Haiti April 14, 2014

Last night we went up to Jerusalem IV in Gabriel and brought 2 truckloads of people down to Jerusalem I. Then we had an exciting time. You’ll see in the photos that everyone was up on their feet singing and dancing – even the Baptists! Pastor Joaquin gave the message, and church ended about 9:30 p.m. There are no watches here, so when the message is over then it’s time to go home.

After a good night’s sleep, we had breakfast and the devotion. Then the 7th Annual Pastors Conference in Z’Orange began. Pastor Do opened it up and I said a few words, then Pastor Philip began teaching. It is awesome to see the hunger and thirst these young pastors have to learn more about the Word. Pastor Joaquin taught the second session.

While the Pastors Conference was going on, the ladies started the VBS outside with the local kids. It started out with about 20 kids and ended up with over 65. The children had so much fun singing, participating in Bible stories and making crafts; afterward they each got a piece of candy. It was a great morning with the Lord. After lunch we will be going to a church called Palto and having another VBS while the Pastors Conference continues.

Thank you for your prayers. (For Shalimar Baptist Church, RANDY is okay.)
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Lance, Day 2: Today I woke up and went outside to see the beautiful morning. I peeked over the concrete wall and saw the Haitian people working and carrying food and supplies on their heads. On the walls of our building were brown lizards, exploring the outdoors and looking for their breakfast. After breakfast my mom and sister wanted to go take a walk around. We heard singing; curious, we walked a little closer and saw people walking down the street with palms in their hands. It was the Catholic people celebrating Palm Sunday.

Then church began, the choir was singing with the congregation following along. The next parts I couldn’t understand for they were in Creole. Next the mission team came up, we introduced ourselves and stated where we were from. Then Pastor Philip came to the podium and delivered a lesson. We have plenty of translators, so the other parts of the congregation could understand. After a lot of “Hallelujahs” and “Amens,” we sang “Trust and Obey” in Creole, and church was over.

After lunch we had free time. My mom used her computer to play music from past VBSs. The children were happy, singing along with the music. She took out a small keyboard for kids and began playing songs from a book. They sang with the music, since they did know a little English. Some others spoke into the microphone and attempted to play a fun tune on the keyboard.

Outside a boy asked if we could play soccer. I grabbed the soccer ball, and we played a game. After about 30 minutes, we began to play volleyball with the soccer ball. We passed for a while, then one boy accidentally kicked the ball into a 5-gallon bucket. So that led us to another sport – basketball. We found a large trash can on a flat area and started shooting it into the trash can.

When the dinner bell rang, we had a delicious meal of Haitian food – brown rice with red sauce, baked chicken, red potato salad (the beautiful red is from the beets), and coleslaw that was very hot with peppers in the ingredients. I personally loved the rice with the red sauce. After dinner we made crafts for VBS – straws with purple string tied to them that can be waved around while the children sing and dance. I hope they will enjoy the VBS and learn more about the Word of God.

Then it was time for the evening service – it was very upbeat and the music was great. Some of the songs were related to the hymns that we sing back home. We sang today “Victory in Jesus.” Their choir sang it very slowly since it is translated differently in their language. I am looking forward for tomorrow and that our team may be safe throughout the week.

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Samantha Calcutt, Day 2: TODAY WAS GREAT! Today was Sunday or, as we know it, CHURCH DAY. We rested most of the day, and then we had two church services, both were very lively and fun. I talked to some of the Haitian boys today and they asked if I had a boyfriend, which I found very amusing. We took pictures and played everything from basketball to volleyball to soccer. We had a wonderful Haitian meal, with rice, chicken, beans, potato salad, and coleslaw that was super spicy. Today was a good day – so goodnight world, and may people see Jesus through me!