Presenting Haiti to FBC-Huntersville

So, for those of you still checking this blog, I wanted to invite you to join us on Sunday, January 6th (9am, 10:30am, 12pm) at FBC Huntersville. Our team will be presenting (in story, pictures, video and maybe song) what we witnessed on our trip to Haiti. We hope to see you there.

Children Need a Place to Play

While in Bayonnais, one of the remarkable things that we wtinessed was watching children of all ages get up everyday at sunrise to work on their "soccer field" in between the two school buildings. They busted up rocks and the concrete that was left over from building the new classrooms . . . they begin whittling away at a large mound of dirt and spreading it around . . . it was hard work. . . all for a place to play soccer.


A song came to my mind as I watched this each day. A friend of mine, Allen Levi, wrote a song about his brother helping to build a playground in Sarajevo. With all of the needs present there, it was still important for the children to have a place to play.


Read Allen's words below. It's not an exact fit to the situation in Bayonnais, (a war had just ended in Sarajevo) but it helped me understand why it was so important for these children to work on their play area. We can learn a lot from them. . .


It's an angry town, full of dangerous streets
And there's fear in the eyes and revenge in the hearts
Of the people you meet

It's a cruel war, sharp as a tight strung wire
And the children learn to hate caught in the crossfire

But someone's bringing them a truck of sand
Someone's bringing them a jungle gym
Somebody's coming from a foreign land to play with them
Cause they know children need a place to play
Don't the children need a way to get away
A stranger comes with a sandbox and a see-saw
Cause he knows children need a place to play

Across the great Atlantic, from the outside looking in
Madness seems to rule the hearts of ordinary men
But in the angry widow and the one-armed boy and soilders can't we see
Somewhere in that line-up are you and me

But Someone's bringing us a truck of sand
Somebody's bringing us a jungle gym
Somebody's coming from another Land to play
Cause He knows children need a place to play
Don't the children need a way to get away
A Stranger comes with a sandbox and a see-saw
Cause He knows children need a place to play

BRIDGE
There among the small ones is the secret of true laughter
The wisdom and the worship of the playful
Cause we need a place to play
In this hard world we need a way to get away
Christ Jesus comes with peace and joy and laughter
And He calls children, children come and play
Come and play

Other musings

Ron's post just made me laugh. We used that phrase quite often over the past few days. Other interesting phrases that Actionnel shared with us...you might call them Actionnelisms. Others on the team may have to help me with some of these. I can't remember them all.


"An empty stomach has no ears." - I think this one is probably easily understood, but it also serves as the reason OFCB provides a lunch of beans and rice to every child and others who show up on the campus during lunch time. This lunch is the only meal that some of these kids have each day.


"A kitten in the oven does not make a muffin." - I know, this one sounds a little funny, so I had to ask what he means by it. Basically, it means that simply going to church does not make you a Christian. According to Romans 10:9, "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Being a Christian requires a changing of the heart. We are born in a sinful selfish state. We must turn from our sin and turn our hearts toward Christ.

"I'll have to google that"

Traveling together can really give you the opportunity to get to know a lot about each other, especially when you have cancelled flights, long bus rides, and a flat tire. On our trip to Haiti - we learned a lot about each other. We also learned a lot about other things, as well . . . it was kind of like traveling with a live version of "wikipedia."

Several in our group had answers for just about every question that came up. We were full of interesting facts. We discovered however, that like "wikipedia," some of the interesting facts shared, though they were interesting, may not have been all that factual. Sometimes it was hard to tell. So, I think it was Mark that coined the phrase that we ended up using several times during our trip - "I'll have to google that."

It's a polite way of saying that you do not believe someone's story. Try it out . . . it is the friendliest way I know of to question someone's integrity . . . trust me.

So, the next time someone gives you a very interesting and creative explanation as to why "fancy ketchup" is "fancy" just look at them and say, "I'll have to google that."

We are not Missionaries . . .

Thank you for thinking about and praying for us while we were in Haiti. What an incredible journey. Our trip home was much less eventful than getting to Haiti - no cancelled flights, no lost luggage, no flat tires - just a quick run through the Miami airport. We are now all home, safe and sound.

We apologize in advance - for all of the stories you will tire of, the laughter at "you had to be there" phrases, and tears we may shed about leaving our new friends in Bayonnais.

It is interesting . . . I doubt any of us ever thought of ourselves as missionaries. That sentiment was echoed by Actionnel himself, who told us that we "are not missionaries . . . we are their brothers and sisters." That about sums up how we all feel, as we leave and settle back into our "normal" lives.

Stay tuned on the BLOG as we continue to reflect . . . upload additional pictures . . . and who knows . . . maybe, begin making plans for our next visit.

Thank you, again. We are grateful for your support.

Haiti- the land of mountains

It's fascinates and amazes me to talk or attempt to talk to the people here. The language barrier is very significant but most can say some english words like "hello" or "what is your name?". Mostly you hear "what is your name" said multiple times and the rest is either rambling in creole or laughter.
But when we first arrived in Port Au Prince i was already sort of irritated. not to the extent of frustration but all the airline issues and baggage claim i just was ready to get done with what we had to do. I felt like every person we spoke to in Port Au Prince was asking for money and indeed they were multiple times. It was awkward and annoying to have everyone person around you not say hello but reach out their hand for money. So my outlook on the trip while we were in Port Au Prince was one of irritation and the 5 hour bus ride on roads that were difficult to walk on did not help.
The amazing part was that once we got here Thursday night we were welcomed by children clapping and smiling. We walked out of the bus right in to a new group of people, not like the people in Port Au Prince: they did not ask for money, they asked a different question: " do you speak creole?" At this moment surrounded by joyful children I realized that all the obstacles to get here were well worth it. The people of bayonnias were not asking for money but asking if we could speak their language, asking us to be a part of them, Not trying to take but to unite.
Here in Bayonnais is the community that I believe we all want but lose sight of because of our material distractions. It is beautiful in so many ways the harmonious society these people live in despite all the odds against them.

I am also very surprised of how intelligent these students are: some speaking three languages and those who can not are trying to. I have enjoyed attempting to speak spanish to those who have been taught it and Creole is rattled through out the mouths of the kids.

My once irritated mood is now jubilant and trying to cherish every last moment here.
-Aaron

Observations of the day

We brought several soccer balls with us since that is one of the favorite games here. When we got up this morning, the kids were shoveling dirt and breaking up concrete in the field between the two classroom buildings. I asked what they were doing, and Actionnel said they were fixing their soccer field. This ground was basically dirt with rocks in it. I decided to take a little break from building benches and I brought out one of the new soccer balls. The kids were very happy. They were all tugging on my hand so that I would play on their team. Some of the kids had on flip flops and some had shoes like crocs, but most just played barefoot...on the little rocks, much like gravel, although some were more like softball size, mixed into the dirt. I imagine their feet are pretty tough since they are used to it, but I played in my tennis shoes. Even in shoes, it was pretty difficult to start and stop on the rocks and dirt. I also ended up with many little rocks in my shoes.

It would definitely be helpful to know French, which I don't, or Creole would be even better, but it doesn't really phase them. They are just happy that we are here. I asked one of our other teammates, one who came on the last trip, if our trip is even that important - considering how difficult it is to get people to Bayonnais - or if they really just need some money to do some things here. His response was pretty insightful. He said that they really enjoy us coming and they know they aren't forgotten. There are people who care about them.

We decided to go over to the church building tonight after dinner to sing as a group (Ron brought a little guitar with him). Many of the kids came with us, probably about 25 or so. It was pretty cool how we could sing a song like How Great Thou Art, and after we were done, they started singing it in French. They could tell from the sound and music what song we were singing. I think they were having a real good time, clapping, singing along when they could and singing some of their songs for us. There were at least three or four teenage girls that knew enough English to sing along on a couple songs. We ended the evening with the kids singing Silent Night in French. One of the little girls, maybe 4 years old, fell asleep in Kelli's arms. I hope someone got a picture of that, it was priceless.

G DOUBLE O D JOB

G-Gabelo-De-Jo-Ob -G-Gabelo-De-Jo-Ob-Goo job- Goo job...
We're not sure the translation...but it simply sounds like "JOY," as everything we see and hear in Bayonais seems to translate to joy in our ears!

HEY, this is Ron here chiming into this blog entry with a last minute update - Kelli and Jenny were the authors of this entry and had been enjoying this fun, joyful Haitian song . . . only to find out today that it was an English song - It seems that "G double O D J-O-B" actually spells "Good Job." So we are learning a little French, a little Creole, and now, even a little English. We have laughed a lot about this.

At first glance, given the surroundings and dismal circumstances, one would never expect to find such contentment and pure delight in the children's eyes, in their conversations, and in the many games seen played across the OFCB campus today.

We had the opportunity to present small bibles to all of the elementary aged children today. The word quickly spread throughout the village, as adults and other students from neighboring schools made their way to the church hoping for a bible of their own. What we found amazing was that each child left the school with their bibles - not one was left behind or forgotten!

At the end of the day as Jenny cleaned out her pockets, we noticed the torn tattered note pad...with many notes and phrases captured from her many exchanges. Many children were seen throughout the day writing their names on her pad or helping Jenny spell creole or french words she wanted to remember. The children took great delight in teaching us words, and had such fun laughing as they taught us their hand rhymes and songs.

The children and adults not playing soccer or doing hand games could be found helping the guys build the benches. The young children carried lumber and bench frames across the yard to make the work easier. At the end of the day we tallied 41 completed benches....only 57 to go!

Chris & Jenny

Thank you so much for all your prayers for us and for the Haiti people we are now getting to know. They are beautiful people. We were greeted with clapping and cheers, like celebrities, as we drove onto the OFBC property tonight. Lots of kids surrounded our bus and warmly greeted us with "What is your name?" -- I think that might be the only english phrase many of them know. Actionnel informed us later, that we are known, to these people of Bayonnais, as the people from the church who gives the money for food and for the only freezer in the whole community of 80,000+ people. They see us as heroes, because they also know that we have come to build lots of benches for their new classrooms. What these Haitian people don't know is how much they will change our lives. We are so blessed. Pray that we will be aware of and awakened to all that God is doing in this community. The Kingdom of God is advancing here in Haiti and we get a small glimpse into what that looks like for these people. I look forward to a full nights sleep and a wonderful day tomorrow.
shalom,
Chris

Getting There is Half the Fun

We are in Bayonnais . . . finally . . . We prayed that we would learn from NOT BEING IN CONTROL and we have learned our lessons well. We landed in Port-au-Prince this morning only to discover our bags had a different plan. So, several hours and a flat tire on the bus later we made it. We left Miami in the dark and arrived in Bayonnais in the dark - a long day. But it was worth it . . . hearing the kids applaude as we rode into OFCB. We have already had some great conversations with many of the children (even though we don't know what they are saying back to us.) Actionnel and his dear friend Pere were life savers today. Yolanda fixed us a wonderful dinner and we are all well. Actionnel expressed his gratitude for all that everyone has done for the people of Bayonnais. It is exciting to see how the money that many of us have help send to OFCB is being used. We benefited first hand from the new freezer that the FBC Bible School children donated. Actionnel told us that this is the only freezer in Bayonnais - one freezer per 80,000 people - amazing.

So we are a good day and a half behind schedule, but real excited about getting started in the morning . . . working with OFCB's carpenter to build benches for the new classrooms, pass out Bibles to the children, and have fun building relationships with our new friends.

Thanks for your prayers. If you have been praying for our patience - well - they have definitely been answered. What a great team to be learning, growing, playing, and laughing with.

Not quite the guest house

We've had quite an adventure so far...

The flight out of Charlotte this morning was cancelled and we were placed on the afternoon flight to Miami. We are staying in a hotel in Miami tonight and we'll fly out tomorrow morning at 7:00 am, arriving in Port-au-Prince around 9:00 am. We are all in good spirits and we are really getting to know each other well.

As for activities, the team will be playing an extreme version of Pente this evening. We'll keep you posted on the outcome. Team "Ron and Mark" is very strong, but team "The Scotts" is catching on quick and word on the street has it they will master the elements and provide a formidable challenge.

Thank you so much for your prayers. Continue to pray that our trip is successful tomorrow and that all of our luggage arrives with us in PAP.

We are all really excited about our opportunity and are filled with anticipation for tomorrow's trip to Bayonnais.

Contribution

I was blessed by a lunch meeting I had last week. I was given $1100 in cash from an anonymous donor to take with me to give to Actionnel in Haiti. This person had it on their heart to contribute to reaching people for Christ in Haiti. God bless this generous contribution and giver!

Note: I sent a check for this contribution to be deposited in Actionnel's account.

Gideon Bibles

I just thought I would post this on the site since it seems to be an immediate answer to prayer. On Sunday morning in our church service, Rita asked everyone to pray that we would be able to get Bibles from the Gideons for distribution at the school. Please see the email message from David Nichols who is one of Actionnel's contacts here in the states. This is very exciting. Thanks for all who were praying.
_____

I just talked to Actionnel.

The first person he talked to from the Gideons wasn't sure he could do much, so he sent him on to another person. This became a typical Actionnel story: the next person was someone he has known for 20 years, and they talked a lot, and the guy wanted to clear as much out of his storage room as possible.

So now Actionnel has 1,400 or so (doesn't really know, but a lot) in boxes
small ones, French
larger ones, French, English & Spanish

New Testament + Psalms only

He asked me to let you know this good news (Good News!)