Haiti July 16, 2015

Report by Jonathan Shepard

Wow! It has been an “AWESOME” trip! Last night, Wednesday, we had the opportunity to attend Jerusalem IV Church and worship with our Haitian friends. Worship, we did! Music seems to be a cultural influence among the Haitians. Everywhere we go, music is a big part of the people. It was no different at church. A scripture that comes to my mind is 2 Samuel 6:12-22, where King David rejoices when the Ark of the Covenant enters the city of David. David danced before the Lord due to the excitement of his heart of God’s presence and power returning to the people of Israel. In one particular translation, he tells his wife that the next time he dances for the Lord, he will be even more undignified in his worship. David was so caught up in the Spirit of worship that he didn’t care about the reaction of others. That story sums up what worship was like with our Haitian brothers and sisters.

We as Americans are so different in our worship. We desire a few songs, a few announcements, a prayer, preaching, and benediction. All of this in about 1 hour of time, of course. Last night, our worship was undignified, undiluted, and unpredictable. The Spirit of God moved in our hearts in one accord and we sang praise to Christ for about 2 hours. One song alone was about 30 minutes. We sang, danced, praised, and were gladdened in our hearts by the oil of gladness from God’s precious Spirit. Praise God!

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Report by Nancy Baker

Another great day in Haiti! Started out early this morning – we were going to Jerusalem IV again, but this time it was to do VBS with the kids. After we all piled in the BIG truck, we headed out. The ride was very bumpy because of all the rocky roads. As we drove, all the kids would run out to wave at us. A lot of the smaller boys do not wear pants…..because they don’t have any, or maybe it was wash day and their 1 pair of pants was being washed. The people here are very poor and don’t have a lot – of anything. It makes you appreciate what you have at home.

There were lots of people on the road, most walking, some riding motorcycles, some riding mules or horses. Today was market day, and they were all headed there to either buy or sell their goods. Almost all the women were balancing big bundles of beans, grain, fruit, etc., on their heads. Some had 5-gal buckets full of stuff on their heads. Some had both! Debbie talked to one older lady who had a bucket full and a bundle on her head, and asked her if she could try putting it on her head. After a lot of grunting and moaning we got it on Debbie’s head – it didn’t take her long to get it off! She said it weighed about 30+ pounds; it is amazing how much their buckets and bundles weigh.

The kids were anxiously waiting for us when we got to the church. Their favorite part of VBS seems to be the music and singing. Shawn led them, and he danced and sang with them. The kids would laugh at his crazy dancing. Crafts was another activity they enjoyed. Just like at home…..they couldn’t get enough stickers! Teaching was next. Kids from the group were chosen to act out stories in the Bible – all the kids enjoyed playing the characters. When all that was over, we took them outside to play with balls and balloons. These kids starve for attention. They don’t get much at home because the parents are so busy just trying to stay alive and get food for the family. I don’t think you could give them too much loving, and that is what we did a lot of…..loving!