Haiti - May 12-19, 2016

May 13, 2016

Children's smiles were plentiful as we spent the day at Chardene School. Hammers and saws were on the move as the playground took shape and faces of curiosity hung on the perimeters waiting for a chance to experiment. The medical team worked hard taking care of little ones throughout the day and the dentists with help from the team painted teeth, pulled teeth and gave reassurance to lots of kids and adults. The rest of the team were doing seminars on personal hygiene around nail care and clean hands and ragged  nails became smooth soft and dirt was removed. Each child was pleased to take home a nail care kit from youngest to oldest student. All in all a good day and God was present.

May 15, 2016

 Last evening the team spent a wonderful evening getting to know one another better.  Testimonies were shared and we learned that while we come from very different back grounds and life styles (as well as different countries) we are all one in Christ.

Today we went to church at St. Marc and enjoyed sharing a time of worship. Pastor Beth preached the sermon, which was then translated into Creole.  Worship was loud and passionate and included a lot of singing.

After a wonderful meal prepared by Manita, the rest of the day was spent relaxing, swimming, playing cards and enjoying the beautiful ocean view and sunset.

We are all having an amazing time and are truly enjoying getting to know one another and serving together. We all love spending the time with the children and seeing their beautiful smiles.  Yesterday they came running down the mountain to meet us and helped us carry up all of our supplies.  They are such special children. When there was no soccer ball to play with, they improvised and used an empty medicine bottle as a ball.

We look forward to spending the next three days continuing to do Dental clinics, hygiene clinics, and provide some medical care.  The construction team will finish the playground at Charden and then begin another playground at MPCA.

Group photo after finishing a hard day!

Dan going banana's for banana's

Nurse Stephanie showing the kids their picture

Nikki, our English Nurse Practitioner, and Elizabeth, a nursing student, playing soccer with the kids 

Heather, Pastor Beth, and Kyra drinking from fresh coconuts 

May 16, 2016

This morning we walked to the Lanzac School, which is located near the Mission Center. This school consists of approximately 36 students; one of which is being sponsored by a team member. This is not the first time on this trip a team member has been able to meet their sponsored child. The kids at every school we attended have been amazing. They love getting their picture taken. Even more they love seeing themselves after.

                                                                                                     

After Lanzac we drove to MPCA. This school consists of approximately 700 students. We have finally connected with air conditioning!!!! Whew zipping hot! We were able to take a tour of the school’s gardens where they grow corn and bananas. One of the big jobs at this school was to organize and clean out a room at the training center. Here there is a vocational school that they plan to expand the programs offered. If a teacher is to teach in one of the Mission Possible schools they must first graduate from this school.

At each school we ran medical and dental clinics along with teaching handwashing and proper care of nails to prevent Impetigo. We also ran a scabies prevention seminar.

At Chardene, part of the team completed building the school playground. What a great time watching the kids play on it once they were done!

What an unforgettable week it’s been. So hard to believe there’s only a couple days left.

May 17, 2016

To sum up LaHatte... it is hot.

The LaHatte school and community is based on top of mountain in a very dry area with lots of dirt and cactus and scrub bushes. We took the open bed GMC truck and drove up a dry river bed to reach the school. At some places, the sides of the river bed were very tall indicating the river became very deep during the rainy season.

Fortunately for us, there was a very strong breeze that was present while we were there. We did our now usual set up of a hand washing seminar, medical checkups, and dental services. There was also a separate construction crew who worked very hard during their day to dig holes in very hard rock.

We ate peanut butter and jelly tortilla roll-ups with summer sausage and string cheese for lunch. After we were finished for the day, our translators and the school pastor took us on a walk through a part of the local village. The poverty there is very strong and it was evident. They use whatever resources are available to build housing and provide for their families. However, their spirits were high and they were very friendly while showing us around.

When we returned the Mission Center, there was a girl from a school we saw earlier in the week waiting to see us. She had had a bug stuck in her ear for 20 weeks (140 days). She had gone to the local hospital, waited seven and half hours and they were only able to remove a little bit. We were able to flush her ear and remove the remaining parts of the bug.

We finished the evening gathered around and listened to the testimonies of our pastor Herve and our supervising translator Hachemy. They told us how Mission Possible has continued and overcome obstacles, despite the difficulties. Herve also told us how the Haitians were mainly practicing voodoo, but many have converted to Christianity. But most importantly, they spoke of how grateful they are for us coming to their country and helping their people.

May 18, 2016


What an amazing experience this has been.  We have truly come together as a team and have made so many new friends.

We had a wonderful last day together.  We all went up to the school at Dupin.  It is a long and slightly treacherous hike up a mountain and across a river.  But it is so worth it when you get to the top and see the amazing view and see the kids.  Once again the kids met us and helped us carry all of our supplies up.  We were SO thankful for their help.

We again did scabies and hygiene clinics.  Checked and fixed teeth at the Dental clinic and also saw children as well as other people from the community in the medical clinic.  The high light of the day was the soccer game between the Haitian kids and us.  They of course won the game (it wasn't even close).  It is so much fun to see how everyone can play together even when they do not share the same language.

We closed the evening out by meeting in the gazebo and sharing who we have been praying for all week.  At the beginning of the week we drew names and secretly prayed for and observed that person all week.  It was a very emotional and touching evening as we shared what we have learned about one another and how they have impacted our lives.

We are looking forward to coming home and seeing loved ones.  We are also excited to come back to the luxury of air conditioning.  But we are also sad to be leaving this beautiful country that we have all come to love.

We are thankful for all of the prayers you have been saying for us.  We have felt them and believe that is why we have all stayed healthy.

So Good Night from Haiti.

Haiti - Skyview Ranch - April 1-8, 2016

April 2, 2016

Our first full day in Haiti was a great one!! We started off the day taking a bumpy ride up to our school in LaHatte to have a fun day with the kids! We played games, blew bubbles, some of us got our hair done (aka put in a bunch of tiny braids), and we just got to love on the kids. Heather and Rene got the opportunity to work on the Public Relations project by sitting down with some Mission Possible employees and hearing their stories. It was a blessing! While we all talked in devotions tonight, almost everyone talked about their different personal experiences at LaHatte. They noticed how much the children just loved to be near us- they loved to hold our hands, take pictures with us, and genuinely just wanted to be loved. We had an opportunity to walk up through their village as well, and of course we were being accompanied by all of the kids! The pastor at LaHatte walked with us and gave us a little history on the community, which was very kind of him and was interesting for all of us to learn about. Once we got back to the mission center and took care of our sunburns (despite having put on the spf 50 sunscreen that we had applied in the morning), we started working on our gate-painting project! The view of the ocean, and the sound of the waves, made it a pretty relaxing job. :)  Today was so good, we can't wait to see what the rest of the week holds!!

Kimberlie with her little sponsor girl and another little buddy!

Mallory getting loved through pampering and hugs! 

Todd made all sorts of new friends!

Shelby's little shadow! :) 

Working hard on the mission center gate!

April 3, 2016

Bon soir!!

Today we went to church in St. Marc and were welcomed with open arms. We were given the opportunity to lead a worship song during the service as well.  The Haitians were very friendly and gave us all hugs and handshakes after the service. Following the church service we drove around the city of St. Marc, which has a population of 350,000 people (Fun fact from Brent).

Once we got back from church we ate a very delicious lunch and then relaxed the rest of the day. Some of us went swimming in the ocean for quite some time and got roasted by the sun (Tyler). Others sat underneath the pavilion enjoying the view and breeze of the ocean. Overall it was a very relaxing day filled with great conversation and lots of laughs.

-- Kayla

April 4, 2016

Today was a full day of ministry at our Chardene School with both primary and secondary students. Our Skyview Ranch team did a great job helping with the Good Choices Leadership program for the first time, performing skits and helping our students learn how to avoid being selfish, remaining humble, and putting others before themselves (Phil 2:3).  Even though things did not go as smoothly as we hoped to begin with, Brent and his team were flexible and made adjustments as needed, and the Haitian students had tons of fun!

 One of our adorable primary students (wearing his MP Leadership bracelet) waiting to

learn about Good Choices from our Skyview team.

I was excited to learn that our Chardene Primary students now receive both breakfast and lunch each school day! 

This was one of several rotated varieties - a sweet & sandy concoction (pronounced "shut-shum") made

of ground corn, ground peanuts, and brown sugar.

Despite being uncomfortable at times, the joy we receive when serving Him is well worth the momentary lack of our Western comforts!  Nothing can replace the fun we're having loving on kids in Jesus' name - even the ones who don't know what we're saying to them, have no idea what American life is like, and probably don't fully understand the hope and vision we have for how great this country can become through God's grace and the leading of his Holy Spirit.

I loved watching our students receive copies of their student photos!  Many of them have never had a

printed photo of themselves!  This little one kept staring at it and loved showing hers to her friends.

Rene and Heather have spent a lot of time interviewing staff, teachers, and students to learn more about their lives and backgrounds. The work that they are doing this week will give us amazing opportunities to share the great things that Mission Possible is doing here in Haiti!

April 6, 2016

There has been so much rain the last two nights, and this afternoon, leaving us with wet clothes and shoes, and no MPCA Secondary school today.  But we got to share our Skyview Crew Good Choices skits with MPCA Primary, while the other MP Leaders taught their Good Choices sessions.

Jn Michel leading his class around the MPCA school for

Good Choices day.

Mike took his drone camera with us, and we had so much fun  watching the kiddos go crazy over it. The footage we are getting from both Shelby and Mike is a huge blessing for Mission Possible!

Mike had a blast entertaining the kids with his drone camera!

The women who work in the MPCA kitchen spend hours

every morning sorting the beans and rice to prepare for lunch.

Since there was not school this afternoon, we got to play with kids. 

Tyler and Mallory spent lots of time teaching this little girl how to blow bubbles.

After leaving MPCA, we spent the afternoon at the Mission Center, and the Skyview team did some more work on the fence. We watched an(other) amazing sunset, which included sail boats, fishing boats, and fishermen with nets.

Haiti - Gateway - March 21-27, 2016

March 22, 2016

The team is doing great.  They had a very busy day yesterday working with children at MPCA and then a hike up to Degeance for the evening outreach.  They got home late which is why they were unable to blog last night.

Today was another full day.  They have been at LaHatte since this morning.  They spent time with the children in the morning, then were working on construction projects this afternoon and when I talked to Pastor Herve, he was heading up there with their supper which will be followed by another community outreach service.  It could be another late night.

March 23, 2016

Hey everyone! It's the third day of the trip and its been nothing but fun. So far we have visited three schools, we have played games, ran relay races, and played soccer. Today we ran soccer and at the end of the day we got all of the kids together and I wrapped it up by restating the 4 spiritual laws and a prayer to the kids! I've been having a lot of fun.
- Hunter

Bonjou! Haiti has been a fantastic experience so far. Everything from the Haitian foods to the rides in the cattle trucks has been incredible. Everyday has brought new and exciting challenges, and gives us more and more opportunities to share our faith with the locals. While things like the language barrier prove difficult at times, our translators have done amazing work helping us bridge the gap between the two different languages. Per the time of my writing, we have visited three schools. Out of the three, I enjoyed the work we did at LaHatte the most. We took apart a  ton of desks, and replaced the desktops and the benches on them. We spent the whole day there, and while it was hot, it didn't bother me because I knew that the work we were doing would help the students tremendously.
- Owen

Bonjou, sak pase?? (Hello! What's up?) - All is well and I am healthy! Coming back to Haiti has been the best experience of my life next to my first visit here. Like the guys above me have said we have visited three schools so far and it's been great. It was so awesome to see our translators again. We have 2/3 this trip from the last trip so it's awesome being able to pick back up where we left off. I was struggling if ministry was really the best option for me in college but I know God is calling me to some form of ministry. I miss you guys but I could easily live down here until college starts. I've been able to share my testimony with a group of people and that was awesome. My favorite part thus far was sitting down with a group of kids at LaHatte and telling them Bible stories. I told them Daniel and the lion's den and also the story of Adam & Eve. All with a translator of course. The kids really loved the stories. Again, miss you all and I'll see you Monday!!
- Drake

March 25, 2016

We have been to four different schools. Every school is so different and unique in their own way. Yesterday, Erin and I played soccer with the girls while Hunter and Drake played soccer with the guys. Let’s just say, the girls played for about two minutes then stopped to watch the boys play. I don’t think they were really into the sport. Let me tell you, those girls are tough. There was one little girl that was hit in the face with the soccer ball. She shed a couple tears, then her friend said something to her (I have no idea what). She stopped crying then went right back to playing soccer. There was another girl that completely face planted in the dirt. The girl just got right back up and rubbed the dirt off. Erin and I just looked at each other with our mouths open. I think they need to come to America and toughen up the girls there. Besides playing with the kids and interacting with them, we have shared the Jesus movie at night in the community that we played with kids in during the day. Today, we sang with the kids. It was so fun! I love how they don’t care and sing at the top of their lungs. My heart was so happy when we were singing and dancing. God is so good. The people here have so little but are so inspiring with their faith. Their lives are obviously not easy, but they make the best out of what they have.

- Gabby

 

We have been to four different schools. At the school we have a skit that we do, then we go and play games with the kids. We play soccer, run relay races, and play mini games like duck duck goose. At night we go back and show a movie about the life of Jesus. There are great crowds every night. It has been a lot of fun playing the games with all the kids.

- Ryan

Hey everyone. This trip has been really good and I love interacting with the kids and being around them. This trip has really opened my eyes on how to serve others instead of being served. Its been a lot of fun playing with the kids and helping them learn more about God and what it takes to be a good Christian. This trip has also made me learn that I need to be more grateful for everything I have from hot showers, to not having to walk up a mountain to go to school. I hope to go on more mission trips in the future.

- Caleb

Spending time playing with the kids has been awesome and many including adults have been exposed to the gospel message.  We fixed and constructed benches Tuesday and Wednesday for and at LaHatte.  The last two days have been restful compared to the others because we did not have to to do construction. Tonight we will show the Jesus movie at MPCA. This trip has showed me to be thankful to and rely on God.  I have had two opportunities to speak to groups of people about Jesus.  I enjoyed having both of these opportunities.

- Nathaniel

A note for the Parents from a parent. 

            I could not be more proud of your kids.  They have maintained an amazing, Godly attitude.  They have worked extremely hard and finished everything we started.  The schedule in Haiti is always flexible with eating times and leaving times and what is coming next… and each and every one of students have rolled with it.  As a team we (in the 4 days) have shared the Gospel with hundreds of kids, hundreds of adults and been able to lead several to Christ.  God is so good and is faithful!! Each one of our team members have learned at least a couple of Creole words and tries to communicate with the Haitian kids.  It is so awesome to see the joy in the Haitian kids as the American kids pour God’s love into them.  This trip is going to make a lasting impact on all of us, both Haitian and American.  God transcends all language barriers and breaks downs the walls between us… reinforces the fact that we are all GOD’S children.  I am overwhelmed at God’s work. 

            Yes, we have had some scrapes (duck, duck, goose gets competitive), some sicknesses (everyone is good now), SOME bug bites, lots of laughs, lots of games played, spontaneous songs (thanks to Drake) and endless encounters with God.  Thank you all for your prayers and the chance to take to kids to Haiti.  God is good all the time! 

- David

March 26, 2016

Hello, well it’s was our last full day today. We went to the fifth and final school. The students were very excited and a lot of fun. I was the leader of relay races today, which the students enjoyed. We had a race: The Haitians vs. The Americans, we won one and lost one. With the younger children, we did not play relay races but attempted to play some Haitian games. It started off well but then turned into the children wanting to climb on us and take pictures. It was a little crazy at times, but it was a lot of fun. We then played soccer against some of the adults from the school, we lost by a lot… But it was still fun. Overall, this week has been an amazing experience, and I have learned a lot about God and myself. Even though I am enjoying my time here, I am excited to come home to air conditioning and some American food.

-Erin Long

Today we went to Chardene, the fifth school, but Dupin was probably my favorite because the kids were very into the games and loved when I fell while I was playing duck duck goose. We played soccer against the Haitians, we lost 12-8 but it was still fun. Overall, this week has been a blast and I have learned not to be shy about being weird in front of the the kids. I love it here but I will be happy to be home and have a double cheeseburger and see my mom.

-Keaton Rath    

Tonight we shared our favorite part of the week. Mine was watching each of the teens share their testimony. I'm sure it was out of most of their comfort zones, but was an excellent opportunity to share what God is or has done in their life. Today we also got to witness a number of folks being baptized from St. Marc church. Two from Gateway were also baptized in the ocean. It was great to see Caleb and Keaton be baptized by their fathers.
-Jenn

March 27, 2016

We are in the Port-Au-Prince air port, The trip was amazing.  We were able to share Jesus with over 1000 people!  

Haiti, Feb 5-12, 2016

February 6, 2016

Today the construction team worked on a playground for the Lanzac school. The team broke up into teams each working on sections of the project. They built swings, monkey bars, and teeter totters. The children came for moral support and enjoyed the job of testing out the equipment. The squeals of joy coming from the children made the day worth all the tireless work of gathering supplies, making plans, and doing the construction. Everything is much more difficult here and nothing is taken for granted. The Lord loves these Haitian children and these children see it in the way Mission Possible sacrificially serves their needs which includes their physical, spiritual,educational and even their need to play. Happy children are well loved. And the team enjoyed joining the work of love.

The Medical team went to the rice fields north of St. Marc. We were in awe of the sun glistening off the bright green blades of the rice plants. We came to a small village where there was a church. The medical team came in, moved benches and made a waiting room, in take room, examining room, a lab, a pharmacy, and outside the church we had an eye clinic. Of course the medical team had to be resourceful. The people were beautiful. We heard the most beautiful worship coming from voices of thankful Haitian people as the welcomed us with a song. We we were beyond moved. We saw around 168 patients in seven hours. The Hygiene kits were so needed.  I wish all those hands who put those kits together, could see the depth of gratitude witnessed in these women's eyes.  

February 7, 2016

Our day began with an amazing worship service at Degeance school--two languages but united as brothers and sisters in Christ. After worship, we held a medical clinic for the community. There were no construction projects on this day of rest, but stay tuned for more construction updates.

The Pharmacists are ready to serve the drugs!

Many patients were examined and treated today!

Reading eyeglasses were very popular!

Very patient patients as they wait in a long line for the clinic.

Day two of medical clinic completed!

February 8, 2016

A new day dawned hot and sunny here in Haiti. With this new day came a lot of productivity. But, first, we neglected to write about yesterday's sewing project. After the inspiring church service and during the medical clinic, Liane, Jodi, Bev, and Julie helped the local women sew hot pads. Today, the sewing continued at the Mission Center with local women using looms to make more rugs with strips of t-shirt material. The construction crew had three projects today: more work on the playground as well as reinforcing some roof beams at MPACA, and varnishing table tops at the Mission Center.  The medical team went to Chardene. We had a good reminder of the easy access to medical care that we have in the US as we saw some difficult patient cases that need treatment (e.g. surgery) beyond what we could provide. Despite these cases, we were able to help many more people with medicine and treatments (including opening the suture kit).

Old t-shirts turning into a useful rug!

After a diligent search, no bats were found!

Jodi can do construction, too!

Finishing the monkey bars!

Nursing assessment is the first stop at the clinic.

The providers (Scott, Belinda, and Andrea) hard at work

Bev loving on the children!

February 9, 2016

The sewing team went to Degeance and celebrated all their accomplishments.  The ladies received certificates for completion of their work. They were delighted!  The construction team went to Chardene today for the first phase (digging lots of BIG holes) of the playground project there.  After the holes were dug, the posts were set in the cement.  Jodi and Bev stayed at the Mission Center and assembled teachers' desks. Hannah and Rachel organized all the donated school supplies. The medical team went to Dupin for the day. They were so excited to see the school after their sweat-drenching hike to get there. It was a busy day with many, many patients.

We don't know who is more excited--Liane or the sewing students.

Rich takes a break from construction to be an eye doctor for the day.

Barb has found a new career--lab technician.

Julie is always willing to lend a helping hand.

A precious moment from today--a visit with their sponsored children.

February 10, 2016

Today was a beautiful day here in Haiti. A four person construction crew went to Chardene to start the second playground, finishing quickly and making it back just in time for lunch. While the teams were out, some stayed behind to take inventory before heading home here in a couple days. Bev and Liane finished up another sewing class with the ladies of Lanzac. Because the crew at Chardene finished early, they started working on some school desks. The team cut the desktops out, welded the frames, and finished it all off by staining the wood and painting the frames. 

Medical team drove a little over an hour up to LaHatte today to run another community clinic. John and Bud repaired desks and dug out water lines to the cistern while Josh ran the glasses department. The medical team saw many children today and had to chase some persistent chickens and their chicks out of the medical clinic. 

The Birthday guy, Greg, is already hard at work in the early morning.

The medical team rides in style.

Just one of the many children that came today.

Jean at the beach....painting not sunbathing!

The women were so proud to get their certificates of completion for the sewing classes.

February 11, 2016

Our week in Haiti has come to an end. We have had a long day of finishing projects, packing up, and a last medical clinic at MPCA. We enjoyed fellowship with our Haitian brothers and sisters as they made us a delicious Haitian lunch and then the school board/local pastors joined us for our last dinner together. We are now tired and ready to return home to greet all our loved ones. We want to thank all of you for your prayers through this week.