Vacation Bible School in Gonaives

Day 1 of VBS - We woke up Monday morning eager to get to the church & start VBS. We have put MONTHS of planning into this & we can't wait to share it all with the kids.

Here's our plan: As the kids enter the church, we will divide them into age groups & give them name tags. Rylee & Alyssa will take the littlest ones, Shannon & Dirk will have the next age up, Stuart & Heather will have the next oldest ones & Doug & Colin will have the oldest group. The groups will then rotate to one of four stations - Games led by Jason, Music led by Michael, Crafts led by Autumn & Bible Story led by me. 

FIRST THING NOT ACCORDING TO PLAN: the kids don't want to be separated from their elder siblings. We have 2 translators with us, but that is not enough for us to communicate with each child individually & try to explain about separating them... so we don't... We just decide (right then & there) to just count out the 1st 25 kids into Group 1, the next 25 into Group 2, and so on... and so on... and so on... and so on... and so on... This leads me to the SECOND THING NOT ACCORDING TO PLAN: we don't have 100-175 kids show up. We have over 350!!! On the 1st day!!! We are working in a small space with supplies for only about 200 children. We don't even have enough name tags for them all. (This makes them very sad - these kids have so little, that they are especially upset when someone gets something that they don't - even something as simple as an index card name tag tied with yarn). 

Jason's games are ok - but he struggles a bit since his groups aren't divided by age. Games that are appropriate for the wee ones aren't as much fun for the big kids... & games for the big kids could harm some of the little ones. Music goes well - but they are cramped in their space under a tree in the back yard. 

THIRD THING NOT ACCORDING TO PLAN: Crafts... Autumn had to dip into her other days' crafts in order to do let all the kids make something... We are just about cleaned out of our week's supply of crafts in the 1st day. (We'll worry about the next days' crafts later...) Bible Story is almost impossible - I am being drowned out by much more "fun" activities, that many kids try to sneak out of my station to another more exciting one... FOURTH THING NOT ACCORDING TO PLAN: We have spent a lot of time organizing & translating the Bible stories but I am unable to keep them interested long enough to even make them aware that we are talking about God! 

We also put a LOT of thought into Snacks for each day. We knew that they have little to eat, so we made sure that our snacks were not only in keeping with the theme each day & were fun and nutritious. FIFTH THING NOT ACCORDING TO PLAN: As with Crafts, you can probably guess by now, there was NO WAY we had enough snacks for everyone. We had to give each child just 3 little animal crackers & a half a Dixie cup of Gatorade. The older kids (& some of the adults!) kept pushing the smaller kids aside to get more snacks. It was so chaotic... like a run on the bank during the Great Depression... At one time, I was standing on top of a table, holding the animal crackers over my head & STILL being mobbed!!! 

Then, an "angel of the Lord" appeared in the form of one of the Mamas... She started cracking a switch (never hitting anyone, but making a fierce sound!) and SOME amount of normalcy / calmness was restored. 

Our 2½ hours of VBS has gone by in a flash - & I'm not sure that anyone got anything spiritual out of it. I feel so dejected... And to make matters just a tad worse - as we walked out of the church that afternoon, we saw all the crafts (that we had painstakingly cut out / assembled the night before) littered in the creek. (Back home, we are so used to proudly displaying our kids' art on the refrigerator, but these kids just didn't know what to do with their crafts .. so they tossed them. A HUGE part of their trash problem is that littering is simply "normal" culture in Haiti...) I KNOW that God has called us here, but I am feeling inept & overwhelmed...

But then comes along another "angel of the Lord" in the form of Stuart... He came to be know as our "ray of sunshine" over the course of this week, as he can ALWAYS see the positive side of ANY situation. He reminded us that in the chaos, we had managed to: 
1) make the kids feel loved - through our hugs 
2) give them a fun break in their sometimes monotonous day - through our songs & games 
3) give them a delicious snack (albeit not a lot) and 
4) talk to them about our Lord & Savior who loves them!
He made us feel so much better!!! We are re-energized! We know that he is right... "If God is for us, who can be against us?" ~Romans 8:31. 

We take a short lunch break (before starting our work project for the afternoon)... but we are still a bit shell-shocked. I am simply too exhausted to eat (& those of you who know me, know that THAT never happens!) We spend our lunch break re-charging our energies. Tonight during our Rooftop time we will set about changing all of our carefully / thoughtfully made plans for VBS the rest of the week. 

No more crafts - we simply don't have the supplies anymore & it takes too much time for 350+ kids to make anything... Snacks will now be served at the END of VBS, as the kids are leaving (we fashioned a type of "drive thru" line to help us with this - to be guarded by the Mama with the switch!)... I also decided that instead of reading the Bible stories & then having them translated, I am simply going to read to them directly from our Haitian Creole Bible storybook. (Hopefully this will help in the "keeping their interest" department). Now we are like Scarlet O'Hara - "tomorrow is another day!" ;)

Day 2 of VBS - We continued to regroup the rest of the day yesterday & I believe we have another workable plan... As hard as it may be to believe, we actually had MORE kids the 2nd day than we did the 1st. (Once word got out about the fun & the snacks that the "blans"(white people) were bringing, even more children showed up the next day!) ...But today, we are ready! No name tags - let's face it... it would've taken us the entire 2½ hours of VBS just to write their names... We break them up in stations - with the 1st 50 kids going to Music, then next 50 to Games, etc... This seems to work better & easier. Since we're not doing Crafts anymore, this gives us a few more minutes at the other stations & that too helps us deal with the large crowd of children. During my Bible storytime, I read to them from a Haitian Creole Bible storybook. One of our translators, Paul, has nicely "prepped" the kids. He explained to them (in Creole - thinking I wouldn't understand him) that although I do know a bit of French, I know virtually NO Haitian Creole, so they are not to laugh at me! The kids sweetly comply. Paul patiently reads along with me, helping me with any pronunciation problems & occasionally breaking to ask the kids to repeat what they just heard. We move along smoothly & we have plenty of time to do our Bible memory verse. I am AMAZED at how quickly the children learn the verses each day!!! (& they are so very happy to receive a sticker as a reward!)

Day 3 & 4 of VBS - The subsequent VBS days go SO VERY well. We are having so much fun! We are spilling out past the church into the neighbors' yards, but all is good! The kids are enjoying their time with us so much that they try to follow us each afternoon when it's time for us to leave. In just a few short days we are in love!!! How are we going to say goodbye to these precious children?

"Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to." ~ Deuteronomy 15:10
We have come to this place to share God's blessings with these people, but the Lord has blessed US as well! (even more so?) Thank you God for Your abundant grace & love!

More to come soon- about our work project at the church...

Renmen ak benediksyon!
~Laura

Acts 20:35

Acts 20:35 - "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

I know... It's been about 2 months since we returned from our Haiti trip & I've not yet blogged about it... Sorry... But life has been fast-paced since we returned AND there was so much to say about our trip... It's been hard to find an appropriate block of time to get my thoughts/ journal notes onto my blog... We couldn't have made this trip without your support (both spiritually & financially!) & I want to thank all of you who helped us.

Our trip was fantastic! We accomplished far more than we thought we could & we furthered some great relationships with our Haitian friends. We were truly blessed more than anything we gave/did! Our team is already making plans to return next summer!

We left on Saturday, July 27. Our trip to Miami & then on to Port au Prince was fairly uneventful. All of our 18 bags successfully made it to Haiti. The tiny airport in Port au Prince is crazy! So many people, so many "helpers" trying to get to our bags to "assist" us (hold them hostage for a couple of bucks per bag!) We were prepared for this (in theory) but still ended up paying some guys $40 to carry our bags about 20 feet. (We need to get better at this next time!) Pastor Guercy was awaiting us with a mini bus to transport us to Gonaives, about 3 hours away. 

Awaiting our bus transport to Gonaives.

Loading up the bus... See Jason crawling up the back?

After our long travel day, we ate dinner, unpacked & then headed upstairs for our Rooftop Devotional time. This is our special time to praise God through song & prayers for all He has done for us, to share our thoughts from the day & to plan for the next. We also have a special time together with our "bead ceremony". Here we each take turns giving a bead to someone in the group for leadership (blue), risk (red), compassion (green) & service (white). Our team has already, quickly bonded & this special time serves to bring us even closer! The view from the roof is incredible! There's usually a gentle breeze cooling us off from the heat of the day. (Several nights we are treated to a magnificent lightning show across the skies.) We enjoyed listening to a church preacher right across the street- who preached, LOUDLY, every single night. We could also hear the people at a nearby club rocking to some loud music, some neighborhood kids playing basketball at a nearby park and the cheers of the townspeople when the electricity comes back on (it goes out almost every night for a while...) What a perfect way to unwind from our day & reflect on God's many blessings! 

view from the hotel rooftop 

We are staying at Hotel La Planete (owned by one of Guercy's cousins). Since this hotel is still under construction, we are the only ones there. Eight rooms have been completely finished with furniture, water & electricity, just for our comfort.

We have a guard, Peterson, that is with us at all times, a driver who transports us between the hotel & our church work site & Guercy's three sisters, who come twice a day to prepare (authentic Haitian) breakfasts & dinners for us. Over the course of the week, our breakfasts consist of eggs & sometimes pasta (a spicy spaghetti dish with hard boiled eggs); for dinners we are served chicken, kabrit (goat) & fish along with beans & rice, fried plantains & other Haitian sides. (Our favorite dinner was the fried chicken with the spicy mac & cheese!)

Sunday morning - we dress for church, have breakfast at the hotel & load into our personal "tap-tap"to head over to Tabernacle of Christ Methodist Church.

A "tap-tap" is a Haitian form of mass transportation... it is a small truck that is crammed full of people inside & hanging on to the outside!

Guercy's brother, Wilfred, is the pastor here at Tabernacle of Christ Methodist Church. We tried to quietly enter, since church had already started by the time we arrived, but things came to a temporary halt as we are all seated up on the altar.

It was great walking in & seeing some familiar faces (from our previous trip in February). Through Guercy as our interpreter, Jason delivers a sermon & then helps dedicate three children to the church. Several groups shared their talents by singing & then Michael and Alyssa are invited to sing. 

Church is about a 3 hour affair! I am amazed at all the little children - sitting in the front pews - who are not only so very well behaved, but they are listening to the preaching & singing with the choirs (& sending us shy, sweet smiles).

When church is over we are greeted / reconnected with friends. We see Joseline, Natascha & Adeline from our last trip here. There are lots of hugs and trying to talk to each other - in halting language as we attempt to communicate in their Haitian Creole. 

After mingling for a bit,  we go back to the hotel for lunch & change into work clothes. We go back to the church to scope out our VBS & work project areas. We will need to use the backyard of the church for VBS so we spend some time clearing it of trash & debris.

There are some low / poor drainage areas in the yard that we need to fill with sand. (These are large, muddy, septic "ponds" that act like quicksand if you are unfortunate enough to step into it). Rylee was just the 1st to get sucked into what we lovingly called "Dookie Pond". We have come to serve the people of Tabernacle of Christ Methodist Church, but they are working with us, side by side... many of them are still in their nice church clothes, yet they are helping us pick up trash, tree branches & conch shells. One of the most beautiful acts of service I saw this week, happened that afternoon when Shannon became the next casualty of "Dookie Pond". She was so busy working, she didn't see how close she was getting to the swamp until all of a sudden she was sucked into it with 1 leg - all the way up to her knee! As she manages to pull her leg out, she sees that her shoe stayed buried in the mess. There's NO WAY she was going in after it!!! But, before she can do anything, Adeline (one of the young women of the church, probably around Shannon's age) reaches into the swampy mess - with her BARE HANDS- & retrieves Shannon's shoe. She takes Shannon over to a spot in the yard & pours clean water over her leg to clean her up. THEN Adeline takes the shoes off her own feet & puts them on Shannon, so that Shannon won't be left barefooted as Adeline then takes the disgusting shoe & cleans it up. She used their clean (in short supply) water to gently scrub Shannon's shoe until it looked as good as new. We had traveled all the way to Haiti to serve these people, who have so little... but who exactly was serving whom? It was such a beautiful gesture - it reminded me of Jesus washing His' disciples feet... It still makes me teary to remember it!

Colin, Natascha, Shannon & Adeline

Tomorrow we start VBS & our work project. Guercy has told us to expect anywhere from 100-175 kids! My excitement for tomorrow makes it hard to go to sleep... 

More on our trip soon...

Renmen ak benediksyon!
~Laura