Easter Lutheran Day 2 - JOY!

We landed in Port au Prince yesterday afternoon after a long day of travel and anticipation. We arrived at Healing Haiti to a dinner of sloppy joes and spent the rest of the evening getting settled.

We learned right away to go with the flow. Our initial plans for the day didn’t come through and we ended up starting our mission with our first water truck day. I remember hearing Pastor Kris give a sermon about water truck day. She talked about the kids chanting “Hey you” behind the truck. Sitting in the congregation at Easter Lutheran Church on that Sunday morning several months ago, this really struck me. In all honesty her sermon is the reason I said yes to this trip. But water truck day way much harder, much more emotional and draining, than I imagined. It was also incredibly inspirational.

We waited at the water filling station as truck after truck was filled with water. Once ours was full we followed in the tap tap to our first stop at Cite Soleil #27. Just as Pastor Kris had told in her sermon, people started following the truck carrying their buckets. We could hardly get the doors open with all of the kids clamoring to reach out and touch us. The moment our feet hit the ground sweet little boys and girls were climbing into our arms, asking names and ages, touching our faces and hair. I spent that first stop keeping watch over Annika and Sophia and talking with a few people who were very interested in where we were from and if we were all related. Many of us helped carry buckets as well.

While we waited for the water truck to fill up again, we stopped at the Healing Haiti farm. There were bananas, papayas, mangoes and other crops. Stevenson gave us the grand tour and it was clear that he is proud of the work he is doing. He used his machete to chop sugar cane for each of us to try. It doesn’t get more organic than that!

Our second water truck stop was in the poorest part of Cite Soliel. Tracy and I manned the hose from the truck. I saw little else beyond buckets being shoved in front of me and hands trying to pry the hose out of my arms. I would fill a bucket and move to the next only to have someone pull the hose back to their bucket for another half inch of water. I quickly realized that every drop of water matters. This is what they use to drink, to eat, to clean, to wash their clothes. There is no faucet to turn on for more. What they get from the water truck is all they have for the week.

While the water truck went to be refilled, we went to Hope Church and School. Built two years ago, this is a free school for the kids from preschool through high school in neighborhood 17, the poorest part of the city. There were very few kids attending today as school just started back up yesterday and Jonas, our translator, explained that it takes a week or two for kids to come back to school after a break. But the kids we did see were wearing uniforms and were well behaved. The school is built on an old garbage dump, a plot of land that was deemed unusable, and is now an invaluable asset to this neighborhood.

Our last water truck stop was just outside the school. We were once again surrounded by kids asking to take “photos.” This morning I prayed that God would use me. I prayed that I would see His work in these places. If I am being completely honest, I had to look really hard. The garbage, the filth, the stench, was overwhelming. During the third water stop I kept thinking, “I just want to get out of here.” But it occurred to me that all of these people can’t get out of there. This is their home. This is their life. I started to see God in the faces of the kids. I saw God in the hard working people carrying heavy buckets of water so their family can eat and drink. I saw God in the playful moment between a mother and child in the cool spray from the water truck. God is here. I am excited to see more of Him throughout the rest of our stay.

DAY 2

Our team from Easter Lutheran Church started out our day at “In His Glory” Orphanage to visit with children and bring some JOY to them and their caregivers. This is a new orphanage partnership with Healing Haiti, with only one other group having visited before us, so it was exciting that it was new to even our team leaders. When we arrived, it was a pretty quiet environment…two classrooms were filled with pre-k and kindergarten aged students having instruction time, another room with toddlers bubbling about, and finally an infant room bustling with nannies feeding and changing them. The toddlers were most distracted by their new visitors when we peeked our head into their doorway and they instantly started shrieking with JOY and bouncing with excitement. We were led to the outdoor courtyard where we saw the second building of the school with older kids in class. A few of them popped their heads over the balcony of their classroom to sneak a look at us before getting back to learning.  A few minutes later, the toddlers came bounding out to see us. We opened up the tote we brought along with puzzles, white boards, bubbles, jump ropes & coloring books.  The toddlers quickly picked their favorite activities and we got down to important business…PLAYTIME! Bubbles floated in the air, balls were flying, and the jump rope was skipping. We played, enjoyed songs, and snuggled the kids that were feeling a bit shy. Soon, the school kids joined us and they enjoyed drawing on the white boards & showing off their smarts by counting and singing the ABC’s in English. After a while of playing & bonding with the kids, it was time to say a difficult goodbye to our new friends and head to our next stop.

Next, we visited the Metal Market where Haitian artisans make metals signs and décor. It was a typical market place with all of the vendors eager to show off their wares and bargaining over prices. As a group, we found a favorite shop that specialized in spreading JOY.  Many of us found unique items that we are taking back to Minnesota, in addition, they gave each one of us a “baby” JOY sign. It will be a great reminder of this day when we return to our families and friends.

Our last stop of the day was to the Manefort School and Orphanage for the Deaf. We first took a tour from one of the sisters that runs the school and saw all of the new dormitories that are being erected. Brand new buildings!!! This was rare for us to see in Haiti. We caught the kids just as school was finishing up and buses were arriving, but we were able to take a look in a classroom and meet with a teacher. There was a lot of learning – all in French – going on at this school.

School was out for the day, so again, it was time to…PLAY! Honestly, we were a bit worried about how we would communicate since none of us are fluent in sign language. However, we went in with open hearts; ready to share JOY. We were able to spend time playing with the students that live at the school campus. A few highlights included Annika getting to use her French skills to communicate with a girl in writing & Dave rounded up a group of boys for a raucous game of basketball. Our worries about communicating quickly eased away.

There was a lot of hope today as we saw kids that were just able to be, well, kids. God is working in their lives through their attentive caregivers, bright teachers and loving nannies, and it gave us hope too.

Written by Tracy Corcoran

Easter Lutheran Day 2 - JOY!

We landed in Port au Prince yesterday afternoon after a long day of travel and anticipation. We arrived at Healing Haiti to a dinner of sloppy joes and spent the rest of the evening getting settled.

We learned right away to go with the flow. Our initial plans for the day didn’t come through and we ended up starting our mission with our first water truck day. I remember hearing Pastor Kris give a sermon about water truck day. She talked about the kids chanting “Hey you” behind the truck. Sitting in the congregation at Easter Lutheran Church on that Sunday morning several months ago, this really struck me. In all honesty her sermon is the reason I said yes to this trip. But water truck day way much harder, much more emotional and draining, than I imagined. It was also incredibly inspirational.

We waited at the water filling station as truck after truck was filled with water. Once ours was full we followed in the tap tap to our first stop at Cite Soleil #27. Just as Pastor Kris had told in her sermon, people started following the truck carrying their buckets. We could hardly get the doors open with all of the kids clamoring to reach out and touch us. The moment our feet hit the ground sweet little boys and girls were climbing into our arms, asking names and ages, touching our faces and hair. I spent that first stop keeping watch over Annika and Sophia and talking with a few people who were very interested in where we were from and if we were all related. Many of us helped carry buckets as well.

While we waited for the water truck to fill up again, we stopped at the Healing Haiti farm. There were bananas, papayas, mangoes and other crops. Stevenson gave us the grand tour and it was clear that he is proud of the work he is doing. He used his machete to chop sugar cane for each of us to try. It doesn’t get more organic than that!

Our second water truck stop was in the poorest part of Cite Soliel. Tracy and I manned the hose from the truck. I saw little else beyond buckets being shoved in front of me and hands trying to pry the hose out of my arms. I would fill a bucket and move to the next only to have someone pull the hose back to their bucket for another half inch of water. I quickly realized that every drop of water matters. This is what they use to drink, to eat, to clean, to wash their clothes. There is no faucet to turn on for more. What they get from the water truck is all they have for the week.

While the water truck went to be refilled, we went to Hope Church and School. Built two years ago, this is a free school for the kids from preschool through high school in neighborhood 17, the poorest part of the city. There were very few kids attending today as school just started back up yesterday and Jonas, our translator, explained that it takes a week or two for kids to come back to school after a break. But the kids we did see were wearing uniforms and were well behaved. The school is built on an old garbage dump, a plot of land that was deemed unusable, and is now an invaluable asset to this neighborhood.

Our last water truck stop was just outside the school. We were once again surrounded by kids asking to take “photos.” This morning I prayed that God would use me. I prayed that I would see His work in these places. If I am being completely honest, I had to look really hard. The garbage, the filth, the stench, was overwhelming. During the third water stop I kept thinking, “I just want to get out of here.” But it occurred to me that all of these people can’t get out of there. This is their home. This is their life. I started to see God in the faces of the kids. I saw God in the hard working people carrying heavy buckets of water so their family can eat and drink. I saw God in the playful moment between a mother and child in the cool spray from the water truck. God is here. I am excited to see more of Him throughout the rest of our stay.

DAY 2

Our team from Easter Lutheran Church started out our day at “In His Glory” Orphanage to visit with children and bring some JOY to them and their caregivers. This is a new orphanage partnership with Healing Haiti, with only one other group having visited before us, so it was exciting that it was new to even our team leaders. When we arrived, it was a pretty quiet environment…two classrooms were filled with pre-k and kindergarten aged students having instruction time, another room with toddlers bubbling about, and finally an infant room bustling with nannies feeding and changing them. The toddlers were most distracted by their new visitors when we peeked our head into their doorway and they instantly started shrieking with JOY and bouncing with excitement. We were led to the outdoor courtyard where we saw the second building of the school with older kids in class. A few of them popped their heads over the balcony of their classroom to sneak a look at us before getting back to learning.  A few minutes later, the toddlers came bounding out to see us. We opened up the tote we brought along with puzzles, white boards, bubbles, jump ropes & coloring books.  The toddlers quickly picked their favorite activities and we got down to important business…PLAYTIME! Bubbles floated in the air, balls were flying, and the jump rope was skipping. We played, enjoyed songs, and snuggled the kids that were feeling a bit shy. Soon, the school kids joined us and they enjoyed drawing on the white boards & showing off their smarts by counting and singing the ABC’s in English. After a while of playing & bonding with the kids, it was time to say a difficult goodbye to our new friends and head to our next stop.

Next, we visited the Metal Market where Haitian artisans make metals signs and décor. It was a typical market place with all of the vendors eager to show off their wares and bargaining over prices. As a group, we found a favorite shop that specialized in spreading JOY.  Many of us found unique items that we are taking back to Minnesota, in addition, they gave each one of us a “baby” JOY sign. It will be a great reminder of this day when we return to our families and friends.

Our last stop of the day was to the Manefort School and Orphanage for the Deaf. We first took a tour from one of the sisters that runs the school and saw all of the new dormitories that are being erected. Brand new buildings!!! This was rare for us to see in Haiti. We caught the kids just as school was finishing up and buses were arriving, but we were able to take a look in a classroom and meet with a teacher. There was a lot of learning – all in French – going on at this school.

School was out for the day, so again, it was time to…PLAY! Honestly, we were a bit worried about how we would communicate since none of us are fluent in sign language. However, we went in with open hearts; ready to share JOY. We were able to spend time playing with the students that live at the school campus. A few highlights included Annika getting to use her French skills to communicate with a girl in writing & Dave rounded up a group of boys for a raucous game of basketball. Our worries about communicating quickly eased away.

There was a lot of hope today as we saw kids that were just able to be, well, kids. God is working in their lives through their attentive caregivers, bright teachers and loving nannies, and it gave us hope too.

Written by Tracy Corcoran

Easter Lutheran Day 2 - JOY!

We landed in Port au Prince yesterday afternoon after a long day of travel and anticipation. We arrived at Healing Haiti to a dinner of sloppy joes and spent the rest of the evening getting settled.

We learned right away to go with the flow. Our initial plans for the day didn’t come through and we ended up starting our mission with our first water truck day. I remember hearing Pastor Kris give a sermon about water truck day. She talked about the kids chanting “Hey you” behind the truck. Sitting in the congregation at Easter Lutheran Church on that Sunday morning several months ago, this really struck me. In all honesty her sermon is the reason I said yes to this trip. But water truck day way much harder, much more emotional and draining, than I imagined. It was also incredibly inspirational.

We waited at the water filling station as truck after truck was filled with water. Once ours was full we followed in the tap tap to our first stop at Cite Soleil #27. Just as Pastor Kris had told in her sermon, people started following the truck carrying their buckets. We could hardly get the doors open with all of the kids clamoring to reach out and touch us. The moment our feet hit the ground sweet little boys and girls were climbing into our arms, asking names and ages, touching our faces and hair. I spent that first stop keeping watch over Annika and Sophia and talking with a few people who were very interested in where we were from and if we were all related. Many of us helped carry buckets as well.

While we waited for the water truck to fill up again, we stopped at the Healing Haiti farm. There were bananas, papayas, mangoes and other crops. Stevenson gave us the grand tour and it was clear that he is proud of the work he is doing. He used his machete to chop sugar cane for each of us to try. It doesn’t get more organic than that!

Our second water truck stop was in the poorest part of Cite Soliel. Tracy and I manned the hose from the truck. I saw little else beyond buckets being shoved in front of me and hands trying to pry the hose out of my arms. I would fill a bucket and move to the next only to have someone pull the hose back to their bucket for another half inch of water. I quickly realized that every drop of water matters. This is what they use to drink, to eat, to clean, to wash their clothes. There is no faucet to turn on for more. What they get from the water truck is all they have for the week.

While the water truck went to be refilled, we went to Hope Church and School. Built two years ago, this is a free school for the kids from preschool through high school in neighborhood 17, the poorest part of the city. There were very few kids attending today as school just started back up yesterday and Jonas, our translator, explained that it takes a week or two for kids to come back to school after a break. But the kids we did see were wearing uniforms and were well behaved. The school is built on an old garbage dump, a plot of land that was deemed unusable, and is now an invaluable asset to this neighborhood.

Our last water truck stop was just outside the school. We were once again surrounded by kids asking to take “photos.” This morning I prayed that God would use me. I prayed that I would see His work in these places. If I am being completely honest, I had to look really hard. The garbage, the filth, the stench, was overwhelming. During the third water stop I kept thinking, “I just want to get out of here.” But it occurred to me that all of these people can’t get out of there. This is their home. This is their life. I started to see God in the faces of the kids. I saw God in the hard working people carrying heavy buckets of water so their family can eat and drink. I saw God in the playful moment between a mother and child in the cool spray from the water truck. God is here. I am excited to see more of Him throughout the rest of our stay.

DAY 2

Our team from Easter Lutheran Church started out our day at “In His Glory” Orphanage to visit with children and bring some JOY to them and their caregivers. This is a new orphanage partnership with Healing Haiti, with only one other group having visited before us, so it was exciting that it was new to even our team leaders. When we arrived, it was a pretty quiet environment…two classrooms were filled with pre-k and kindergarten aged students having instruction time, another room with toddlers bubbling about, and finally an infant room bustling with nannies feeding and changing them. The toddlers were most distracted by their new visitors when we peeked our head into their doorway and they instantly started shrieking with JOY and bouncing with excitement. We were led to the outdoor courtyard where we saw the second building of the school with older kids in class. A few of them popped their heads over the balcony of their classroom to sneak a look at us before getting back to learning.  A few minutes later, the toddlers came bounding out to see us. We opened up the tote we brought along with puzzles, white boards, bubbles, jump ropes & coloring books.  The toddlers quickly picked their favorite activities and we got down to important business…PLAYTIME! Bubbles floated in the air, balls were flying, and the jump rope was skipping. We played, enjoyed songs, and snuggled the kids that were feeling a bit shy. Soon, the school kids joined us and they enjoyed drawing on the white boards & showing off their smarts by counting and singing the ABC’s in English. After a while of playing & bonding with the kids, it was time to say a difficult goodbye to our new friends and head to our next stop.

Next, we visited the Metal Market where Haitian artisans make metals signs and décor. It was a typical market place with all of the vendors eager to show off their wares and bargaining over prices. As a group, we found a favorite shop that specialized in spreading JOY.  Many of us found unique items that we are taking back to Minnesota, in addition, they gave each one of us a “baby” JOY sign. It will be a great reminder of this day when we return to our families and friends.

Our last stop of the day was to the Manefort School and Orphanage for the Deaf. We first took a tour from one of the sisters that runs the school and saw all of the new dormitories that are being erected. Brand new buildings!!! This was rare for us to see in Haiti. We caught the kids just as school was finishing up and buses were arriving, but we were able to take a look in a classroom and meet with a teacher. There was a lot of learning – all in French – going on at this school.

School was out for the day, so again, it was time to…PLAY! Honestly, we were a bit worried about how we would communicate since none of us are fluent in sign language. However, we went in with open hearts; ready to share JOY. We were able to spend time playing with the students that live at the school campus. A few highlights included Annika getting to use her French skills to communicate with a girl in writing & Dave rounded up a group of boys for a raucous game of basketball. Our worries about communicating quickly eased away.

There was a lot of hope today as we saw kids that were just able to be, well, kids. God is working in their lives through their attentive caregivers, bright teachers and loving nannies, and it gave us hope too.

Written by Tracy Corcoran

Easter Lutheran Church - Watertruck Day!

We landed in Port au Prince yesterday afternoon after a long day of travel and anticipation. We arrived at Healing Haiti to a dinner of sloppy joes and spent the rest of the evening getting settled.

We learned right away to go with the flow. Our initial plans for the day didn’t come through and we ended up starting our mission with our first water truck day. I remember hearing Pastor Kris give a sermon about water truck day. She talked about the kids chanting “Hey you” behind the truck. Sitting in the congregation at Easter Lutheran Church on that Sunday morning several months ago, this really struck me. In all honesty her sermon is the reason I said yes to this trip. But water truck day way much harder, much more emotional and draining, than I imagined. It was also incredibly inspirational.

We waited at the water filling station as truck after truck was filled with water. Once ours was full we followed in the tap tap to our first stop at Cite Soleil #27. Just as Pastor Kris had told in her sermon, people started following the truck carrying their buckets. We could hardly get the doors open with all of the kids clamoring to reach out and touch us. The moment our feet hit the ground sweet little boys and girls were climbing into our arms, asking names and ages, touching our faces and hair. I spent that first stop keeping watch over Annika and Sophia and talking with a few people who were very interested in where we were from and if we were all related. Many of us helped carry buckets as well.

While we waited for the water truck to fill up again, we stopped at the Healing Haiti farm. There were bananas, papayas, mangoes and other crops. Stevenson gave us the grand tour and it was clear that he is proud of the work he is doing. He used his machete to chop sugar cane for each of us to try. It doesn’t get more organic than that!

Our second water truck stop was in the poorest part of Cite Soliel. Tracy and I manned the hose from the truck. I saw little else beyond buckets being shoved in front of me and hands trying to pry the hose out of my arms. I would fill a bucket and move to the next only to have someone pull the hose back to their bucket for another half inch of water. I quickly realized that every drop of water matters. This is what they use to drink, to eat, to clean, to wash their clothes. There is no faucet to turn on for more. What they get from the water truck is all they have for the week.

While the water truck went to be refilled, we went to Hope Church and School. Built two years ago, this is a free school for the kids from preschool through high school in neighborhood 17, the poorest part of the city. There were very few kids attending today as school just started back up yesterday and Jonas, our translator, explained that it takes a week or two for kids to come back to school after a break. But the kids we did see were wearing uniforms and were well behaved. The school is built on an old garbage dump, a plot of land that was deemed unusable, and is now an invaluable asset to this neighborhood.

Our last water truck stop was just outside the school. We were once again surrounded by kids asking to take “photos.” This morning I prayed that God would use me. I prayed that I would see His work in these places. If I am being completely honest, I had to look really hard. The garbage, the filth, the stench, was overwhelming. During the third water stop I kept thinking, “I just want to get out of here.” But it occurred to me that all of these people can’t get out of there. This is their home. This is their life. I started to see God in the faces of the kids. I saw God in the hard working people carrying heavy buckets of water so their family can eat and drink. I saw God in the playful moment between a mother and child in the cool spray from the water truck. God is here. I am excited to see more of Him throughout the rest of our stay. 

Written by Sara Anderson

Day 6 Water Truck Part Two

This will not be my finest effort. It's 1:30 am and its blog time ;)


How can it be Saturday night already?


Seems like just yesterday we were boarding a plane in MSP.  Such is life on a short term missions trip.


Today was our last day serving the people of Haiti. It's hard to even type that.  This team has been absolutely amazing in every way imaginable. I am so blessed they allowed me to lead them.


We started off the day by meeting up with the water truck Citi Soleil. 


Delivery water to Citi Soleil is not something you can describe in a blog, honestly it's not something that can be describe. It can only be experienced. The poverty in this community is something you feel, taste and it overwhelms you.  The people are just as overwhelming with their love, smiles and hugs. The kids start chanting "Hey You" "Hey You" and as Jason put it you almost feel like a rock star getting off the Tap Tap.


But this team isn't coming to put on a show. They got right to work filling buckets and loving on kids. Ben, Ryan and Mark typically were caring 2 kids and 2 buckets.  Jason and Jeff handled the bucket filling and crowd control. Josh played soccer and it seem like it was him verses the entire neighborhood.  I started with my magic show (as always) and then moved to the bucket line to give support.


After the first stop we heading to visit Hope Church.  It always takes my breath away to stand in that church and remember back to the first time I stood on that trash heap and some one said we are going to build a church here. I thought to myself "Good One that's never gonna happen." This is why God is God and I am not.


The 2nd stop was by far the most chaotic.  The people were extremely desperate for water and you could feel the tension as we started to fill the buckets.  The Haitian people were never rude or angry they were just in desperate need of water. I kept reminding my team "Have patience they are just desperate for water."


3rd stop was a complete 180 from stop 2.  They were working together to make sure each family got the water that was needed.  We emptied the truck and there wasn't any buckets left empty.


For me the highlight of the whole day happened as I headed back to the Tap Tap to head out.  A boy probably 10 years old came and pulled my shoulder.  He put his hand to shake mine looked me right in the eye and said "Thank you so much for bring the water".  It took my breath away.  In my 8 trips to Haiti I have never had a person say Thank you like that to me in English.  As I sit here typing it brings tears to my eye. It might be the most genuine Thank You I have ever received.


Sorry for the lame blog but I am tired and ready for bed.  Tomorrows blog you will not want to miss ;)


Words of the Day:


Josh: Servant
Ryan: Smile
Ben: Safilia
LT: My People
Mark: Want
Jeff: Bike
Jason: Buenos
Jeremy: Thank You


   


  

Day 5

My sophomore year of college was the first time I thought about missions. A few months later, God lead me into the mission field. During my 6 months in Panama, I gained an incredible amount of perspective on God’s love for people. Coming to Haiti, I expected to see more of Panama. This expectation was crushed before the plane even landed. As we approached Port au Prince, a feeling of brokenness stirred within me.

The more I learned about this country the more brokenness stirred. Within me is an entrepreneurial spirit and a love for business. It was crushing to hear about a 70% unemployment rate in Haiti. It was even more crushing to hear Haitian after Haitian dream of owning their own business someday, but little to no hope of that dream being realized. So many Haitians have ambition and passion. However, the overwhelming thought of no industry, no jobs, no financing, and many having little to no income is paralyzing. It left me in a place of frustration, my strengths of responsibility and achiever wanted to JUST fix the problem immediately! Maybe someday I will have the privilege to be a part of the solution.

Today was different. Today was a day of hope. I could see how consistency with structure has brought change in miraculous ways. The team went to grace village to see the work Healing Haiti is accomplishing here. What we discovered was amazing. The team started with a tour of the clinic, school, and orphanage. We ate dinner at Fleri which is a bakery and pizzeria started by healing Haiti. The pizza was phenomenal! It was exciting to see Haitians running the restaurant as well as dining. At dinner, we met the first graduate of Grace school. He is now moving onto medical school, incredible! I am finding there is indeed hope for the people of Haiti. This hope comes from God moving, stirring one single human heart at a time. It comes from each of us obeying the calling He has on our life and stepping out BOLDLY. Each of us on the first men’s team are discerning our calling, God is certainly stirring. It is now our responsibility to take that stirring, to take our calling, and pick up the pieces of brokenness to do something extraordinary. Not solely for Haiti but for this world God has called us to reach. Because it will be through the body of Christ in which this world is transformed! It will not happen by government alone, education alone, money alone, strategy alone. Transformation will happen through the Son who has the ability to change a human heart alone.

-LT 

Mark: Honor

Jeremy: Unexpected

Ben: Confirmation

Ryan: Hump-day

Jason: Connection

LT: Structure

Jeff: Energy

Josh: Alone

Water Truck & Haitian Church Service Day

Can you bench press 200 lbs?  Can you squat 400 lbs?  Can you run a 6 minute mile?  As a male, these are some of the questions that we ask each other to show our strength.  But is physical strength the only type of strength that we should be pursuing?  What if true strength came from inside us, from our soul and the connection that we have with God?

Today was the day that I really felt God giving me a clear sign of at least part of the why I am on this trip.  In the previous couple of days, I have struggled to understand what I was supposed to be getting out of this trip.  Don't get me wrong, the last couple of days were absolutely amazing and in many ways very difficult days to experience but today was completely different from start to finish.

The day started with my normal bible devotion but I really did not feel that I was completely connecting with God.  So instead of trying to force it, I grabbed another devotion out of my bible.  This devotion came out of Mark 6:30-56.  This is the story of when Jesus feed 5,000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish (a story that I have taught many times) and later when the disciples were out in the boat and Jesus walked on water out to them.  What I had previously missed was the in between time and why Jesus was not with his disciples.  Jesus was spending his time up on a mountainside connecting with God to build up his soul.  Something that Jesus did a number of times in the bible, where he would serve others and then he sought solitude to connect with God.

"Strength", it was clear that this was to be my theme for today.

A couple of group members and I attended a Haitian church service this morning.  Even though I was not able to understand many of the words, I was moved just by watching about 200 people (varying ages 3-65) praise God.  I was in awe that this was a Thursday morning service and that so many people were attending.  I can only imagine the connections that these people were making with God.

Today was water truck day and I had heard so many good things from people that have experienced this in the past that I was excited to get this opportunity to serve the people.  We started off at the water filling station and got to see as our water truck was being filled.  Then it was off to our 3 stops.  What stuck out to me at every single stop was the kids that were so excited to see us and they seemed to come out of nowhere when we arrived at each location.  Being one of my strengths, I felt right at home playing with the kids and holding them all day long.  Helping carry water for people in buckets, jugs and barrels also really gave me a purposeful feeling.

Stop 17 was first.  Towards the end of the cobblestone street was a ditch just filled with a mixture of water and garbage.  It just broke my heart to see first hand where these people called home.  A little boy with a Super Mario shirt was my side kick the entire time here.  But it was great to see a couple of members of my group playing soccer with many of the kids here.

Stop 21 was next.  This too was a cobblestone street with shacks built as far as the eye could see.  While holding onto the little girl that ran up to me right away, I carried water for as many people as I could.  Once, I was able to go a little further back into these homes to bring the bucket of water to this girl's front door.  It was a very moving experience to walk through that narrow walkway.  This was also the stop that someone was playing music at so we all got to dance to "Wrecking Ball".

Before we headed to our last stop, we got taken out for a beach walk to the seashell beach.  This was extremely difficult, because this was the farthest we went into these homes and really were able to see life here.  Once we got out to the beach, the view was incredible in the distance.  But the beach was made entirely out of seashells which were beautiful but also covered in garbage.

Stop 26 was last.  Before the water truck arrived, there was a near-bye pier that we got to walk out on to watch the fisherman pull in their nets while the people on the pier were cleaning the fish.  The last stop was a long street with homes built up on both sides.  A little boy latched on to me instantly so I ended up putting him up on my shoulders for most of the time here.  This allowed me to really help others carry buckets of water and many times found myself carrying 2 buckets with the little boy still on my shoulders.  I saw much of the same from my other teams members here and can honestly say that I was wore out towards the end of the time here but knew that we would only be there a short while and pushed on.  Many of the team members voiced a very similar feeling  at that time here.  At the end of the day, I think we all agreed though with group members saying "today was the most fulfilling day yet" and "today was the best day so far".

This was a day that pushed my physical strength to the limit.  My body right now is telling me that I have seriously neglected it physically with all of the uncomfortable signals of soreness and pain, but even after spending the entire day serving others and doing good work, it was time for me to strengthen my soul and connect with God.  Remembering that even Jesus took time of solitude to connect with God and let God fill his life. 

All 3 groups here joined together for an evening worship service lead by Grace.  This was an absolutely incredible experience as we all sang songs together and praised God in our own way.

My soul gives me signs during times that I am neglecting it as well.  Times like when I give in to obsessions, addictions, imitations or even my broken relationships.

Today, God gave me a gift.  And that gift is that I see now what "True Strength" really is and that it comes from inside my soul and with my connection with God.

Mark

Words of the Day:
Ben - Faces
Jason - Authentic
Jeff - Eyes
Jeremy - Water
Josh - Peace
LT - Tre
Mark - Strength
Ryan - Hug