Holy Spirit, You are welcome here...

Day 3: Another early morning... Pastor Guercy said he would pick us up at 7am as we had a lot on our agenda today. (He was unfortunately late to pick us up because he had a flat tire on the way... This is apparently a very common occurrence in Haiti - as the roads are terrible.) When we were finally on our way, our 1st stop was his brother's church. It was a Thursday morning - & the church was packed! As we listened to the Creole service, we were getting some of the sweetest smiles from the children on the front row. Then, one little girl comes over & pops herself onto my lap! What a sweet joy to hold this precious, loving child! Pastor Guercy then served as our interpreter while his brother introduced us to his congregation. He asked each of us to say a few words.

Pastor Guercy's brother's church in Gonaives 

We were met with such affection & gratitude. A woman came up from her seat and asked if she could pray for US. We couldn't understand her words, but she was loud & passionate - and the walls shook with the "amens" from the crowd... There was little doubt that the Holy Spirit had been called unto this place! I was moved to tears! The lyrics to the song "Holy Spirit" kept running through my mind...

"Holy Spirit, You are welcome here. Come flood this place & fill the atmosphere. Your glory God is what our hearts long for. To be overcome by Your presence Lord."

When the church service ended, we were suddenly crowded by the children and adults - they were touching us, smiling, hugging... speaking to us (even though we didn't completely understand them). Many of the young women also crowded around... Michael! (We later determined that he was so very popular with the young Haitian women because to them he is "exotic"!) ;) They were begging him to sing...one young woman accompanied Michael - a cappella - in a rendition of "I Surrender All". Their love for God transcends any language barrier!

Michael & his many admirers!

I Surrender All

After visiting the church, we drove to Pastor Guercy's sister's house. The orphanage in Gonaives was recently closed (due to lack of funding). Pastor Guercy moved as many children as he could to other orphanages - but he couldn't find space for 14 orphans. So his sister took them in! (This entire family is so filled with doing God's work!)

All the kids wanted to try on my sunglasses & have their picture taken!

Our next stop was to Gressier (a sort of "suburb" to Port au Prince... to see a plot of land where Pastor Guercy wants to build a church & orphanage. (FYI - Gonaives is about 95 miles north of Port au Prince - and Gressier is about 13 miles west of Port au Prince... so another day of a LOT of miles spent in the car). Jason was "itching" to get behind the wheel of the car (probably to go a bit faster than we had traveled yesterday & get to our destination quicker... we wanted to get to Gressier before sundown so we could see!) Despite my initial reservations, he turned out to be a pro as a Haitian driver! (Dou Dou would be proud!!!) He was zipping along, passing & honking like he'd lived here all his life! We were about 30 minutes into our journey, when we had a blowout... (remember comment about this being a regular occurrence?) Jason navigated us to the side of the road so we could change the tire (the SAME tire that had been "fixed" earlier in the day...) We stopped in an area without heavy traffic, yet 6 or 7 Haitians came running to our aid. (My daughter & I experienced a flat tire at a mall in Austin, TX last year & in the 1 hour it took us to change our tire - NOT ONE PERSON stopped to help us!)

After this "pit stop", we now have to stop in Saint Marc to get a new tire... Even buying a tire is a "haggling" experience... we stopped at several locations before finding a "fair" one... & then they put a different sized tire on our car than we had requested! ...so more haggling - now at a place across the street... This stop is seriously eating into our travel time - we are beginning to wonder if we will get to see Gressier while the sun is still up. We decided to use the time here to have lunch (rather than stopping again in Port au Prince). About a couple of hours later, we are finally back on the road!

We get to Gressier literally minutes before the sun goes down, but we are able to see the plot of land. It is pretty cleared of trees already & the ocean is not far. This could be a great place to build & help some of Port au Prince's neediest.

After a bit of stretching our legs in Gressier, we get back in the car toward Port au Prince. Pastor Guercy has arranged for us to stay tonight at his in-laws' home. They live way up in the mountains - a beautiful, scenic drive with a lot of narrow, winding roads. Our hosts are so generous!!! Dinner is waiting for us & they have offered to boil buckets of water so we can have hot baths. We gratefully accepted dinner & politely declined the hot water - the gesture seemed too extravagant to accept (we've been taking cold showers the entire time we've been here - what's one more night!) They have a beautiful 2nd floor porch that we used for our "rooftop" time. Again, Michael leads us in a couple of songs & now it's my turn to lead us in devotion & prayer. (I wasn't the least bit intimidated about leading devotion for my pastor & our worship leader! Yeah - sure I wasn't!) ;) When I finally "forgot" that I was talking to them, but rather talking to God, my fears calmed...AND them being the kind & Godly men they are - it went well. Our last bead ceremony... we "cheat" a bit & create new colors (red & white beads for pink- "risky service, red & blue beads for purple- "love"...) We love & encourage each other but with a lot of laughter! It's been a good trip! I can't believe we are going back home tomorrow...

Renmen ak benediksyon!
~Laura

With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken

Day 2 (part 2): After our morning tours, we meet up again with our driver Dou Dou, who was to take us back to Port au Prince to meet up with Pastor Guercy. (Pastor Guercy came to our church to visit a few months ago, & now is eager to show us what he is doing in Haiti).

Les Cayes is so far from Port au Prince - both in distance & character. One is rural, the other urban... one is small, quiet & peaceful, the other large, crowded and rough. Wherever you are in Haiti you can see the financial hardships the entire country endures but the situation is magnified in Port au Prince. One area in particular, just outside Port au Prince, is Cite Soleil. It's harsh environment belies it's "sunny" name. It is much more bleak & seedy than anywhere we'd seen. Our Dou Dou, a large Haitian native told us that even HE wouldn't go here at night.

So many people have asked me if I felt safe going to Haiti... but I believe the better question is, "Is it God's will for me to go to Haiti?" You all know the answer to THAT question is "yes". So, how much safer can I be than in God's will? I know that this doesn't mean no harm will come our way - but that if it does, God is with us - leading us, guiding us & protecting us along the way. Psalm 16:8 tell us, "I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

Traffic is crazy in Port au Prince! There are no discernible traffic rules - no lanes, no stop lights... just cars, people & animals EVERYWHERE! There are also "tap taps"- small pickup trucks outfitted with rails & benches that serve as a form of public transportation by cramming more people in, on top of & hanging off of the end - like a clown car at the circus. They stop anywhere in the road to accommodate more passengers. Moto taxis are also big here. This is a motorcycle that carries 2, 3, 4 people (the record we saw was one with SIX people on it!). Their small size allows them to weave in & out of traffic. They don't seem to realize their small size makes them much more prone to accidents / injuries. (Helmets? What are those???) I was so very thankful for Dou Dou's skill & experience. Even while vehicles are whizzing past us & AT us (with sometimes only inches to spare), I wasn't afraid in his capable hands.

tap tap- Haitian public transportation

moto taxi

We were late to our appointed meeting time with Pastor Guercy (Haitian time, remember?), but he was even later... But we are finally off to Gonaive. Pastor Guercy is Haitian, but has lived in Florida & drives like an American... no speeding or crazy passing. Although there's nothing technically wrong with this, our drive seems a bit scarier (as other cars are crazily passing us) and getting to our destination takes much longer. Gonaive is Pastor Guercy's hometown - he knows just about everyone here. We needed to have dinner, but by the time we arrive, everything is closed. So he calls a cousin with a restaurant & they opened just for us and prepared a lovely meal. (Michael & I had conch; Jason had "kabrit" - goat). Again our beverage choices were bottled sodas... (I sure pray God is forgiving me for continuing to break my Lenten sacrifice!) Then Pastor Guercy finds us lodging through another cousin... this cousin is building a nice hotel, but it is not yet ready to open. However, it only took a phone call & suddenly we had 2 fully furnished, made-up rooms and bathrooms. We were locked in securely & guarded though the night. 

Before we went to sleep, we again climbed up to the roof for our nightly devotion. We debrief from the day & then Michael leads us in a few worship songs. He taught us the Haitian version of the songs we'd sung with the children at the orphanages. (Michael's Creole is getting stronger each time he comes to Haiti. He has been a great interpreter & Creole teacher for us during our trip!) Jason led our devotion & prayer time and then we closed with our "bead" ceremony. We are tired (and frankly, getting a bit giddy & silly), but it's been a long and wonderful day! Amen!

Renmen ak benediksyon!
~Laura

"You make beautiful things..."

Day 2 (part 1): (Our days are SO jam-packed... I'm going to divide my blogs for your sake - so you won't have to read for hours on end...)


What a day! Again, our gracious host (Pastor Louis) had a wonderful breakfast prepared for us...

Our breakfast consisted of eggs, sliced cucumbers, bananas,
bread & peanut butter, juice and some of the best coffee
I've ever had!

Jason, Michael & I were tugged on & pulled on & hugged by more kids than we could hold. Jason (ever the sweet, loving Daddy) had 2 small children in his arms & 2 or 3 others hanging on to his shirt or a pocket. They went giddy with excitement when he began playing soccer with them... running across their dusty playground with laughter ringing through the air. 

Jason & the kids playing soccer

The girls seemed so intrigued with my curly hair - & they were dying to comb it & braid it. Almost all of the kids knew the word "foto" & LOVED seeing themselves on our camera screens. They begged us to take just "1 more foto" where they could smile, giggle & ham it up. The real transformation came when all the children gathered in the chapel & Michael pulled out his guitar. No longer shy, they belted out "How Great is Our God" & "Beautiful Things". (On previous trips Michael had taught them to sing these songs in English & Creole! They still knew & remembered them.)

Michael & the kids singing & praising God!

Next stop - Darivage. This is a smaller school & orphanage and calmer / less rambunctious. Although the children were loving & excited to see us, they didn't immediately jump up to see us, but remained at their desks until they got the OK from their teacher. The teachers looked so young, but I was impressed with the work we saw on the chalkboard & in their notebooks.

Although most of the kids seemed eager to sit with us, there was one little boy that sat alone, at the back of the chapel... He had no shoes... Jason quietly knelt by him and tried & tried until he finally coaxed a little smile from him. ...there goes another piece of my heart...

"You make beautiful things. You make beautiful things out of the dust."

Pastor Louis & his lovely wife then proceeded to drive us around to the churches/ schools/ orphanages in their area. We saw Big House, Darivage & Cambry - each unique in their "personality" but teeming with beautiful children & filled with God's love.

Michael with Pastor Louis & his wife

When we walked into the 1st classroom at Big House, the children beamed & began yelling Michael's name. So many of them remembered him from his prior trips. They talked excitedly about the songs he sang with them & playing soccer with him. When Pastor Louis asked the class if anyone remembered the songs Michael had taught them, a few of them (suddenly shy) quietly began singing.


We had allotted 1 1/2 hours at each of the 2 orphanages we were visiting that day, but 2+ hours later it was still so very hard to leave them! That caused us to quickly get off schedule. (That, & everything is done in "Haitian time" so schedules get thrown out the window...)

The kids became less reserved when we all went into the chapel to sing - their sweet voices lifted in song was so touching... I can feel a piece of my heart remaining here.

Our last stop was at Cambry, where we had stayed the previous night. Since we had arrived in the dark, it was difficult to see the scope of this place. But now... in addition to the church, school & orphanage, they have their own water well that is put through an assortment of filters to make (& provide) clean water not just to the kids, but to the community as well. We saw a windmill they had installed to help provide electricity. They also have a medical clinic. It is its own little town... As Pastor Louis took us to each of the classroom to see the children, he was greeted with loud cries of "Bonjou Papi". This familiar, loving term for father showed how much they loved him & how loved they feel here.

One of the classrooms... Pastor Louis is at the front

One last stop before we leave Pastor Louis was to see his church in town. It is HUGE! He told us they regularly have about 1500 in attendance! (& at Easter could go as high as 4000!!!) His services are also televised to reach an even larger audience.

(Our day isn't over yet - I'll blog more tomorrow!)
Renmen ak benediksyon!
~Laura

Have no fear...

(I am finally posting my blogs... I wrote them while in Haiti, but we had little, if any, internet service...)

Day 1: I did actually sleep some last night - even my excitement about leaving today finally gave way for me to get some needed rest. Jason & Michael arrived at 4:15 AM to pick me up & we were off to the airport. I had to confess to the guys that I do not make the best traveling companion as "issues" tend to follow me. I seem to be the one who always has problems at ticketing, who is singled out for additional screening... & this time was no exception. Since this ALWAYS happens, my kids tease me that TSA has labeled me as a "Mexican terrorist". (Seriously? Could I look LESS dangerous???) Anyway - once the ticketing problems were fixed we arrived at the gate (where by the way, TSA rechecked my carry-on bag!) & boarded the plane. The flight wasn't crowded & was quiet (it's 6am!) - I am journaling while Jason & Michael catch a little nap.

In Miami, we change planes to take us into Port au Prince, Haiti. This flight is packed- mainly with others going to do missionary work. We taxi away from the gate & then we stop... for 1 1/2 hrs... with periodic updates as to the "mechanical issue" they were experiencing. It was finally decided that this couldn't be resolved & we would have to get off this plane (don't gotta tell ME twice!) & wait for another to take us to Miami & then on to Haiti. (We were keeping our loved ones updated via text & Facebook... Jason's wife, Lauren, sent out a prayer request to the church for travel mercies - which we DID receive!) Our 10:15 flight FINALLY leaves for Haiti around 2pm. On this leg of the trip, we are starting to get excited... We spend the flight talking, planning & working the Sudoku & crossword puzzles from the in-flight magazine. (The 3 of us seem to be a kind of competitive bunch!)

We FINALLY arrive in Haiti, where we are met by our driver, Dou Dou. (He is the personal driver for one of the ESMI pastors. Michael has been driven around by him on some of his prior trips here). Dou Dou is an imposing figure due to his size, but he is a teddy bear... a deeply Christian man who not only drove us around Haiti, but protected us & prayed with us throughout our journey... and then proceeded to drive at 130 km/hr as he expertly navigated us through Haiti's outrageous traffic and dusty, rutted roads. (Imagine Mexico City drivers in LA traffic with NY "honkers" & Hong Kong pedestrians - & now multiply that by 10!) So many times, I just KNEW we were going to hit someone (or be hit), but Dou Dou is a beast behind the wheel! Several times Michael leaned over to whisper to me, "have no fear" - reminding me that we were in God's very capable hands!

Michael, Laura, Dou Dou & Jason

After about 4 hours of travel, we finally arrived in Les Cayes (safe & sound). We were pleasantly surprised that a meal had been prepared (unexpectedly) for us. We were served fish, rice & beans, a spicy slaw concoction they called "pikliz" & fried plantains. At each place setting was a bottled (sugar cane sweetened) Coke. (Jason & Michael laughed because they knew I'd given up sodas for Lent... But my sweet pastor assured me that our gracious God would forgive me... I didn't want to offend our hosts & frankly the water is sometimes dangerous to drink - so I "suffered" through!). ;)

After dinner we checked in with those back home (the guesthouse has WiFi!) & then went up on top of the roof for a time of worship & devotion. The moon & stars were so bright! There was a cool, quiet breeze. Michael led us in a couple of songs... We were just 3 people singing in the moonlight "Holy Spirit you are welcome here, come flood this place & fill the atmosphere..." - you could FEEL God there with us. Michael led us in a devotion & prayer time & we concluded with a "bead ceremony". Michael explained that on his prior trips, they take turns giving out colored beads to each other (blue for leadership, red for risk taking, green for compassion & white for service) as a way of reflecting on the day & affirming each other. (This rooftop time is soon going to become one of my favorite parts of our days!)

Michael leading us onto the roof...

...for our rooftop worship & devotion time.

Now, it's off to bed - our travels tomorrow will take us to Big House, Darivage & Cambry orphanages with Pastor Louis. I am eager to see Haiti by daylight & all her magnificent glory!

Bonnuit!

Renmen ak benediksyon!
~Laura

God is NEVER overwhelmed!

I can confess to you (in the "privacy" of this blog) that as much as I'm being obedient to God's calling for me to go to Haiti, I am still anxious & a bit overwhelmed. I (very much) like to be in control of situations - & letting God be in control is probably one of my biggest (daily!) struggles. But I've come to realize, that in my "overwhelmed-ness" He has me exactly where He wants me - dependent on Him. My constant prayer has been that I not question Him, but just trust Him so that my mind, eyes & heart will be open to whatever He has in store for me there. I've recently had some medical issues that caused me to question whether I'd be able to go on this trip. So, I offered myself up to God as a "living sacrifice" - if He wants me in Haiti, then He would make it so... and He has. Now I need to keep up my end - & be trusting. "In you, Lord my God, I put my trust." ~ Psalm 25:1

As we are on our trip, I ask that you pray for us so that we may see the need in Haiti & the way to help that need. I believe that God will bless US even more than these brothers & sisters in Haiti. 

I pray we will all be overwhelmed in the days ahead... but not to worry, God is NEVER overwhelmed!

Renmen ak benediksyon! (Love and blessings!)

~Laura

I'm really getting excited about our upcoming trip to Haiti!!! Those of you who know me will NOT be surprised to know - I'm already packed! (I know it's Saturday - & I know we're not leaving until Tuesday... but I like to be prepared!)

...& just when I feel like I'm finally prepared, I receive this text from Michael: "(Pastor) Guercy said it would be great to bring crocs for the kids as many don't have shoes..." This simple statement breaks my heart! We, who have so much, who take so much for granted... & I am overwhelmed all over again.

& so it starts...

For many months now, I've felt God's pulling on my heart toward service in Haiti... I sort of ignored Him for awhile... I mean, really - ME? I'm not really your "foreign missions" kind of gal... Certainly not in a scary place OUTSIDE of our (safe, clean, protected) country! I felt like Moses in Exodus 4:10-13, "No, Lord, don't send me... Please send someone else...". But He kept continually, quietly calling my name. (He does that when you ignore Him...)

And then one day I heard the song, "I Refuse" by Josh Wilson...

Sometimes I, I just want to close my eyes

And act like everyone's alright 

When I know they're not

This world needs God, but it's easier to stand and watch

I could pray a prayer and just move on

Like nothing's wrong

But I Refuse

I can hear the least of these, crying out so desperately

And I know we are the hands and feet of You, oh God

So if You say move, it's time for me to follow through

And do what I was made to do

And show them who You are

I refuse to stand and watch the weary and lost cry out for help

I refuse to turn my back and try and act like all is well

I refuse to stay unchanged, to wait another day to die to myself

I refuse to make one more excuse

I don't want to live like I don't care

I don't want to say another empty prayer

Oh, I refuse to sit around and wait for someone else

To do what God has called me to do myself

I could choose not to move

But I refuse

Ouch! So, I took a deep breath & admitted to Jason (my pastor) that I thought I was being called to mission work in Haiti. Of course, many of you know what a "tasmanian devil" Jason is ;) He just took that information & RAN WITH IT! Before I knew it (or could catch my breath) we had scheduled a recon trip to Haiti to see what Covenant UMC could offer El Shaddai Ministries.

So, a few planning meetings are now under my belt... I've gotten 3 immunizations & anti-malaria medication for the trip... And on Feb. 19th - at 6am - Michael (our church worship leader, who has been to Haiti 4 times now), Jason & I will board a plane to Port au Prince, Haiti. 

I am now quite excited about this journey God has me on (but admittedly, still a bit apprehensive...) I know He has great things in store not just for the people of Haiti that we will be serving / helping, but for ME as well. I covet your prayers as we travel & I look forward to coming home to you & sharing our experiences!

Renmen ak benediksyon! (Love and blessings!)

~Laura