July 2011
18 posts
Just the Beginning
Our team returned home yesterday after an amazing week serving the people of Bohoc. After visiting a third-world country that had been devasted by an earthquake only 18 months ago, with a government in turmoil and so many people still living in tents on the streets, you would think it would be easy to come home discouraged and frustrated with the lack of improvement. However, we came home quite...
Rosetta said it better...
Wednesday night we experienced our first heavy rainstorm in Bohoc. We were told if it rained hard, our long trip the following day to Port-au-Prince (PAP) would be fine because heavy rain would just wash everything away. We were also told that a light drizzle over a few hours would be something to worry about because the rain water would soak into the ground and would make the road conditions...
The Soil Is Rich
Our last day was spent in a neighboring community called Maliarette, just around the corner from our guest house. We were working with an organization called Youth Action for Haiti. A school geared for teaching children about agriculture. They have this amazing property full of rows and rows of crops….much like what our nursery’s look like at home, but with a much better backdrop.
We spent...
Zanmim'm
Describing my feelings about Haiti so far is a hard thing to do, since I think I have felt every emotion possible since stepping off the plane. But I’ll try my best!
Today we had the privilege to go back to the widow’s house to work on the pit latrine. Instead of bringing cement blocks, we gathered the ingredients to make the mortar. This included sand, rocks, lots of sifting, and...
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Our first full day of service!
We started our Monday off with a hearty breakfast (pancakes & SPAM) and a heart for service. We were all quite excited about the day ahead of us; a morning of digging a deep pit for a latrine (out-house), followed by a trip to the “market”, then lunch made and served by the locals, and capped off with a return visit to Matthew 28 - the local orphanage for the poorest of the poor.
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Mixed Emotions
Our team had the opportunity to be guests in an amazing church today in the community of Bohoc. People walked from all over Bohoc to get to church. They walked in the ninety five degree heat to a large tent set up in a field. And they weren’t walking to a comfortable church with a/c and cozy chairs, they were walking in super hot weather in their best clothes to experience and worship as a...
WatchIt’s not a boat, it’s a bus…
You got to get a little mud on the tires
Saturday, day 2 - the day is a scheduled travel day from Port-au-Prince to the village of Bohoc, approximately 90 miles north of Port-au-Prince. But due to road conditions, this is expected to be a 6 hour journey for our team and two other teams that have joined us.
Today was about the journey.. A journey of bonding with fellow teammates, a journey of seeing the beautiful Haitian countryside, a...
Welcome to Haiti!
Today has been a travel day, a time to transition from our normal everyday lives, a time to get accostomed to new surrounds (very new!). I had an early start, meeting a team member at 5am and working our way towards Hartsfield to meet the rest of the team by 6am. Our flight departed by on time, a layover in Miami, then we arrived in Port Au Prince aound 3pm Haiti-time(it’s actually the...
for such a time as this......
For some getting on the plane will be where it starts, for some the moment we get off the plane in Haiti the emotions begin, but to be honest the emotion started for me a couple weeks back..… don’t misunderstand, God has shown up in the MOST unbelievable ways, but as the trip drew closer, the “things” I had to get done weighed heavier on my mind, the endless shopping trips, the shots, the pills,...
June 2011
13 posts
What will change Haiti?
During our trip, we had the chance to sit down with a group of Americans living in Haiti, along with a group of local leaders in the community we worked in. This was an awesome experience to get a better view of the current state of the village and the vision for where it is heading.
One question we asked while speaking with them was “What is the most important thing that must change to turn Haiti...
Keep a piece of my heart
It’s our last day in Bohoc. The entire trip has been a roller coaster of emotions … I feel happy and thankful and fulfilled one minute and then confused and anxious and empty the next. In one way, I feel as though I have accomplished much, but in another sense, I feel as though I could have done more.
Connecting with the team alone has been amazing. This trip has not been easy but the...
Pushen Moon, (Next One)
‘Pushen moon’ I said in creole, ‘Next one’. The young mother rose from the bench which was situated under the tree in the yard, sheltered from the hot sun. She rose holding her baby girl. She had been waiting about an hour there. As she passed by I could tell she was tired. Her face glistened in the noonday light reflecting the bright sun, and her daughter was still. I wondered as I saw her...
Humility
Humility. This was my word coming into this week. Its a word that many Americans aren’t familiar with. We as Americans take Pride seriously. We live in a “me-first” culture. Our status is very important to us. How much money are we making? How’s my job? Look at my house. Look at my car. How do I look? Does she/he like me? Look how big and amazing our church is. Heck we...
Got Milk?
Our day began this morning, as it has every morning, with the sound of the roosters cock-a-doodle-do. As we headed out, I prepared to work at HAFF, and spend my time helping with the Milk Program.
The Milk Program is a program that is offered to some of the children of the community who are malnourished. Unfortunately, while most of the kids in Bochoc fall into this category, due to limited...
The Love of a Father
How much more does Christ love us?
That’s the thought that runs through my mind as I reflect on our first full work day in Haiti. Our day began more labor heavy as our team split into three groups. The first team carried buckets of rocks through an assembly line to help build the church of pastor George. Two other teams worked at the Haitian American Friendship Fund (HAFF) with the staff...
No Comcast in Haiti??
It’s funny how when we begin doing things in our life that make sense, that God has truly led us to do, we forget about the other aspects of our lives that tend to consume our interests and thoughts. Last night, after debriefing our day, somebody pointed out that we hadn’t watched TV… if I’m being completely honest, I have NEVER gone one week without TV in my entire...
Sunday Funday
Today was the first full day in the Bohoc community. And before I go further let me say thank you for your prayers. They are felt and working. No one has been sick and everything has gone very smoothly.
We started the day attending one of the local churches. One little girl (probably 4 or 5) made us feel especially welcome afterwards as she walked around and kissed each of us on the cheek.
...
"IMbrad" the Amateur Shoemaker
6/10/11
Tonight, was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. During our journey out to Bohoc, our team stopped at the “New Life Children’s Home” to bunker down and grab some rest in expectation of our long bus ride the next day. Shortly after dinner, we were allowed to socialize and play with the kids that were out on the swings, playing soccer, running after...
Just like the movies...
Usually waking up at 3:30am would bother me, but yesterday was a different ballgame. Waking up at 3:30am felt like I was a child on Christmas morning. In our household we would wake up early… usually our parents were already awake because my Dad had a tradition of taking a shower before we could go down to see what Santa brought. After the shower, we would wait, not patiently, to go...
I'm Back
It’s been about ten months since I left Haiti. I came here last July on my first mission trip and now God has brought me back just ten months later. Haiti looks about the same as I remember. I feel like I saw fewer tent cities than before but that could just be the neighborhoods we drove through. Either way, it is crazy to think we are less than a hundred miles from the affluence of the...
I know I AM
Tomorrow morning we leave for Bohoc. Tonight, as things wind down, I am excited to join my team and finally board the plane to Haiti. However, this week has been a jumble of emotions. I started the week excited, filled with anticipation of serving with an amazing team. But, each day this week seemed to have a different challenge: I felt as though I was really doing spiritual battle. One day I was...
Haiti family 2011... on our way!
Numbers:
512… the number of days since the 7.0 magnitude Earthquake hit Haiti
141… the number of days since I applied to go to Haiti
65….. the number of days since I met 22 individuals (most of whom I did not know)
18….. the number of days since I began calling them family
3……. the number of days before we leave for Haiti
Infinite… the many ways God, our supporters, and our Haiti...
August 2010
16 posts
To Whom Much is Given, Much is Expected (Haiti...
“To whom much is given, much is expected” has been on my mind since the day that we left for Haiti. This thought came out of nowhere as we were flying to Haiti last Saturday. Now that we are back, I have heard it echoing in my mind every day. I looked up the reference in the bible and read a few commentaries on this verse. The verse is part of Luke 12 where Jesus is talking about waiting on...
WatchSteve Bittle, Globalx Haiti team member, shares about his experience in Haiti on his last day.
It is now personal.
Mondays are supposed to be tough. But today was especially tough for me. Today was the day we were supposed to go back into our world, dress up, and conduct business as usual. It was not a typical Monday for me. My thoughts and emotions were running wild. I couldn’t concentrate. You would think that coming home to my soft bed, air conditioning, and a paying job would be exciting after spending a...
Samuel.
I’ve spent the day thinking about and going over what to write. I think though that I was really procrastinating on this task. Because writing this somehow solidifies that it happened and is over. I’m not sure, even 48 hours after landing in the US, that I am ready for that.
I could tell you that this trip blew my hopes and expectations. Even the ones I had but wouldn’t...
WatchAlice shares an amazing story of how she loved on a little girl with a broken knee from the Earthquake.
WatchWho needs a drum when you have a refrigerator? The neighborhood kids of Crep Sac in Port Au Prince entrain our team with their musical skills.
Check out Blake's Photos From Haiti on Flickr! →
These are my favorite 160 photos out of a billion. So many amazing children, friends, and people now dear to my heart.
4 tags
Earn This- Back Home
Well, we are back. Adjusting to Atlanta city life is already hard. The stark contrast from the rubble covered streets of Port Au Prince to the bright white hallways of Hartsfield Jackson International is blinding and hard. Jumping back into the same old surface conversations as before is hard. Trying to explain what we witnessed and experienced is hard. God has forever changed me. The hardest...
Eyes of a Child
As the week in Haiti comes to a close, I am left with images of pain, fear and despair. It has been hard to look past the rubble, debris and vast poverty. Hard to see beyond the tents, beyond the piles of garbage, beyond the immense need. The team and I have spent the last six days in a city that would easily break anyone’s heart, and we could easily have been discouraged. Even feel helpless...
A Change of Pace
Today was our first day of Vacation Bible School. We went into a neighborhood very close to the epicenter were most of the damage occurred. Many of the house had great amounts of destruction. We were lucky enough to be working with a family who has affiliations in Atlanta. The family cooks lunch everyday for the neighborhood children. So we were asked to have a VBS with these kids.
We arrived and...
Curveballs
I’ve had a hard time deciding what to write about for this blog post. It seems that there are too many words to describe what we’ve seen and experienced, and at the same time there are no words. How do you accurately describe seemingly endless poverty, or unmerited generosity from people who have absolutely nothing? Even those simple words don’t reflect what I’ve seen with...
Day 3: Down to Business
Day 3 started much like its predecessor but with an important twist; the prospect that we were finally going to get started on our mission! After yesterday’s grim reality of what this country faces, we set out with determined minds and open hearts. Two hours on a bus traveling roads impassible by US standards took us to two separate sites where we would finally get a dose of that hard work we’ve...
Day Two: Church
This morning we worshipped with a local Haitian congregation. We are hundreds of miles from our houses, but we were at home in God’s house. Hundreds of people speaking a different language, living in a different culture, and practicing different traditions but all worshipping the same God that I call Father. As they sang songs, my minded tried to remember what little it could from high...
July 2010
7 posts
5 tags
Elevation: High
Day one. Haiti bound. I’m on a plane headed to Miami and I’m always overwhelmed at the perspective I gain as I stare out of an airplane window. Everything is so small. Hundreds of trees together, now are just a green patch from up here. I’ll pass over millions of people as we travel from Atlanta to Miami…Miami onto Haiti. I don’t know them. I don’t know their...
Are you all packed?
I’ve spent the last week getting ready for this trip. On Monday, I took my 3 page packing list to Target to make sure I had everything that I need. I bought snacks and personal items like sunscreen, travel shampoo, bug spray, and Phase 10. On Wednesday, I started laying out everything that I wanted to pack to make sure I didn’t miss anything (I did miss a few things that I needed to wash and a few...
Going up
I don’t always know how to fully prepare for a mission trip before I go. Sure, there are the logistical parts of packing, laundry, etc. That’s the easy part for me. But preparing my mind and my heart is another story…especially when I think of the devastation that Haiti has endured this year.
This week, I’ve been reading through the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) These 15 psalms were...