Haiti March 22, 2014

Report by Pastor Lonnie

Happy Saturday!

Most Americans can appreciate a good walk…especially on a Saturday morning. Now, I don’t know about yours, but our Saturday has been blessed with a walk of a different nature…much different from any walk in our native community.

It started at daybreak (around 6:30 a.m.) when the sun peeked just above the closest mountain. Angela, John, Ken, Simon (our interpreter) and I journeyed out of the village and down the road for our trek to Jerusalem II. Jerusalem II is another church that was planted in this area about 15 years ago. This church sits upon one of the most majestic mountains I have ever seen, exactly 3.03 miles away from Z’Orange.

What’s so special about this walk, do you ask? Well, it’s special for a lot of reasons, but for the sake of this entry, I will only name what I believe to be the most glaring reason – the drive of the goal. You see, this walk up the mountain to Jerusalem II is a walk full of pain. The first 45 minutes of the trek entails a test of will. Do you keep going, or do you turn around and go back? Will you give up? How many times do you stop to rest, further setting yourself at risk of turning around? Your legs hurt. Your thighs burn. Blisters form on your feet. And then there’s the heat. All of this while we are passed by barefoot Haitians, carrying water on their heads, pulling a donkey loaded down with picks, beans, vegetation and more water. Please trust me when I say that it is easy to give in and turn around, until you remember why you are walking in the first place.

This morning we walked simply to go see the children of Jerusalem II, to put smiles on their faces by spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We walked to tell them about Jesus. We gave them some candy, played games with them, and told The Story. Period. That’s why we are here, and that is why we walked. And that is also why none of us gave up – even though we were in pain.

Happy Saturday, indeed!

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Report by Gwen

To God be the Glory!

This week in Z’Orange has been a wonderful experience and opportunity to serve God’s children. There were 7 of us in this group, Pastor Lonnie, Jeffrey, Ken, Angela, John, Miayah and myself. Upon our arrival the adventure started.

I don’t mean to give anyone the idea that this has been a lot of the typical adventure theme, because it has not been that. This adventure takes you to places and shows you sights that you never expected. The countryside is vast and it has a rugged beauty, but the people make it even more beautiful! All the curious children with the beautiful smiles and the adults with their kind natures is oh so refreshing to take in.

There are many church-sponsored schools and all are filled with children who really want to learn. We had the opportunity to visit several of the schools and spread God’s love through VBS, and it was great! Ken made the presentations, with the help of an interpreter, to very receptive children who participated to help make the stories come to life.

The terrain is extremely rough and the people in this region travel by motorbike – if they are fortunate enough to have one – by mule, or on foot, which is the most common means of getting around. There is much to talk about of this country, but first-hand knowledge is the best, because I could write a small book about our time in Haiti and I would still possibly omit something. We have enjoyed this opportunity to serve, and many of us will be doing this again, because the reward is not to us but to the people of Z’Orange as we are mere vessels. If anyone reads this and feels that they can contribute, climb on board! The ride may get bumpy, but everything will smooth out by and by! Be Blessed.