Haiti July 13, 2014

Report by Elizabeth Johnson

This morning we went to church, and then this afternoon we ventured out to the voodoo village, and visited a few huts along the way. The thing that caught me the most off guard was that even in Haiti there seems to be different levels of poverty. The children and adults living around the mission compound and within the compound take care to wear clean clothes. Even those clothes have to be washed by hand in the same buckets that are used for bathing themselves. They appear clean and modestly dressed, they wear shoes, and some even have cell phones and watches. When we were side by side in church I looked at my brothers and sisters in Christ and the thought, “It takes a village to raise a child,” came to mind. The Haitians all care for and love on each other’s children. It is actually hard to know who is the mother or father, because the nearest person holds, and loves on a crying child. All of the children act like siblings; it is awe-inspiring to witness. They are also very relaxed with time – quite different from the States, where life is always hurry up and go. The families around the mission house are full of laughter and joy. I wish I could say the same for all of the people of Haiti; the farther we walked the more my heart broke for the children. These children wore t-shirts filled with holes, most had no pants, and several had no shoes. They appeared to be malnourished, and they were very grateful to receive the rice and beans we were distributing. Several of the babies had boils on their skin, and there was very little we could do to help them. The majority of the Haitians are the latter of the two comparisons. They are so much in need of the basic essentials it takes just to survive – food, clothing, clean water – all of which Americans, myself included, take for granted. My prayers are that all of the needs, including medical needs, can be met for all of the Haitians. We are so blessed in the United States. Until a person experiences this culture first hand, there is no comprehension.

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Report by Katie Bishop

Today was another amazing day in the presence of the Lord and in the center of His Will! We started the morning off with yummy pancakes and smiles, then off to church we went. Pastor Do (the Haitian pastor) said something yesterday that made me think. He said if I(the Haitian) and you(the American) were to peel our skin we would see no difference. God made us all in His image and for His works, and He is showing us all how precious every single one of us is. It is absolutely amazing, getting to praise the one true God with our brothers and sisters from across the world. Later in the day we went to Sylvest’s house, and to the voodoo village. It breaks my heart into a million pieces seeing these precious creations of God stuck in a lifestyle like this. But that is why God sends His people, to be a light in this darkness. Praise God, Sylvest chose to accept God in his heart a few years ago, and when we visited him today he smiled from ear to ear. Wow, it amazes me how much joy they have with what little they have, yet we aren’t very joyful and thankful to the Lord for all we have and what He has blessed us with – just let that sink in for a minute . . .

Last summer when I came here I asked God to let me experience His love full on because we don’t have all the worldly distractions here that we do at home. Two days later I met a little girl named Mylove – there was God’s presence in the eyes of this precious baby girl. I have been praying for her and that God, if it is His will, would let me see her again this trip. After the voodoo village we made a surprise stop at a house/hut I had never been to before, and I turned around and there she was! Tears flowing, I hugged her and told her I loved her, and she didn’t know what to do. I could say so much more about today and every day, but I leave you with this verse – Acts 20:24: “However I count my life as nothing to me, if only I may finish the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the good news of God’s Grace.”