Haiti Pastors Seminar - December 2, 2014

Today is the first day of the pastors seminar. See here the hundreds of pastors singing and praising God.  We are excited to see God move this week.

 

 

Day 2 of the pastors seminar.  Pastors Danny and Franklin have been doing a great job leading the seminar.

 

 

Today was the last day and the closing ceremonies for the pastors seminar.  All the pastors prayed over us and thanked us for coming.  It was truly a humbling experience.

Haiti Picture Team - November 29, 2014

On Monday we hiked up to Dupin for our first set of photos.  The school looked great and the kids were very friendly.  Later in the afternoon we took photos of high school students at Chardene Secondary.  Overall it was a very productive day. 

Today went for another hike only this time up to Degeance.  Photos went well there too.  It was fun watching the kids play and seeing their village. After lunch we drove down to MPCA to photograph their high school students.  Before we started, Joe and Tom enjoyed a quick game of soccer with the Haitian.  They both agreed the Haitians were very good for their age (Tom would like to recruit them for back in Ohio).  Teresa, Sandy, Jean, and Darren cheered them on. 

 

Today we traveled up to Chardene to take pictures of the primary students.  Also, Teresa and Jean were able to see their sponsor children.  After the photos we were able to play and sing songs with the students.

 

Today we took on MPCA Primary, our largest school with nearly 450 students.  Things went smooth though and we will be going back to MPCA tomorrow to get a few absent student pictures.

We finished up our pictures in the morning then traveled up to Lahatte, our poorest school.  It's eye opening seeing the school and village.  We all leave humbled and changed.

 

Haiti Medical Team - November 15, 2014

Hike. Hike. Hike.  Today, Wednesday November 19, 2014, we went to Deageance, which takes a little drive and then a strenuous, steamy and beautiful hike uphill to get to the school.  God blessed us with another great clinic day, seeing over 135 patients.  The school and the area are very remote and poor and the people are VERY sweet and kind. The school has dirt floors, but the kiddos that attend there are lively and fun!  They made us realize that children are the same everywhere.

 

Tuesday – November 16, 2014

Today the medical team went to LaHatte and again saw over 120 patients.  The dentists returned to Dupin to see people who still needed dental attention.  The Lord specifically answered our prayers for strength for the day.  We loved all the time with children today!! We enjoyed walking through LaHatte and seeing the beautiful Haitian people and the beautiful mountainside. Of course, we enjoyed another Haitian meal for dinner, had a great time sharing at our devotion time.

Monday – November 17, 2014

We did a medical clinic at Dupin.  We drove as far as we could and then HIKED up the mountain through rivers and steep inclines.  We saw over 120 patients and the dentists pulled over 50 TEETH!! We were also able to share the beautiful good news of Jesus with the patients as they were waiting to see the doctors.

Today is Sunday, November 16, 2014.  Our day started with a humbling, praise filled church service with the local Haitians. Wow, what a way to start our first official clinic day!  After the service we were visited by 120 locals in our medical clinic.  We provided medical care, dental care, and a place to fill prescriptions for men, women, and children.  

DR Team #2 - June 19, 2014

Both weeks have been awesome!  Volleyball, soccer, and basketball camp was great!  The Sunday night church service was really cool.  We clapped and Daniel and I danced by kicking our legs out.  It was so much fun!  I wish every church service was like that.  I was so happy!  We went to the sports complex again today.  The Dominicans were a little better at soccer.  They didn’t use their hands as much and I scored a goal.  We also had track races which was fun.  I got 2^nd place.  Tonight at dinner, we celebrated Sam and Jeremy’s birthdays, so we got cake.  I love it here and I feel amazing!!!!
 

~Ian Rath
 

 

         The first thing that I noticed as soon as we arrived in the Dominican was that the airport had become much more organized in the last two years. The second thing that I noticed was that the bus ride from Santo Domingo to Barahona was longer than I remembered.  The week as a whole has not been nearly as hot as I remember it being here four years ago, but we were also digging holes for five hours a day in the sun.

        The first day that we had sports camp I was teaching in the bible study.  I was impressed with how my Spanish speaking has progressed over the last two years. That day was the only day that we had an American versus Dominican basketball game, which is disappointing because we lost. Saturday was more of the same minus the basketball game of course. Sunday was pretty amazing actually. It is really amazing how the Dominican people go all out in their worship and are not afraid to look stupid or pull out all of the stops. The second service in particular was more like a party than a church service, if you were out of context you would have thought you were at a party.

        Monday we had more sports camps, and for the first time we had a soccer station so Griffin and I lead that. Tuesday Griffin was sick so I was on my own at the soccer station, but other than that it was pretty much the same. Tuesday going into Wednesday was when I was not feeling so well, so on Wednesday during the competitions I sat out most of the day.  Today I feel better and it was the day I had been looking forward to all trip playing a legitimate soccer game against the Dominicans. It was nothing like playing a high school soccer game in the U.S.  For one, they have like twenty people playing on their team and we only had eleven. We ended up tying  2-2 so nobody was too upset. Overall, the experience has been different in some ways and better in some ways.
 

~Jake Bixler
 

 

Hello to all back home!

The past 7 days have been absolutely amazing.  June 12, the first day we arrived, was a very long but exciting day full of travel. All the flights went very smoothly. It was not until 7:45 pm that we finally arrived to the school. It was great to be greeted by those who were staying for another week, and old friends that I made last summer. After the first day, the rest have flown by. We have been quite busy having the sports camp for the younger kids until 12, and then lunch and one hour to spare before we start camp with the older kids. It was awesome to see so many old friends at camp the first day, and pick up with conversations as if a year had not even gone by! Sunday of course has been one of my favorite days of the trip, because of the amazing church services we attended. They are definitely full of lots and lots of singing and dancing. From outside the church, it might sound similar to a party. One song at the end of the service lasted for 17 minutes! In the US, that would never happen. We don't have “enough time for that”. Our nightly devotionals that have been held with only our group, have truly pressured us to think and pray for what God wants us to do when we return back to the states. I know that all of you will help and encourage each and everyone of us, which will help tremendously.
 

Today was our last day with the campers, and it was a great time. We took them to the Olympic Villia, and played soccer with them. To get to the Villia we had a 20 minute walk. It was great to see more of Barahona, and see some of the houses of the campers. Of course the game of soccer we played was Americanos vs Dominicans. They played with many different rules than what we do, played with 19 people on the field, had four goalies, and called everything a handball. We were losing 2-1, with only a few minutes to go when we scored to tie up the game. It was great to be able to play a game of soccer while I was here, even if it was similar to running in sand with a few patches of grass. To conclude the day we had a homemade meal that Ruth and Carlota cooked for us, with birthday cake to celebrate Sam and Jeremy’s birthdays. Tonight we will also have to say goodbye to all of our older friends!

-Kayla Trevino
 

DR Team #1 - June 6, 2014

            Today I helped out with VBS. In VBS, we taught the kids about the first two days of creation. I am so happy that I know more Spanish now. It is amazing how I can communicate with the kids. Even though my Spanish isn’t that good, the kids always help and correct my Spanish. It made my heart swell when the kids said the Bible verse, John 8:12. I can only speak a little bit of Spanish, but you don’t need the same language to communicate with the kids. It feels like God is communicating through me to the Dominicans.
 

When the kids came into the classroom, we have to introduce ourselves and say our age. Apparently I’m tall for my age… The kids couldn't believe that I was 15 years old. I was about a head taller than most of the boys, and they were about 17 years old. I love it! I am towering most of the kids. It feels amazing to finally be one of the tallest. This trip has been so fun and life changing. When you are here, it always reminds me that I am so blessed. I couldn’t ask for better people to be on the trip with.

- Gabby Lyon

 

Today I helped out with teaching the kids how to play volleyball. We had 4 volleyball stations, and I helped with teaching the kids how to set the volleyball. Luckily, we had Griffin in our group to help instruct the kids. I really don’t know any Spanish at all, so it was a blessing to have someone to help instruct the kids and tell the kids what to do. It was also a blessing to have Moise’s sons, Daniel and Jonathan, to help us get the other kids doing what they needed to do. Daniel and Jonathan both know so much English that they would understand what we needed the other kids to do and explain to them what we needed them to do.
 

My favorite part of the trip so far has been communicating with the Dominicans and playing sports with them. It was so amazing to see how much they understood us when we were playing sports. We played basketball for an hour today and by the end of the game I could understand “Traveling” or “Double-Dribble” in Spanish. It seems like sports are a universal way to communicate with everyone around the world. Whether you know Spanish and can speak it fluently, or have never taken a Spanish class, you can always communicate through a smile, and a helping hand.

- Joshua Seitz

 

School Initiative Team - Jan 18, 2014

Today the principals from all the schools gathered at MPCA for a time to share their thoughts. We were able to discuss where they felt their schools excelled and concerns. The schools in Haiti have so many different issues, maintaining clean water, teaching hygiene, yet some are exactly the same as home. Discipline is universal :).

Our afternoon we filled with conversation with the Director of the Mission Possible teaching school and Madame Marc, who is the superintendent over all our schools. Their hearts were full of ideas and a vision for the students and schools. With their hope for the future and passion to lead, it is a joy to share in their journey.

 Our evening has been a time to share our hearts and stories among each other while enjoying evening devotions, listening to the tide roll in, time to rest and gear up for a full day tomorrow.

Big Team - Jan 30, 2014

Hello from Haiti! We arrived safely; some of our luggage…let’s just say that’s a different story. However, we have hopes that it will show up eventually. The team had a productive first day! Anne and Sheri went to the nursing school to teach the students basic nursing skills such as taking vitals, prenatal care, and delivery. The students were very receptive and asked great questions.

Most of the men began the renovations on Rachel’s Inn. The plan is to add a metal roof in the next few days.

Heather, Lauren, Megan, and Steve A. went to Chardene (one of the Mission Possible schools) and held two sessions with students educating them on abstinence, STDs, and God’s design for marriage. They were greeted with a refreshing beverage…check out the photo below!

Finally, some team members stayed at the mission center cleaning and organizing. Katie organized “team shelves” stocked with items like sunscreen, soap, etc. for team members to use while serving. Jeff H. and Krystal tackled the organization of the tool shed making it much easier to locate appropriate tools for the construction group. Jean is officially our housing and accommodations hostess/specialist/guru. Liane organized our kitchen and whipped up fabulous meals. All this to say: we’re safe and excited to see God moving in Haiti. Keep praying for the team. We wish you could all be here to see what we’re seeing and
experiencing. God is good.

 

January 31, 2014 - We have overcome some frustrations the last couple of days that can only be credited to our Lord and Savior. Today was another great day in beautiful Haiti. Sunny and 88. :) Two different groups were able to go and teach today. One group went this morning to Dupin and the other group went to St. Marc this afternoon. Another group went to the nursing school this afternoon as well. All three visits were a huge success. Some of the things that were taught were; CPR, checking vitals, abstinence, hygiene, and ultimately, glorifying God.

The construction crew had another successful day at the mission center. We removed the drop ceiling from several rooms, patched many holes and began to paint the ceiling black. Steve A. thought it might be cool to paint the floor tile black too so he dropped a gallon of paint. You would think that going to Haiti on a mission trip would cause one to lose weight. Well, Chef Liane has other plans. The food has been amazing. Thank you for all of your prayers. We can definitely feel them. God is working in Haiti! On them and especially us! Blessings to you all.

Fearless Leaders

Big Team - Feb 10, 2014

Today we were reminded of one of the many reasons our team comes to Haiti. A group went to Degeance, a mountain school, to hold an OB clinic and take photos for the Mission Possible sponsorship program. The photo team took photos of around 250 students. The photo team also took 350 photos at MPCA. The OB clinic reached 47 women who heard about the clinic through word of mouth. 19 of these women were pregnant and got to listen to their baby’s heartbeat. The medical team treated women, babies, and children with a variety of illnesses. One of the little boys the medical team treated had broken his leg in October. He still had the sutures in his leg from over three months ago. The team was able to remove the sutures, clean his wound, and give him an antibiotic. These are the kind of circumstances that bring our medical team to Haiti year after year. We continue to see God’s provision in the people He brings to the clinics for us to treat.

The construction team was back at it this morning working on the roof at Chardene. They built and painted trusses and continued putting on the new metal roof over one of the school buildings.

Mark continued installing the electrical wiring in Rachel’s Inn today. The building will be up and running for our new team coming on Wednesday.

It’s hard to believe tomorrow is our second team’s last day. We are ready to finish strong and welcome a new team in the coming days. We’re thankful for the Lord’s provision and faithfulness.

“I am not ashamed because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12

Big Team - Feb 19, 2014

We said good-bye to a wonderful group of 27 workers today.  They were such a blessing!  Everyone worked well together and accomplished so much! There were group pictures, a few songs, and a lot of hugs! Today we are also wishing a very happy birthday to our team member, Heather!

So much was accomplished during this week.





The new roof in Chardene looks awesome and the children moved into the classrooms immediately! Cabinets were made, walls were built, doors were painted and hung, soccer balls were distributed to the schools, and more improvements were made to Rachel’s Inn.  The medical team administered to close to one thousand people. There were many infections, wounds that needed attention, a few pregnancies, and other concerns. They had plenty of help, caring interpreters, and prayers for everyone!  What a blessing!  God is so Good!

Today ends week three and week four begins.  Six new volunteers with servant hearts arrived safely today. They got acquainted to their new environment and had a delicious meal.  They will rest from their journey tonight and be put to work tomorrow!
 

Along with our blessings to the Haitian people, we were also very blessed by the things God showed us through them. We pray that we each grow in our faith during this experience and take part of Haiti back to America with us!  Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!  May God bless you richly!