Imagine Me.

Yesterday we attended the church ours girls do (Mission Outreach), they also attend school there. The service is completely in Creole, so most of it I do not understand. As I am sure you can imagine, I get really excited when I do understand a phrase the pastor uses, or when I recognize a melody to a familiar song. The service itself was a basic Haitian church service - lots of clapping, hand waving and singing. They passed out gifts for all of the church volunteer for this year, so that extended the service quite a bit. Following the awards ceremony, the band began to play a song that I recognized. I was a bit surprised by the song choice, but was so thankful to be able to hum along with a melody that I know. The song was Imagine Me by Kirk Franklin.

I'm not sure how many of you know Imagine Me, but I'm sure that if you do, you are just as surprised as I am that it was being played in a Haitian church. As I began to think of the lyrics, the Lord started to speak to me. The song starts with "Thank you for allowing me to see myself the way You see me." The concept of seeing ourselves the way that Christ does is honestly a hard thought for me to wrap my head around. To Christ I am without flaw. To Him I am intelligent. To Him I am beautiful. To Him I am a servant. To Him I am His child, and He loves me with an unconditional love. How amazing is that?

I love worshiping with Haitians. They are so spirited in their praise, and yet so passionate in their worship. They give thanks with humble hearts knowing that even though they do not have much, God is faithful to meet their every need. That is the attitude that I want to live my life with - knowing that my Jesus is faithful. He is faithful in the times of plenty, and in the times of need. Let us always remember to give thanks in all things, because regardless of circumstances His love endures forever.

Blessings,
Hannah

PS - Posting a link to Imagine Me in case anyone wants to listen - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRA4vNs2r3c

Tent City Outreach.

I have no clue how to even start writing about the day. My heart is overwhelmed. I may end up breaking this day into two blogs. I don’t even know how to put parts of it into words. I don’t know whether to weep or smile. To be happy because of the resources I have to help these people, or to be brokenhearted because of the conditions that so many of them live in.

Yesterday my blog was about going outside of the “four walls”. I feel safe inside of this guest house. I feel safe at our girl’s home. I feel safe at the Valley of Hope. By safe I do not mean away from danger, but rather that those places make up my comfort zone in Haiti. Today I stepped out of my box. Tonight we spent hours doing tent city outreach - praying for people, passing out balls, loving on children, giving away toothbrushes and band-aids to different families.  

There is one thing that I never want to be in life, and that is a “sight-seeing missionary.” Someone who comes on a mission trip to smile for a few photos, pass out some candy, and then walk away. I never want to be a person who won’t snuggle the child covered in their own waste, or who refuses to kiss on a baby because they are HIV positive, or even to not walk into a tent because I don’t want to be around the smell or the heat. I want to love like Jesus. Jesus reached out to those that others would push away. He loved the “unlovable” – the dirty, the smelly, and the sick. He loved them all, and He loves with the greatest love that any of us will ever know.

Our friend John, his daughter, and her boyfriend went with us to the tent city. It is maybe a half mile from the guest house.  The major concern with doing an outreach in a tent city is being “mobbed.” We found a quiet area with some of the women that John knows to pass out the items that we brought. We gave out soccer balls, baby stuff, and toothbrush/toothpaste at that location. John then guided us to a tent where 13 children live with their parents. We visited with the family inside of the tent. Words do not describe the conditions that this family lives in. There were only three “beds”. One was made out of crib rails and a washing machine box. The other two were made of plywood stacked on top of cinder blocks. The tent was smaller than my bedroom. 15 people live in this tent with no electricity, no water, no kitchen, and a bathroom that is literally a pot behind a sheet.  We gave away more hygiene items and toys. Before leaving we prayed with the family.

 

Words do not do the tent city justice. I will be posting photos on Facebook so you all can really have a mental picture of the living conditions. I walked away from that tent city feeling so blessed, but not understanding why people have to live like that. Lots of prayers due to a heavy heart tonight.

Blessings,

Hannah 

Why, hello Haiti, I've missed you.

At this very moment there doesn't seem like very much is going on around me. I am laying in my bed, watching the shadows that the ceiling fan is making all around the room. The room itself is quiet, but outside of these four walls, I know that more is going on than I could ever imagine. I can hear faint sounds of music from what I would assume to be some sort of church service. I also hear a baby crying, a rooster crowing, and horns honking. Outside of these four walls is Haiti. A place that I would call a second home filled with some of the most loving people I have met in my entire life.

As I lay here tonight, I am thinking about my life and how often I have chosen to say inside of the peaceful, quiet and safe "four walls" that I have built up around myself. I feel confident in saying that at some point we have all pondered the idea of saying safe inside of the walls that we have built up. We have had to make a choice of whether or not to step out of the box. I feel like Haiti is one big out of the box experience. Each time I travel here, I experience new adventures. Tomorrow will be no exception. We will be touring a tent city, and giving items (soccer balls, baby wash, medical supplies ,, ) to the people living there. I've been to tent cities before, but have never physically participated in the outreaches. I will also be taking my Evangecube, so I am praying that God will place the right people in our pathway to minister to. 

Today was basically a travel day. Our flight was delayed out of Charleston, so we did not arrive in PAP until nearly 5:00pm. We ate dinner, and then went to visit with the girls for a while. It was so good to see them! The girl's home is still beautifully decorated for Christmas. I took several pictures that I'll post later. They even had a Christmas tree! Oddly enough I spent a really enjoyable evening singing Christmas songs with them. Anyone that knows me well should get a chuckle out of that. 

Tomorrow morning we will go the girl's church, and then leave for the tent city outreach around 3:00pm. Please pray that God uses the outreach time to touch many lives. 

Blessings, 

Hannah 

Pools and Planes.

Today we took the girls on a surprise trip to the Caribbean Lodge pool. We had a blast! Even though sometimes they can be a challenge, I love those girls. We swam for maybe two hours, and then had lunch together. It was a day full of laughter and smiles. On the way back to the girls home, I laid my head down on the seat in front of me. I think the girls thought I was sleeping, because they would all take turns poking me and giggling. I just let them do it, because at that point I was hot and tired. I did enjoy listening to their giggles as they played their little game. The laughter of those girls is one of my favorite sounds. It’s infectious.

Tomorrow I return back to the States. This is always bitter-sweet for me, this time though, it is much more bitter. A part of me doesn’t want to go back. In trips past I’m okay to leave, but tonight I honestly don’t want to. I haven’t been “home sick” like I have been before. Adjusting back to America isn’t always easy for me. I know it sounds silly, but it’s tough for me to leave Haiti and fly in to the billion dollar Miami airport. I love this country, I love these people, and I love the Hug A Child girls. To be honest, I’m not looking forward to going back to my typical life. I feel like that sounds horrible, because if anything, I should be so thankful for what I have to go back to. Please do not think that I am not, because I am beyond thankful for all that God has blessed me with. My heart is just very heavy tonight about leaving tomorrow. I know that God has a plan for my life, and I have faith in His plan, but for some reason I feel much more at peace about it when I’m in Haiti.  

Thankfully my flight is in the afternoon, so I will get to spend the morning at Hug A Child. I’m also hoping that we can visit a baby orphanage down the road, but I’m not sure if that will work out. Tomorrow, at 3pm, I will board a plane and say “goodbye” to Haiti … but I know that it won’t be a forever “goodbye.”

I usually don’t ask for prayer on my blog, but I would really appreciate it tonight.

Love and blessings,

Hannah 

Adventure Day with Serge.

On Monday, Serge took Tice and I for a bit of site seeing in downtown Port-au-Prince. Many of the landmark buildings were destroyed in the earthquake, but the ruins still remain. The main places to see are the Palace and Cathedral. I’m sure they both have more specific names, but I don’t know them. The Palace is what Serge calls “the Haitian White House”, so maybe that puts it into perspective. The Cathedral reminds me of one of the beautiful churches in downtown Charleston.

Actually getting to downtown is full of interesting sites. We travel pass many tent cities and venders. I think the most difficult of part of the whole day is when children stick their hands into the car window and make comments about how hungry they are. The general rule is to not “throw” anything out of the window, because then people flock around you which can be a very dangerous situation. I also think it is extremely disrespectful to the Haitian people to throw things on the ground (like candy) for them to pick up.

We went to the Cathedral first. Going there is such an experience. The Cathedral feel in the quake, but a statue of Jesus on the cross still remained. People gather each day and pray at the foot of the statue for God to heal their land. We got out of the car, and these women with babies came up to us. I wanted to hold them so badly, but I knew better than to stretch out my arms. I’m sure many of you know about the man, Olanse, who we met in October 2010 at the Cathedral. For those who don’t, I’ll summarize the story. We went site seeing on the last day of the trip, when we got out of the truck at the Cathedral, we gathered in a circle with some Haitians to pray. After prayer we began to sing Amazing Grace. All of the sudden a man (who we later discovered was blind) came into the middle of the circle and began to play along. It was incredible. So, since then Olanse has been a part of many of our stories. A team member travelled last trip and gave him a brand new guitar, which he played for Tice, Serge and I. He had written a song about Haiti. It was about the quake, and how Haiti was destroyed in three seconds, but Jesus was coming back and we must all believe in Him. It was a powerful moment.

Next stop was the Palace. It looks about the same, except more of it had fallen down. Serge told me this was because sometimes there are small earthquakes in that area. Last time I visited the Palace there was a tent city surrounding the area across the street from it. Those tents have now been moved, which revealed these beautiful statues. I asked Serge about them, and he told me who they are, but I can’t remember the names now. I do specifically remember that there was a pigeon in one, because Serge corrected me when I called it a bird.

After the Palace we went to Epi ‘dor.  It is like an American food court. They serve ice cream, pizza, sandwiches, and pasta dishes. We all had a little snack (I chose the ice cream), which was refreshing. We left Epi ‘dor and went to Eagle Market. This is like a Haitian grocery store. It is similar to the stores in the US. Since Tice was still eating her ice cream, Serge let me go in by myself. It was fun to be a little independent in Haiti! I purchased what I needed, and then we left.

 Next stop was to pick of Franma, who was getting a massage at Apparent Project. This was special moment, because since Serge didn’t know the way, I got to lead! I think Serge was really impressed with my knowledge of the neighborhood, but what he didn’t know is that there are Apparent Project signs every few blocks. Once we got there, I shopped for a few minutes and then we left. The Apparent Project sells handmade necklaces, purses, key chains … similar stuff to what our girls do.

The rest of the day was spent between lounging at MFH, and also spending some time at Hug A Child.

Love and Blessings,

Han

Church and Chipwrecked in Haiti.

Well, it’s a warm night in Haiti. I’m actually hot tonight, which is rare. I guess it’s always warm in Haiti, but I’m rarely sweaty at night, and at this moment I am feeling a bit sticky. This is painting an attractive picture, I’m sure .. . Anyway, moving on!

Today was wonderful, as is every day in Haiti, but Sundays are special. I love Haitian churches. They are so alive. We went to the church our girls attend. It was my first time going there. I like being at church with the girls though, and usually they go where we go on Sundays. It was a nice treat to be able to go with them for a change. 

It was a nice church, with a wonderful praise band. The entire service was in Creole, which actually doesn’t bother me anymore. For my first few trips I hated the language barrier, but over time I have come to not only accept but enjoy it. I enjoy the different culture of the church service, and also that I can’t always understand what the girls are saying about me. ;)

Speaking of girls, after lunch we went to visit them. We didn’t do much but just hang out, and Ms. Fran and Tice worked on a sewing project. Nahomie braided my hair. I had plans to leave it in until I got home, but with the way I’m sweating .. and this intense throbbing in my head they may come out sooner.  I love being with those girls. It was especially neat today because one of the Alvin and The Chipmunk movies came on TV. I think it was “Chipwrecked.” It was fun to sit around and watch a movie with them. It was a first time experience for me, because it is rare that the electricity is on. Thank goodness I had taken Fowler to see it in theaters or I would have been completely lost, because the whole thing was in French.

After we came back from the girls home, we enjoyed the Sunday dinner treat of pizza! Ever since dinner I’ve just been lounging around. I am so excited for tomorrow. We (Tice, me, and Serge) are going downtown to do some site seeing. I haven’t been there in maybe three trips, so I’m excited to see if there have been any changes/improvements.

Well, the shower is free .. so I’m going to hop in. Tonight I am thankful for the cold water! J

Love and blessings, 

God Moments.

Today was so full of different emotions. As I lay in the bed at MFH (My Father’s House), I am honestly so overwhelmed that I don’t know what to write. I’ve had days in Haiti that have changed my outlook on life, and today was one of those days.

 The plans for today were a field day at the Quisqueya Church playground followed by lunch with the girls at MFH. The field day was so much fun with the girls! We played on the playground for a while, and then began the games. I have to say that watching the sack races was the most fun. Those girls bring so much joy to my life. I just enjoyed sitting on the ground and watching them play. Each of them are so beautiful, and full of life. After the field day we headed back to MFH.

Earlier in the morning Ms. Fran, Tice and I had prepared peanut butter sandwiches and watermelon for us to have for lunch. Having a meal with the girls is interesting. Usually they are so lively, and there are always what seem to be a million conversations going on between them all. However, when there is food on a plate in front of them, everything seems to be much quieter. By the empty plates that we collected, I think everyone enjoyed the sandwiches and watermelon. We also had popsicles for dessert. It was a great day with them, St. Terese, and Smith.

After the girls left, Ms. Fran and I retreated to the room to relax for a bit, because by this time it was nearly 2:30pm. Maybe half an hour later Pastor M, Mr. Donald, and Mr. Paul arrived back from Evangecube training along with Pastor M’s brother Abel. Ms. Fran had been telling me about this orphanage that she wanted me to visit with Pastor M to deliver food on Monday. We decided just to go today. When I climbed into the HUG van for the first time (it has air conditioning, which is amazing) I had no clue the God moment that was about to take place in my life.

We drove for maybe half an hour, after we passed the city of Petionville (very neat place, with restaurants and shops) we came up on a tent city. I began taking pictures of it, and then all of the sudden, we pulled in. I’ve passed many tent cities, but I have never actually been to one. Seeing something out of a window is a completely different experience than walking through it. There were children playing a game of soccer beside where the van was parked. They looked like they were having so much fun. This sight really warmed my heart in the midst of the most extreme poverty that I have ever actually stood in.

The orphanage was maybe fifty feet from where the van had to be parked, which was because there was a major pile of trash (complete with pigs rolling in mud) that blocked the road way. Pastor M gave us the okay get out, and led us through the pile. I’m not going to lie, it was gross, but it is the reality of Haiti. Once we got to the orphanage we were greeted by children. These children were beautiful. I wanted to hug and kiss every one of them. Pastor M led us into the house to meet the house parents. Their home was nothing like Hug A Child. It was rundown with only cement floors/walls and open stairs that I was afraid a child was going to fall off of and bust their head open on at any moment.

We went up maybe three different stairways until we got to what I assume was their living room. There we met the house mother, and their three dogs and a cat. We spoke with her for a moment, and gave them some toys. Then we found out they were going to sing for us. I, of course, was excited! We went into their music room, and a boy began to play the piano. The song that the children chose to sing was a song that I know, but that I don’t know the name of. It goes “soon and very soon we are going to see the King, soon and very soon we are going to see the King, soon and very soon we are going to see the King, hallelujah, hallelujah, we are going to see the King.” Right then and there, I could have cried.

This is why I love Haiti. This is why I love the Haitian people. They live off of hope that there will be a day when the temporary things of this world have passed away, and they are in eternity with Jesus. Even children in Haiti understand this. I don’t think that is the way that any of us view our day to day life. Please do not think I am being judgmental, because I am just as guilty. Honestly though, is what we look forward to in life being with Jesus or it is graduating, a vacation or perhaps getting a promotion?

My heart is so heavy tonight. I have this intense urge to “change the world” after actually being in a tent city today. The Holy Spirit spoke to me during our team meeting, and reminded me of something. I do not come to Haiti to feed children, or to save people, or to “change” anyone or anything. I am called to Haiti to love, and through the love of Jesus all of those things will be fulfilled.

I apologize that this blog is so long, but in closing I just want you all to know that my prayer tonight is for us all to realize that as we seek the precious things in life (whether they be relationships, jobs, or even a new car) that we all remember that nothing in this life will ever be more precious than His presence. Everything that we will ever need is tucked away in His presence. One day we will be surrounded by His presence for eternity, and what a marvelous day that will be.

 Blessings,
 Hannah