Starting the New Year in Haiti!

On Tuesday, January 1, 2013 our team leaves for Port au Prince, Haiti! This trip will be my fourth trip in 19 months. My first trip was in July 2011, and when I signed up for that trip I never imagined I would become a regular visitor! There is something very special about Haiti, that can't be explained by words alone. You have to experience it. By far the greatest part of the trip is being so fully in the presence of God. All of the "junk" we have here in the U.S. every day, isn't there standing between us and God. Our calendars, our phones, our jobs, our busyness, our numerous responsibilities...not there. Things are different there...

It's meeting a child for the first time and loving that child so much that your heart feels like it could burst. It's meeting another missionary from another part of the U.S. or world and immediately feeling like you have known them your entire life. It's attending a worship service where everyone is singing to the Lord with no musical instruments, in different languages, with not even a ceiling over your head. Where Haitians wear the best clothes they have and walk for long distances just to be there to worship. And you can feel the presence of God like nothing you have every experienced here in the U.S. - you physically feel His presence. Words can't do those experiences justice. But once you have been there, you can't just forget it. You come back home and look around wondering where we all went wrong in focusing on our comforts; how in the process of taking care of ourselves we have lost the ability to see, and feel, the strong presence of God that we were created to experience.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve the Lord in Haiti. He is doing amazing things! Our team will be visiting a few orphanages and focusing a good bit of time on building partnerships that will strengthen the connection between our church and the churches and organizations in Haiti. A major project we are working on is the creation of a non-denominational, faith-based organization in Haiti that focuses on helping women that have experienced abuse. "Hope for My Sister" will become an officially recognized 501(c)(3)organization in the State of Kentucky and an officially recognized social organization with the Haitian government in 2013. We are very excited about this work!

Please be in prayer for our team while we are gone (January 1-7). Three of the five team members will be going to Haiti for the first time. The first trip is very exciting, but can also be a bit scary due to the unknown. The members of our team are: Arnie Forman, Susie Foltz, Patricia Goodman, Cindy Harney, and Julie Inman. I know that God is going before us and that we will have an amazing time serving Him in Haiti! We will blog throughout the trip (pending consistent internet connection), so be sure to check back and see what's going on!

God bless,

Patricia

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.