Life

The meaning of life changed for me today at Mother Teresa's. Words can not explain the emotions that I felt or the things that I witnessed. I can't grasp the events that happened today, but I felt God's love and energy through the missionaries, the nuns, and the mothers trying to save their small babies. As soon as I walked into the door today, people were gathered around a small girl hooked to IV's. I could hear the chanting of the Rosary as missionaries prayed around the small child. The girl had arrived 10 minutes before we did and was taken into immediate care- she was having siezures, had a heart rate of 150, and a blood glucose of 41. It was so intense, but incredible to see the nuns come together to try and save her life. The intensity in the room settled as the managed to bring down the infants heart rate, proved her with a glucose solution, and put her onto an oxygen tank. This event brought tears to my eyes and took my breath away.

Today, I witnessed a mother caring for her malnourished baby. She would not leave her little infant's side; the nuns told me that she has been there everyday breast feeding her little one and caring for it. I could see her concern and love for her small child as she watched it sleep attached to IVs. I couldn't even imagine watch she was going through. She brought tears to my eyes.

It was the one pound, 3 month old infant that broke my heart into a million pieces. When I saw how small this baby was in Paulette's arms, when I saw the ribs of the infant, I cried more than I have yet to this trip. I saw how hard it was for him to cry, to breath, and to move. All he wanted to do was nourished and be loved. It broke my heart. I was able to hold him in my arms and to proved him with love. He was so light; I felt like I was holding a feather he. I prayed and I prayed that God would help him to feel no pain and to be protected by his love and saving grace. I could not believe the things I was seeing; I never thought I would see a living being so small and so helpless. He changed my life.

Please pray for baby John Paul and all the other sick, malnourished, and dying babies at Mother Teresa's.

God bless,
Kristina DeMuth

Healing Haiti Team Member

January 2011

My 5 Senses in Haiti...

I have found that while in Haiti my 5 senses have never experienced so much. Here are some of the details:

Sight:
* Seeing an elderly woman unable to walk, so she crawled on her hands and knees across a busy highway
* Watching children sing and pray to us with their hands in the air and eyes closed as they belt out beautiful music
* Seeing the colorful fruits and vegetables of Haiti at the open farmer's market lay across the tarps and blankets of the vendors, as well as their laps as they chop cabbage heads and peel open pea pods

Sound:
* Constant honking of horns as drivers weave all around the rocky and bumpy streets of dirt as to warn of their passing as there are no street stripes, stoplights, or signage
* Sounds of many babies crying as the visiting hours end for parents of very sick children who all lay the children down in their cribs at once
* Sounds of the water trucks backing up and laying on the warning siren so that the people begin to line up with their buckets to receive their week's water

Smell:
* The smell of burning plastic and garbage in the air as there is no garbage service anywhere
* The smell of human waste all around the 'tent cities' as there is no sewage system
* The smell of fresh Haitian fruit and coffee grown by the Haitian people

Touch:
* The grasping hands of the children at the orphanages as you arrive and as you leave as they claim one of your hands and fight to keep others from it
* The touch of the unpaved dusty & rocky roads slip under your feed as we walk the inclines and declines to our destinations
* The touch of food on our lips as we eat our meals and snacks, while at the same time we are remembering the 5 year old we saw at Mother Teresa's Home who is literally starving to death and physically just skin hanging over bones

Taste:
* The taste of the dust and dirt covering our lips from the constant haze of dust in the air that instantly covers us when we leave the house
* The quenching taste of water after working hard all day, and then realizing that we ran out of drinking water for the people we were serving and seeing the unbelievable disappointment in their faces

Tiffany

Healing Haiti Team Member

January 2011

Prayers Answered

I have been home from Haiti for 2 days now and I have found that I left a piece of my heart there. My heart aches to go back. I can’t express into words the great joy God has blessed me with from simply choosing to be obedient to Him and go to Haiti.

I had big expectations of God before I went to Haiti..expectations for Him to show up in a big way. I had a longing to grow closer to Him..feel Him in a way that I haven’t before. I was praying for Him to change me..mold my heart anew..make me the Christ-follower I should be…humble me. Little did I know that He would do that as well as answer a prayer that I have been praying for the last 8 years.

From the first day in Haiti, I was searching for God-trying to see why He wanted me to come there. I saw the trash everywhere with pigs in the middle of it, kids wearing little to nothing playing amidst all of it, tents/tin shacks crammed together, roads filled with rubble and pot holes bigger than I have ever seen (our ‘worst’ road would still be better than Haitian roads). We waved and said ‘Bon swa’ to people as we rode past on our way from the airport to the guest house…the people smiled and waved back. They smiled a smile that went from their mouth to their eyes-so very beautiful. How could they smile like that when they live like this?

Another day we helped with the water truck. Clean water, something so essential to life, yet not something they are abundantly given. People line up with their 5 gallon buckets or whatever container that would hold water until the next time the truck would come. Many had multiple buckets and-by themselves-would get their buckets back to their tin shack, requiring many trips, leaving their buckets on the side of the road with no one to watch them. Everyone in desperate need of clean water…yet no one would take anyone else’s buckets. It made me think about how we can’t go to an ‘after-Thanksgiving’ sale and not get into a fight over a toy or an electronic item that we don’t even remotely need. How did we lose sight of having respect for others?

Other days we went to schools, orphanages, Mother Theresa’s as well as visited a tent city. The theme was all the same: Haitian smiles that went from their mouths to their eyes, gratitude for whatever was brought or affection given, concern for our team and our well-being..when really we have it all…materialistically. I truly felt God in my life for the 1^st time in a long time because He was showing me that I don’t need all that ‘stuff. The ‘stuff’ keeps me from seeing Him..from letting Him work in my life..from letting Him use me for His purpose. Haitians have nothing..materialistically..but they have EVERYTHING. For James 2:5 says’..has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He has promised to those who love Him?’

It was our visit to the tent city that God finally answered my long-time prayer: LORD, what is Your will for me? We were talking to a woman named Jacqueline who was sick and asking for medication for her fever. Upon assessing her symptoms we came to a conclusion as to what we thought was wrong. On our way back to the guesthouse-God blessed me with a peace letting me know that this is what He wants me to do for Him…care for His sick in the poor areas of our world doing medical mission work. Looking back on my life, I see God was showing me His will for me all along, but I couldn’t see it..a desire to go on missions trips since I was young..allowing everything to fall into line with nursing school..blessing me with this opportunity in Haiti. I pray that He takes me back to Haiti, but I know I have to leave it up to God. I must clear all the ‘stuff’ out of His way so I can see God’s answer more clearly and truly have His joy. He will provide everything I need and will ALWAYS answer our prayers.

Thank You, Father God for not giving up on me and blessing me with this opportunity to truly see You!

Jennifer Schneider

Healing Haiti Team Member

Strong...

Word of the day: Strong

I wish everyone I know could have seen life in Haiti this week, even for a day. Writing, the pictures, the stories to be brought back will not do justice to capture both the worst of the worst seen down here, nor truly show the goodness of God, His good works, His ability to bless and keep and do all things, His beauty and creative hand.... and how his heart must ache for the people of Haiti.

I was part of the breakfast making again... Eggs with onion and peppers, Jean boiled "sweet potatoes" (not like ours back home we'll be having at Thanksgiving) and plantains together, we always have fresh avocado (the ones here are HUGE compared to those at home and are really good), bananas, and bread. Karen shared a passage from a book she's reading about how in order for your light to shine the brightest, it may mean going into real darkness. The writer told a story of how she bought her daughter her first flashlight and when they got home and put the batteries in, turned it on, the girl looked at her mom and said, "let's go find some darkness". When you compare the light of a flashlight to that of the Holy Spirit at work and the light Christ instructed us to be, knowing there are some very dark places in this world, the flashlight in pitch blackness doesn't compare really. Karen is a blessing to us all and has such a compassionate heart. The love of God just beams out of the woman and I am so very blessed to call her friend.

As we were finishing up breakfast, the top-top came to pick us up. Top top= taxi but a truck like a chevy s-10, but toyota style with metal bars welded to the box, and a topper box bolted on top of that. There are benches across each side. We feel crammed and squished with 12 back there- I promise you some of the Haitian filled top tops of the same size hold 20 people or more. We met our water truck guys at the water station... with Rachael finding herself with the difficult task once again to tell these men who had known Alyn with all of her trips down here, that she had passed. I just pray that her heart would be wrapped in God for her pain and grief that she has set aside to finish out this calling. We continue to encounter Alyn's favorite child or many other things that were specific to her as the week has gone by. Perhaps with Rachael's love for the Haitians, and in turn their love for her and Alyn was exactly how God wanted to begin the grieving process for her.

Our first stop was a village with guards from the UN there. They monitor and patrol the streets, as more of a peacekeeping mission. They have been everywhere actually as the elections are coming up and seem to be rather passionate here. With the passion comes the threat of violence though. I can't do an adequate job describing politics here, however I can say it is very corrupt. As we delivered water, I planted myself on a rock with a whole bunch of chldren, playing a hand slapping game, as well as just loving up on them. The toddlers could be my favorite- they just climb up onto your lap and snuggle in. The line went through very quickly it seemed- I was rather oblivious to the goings on of the water trucks this time. I saw children bathing with the water though- dumping it on their heads. I am not sure how many white people these children had seen as I found myself somewhat of an experiment as the kids squeezed my fingers to see if they were white, pressed on the spots that were tan/ a little pink to see what would happen, lifted the back of my shirt or pulled it down to the side to see if I was white everywhere- including my scalp...

As we made our way to our second stop, we found ourselves with a flat on both wheels on the water truck. We switched which stop we went to- it is not possible to fix a tire with a full tank of water, so we just needed to get to a place to fix the tire. Our top top driver, Junior, put on some music and we found ourselves having a dance party in the back of a top top. I spent much more time on the water truck this time, holding the hose as well as directing the hose to each individual bucket. I found a little girl who needed help lifting her bucket onto her head, so instead of lifting it onto hers, I put it on mine, and followed her back to her home. I have watched some of the other women in our group do this the first day, and thought the perspective would be good. It was just a large stock pot, but man did it have the possibliity of cranking on a person's neck. Her family spoke a little English, so I was able to have a little conversation with them- with them saying over and over "we are so glad to see you". I tried a full 5 gallon bucket when I got back, but didn't make it the whole way- it wasn't a smooth bottomed bucket and it just hurt. FanFan and Maxim were always around to make sure we came back out from delivering the water. Walking anywhere, I'd feel safe with Maxim. Bucket after bucket was carried, and as the water truck was emptied out, the tire was fixed up so it was driveable, and we found ourselves with a water fight of sorts- the buckets came first as they trickled in at the end, but we all got soaked. What has amazed me is that the children feel so badly when we get hurt or wet or dirty or... though we are there to serve them. I had a little girl wringing out my shirt.

We went back to the water station, and were able to get the other water truck and make the thrid run of the day. It felt like this moment when we said, "Take THAT Satan! A flat can't deter or stop or frustrate or impact the work of God here! You have no place here, with this team, with God's work, or what we can do through Him." We filled up and found ourselves back at one of the same stops we had made on Tuesday. As we got out of the top top, we had some of the children remembering our names, ready with hugs and smiles. Many children clammored up into the back of the top top. And then with a "Hey You!", I joined them holding a toddler in my arms with hair that was turning light like blonde from malnourishment, with a runny nose, and I could feel his fever as I held him. In the back of the top top, there was an entire group of girls who were again, poking and prodding to see how white I really am. They started to pet my hair... and as I caught Junior's eye, I gave him my glasses, visor, and took my pony tail down and let the girls do what they would. I still have the little braids in the front of my hair along the edge of my hair line. I had a picture taken with the girls who did my hair, holding a now sleeping infant. I pray that little boy will make it. He still has weight, but the blonde shows he's lacking, and a runny nose and fever make a mother's heart ache.

I made supper for the team and all our water boys... Rach asked me if it was ok, and I looked at her and said this is just what I do. I have gone through my list of don'ts this week and have seemingly broken all of them since I went without make up yesterday as well. But my "this is what I do" was a way to minister to the team. Water truck days are not for the faint of heart, body, or mind. What those men do each day is hard work for very little return. I am hoping all will work to have the opportunity to cook for the famly at the holidays now- having a new appreciation for food really.

Strong came from several different things. The stong hand of God covering us with protection. The strength only God could have blessed this team with. Our armor, our fence has no cracks or places God can enter in. The women in each of those villages is exceptionally strong to carry the number of buckets they do. The Haitians are strong- we saw one man pulling a cart that we would see strapped onto a pack mule, another man with a literal CAR he was pulling behind him. Their resiliancy is indescribable. Strong came in the team having the courage to face all the things we encountered and yet continue to press on and do God's work. Strong courage to break out of what we don't do and focus on what God is teaching us here. Boundaries were broken for everyone it seems. Strong in heart, body and mind that aside from one person, we have been blessed with health each day- and the one person was able to bounce back in 24 hours. To God be the glory for what He has done in each of us, for us, around us, and in the people we've served this week.

As a final note, today, this day, I long for my babies. I have seen their faces everywhere with all the children we've come in contact with. 48 or so hours to holding them.... I miss my kids. God alone has made the ache less through the constant nightmares of the week. I thank you all for your prayers for this week.

Glory to God for all He is able to do.

Love to you all.

Kristi

Healing Haiti Team Member

Hands

Word of the Day: Hands

Technical difficulties= no post yesterday and now trying to repost all that happened with another day's memories to catalogue. I have found each day here, and each place we go, feels like a collection of days instead of just one...

Yesterday started with breakfast by Lisa and Heather... the Express Breakfast, or een the build your own omelette at work has nothing on what we've been having here. We had a morning of preparing and packing for the day: making cards for the orphans, cutting for the friendship bracelets, snack packing, and a little yoga to get everyone stretched out from riding in the truck. I've found yoga and I can be good friends... :) Jen has been a blessing with her instruction to help us all focus for the day ahead.

We first went to the Christian School sponsored by Healing Haiti. The children were let out a bit early for the Christian party they were having later on in the afternoon. Healing Haiti in sponsoring the school, pays the teacher salaries, among the other expenses of the building upkeep and so forth. I held the hands of two little boys as they showed off their school here. Their excitement and dancing of the children was priceless.

Our next stop was the marketplace for goats. Goats have the ability to provide milk as well as other food source, so we have the opportunity through Healing Haiti to make a way for a family in need to get a goat. Our team has over 20 goats to purchase, however, we are restricted by the availability of the goats, but know they will make it to the families soon. As we were walking through the market, I was struck by a couple of things... first- my friend Paul had "warned" me about a market saying I will/ may be overwhelmed because of my panic of unorganized and chaotic spaces. Honestly, he was a little right. It was hard for me to imagine buying food- onions, potatoes, watermelon, papaya, mango, let alone a goat or other food stuff in an open area like that and off the ground. It was a bit of a culture shock just because I had never been to such a marketplace - in the states or abroad. My second thought was of the children again. We teach our children at home to not talk to strangers and stay close by... the children of Haiti do the exact opposite. With a word Bonswa or Bonjour (spelling may be off here... ) and a smile, you've made an instant friend out of a child and they will wander and go where ever you are for as long as they can. Holding hands witha complete stranger's child has been such an experience for me here.

The third stop was just beautiful. We drove through the mountain areas and along the coast of the Caribbean to Grace Village. I'll get pictures when we return home, however, they will not do the actual scenery justice. Haiti is beautiful. God's creative hand did not skip over this country though much of the world pretends it does not exist. The mountains, the shoreline views, the vegetation as you head from Port au Prince to Titanyen is beautiful. (Dad- a CORN field. Seriously.) Grace Village will be the new home of Guilliane's and Yvonne's orphanages, as well as have a feeding center for the people of the area. There will be a soccer field and a basketball court (possibly on that one). What it will have is an organization and people who have a heart for these things like the hungry and orphaned. Hands come in the form of God's hand on the ministry of Healing Haiti and the impact here. In just a few years, with obedience and faithfulness, God has blessed this ministry. The design and look of the buildings will forever have Alyn's stamp on them though she will never physically see them. The hands of the masons and other people who have worked to build. The hand of the child who followed us up the hill and both walked with me and sat on my lap for a little snuggle in. I remember a song by the group First Call that says ..."everywhere there's evidence of God". It is no less true in Haiti though much may be working against God here. Chloe and I talked before coming down here, and she was concerned and fearful about things, and I asked her who was in charge- she said "God". So if God is in charge, the devil can't "win"... who does win? "God." We have to trust that God will protect and keep us while we're apart and throughout the day. "Right." With that though, also comes the affirmation that God can and will continue to work here. I am so anxious to see all that God will continue to accomplish here and through the work of Healing Haiti.

Our last stop was at Yvonne's orphanage. This trip has been one of a kind in that the children, the workers, everyone knew who Alyn was that we have interacted with. God does not do anything by accident, so being here has meant being able to share first hand the news of Alyn's death, but at the same time offer hope and comfort for that as well in our mission work. The children at Yvonne's were older, so many of them had more of a recollection of Alyn and were upset by the news. When we arrived, there was a group from Samaritan's purse there- doing rebuilding from North Carolina. Nothing with God is an accident. Who knows what may come of that one interaction with this group. Before the children sang for us, they went through a conversation of both us informing them of Alyn's passing, but also being able to have Yvonne say the children were upset about that, but so thankful to have us there. They sang a couple of songs, but one in particular "wrecked" a few of us. They sang "What the Lord has Done in Me" with tears streaming down their faces, and hands lifted in worship to God. The boys prayed and then the girls all prayed out loud- they were so pure, innocent, and very heart felt in their prayers- almost to the point of a shout as they prayed for Jeff and Alyn. Hands lifted to God. We handed out some treats, the cards we made, and then split the children to do friendship bracelets or cards for Jeff, and then switch afterward... moving on to bubbles with Brother Derek as Tom likes to call him. I have been so blessed by how our team has really worked together without pretense or upset- everyone just does what is needed, both in the field and at the house.

As I reflect on the day, it was as if there was evidence of the hand of God everywhere we went. God only knows how the rest of the trip may affect our team, and how things may go.

Be blessed.

Love,

Kristi

Healing Haiti Team Member

Her love for those the rest of the world ignores...

Alyn Shannon, one of the founders of Healing Haiti wrote in her journal on one of her trips down here...." What is God trying to teach me" with several examples of all that you see here. Yesterday was such a day for those questions.

We woke up to breakfast ala Chalyne and me- eggs were a farmer's daughter meets a Creole Haitian. :) I want to find or bring home some of the spice they have here. It just makes everything better. :) Then it was off to deliver water.

The water deliveries were in City Soleil- Haiti's "projects" if you will, though our "project" communities have a life that is far better than these. Stop one was to city 21- a neighborhood that is always visited by the Healing Haiti groups. These people literally live surrounded by the garbage dump. As I got off the truck, I found this little boy waiting for me- as I knelt to say Bonjour to him, he pulled me close gave me a hug and kissed my cheek. What is God trying to teach me? We delivered water- a more appropriate way of saying this would be the rest delivered water, I played with children with a few other people from my group. We walked out along a path to see the homes in this village. Nothing more than tin and tarp, some made with small trees interlaced with upright "posts", but all is surrounded by garbage. The pigs go through the same garbage the children forage through. What is God trying to teach me? My little buddy stayed with me through the walk and it was heartbreaking to put him down. As we traveled to the water station, I was reminded of how my mom had said their sermon Sunday was on how God knows everyone's name.... this little boy may not have one, or just doesn't know his. He is not insignificant to God though- no matter where his life may lead...

The second stop was again filled with children- I found myself surrounded by a whole group of them- and jumped, played, simon says, the children showed me "limbo" and "gai pai"... You'd have to be here. :) I helped with the water truck next- it was literally crazy to experience. It was less crazy when I saw just how many buckets these women had with them, knowing this was all they would get for almost a week.... maybe longer. The desperation for clean buckets of water makes watering our lawn, or water balloons hard to handle. We have how many bathrooms in our homes, how many sinks, and even having one is more than these people will ever have or know. I found another "special" child"- a little girl this time about 4-5 who snuggled in and fell asleep.

The last stop was in the area literally called the project here. There was a parted out remnant of a car, and these little tin/ concrete/tarp combinations of homes, with sewer running along each side open for slipping into (when a Haitian says ..." ooh... " like EW you know it's bad!) I played with some older kids and helped hold the hose for the water truck... as well as took a few buckets to the homes to help carry. I found a 12 year old boy who proudly professed he was a gangster. What kind of life will he have in front of him? What does a gangster look like in Haiti?

As we returned to the house, Rach and I made dinner and after some down time, received a call from Jeff, Alyn's husband. Alyn has been battling cancer for the past 2 years, and the word from Jeff last night was that she was no longer responsive. Perhaps it is not about what God is directly trying to teach me, but rather what God is showing and teaching through this woman I've never met. Her faithfulness, her willingness to be obedient... her love for those the rest of the world ignores. I told Tom, Jeff's brother, this morning that the song Thank You has just randomly been in my head for the past two years- I can only imagine that is the welcome Alyn will be receiving. God is calling her home- as I imagine her being called His good and faithful servant. Her quilt of life may be tattered, but I can only imagine hers has the face of Christ shining through the holes. God has blessed me through her story. Please pray for her and Jeff in these final days.

Ke Bondye Beni'ou.

Love you all.

Kristi

Healing Haiti Team Member