A Few Pics

Here a few of my pics.  Many more to come.

Back in America

Well, the Texas members of the team made it back to America on Saturday.  (See pic at the Ft Lauderdale airport.) American Airlines was extremely hospitable with Diana, providing a wheelchair and preboarding along the way.  Ray is staying 2-3 more days with a Haitian friend of his, Lucky.  From Ft Lauderdale, half of the Austin team had an adventurous ride back via Southwest Airlines, the other half traveling AA, and we all ended up at ABIA at the same time, about 8:00 pm on Saturday night.  Family was there to welcome us back, which was a joy.

On Sunday morning, I took Diana to see the doctor and had her foot x-rayed.  No fractures.  She just needs to stay off her foot and let it heal.  After the doctor visit, we were lovingly welcomed back at church.

As it was a year ago, it's good to be home.  But, more than last year, I feel differently.  I miss Haiti already...... and its people.  I thought of them being in church this morning, where we had the blessing to worship with them last Sunday, and I missed being with them.  I think of the relationships that were formed in such a short time - the children, the boys and young men of the church, Ricardo, Evenson, Evey Rose.  I think of the lives that were touched - certainly ours but also theirs.  As the team discussed on Friday night, I know I need to wait on the Lord at times like this..... but in my heart, I know I'll be returning.  Our prayer is not to forget Haiti.  But, our prayer is also that they don't forget us....that we don't allow them to forget us.  With God's help, I trust that our prayers will be answered.  Once again, Bondye Bon!  God is good!

Going Home

Well, we're at the Guest House on Friday night and it's pouring down rain.  We had a bitter-sweet good-bye at La Tremblay this morning as youth, especially, asked us not to forget them.  The day before, we completed a task of removing rubble to a certain point that, from my standpoint, was satisfying.  The Engineer for the project came by and we visited, as did Tom Vincus and Sarah from the Guest House.  They brought crutches for Diana.  YEA!  After saying our good-byes to the La Tremblay children, youth, and adults this morning, we headed out on a tour of Port-au-Prince.  As it was a year ago for me, it was a sobering experience; so different from La Tremblay.  The people, the noise, the traffic, the dust, the exhaust....  Ugh.  A highlight for me was visiting L'Eglise d'Methodiste downtown - a beautiful sanctuary that was unscathed in the earthquake, while its school next door was flattened.  We prayed for the church as we were there.  In the other parts of the city, I could see that most of the rubble had been removed.  We saw the Catholic Cathedral and the Palace - the former will not be rebuilt, the latter will be rebuilt.  We went up the mountain to the Haiti Baptist Mission to eat, and met one of the founders, Eleanor Turnbull, a remarkable lady at the age of 87.  She and her husband, Wallace, helped to establish the Mission in 1946.  Then, we returned to the Guest House, ready to return to the comforts of America.  It's late and I'm tired.  Many more stories and pics to come.

Wednesday Update

Wow, amazing experiences! Many "God-sightings" that we shared during devotional this evening. Everyone has been working very hard, we've been sweating a lot, and everyone is very sore. But, the joy among the entire team has been amazing. The bucket shower has been fantastic at the end of the day! We did have a little mishap today - Diana slipped and fell, hurting her foot to the point that it's difficult to walk. We are praying for her healing. I'm going to post a few pics showing a few activities; many, many more to come.

First pic is mealtime. Meals have been delicious - "goo" - thanks to Evey Rose and others.

 

Second pic is the work at the job site - the church of La Tremblay. Our job - remove rubble. So much for working on the roof - there is no roof, yet. And so we're moving rubble so that the old security wall can be demolished and a new one will be built. Hard, strenuous work - really! So strenuous that Diana had to show the men how to do it. Ha! (See pic #3; this was before Diana injured her foot)

This last pic is the women in school. What a joy it has been to share time with the children of the school. The women have prepared wonderful arts & crafts activities. And even though the first day was chaotic, the next two days have been wonderful; very organized. Ricardo, in this pic, and Evenson, have been so helpful in translating. We have been blessed in so many ways. Bondye Bon. God is good. and Bondye Binew - God bless you! (whoever is reading this)

Monday Report

An awesome day of worship at La Tremblay on Sunday morning. The message based on John 20, the story of "doubting" Thomas. Communion was served; very cool! The church and community have been very welcoming. On the left is a picture of the team in front of the school where we are staying. Our two interpreters, Ricardo and Evanson, are great. We are sleeping under mosquito nets and amongst much symphony in the men's room (otherwise known as snoring). No electricity, one toilet that kinda works, bucket shower, and lots of highway noise. It's Haiti. Our work began today at the church; we moved rubble and rocks, so everyone is tired and sore. I expect there will be good sleep tonight. The 4 women of the team spent time with the 4th grade class at noon, with 3 stations of reading a Bible story, arts/craft activity, and polaroid picture. The women were wonderful!! It started in a very good way, but turned into chaos over the polaroid pictures. Wow, it was crazy and the teachers were not in control. So, every child did not get a picture. So much for our plans; God is in control. We'll try again tomorrow with a different approach. Still, it's been wonderful to interact with the children at the school and at the work site. The team, especially Hannah, has connected with the children and youth. Played frisbee and jump rope with kids at the work site. It's great to be part of it. The meals are excellent, prepared by EveRose and 2 asst cooks, hired locally. Rice, meat, plantains, fruit, and bread, and much variety in vegetables. The fellowship among the team is awesome. No surprise, there. God is good! Bondye bon!

In Haiti

Well, we made it! What a long day; leaving the church at 3:45 am; leaving Austin at 5:45 am on American Airlines; picking up Cindy at DFW; picking up Ray in Ft Lauderdale; arriving in Port-au-Prince, Haiti ON TIME; the chaos at the airport; the crazy, bumpy road to the Methodist Guest House, the wonderful dinner, Sarah's briefing, and preparation for tomorrow. Whew! I'm worn out. Yet, an exhilarating and Spirit-led day. We're heading to La Tremblay at 7:30 in the morning to worship with the community and set up our "camp," and a restful afternoon with the community. Then, our construction work begins on Monday. The team sends its love to all back home.

Packed and Ready To Go

God's presence has been so apparent as we are just a few hours from getting on the road. I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of Oak Hill UMC, by its prayers and gifts. We've packed 4 large suitcases with donations of health kits, nutritious snacks, tools, soccer balls, etc. And Ray is bringing 55 health kits, and Cindy another suitcase of "goodies." Wow!! So, all the planning and preparation is about ready to kick in. Diana and I spent time this morning in devotion and prayer, asking and trusting in God's leading hand each and every step of the way. I'm excited and very ready to go. May God bless us and keep us on this journey.

Easter - Prayers for the Mission Team

What a glorious Easter! The team was commissioned and received prayer with the laying-on-of-hands at all three worship services at OHUMC this morning. It was powerful and uplifting. Thanks be to God!

Assignment - La Tremblay

How exciting for me! We're going to La Tremblay, which is the site on which I worked in Feb/March 2011. In fact, our 2011 team was the first UMVIM team on site. We demolished the old church to clear the way for construction of a new church. So, personally, it will be exciting to return and see the progress on the new building.

La Tremblay is a worksite near Croix de Bouquets, about an hour away from the Guest House in Petionville. The church in La Tremblay was damaged beyond repair in the earthquake and has been in the process of being rebuilt. They are nearing the end of major construction at this site, so our team will likely be working on the final stages of the roof and security wall. Please check UMVIM's facebook page for new photos and updates: (http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/UMVIM-Haiti/244390165599275)

Second Team Meeting

Much planning and preparation has been underway as we met for the second, and last time before the trip. The lineup has changed and we now have a full team of ten. Add: Cindy Estee from Dallas, Tx. and Rev. Ray Noell from Rochester, NY. Praise the Lord!!

Here's a pic of the Austin-based team. (Thanks to Pastor Jim for taking the picture.)

During our team mtg, we looked at Matthew 28:19 - "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...." And were reminded of a story by Richard Stearns in his book, The Hole in Our Gospel, that the reason we do what we're doing is because we are followers of Jesus Christ and are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves....to show that God loves everyone.

A special offering will be collected at OHUMC during Communion on April 1. Then, the team will be commissioned during all worship services on April 8 - Easter. Wow! What a special day that will be!

We talked about meds, flight reservations, EARLY transport to the airport (thanks to Pastor Jim for driving the team in the van at 4:00 AM! Ugh!), forms, forms, and more forms, packing/luggage, and donations. Speaking of donations, we are going to round up small hand tools, nutritious snacks, and toiletries.

We still don't know our assignment but expect to hear the decision this week. We reminded ourselves to be flexible and open-hearted to God's lead in this endeavor. He is good - all the time!

First Team Meeting

We had our first team meeting on Sunday, the 26th. Sadly, Walter Earnest will not be able to participate. So, we now have a team of 8. All but Hannah were at the team meeting, and Pastor Jim joined us. What a blessing! We had good discussion to help us plan and prepare, reminding
each other that God is in control. I read from Isaiah 49:4-6 to remind us to rely on His strength as we set out on this journey. I'm excited!!

Haiti Mission Team

Well, we have just about filled the team for the Haiti mission trip. We
have nine committed and can still take one more person. Team
members are:

Walter Earnest
Rick Fudge
Mike Manning, Buda UMC
David Matustik
Gary McGill
Diana Nelson
Jon Nelson
Hannah Roberts
Jan Roberts

This team will be traveling with United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM).
In collaboration with Eglise Methodiste d'Haiti, they will be focusing on
projects that will meet the educational, spiritual, and physical needs of
community residents. Please be praying for each of the team members, UMVIM, and
the people of Haiti.