This is my second trip to Haiti but my first time experiencing evangelism in it’s rawest form.  In the states my idea of sharing the love of Jesus with others was scary and intimidating.  In my mind I kept picturing the pushy, bible thumping missionary who doesn’t take no for an answer.  Then I think about the people I would be sharing with, American’s too busy playing on their iPhone or harboring the perception that if I love Jesus then I am judegmental and unloving.  Either way you look at it my experince today altered my way of thinking and encouraged me to act differently when I go home.  As a group we simply walked the streets of Haiti with backpacks full of food.  When the holy spirit spoke to us we acted and talked with that family.  Today I saw a family practicing voodoo take down their flags and burn them to make room for Jesus to live in their hearts.  In ten minutes Pastor John and brought an entire family into the kingdom of God!!! Praise God!!!  For the first time in my life I prayed for a family after they had invited us into their home, which is quite an honor here in Haiti.  I fumbled through the prayer, and afterwards prayed that whatever it was I said made a difference in their lives.  Then I look back and stand in awe at how God has opened my heart to Him.  I have a renewed sense of who God is in my life, who he wants me to be and the impact I can have on others.  I have the all living creator in my heart, with just words he spoke the universe into existance and here I am afraid of rejection or emberassment?  God works in so many different ways, today he humbled me and encouraged me to be a force to recon with on his behalf.  I feel renewed and excited to take what I have learned here back home with me to enrich the lives of those I encounter.

Valerie K.  -Colorado

Today, a very special prayer was answered.  In the spring of 2010, a very special little boy was dropped off at the Miriam Center at NWHCM.  He weighed just 14lbs and was 5 years old.  Peterson suffers from spastic CP and his health has been very jeopardized because of the condition.  He struggles to eat and therefore has been very malnourished for most of his life.  In March of 2011, I came to the NWHCM for the first time.  I live in Northeast Haiti at another orphanage which is home to many orphans (6 being special needs.)  I oversee the special needs care.  The day I arrived in 2011, I fell in love with Peterson. He was just diagnosed as failure to thrive, and the week I was visiting, I handled all of his feedings and care.  It was an instant bond.  The kind that a mother and son have.  The decision was made at the end of my first trip to transfer Peterson’s care to the orphanage that I am serving at so that bond could be fostered and his care could be closely monitored.  In the past year, Peterson has begun to thrive!  He now weighs 25lbs, and is developing quite a personality.

Peterson and myself have been visiting the Miriam Center at NWHCM for the past couple of weeks, and it has been a delight to see his Miriam Center family interact and enjoy time with him.  But, I still had a prayer out there…

A week before Peterson and I came for our visit, I prayed every day to our Great Lord that He might make a way for Peterson’s mom and myself to meet.  I wanted her to see him looking healthy, smiling, eating, etc.  I wanted her to know that he was loved beyond words.  I wanted her to know that I understood that she left her baby boy out of desperation.  I wanted her to know that it was all part of God’s perfect plan.  I wanted her to know that I not only loved her son, but I loved her as well.  I knew that our meeting could ONLY be God ordained.  Afterall, his mother had not been seen since she dropped him off almost 2 years ago.  But, I couldn’t give up…

This morning right after 9am, a woman came to the NWHCM clinic to get a medical test.  An old Haitian worker was visiting (for the day only,) and recognized the woman.  The worker recognized the woman as the mother of Peterson.  She called his mother over to where Peterson was, and she looked in from the outside. She was smiling, but aprehensive to say who she was.  The worker stated who she was, and I immediately smiled.  I wanted his mother to feel comfortable.  I was able to bring her to a place where she could hold Peterson by herself, we could talk, and get pictures.  We had a nice conversation, and I let her know everything I wanted to tell her.  She seemed pleased with how he looked, and she stated that he was her first born!  We were even able to get her to fill out all the proper forms for permission of care.  She was able to give us his full name, birthdate, etc.  I explained to her my prayer, and how it was answered. I was able to share with her God’s greatness because of everything that He made happen.  Everything was aligned perfectly…

How Great is Our God!

My wife and I are here on our second trip, and we already have a feel for the routine. Lots of travel Friday/Saturday, followed by connecting with old and new friends Saturday night.  Sunday we experience two hours of incredible worship and learning at the church across the street, and then… clean, clean, and clean some more.  All of this is done to prepare for the objective of performing surgeries, minor procedures, and clinic work come Monday… TODAY!  Not having MD or RN, or other clinical designations, behind our names, we serve in support roles, and have the chance to watch from the sidelines a bit.  Since we were last here a whole new set of buildings have developed, including a Depot for the more orderly storage and retrieval of supplies needed to run the clinic.  Our team leader designated Amy and I to coordinate the organizing of the depot inventory, including hundreds of cases/boxes of various and assorted supplies.  It was hot,dirty work, complete with gecko sightings and scorpion crunching, and we were assisted ably by Hannah, Katie, Delenn, and Nisha in the morning, and a older Haitian man in the afternoon.  While it would be easy to feel “left out” of the main work of the Surgery/Clinic areas, we were visited several times during the day by staff/volunteers looking for a particular supply item; as the day wore on, we could actually locate items and expedite their return to the cases at hand!  Additionally, the way it works here, we have a very regimented schedule, so we know we’ll meet at 7:00 for breakfast, 12:00 noon for lunch, and 6:00 for supper, and we are able to connect with lots of people every day at those times (and also devotions at 6:45 a.m and 7:00 a.m.).  The reports at the end of the day were very positive from all, and the various pieces of the “machine” worked as planned for the first day of clinical services.  We now look forward to settling into the routine of the rest of the week, and continuing to serve the people of St. Louis du Nord and the surrounding area, and each other.  Kudos to Randy, Jeff, Miss Maureen, and our other leaders for knowing how to mix and match us all to the tasks and hand, and always being there with the right word at the right time.
God’s blessing to all of you from all of us at the Mission…
Steve Hodges, HR guy from Scottsbluff, NE.

Today we were able to work in the GRan Moun. We painted their finger nails, washed their feet, and even massaged their arms and legs. It was such an amazing experience. I had thought that I would absolutely hate doing it, but I loved it. God has showed me so many amazing things over the past seven days. We have distributed most of the bags of items that were donated. The families have been so thankful. We encountered a couple families that did not know anything about Jesus and asked to learn more. God is really working here! I thank God for protecting us all and for the amazing group of women he sent with me on this trip. Without them it would not be the same! It will be bittersweet on Friday when we have to leave. I love it here, yet I miss home! Thank you for all the prayers you have sent our way! See you in a few days!!

-Haleigh Nesbitt

One of the most profound statements that I have heard during my first day here in St. Louis du Nord came from our co-leader, Randy: “The journey is not the gift. Using God’s gifts that He has given each one of us is the gift.” I am paraphrasing, of course, but the meaning was not lost on me. The journey has definitely not been a gift. After leaving the Denver International Airport at midnight MST Friday, we finally arrived at the Mission around 3:30 PM EST on Saturday. It was definitely not the most comfortable of flights or bus rides and spending over 16 hours traveling is never without its stress. In fact, I found myself saying quick prayers for a safe arrival numerous times throughout the day! And God has, once again, been with us and provided a healthy and safe arrival for all team members. The journey was difficult, yes, but I think all of us can agree that we are now ready to truly start giving.

And never have I witnessed a community that needs the “giving” more. I came into this trip have zero expectations or at least that is what I thought. Now I realize, that whatever I had once imagined, it is nothing to the reality now around me. Never in my life have a seen such poverty, such hardship. Not even on my worst day have I ever had to face the challenges that these people face every day of their lives. I have only been here less than 24 hours and I am already a jumbled mix of emotions. How can I ever look at my life back home and think that I need more? How can I return to my normal after witnessing firsthand the “harsh reality” of this world? There is so much poverty, so much desolation. How can we, a simple medical team of 30, ever make a difference in this place? Yet, despite all these negative emotions fluttering through me, I know that God has a plan. He has delivered this amazing medical team here safely for a reason. Sure, we can’t change the Haitian world in the 8 days that we are here. But we can change the world of dozens of Haitians while we are here. And most importantly, we can make a difference through the love and grace of JESUS CHRIST. That is what makes the tough journey worth it. That is the GIFT.

Thank you for the prayers and keep them coming! We will need them God bless!

-Emily P.

Well I guess I’ll start out with last night. We slept so well from being jet lagged and slept like babies. I had earplugs and didn’t hear a sound. I was so happy that I didn’t have to wake up to the sounds of chickens and birds. Today was full of adventures…we went to the market. That should sum it up right there. This year is my first year in Haiti so I didn’t know what to expect. As we stepped out of the compound, I started feeling scared and not safe. I was fine until we were standing in the middle of the market with many Haitian followers crowded around us. I am not clastrophobic, but in that moment I was. I didn’t know if I was going to pass out or panic or what? I kept asking for God’s peace and repeatedly tried to calm myself down. I guess my face was pale and full of fear…I was really happy I got to experience it though, because in the end I knew God was there walking with me. It was amazing to just smile and wave at the Haitians and try to talk with them. When we were at the huts delivering groceries, I tried to ask their names and they made fun of my minimal creole speaking language. It was really funny though and I just laughed with them. Just knowing that I made them laugh and smile made my heart warm inside. I can’t wait to go out to the bay for the next couple of days and see where God is calling us to. -Renee Spencer

We made it today! After lots of hours spent in airports we are finally here! After all the months of preperation I was in no way prepared for the way Haiti would look, smell, or what the Haitians would be like. When we first landed in Port Au Prince I was pretty shocked and scared about what I had gotten myself into, but now I am extremely excited to be on this trip with such an amazing group of people! I pray that God will open my eyes and my heart over the next 10 days. On the bus on the way to the mission we were waving at the Haitians as we drove past and the biggest smiles spread across their faces. That was an amazing feeling! See you all next week!

-Haleigh Nesbitt

Hi, I”m Ben from Overland Park, KS, I’m not part of any specific group, I have traveled to Haiti with my wife Brittany and our friend Shekah.  I’m 34 years old and I become a Christian at the age of 9, so at times I get into a been there done that rut in my life as a Christian.  Being in Haiti is one of those “mountaintop” experiences in the Christian life.  The first couple of days are always tough and then you get adjusted to everything that surrounds you and you really lose track of time.  Early in our time here we had the opportunity to join up with the Mount Zion group from North Carolina and head out to La Baie des Mostiques (The Bay of Misquitos).  It is  a totally different world than what is going on at the main campus in Saint Louie.  It is a very rural village and I don’t believe I saw a vehicle there the entire time we were there.  The main task we were charged with was to hold a health clinic at the local church – we had the children from the village come and we measured the circumference of their heads, arms, height, and weight.  The point in this is to assist the missionaries there, Grant and Natasha, learn more about the community and what needs are most pressing.  It broke my heart that the kids were five and under and the heaviest child weighed forty pounds, and the smallest was in the teens.  This experience just reminds me that this does not need to be an out of the ordinary experience, but our lives, regardless of where we are, should be spent helping others.  At the time I kind of wondered what good we were doing, but I know that we are just planting seeds – the work we did will lay a basework for all the work that will take place there.  I spent a few years of my life working with another non-profit ministry that builds houses in Mexico – and that was easier for me because it was so tangible – you work for 4 days and have a house at the end of the week.  Here, it is not like that.  You spend your time here hugging children, smiling at people, and loving on people to the glory of God, very worthy, but not as tangible.  It is a process that this mission has been working on for over thirty years.  So my hope for myself and others who have this expereince is to not let it be the moutaintop, but be a push back to what we should do, and do whatever it is we can do to bring glory to God and help those God places in our path each day.

My name is Amanda Morphew, I came with my sister Katelyn and my friend Becca.  I have been to Haiti before, I came in July of 2010. Haiti is an amazing place, i love it so much. Its such a beautiful place too, you would think with all the need Haiti needs that it would be not a pretty place, but its so pretty. My week has been fun and interesting. The first day we went to the orphanage… that was an experience. Me and Becca didn’t take sheets and it was freezing and rainy that whole night. Also, we didn’t even get to play with the babies that long because we had to go. But it was really fun all the little kids out there are so cute, and they LOVE having their picture taken. The second day we just stayed here at the mission and went to the graun mouns and the baby orphange, that was really fun too. We also got a chance to go to the brothel and local jail,  someone in my group blogged about that last night. But i really enjoyed that.. its so sad to see that the brothel is some ladies job. I got the privlegde to pray and read one of my favorite bible verses to them. God truly is working in their lifes. When we got to the local jail it broke my heart. The man in there was so joyful, for being in jail. He was just calm and everything we prayed for him and got to talk to him which was really neat. The lady in the next cell was crying, it was so sad. She was in jail for something she didn’t do. We talked to her for awhile and then i prayed for her which is so neat to do. Today we got to go to the vodoo town. We hiked up to the path and went to the vodoo monument, and we were going to go to the temple, but today is their holiday called “King’s Day” so it was very crowded so we didnt get to visit there. After that we went to this really good resturant, and had some really good Haitian food. Tomorrow we get to go to House of Hope which i am really excited about. God has blessed me so much for being able to come on this trip with such amazing people. Just being able to be here and help the haitians is such a privledge. Haitians are such great people, and so full of joy. Even with all their problems going on they still love the Lord, and are happy people. I just ask you to keep praying for all of us here as well as the teams leaving tomorrow. Also, continue to pray for all the Haitians and pray for those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ to be able to come to know Him. One more thing, if you have not been to Haiti I reccomend you come.. it is something you will never forget. God is truly an amazing God.

Love,

Amanda Morphew

Sorry we have not been blogging about our trip so far, but the misc. group has been kept pretty busy.  I will start with Tuesday.  Tuesday afternoon we all headed to an orphange outside of the mission.  To get to our destination we had to ride on a Tap-Tap for three hours, not only on Haitian city roads, but through rivers, mountains, and pot holes up to our hips.  After this long trip we were all extremely beat up and we ended up arriving very late in the night which interupted the orphans bible study.  Finally we got to settle in and start a movie and pop corn party for the orphans.  Their faces and complete joy made our horrific journey there all worth while.  Unfortunately we only got a total of two hours with the orphans before it was time to head back to mission.  When we got back on Wednesday we spent the rest of the day working on base in the orphanage and Mariam center which was rewarding as usual.  Today, Thursday, we decided to venture off base again.  We visited the local jail and brothel here in St. Louis and these places really touched my heart.  In the jail we met a woman who was in there serving time for a crime her sister commited.  In Haiti, if the police can not find the guilty one, they take ‘the next in line’.  We prayed with her for freedom and for justice.  The brothel touched my heart the most, and it took everything in me to not cry in front of these women.  To those of you reading this who think these women who sell their bodies are dirty and disgusting, let me tell you they are all absolutely beautiful inside and out and probably have a closer relationship with god then I do.  These women go through so much to provide for their children, all without complaint, when Americans complain about having to work at places such as McDonalds to afford house payments.  Today changed my life forever.  Peace and Love everyone!

Katylia Pennie

Misc. Team