DAY 6

As we drove to today's party, we headed in the opposite direction from where we have been going up until now.  The scenery was beautiful with a clear view of the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other.  There were also open fields where we saw cows, goats, and, of course, chickens. 

As we left the streets and kept turning down more and more side roads, we left the busyness of the city behind.  Several members of our team commented, "How did they ever find this place to begin with?"  It was a beautiful church with grassy fields all around.  The church was nice, but its size had us all wondering how the 2000 children we were were expecting to be at the party were ever going to fit.

When we finally arrived, though a little late, the church was already full by American standards with just as many people waiting outside as there was inside.  After a little rearranging of the pews by pushing them closer together and squeezing more children on each pew with some sitting on the floor, another 500 children were squeezed inside.  The remaining children crowded near the doorways.

Out of all of the parties we've conducted so far, these children were probably the most responsive to the puppet show.  The puppet team and narrators flowed with the children's excitement and did a fantastic job of getting into it themselves.  At one point Michael Jeune, our main narrator, asked a question as the Roman guard and the whole room responded.

After the puppet show and the presentation of the gospel, several of the Haitian children gave impromptu presentations - solos, duets, dances, and skits.  They were all very happy to show off their talents as we waited for the food to come.  As we waited and waited and waited for the food (about 2 hours), the children patiently sat in their seats practically sitting on top of each other in the hot, hard pews.  There was no hint of murmuring or complaining from them about the time it was taking for the food to come.  

On the other hand, much of our team was restless, alternating between trying to sleep or pacing back and forth asking, "When did they say the food was coming?"  We took note of the patience of the children versus our own.  In talking to one of the young men that has been helping us all week and talking about trusting God, he reminded us that God tells us not to worry about anything and to patiently wait upon Him and trust in Him for everything. In watching the Haitians' reaction to the food being late versus ours, it is clear they practice complete trust in God.

Because of the crowded conditions and numerous people standing in the doorway, it was decided that it would be better for our team to get out of the way and not try to pass out the food.  So once the food did arrive, we packed up our bags and went outside to have our lunch on the lawn before we piled in the van and headed back.  We made a quick pit-stop at Grace Village and then headed over to the boys' home.

Norma playing with her "son."

At the boys' home, we were greeted by several boys that couldn't wait to see us.  Rhonda, who joined us from Michigan, sponsors a little boy there that was so happy to see her that he didn't even let her get out of the car before he climbed in and jumped into her arms.  The other boys were almost as excited to see us and fought over who would be able to hold our hands and escort us up the stairs.  After making it upstairs, some of the boys pulled out the benches they made this summer and had us all sit down.  They did an excellent job on these benches and are so proud of their work.  Muriel was able to spend time with a little boy she sponsors named Ronalson and Norma was introduced to her new "son", Lucinson.  We had a great time loving on the boys, watching them play and show off their benches and new toys, and visiting with them all for about an hour before heading back for dinner.  It was a long day, but a great one and a good way to wrap up our last evening here in Haiti.

DAY 5

The venue for today's party was a very nice church in the mountains about an hour and a half drive from where we are staying.  Below are some pictures of our sights along the way.

Packing up the bus with toys for the children.

This church was very spacious and had real seats with cushions which is a definite treat here in Haiti.  There was a definite difference with the children, too.  While they still were obviously hungry, they looked more nourished and cared for, their clothes fit them better and all the girls came with their ribbons and barrettes in their hair and all dressed up in their favorite dresses for the party.

The layout of the church allowed us more room for passing out the food and presents.  The aisles were wide and all the children were sitting in seats rather than all over the floor as was the case at yesterday's party.  It was also very nice to have good-size windows that occasionally would allow a nice cool breeze to blow through keeping the building much cooler than it would have been without it.  The wider aisles and layout of the building also made it much easier for us to interact with the children today.  Many of us were able to sit with them during the puppet show which is always fun.  It's interesting to see the puppets through the children's eyes and see their faces light up with excitement as they watch the show.

After the puppet show, Pastor Eric's presentation of the gospel, and lunch, we were able to make balloon animals for many of the children while they were waiting for the presents to be handed out.  With approximately 1700 children present, there was no way to make balloons for all of them.  Making the balloons was very time consuming, but the ones we were able to make and pass out gave us an opportunity to connect with some children with whom we may not have been able to connect with otherwise.

"It doesn't take any verbal communication whatsoever to connect with these children.  Looking them in the eyes as I hand them a balloon makes the connection." ~ Pastor Eric (Michigan team)

"I just want to love all of the children, but I don't always know how because not all of them receive love in the same way." ~ Katie






After passing out all of the balloons, our team talked about several different specific examples of children that had touched us because of the connection that was made when we took the time to look them in the eye, show them that we cared, and give them a balloon. Like so many other aspects of this trip - it's priceless.

Courtney, a sweet lady who has been staying here as a missionary associate for the last several months, has been a tremendous help to our team while we've been here.  Her energy and love for the Haitian people is contagious.  She will be leaving in the morning to return back to the United States, so we had a small farewell party for her tonight after dinner with Bishop and Madame Jeune, as well as, a few of the girls from the girls' home.  We were happy to be able to share in this with her although we wish she could stay a day longer and join us for our last party tomorrow.  We love you, Courtney!

THE HAITI TEAM

DAY 4

Today was the first Christmas party.  This is what all of the packing and work earlier in the week leads up to and when the trip really becomes real for most of us.

The party was scheduled to begin at 9:00, so we all rose early and had breakfast to prepare to leave by 7:30.  However, time is handled a little differently in Haiti, so leaving by 7:30 turned into leaving for the party at 8:45.  When we arrived about 9:20, the children were just filing in.

While the kids assembled, the team began to interact with them one on one.  This is a great opportunity to get to meet and love on these children who are so excited to see us, get their pictures taken, and to reach out and touch us as we are walking by.

"The desire these children have for attention really stands out to me as they reach out to touch my skirt as I walk by.  This really touches my heart." ~ Erin 

As a group, the team sang interactive songs with the children such as "Father Abraham" or "Papa Abraham" as they sing it and "If You're Happy and You Know It" to help get the wiggles out while more children continued to file in.  One of the other songs that they sing is "Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah, Praising the Lord" which is a fun song to do in splitting up the room with half the children singing the Hallelujah part and the other singing the Praising the Lord part and each side standing up when it's their turn to sing.  The children love it, and it's amazing to hear thousands of children singing praises to the Lord at the top of their lungs. 

"No matter how many times I come to Haiti, I always enjoy seeing the generation of worship that is being raised up and how an attitude of praise is instilled at such a young age." ~ Chris








It really is incredible to hear thousands of children worshiping God and saying, "Thank you, Jesus!  We love you, Jesus!" altogether in unison.

After singing with the children, next came the puppet show which the children always enjoy.  The puppet team does an incredible job bringing the Nativity story to life for these children in their own language as they sit enraptured by the different characters and voices while learning about Jesus' birth and the reason we celebrate Christmas.

"When comparing these children to American children, I see a huge difference in behavior between the two.  We had just under 1800 children at the party today packed into pews and aisles like sardines.  Yet they sat there quietly for hours not complaining about the heat or the length of the program.  I don't believe this would be the case in America." ~ Sue







After the puppet show, Pastor Eric, a pastor from Michigan who our team has worked with in past years in these Christmas parties and VBS trips in the summer, delivered a great message and clearly presented the gospel to the children.  We then began the process of passing out food to all the children and their leaders.  The church was packed full with children making our task a bit of a challenge with room barely to walk.

In preparing for the party, we had carefully counted out how many gifts we needed for the amount of people we expected.  Each person that comes through the doors must have a name tag (like a ticket) in order to receive their food.  It is not uncommon to see many children walking around holding onto their tags hoping not to lose them.  Today's party was presented in a very impoverished area where we have never done it before.  There were many people showing up for the party hoping to "sneak" in.  It hurt our hearts to see security go through very carefully checking for name tags and dismissing those without one.  As much as we wished there was more, we only prepared enough food for those we knew were coming.  As we passed out the food, the entire building was surrounded by people trying to reach in and get some food.  One lady in particular was begging for her daughter because she hadn't eaten in a few days.  It was heartbreaking to say the least.  It was a blessing to be able to feed so many, but having to turn so many away really tugged at our hearts.

Courtney, one of the missionary assistants who has been working here for the past 5 months, told us an amazing story after dinner.  After we left the party and everyone had been fed and received a toy and the crowd dismissed, they took notice of how much food was left over. They invited all of those people who had been waiting outside for hours to come in and eat. There was plenty of food to feed them and enough toys to give each of their children as well!
So even when we didn't think we had enough, God showed us He is enough and with Him all things are possible.  Our God truly is amazing and is still in the miracle-working business!

THE HAITI TEAM

DAY 3

Today we started out by walking over to the school and watching the opening ceremonies.  Every morning at 8:00 all of the children from the school raise the flag and quote Psalm 92 together in unison.  Even though most of the team has been here before, Chris is the only one who has actually seen the opening ceremonies.  While we couldn't understand much of what they were saying, it was still a neat experience to see all of those children lined up and saying together:

"It is good to praise the Lord
    and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 proclaiming your love in the morning 
     and your faithfulness at night,
3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre
     and the melody of the harp.
4 For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
     I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
5 How great are your works, Lord,
     how profound your thoughts!
6 Senseless people do not know,
     fools do not understand,
7 though the wicked spring up like grass
     and all evildoers flourish
8 But you, Lord, are forever exalted.  
9 For surely your enemies, Lord,
     surely your enemies will perish;
     all evildoers will be scattered.
10 You have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox;
       fine oils have been poured on me.
11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries;
       my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
        they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord,
       they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
       they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, 'The Lord is upright;
       he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.'"

Norma & Katie visiting with the children before school.

Since the children have been in school all day, this was the first real interaction that we have had with many of the school-aged children, and as brief as it was, everyone was very excited to be able to spend a few minutes with them before they headed off to school and we headed off to finish packing the remaining gifts.

Tammy, Vickie & Katie helping with the bags.

While packing today, we entertained ourselves by singing several worship and Christmas songs as we worked.  Sue has a beautiful voice and led us in song after song, which made the morning fly by as we worked until almost lunchtime before we ran out of toys and had to stop.

After lunch our group split with some of us going to the girls' home to hang out with the girls there and some going on a road trip to another orphanage called the Sunshine Home.  One of the ladies from the Miami team works closely with the Sunshine Home, and while she was passing out presents for the children from their sponsors, the rest of us were able to hang out with the children that were waiting for their turn.

Sue & Vickie with the girls.

Erin

Norma with her arms full of boys.

While at the girls' home, Muriel was able to catch up with the little girl that she sponsors and Katie and Tammy were thrilled to be able to catch up with several of the girls that have stolen their hearts on previous trips.  All in all, it has been a very good day, and now we are all ready to let the parties begin tomorrow!

Muriel with the girl she sponsors.

Tammy with her friends.

Katie with her friends.

Also, Madame Jeune is doing much better and has been released from the hospital.  The girls are all excited because "Mommy's back."  Thank you all for your prayers.

THE HAITI TEAM