Haiti August 4, 2015

Report by Chuck Poplin

The last days of a trip are almost always bittersweet when you have to say goodbye to one of the team members. After breakfast everyone went to a small Church of God in the area where several children and even a couple of adults met us. Our team of interpreters started a great time of leading the kids in different songs. We were all pleasantly surprised and blessed when two of the girls there stood up and sang a well-known worship song, in both Creole and English! They were so young and yet sang so well and so confidently! Several of the boys from the Jerusalem church area must have felt challenged, because after finding a place nearby to practice a few minutes they returned to sing a couple of songs themselves. We were all blessed! The Wright Baptist VBS team then had the attention of all the kids, as well as the participation of some, as they told the story of Noah.

After finishing there, it was time to tell Betty goodbye. Having met her on my first trip to Haiti and seeing her lead the medical then and again this week, I was especially happy to watch my daughter, Amanda, following her desire as a nursing student and working with Betty and the team. Then, also to watch my niece, Stephanie, and Joe, my daughter’s boyfriend, both having their first mission experience in Haiti only added to that blessing!

After lunch, everyone walked to still another church in the area where the plan was to meet kids there and have the VBS team lead again in singing and teaching. Though we were disappointed to arrive and find no one there, everyone sat down to rest a few minutes and, in just a short time, a few kids walked over. When the interpreters began leading in some songs, more and more kids came over to join the fun. By the time it was over, there was a good group of children who had fun and heard that Jesus loved them.

It is simply amazing to see the work that TEM has accomplished since that first trip. You can easily see and sense God’s blessing on the work in lives of the children and the adults in the area, as well as the progress in physical structures. Lives are being changed through the ministry of the gospel in Z’Oranges. That is clearly seen.