholera is spreading rampantly, it’s such a blessing to know people from the village will be provided with clean, safe drinking water.

All in all, the team had a great first day working in Haiti. Lifeline is so grateful to have Shoes 2 Share working with us this week and we’re looking forward to seeing how God moves!

God Has Delivered Again!

Praise the Lord the long-awaited block maker has finally arrived! Lifeline met the truck about half way down the road and led the way for it to come. We all cheered in excitement as the big truck pulled into Lifeline’s gates with this new piece of machinery that will completely transform this village. The people in the village all lined the boarding fence to watch us unload it. They all had no idea what it was, but it was big, new, and shiny. Although we had no big equipment such as fork lift or a crane to help unload the several tons of machinery, we had an outpouring of men from the village that came so eagerly to help at a moment’s notice. Little did they know, this block maker will provide new jobs for many people and increase their standard of living. Also, we will now be able to begin expansions on Lifeline’s grounds and in the surrounding villages. We are so grateful for the kind people who donated this much needed gift that will make a permanent difference for the people of Haiti. Only God knows how thankful we are for such a great donation and what the ripple effects will mean for our brothers and sisters here in Haiti.

God Provides!

Most of us, when our cabinents start to get low, get to the grocery store to restock our shelves with food. Even if we don't have the finances for it, we can get food stamps to make sure our families are fed. That isn't the case in Haiti. Tonight Lifeline decided to take a bag of beans and a box of Kids Against Hunger food to a family who lives just on the other side of our fence. God surely ordained our footsteps to go tonight. When we got there, the mother was cooking beans to feed her family. It was the last of their food. Imagine cooking a meal for your hungry kids, unsure of where their next meal will come. Thankfully, the mother was so excited to know that for a little while, she won't have to worry about what to feed her kids. What a blessing it is for Lifeline to have the resources to be able to help feed these precious hungry children so they no longer have to cry from hunger.

Matt's Blog

We started the day off going to church. The people in the worship service were very enthusiastic about worshiping God. What really impressed me was when the pastor asked if there were any visitors there and told them to stand. There were three that stood up and he asked them what they names were, where they were from, and if they knew Jesus as their personal savior. WOW! Why don't we do that? That is what I call taking care of business.

After church we went to Port-au-Prince. What a devastated area. There was trash all in the streeets, buildings tore down from the earthquake last year, and a lot of broken hearts. I realized that the government was not going to ever do anything about it when we pulled up to the capitol building. The earthquake was last January, and the palace, which is their White House, was still in shambles.

We then came back to the compound and reloaded the truck and went to another church to deliver food. When we got there, the generator that feeds the church electricity was broke down so they were having their service in the dark. We gave them 14 boxes of Kids Against Hunger food and two bags of beans. The pastor asked if we had anyone that could speak some words of encouragement, and the other team members volunteered me. So I spoke about keeping Jesus as their savior and that all their problems are temprary. I told them to hold onto God and that we all ened to try to be better Christians for Him.
After this we came back and started packing for our trip back home. What a week it has been. We are all a blessed bunch. To have a God that not only sent His Son to die for us, but He placed us all in a free country where we do not have to scrounge around for food, we can take a bath whenver we want, we can worship freely, and I could go on and on. The simple fact is that god loves us all equally. None of us are better then the next, and it's hard to believe but these very same people who have all these troubles, will be side by side with us "when we all get to Heaven."

Brittany and Kelly's Blog

1/1/11--seems like a perfect date for the start of an amazing new year. Last night we were told at about 10:30 pm that we would be leaving at 5 am New Year's Day to hike two hours up a mountain to a mountain village. While we may have groaned at the prospect of rising before the roosters (yes we hear roosters every morning), it was an experience that could top any Times Square ball drop or champagne toast. It was pitch black when we started climbing the steep mountain. As we climbed farther up, the sun peeked over the ocean and mountains in the distance. The sky opened up into an amazing display of colors.

As we huffed and puffed our way up the mountain, we were passed by men on mules and a woman carrying supplies on her head. This steep journey, that even Brittney as a marathon runner was struggling with, is one that the Haitian people in the mountain make with ease. When we arrived in the village, we led the children, over 200 of them, into the church. We handed treat bags to each of them and fitted the girls with pillow case dresses and the boys with t-shirts. The joy on their faces could melt the hardest heart. We ended our visit with a prayer for the people of the village that God could provide for their needs.

In the afternoon we headed out on foot to another Lifeline site. Donald (the president of Lifeline), said that it was an easy walk, but we would describe it more as "off roading" as we trudged through the plantain fields. Contrasting starkly against the paradise of plantains and mango trees was the poor local village of earthquake-damaged houses and shacks. As we walked the local children, many shoeless, grasped our hands and tugged on our shirts while asking "my friend?". Donald gave us a tour of the school Lifeline has built and the orphanage that they have begun to construct. It's amazing; the school was built last December and shows no trace of earthquake damage-- it was done right, the way that Lifeline strives to do everything. Donald explained their plans to add on to the school, build a church, and how the orphanage will be run. It will be an entire community to feed, educate, and raise children so that they can not only survive but thrive and one day contribute to their community.

Our final destination of the day was to one of the poorest orphanages in the area. The people running it are indescribable, the love and hope they give these children is unparalleled. There were about 24 orphans to whom we gave fruit snacks, crackers, stuffed animals and clothes. We also colored with them and led them in songs. There was one little boy, one with special needs, that seemed to be missing his stuffed animal. Another girl came up, and at first Kelly thought she had taken his Tigger. But, it was just the opposite. The little girl, his twin sister, was safeguarding it for him. She looked after her brother and shared her food with him. This three-year-old girl who has no parents and no possessions in the world, could very well have kept the toy and food for herself. Instead, she was totally selfless. This is a theme we have seen over and over, like the little boy at the tent city who divided up his candy with the other boys--those with the least are willing to share the most. It is a lesson that we can follow. Kelly has decided to sponsor that three-year-old girl, and you can sponsor a child too, ensuring that they will get a full belly and the hope for a better life.