Haiti Update

So I'm finally updating you all on my outreach in Haiti!

After touching down into Haiti almost 3 weeks ago we all knew it was going to be a crazy new experience in this nation that is like no other. The customs at the airport is in a converted hanger, it was chaotic and hot and everyone was speaking creole. A weird welcome, but we were all excited for whats to come!

The first week in St.Marc we worked a lot at the base, helping with different projects. We were living in tents in a field on the base property, getting to know Haitian culture, and just how things work around here. During our first week my team was having a hard time being all together, as people kept getting really sick. Once they were better another person would be sick; Ingrid, Regi, Jenelle... one after another (it was so weird). After our orientation for new teams we were all pumped on the vision that this base has for the nation of Haiti. There is so much opportunity for teams here to work with people living in poverty (victims of the earthquake or not). God has huge plans for Haiti and its exciting to see the Haitian people rise up and take ownership of their true identity. Needless to say we were waiting for what we would be doing the next week with a ton of anticipation. We got assigned to go out to a refugee camp called Timonette, and live there for the week along with a team from Switzerland.

Our first week in Timonette was full of hard work for the team, working on a "Homes of Hope" house in a nearby town called Bellaguay. I instantly fell in love with the kids in the camp. There are about 23 tents with families from Port au Prince who have been displaced because of the earthquake. Out of around 120 people there are about 50 kids. Most of the kids don't go to school and are really bored during the day so we would hang out and play with them, and take pictures (they all love having their picture taken). Sadly I didn't make it past Wednesday morning, I got really sick and had to be brought back to the base. Rayme came back with me and played nurse, thank God for all the relief nurses staying here at the base! I got medicine right away and was back to normal by the weekend.

Our second week in Timonette we were working with the DTS from Panama. It was great to go back knowing some people already, the kids were happy to see us return and we had more of a plan of projects we wanted to complete during the week. As a team we constructed a "tippy tap" for each tent to encourage good hygiene, set up a garbage/ compost program, had an amazing womens ministry where pretty much every woman in the camp came out, had a couples teaching, had numerous kids programs, took family photos for the people, put up signs with scriptures on them around camp, had 2 amazing church services and had a big community dinner were everyone in the community got a brand new bowl with chicken & pasta. It was so cute to see the happy little faces munching on their chicken! In Bellaguay this past week we finished the "Homes of Hope" house, put on a kids program, had a mini clinic AND had an amazing time participating in a 24 hour prayer and worship "burn" that the Kona team was a part of. We felt like for our 2 hours of prayer to go to Bellaguay, a town living in a lot of poverty, that needs a lot of prayer. It was an incredible time as we began to pray for the people of the town, which lead to some serious preaching, new Christians and a river baptism! It was so incredible to see God move so strongly in a place that has been over run with voodoo and an incredible spiritual heavyness.

Anyways so we are back at the base in St.Marc today but we are leaving tomorrow to Port au Prince to do ministry there until Saturday when we fly back to Costa Rica. Its been a crazy ride here in Haiti and I am excited to see what happens in Port au Prince!

Lots of Love from Haiti!

For more info about the "24 hour burn" check out my friend Jasens blog:
http://jasenchung.squarespace.com/blog/2010/5/20/24-hour-burns-really-do-light-places-on-fire.html

HAITI!

So I'm leaving for Haiti in the morning! Very very excited!
My team will be staying at the YWAM base in St. Marc from May 4th- May 29th.
I'm not sure how it will be there for internet access so consider this my last update for a while. Please be praying for protection and provision for my team. As well as unity for my team! We will be staying in tents on the base, its really hot about 35 degrees, and it is the rainy season so its going to be a bit cozy. But yeah I have to go do my last minute packing and planning.
Talk to you all soon,
Lots of Love from Costa Rica!