Haiti:11 Project

Oh Haiti :)

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 02:29:00 +0000

Today was our last day, and it is so sad!! This country is so gorgeous, the kids are precious (even though some has been taught bad things), and the Christians are so passionate for Christ! Today, watching the rain clouds over the mountains was just… agh. It made me want to sing Indescribable!!
Yesterday on our river walk, a little girl who introduced herself as "Lala", came up to me, took hold of my hand, and started to walk with me. I helped her over ruts in the road, and she chose the best route. When it was time to cross the river, we had to decide which route we wanted to go on. There was an easy, ankle deep route, or a little bit more difficult, deeper water (about mid-thigh/waist deep). I wanted to go the deeper way, but the little girl shook her head, motioned "no", and led me on the ankle deep way. I realized it was harder than it looked, and I had to still work to stay balanced. I probably would have fallen over, because of the currant, if I had gone the harder way. (Which got me thinking… if you want to know my thoughts, just ask me and I'd love to explain… I just don't want to hog the computer too much longer.) :) At the end of the walk, Lala and I played a game, got a picture, and danced and sang Jesus Loves Me. Before I got in the truck, I gave her a hug, and said "Jezi remen ou." (Earlier, I asked Richardson how to say "Jesus loves you" in Creole, and that is what he told me.) When I said that, she gave me a big smile, and said "Jezi remen OU." It touched my heart. <3
Worshiping on Sunday morning, and every VBS morning, was such a blessing. It was amazing hearing all the different voices lifting praises to God, one song to the Most High, even if it is sung in different languages. It was also really great to break out the guitar, and sing praises together with our group. One time after lunch I started playing and singing, and the teenaged worship leader named Jean Marc got out his guitar and started playing along. It was awesome!!! :) The unity we as Christians have in Christ is awesome, and learning that this week has been such a great blessing.
So, again, much love in Christ! I will be returning to America tomorrow. Megan <3

Friday, July 29, 2011 (David Battiste)

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 02:27:00 +0000

Hey everyone! This is my first blog ever so be patient with me. I've had an interesting time in Haiti. I tried to come here with no real expectations, but I still had my preconceived notions of what I would encounter- poverty, destruction, illiteracy. Don't get me wrong…those aspects are here abundantly. It's hard to describe the daily struggles we seen in the villages and cities. The crowded streets really are a site to see.
One thing that stood out for me though is how well dressed everyone appeared to be. I know this may sound shallow, but I just didn't expect it. Most of the people I saw were wearing clean, nice clothes. They definitely had better fashion sense than me! I couldn't help but wonder how with all problems this country is having could this be? With struggles to put food on the table, clean clothes would seem to me to take a back seat.
A couple of mornings ago, I was brushing my teeth on the porch outside our room. With 12 guys sharing a room and small bathroom, teeth brushing was usually relegated to outside. Since we had to use our own water anyway, it makes a lot of sense. I was alone on the porch starting to brush when an older Haitian man walk about 10 feet in front of me below the deck. He kind of startled me. I wasn't expecting anyone walking down there. He had a white beard and just gave a nod and he lifted a piece of scrap plywood leftover from the recent construction of our building. Under the board was a plastic grocery back with a shirt in it. The man took off the shirt he was wearing and changed into the shirt from the plastic bag. It was little nicer than the shirt he had on. He then put that shirt in the bag and the bag back under the board – smiled and went on his way.
I was uncomfortable watching this. I know I was there first, but I felt like I was invading his privacy. He didn't seem to mind in the least, obviously part of a normal routine. But there was something about spitting from my luxurious accommodations (in Haiti standards) a few feet from this man's dressing room that made queasy. Someone smarter than me could probably draw some very profound conclusions from this experience…all I know is how it made me feel.
I wondered what his story was. He probably worked on the mission. My guess is he has to travel a long way to work and wants to keep his good clothes clean. I've found the Haitian people I've met to be very proud, very talented, capable individuals. We worked with Nono at the job site this week, and he was one of the best carpenter's I've seen. Great work ethic…great character.
People are telling me to stop writing, so I will wrap this up. Thanks for all who made this trip possible for us. God has shown me hope for the nation of Haiti through both organizations like Mission of Hope and also though hearts of the people of Haiti.
God Bless!
Dave

Thursday, July 28, 2011 (Kirk)

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 02:41:00 +0000

Hello to everyone back home. Thanks so much for lifting us up in prayer. And also thanks again to all you who gave resources to make this trip possible. Scott and I have been getting up in the morning and working out. I normally take a slow jog around the compound. This morning I tried to mimic some of his Crossfit workout this morning, but my back wouldn't cooperate. He's an animal. I did the best I could, left him to his hand-stand pushups, and finished up with a run.
Again today we split the group in the morning. Rob, Glenn, David B., David J. and I (and a guy named John from Milwaukie) returned to Leveque and completed two more awnings. We also helped our Haitian friend Nono and the roofing crew on a main house roof. We had a generator and circular saw which helped them get a quick start at framing up the grid for the flat metal roof. It was another hot one, but we learned that if you work on one of the West facing houses in the morning, you get to work in the shade. A big plus. Even so, us guys are really tired. The rest of the crew supported VBS.
In the afternoon, we linked up as an entire group and walked through the village of Mesaye, along the river. We were not able to visit the orphanage we went to last year (it moved to Source Matley), which was disappointing, but we enjoyed the scenery and interacting with the village.
Like I said, everyone is pretty tired today. A week of heat and hard work has sucked the energy out of most of us. I'm up near the kitchen, waiting for dinner. It smells great. The PBJ and Pringles again today for lunch didn't quite cut it.
Tomorrow, we present Ricardo with his guitar and take a break at the beach. Glenn told me today that he shares my sentiment from last year. After 4 days of hard labor, the beach trip doesn't sound so indulgent as it did when we got here on Sunday.
I tried to get them to blog! They are tired.

I'm Pondering

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 02:57:00 +0000

What a great day we had today with VBS (about 500 kids today) and a walk to the village where we started building the house for Madam Mamoon (not sure how to spell) last year. It was awesome to see the families that we met a year ago and how the area has changed and grown. We was invited into a house of the child that Christy and Glenn sponsored. It was just a room with 2 beds and a table and 10 people live there. It was a very humble experience. They were so excited to have us there.
We are all doing well and having wonderful experiences. We are so thankful for the friends and families that are praying for us, we love you, and are excited to share our time here with you when we get home.
God bless you all,
Kim and Tara

A More Serious Blog by Jacob Eng

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 02:56:00 +0000

It is clear that this mission trip to Haiti that apart from Christ we can do nothing, but with Him all things are possible, and I do not say that as a Sunday school answer, but with a mere-reality what can be accomplished through Christ, which is everything, apart from Him nothing can be accomplished. We see that even when we are doing something for God it is never because of who we are or what we do, but who He is and what He can always do.
That is just from an individual standpoint, what if as a body we all believed the same way? That we are nothing, but He makes us everything, easy to say, but do we truly believe that? Are we all believing that true life is impossible without God and the death of His son Jesus, which came back to life in three days?
As I mission in Haiti I do not see us all believing that. I see a man-made gospel, and notice I did not capitalize gospel, because it is man-made. Since when was it ok to believe anything other than the true Gospel? Why as people did we believe it was ok to start tweaking a road to true life that was already perfect?
As we were walking to Sourcemaltelas to visit a house that we worked on last year, which was great and all, but then we visited a house whom Christy sends stuff to a child named Ti Bobby and the mother invited us into her own home.
Let me describe this home: It is a square with a roof on it, and concrete slab that is not smooth.
This house is not even bigger than my bed room, my room is smaller than a normal-sized dining room, now picture this: Ten people live in this house, not one, but ten, not two, but ten. Did I make myself clear? This lady was not ashamed of her living style, she was proud that she actually had a home, very thankful for a roof, she even invited us in, I was blessed to even be able pray with this woman with her family and the team God sent me here with. All I could do is bust into tears during prayer, because I complain about my room being small, my room is this woman's house!
Who are we to tweak the Gospel? When was it okay to stop the progression of spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth? To make disciples of all nations; who are we to not take honor and see it as a blessing that we have the means to do so?
It is ok, because as I am writing this my older sister in Christ is living in a house with nine other children while it is pouring down raining. At least she has a roof over her head, it would be a shame if I thought she should have more right?
I am not bashing us as people, but bashing us in what we truly believe, if we truly believe in a God who says go out and spread My name to the ends of the earth, live in harmony with our brothers and sisters, why are we not helping them live the same we do? I am not saying I am not guilty of such things, because I am, but it is time that I put it to an end in my life.
I hope I stepped on someone's toes, because I stepped on mine today.
Lets love our brothers and sisters in Christ wherever they may be, or wherever God is telling you to share your Christ love with. We need them more than they need us, their heart is something to be reckoned with, and just think if they had the means that we do if they had it.
Heart breaking.
To Chris and Vickie Gentle: I seen Jerry Eloi today (we sponsor for him to go to school)! He did not know any English, but I could have a little conversation with him thanks to the Mission of Hope School!
Much love homies!
Be blessed and encouraged,
Jacob Eng

July 27, 2011 (Niche’)

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 02:55:00 +0000

Hi everyone! Thanks again for your prayers!! We have had a great time so far! I was convicted the day before yesterday. It was awesome! And crazy to think that I had to come all the way to Haiti to realize it. :P Today Jacob and I had to tell the story of David and Goliath by performing a skit. It was more interesting for us because we were told that our whole team would perform the skit but we were the only ones out of the team to do so. So Jacob and I had basically a day and a half to come up with a skit. Jacob was Saul, a translator named Richardson (I have gotten to know this guy and he is pretty cool!) was David, and a man that just happened to walk past us while we were trying to decide who would play what part ended up being Goliath. It was amazing because I was not worried about it one bit and we got everyone set either the day of or night before. God is good! I also got to talk to another translator and get to know him. These people down here are so on fire for God. It was very encouraging. I think they depend on God more because they don't have money or nice cars or computers or anything like that to depend on to pass time. AHh! So many distractions in America! God has just really reassured me these last few days that I want to live in another country, serving Him and furthering His Kingdom. I miss everyone very much! I can't wait to hear the awesome stories! I hope David shares an amazing, convicting message tonight!! :]
<3
Niche' Gillispie

July 27, 2011 (Glenn)

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 02:54:00 +0000

I'm not much of a blogger. Pretty much, I don't reckon too many people are really interested in what I think most of the time. I don't spend any time on Facebook, either. But I thought it would be a shame to go to Haiti and not relay my view of this spot on the globe. For the first two work days, I spent most of the day on the warehouse worksite that we affectionately call the jungle gym, mostly because we get to swing like monkeys from steel beams 30 feet in the air as we assemble the building. When the building is finished, it will be 35,000 square feet, and MOH will be able to feed 100,000 children each day from this facility. God has big plans for this place. Today, however, we did not work on the jungle gym. Instead, 7 of us piled into the back of a pickup truck and drove to Levecque, where MOH is building a community of 500 homes. Samaritan's Purse has already been there to install tents as a temporary shelter solution in the wake of last year's earthquake. They are supposed to move into 100 of the homes on the first of August. They are relatively basic structures with a 3 room house and a covered front porch – our job today was to cover 2 of the porches with roofs. Probably the highlight of the day for me was to play Frisbee and fly a kite with a couple of the children in the community. They were eager to share their toys and their time with an American outsider and seemed appreciative of our interest in them. Definitely an experience I would not have gotten if I had worked on the jungle gym for one more day. The children here are beautiful and innocent and worth our while coming down here. It was amazing to hear two young ladies reciting John 3:16 by memory as Rob shared an evangicube with them today. I'm glad I came to make my one small contribution to God's work on this island.
Glenn

July 27, 2011 (Christy)

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 02:52:00 +0000

We had another busy day in VBS today. There are 4 stations that the kids go to and the last one is meals, where I am working this week. For some of the kids, this may be the only nutritious meal they get for the day. It is hectic, but rewarding. VBS takes up our mornings, we have lunch, and then we go to various work projects. Today we were supposed to work in one of the warehouses stacking medical bed frames to make more room for the doctors. I love it when God steps in and changes our plans. When we got to the warehouse, the foreman took a look at our group (only 1 guy at the time) and says "I don't mean to be chauvinistic, but I thought they were sending me a group with more guys" (apparently the beds are pretty heavy and hard to handle). As a result, our group had some time on our hands and got to take a field trip. We walked down to Source Matelas and got to see the finished house that we started work on last year and visited with a few of the family members. Ricardo also happened to be with us and I asked him where T-Bobby lives. He pointed it out and said "we can go over for a visit". We went over to their tent house and T-Bobby came out and gave me a hug and then his grandmother came out and invited us all in. We all squeeze in to her small 16 x 16 house as she is graciously pulling out the few chairs she had and instructing the others to sit on the bed. One thing that really touched me was that in the backpack I gave Ti Bobby on Sunday were two magnetic picture frames – one with a picture of me and Ti Bobby from last year and another of Caleb, Luke, and Juliana holding a framed picture of Ti Bobby that we keep on our mantle at home. Both of those frames were attached to one of the metal supports inside the house – reminding him that there is someone in America who is praying for him and loves him. Before leaving we prayed with the family then said our goodbyes – all in all an awesome day!
Christy

July 27, 2011 (Kirk)

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 02:48:00 +0000

After somewhat of a slow start, and a sidetrack of moving rocks up to the roof (new third floor of the MOH barracks), Rob, David B., David J., Scott, Nelson, Glenn and I went out to Leveque to work on houses. We worked building the front porch awnings on two homes. It was extremely hot. Nelson spent most of the day with a Haitian teen named Whiskey teaching him English. Whiskey also taught Nelson quite a bit of Creole. Scott was able to share the gospel with the two Haitian men working along side of us. During the breaks, and also after the work was done, David B. and I had a chance to play Frisbee with some of the village children. When a good crowd developed, we gathered them together in a community pavilion and Scott and Rob shared the gospel with the kids. It was a good day.
Kirk

July 26, 2011 (Kirk)

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 02:47:00 +0000

After VBS and construction in the morning, and clearing a little over growth in the afternoon, we finished the day worshipping at the MOH Church. After worship time, the pastor preached (in Creole) from 1 Samuel Ch 1, the story of Hannah. The service ended with a very upbeat, almost Conga-like, song with the Haitians dancing. The joyfully mood was very infectious.
The two boys that Rob and I sponsor (Ricardo and Snyder) were there. They had just finished their graduation exams for this year of school, and had their certificates to show us. They were very proud. So were we. Ricardo's little brother, Kino, and his mother were also at church. As Rob said, it felt like family sitting on the pew together.
Kirk

nELSON AND jACOBE HERE@@@@@

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:19:00 +0000

WE ARE HAVING A GREEEEAT TIM IN HAITI. TODAY IT IS TUESDAY. AND WE ARE ON DISH DUTY. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY. WE USED MACHETTES TODAY TO CLEAR OUT AN AREA WHERE MISSION OF HOPE WILL BE BUILING A HOUSE. IT WAS FUN AS A WIPIPI. ANYWAY. WE WOULD LOVE TO TELL YOU MORE BUT WE HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO THAN TYPE ON THIS COMPUTER. ACTUALLY WE QUIT DISHES. WE WILL SELL BRACELETS INSTEAD. ALSO. TODAY WE HEARD THE FUNNYEST JOKE FROM JEAN MARC. KNOCK KNOCK, WHOS THERE? I EAT MOP, I EAT MOP WHO? HAHA YOU EAT YOUR POO. LOL. AND IN CONCLUSION. I (JACOB) TAUGHT KARATE TODAY AND THE KIDS MADE FUN OF ME. LOL. IT WAS SOOOO FUNNY. AND NELSON DID MOST OF THE WORK . WORK IS SOMETHING YOU DO. BUT FOR MONEY ONLY. WHEN I SAY MONEY. I SAY MONEY. NO JOKE. OK. SO. JOKE.

(this is not to be copied by minors, nor people with not sense of humor, style, non-sarcastic attitudes. If you do not like Jacob and Nelson. IT will be a $100,000,000.00 million dollars. FINE. )
In all seriousness, if we may continue on, we love God and are thankful for the opportunity and grace to serve God in this Haitian community. There is nothing better than showing and saying the Gospel in different articulate ways as long as you are not adding nor subtracting to the Gospel, keeping the Gospel the way it is.
God's love, Peace, HappYness, and Tattoos.
SO….. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK!!!
JACOBANDNELSON<3

Day 3 (Katie)

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:14:00 +0000

So what an awesome day. I have loved getting to know more Haitians and interacting with the children during VBS. My good friend Sneider found Sharika today for me which was so awesome because she and her sister were such a blessing to Sarah and me last year and I was afraid I wasn't going to see her. Sneider and his friend Alfred were teaching Megan and me Creole today which was allot of fun :). We used a machete today to clean up space for gardens at some of the other locations Mission of Hope owns which was work but it was awesome knowing we were helping some Haitians with some dirty work :). I can't believe it is already day three. Nashalin is going to be braiding all my hair tomorrow so I am super pumped about it!
Thank you all for your prayers. I can't wait to tell you all about everything that we are experiencing here in Haiti! :)
Katie Goldsmith

Love, Love, Love <3 (Megan)

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:13:00 +0000

Hey everybody!! I miss all of you, and I love you! Haiti is so beautiful, and the weather is awesome. :) Going out on our afternoon missions has been one of my favorite parts of the day. Yesterday we went to a village to paint buildings, and we were visited by some adorable little girls. Like Niche said, they were singing with us, and teaching us Creole colors. Haha They thought Niche's "mov" (purple) hair was funny!! Today, we went to a different village to use a machete (:)) to hack weeds. One little boy came right up to me, grabbed my hand, and motioned for me to hold him. Later, a little girl came to hold my hand and play with my bracelets. The love that they gave me was more than what I could give them. They instantly, without hesitation, opened their hearts to me. They were so precious.
At church this morning, at the beginning of VBS, a little girl, about 9 or 10, came to sit next to me. She held on to my hand, or arm, and was laughing at my attempt of pronouncing Creole words with them. We worshiped God together, although in different languages. While we were waiting, she put her head in my lap. It just amazes me how freely they love. This is how we all should love. Not just with words, but with actions… and this is what God has been teaching me. Love doesn't have the language barrier!!
On another note, I wanted to share about VBS! I think we have about 250 children, and we meet first at the church. We have a worship service, led by a 14 year old, and other young people, in their teens or twenties. They are all so good with the kids. Yesterday, they were pulling kids up to rap. It was cute. :) After worship, they go to different rotations. There is Arts & Crafts, Community Nutrition, Sports, Bible Stories, and then at lunch, Meals. I work in meals, and I love it! It is where we feed the kids a nutritional lunch. Working along with the Haitians is a lot of fun. Some guys who I was working with were helping me with my Creole, but to be honest, I am terrible. They think I am funny. :}
"Kite m louwe Jezi!" (I praise Jesus!) Much love in Christ, Megan. :)

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:11:00 +0000

You can see that the team is excited about sharing their trip with everyone back home, so it appears I'll have to do my blogging before the youth wake up. When I saw everything that Mission of Hope is doing here, I was convicted. What have I done in comparison over the past year? Their work here is on an entirely different scale! A huge, state of the art warehouse capable of supporting food distribution for 100,000 kids a day; 500 homes being constructed in three villages; an agricultural training facility; partnerships with local churches and schools being supported. But then I had the image of our churches in Madison and Virginia providing a very small thread in a tapestry that our Creator is weaving. The money we raised, the guitar, the dresses, the Bibles; the toys; the clothes... and the prayers… all are being used by our God to the glory of his kingdom. The small contributions all of us are making are being very well used.
I am so encouraged by the stewardship I see with Mission of Hope. I cannot over emphasize the giant steps they have made over the past year. They are taking a leadership role here and partnering with other organizations to reduce redundant efforts, and get higher efficiency from the resources coming into the country. The warehouse project is an example. An organization called Convoy of Hope is the organization funding the warehouse, but MOH provides the build site, free labor (us and groups like us) to reduce cost, a pipeline of food donations, and a pre-existing distribution network. I'm reminded of a saying, "imagine what could be accomplished if we didn't worry about who takes the credit". The foreman at the job site is a very intense individual. He is actually a businessman who apparently funded the building himself. But, let me tell you, it wouldn't be going up without the skilled labor from WHBC and Summit!
Rob and Scott flexed their muscles moving steel structural elements across the job site until they decided to use their largest muscle (their brains) and solicit the help of a young lady named Jo Lee and her bucket loader. David, Glenn, and I hoisted 180 lb horizontal structural elements up 30' scaffolding using rope and muscle. We were definitely not as proficient as the professionals there, climbing the scaffolding and columns like monkeys. I continue to feel inadequate. We then attached about 100 connection brackets on columns using large bolts (like a huge erector set). We torqued them down good and tight to! After we were done, and taking a break, looking at what we had accomplished, one of the guys asked, "did you level those?" Well, let me tell you, rework really is a great opportunity to keep a good attitude. Meanwhile the experienced guys used cranes to put up more assemblies of columns and roof beams.
Rob, David J., Scott, Glenn, and I will work a little more on the warehouse this morning. The rest of the team will work their second day of VBS. The team will unite in the afternoon to clear some land at the village of Leveque. I shudder at the thought of Jacob and Nelson swinging machetes… Hopefully we will join up with our young friends from Source Matley, who are apparently on the work team.
Kirk

Monday July 25th, New Skills Found in Haiti (David Johnston)

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 02:01:00 +0000

Today was the first day of actually getting our hands dirty. I signed up for the all-day construction crew and enjoyed a full day of sun at the new warehouse building site. They are constructing a huge metal warehouse to be able to increase the feeding program that feeds 50,000 children in Haiti.

Five of us from the team did a variety of tasks like carrying heavy steel beams, bolting brackets in various places, built some saw horses, and tried not to get in the way. Loads of fun.

David

July 25th A New Experience (Katie)

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 02:00:00 +0000

I am so happy to be back in Haiti this year. Of course I came with allot of memories and expectations of how this trip was going to be so God decided to rock my boat a little bit. Allot of things have changed here at Mission of Hope and new rules have been set in place that were, at first, frustrating. But God has been speaking so much to me on this trip. Mostly about remembering that things might not go my way and I may not like something but it doesn't matter. The only thing that does is that God is glorified.

It was awesome seeing my "Haitian brothers" Ricardo and Sneider and Ricardo our translator. Ricardo [Translator] has told me all about his church and about how they are studying the Bible and are not wanting to just go to church on Sundays but to actually live every day every second for Jesus Christ. It just got me fired up. On church on Sunday it was so awesome singing along with the Haitians and knowing that God is hearing our praises and worship to him both Haitians and Americans together as one.

I love being here. I miss my family and I think of them everyday though. Rachel gave me a bracelet before we left and every time I look at my wrist I think about her.

Continue to pray for us while we are here. Pray that God is glorified through our actions and words. God is doing amazing things here.

Your Sister in Christ,

Katie Goldsmith

July 25 First Time (Niche')

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 01:59:00 +0000

Hi everyone!!! I want to start out by thanking you all for praying for us!! We are all doing very well and have had so much fun so far! I'm excited to see what all God has planned for the team!

Alright, so flying in I didn't expect the wondrous sights. There are so many mountains/hills. And the clouds are so close, although one of our members doesn't have any kind of affection for them. AHH! Lol. It's amazing. The sunsets are beautiful over the ocean. I just love the view. Anywho, the children are great. They are so joyful yet they don't have much. Last night a fourteen year old led worship and he started talking about God and his passion for Christ was infectious. I wish teens in America were the same way.

We also painted today! I love painting! We talked to a few girls that were in that village and they loved Mr. Battiste's humor. We nodded our heads like yeah and watched the itsy bitsy spider climb up the water fount for them but they started asking about some American artists so we started singing a worship song. :P yay. It's such an amazing experience. I'm loving it.

Thanks Mr. Battiste for the vocabulary you provided me for this blog. Haha.

Love and miss you all!! Praying for you!

Niche' Gillispie

July 25th The Ponder Story

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 01:58:00 +0000

(This is Tara typing in grown-up perspective. Sorta.)
So we're in Haiti and enjoying every minute of it. We saw Charlins and Ricardo at church yesterday morning, which was great to see their familiar faces. We toured the Mission, which is expanding greatly, and went to our favorite restaurant: Gwo Papa Poul! Chicken & rice; Yum!! :)

We talked about VBS and how the Mission coordinates it, and today it was put into practice for us. They've decided to do one for the first time this summer, and it was great seeing how well everything went. Me, Tara, Lorin, and Nashline are doing arts and crafts. The kids made bracelets today, and tomorrow they'll make tye dyed shirts. You can tell some have been here before because they'll have shirts done from last week that they wear haha.

We painted houses today and met some new people. Tara made a new friend, Jonas, who I got on tape some. He really loved getting pictures taken, even though I was video taping him. We've had a lot of fun so far, and the wind is great. We're sleeping in a new guest house that has 2 stories, and we're on the second floor. When the wind was blowing really hard, and we walked up the stairs (which are outside), the wind would almost take us with it! Haha. Its great for sunny hot days when we'll be working outside.
We're glad to be back, but think about family often. We miss everyone and hope everyone is doing well.

We're doing great & are excited to see what God has in store for us. Keep praying that our eyes will be opened to what He has for us. Thanks for your encouragement for us.

~Tara. And Kim :)

Monday, July 25th News from the Williams

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 01:56:00 +0000

Christy here – We arrived safely in Haiti after very smooth and uneventful flights (the best kind). I am really happy to be back here, but definitely missing the kids. Caleb, Luke and Juliana – Mom loves you very much and misses you lots. Hope you are having lots of fun!

The first thing I was struck with upon returning to Mission of Hope (MOH) was how much progress has been made in the short year since we were last here. It is amazing to see the effect MOH is having on the community around them in the name of Jesus.

One of the highlights of my day yesterday was seeing my friend Ricardo and Ti Bobby – the little boy I "adopted" last year. Ti Bobby has grown quite a bit and was a little bit shy, but it was great to see him. I had brought a backpack of supplies for him with me and Glenn and I went to have Ricardo give it to him. We got to spend time with his grandmother and the rest of his family and Ricardo was able to translate for us.

Later in the day, we went to the village of Leveque which is near MOH. While we were there a rainstorm came up and we all gathered under a pavilion. I was sitting on a bench and a little girl, about 6 came and sat beside me. I found out that her name was Annalise. She lay her head in my lap and for those short moments we were together, I wanted to do my best to show her the love of Christ through me. I stroked and patted her back and talked softly to her and before I knew it she was sound asleep. So much so, that when we left about 15 minutes later, that I had to wake her up. It definitely made an impression on me.

There is so much to tell, but the words don't come easily so I will close for now.

Christy

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 04:42:00 +0000

Some more photos from Dave Battiste:

Jacob with a new buddy!

Just to prove to Jeff that I'm here. This ambulance was donated
to the MoH from someone in Canada. Since they don't have
ERs here they wondered what they would do with it. When the
disasters hit it came in very handy. One of only two in the country!

Sodas after a fantastic Sunday.

Jacob Eng Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 01:08:00 +0000

We made it to Haiti! It certainly feels like home here, or like I did not miss a thing with the
people that we built relationships with last year! I was really excited to see the people on the
physical Haiti team experience worship service this morning! Let me describe this church, all the
church is a building, but no walls, just a frame, and when the people enter into the building, it
is us, the church, or rather the church inside of the people that make the walls of the church. I
believe it is critical that we understand that is the God inside of us that make the church, not
how big or small your walls are, but what is filling them.
I just repeated myself oh well!
Any who… Nelson, Tara, Kim, Lorin, Rick, and I were able to sit front row with our last year
translator Charlins! Nelson, Rick, and I stayed for the preaching, which is hard to understand
because it is in Creole!
Thanks to Charlins he updated us during the preaching!
Luke 16 19-26.
Life is spiritual, physical, and material.
OH AND BIG NEWS!! Four Haitians gave their life to Christ today at church! CRAZY!! Praise God
for giving people the opportunity to spread the Gospel! What an incredible, graceful God!
We did other things today, but I am sure Kirk has touched on those certain events!
These things above just touched my heart, and I am excited to see God work, and He already has!
He is always at work!
I would speak more, but I have to go!! Post later this week !!
Much love homies!
Be blessed and encouraged,
Jacob Eng

Haiti:11 Project Sunday, July 24, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:27:00 +0000

Even though we had a chance to relax and enjoy our Sunday, it was still an eventful day. Most of us were up shortly after 6am. Breakfast was at 7am. The Mission of Hope interns took us on a walking tour of the campus before church. There are even more changes! The "Mommy Houses" that were under construction last year are complete, which tripled the capacity of the orphanage. A new giant steel construction, state of the art warehouse is under construction. It's going to be huge, about 4 times as large as their current warehouse. This will enable MOH to store food in an environmentally controlled space, supporting the distribution of food that feeds 50,000 Haitians a day.

They also are nearing completion of a new hospital, and are working on construction of a new clinic for amputees. It was amazing to hear how much their ministry is expanding, and there's more off campus… .

There are some other changes. There are some new rules this year that MOH has implemented to try and make some lasting changes here in Haiti. The one that affects us most directly is giving. MOH now discourages giving directly to children, to try and reverse a dangerous trend of dependency that is developing here in Haiti. Instead, they consolidate donations and use the Haitian church to distribute material aid (in the form of clothes, toys, candy, etc.). This helps establish the church as a source of help, and is an attempt to reverse the culture of pan-handling that was very evident last year. Regrettably this took away some of the excitement of giving things away in person (especially all the pillow-case dresses). I know, however, that they will be a blessing to many children, and that God will use them. I also had to turn in my bags of Legos and Hot Wheels cars.

We had a wonderful worship service with the Haitian church at Mission of Hope. We worshipped for about an hour, singing songs of praise, first in Creole, then in English. We started off with "This is the Day". Some of the other ones that we have sung before at Wall Highway were "Yes, Yes, Lord", "I am a Friend of God", and "Hosanna."
The best part for me was seeing some of the boys we met last Summer, and now sponsor. I was able to give my friend Snyder a new Bible in Creole, with special discipleship notes we added: Sharing the Plan of Salvation, Living a Christian Life, Prayer, and Reading the Bible in a Year. Rob also gave a Creole Bible to his friend Ricardo, along with pictures. Both boys are doing well in school and are preparing to take their annual exams. We also shared Bibles with two of their friends.

We spent time with the boys after Church and got caught up on what they are doing. We also shared notes a picture of our families. They are going to be working with us on the job site this week! More chance to disciple our young brothers! A huge answer to prayer.

Ricardo (the young pastor) was also there. His Church is the nearby village of Minotrey (minnow –tray) is growing. It now has a primary school with 70 students! The remaining Bibles will go to support his church. He specifically mentioned how his Church has grown and is in need of a guitar and keyboard for worship. Do we have a surprise for him! The guitar would be burning a hole in my pocket if it could fit in there. Ricardo has also been promoted on the MOH staff from "translator" to "assistant construction manager". We will be seeing more of him as well this week. The motorcycle we bought him last year is serving him well.

In the afternoon we took a bus tour of two projects MOH is working off campus. The village of Leveque is where they are building 500 new 16x20' homes. Also, we visited a 55 acre farm that will become the home of new primary school and agricultural training facility. It's evident that the government of Haiti believes in MOH. They have provided the land for both of these projects. The homes and land will become the property of the Haitian residents after a 5 year "rental" period.

It was such an encouragement to see how God is taking little things from many and doing a huge work here in Haiti. Tomorrow we start our construction projects and VBS.

Haiti:11 Project Saturday, July 23, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:26:00 +0000

Well, we made it with no problem. God blessed us with a much less stressful trip than last year. We left from WHBC at a little after midnight and drove to Atlanta via the windy roads by way of Fort Payne in a 4 van convoy. We managed get all of our extra bags checked in at T-gate and had a little time left for breakfast. We had a lay over and lunch in Miami, and arrived in Port au Prince at about 2pm. Most of us caught up on sleep during the flights, but a few got ahead on our reading assignment: "Radical Together" by David Platt.

The weather was in the low 80's and overcast when we arrived (which was much cooler than last year). We were familiar with the airport and what to expect, so we gathered up our bags and made it to the bus without incident. There were fewer porters aggressively vying for our bags, which made it much less stressful. The way to the bus was also paved with a new sidewalk. We had a chance to talk and chill out while we waited on another group to arrive on a later flight.

We drove to Mission of Hope by bus, through Port au Prince and up Route National #1. What I saw looked much the same as last summer. There were still densely packed temporary shanties filling former public spaces. The road conditions were also very poor near Port au Prince, and the refugee camp, "Obama Town", on the hillside outside of Port au Prince was still there. Blue tarp covered structures everywhere.

Huge changes were evident, however, when we arrived at Mission of Hope. They have been busy. We are staying in a brand new two-story dormitory building that did not exist at all last summer. There are four groups (counting us) this year versus two last year. Our barracks building from last summer is now the kitchen and public area, freeing up more space for interns and permanent staff farther up the hill.

We unloaded our gear, set up our rooms, ate dinner, met the staff, and finished the night with a little time in prayer. God blessed us with a cool breeze most of the day, which was very nice.

Kirk

Haiti Team Photo - Worship Service

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 19:02:00 +0000

Again from Dave Battiste via Facebook, worship service this morning:

"Worship was awesome! Mr Claudel led."

Claudel Senat (link goes to his Facebook page) is one of the lead worshippers at the Church of Hope. You can grab a few podcasts of previous worship services at Mission of Hope's site (they're a bit older).

Haiti Team Photo #2

noreply@blogger.com (Dean Lusk) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 14:41:00 +0000

Another photo from Dave Battiste via Facebook: "Breakfast at MoH. Electricity kicked off at around 5:40 am. With no fans, getting up was pretty easy. Quick cold showers are refreshing! Off to church now!"

Clockwise from left: Niché Gillespie, Lorin Franklin, Megan Battiste, Mr. Arms, and Mr. Hand. Photo taken at Mission of Hope Haiti's guest house.