First Class, Homemade Cookies, and Touch Down

The last three days have been a whirlwind. Had a couple people who couldn't go on the trip at last minute..creating a bit of reorganizing and shuffling details. Yesterday I showed up at the airport to find out that my flight was canceled because they didn't have a crew. But I got the last seat on first class for the following day. Heading home I had to shuffle details again. Last night I stood looking at four bags equaling 250 lbs and wondered how on earth I was going to pass all this equipment for just one person.

Getting to Haiti is always the hardest part. . Your bags are overweight and it usually causes craziness. God knew what I needed this morning. Showed up to the counter and because I had first class I got to check the overweight bags for FREE and only had to pay 150.00 instead of 600.00 for all the weight. Ummmm, thank you Jesus. I then found out that first class fliers get to pass the security check line and board first. One thing after the next...God made a day that is usually exhausting, a PERFECT delight.

I woke up from my nap to the smell of cookies. Totally thinking I was dreaming I went to the bathroom and came across the flight attendant who was taking freshly, baked cookies out of the plane oven...hahahah, am I in a dream? I could get used to this first class thing....warm cookies and milk. God's gift to me today was an easy flight, our bags, and cookies and milk. Felt like I was five all over again.

Touched down in Haiti. Always a breath of fresh air. Got all my bags and hit the streets with my friend. So good to be back. The hustling and bustling has not stopped, but there is this energy that is hard to describe. The tap-taps, the people working in the market, the boys on the street, constant movement. A little boy in heavy traffic went out of his way to stop the traffic for us. Walked flat out into the traffic put up his hands and stopped a tap tap so we could get out. He was maybe 8. Stopped to give him a dollar. Really just wanted to take him home. His voice was so quiet and faint. Asked him his name, barely could hear and was trying to get a smile, but was unsuccessful. The streets of Haiti are another world sometimes. In Boston you see older men and women at the curbs washing cars for change, cleaning a window, or just asking...in Haiti it is the children. 4, 5, 8 years old out in the heat trying to make a dollar. Seems so foreign...where is the break down? Further confirmed in my heart the calling of Making Roots to start a home for boys living on the street.

Seen good friends, trying to get the creole back...and it is off tomorrow up North. Praying for the bags, the plane ride. I am on stand by, which means I wait...and wait..and wait...pray for a ticket..and patience! So hot here...can't explain. But I got blessed with a room with AC, this will be the first and last for this trip. Think sleep is calling my name early. Will hopefully get pictures up for next blog.

And More to Come...

More Pictures

Below are some of the pictures from our most recent trip to Cite Soleil in 2011. Some are of the men working with us. Others are of us coloring with the children. We all started off on our knees and it was quiet. Within five minutes if was chaos. We are so grateful for what God did on the trip. We were able to leave murals in Cite Soleil, employee local people, vision for the future, and enjoy HAITI. Thank you all for your support.

More Pictures from Haiti Trip 2011

Home Tomorrow..

We are back to Port-au-Prince. We were able to head up North and see old friends and visit. Enjoyed the time with the people. Caitlin was able to paint a little and I was able to play soccer with the children. It was good to see everyone. We had about three days there and then we are back in Port-au-Prince and head to the states tomorrow. The neatest part of the trip up North was the moto ride to Passe Cataboise. We got to Port-au-Paix at dusk and there were a couple of our friends waiting for us. A blessing seeing as it would have been hard to find a ride that late. Our moto ride in the light quickly turned to darkness. I felt like we were in a planetarium. So marvelous to just look up and see the sky. One could see for miles and miles, infinite stars. Ten miles took us about two hours. The roads have gotten worse, more holes, more mud, more rocks. About an hour into our drive we hear, “My Kate, My Kate.” It was our Haitian brother who came to find us. So neat…he heard we were coming and came to find us. After that our friends decided the road ahead was bad and we were going to take another way. Before you know it we were zipping through fields, cornfields, it was amazing. Just darkness except our moto lights and the fires burning in the distance. It was a moment where I felt great thankfulness for this opportunity to be intertwined in God’s work in Haiti and Haiti’s people.

The trip back was the complete opposite. Woke up this morning at 3 am and took a moto at 4. This moto was not the best moto ever. Stopped four times, had to fix “pieces” of the moto. At one point I was holding a piece of the moto that looked pretty important, but hey, it drove. After the third time the bike “broke” we slipped in the mud and the bike went down, this is about where I almost lost it, but wait….we are not done. Next we hit the river, loaded ourselves and the bike into a “rowboat,” leaking much water and got pushed across the river in the darkness of the morning….but we made it, thank you Jesus. It was an ordeal and I might have lost it a couple hundred times, but we are safe and sound in Port-au-Prince enjoying quiet, soda, and rest. Back to the states tomorrow.

Grateful for the time up North. It allowed us to have some meetings and dream for the future of the camp and children that we sponsor for school. Neat to see God moving.

Thank you all for your prayers, notes, and support. When we get home I am going to load more pictures of our adventures. Internet has been too slow to upload much. But we just wanted to say thank you for everything. Photos to come…

Last Day in Cite Soleil, 5 Murals Done!

Today was an amazing day. This morning we got to visit St. Joseph’s Home in Port-au-Prince. It is a home that was built 25 years ago for boys off the streets. So neat to be there, hear the vision, meet the boys, and hear about the journey they have walked through. A man gave us a tour, 26 now, came to the home at 6 as a restavek. (In Creole it means, “stay with” it is child slavery) He spoke about his journey to St. Joseph’s and his journey and upbringing at the home. He spoke passionately about giving back to his people, his fellow brothers, the home, and the director of the program. He told us about when the earthquake hit he was on the roof of a 7 story building that came crashing down. He was able to jump onto a tree, which saved his life because he did not go down with the rubble. Following that story he said, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.” He really challenged me today. It was a blessing to hear his story, but see the power of Christ in his life, the strength of the human spirit, and the power of prayer. I left encouraged and feeling grateful for the opportunity to walk in and out of the home.

I asked him how the home got started and he told me that is started 25 years ago with a man named Michael who had a calling to start a home for street boys. He moved to Haiti with 1,000.00 and started with just five boys living in a home with him. 25 years later they run a home for street boys, a school for the disabled, a bakery/coffee house that employees mothers, and a school. So neat to see the fruit of labor and the Lord’s blessings. It was also encouraging as Caitlin and I have felt the calling of starting a home for street boys. It was a beautiful gift to be able to walk through the home today and meet some of the men that grew up at the home, look at their artwork, hear their stories, and see how this home and family brought life and joy into their lives.

Headed into Cite Soleil and spent the morning finishing the last three murals. My sister knows how to work it out. She busted out three of the five murals today. I was amazed by her spirit and gift today. She kept a smile up to the last minute. We even got to paint the outside of a man’s house, why not? Hahaha.

I got to play a little soccer today, enjoyed it until the ball bounced into the canal of sludge sewer. I watched the children descend into the canal to retrieve the ball with their feet. The blanc (me) almost lost my breakfast. I could not stop laughing. I wanted to tell the kids to leave the ball, but they just kept at it. By the end of the mission we had three children in the canal trying to get the ball. They finally got it out and it was covered in sludge. That is when I took my half time break and never returned. No thank you, I like soccer, but not that much. I could foresee myself being in a position to head the ball or take a ball to the face…nope.

Good day, greatful for completing all the murals, thankful for our safety, thankful for the many blessings that people poured on us, thankful for the opportunity to know Haiti’s people and children. Leaving encouraged and blessed and ready for God to expand our borders. One, two, three…go!

A Nap

This was my favorite part of the day. This little girl falling asleep in my arms. She was crying and slowly wandered over to me, arms extended, and tears falling. As soon as the arms went up I was hers. She nuzzled right into my chest and within ten minutes she was out. She stayed with me for about two hours. I could have been happy doing just that today. In those moments life seems to fade away. Her little nap refreshed me today.

Besides napping, we were able to complete the third mural today. Two more to go. Nothing like pushing it to the last minute. We finished the one in Cite Soleil today. Got to orchestra a color time with children. More like a free for all. This picture was of the children before all chaos broke out. I told them they had to kneel and not make noise. It worked for the first ten minutes. Lets just say that the twenty minutes following was not something I wanted to take a picture of. Played some soccer, practiced some Creole, and enjoyed the city with the people.

We have one more day in Cite Soleil and then we head up North. Looking forward to seeing friends up that way. We head out Friday and come back to Port-au-Prince on Tuesday. God has been so good to us. We had another great meeting this morning. We were able to vision and think about the future for Making Roots and Haiti. Exciting, seems impossible, but I know that God loves the impossible. So here we go….