Home Again

We left the guest house in Port Au Prince yesterday morning and after more than 16 hours of traveling through four airports, three flights, and two bus rides we were finally home! It is always difficult to come back. You have mixed emotions. On one hand you are so thankful for basic necessities like clean water and sanitation, and the ability to use warm/hot water to take a shower. On the other hand you feel like you have left part of yourself there. It is hard to explain just how life-changing the experience is to someone who hasn't been there. There are mosquitoes, intense heat (where sweat runs down your body like water for hours every day), lots of dust, very bumpy roads, cultural differences, language barriers, cold water showers, and long days. But there is also another side. There are lots of happy children who can't get enough of your love; that climb all over you and want hugs and kisses; that have hope in the face of extreme adversity; and that touch our hearts so deeply from the moment we see them. There are those that are humble and, while they do not have much by our American standards, show thankfulness for what they do have and are willing to openly share it with others. They understand 'community' and what it means to live together and care for one another in fellowship. Many of us barely know (if we know at all) all of our neighbors on our street or in our neighborhood because we are often far more consumed with our own lives and schedules than we are anyone else. Most importantly, the presence of God can be felt so strongly in Haiti. When you are there all of the challenges we face here at home do not exist. Our jobs, our errands, our to-do lists, etc. are not there with us. You get to separate yourself from all of those things that demand your time and pull you away from God. When you are there God is your central focus every minute of every day. Our team was amazing this year, and we got to serve alongside some amazing people from another team. Nineteen people (many of whom didn't know each other prior to the trip) living under one roof for 8 days can have its challenges. We laughed so hard our sides hurt (thanks Susan!), we cried for the things that broke our hearts, we encouraged each other, we shared what we had, we prayed together, ate meals together, and served and worshiped God together. That is a picture of the 'church'.  It is all about relationships. As each of us transition back into our normal lives, my prayer is that each of us will find a 'new normal' incorporating our experiences from this past week into a stronger relationship with God and a greater appreciation for the blessings we have been given. May we be more open and mindful of the needs in our communities here at home, and may we show the same love and kindness to others in our daily lives that we did to the beautiful people of Haiti. Until next time...God bless!

Day 7 - The Last Day...for now

I can't believe that this is our last day in Haiti for this trip. I can't help but wonder what it will be like for the first-timers when they get back to the US. It has been hard for me transition back to my regular life after both of my previous visits and I don't expect this one to be any different. I pray that each person on our team returns home with Haiti in their hearts, with serving God on the mission field in their hearts. May they never forget what they have seen and experienced. Last night a few members of our team sat down and wrote out a long list of things they will never again take for granted. This has been a rough week, working alongside people we did not know, being stuck together 24 hours a day for 7 days, withstanding the heat and the dust, struggling to communicate with most adults and children due to language barriers, dealing with last minute changes to plans, and having to sometimes wait around for the next opportunity to go serve. If anything, you must be flexible in Haiti. Nothing happens on time, everyone is always late, and the vehicles do break down - almost daily. But in the face of all of these challenges, you see God here. When you sit down with a group of earthquake orphans who have lost both parents but have a greater joy than we can imagine you immediately recognize where that joy comes from. It can only be God. After breakfast this morning we split into three groups and went to three churches. Morning services were wonderful!! I got to speak with a group of 10 ladies after the service to discuss the women's ministry. It was a good meeting. We discussed what the next steps are for getting the structure of the organization in place and talked about holding Christian counseling training the next time I come to Haiti. When my group got back in the trucks and started to leave, we quickly realized one had a flat tire. So everyone got out, they fixed it, and we were headed back to the guest house. After we got back we were told that Pastor Sanousse was coming to take us back to play with the kids at his orphanage, but with carnival traffic, etc he was not able to get here in time. Joe and Mark talked to me about something they saw today that would really move the women's ministry forward! I am super excited about the possibility, but want to pray about it for a while before I jump into it. If this piece moves into place I will be coming to Haiti more often than twice a year. But what an amazing opportunity!!!! Please be in prayer that I will clearly see what God wants done in this ministry, and that I will be open to listening to whatever it is! We sat down this evening for our last Haitian dinner of the trip. I am certainly going to miss the food! After dinner we gathered together for our own private service. All 19 of us took turns talking about what stands out the most for us from the week here in Haiti. Many responses were given. Many spoke of the orphans we visited, and how they would run to you as soon as you walked through the door, all with big smiles on their faces. How they have nothing but are so very happy. Many talked about the revival services this week and how strongly you could feel God's spirit in the churches here. One of the churches, started by Joe Mobley's ministry, was celebrating it's 25th year of service this weekend. Someone mentioned that in the service at that church this morning where hundreds were gathered she was reminded that it started with one person who was willing to do what God led him to do. God can use each of us in unimaginable ways if we would just surrender and let Him have the control. I am very thankful for the opportunity to come back to Haiti. I have fallen in love with this country, as I believe a few others on our team have. Tomorrow morning we leave the guest house at 7 am to travel to the airport. Please pray for safe travels. It will be a long day for our team, as we arrive in Cincinnati at 9 pm tomorrow night. Have a great Monday! God bless!!!

Day 6

Today was a good day, but a little different than most of our other days this week. After breakfast we headed to Sherrie's and most of both teams went. We all just jumped in and started working on projects at the orphanage attempting to get things finished there so the children can move in. We didnt get everything done, but we did get the floors cleaned the first time (they need cleaned many times to get the dirt and mud off of them), painted all if the doors, and cleaned up around the outside. Arnie also went out with Edmond ti buy the supplies needed to build a couple of small privacy walls for the bathroom. We didn't get the walls built, but at least the supplies are there, ready for the next team to pick up where we left off. When we were done with what we could do on the project at Sherrie's we all went out on the bus to "sight see" a bit. For so many it was their first time to see the downtown area of Port au Prince, and to see some of the more prominent earthquake destruction. For me, I was surprised that even since December it appears as though much progress has been made on tearing down collapsed buildings and rebuilding new ones. That is very positive to see. After we were done seeing downtown, we went to Epi d'or for some ice cream. It was a nice treat! Then we headed back to the guest house. On the way back we ran out of gas. Another God moment for sure...in probably less than 2 minutes some guy was at the side of our bus with a milk jug full of gasoline. There were no gas stations around us, so we aren't really sure where he came from, but we were thankful he was there! As soon as we arrived back at the guest house dinner was ready. We aren't going out to churches tonight because tonight the 'carnival' starts. It is like a massive Haitian mardi gras. In downtown they are building massive dancing stages and breaking out decorations. As we understand it, this is a pretty massive celebration and from mid-day Monday through Wednesday morning everything pretty much shuts down for the party. We have also been told that this is a time when voodoo practices are more prominent. After dinner we sat around and relaxed. Most of the teenagers fell asleep soon after we got back, but us 'old people' are still going strong. We are splitting up to attend three different church services tomorrow morning and then will be coming back to pack up and get ready to leave early Monday morning. Overall it's been a good day. More tomorrow...God bless!

Day 5

This week has really been flying by! I can't believe we leave for home in just 3 more days. It's always hard to leave this place, at least for me. By far the biggest attachment our team has had has been the children. We have loved on so many kids this week that we could not possibly count them all. The hearts of some have been so broken for these kids that they can barely speak about it through their tears. Don't be surprised if UBC ends up with a small population of Haitian children!!! Just saying! Well this morning we went to a kind of "warehouse district" so we could find beans and rice. Yesterday we went to the market/grocery and they did not have rice and beans. We came back to the guest house and picked up the rest of the team so they could go out with us to deliver the food to four different orphanages. While back at the guest house, I was introduced to a Haitian Senator as the woman starting up this women's ministry. He said that he would be available anytime to assist with the work. Then we got the gang all together and off we went! First stop was Pator Odvin's orphanage, then Pastor Sanousse's orphanage, and then we went to Sherrie's, and finally to Dorothy's. The children at Dorothy's are especially precious. Many have handicaps, such as brittle bone disease, but they are just the happiest children! One little girl in particular stole the hearts of a few, especially Leigh. Her name is Emanuella and she is 7 years old and weighs only 20 pounds. She has cerebral palsy and they have said there is nothing the doctors in Haiti can do for her. She is so precious and it is so hard to know that doctors in the US could do something for her if only we could get her there. It is heart breaking for sure but it is amazing that you can feel so much love for a child you just met. Seeing their faces with great big smiles makes everything else in the world seem meaningless. The face of a child is truly a gift of our God. After the groceries were delivered we came back to the guest house for dinner. Then we split into three groups and went to two church services and an another orphanage. The group that went to the orphanage rode in a tap tap and about half way there we had a flat tire. So here was a broken down tap tap full of Americans and one Haitian pastor. A few were a little nervous, but what an amazing example of God. There we sat and as we looked directly across the street what did we see? A tire salesman and stacks of tires!!! It is rare to see those in Haiti and the pastor said the next nearest one was a 20 minute drive away. I'm so thankful that God orchestrates such amazing plans for us. When we step out to do His work, He takes care of us. The man with the tire stand helped to repair the tire and get us back on the road. A few minutes later we arrived at the orphanage. What precious children! They greeted us at the gate with great big smiles and as we got out of the truck this amazing little girl, around maybe 5 years old, began to pray for individuals on our team. She was very precious! We did crafts with the kids and took their pictures and printed them out for them so they would have a picture of themselves. A good time was had by all! We then headed back to the guest house for the night. It has been a very good day! Tomorrow our team is heading to Sherrie's to try to get the orphanage set up for the kids so they can move over out of their current living arrangements at the school. We pray we can accomplish the tasks that need to be accomplished tomorrow, that we can take much of this burden off of Sherrie and help her with this important project. Well, off to bed we go. More tomorrow!

Day 4

Well, since today is day 4 here in Haiti I might actually get caught up with blogging tonight! Where to start...today was a special day that came about through a single question I asked last year on my first trip to Haiti. On that visit I asked if there were programs and services here to help women that have been abused. Always present to a degree, physical and sexual violence against women escalated following the earthquake. I quickly found out that very few programs existed and there were none in this area that were faith-based. On that trip, in fact the day I asked that question, I was introduced to Pastor Odvin. We talked about this issue and he quickly volunteered to start this ministry in his church. The problem was that I didn't know what "this ministry" was! I had merely asked a question but the next thing I knew I was speaking at a 6 am service to a crowd of more than 150 Haitians, telling them that women have rights and do not deserve to be violated and abused. At that time we announced that God had a plan for a ministry here in Haiti to help women recover from their painful pasts. It was a roller coaster ride. When I came to Haiti last July I hadn't thought about returning. Well it was evident that God had different plans. I returned to Haiti in December and met with Pastor Odvin, Pastor CJ, and Vanita (a nurse in Pastor Odvin's health clinic). It was our first "committee meeting". During that time we discussed a name for the organization and went over a list of possible programs and services that we could provide. Shortly after returning home and doing so e research on names, I found the name of the ministry: Hope for My Sister. I am in the process of getting the organization registered with the State. Fast forward to today. This morning we held an official inauguration ceremony for Hope for My Sister at Pastor Odvin's church, and the whole UBC team was there providing support! There was a good crowd, with many women. It was a very nice event with songs and prayer, but the highlight of the event, the moment when I was truly reminded of why this is so very important, is when a young lady, Blondine, gave her testimony. She talked of how a close friend of hers had betrayed her and left her with a man that held her at gunpoint while he raped and abused her. As she spoke with tears running down her face, and I listened to the translator (who was translating into English) all I could do was ask God to make me a willing servant, that if this is what I am called to lead that He would equip me for the task. Words can not do justice to how unequipped I feel for this work. I keep wondering why in the world, of all of the people He could have chosen, He chose me. I am no one special. I don't have the answers to all of the questions that keep coming up, and frankly I am scared of the whole thing. I can't even speak their language, yet. Back to this morning. I also spoke this morning about the ministry. I spoke about the fact that abuse is not only a Haitian problem or an American problem; instead it is a global problem. God gives us great promises through our relationship with Him. He says:Psalm 139:1-2 - You may not know me, but I know everything about you; I know when you sit down and when you rise up; 1 John 3:1 - Simply because you are my child and I am your father; Matthew 7:11 - I offer you more than your earthy father ever could; Matthew 5:48 - For I am the perfect father; Jeremiah 31:3 - Because I love you with an everlasting love; Exodus 19:5 - For you are my treasured possession; Psalm 34:18 - When you are broken hearted, I am close to you; Revelation 21:3-4 - One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes; And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. After the ceremony I met with our Haitian Board of Directors!!! We have five wonderful Haitian ladies who have a heart for this important work and we were able to meet today to discuss Board positions, bylaws, budget, and a plan to come back and hold Christian counseling training so we can develop some strong, Godly women here in Haiti to take the lead in being the face of love and mercy to so many hurting women. When I am back in the states I will be able to move forward with other pieces of this ministry and will plan my return trip for later this year. I am scared, but I am honored that God has chosen me for such an important mission. After we arrived back at the guest house and had some snacks/lunch we loaded up and went grocery shopping. Joe left the shopping up to me and Mark. As always, it was an experience. You truly cannot do anything in a hurry here in Haiti! Big items we needed, like rice and beans, the store was out of. So we bought the other items that we could and dropped off the load at Sherrie's. We will have to shop more tomorrow to get the rice and beans and any other items we need for three other orphanages. We came back to the guest house, had dinner, and three teams went out for revival services. Long day, but it has been a blessed day!

Prayer Requests

I wanted to share a few prayer requests with you so that if you are following along with us this week you will lift up these requests: 1. Please pray for the health of our team. A couple of folks have been feeling I'll today - sick stomachs - and have started antibiotics; I came to Haiti with a temporary crown on a tooth and it keeps coming off. I keep using temporary cement, which I am almost out of. We have located a Haitian dentist that I hope to see tomorrow to see if he can get me some more cement or something to hold me over until we get home. 2. Please pray that our team shows peace and grace this week as we continue working alongside the other team. 3. Please pray that each of us will come home changed and more open to seeing God's presence in this world.

Day 3

I'm still trying to catch up on blogging from the week, so I apologize for the tardiness! This is my third trip to Haiti and it is by far been the busiest. It's a good thing I love all of the people here at the guest house (including our team), since I don't think I have had 5 minutes of "me time" since I got here! They even hunt me down when I go to the bathroom. I'm being serious. Our team thinks it is hysterical, because it is more of the other team or other pastors that want to ask questions or need something. But on the good side of things it is good to be able to help! At upper room yesterday we discussed John 17 and how Jesus finished the work He was given. We discussed what He had to work with: the power of God and people. If we are doing God's work we are building people. A very good point was made - you can't "go to church" because we are the church. After breakfast several of us headed back to Sherrie's and the rest of our team went to visit a couple of orphanages. I had previously arranged to visit a child we sponsor through Compassion International, but after arriving it just didn't seem to be working out. I had called the field office yesterday to tell them I could not get to Petionville to meet the driver. Thinking I wasn't going to be able to see Wisler (the boy we sponsor) I went the team at Sherrie's. We were there for maybe five minutes when someone knocked on the gate and then Sherrie was yelling for me. Jean Claude from Compassion came to Sherrie's - had actually tracked me down to be sure I could make the trip. I was so impressed with them! So off I went to Leogone! It was a chaotic 2 hour drive into the country of Haiti to get to the Compassion project. What a beautiful place!! Sugar cane and coconut trees as far as you could see, and the road ran along the coast for a good distance and the water was beautiful! I will admit I was nervous, not knowing what to expect on this visit. When we arrived at the project they took me to a room where I could meet with Wisler. When he came in he gave me a big hug and then pinned a flower on my shirt. He brought me a few gifts of hand made Haitian woodwork. I had brought him a back pack full of things like a soccer ball, school supples, etc. We exchanged gifts and talked by using the Compassion staff to translate. Then we loaded into the van and went to Wisler's home to meet his family. This was the biggest blessing of my trip so far, and was worth the whole trip. Here is this boy from another part of the world, that I have written letters to for almost 5 years. I finally got to see him in person! And his family was amazing! His father is a sugarcane farmer and also grows coconuts, bananas, and some other fruits. While we were there his father wanted to give me something to show how thankful they were that I cared about Wisler and his future and that I would travel all of this way to meet him. He cut some sugar cane and cut open the tops of a few coconuts so we could drink some coconut milk. It was wonderful! Wisler was very quiet, and I asked his father if he was always like that. He said yes. He explained that he feels it is important for his son to be calm and not always quick to speak. He said that by doing this, when he does speak up others will listen. He is such an amazing father and a ver humble man. When we left their home we took the Compassion project worker back to the project, then we headed back to Port au Prince. On the way out of Leogone, we had to drive through some very tight market areas. At one point it got too tight. The driver tried to get around a truck that was parked a little off to the side, but didn't successfully make it. I was in my first Haitian car accident. There I was, the only white person for probably hundreds of miles, in a van with one Haitian man who was trying to get me back safely. Our van scraped down the bumper of the truck and the bumper guard on our van caught the bumper of the truck so as we tried to get "lose" from the truck we were actually dragging it with us. About this time a large burley Haitian man started pounding on the windshield in front of me. The driver started apologizing profusely and I was sure something really bad was going to happen. After the man yelled at us he told us to go on. Fender benders in Haiti are just accepted. Once we were free from the incident and away from the market, I said to Jean Claude that it was a wonder there aren't more accidents in Haiti with the way people drive. I said that it appeared that people didn't seem to mind the accidents much. He said that isn't true. He said you can get killed by hitting someone. I'm glad he said that AFTER we got away from the scene of our accident!!! I finally arrived back at the guest house. We had been mixed in with the other team all week so far, and our team really needed some time together to share experiences, etc. So our group stayed back at the guest house and spent time together singing and talking about things we had done so far and places where we had seen God working. Many on our team had gone to a few orphanages during the day and it became emotional for some as they tried to explain how their hearts had melted for these children. A couple of people have been throwing around the word "adoption"...I'm telling you that there is something about this place that is special. Honestly there is an evil here like no other, but at the same time God is so clearly present, especially in the children. The members of our team that went out to these orphanages said that it was the highlight of their trip (even though one of them got peed on:)).

Day 2 - Out and About

Our first full day in Haiti was a good one, and brought many new experiences for our team. We started off with a challenge since we were mixed up on the time. We had been told that Haiti was an hour behind us this time of year, but after arriving at what we thought was 6:30 am to do upper room, we realized it was actually 7:30 as Ms. Jessie came around ringing the breakfast bell. So we ate and then had upper room while waiting on our ride. The passage we covered was Ephesians 3:14-19. Mark Peyton led the study. The passage discusses Paul's prayer to God to strengthen our inner person. Paul discussed four ways for this to happen: that Christ would dwell in our hearts and feel welcome there; that we be rested and grounded in love; that we would have knowledge of the love of Christ; and that we would be filled with the fullness of God.The next challenge came while waiting on our ride. I stepped in the room to talk with Pastor Odvin about some of the plans for the week and my temporary tooth cap popped off. Not good!!! Luckily I had brought some temporary cement just in case that happened. The bad thing is that I don't know if it will hold until we get back - I'm praying it does!!! Edmond came to pick us up and take us to Sherrie's. Seventeen out of the total 19 went over for the day. When we arrived the children greeted us with big hugs and lots of smiles. Sherrie took some of us around to point out projects that needed to be done and others played with the children. One of the men from the other group here with us is a plumber, which is a blessing because a couple of big projects that Sherrie needed done require someone with plumbing expertise. Some of our team members made some attachments with some of the kids. Vidlon, a boy around the age of 3-4, really took up with Leonora as she did with him. Several of us held kids while they napped. There is nothing else in the world like holding one of these children against your chest while they sleep. I always enjoy spending time at Sherrie's and seeing the kids. It is great to see them every few months and see how they have grown. When the time came to head back to the guest house, Sherrie was going to bring us back in two groups since she had to use the small truck. Our first group loaded up and then we realized that we had a flat tire. There was a spare under the truck and Leonora and I both took a turn trying to figure out how to get the spare loose. We couldn't figure it out so Arnie used a hand pump to blow the tire up. Well that took a while! But we finally got back. Dinner and changing clothes for church was fast and furious. We split into 3 teams and went to three different churches. We were all back by around 9 pm and ready for showers and sleep!

Day 1 - We Made it to Haiti!

It has certainly taken a while to get the first message posted to update everyone on what's going on here in Haiti. Let's start with the process of getting here. The nine members of the UBC team arrived at UBC at 4:30 am yesterday. After realizing we needed an additional bag to get everything down here, and stopped by Arnie and Susan's to grab a big bag, we made it to the airport with 12 large suitcases, 9 carry-ons, and 2 guitars. Not sure how all of that worked out so well - but we had no problems with luggage, other than the fact that we were not able to bring the large black trunks since there is an embargo against trunks/boxes coming into Haiti since it is summer time (and mission trip season) - go figure. Our flight left at 7:15 am and we were off to Miami! When we arrived in Miami we had a very pleasant surprise! Ryan and Heather Forman, who had been in Haiti for several days and were coming home, were delayed in Miami and were at out gate when we got off the plane!!! Very cool! We chatted with them for a few minutes and then headed on to our departure gate. After boarding was delayed due to "unknown cause of engine malfunction" we boarded and were off for Haiti! It was ironic that the gate we flew out of in Miami was the same gate where, in December, Ryan and I slept on the floor during our overnight layout goings into Haiti. We met up with Eileen and Nancy at the gate in Miami. I met them through Joe last year after I returned from Haiti. They live in Indiana. We arrived in Port au Prince on time, just after 2 pm. After going through immigration we had to spend quite a while finding and retrieving our 12 checked bags! It was very crowded and hard to get around everyone to look at the luggage coming in from the flight. We finally made it and headed outside to the next round of madness. Samuel (one our translators and friends) we just outside of immigration. Traveling down the walk way we quickly saw Pastor Odvin, who was at the airport to pick up another group that was coming in on a 3 pm flight. We told Samuel who we were meeting and he led us through the parking lot and when we came to the back we saw the big white school bus we have been on before, but not the truck that was supposed to pick us up. After a few conversations and a couple of phone calls we discovered there was a mix-up/miscommunication on our ride. The good thing is that Joe Mobley had already said that we could ride with his group if we needed (which is what the big white bus was for). The only issue was that the bus was waiting for the other group, which didn't arrive at the airport until an hour after us. So our little group of Americans sat in the middle of the parking lot, under the Haitian sun for nearly 2 1/2 hours waiting on the other group to come through immigration, etc. and come out to where we were. Samuel sat with us and Arnie pull out a guitar and we had music and fellowship while hanging out. So eventually we were on our way to the guest house! Once we arrived and located our rooms for the week, and everyone claimed their bunk bed, we had dinner. I absolutely love Haitian food! The smell of the spices is so unique. After dinner we had a group meeting with the other team that is here, led by Joe Mobley (who is the one who arranged our trip last year). All together, there are 19 of us here for the week. In the meeting we went over the "rules", intended for safety, and discussed the arrangements that were know. One thing you have to be comfortable with when working in Haiti is that it is almost impossible to plan anything! They do not go by time the same way we do in America. I had made arrangements for our team to go to Sherrie's the next day to work on projects and play and love on the children. Everyone got ready for bed, and started taking showers, until the water went off. Some had to wait until the next morning for water to shower with. But off to bed we went, and everyone was pretty tired from the travel day and the heat. We were thankful for safe travels and opportunity to come to Haiti. This country has such beauty, especially in it's people.

Going Back to the Heart of God

Our team leaves for Haiti in 2 days! This will be trip #3 for Union Baptist Church, within the past year. There are 9 members of our team on this trip. This will be my third trip, three others will be going back for the second time, and five members of our team are going for the first time! I can tell you that preparing for a trip like this is an emotional time that impacts each person in a different way. No doubt that those who have never been on a trip like this are a little nervous and anxious. Those of us returning are also anxious, but also very excited that we get to introduce more people to what God is doing in Haiti. I know our team will be blessed beyond measure on this trip, as we gain a deeper perspective and appreciation for what God wants to do in our lives and through our lives. I have recently been reading a book called "Honestly: Really Living What We Say We Believe" by Johnnie Moore. In his book Johnnie talks about the difference between cultural Christianity and true Christianity, which is a living faith that embraces doubt and answers life's hardest questions; leaves your soul feeling healthy and satisfied; enables you to get back up again when you fall and fall; motivates and empowers you to make a difference in the world; and gives you a clear vision of what life should be with God involved in it. This book asks some challenging questions that each of us should consider in our lives. I will share one passage of the book here:

"What if we decided that to the best of our ability, we would no longer live a hypocritical, halfhearted Christianity that results in unbelief and disappointment? What if we decided to not be lukewarm? What if we took all the energy we spend in doubt and frustration and used it to trust and believe? What if we went on a pursuit to actually answer our nagging questions instead of using them as excuses to avoid commitment? What if we chose to run toward God even when our disappointment with hypocrisy threatens to chase us away from him? What if we decided to actually live what we believe to the extent that people's destinies are changed and Christ is more famous because of Christians and not in spite of them?"

God's vision for the "church" wasn't grounded in buildings or places of worship. It isn't about programs and activities. It isn't about which church or denomination you belong to. It's about relationships. At the end of the day, and the end of our lives, what matters most is our personal relationship with God. After that the most important thing for us to do right is to love each other. We are to be accepting of those with different points of view, those who struggle in their belief, and those who are searching for answers. We are the tool that God uses to show grace and mercy to others. We should be building each other up, not tearing each other down. As we leave for Haiti, it is important for our team to face the challenges ahead as opportunities to show love to someone that needs it. It isn't about massive projects intended to try to "do good" for multitudes of people. It's about loving and caring for one person at a time. It's about serving and worshiping alongside others from different cultures, all to the glory of the same God. And in doing this service, we are the ones who will be forever changed.