Haiti March 10, 2015

Report by Logan Pendley & Joe Kuntz

Today we went to another village in the mountains called Jerusalem IV to do more medical clinics and VBS at a school. In VBS we sang songs, taught bible lessons, and did crafts with 3 different groups of children. The last group – the older kids – were able to sing about 2 songs in English, which made it really fun! We did the VBS for about 2 hours. After that, all of us who were not helping with the medical stuff got to just play around with the kids. We played soccer (or “futbol”) and monkey in the middle with about 20-30 of the school children. After playing games and kicking the ball around, we got to watch some of the kids dance for their exercise, and we had the chance to talk to some of the sweet girls who spoke some Spanish, which made it even easier to communicate. We finished up around 3 p.m. Tonight we are heading out to a voodoo village.

The group that helped with the medical clinic had the privilege of seeing and helping 235 Haitian adults and children! Karri diagnosed 40 patients by herself, and was introduced to every rash possible in Haiti. Many people who came were malnourished or were having pain/headaches, and by providing daily vitamins and Tylenol we were able to help them. It was a joy to have the Sam Houston team and Mississippi team working together again to bring in patients, diagnose them, sort medicine and hand things out. The smiles and excited expressions on the faces of the Haitians were priceless. It has been an amazing experience to serve here, and we look forward to the next few days!

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Report by David Moss

I love culture, and the Haitian people have a beautiful one. Language, customs, and people groups fascinate me, and as a follower of Christ, I long for the picture in Revelation of all peoples beautifully represented under one banner and worshiping God eternally. Today we hosted a medical clinic in one of the mountain communities. The school/church/clinic was packed with Haitians young and old. As the line for medical care died down, I had an opportunity to spend time with a few Haitian teachers after school let out. One sat with me and taught me Creole! And by sat I mean, I sat on a student bench, and he wrote English words and phrases on a chalkboard and taught me their English equivalents. It was an amazing experience.

As I have these cross-cultural experiences, I cannot help but think of Pentecost in Acts. When the Holy Spirit fell on the original church, they miraculously began to speak in such a way that every culture represented could understand the Gospel. One day language and culture will be just as beautiful as it is today only it will no longer be a barrier. We will forever in heaven speak a unified language. That language will not be Haitian, Spanish, or English (sorry Americans), but it will be an eternal language of love, peace, justice, and worship of our Father God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord come soon.