Haiti Trip 7/27/19

Day 2
After some flight delays and a short night's sleep in Miami, the team climbed aboard their first of three modes of today's transportation at 4:00 am EST this morning, a brief shuttle to the airport. Soon after, they boarded their second, the plane to Port au Prince, which was on time and provided a safe trip.

Customs was it's usual hurdle. Always slow (as it seems to be in many places around the world!), this time they also encountered agents who refused to recognize the validity of the official paperwork allowing the team to bring in thousands of dollars worth of medicine. Of course, the paperwork was valid, having been properly processed, signed by the right government officials, and hand delivered to the customs agent by an ESMI staff member as the team arrived. All of that to no avail without additional "surcharges", which are an unfortunate facet of ministry in Haiti. However, after some wasted time, frustrating conversations, and a cash transaction, the team left with all their belongings as well as all of the precious duffel bags full of medicines and other supplies.

The next conveyance was a coach bus, which took them out of Port au Prince and to the west. Getting to Cambry, their base of operations for the week, was an uneventful five and a half hour trip and their arrival was earlier than expected. Settling in, unpacking, and assembling for dinner together of goat, rice, beans, and plantain all preceded their first team meeting in the evening. With a short night's sleep and a long day of travel, all were grateful for an early night and some time to decompress.

Their accommodations for the week include dorm style bunkbeds separated into mens' and womens' quarters, with a few adequate although not lavish bathrooms and showers. The water is neither plentiful nor hot coming out of the showers, but after a long steamy day it is a welcome relief. The electricity (and therefore air conditioning) is provided by a generator, which is on only in the evenings. Given the tropical heat of summertime in Haiti, sleeping in air conditioning is not really a luxury, but more of a necessity to being refreshed for service the next day. Heatstroke and exhaustion are a real concern for our summer trip team members who have not had time to acclimate to the heat, and all are reminded to be careful about sun exposure and to drink more water than they would ever need at home. Bottled water, that is!

Tomorrow is a day of church (two services, if they prefer; one of the team members will be preaching at two different churches), duffel bag unpacking, sorting, and repacking for strategic use on Monday and Tuesday, and hopefully more good rest before a busy week begins. There's an evening service they can attend, as well. A contingent of children from the orphanage at the bottom of the hill usually also find a way to saunter up to greet the team, looking for familiar faces whom they delight to greet from visit to visit. And the returning team members are also delighted to see them, happy to see they're thriving and how they've grown. Communication takes some creativity, but everybody understands big smiles.

Please pray:

• For rest and good acclimation to very different surroundings for the team. It can be a jarring environment, especially encountering poverty at levels and as pervasive as is the reality in Haiti
• For continued health as they eat new foods and deal with the heat, With that, for consistent electricity in the compound for air conditioning and wifi, for communication with family at home. Tonight, the cell signals seem to be working, even though the wifi doesn't. 
• For a sense of teamwork to develop as they begin their first big task tomorrow - the sorting of the duffels! And for all things during the week in Haiti - flexibility. Things have a tendency to go differently than "as planned". 
• For the worship tomorrow with God's people in Haiti. It will be different - longer, louder, more free flowing than many American church worship services - but joy filled and uplifting. Please pray that the preacher/team member, Ted, will be able to communicate and connect well, and have the stamina necessary to preach twice in the daytime heat. 

Team members who have been to Haiti in the past are quick to recognize the incredibly important role supporters play in their week. To those who provided funding or materials, we thank you. To those who pray as the week goes on, we are grateful for your partnership. Their ministry is significantly more fruitful because of the prayers of God's people!

And now, a few pictures to give you a glimpse into the day!



Our full team - from Chicago, Cincinnati, and California


Moving through immigration and customs




Making their way to Cambry on the coach bus.

Visiting with ESMI staffer Ezekiel, a frequent translator for the team and community health worker - with his wife and baby

Thanks for your support!
Ann Powers
Chicago Friends of Haiti

Haiti Trip 7/26/19

Day 1
Nan Nom Jesi
The summer Haiti Missions Team is assembling in Miami tonight in advance of traveling together to Port au Prinee very early tomorrow. The Chicago and Cincinnati crews just arrived there; the California folks arrive later. The team of 10 comes comes with a united purpose of serving and loving the people of Haiti by meeting their physical and spiritual needs in Jesus' name.

From Port au Prince, after airport customs (with 1000 pounds of supplies stuffed into duffel bags - clothes, medicines, and water systems parts and materials) they will meet a coach bus driver who will take them on the perhaps 6 hour road trip to Cambry, their base of operation this week.

The team is grateful for your partnership and support during this week. Our goal is to share an update late each evening while the team is in Haiti.

This evening, please pray for

• Continued safe travel to Miami, to Port au Prince, and to Cambry. It will be a very early morning (their flight leaves Miami at 6:00 am) and a long day tomorrow. They hope to be at Cambry in time for a late dinner.
• The health of the team as they start a very busy, stressful, and hot week, eating different foods and working in environments that will definitely NOT feel like home
• Good, restorative (even though brief) sleep this evening

As you are led, please use this guide to pray for Haiti and our team this week. More specific prayer requests will come each day, as well.
The land of Haiti itself – bringing hope and health through the power of the gospel and meeting needs in the Name of Jesus; for the current civil war to come to an end and for peace and justice

The church in Haiti – especially the churches and pastors of ESMI and the Reformed Church of Haiti (159 churches to date)

Dony (Sharon) and Louis St Germain (Martina) and their families, the founders and leaders of

ESMI

The ESMI Board
ESMI Staff

• Pastor Dieusel Mongerard (oversees 5 churches we work with including Savanne)
• Fanuel
• Richard

Cavaillon

• The 85 children living at the Children's Village and the Haiti Orphan Project, which works with supporters to cover the children's needs for lodging, clothing food, medical care, and education
• Serge and Ramonde, the directors of the Cavaillon Children’s Village
• Dr Patrick Pierre
• Nurse Berline Dimanche
• Nicolas Pierre (school principal)
• House Moms - Dadie Fantezie, Audline Charlette, Luciani St-Victor, Domersant Andrenise, Franchise Philippe, Wosni, Amazan

Facility Development:

• Water Committee and water system 
• Praise for funds to to complete repairing and supplying the school (destroyed by Hurricane Matthew) and finishing the toilets and showers 
• Praise for the new cafeteria (kitchen and dining hall), security wall, and water system
• Generally for Cavaillon to be a vibrant mission overall and the spiritual, educational, and economic hub of the region. 
• For the planting of 5 new churches in the region

Savanne

• Pastor Mongerard and leaders
• Installation of water system and building of a wall
• Jude – family and work
• Antoine – family and work
• Business/job development
• School and medical clinic

Other locations: La Hatte, Maniche, Port Salut, Brevette (Les Cayes), Mayan, Dariverger, Big House (Bigareuse), Duchitie,

Chicago Friends of Haiti

• For the Board and their ongoing oversight, management, vision, and strategic development
• Praise for finally receiving our 501c3 designation as a charitable organization recognized by the IRS
• Haiti Orphan Project (Jen Fenton, Colleen DeKraker, Jess Kerslake)
• Trip Coordination (Barb Mills) 
• Medical Ministry (Kay Kelly and team at NPC)
• Water Systems (Wayne Dingler, Chuck Michalek and team)

The Chicago based team - ready to go!


Thank you for your support,

Ann Powers
Chicago Friends of Haiti

Haiti trip 8/3/18

The team has come to the end of their week, spending a long day in Mayan capped off with an excursion to a lovely beach at Port Salut (the only port in Haiti at which cruise boats stop - but no one gets off the boat!) for a few hours of R&R before tackling a few last tasks back at the Guest House. It will be a long night of re-organizing supplies (some to leave, some to bring back), packing up their own things, and hopefully catching a bit of sleep before leaving tomorrow at 4:00 am EST for the long trek back via coach bus to Port au Prince. This is one tired team, but exhilarated by a great week of ministry and so excited to be coming home!



The time at Mayan was fruitful and so very appreciated by the 65 people the medical team was able to see. Everyone pitched in somehow, as the entire team was together. The remote nature of this place (one person said travel to this location was more suited for donkeys than for people, as it’s up the side of a mountain) means that western-style medical care is scarce. There’s also a lot of poverty, which is typical for Haiti, but today our folks were literally giving their own extra clothes and shoes away. Over the course of the week, they’ve given away many hundreds of dollars for people to use for further medical care and other needs. The team saw lots of scabies, lots of undersized kids, adults with chronic and untreated issues, and bodies that were just worn down from the nature of life in a third world country. There is now an ESMI sponsored church there the proclaiming the love of Jesus where before only voodoo held sway. It is so strong in the region that people doubted a church could thrive, but it’s taking hold.



On the way back, they actually stopped and made a housecall! An elderly woman, Zabette, practically housebound, who Pastor Louis knows got the 5 star treatment for her ailments from our top notch team - surely the best medical care anywhere in Haiti this week was available from our team.



The stop at Port Salut was truly the first “break” all week. Two hours of lovely beachfront relaxation, with a rented cabana for their use and snacks, all provided as a “Thank You” from Pastor Louis. On the menu? Bite sized barracuda you could pop in your mouth whole, lobster, and plantain with a cole-slaw like salad that is SO spicy even the Haitians can’t eat it. Not sure who does eat it, or why they serve it. Only for those who’ve already fried their tastebuds, perhaps!



A few last pictures from today. Enjoy! 

Although the hour is late, we hope you’ll see this in time to pray this evening for a few things:

• Safe and on time travel tomorrow to Port au Prince, then Miami, then scattered flights home to Chicago, to Texas, California, and North Carolina. 
• A good “re-entry” for our team into normal life. The experiences, pace, sights and challenges of Haiti stay with visitors a long time and for a while life back here feels in no way “normal”. Pray for our team as they navigate those feelings. 
• Praise God for the water systems that were brought online this week - three! Amazing and truly life giving! Praise Him for the children's ministry that loved, loved, loved on kids at every turn, and carefully and joyfully shared stories of God's love for them, and for the almost 500 patients our intensely hardworking medical team was able to treat. Lives were changed in wonderfully different ways by the different teams, but changed for sure. 
• Pray for the Haitians who faithfully minister year in and year out - Pastor Louis and all the ESMI staff, Pastor Mongerard in Savanne, the pastor of the new church in Mayan, and many others. Ask that God would sustain them and protect them from harm, from evil, and from discouragement. 
• Pray for those who heard the gospel this week, that it would bear much fruit. Pray especially for Malone as she is fearful of her father’s reaction to her new faith in Jesus.
• Pray for the orphans in Cavaillon and LaHatte, for their care and safety, for their hearts to turn to Jesus, and for them to grow into people who will not only serve the Lord but be good citizens in Haiti who bring change to their beleaguered country. 

The team is grateful for your prayers and support! They couldn’t have done this week without you.

Haiti trip 8/2/18

Have you heard the one about "making plans in Haiti"?...

Actually, the team deployed in three different directions today, and two of those went as planned, and went wonderfully.

The children’s ministry team spent a great day at Cavaillon doing lots of fun things, like Bible story skits on the story of Daniel and the paralytic lowered through the roof (performed in costume, no less!) singing, games, and for sure lots of hugs and smiles. These kids are so receptive to attention and the chance to have fun with adults, it makes for a joyful experience for all. Eighty five happy kids, 8 happy and probably pretty tired team members!

The water team had a hugely impactful day today. First, the final steps to getting Savanne back on line, complete with a new and VERY deep well, were completed successfully. The local water board is ready to go with the knowledge to keep it running, with help as needed from Living Waters. And as if that wasn’t enough for one day, they got ahead of schedule and checked out the Cambry system this afternoon and lo and behold, with a few repairs and a few new parts and batteries, it too is up and running. No one expected that, but what a great thing! Three water systems in one week! The Cambry folks still have to formalize their “covenant” and have a water board re-trained, but this is huge for the Cambry community.



And the medical team? Not as they planned, but clearly as God had planned...they arrived at Savanne and were set up to start seeing patients by 10:00 but it was clear the crowd was even bigger today than yesterday. They agreed they’d see 65, and then pack up and go to Cavaillon...and then it was “okay, 80...”, and yet the sick folks (babies, especially) just kept coming. When all was said and done, they’d seen 160 patients by working non-stop for 8 hours in the oppressive heat and humidity, with perhaps a few energy bars eaten along the way. They were assisted by 2 community health workers and some church leaders/volunteers, and of course their stalwart translators. Needless to say, they missed the opportunity to enjoy the time at Cavaillon with the others, but God had a different plan for them today. Their resiliency was sorely tested as the need, the pace, the heat, and the tiredness wore on them - but they were champs! Exhausted champs, for sure, but true servants and professionals as they did what they felt needed to be done.

Two stories from today - Malone, the girl who gave her life to Christ amidst her intense medical treatment yesterday, came back today just to be with everyone. She was feeling much better - better than she had a in a long time, apparently. Whenever she caught a team member’s eye, there were big smiles. And more of her story came to light - both her father and uncle are voodoo witch doctors, and she’s fearful of their reaction to her new faith in Jesus. Both were away from home yesterday and today, but she’ll be having to talk with them soon.



Near the end of the day, the team leader was approached by a man who was not there to see a doctor, but to thank the team. During the last team’s visit to Savanne in February, they treated his baby son and very likely saved his life with some timely antibiotics and breathing treatments. He just had to come back and thank them again for the gift of life they gave to his precious son. It was a great reminder to the team that although the work is hard and the needs cannot possibly all be met, some needs are met...and it can change or save a life, such as Malone’s or this baby’s. Today was one of those days. Clearly it was time well spent.

Tomorrow the plan is to go to Mayan, a remote village about an hour away. Our teams are the only ones to ever go to this village, and they’ve only been there once. Medical care is non-existent for these folks, so it’s a real need. Only catch is there are no roads for part of it (did we say remote?) so 4 wheel drive vehicles make dry river beds the “road” as needed. Another “Disneyworld” type ride, as long as the river beds aren’t full of water...and it was raining late tonight. If Pastor Louis deems it safe and they go, they’d leave early, stay for long enough to see a max of 50 people, and then head to Cavaillon to say goodbye to the kids there. If Pastor Louis says “no go”, they’ll spend the day at Cavaillon. Either way, they hope to swing by a beach in Port Salut for a quick look at the ocean, maybe getting their feet wet :) at the end of the day.

Their week of ministry is almost done, and they are very tired. And Saturday morning will come early - they leave the Guest House at 4:00 am to go to Port au Prince for the flight home.

Just a few pictures today...thank you for journeying with the team in this ministry!

Please pray:

• For the team’s endurance and spirits. Today was a hard day in many ways, especially for the medical team. For all, the needs of the people of Haiti are overwhelming.
• For continued health and energy
• For effective rest that restores for another long day tomorrow
• For the health of the people of Savanne, LaHatte, and Cambry to be quickly and positively impacted by the availability of clean water, and that the systems would function flawlessly for a long time to come
• For Malone as she tells her father of her new faith in Jesus and her desire to turn away from voodoo. Pray for her safety.
• For the hearts of the people who heard the gospel in Savanne and Cavaillon to be impacted and won over by the love of Jesus.

Haiti trip 8/1/18

If there’d been a wish list for how today at Savanne could have gone, it would have been completely checked off!

The water team connected the system to the new well (causing a bit of a “water park” experience for the nearby children, as it gushed for a bit while being connected - talk about being in the right place at the right time for those kids!) and is ready to be “shocked” tomorrow...Lord willing, Savanne will once again have clean water as of tomorrow. This is HUGE, and once again the water team deserves kudos for their great work. God bless engineers and people who are good with their hands who know how to do stuff like this, for it truly will save lives!



The children’s ministry had a blast acting out Bible stories, doing skits, and telling kids about Jesus. They took over the empty water house for a bit today for their “stage” and then moved into the clinic waiting room to have a bit more room. This team made it even more fun by having some costumes to wear - in the 100 degree heat of Haitian summer. That’s artistic dedication!

The medical team saw 110 patients in about 7 hours of non-stop work. Four doctor “stations” were fed from intake and triage, and from there patients went to the pharmacy - all under one roof. It’s amazing what you can do with folding chairs and an empty concrete shell of a building - lives were saved today in that unlikely place! Lots of babies, the elderly, teenagers, all waited their turn peaceably in the chairs provided for the chance to see a doctor - perhaps for the first time ever.



One patient, a 17 year old girl, was treated all day for a high fever, congestion and likely pneumonia, and definitely dehydration. As the day went on, more of her story came out. Her father, in order to help her get well, took her to a voodoo witch doctor, which is a common practice. That person gave her a piece of chicken bone sharpened into a toothpick-like piece, which was woven into her clothes. The witch doctor would say this is supposed to protect her. As she spent the day with our team, she heard more and more of the gospel, and through an interpreter, agreed that she needed Jesus in her heart. When her mother came back to check on her later in the day, she told her mom “no more voodoo, I follow Jesus now”. Her mom, although taken aback, was not upset, but the team wonders what her father will think! Her name is Malone Gouzi.

Longstanding friendships were renewed, too, as some of the former gang leaders, deeply enmeshed in voodoo before coming to Christ and now serving as leaders in the church, welcomed our team. It’s good to see them thrive!

Although all of the teams worked very well and very hard, there were needs they couldn’t meet, and sick people the medical team couldn’t see. In addition, the level of need and the effects of lifelong poverty were difficult to experience. During the team’s prayer time tonight, one person prayed “we’ve seen things that will make it hard to close our eyes”. And yet, they must for there is more to do tomorrow.



The water and medical team will go back to Savanne for the first part of the day. The children’s ministry team will head straight to Cavaillon to spend the day with the kids there. At some point, the Savanne crew will join the team in Cavaillon for one more chance for play time with the kids.

Friday, most of the team will head to Mayan, a more remote location that has been visited only once before by our teams, but where ESMI is planting a church. The ministry by our medical and children’s team will be a big encouragement to that community, and they’ll be busy! The water team will stay closer to "home" and check out the water system right down the hill from the Guest House at Cambry, which was installed by others a long time ago and no longer works. It will be a fact finding trip to see if it can be repaired and put back in use by our February 2019 team.



Please enjoy these pictures, some from today (the well, the waiting room, and the story time) and some a “catch up” from Cavaillon. All show our team expressing the love of Jesus to the people of Haiti. Isn’t that wonderful? Thanks for your part in making that happen!

Please pray:

• For Malone and her new life in Christ, and what that might mean in her family
• For the team and the stress they feel from the press of time, the heat, the desire to meet as many needs as possible yet knowing they can’t meet them all, and from the unrelenting reality of want and poverty in Haiti. 
• For the people who have heard the gospel by word, story, and skit, and seen in it action this week - ask that God would call them to Himself. 
• For the hardworking interpreters and ESMI staff, without whom our team could not do ministry
• For continued health and safety for our team.

Haiti trip 7/31/18

There is clean water flowing in LaHatte! Congratulations to our hard working water team, both those in Haiti this week and those stateside who put in the work to get materials ready and packed for use this week. The team carefully trained and tested local people who have been identified to serve as the “water board” in LaHatte, who now have the responsibility of monitoring, maintaining, and running the system with assistance from Living Waters for the World. That organization has teams living in Haiti and can provide on the ground support for systems like this. Well done, all!

Our medical team saw all of the kids at the LaHatte orphanage today, 48 total, plus 7 adults who staff and manage the orphanage. The kids were in good shape - not malnourished or rampant scabies, although they don’t see medical folks as often as some other locations. And now, with clean and adequate water, they expect they’ll do even better, especially in regards to the threat of cholera in the community.

Our children’s ministry staff made sure there was lots of fun to be had - balls, jump rope, coloring, and interacting with the kids was the order of the day. And when it was time to go, the shy little ones had turned into a noisy chorus of goodbyes. How strange it is that hearts can be knit together so quickly.



Back at the Guest House, tonight's team meeting time was spent talking about Savanne. Known as “the place the police won’t even go”, it’s a very poor part of Les Cayes, which is one of the largest cities in the western part of Haiti. Our team first visited perhaps 5 years ago, in advance of a new ministry that was planting a church there with ESMI. The hope was that the team would show that Christians care even about the poor and those who are not believers (in fact, much of Savanne was in the grip of voodoo worship at the time, and a very dark and scary place besides being economically severely depressed). The presence of that first medical team did indeed open doors for ministry, and in fact saw some dramatic conversions during their visit. Fueled by that momentum, the church continued making inroads, and truly has been a center of change for that community. Conversion continued, families were repaired, made intact or strengthened, and former voodoo and gang leaders are now leaders in the church. And yet, Savanne is still a rough place. When our team goes, the ESMI leadership is careful to provide significant crowd control for the medical team access, because the needs are so great that people can become desperate. There is no healthcare available in Savanne itself, and the people are too poor to use Haiti's "pay as you go" system anyway. Unlike the first few days of seeing children, tomorrow the team will see adults as well, many with chronic illness, STD’s, or AIDS. The children will likely be sicker and malnourished. It will be a long, hot, noisy, and stressful day. And yet, the team knows that the church’s pastor, Mongerard, and ESMI staff have been praying for their witness and that the spirit would move through Savanne to bring people to Himself through the ministry of our team - both medical and children’s ministry. The children's ministry is ready to go, too, with Bible stories that will share the gospel in age-appropriate ways, skits, and songs.

And the water team tackles their second system “reboot”. A working system existed in Savanne as of last year, but the well itself ran into problems which made the system ineffective. A new well has been dug (paid for by donors in the US) so the team’s task tomorrow is hooking up the existing system to the new well, and then troubleshooting to get it back online byThursday.

A few pictures made it through tonight...enjoy!



Please pray

• For good rest tonight before a long day tomorrow (and electricity!)
• For the heat to stay manageable for the team - they’ll be inside tomorrow, out of the sun, but in a makeshift “clinic” and “kids’ center” full of people. 
• For continued good health. Midway through the week, everyone is doing well!
• For good teamwork among those working with children (skits, crafts, stories) and the division of labor on the medical team (intake, triage, doctor stations, pharmacy, and scabies wash station)
• For the water team to be able to deal with the technical and mechanical needs they find so clean water can once again flow in Savanne
• For the gospel to be shared and bear much fruit. Every person will hear the gospel, and be prayed for as they interact with our team members

Thank you for your support! It means the world to the team.

Haiti trip 7/30/18

Today was a very successful and productive day on all fronts! Kids were loved, played with, and cared for. Every orphan at Cavaillon was seen by our medical team - 85 of them! - plus the housemoms, who are key to children’s good care, so keeping them healthy is a wise investment! These hardworking women got a little TLC and a gift package provided by our team members. They were very appreciative of the special care.

The water team at LaHatte made such good progress that they are expecting to “shock the system” (give it a major cleansing which ensures the water produced is healthfully drinkable) tomorrow and give it the all clear to begin producing water again. The village should start seeing health benefits almost immediately, with their own trained "water board" to keep it running and in good shape, trained by our folks and an organization called Living Waters, which partners with our team members in Haiti.

The orphans at Cavaillon were in good shape medically - some scabies and malnutrition, but that seems to be with the children who are new residents at the orphanage, so the team was hopeful that would improve the longer they are there. A few typical scrapes and burns that are part of being a kid, but nothing major. And that in itself is worthy of a moment of thanksgiving - in the not so distant past, their condition as a whole caused concern. But not today! Safer and cleaner living conditions and more nutritious food does wonders. To those who sponsor these children financially (providing their food, education, and housemom care) please know it’s making a difference.

Besides a careful check from our docs, all kids had a ‘scabies wash’ (to do just a few doesn’t do any good - it’s a skin parasite that causes crazy itching, and is very contagious - unfortunately common in group homes in tropical climates), and the medicines to re-do it as needed are left with the housemoms. Then it was on to the ‘new clothes’ station. What fun for them! They only have new clothes when our team visits and provides them - and just like kids everywhere, their clothes get worn out or too small. The Texas team had this as their “priority packing” and they were ready!

After the medical visits, fun was had by all! Games, songs, just sitting together getting some personal attention - it was a very fun day for the children. And the team :)

Tomorrow, the full team will go to LaHatte. The medical and children’s ministry team will do what they did today in Cavaillon - seeing as many people as they can- while the water team does their “shocking” work. LaHatte is a bit further than Cavaillon from the Guest House, so it will be a shorter time spent on site. The team has to be back before nightfall each day as the roads don’t have much in the way of streetlights - actually, nothing in the way of streetlights. Sometimes, they don’t have much in the way of roads, either! The team will be traveling in two sturdy pick up trucks, “Haitian style” (in the back) for some. Other teams have sworn it’s better than the rides at Disney :) As always, they’ll be accompanied by ESMI drivers and staff.

Getting pictures from the team is proving problematic, as cell coverage seems to work for voice, but not text. WiFi works only when the electricity is on, which can be spotty. We regret that we can’t share pictures with this update, but we’ll hope to catch up as the week goes on!

Please pray for:

• Continued good rest (and electricity)
• Continued good health - so far only a few have had any “travelers’ stomach” issues
• Continued safety in travel, with no delays that would impact how much they can get done at LaHatte
• Patience and teamwork as they set up in a new location, and peace and calm while working with the residents
• Opportunities to share the love of Jesus in word as well as in deed
• The children of Cavaillon - that God would physically protect them, and that they would grow spiritually into young men and women of God. Pray also that their physical needs would be met through the continuing generosity of their sponsors (ongoing and new, as needed).

Haiti trip 7/29/18

The team got plenty of opportunities to share in worship with their Haitian brothers and sisters today at three different services - 7:00 am in Cayes at Bon Berger (Good Shepherd), where our own Pastor David was the guest preacher for the first time. No small audience there - the service is televised to a good portion of Haiti as well as picked up to livestream to Haitian expats all over the world. He might have preached to two million people people today - through an interpreter! No pressure :)

The second service was at 10:00 at the second congregation of Bon Berger in Cambry, where the guest house is located. Pastor Chad was the guest preacher there. The congregation was excited and pleased to hear that their Pastor Louis would be doing a “pulpit swap” in this fall with Chad, when he visits Chicago and preaches at Chad’s church. It was a wonderful way to tie the two churches together.


Along the way this week, friendships will be renewed between our team members who've gone on multiple trips and Haitians in various locations we visit regularly. It's a special time for both, and speaks volumes of the love and concern our ministry displays for the Haitian people - it's not a "once and done", but instead, our teams come back, and care about them.One of the pictures below is a reunion between a team member and a boy who first met 5 years ago. He waited for our team member to come down the hill this morning so he could be the first one to greet her. Both were happy to see each other!

The afternoon was spent sorting. And sorting some more! The duffels that were carried in yesterday came from three or four different states via our team members, and each location had a “priority” list of items to gather from donors and pack - underwear, shoes, clothes of different sizes, bedsheets, etc. The Chicago team also had several thousand dollars worth of medicines and water systems materials in their duffels. It will all be used during the week, but had to be repacked in a sensible way for the first few days of ministry. It will all be reorganized as they go, but the big job was done today. The repeat team members were able to lend their experience, which is always a big help in tackling this massive job, and the Texas crew did a lot of prep work before they came - 240 sets of clothes were bagged and tagged by gender and size before going in the duffels. That was an immense help!

The third praise time opportunity came this evening, when most of the team headed back to Cavaillon via coach bus. The worship in all three places was vibrant, joyful, hot, and LOUD. Haitians believe in expressing their faith with exuberance!


It was a welcome and unusual treat for the team to get to spend time with the kids (and today the community) of Cavaillon this early in the week, and it will help the rest of their time there tomorrow and Tuesday be even sweeter as the kids will be familiar with them and be ready to just enjoy the time more. It’s also great for the medical team, who usually miss out on the fun and games because they’re focused on their clinic tasks for the most part. Part of the team, though, is planning the “fun and games” and will just focus on loving on the kids. How great is that!

And the first “wrinkle” which people doing ministry in Haiti have got to be ready for - the bus they took to Cavaillion broke down on the way home and Pastor Louis, after some delay, was able to get alternative transportation back to the Guest House for them. The team is told repeatedly to expect things to happen on “Haiti time”, to be flexible above all else, and if asked to do something by the team leader, the answer is “ok, sure”. It’s the only way people can manage the realities of the situation there while working with a large team of people they’ve (in some cases) just met. It’s a wonderful, joyful, heart filling, heartbreaking, mentally, physically, and spiritually stretching week, and it’s unlikely this first wrinkle will be the last!

The water team will hive off Monday to go to LaHatte, the next place being set up with a water system. It’s really a “reboot”, as there was one there previously installed by another organization but it has been non-functional for quite a while. The need is pressing, as the leaders of the village could see quite clearly that when the water system was running, cholera was eradicated - and when it failed, it came back. There is no doubt that clean water saves lives in Haiti - in fact our engineer friends say it’s the best way to save lives. On Tuesday, the water team will go back to finish the job while the rest of the team goes back to Cavaillon.

The team will appreciate prayers for:

• another night of good rest after a long day (and with that, reliable electricity which powers the air conditioning), safe travel to Cavaillon and LaHatte tomorrow. It still feels great outside with a breeze, but gets hot quickly inside.
• the teams to quickly get into a good work rhythm in order to maximize what can be accomplished
• safety in travel
• patience with delays. The schedule calls for devotions at 7:00 in the morning, then breakfast. They hope to pull out of the compound at 8:30. 
• health as people acclimate to the heat and the food
• opportunities to share their faith and encourage the children, housemoms, and others at Cavaillon

The team is grateful for your support and partnership! Enjoy some pictures from their day.

Haiti trip 7/28/18

And they’ve arrived! Travel was smooth and customs even smoother - no delays in their flight or meeting their coach bus and hired escorts at the Port au Prince airport. At customs, there was a brief check of paperwork and they were on their way - the bags weren’t even opened. That is a far cry from what the teams have come to expect, and a welcome change! Every bag arrived, as well. Given their precious cargo, that’s a wonderful blessing.



Things went so smoothly that a last minute decision was made to “swing by” Cavaillon on the way to Cambry, where the team will stay this week. They arrived as the children were starting to eat dinner and were able to hear the children sing a blessing before they ate, and then visit a bit. The children were delighted to see some familiar faces on our team, and returning team members recognized several kids, as well. It will be fun to go back for longer visits during the week.

After settling in to the Guest House at Cambry and eating a dinner of fried chicken, brown rice, plantain chips and peas and corn, it was time for a team meeting, showers, and finally - bed. The electricity was on, and although the heat and humidity were not oppressive today, it will help our team to sleep in air conditioned rooms.

Tomorrow will start early, with church at 7:00 and 10:00. The afternoon will be spent unpacking and organizing medicines, clothes, and water systems supplies - close to 2000 pounds of duffel bag contents brought in by team members. A potential trip back to Cavaillon for evening worship is being considered, as well.


Please pray for good rest, for electricity (which helps the rest!), for health, and for the team to quickly get into a rhythm of teamwork as they tackle the sorting tasks tomorrow. Pray, too, that their times of worship with Haitian brothers and sisters would be uplifting and a blessing to their spirits as they start their week of service. Ask God to go before them in their tasks, their interactions, and their conversations this week, as they serve “nan nom Jesi”, in Jesus’s name.

Cell service is spotty (especially for texts, for some reason) but a few pictures made it through. The changes seen in the pictures of the Cavaillon orphanage are remarkable to those who’ve been a part of this ministry for a while. When our teams started coming, children at this orphanage sat on a dirt floor to eat out of communal bowls near an open fire pit where their food was cooked once a day. Many children had rampant scabies and the tell-tale orange hair of malnutrition. And now look! Praise God!

Haiti Trip 7/27/18

Our team of 22 is gathering in Miami tonight. Once assembled, they'll have their first full team meeting - they are coming from Chicago, Texas, and North Carolina so it will be a fun evening of pizza and team building as they make their final preparations to arrive in Haiti tomorrow.

The day tomorrow will be one of the longest of the week - they're meeting a shuttle to take them back to the airport at 4:00 am. Their day will include travel by bus first, then plane and then a LONG bus ride from Port au Prince to Les Cayes/Cambry, where they'll be staying at the ESMI Guest House for the week. Fortunately, it's a coach bus so they'll travel in relative comfort, with their own security escort just to allay any concerns for safety, given Port au Prince's recent demonstrations - which all agree have calmed down completely. But still, reassuring to have the escort.

Before that long bus ride, a long wait to get through customs. Always a challenge with up to 45 duffels (50 pounds each) stuffed with medicines, water systems supplies, clothes and shoes. Please pray that all of the contents sail through customs without any difficulty and without any additional cost.

Their plane arrives in Port au Prince at 9:15 am Eastern Time tomorrow morning. Your prayers for their day of travel will be greatly appreciated.

Our hope is that you'll receive an update each night on the team's activities, including some pictures, and definitely some prayer requests. We consider you an integral part of the work being done by the team this week, as nothing will be accomplished without the prayers of God's people. Thank you in advance for partnering with them in this way. There is a prayer guide attached to get you started!