Haiti June 4, 2012

Report by Asher Bechtold

Sunday morning we woke up and went to church. Church here is so amazing and moving! Even though I do not know what they are saying I can feel the presence of the Lord. It is amazing how they worship the one true God; they sing, dance, and clap. They sometimes worship with the piano, guitar, and drums. Then after they are done, we go up and sing a few songs, depending if we are doing a skit or not, we do three or four songs. I love going up there and singing because even though they have no clue what we are saying they still listen and pay attention. The skits that we perform really get the crowd going because they love it!

Later on during the day, Sunday, we mainly just relaxed. But later on that afternoon we went up to a church that was being built and a few of the interpreters went up there with us. When we arrived at the church we were able to talk to some people who have been there since the earthquake happened. The church was made on top of a hill and the view was amazing!

My eyes have really been opened because of this trip. God has blessed me and my parents for providing to allow me to come on this trip. I am very thankful. I see people walking around with buckets and pots on their heads and a lot of the times I see very young children with massive buckets on their heads. There is garbage everywhere but not as bad as I expected. The children love when we play with them and I love to play with them! They really enjoy when we try to speak Creole, even if we do not say the correct things. We still have a few days to go in this journey. I cannot wait to see what God has planned for us to do! So far we have painted two houses, walked up a huge mountain, and visited many churches.

I love you mom, dad and Ryia!

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Report by Kristen Bernheisel

I love how the Haitians play their music in church, and when they dance and sing with extreme enthusiasm. I wish that the chapels at Rocky Bayou would be more like that.

A few days ago, we hiked to Jerusalem II to go to two churches. It was about a 4-hour hike there and back, and it was intensely difficult with all the hills and rocks and river beds. The hike made me think about the Haitians who walk that every day for food, water, and other necessities.

I felt happy inside when we painted Pastor DorLeon’s house the next day. He told us that he was very blessed by our work! I also feel the love and joy of Christ when I walk around with the kids and they smile and laugh like they have everything in the world (meaning God), which I hope they do. Rich or poor you can tell that they have a spiritual relationship with God.

I especially love blessing the Haitians when I play the violin for them. I feel like I get into it more than I usually do at home. I truly know now what God has blessed me with. God has used this trip to really help me figure out that I want to continue with my music after I graduate next year.

It is also a great challenge to learn their language, but a rewarding one! I just want to thank God, and my parents the most for blessing me for being able to go on this mission trip!