Ryna is HERE and Week 2 here we COME

Ryna is HERE. Such a blessing to have a friend in this adventure. We spent the day getting ready for week 2. Prepping for the week wasn’t as bad with a partner in crime. Love her, she has such a beautiful heart for this place and one can see it as she is present in this place. Her love and joy to serve the people in Haiti is contagious. She shared this song with me tonight and just wanted to weep: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=516Qg_1AUok. It is called, “All the Poor and the Powerless.” The main line was, “ All the poor and powerless and all the lost and lonely, know that you are HOLY.” Feel like this week I have been looking into the eyes of the poor and the powerless, but God continues to reveal their great beauty and holiness. Feel like God has been moving in the past week. There has been this little 5 year old and he has been working on my heart. He is so happy when we dance. He will be so sad, or hungry, or upset that someone took his marker and then I grab him and we dance and he just laughs and laughs. Friday I plopped him on my back and continued to work. He just hung there and didn’t speak a word, just content. He humbled me everyday. He came hungry everyday, had a large abscess on his back, but somehow he could laugh and see joy in the day. Week 2, day 1 and I feel like it is week 4…I forget I am getting older. Great day. The older kids are fun to watch. They are more engaging, which is fun when we do the theater part of the day. Tomorrow Ryna and I are bringing a skit for why it is important to brush you teeth, putting a health lesson into the day. It has been a neat addition. Today we talked about worms, and then gave a de-worming pill to all the kids before lunch…bet that doesn’t happen in America..hahah. Tomorrow..the importance of brushing your teeth...and I have to say I am pretty sure the blancs will bring some laughs. Sweetest moment of today…I was exhausted…but they have been cranking the music in the church, so fun. Brings life to the place and the children. At the end of the day I got a couple of kids out in the middle of the church and we danced…just laughed, so much fun to just be JOYOUS WITH THE KIDS. I told Ryna I love acting like a fool in front of them and making them laugh. When we were done dancing I was sweating like I just finished a marathon…if only my future husband could see me in Haiti. That has become Ryna and I’s joke of Haiti because we are often messes by 5 o’clock. Love it…day 2, week 2 tomorrow….. Paint is here, love it, it was swift and easy... there were bumps in the road, but got to the hostel today and it was here. Love it, just showed up…thank you Jesus. Continue to pray for the time working with the people, pray for the others that will join us in the weeks to come. Pray for our travels North on Saturday, pray that the bags get there with us. Pray for the camp up North, trying to bring more opportunity for the youth workers to take leadership this year.

Our "Strong as an OX" worker

This is our security hard at work. A little boy resting in the heat of the afternoon, precious!

Marcel, our art teacher is teaching the boys to draw a sunset. He is great with the kids.

Me busting a move with the children.

Some pictures from the days…Ryna found her “twin.” Hahaha, NOT. He is one of our workers and wants to come to America, he said she could say that they were brother and sister because “their teeth look alike.” Hahahah, he is a riot. Been a sweet joy to the camp and children. Love him.

A Day of Many Emotions

We got to Cite Soleil late today because of transportation issue, but I will tell you, it was probably the best welcome I have ever gotten from anyone. I walked in and the children in one accord said, "Leah," with the most precious smiles. Then my little buddy who danced with me yesterday just ran to me with open arms, almost started crying. There JOY amazes me. Amazes me. Good day, had a day full of camp. The afternoon was another spirit filled afternoon. They have been cranking music for the children in the afternoon and today a song came one and I looked around the room and most of the children were singing along. I almost started to cry, it was just beautiful. The songs chorus was, "We adore, we adore our god. He is the only one, the beginning and the end, Alpha and Omega." So neat to just watch the children sing in one accord and work at the same time. They kept repeating the song for me because they saw that I liked it so much, hahaha. They played it four times in a row:) Sweet moment to the day. Another sweet moment was watching a father trying to teach his daughter how to crochet. They worked for about 30 minutes and she couldn't get it, he started to walk her to the door and I said no with a smile. Told him it takes more than 30 minutes to learn it, keep teaching her. About an hour later he called me over, he had a beaming smile on his face, she got it. He taught her. He was so happy. A sweet day. A hard day in my heart. I have had the opportunity to watch this community come together in a mighty way. It is glorious, but at the same time my heart breaks for this place. It is so full of talent, energy, ambition, hope, and smiles that can easily get lost in the shanties and streets. Today at the end of the day one of the workers and I broke out in dancing. We acted like figure skaters, we were ridiculous and I am sure everyone in there thought I was crazy. But what made me smile about this moment was this worker can be a very hard person. He used to run in a pretty tough gang and I know I don't know the half of it, but here I was today watching him break out in dancing with a smile that could light a dark room. Made me smile because I could see him being softened in his spirit by the atmosphere, people, joy, the Lord, and the community. What if this was present everyday in this place? My thought for the day....Made my heart break because I think about leaving Cite Soleil in two weeks and this coming to an end. Feel like God wants us to do so much more with his people in Cite Soleil. Last day of camp tomorrow, then one week done. Kind of crazy how quickly it comes and goes. Continue to pray for the camp, community, and team. Ryna comes in tomorrow, excited for a side kick. Pray for her travels, the bags, her spirit, and strength. So exhausting getting to Haiti, pray for a swift flight. Love you all...till next time...

Moments of the day

We made mask today. Camp is finished at one and at 4 I looked out to see this little girl cruising by on her bike. She popped a U turn and cam back to take a photo. Love that she was still rocking her precious mask 3 hours later.

This is PURE JOY. We all decided to jump on each other, their laughter was contagious. I lost it.

This photo started with one child and me. It turned to this and my face looks like this because it is 10 seconds before I fell. Good day with the kids.

A father was trying to teach her to crochet. About 30 minutes into it he was ready to quit and walking her to the door. I told him, "Nope, takes longer than 30 minutes to learn." He laughed and kept going. Within another 30 minutes she had it. He called me over with excitement for me to watch. Best moment of the day. To watch a father engage with his daughter and teach her.

Father's daughter that learned to crochet.

W and I being funny. One of the best workers we got. Always ready to help.

Making it work with what we got. Kids are chowing down. So many of them this is there first meal of the day. Had a couple crying this morning saying they had a hurt stomach. Don't know how they do it.

Favorite moment of yesterday. We have been cranking Jesus music in the church and two of our workers took the mic and began to rock out. Made my day, it was precious. Then one proceeded to the middle of the room to dance with me like we were figure skaters. hahaha, priceless. Yes, I am still a child at heart.

Let the SPIRIT COME and Faces of HOPE

Pure JOY!

Two of our helpers learning to crochet

My little buddy who just grabbed my hand to dance.

Father come to help his daughter work.

A little play for the children. Jesus loves the little children.

Learning to be an artist.

This picture was hilarious. He got right up there and did this...like he was planning it all along. Priceless I am currently wolfing down my food like a man that was just in battle for days and just returned home. People are looking at me funny, hahaha. I eat in the morning and wait til night, hate to eat in Cite Soleil when so many people barely get a meal a day or go days without eating. So tired, but somehow God fuels me up for the next adventure. Today was a day of the spirit moving. We are working in a church that was just built in Cite Soleil. They have a good sound speaker and we were cranking the music. One boy grabbed my hand and just started dancing with me. He was the boy from the picture I posted yesterday. He has become my best buddy, can’t really do anything, but is so proud of what he does. We started dancing and within minutes we had about 20 children dancing around, it was pure joy. Was pouring sweat by the end, but I will take it. Just felt the spirit move, it was amazing. The day was good, Caitlin has come up with a great schedule for the kids and it has been rocking it out. The staff has been great and making it work. The afternoon was the same, just felt full of spirit. One point half of the groups of children were singing to the song that was being played, so neat to just see peace and joy in the midst of what could be considered chaos outside. Can’t complain, God has been so good in all of this. Our budget was met and even in the last two days we have received more blessings of donations. The staff has been great, the children are pure joy. My mom wrote tonight and said she talked with her friend about Haiti and he said, “How can she keep going there when it's a place of NO HOPE!?" Haiti is and isn’t many things. One thing that Haiti is, is hope. Think that is why I keep coming back because in a place that could appear hopeless, if you go deeper all you can see is hope and faith. A simple conversation can reveal that, the hope of a father for his children, the hope and joy you see in a child as he/she engages in something with you, hope for a better tomorrow. Hope in two men sharing a conversation and learning to crochet together…see that as hope as Cite Soleil is a place where gangs thrive, but watching two grown men laugh and learn to crochet is a bit comical. Hope in watching to men grab the mic and sing for Jesus in a place that could seem hopeless. Hope is all these children smiles as they take their photo and know that they will get one copy of it the following day. Hope in 10 boys as they learn how to draw from an artist. I once heard a woman call Haitians, “Little resurrections” and I have to say it was the best analogy for a Haitian. At the end of the day, they almost seem like they could die because their days are that hard, but somehow they wake up the following day and do it all over again. Little resurrections. They are such a beautiful reflection of hope. It is hard to explain, you almost need to get a glimpse of it for yourself, but in the midst of suffering I have seen great hope. I have watched people from the community come out to support the children this week because they have hope in their community; they have hope in their leaders, hope in their children, hope in the Lord, hope in themselves, and hope in a better Cite Soleil. This place continues to humble me and crush my self. Thankful and blessed today…love you all and so grateful for you all. We could not do this work without you all. Continue to pray for the travels of our volunteers. Pray for the camp and the community. Pray that God’s glory would continue to REIGN and SHINE in this place. Til next time….pray that Hope continues to SHINE.

A Community Coming Together...what a BEAUTIFUL and GLORIOUS Sight

What a day. Started nervous, never really get too nervous in Haiti, but think it came from the feeling like I was heading in by myself and having to drive in. First time driving in Haiti..SUCCESS. Camp came together quickly and the workers were on time. The neatest part was having people just ask me if they could be present and help the kids. They continued to affirm that they didn't need to be paid, just wanted to be part of the day. Amazing, at one point we had about 10 adults in there supporting the children. The verse of the week is Luke 10:27. Trying to teach the children to LOVE GOD with all there heart, soul, mind, strength, and as their neighbor. Today we focused on loving him will all your heart, not just a little piece:) but all of it. Just fun to be with the community and serve and love on these children. Many of the children do not attend school and get to attend church and have the enrichment of play, so just a joy to serve God by loving on them. The afternoon might have been pure joy to sit back and watch. We have five local people that are teaching the children a talent. One adult to ten children. We have an artist, two people that crochet, and two that make jewelry. The children we all sectioned off and the adults really took on the task. I literally did nothing. It was amazing. Had other adults circulating and helping the children, children sitting, engaging, and patiently waiting for instructions. It was amazing. The adults were even more amazing. Just serving the children without hesitation. Truly beautiful to watch a community come together and serve each other with JOY. Every adult in the room was working with a child. The atmosphere of the entire day was truly one of the Lord, glorious! Got home to see another moment of the Lord shining through. Got an email saying that the second plane would not take our paint and it was stuck in Cape Haitian. Had a moment, meaning 2 minutes, hahhaa..thinking about if I could drive four hours to get it. Before I had too much time to think about it I got a second email saying that they found another airline that would take it, hahaha. Lord, didn't even let me stress about it. It was great. Getting ready to prep for tomorrow...need some cutting partners. I have 80 butterflies to cut out..hahahahahah, o man, I can already feel my fingers falling off. Til tomorrow. Continue to pray for energy, so exhausted by 4 today. Pray for the staff, pray for safety and the children. Love you all and continue to be grateful for you all and your commitment and support to us and Haiti. Thank you

Moments from the Day

My Tough as an Ox Worker..love her JOY!

People coming together

This is one of our security men. I know he doesn't look tough, but pretty sure he can turn the switch if needed. We had a good laugh with the photo.

They came up with the shirt script, "Working for a better Cite Soleil Tomorrow"

We have some locals coming in the afternoon to teach the children a trade. Crochet, an artist, and another two people that make jewelry. So neat to watch the community rise up together.

As Tough As an Ox

Well, the day has been good. Finally got myself into Cite Soleil and was greeted by the kids and them hanging on me. Ahaha, pretty sure I am coming home with ring worm. I also think I planted my lips on ring worm, bonus..hahhaha. That’s ok, wanted a souvenir for when I got back to the states. The day was good. Headed in to figure out the details for the camp, arrange the church to fit the children, and talk with the staff that will be working with us. We have one woman working for us. I like her; she is as tough as an ox. She as sweet as a flower, but you can tell she has some toughness and sassy in her. Women are often “behind the scenes” in Haiti. They are at home bathing kids, laundry, cooking, but not Dorothy. I often think they would love to be working, but often think it is the norm and expected of them. Often you see the women oppressed into the situation and there is little way out of it. Last time we were here we met a woman that was raising her three children in a room about the size of an SUV van. We asked her where the father was and she said, “He comes every month.” Today I called out a man that said he had two wives. Don’t think he likeed it, but asked him why, then preceded to tell him if my husband or boyfriend ever did that to me, I would kick him to the curb. Don’t know if he liked it too much, but started up a good conversation about how God wants us to treat wives, women, and girlfriends. I asked Dorothy if she had a boyfriend and she waves her head in disgust..had to laugh. She has got a good head on her. I told her to wait for the right one. She smiled, she knew what I was referencing. Referencing the large amount of men that have lost the ability to know how to treat a woman by having two women. Called her my sister today and she laughed. I followed it up with; we look the same, don’t we? She laughed and some of the men said, “yes, you are milk and she is coffee.” I like her strength and sassy. She is my tough as an ox woman and I can guarantee that she will be the one that carries the load. Excited to work with her. Time in Cite Soleil was good. Got ready for the camp and we are going to employee some people in the afternoon to teach little trades that they have taught themselves. Two of the people will be teaching crochet so today we found ourselves walking through the shacks to find yarn, and wouldn’t you know we came to a little shack that was selling massive amounts of yarn. Kind of made me laugh, you can find everything in ayaiti, you just need to know someone who knows someone. So tomorrow we begin. We have as much in check as we can. Food..check…materials…check....workers …check…lots of Jesus…check…church…check…energy for Leah…we shall see…hahah....yarn..check. Be praying the camp, the logistics, the energy of the workers, the spirit of our good Lord to infuse that place. Pray for the workers that they might see it as the glory of God and not just a job. Pray that the children would feel the love of Christ. Pray for the community that they might continue to see the Lord through this. Pray for safety. We will be driving into Cite Soleil, my first time driving in Haiti. Pray all the things that need to happen. Continue to pray for the teammates that are on there way. My Ryna comes in on Saturday, excited to see her face and get her Creole and joy in Cite Soleil. Following her is our “gwo blanc” Ricky. That means big white person. Hahah…he brings the energy and always carries massive amounts of JOY. Following him will be my sista, Caitlin. Pray for her hands and her ability to sling that paint. We have a strong team this year, so blessed by their joy, energy, faith, and joy to be walking in this mission. Love you all, could not do it without you all. Pictures soon to come.