Sunday Recap and Travel Update

Hello friends,

I wanted to take a moment and recap what the Haiti team did on Sunday as well as let you all know about our travel back to KC today.  Sorry we didn't get a post up on the blog yesterday.  We were all pretty tired from getting up for the early morning service at SDLG, but I don't think any of us would have missed it for any amount of sleep!  The Haitians have a powerful way of worshiping and praying together.  I wouldn't be surprised if the folks down there could surpass just about any church here in the states in their faith and powerful prayer.  We got to hear some wonderful worship music in Creole (so wonderful that Brandi, Joelle, and Julia kept Kristie busy writing down lyrics and teaching pronunciation a good part of the afternoon).  We also got to hear Joelle, Julia, Kristie, and Sara play and sing "Our God" in both English and Creole both services.  They spent a lot of time throughout the week practicing and learning the song in Creole, and their effort paid off!  It was amazing and moving for both our team and SDLG.  The first service was preached by a pastor from Tennessee that came to meet with Moise about a ministry called Celebrate Recovery.  The second service was preached by a friend of Moise's, a pastor from All Nations church in Brooklyn NY and was honestly one of the best sermons I've heard in a long time.  It was obviously intended for the Haitian audience, but it was amazing how every point could be applied just as well in my life.

After church we took Moise and Francoise out to lunch to thank them for their hospitality to our team.  The food was good and the fellowship better.  Ron, Ashley, and Moise got interviewed by a journalist for a segment on a radio program this week about the VBS and work at the church.  Following lunch, Ron drove us home.  That may sound insignificant, but for anyone who has ever experienced traffic in Haiti, you understand that such a thing is quite a feat.

This morning we made it safely to the airport in PAP where we learned that our flight was oversold and five people who thought they were going to Miami were about to have a change of plans.  Kelsey and Julia were none too anxious to leave Haiti anyway and jumped at the opportunity to get the $500 travel voucher offered to, Lord willing, help them towards their next trip down to Haiti.  I'm sure the two people they allowed to get to Miami as planned were very appreciative too.

The rest of us made it back to KC safely and without incident.  The trip as a whole was very successful, no doubt largely due to the prayers from you all.  We all look forward to talking to you more about our trip and sharing stories, photos, and messages from our friends at SDLG.

P.S. Keep Kelsey and Julia in your prayers as they travel back home tomorrow.

-Chip

Saturday Post

Hello from Haiti!  Vacation Bible School is complete and was a great success.  The kids were starting to get the VBS routine down by day 3 so today went very well.  We were able get the sound and projector working so the kids watched the Jesus video in Haitian Creole.  Ashley met with some of the VBS helpers we had from the church to explain to them how to use and best conserve the extra supplies we brought to leave with them.  One was so excited with how it went that she wants to host a VBS on there own during the carnival time this February.  This is the best confirmation imaginable that God will continue to bless the encouragement we shared with the women on Tuesday to be active leaders in the church and the example we tried to set throughout VBS well into the future. 

We also wrapped up painting on the school today.  So now the orphanage and school are completely painted inside and out.  There is a little trim and touchup work to do, but the vast majority of the painting work is complete, and Pastor Vaval could not be more pleased. 

We’re getting up bright and early tomorrow morning so that we can attend both morning SDLG services (the first starts at 5:30a.m.).  Joelle and Julia will be playing and singing in both services and Nicki will be sharing a story with the church.  Afterwards we hope to take the Vavals to lunch to thank them for their first class hospitality.  Every meal has been wonderful and they’ve gone above and beyond to make sure everyone is comfortable. 

As always, there is so much more we all wish we could share, but we want to have plenty of energy for our day tomorrow of praise to the one who has obviously blessed our trip, our team, and this partnership between LCF and SDLG.  Keep us in your prayers. We're all doing quite well so they're working! We truly feel blessed to have such wonderful support from everyone back home. 

-Chip

Cause for celebration!

I just had to blog after reading about Day 4 of the team's trip.  I try to not hog the blog because the focus should be on the team reports, but I just couldn't help myself to express the pure excitment of reading the updates each day. Praise God for his provision and blessings!  The VBS is bringing so many precious little ones to hear about God's love for them.  I am beside myself with joy picturing the children absorb all that God is doing through the team and through the SDLG church family.  And not to mention, the beautiful painting that is being accomplished on the walls of the property!  The painting sprayer seems to be a huge blessing, more than imagined, I would guess.  I think it is saving hours if not days of time so that the work on the buildings can move forward.  Yeah!

As the team enters the last phases of the trip, please continue to pray Ephesians 3: 14-21 and Psalm 19.  The verses are rich of God's intentions for our lives on this earth.  Pray that God gives the team all they need physically and mentally to minister to the Haitian people.  It is evident that the team is being blessed immeasurably by this journey.

Blessings,
Amy

VBS Day 1

What a wonderful day!  I would say the best yet.  We got to SDLG early today to get the painting started and to prepare before VBS (and to avoid some of PAP’s terrible morning traffic).  The kids began arriving for VBS around 9 a.m. and we welcomed each while music played through the sound system.  We hugged and high-fived and even encouraged those who wanted to dance at the front of the church.  One little guy had some pretty good moves.  Day one of VBS was a huge hit and was coordinated wonderfully by Ashley.  Joelle and team lead the kids in songs.  We were amazed that they already knew almost every song we had planned to teach them and even sang several additional songs for us in Creole.  Samuel was a huge blessing; not only in translating but he was by far the most successful at wrangling the kids and keeping some semblance of order.  We jumped rope, colored, and each kid made a keep-sake out of modeling clay depicting some of God’s creation (the theme of our VBS week is “Our God is the ONE true God” and today’s focus was on Genesis 1:1 and God’s creation).  I believe all the kids were blessed by the songs, the scripture, the skit, and most of all the attention, hugs, and holding of the team. 

Meanwhile, great progress was made on the painting.  The outside of the orphanage is painted and a large portion of the outside of the school.  The Haitian painters continue to be fascinated by the sprayer and several got to try their hand at it today including Pastor Vaval!  I believe he enjoyed it most of all and caught on very quickly. 

Our evening ended with a precious worship time on the Vaval’s front porch with Joelle and Julia taking turns playing the guitar.  We took time to each share a personal prayer request and were blessed to be joined by Moise and Kristie in our concluding Haitian style prayer (the whole group prayed for each other aloud simultaneously).  The mingled voices being lifted to our Lord created a humbling and moving experience for each and every one of us. 

We’re all looking forward to another wonderful day of VBS with the kids tomorrow, and hopefully a trip to a local orphanage in the afternoon followed by a few hours of painting in the cooler hours of the evening. 

Although we’re having a wonderful time here, we miss you all and can’t begin to express how grateful we are to have you all back home supporting and praying for us.  We think of you throughout our days. 

There is so much more to share, but that will have to wait for another time.  As day four winds down and the muscles are starting to feel a little sore and the wits a little frayed, this verse seems appropriate to close with…

God, the giver of all grace, has called you to share in Christ's eternal Glory and after you have suffered a little he will bring you to perfection: he will confirm, strengthen and establish you forever. (1 Peter 5:10)

-Chip

Today was just amazing, ¬God is so good! In spite of no electricity last night (which means no AC) everybody felt rested and had enough energy for a very busy day. We cleaned out the classrooms to be painted. This consisted of picking up trash, sweeping, and the most back breaking of all was the shoveling of gravel. We were all amazed with Kelsey’s strength and endurance. Ron and Chip tried to keep up with her!!


Good News-The inside of the orphanage is painted! Ron and Cade took turns with the paint sprayer and many others worked on trim. Seversl workers from the church helped out! Not sure if many, or any, of the Hatians have ever seen a sprayer! The orphanage is beautiful! Ornate tile work was done in the bathrooms before we arrived. We took psuedo showers under a spicket to be ready for Wednesday night church.

Chip shared the story of Jacob with the congregation and I heard one member from church tell Chip how the message spoke directly to his heart. It was such a powerful reminder of how in our own strength we can accomplish so little, and apart from God we can do nothing.

The hospitality of SDLG is overwhelming. They are taking such good care of us! They cook for us and keep the water pitchers full. We even came back to clean sheets already!! I hope Ron and the Crow kids don’t expect that back in the US.

Tomorrow we start VBS and are excited to hug more kids. We high fived little ones at the gate today and the boys wait around patiently for a game of soccer!

It is a blessing to report and such a humbling experience to be part of God’s work in Haiti.

Fondly, Nicki

Happy Tuesday from PAP and Kelsey & Brandi! Our day started out slow due to lack of supplies. We assessed the situation at the orphanage & school and took 2 trips to buy the supplies. We bought big brooms to prep the walls & rooms in the school, paint, lacquer thinner and brushes. We hope to start tomorrow! The ladies were able to spend 2 hrs w/ the Haitian women of the church. We were supposed to encourage them to be active leaders in the church. Kelsey led us to share stories, scripture & encouraging words with these amazing women of GOD. We were very humbled & blessed by them. They’re pillars of faith and several women are already working on behalf of the body at Source De la Grace. We prayed over some women who asked for prayer. In turn, they prayed over every one of us. It was a very powerful time of prayer and worship and we felt very connected to our sisters in Christ. The women shared some of their testimonies with us, which we felt humbled & convicted by. They were pretty quiet to talk, but they are sure loud when praising and praying!! What a testimony to GOD on their faith and reliance on the power of prayer. Earlier in the day, Cade and Chip shared some special soccer time with some Haitian men from the church. It seemed they both had a good time. Cade also carried plenty of desks & benches inside the church. Samuel, who has been with several teams before, came today & translated for us! Kelsey & I both have a special relationship with Samuel & we were very excited to see him and get to spend time with our brother in Christ. The team is getting to know each other better. We concluded the evening with a bead ceremony to encourage one another. We are excited to see what GOD has in store for tomorrow. Chip will be preaching tomorrow night at church so please keep him in your prayers.


I shared Prov 3:5-6 today with the women. Trust in the Lord with your whole heart and Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIM and HE will direct your paths.

With Love for Team Haiti,

Kelsey & Brandi

Psalm 19

I am not sure if my texts are going through, so I will blog the verse for the day.  Actually, instead of being a verse, God seems to be pointing at a chapter.  Psalm 19 caught my attention on Monday night.  The verses talk about the commands of the Lord being radiant, giving light to the eyes.  As the team humbly seeks God's will each morning, may Psalm 19 be a blessing and an encouragement to them.

Blessings,
Amy

From Bev:

Bev is on vacation, but she sent me a text to share on the blog:

The phrase that keeps coming to my mind as I talk with the Lord on behalf of the Haiti team and the Vavals and SDLG is "amazed by You, Lord!".  God knows there are many things they will be amazed by and saddened by and overwhelmed by, and His central desire this week (and every week) is that they will all be amazed by Him over and over!!  There are many songs that roll through my mind that go with that theme.  The verses are Ephesians 3:14-21.

Blessings,
Amy

Hello from Haiti!!


Wow, what a JOY it is to be back here! There is just nothing like this wonderful place, in a way it feels like home. Praise God for safe travels! And not only safe travels...but quite a luxurious ride! Somehow we ended up with first class seats on the plane! It was definitely a first for all of us, and a shock, but we went with it:).

It has been a treasure to see the Vavals who we are staying with. Already, I feel like I’ve been given from them so much more than I have poured out. Francoise and Moise Jr. are on a mission trip right now in Les Cayes, and so after a warm welcome from Moise and Kristie, Moise had to head to church, so we had a very nice visit with Moise’s daughter Kristie. Wow, she is mature beyond her years! She was extremely hospitable to us, and would not let us help with anything, insisting the one thing she needed is for us to get good rest. We were all so blessed to get to know her better. Kristie and the rest of her family are so centered on God; they truly live the lifestyle of the Acts church. It was challenging for me to listen to her, and hear her heart. Because of their love for Jesus, everything in their life is completely centered on Him. I mean, sitting with a 16 year old and hearing how she fasts and prays for the lost, and is willing if the Lord leads to go with her friends to parts of Haiti that are not the safeis incredible. Her father, Moise, was praying with the church tonight (which they usually do daily) as a body against spiritual attack, and against disunity. I know that if I have disunity in my heart, I most likely wouldn’t even share it. Yet, since they are so centered on Christ and His will, not theirs, they want to worship Him in everyway, and let nothing in that is not of Him. What an example, that LCF, can learn from. Is our God Jesus? Or is it our sports, activities, our schedule, or our leisure? Is God just something we take for granted, or He is literally the Lord of our life? Their faith here is so strong I believe because they really have surrendered everything to Him. What a lovely heavenly perspective they have, I am so excited to spend the rest of the week learning from them, and hopefully pouring out too! :)

Besides the amazing converations and prayer time tonight we had with Kristie, we also had some fun watching a man climb up a very tall coconut tree, and throw them down to us for a treat! Kade wanted to climb too, but Kristie said no. :) Well that’s it for now; I’m exhausted, and ready to hit the hay! Love you all, thank you for the prayers!



                                    

Prayer times

We will have 3 prayer times this week to pray for the LCF team as they embark on their journey to minister to the Vavals and Source de la Grace.  I am sensing that the team will be ministered more by the Haitians than they realize at this point.  May God seize the team and guide them this week.  The word "seize" seems pretty forceful.  I believe that it is what God wants...to be in total control of the team's direction this week.  Exciting times at LCF missions!

The prayer times will be at my house.  Contact the church office or the church directory for the address.  We live close to the church.  We will pray from 7pm-8pm each evening.  We will pray Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings.  Family members are welcome along with anyone with a heart-tugging notion to surround the team in group prayer.

Blessings to all,
Amy Newberry

July 2012 Haiti Trip

Tomorrow morning a 10 member team from LCF will leave for Haiti to visit our partner Source de la Grace (SDLG) in Port-au-Prince Haiti (PAP).  You are probably interested in the activities and projects planned for our trip.  Although we aim to stay flexible and will likely know much more about our activities after we arrive in PAP, some of our goals for the week include painting the school building on the SDLG campus, cleaning up the courtyard area, and hosting a 3 day vacation bible school for the surrounding community. 

Regardless of what we’re able to accomplish around the SDLG campus, our primary hope is to bless, comfort, and serve our partners at SDLG and the Vaval family.  The Vavals and SLDG are a shining light in a dark situation and bring hope into seemingly hopeless circumstances in Haiti.  CBS News’ 60 Minutes did a segment featuring Moise Vaval after the Haiti earthquake in 2010 that you can watch here. 

Although I’m not entirely sure what to expect since this will be my first trip to Haiti, I’m sure I will experience some discomforts that I’m not used to as an American.  I am almost looking forward to it though because Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth reminds me that we’re not supposed to just bask in our comfort. Rather, we’re to use our blessings to comfort others that are afflicted.  I think I speak for the whole team when I say that we hope that any discomfort we might face this week will be for the comfort and salvation of those in Haiti and for God’s glory. 

“…that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God… If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation.” 2 Corinthians 1:4, 6

We will attempt to post a daily update to this blog throughout our trip and would love for you to follow and rejoice with us in our progress and successes.  We’ll also share any challenging circumstances we encounter and would be very blessed and appreciative of your prayers for those circumstances and a God glorifying trip in general.  You can also get more frequent updates by following us on Twitter at @LCFHaiti. 

Thanks and God bless. –Chip

July 2012 Haiti Team Members

Chip Carden

Claire Crow

Kade Crow

Nicki Crow

Ron Crow

Kelsey Heuer

Brandi Kreutzer

Joelle May

Julia Parker

Ashley Shipman