LCF Haiti

Past, Present, and Future

2012-02-12T08:11:00.001-08:00

Scott delivered a message to the congregation this morning about the church's involvement in Haiti. He discussed the past, the present, and the future and God's sovereignty in our partnerships in Haiti.

Many thoughts came to my mind after hearing the message from Scott. Our involvement in Haiti in the past was God's pursuit. God pursued LCF to join in the efforts in Haiti to spread God's message. God pursued the orphans in St. Louis to show His great love. In the present time, God is showing LCF and Source de la Grace his passion. His passion for unity in the body of the Holy Spirit. As for the future, God's plan is to provide hope for a lost world... here in Liberty and in Haiti as well as many other places God ordains in ministry.

As we begin this new journey and a new partnership in Haiti, please pray this verse:

Matthew 21:21-22: Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, "Go, throw yourself into the sea," and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

Blessings,
Amy

final days

2012-01-15T21:30:00.000-08:00

Bon soir from Haiti! This is Tim reporting late Sunday night prior to our departure tomorrow a.m. God is doing big things in the lives of His people in Haiti. Our day started with pumpkin soup for breakfast – another scrumptious meal served up by our hostess Francoise, wife of pastor Moise.

We loaded up 2 vehicles and headed off to church. The music and the singing are outstanding at Source de la Grace – they put a lot of time into their music ministry, much like we do @ LCF – and you can tell the difference it makes. The pews were filled across the auditorium and up into the balcony – over 500 strong. Scott preached another awesome message – this time from the book of Nehemiah regarding revival. It was very well received, especially with the assistance of our interpreter Samuel. Where would we be this week without our interpreters Samuel and Sarah? Government officials were present at today’s church service to renew the Source de la Grace’s permit that had expired - they passed with flying colors, and you could tell that the officials were very impressed with the progress the church had made. After the service, Janese got an opportunity to visit with the doctor that would be providing care for the orphans at the new orphanage. She was very encouraged as a result of the meeting.

After church, our team treated our hosts for the week (Pastor Moise and his family) to a nice lunch at a resort restaurant called Visa Village. It had a very nice buffet which included garbanzo beans, chicken, rice, and pizza. Janese was excited about some kind of special cole slaw they had. For dessert they had coconut pudding – needless to say it was yummy.

Next we made a pit stop at the house to change clothes before heading back to the church. Bev worked with Pastor Moise on a computer program that promises to make his keeping track of his congregation more efficient. Meanwhile, the boys were helping John hang 4 security lights and a pencil sharpener at the church facility. Most of you who know John know that John probably didn’t need the help. But, he was very kind to let us touch his tools every now and then. It is very similar to throwing a dog a bone every once in a while. Scott pretty much held the ladder for John while Todd was calculating style points. Tim was supervising all 3 making sure that no Haitian building codes were broken.

The day ended with a big party at the Vaval family home. It was a combination birthday party (Moises’ mom’s 80th birthday, and a good bye party for the LCF team leaving in the morning. Guests included leaders from the church, 2 other Haitian pastors and their wives, the Vaval family and of course the LCF team. The menu consisted of 2 cakes, and 3 trays of assorted croissants. The highlight was the fellowship that transpired after church leaders expressing their gratitude for our visit, and Scott expressing our gratitude for their hospitality. Bev described later the same evening that prayers for “knitting our hearts together” with our Haitian brothers and sisters had been answered. God is moving in Haiti – and I think we’re all humbled to have an opportunity to be a part of that movement.

Verse for the day (from Bev): James 2:5,6 – “Listen my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He has promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man.

Tim
for Team Haiti

Day 4

2012-01-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

Last night I (Janese) went to bed with the anticipation that I would be blogging tonight about a much different day than we had. As I went to bed and began to pray I caught myself asking God to bless our plan to go to St. Louis Du Sud in hopes of seeing any of our orphans and perhaps gain some closure. I got an instant sinking feeling as I realized in our excitement of this opportunity that we/I had not paused to pray to seek God’s will, His desire, His heart, and His plan in the matter. I’m with Haitian believers who demonstrate seeking God’s plan every day, but I missed it.

Today we were all up and ready to leave for a trip to a rural church plant that Source De La Grace (SDLG) had started in July of 2006. The truck that we were to meet was delayed. Our plan was beginning to fall apart. Upon arriving, Moise explained to us that the ground that the church is on is his family’s and for many years had been used for voodoo practices. It’s great to see this beautiful place claimed for God. Road conditions called for slow travel to the site. Another hit to our plan. After we had time to fellowship with the congregation, Moise realized there was not enough time to go to St. Louis du Sud and also get to our scheduled meeting with the men’s and women’s ministries at SDLG. Our plan was not a good plan and only God knows why. During the earthquake service, I opened my Bible to follow Scott as he preached from Romans. I saw the “5-18-11 Haiti” written next to Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, whom have been called according to His purpose.” I wrote that the day I found out our orphans were gone from St. Louis. It gave me comfort and it gives me comfort today knowing God is working for good in all things, even my misconceived plans.

What God did plan for us was to have exceptional meetings with the women’s and men’s groups. It was moving to see their dedication to their walk. The women’s group actually finished before the men’s. A first in the history of Christianity (slight overstatement from Todd)! Both the women’s and men’s groups face some of the same challenges we face in the states. What was remarkable was to see how dedicated they are to the church and to each other. There is much we can learn from them. I think I say that everything time I am here.

Much love from Haiti,

Janese

Day 3

2012-01-12T18:08:00.001-08:00

An amazing day here in Haiti! In the morning, after some rounds of improvised badminton, tennis and bocce ball with Moise Jr. (8 yrs old and delightful), we had the privilege of meeting with Moise and 3 leaders from Source de la Grace, plus Zachari, a young man from SDLG who is now pastoring a church plant in the south near Les Cayes. These men are reflective of Pastor Moise - all gentle, godly young men of strong character who love Jesus and love the church. We had prayed last Sunday for our hearts to be knit together with these people, and the Lord has accomplished just that. We spent a couple hours talking about their vision for ministry to orphans, to the community around them through the school, distribution of purified water, and to the people of SDLG through small groups, discipleship, and various schools or weekly workshops, such as a Music/Worship School, Bible School, and Nursing School. The like-mindedness was astounding. We have found wonderful partners in ministry down here! By the way, the orphanage should be completed sometime in the next 8 weeks or so - it's being constructed very well and will be run with great love and organization.

So today is the 2nd Anniversary of the earthquake. We anticipated it being an emotional day, even moreso than last year when we were in St. Louis du Sud, since we are actually in Port-au-Prince very close to the epicenter, and are staying with the Vaval family (who lost their sweet John Mark that day). It was a national holiday, and you heard crowds of people singing at various times throughout the day as they remembered that tragic day.

It's hard to describe how it felt to ride in the car over to the church this afternoon, holding Francoise Vaval's hand, quietly weeping with her as she missed her young son, John Mark. Seeing her with her hands lifted later on in worship of her Lord Jesus was moving to see. I want to have her perspective. The Lord has much to teach us about having an eternal perspective.

Source de la Grace had a service this afternoon at 3:00, and I can honestly say that I have never been to such an amazing service in my life. The place was packed with nearly 1,500 people. For the first half hour or so, people continued to arrive by foot, and many of them were carrying their own chairs up to the balcony or waiting as many men brought the wood benches over from the school to put up in the balcony.

It is hard to express in words the beauty of this 3 hour service with people we've come to love and appreciate so much! In the states, we have "moments of silence" - not so in Haiti! Such heartfelt worship and prayers! Scott preached (yes - preached!!) with Samuel interpreting, from Romans 8:28, especially emphasizing the "all things" that God works together for good - powerful! It was followed by an invitation that people responded to, then more worship which was simply indescribable -- full of joy and wonder and dancing as people celebrated that they are "children of God"! See what I mean?? . . . an eternal perspective!! We left wanting to become more like our Haitian brothers and sisters!!

God is faithful and loving and we know it full well!!

Bev

Day 2

2012-01-11T18:17:00.000-08:00

Hello from Haiti,

We have had a great day. We visited the church today to look at the property and school. Traveling to the church from Moise's is always an experience. Todd, Tim and John rode in the back of an open air flatbed through the crazy streets of PAP. Near death experiences by pedestrians are met with quiet resignation and mortocylcles, though everywhere, have no driving rights as compared to trucks and cars.

We toured the school facility, met the students and teachers. Had the opportunity to spend quality time with the school principal, Jewell (our pronunciation and improper spelling), asking him lots of questions about their mission and needs. At noon they have a type of 'chapel' and we did some improptu songs with the 112 kids. Most impresive was Tim with his rendition of 'What'll E O Cha.' What a gift he has in music ministry (Look out Brian)! Seriously, the kids loved it. It was a real joy to touch and love on the kids and we are very excited about the possibilities in the furure. It was humbling to see Moise and Jewell's passion and integrity for the kids of the school and the community at large. We are excited to work with them.

We attended the Wednesday evening church service and Scott spoke. Regardless of the language, it is wonderful to worship with fellow believers from a different culture. We could sense God's presence in the service. We had a chance to see Lucson, which many of you know, and meet his new wife. Samuel has been our translator and has been a delight. We have had a chance to meet and get to know his fiance Sarah.

In our wrap-up time tonight, Francoise treated us with home made, fresh papaya smoothies. What a way to end a blessed day.

All our Love,

Team Haiti (Todd and John)

Day 1

2012-01-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

Greetings from PAP!

We arrived 15 minutes early, made it through customs wihtout any issues, and walked outside where Moise greeted us. What a welcome sight! As we walkwed to the vehicle, we heard Samuel's voice calling out. He and Sara were waiting outside the fence to join us. They traveled from Les Cayes this morning to join us for the week. They will help interpret for us.

Traffic was especially bad today, so our 30 minute ride to his house took about 2 hours. When we arrifvevd, Franciose was busy in the kitchen preparing a wonderful dinner. Kristi, Sarah and Moise Jr greeted us as well.

While it is only 9PM, everyone is feeling tired after a long day so I think all will be in bed before too long.

Tomorrow we will get to spend time with the school children, meet the administrator and learn more about their school program. Wednesday night church will be a great ending to the day.

Pray that we listen well tomorrow, ask the right questions and come away with a clearer picture of how we might help the work they are doing with these school children.

Thanks for your prayers. We are grateful to have such faithful partners back home.

For His Glory

Scott
for Team Haiti

Janese Brown
Todd Herrman
Bev May
Tim Nixon
John Skillman

Weaving a tapestry

2012-01-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

A team from LCF will be leaving this week from Jan. 10-16. The purpose of the trip is to meet with our new Haiti partner, Moise, and his ministry team. The team from LCF will most importantly be there to build relationships, gain insight, and seek God's wisdom in the needs that our church can be a part of in the coming years.

Please pray for the team as they travel. Pray for safety, health: both physically, mentally, and spiritually, and for God's provision and wisdom.

About a month ago, God gave me a visual of a tapestry. He was intricately weaving threads into the tapestry at quite a quick pace. God was busy. I saw a glimpse of the work, but He didn't have a moment to spare to speak to my heart. It was almost as if He was busy preparing for the Haiti team's arrival to Haiti. I never saw the tapestry finished. In fact, I do not believe it is finished. It is just beginning. God is intertwining LCF and the ministry in Haiti with Moise together in only a way that the Almighty can. Please pray an ongoing prayer that God weaves a tapestry full of His love, His life, His way, and His glory.

At the same time that I received the weaving visual, I was led to pray Daniel 9: 4-19. While it is a long passage, it is full of God's grace and glory and redemption. Please take time to read and reflect on these verses and pray over the missions in Haiti.

The team will update you as much as possible on the blog this week. Scott will also tweet. I will add any prayers or details as the week goes along. These are exciting times here at LCF missions!

Blessings,
Amy N.

John 8:12

2011-08-18T05:45:00.000-07:00

Today's Haiti verse:

John 8:12: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

God seems to use many "light" references when I pray for Haiti. Maybe this happens with others as well.

Blessings,
Amy

Proverbs 19:21

2011-08-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

Today's Haiti verse:
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails

Blessings,
Amy

Proverbs 3:5-6

2011-08-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

Today's verse:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

This verse was a highlight during Scott's trip to Haiti a couple of weeks ago. Both Bev and I received this verse the same morning (we realized it later during our Haiti prayer time). As I was praying for the trip, the word "trust" came to mind and then this verse just was evident as the verse to pray over.

Blessings,
Amy

Updated information and prayer requests

2011-08-14T18:54:00.000-07:00

Updated information about LCF and the orphans in Haiti:

Please be in prayer this week that God will open or close doors to the possibility of LCF purchasing the land that was once the orphanage we sponsored in St. Louis du Sud. There will be a meeting this Friday with the Haitian organization that owns half of the land to decide if they would like to pursue selling their part of the land to LCF. There are many other aspects to everything working out for the sale to happen, but the outcome of the meeting will be the first step. If God opens the door to have ownership of the land, we would then pursue a Haitian partner in opening up the orphanage again.

Here are the prayer requests and if I have left any out, just pray for God to show up BIG as decisions are made this week and the weeks and months to come.

*Pray for ESMI Haiti organization to have a clear and open mind that is focused on God's plan for their work in Haiti
*Pray for ESMI to prayerfully consider the option of selling the land to LCF
*Pray for all other details to work as smooth as possible and as quickly as possible if the sale of the land is approved
*Pray for discernment if the land is not sold to LCF on what to pursue next and who to team up with in Haiti to help orphans
*Pray for Pator Moise, who is a light in a dark world in Haiti. Pray for his dedication to building an orphanage and a school as well as leading a growing church
*Pray for Scott and the Haiti leadership team as they are seeking God during this entire process of what to do next to help the least of these in our world...sweet and adorable orphans

I will post a new verse to pray over each day this week as we seek God and His plan.

Today's verse:
I keep a picture of the orphans in my Bible. When I opened my Bible to search for God's word, the picture of the orphans was laying next to this Psalm. It just seemed right that the picture and the verse are pressed together when I close my Bible.

Psalm 5: 11-12
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Blessings,
Amy

Fireflies

2011-06-28T04:52:00.000-07:00

I have always enjoyed the summer months. Perhaps it is my Texas roots that help shape my view of summer versus winter temperatures. What I love most about the summertime is sitting out on a porch with our neighbors while the fireflies seem to dance around us.

You might be wondering about the connection between fireflies and the children that lived in the St. Louis orphanage. Beautiful bonds formed between the LCF congregation and the children. It has been painful for many with the latest developments of not being able to locate the children. Yet God has other plans at this point that will ultimately bring His glory to the situation. When the LCF team first found out that the government would displace the children, many of us grieved for the loss of the connection with the children. One night we prayed in small groups for the children. Many of us felt so helpless in the situation yet knowing that God was and is in control. As we were praying, I saw a visualization in my mind of the children as fireflies on a summer night. Little lights in the darkness. They are dispersed and moved throughout Haiti, but God's light in their hearts continue to shine. Since that night, I have been focusing my prayers on our Haitian fireflies...the precious children from the orphanage.

I encourage you on your summer nights, to pray that God will dwell in the children's hearts even though they are separated from each other. What many of them knew as family has been changed dramatically. Yet, God is so faithful and so good and so real that I know God will use the children to further His kingdom no matter where the children are. He ordained each of them as His light...His fireflies. Thank you, Jesus, for being our light and being the light for the children.

Blessings,
Amy

Isaiah 49:16

2011-06-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

I received a book of pictures beautifully chronically the last Haiti team trip to the orphanage. Looking back on these pictures, it seems that it was God's design to have so many pictures as a remembrance to pray for the children that are now separated and placed in other situations besides the St. Louis du Sud orphanage. I encourage those that hold the children close to your heart to look over the pictures or just picture the children in your mind and PRAY over the children and the tough situation in Haiti.

God never promised us anything to gain for ourselves as a result of loving and caring for these particular children. I believe that God wants us to continue to pray for each child's physical and spiritual well-being just as if they were living in the orphanage. It is a difficult challenge to pray over people that we don't have contact with. It is difficult because our nature is to want to see physical results of our prayer requests. When God has other plans that do not involve us, it is difficult to understand and yet, I am so relieved that God is in control of the situation.

There is no way LCF could go on this journey of helping those most in need without God leading the way. So, what is left after the children have been displaced? Continue to pray. Do not let Satan crowd your mind (and mine) with our daily lives that we forget to pray over the children. The children need prayers for their faith to grow. For the seeds that were planted to flourish not matter what situation they are facing right now or in the future. And, in a sense, I believe we need to pray for them because our faith grows to allow us to "let go and let God".

Isaiah 49:16: See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands, your walls are ever before me.

Focus on God's hands... the children and the circumstances in Haiti are right there before Him. Set your mind on Him, pray for the children, and continue to pray for LCF's involvement with Haiti missions.

Blessings,
Amy

Taking a minute to dwell in Him

2011-05-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

This blog entry is tough to write. Tough because I, like many others at LCF, are feeling a loss. Because of many circumstances beyond our church's control, all of the children at the orphanage have been dispersed to other people and places. We so much want to understand how this happened, why this happened, and now, what can we do to make sure they are okay.

But God has reasons beyond our understanding for allowing all that has happened in the last few weeks. He has a plan for each child. We just don't know the details. To be honest, God doesn't have to ask our permission or our opinion. There is no doubt in my mind that LCF followed God's plan for the children ever since the orphanage opened in 2008. God hasn't left the children, He just has another plan for their lives. I believe He is commanding our church to not let go of our mission to help orphans. God is asking us to not let go, but instead, He is asking us to "let God". I, and many others in the church are on our knees asking God to continue to reveal His purpose, His grace and, most importantly His abounding love for the people most in need in this world... orphans.

What now? Pray? Cry? Mourn? Yes to all. I am really trying to focus on one word in particular... DWELL in the Almighty. I thought I would look up the meaning of the word "dwell" in my dictionary. First of all, dwell is a verb, an action verb. A doing kind of thing. It means to "focus one's attention, to continue in a place or a condition, to reside." I would like all that read this post, all that pray for the orphans whether you have been on a trip or not... to dwell in Him with all of the concerns we have for the children. Dwell in prayers for the children. Dwell in prayers for the people in the organizations that are involved with the orphans in Haiti. Also, dwell in prayers for Scott and the LCF Haiti team as they seek to know God's direction in all of this.

I feel strongly led to dwell in a specific chapter in the Bible. Isaiah 43 is a beautiful chapter filled with hope, redemption, and grace. I will share just one particular verse and then ask you to read in your Bible for the other promises God shares in the chapter. We can use these verses to dwell in prayers for the children.

Isaiah 43:10: "You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me."

Our outpouring of love and devotion to share the love of Christ to each and every child that lived at the orphanage was no accident. It was by God's design. He chose each child and even each villager to hear the message of true salvation. He chose each LCF team member that would take a week of their time and give hugs, smiles, and show the children Jesus's love through songs and skits. We were and we continue to be God's servants to reach out and bring light to a dark world.

Thank you for dwelling in prayer with the LCF Haiti team. To God be all the glory, all the honor, and all of the praise, forever and ever. Amen!

Blessings,
Amy

A Mother's Day prayer

2011-05-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!
As I celebrate the day with my own children, I can't help but think of the children's faces in Haiti that have captured so many hearts here at LCF.

The situation in Haiti concerning our orphanage continues to leave us with more questions than answers. The LCF Haiti team asks for your prayers for God to continue to show us His will for these precious children.

The children are ever-present in many people's minds at LCF. Their spiritual growth, physical wellness, and emotional well-being are of great concern. They are so precious.

As I think about the children on this blessed day, I am reminded of a Bible study that I read a few years ago from Beth Moore. It is in her Book of Esther study. The words made such an impact on my own life and now I am praying for this over each of the children in Haiti that we love so much. Please join me as we focus on God's will for each child no matter what the circumstances.

Prayer: Dear Lord, as we read the statements below, may your blessed love for each child surround them and protect them always.

(There is a fill in the blank to add the specific prayer request/concern)

If _____________, then God will take care of the children.
If ______________, then God has a plan.
If _____________, then God desires to accomplish something monumental in them.
If _____________, then God is going to demonstrate His sufficiency to each child.

Amen

Blessings,
Amy

Matthew 17:20

2011-04-29T15:02:00.000-07:00

Big things can happen even when we offer the shortest, tiniest prayer. I fully believe God adores our big long prayers as well as our short, to the point prayers. The Holy Spirit takes all of our prayers and lays them at Jesus' s feet. Thank you, Lord!

The orphanage that LCF supports in Haiti especially needs prayers right now. Satan is trying to get a grip around certain aspects and certain people in Haiti that directly impact the children. The prayer team is asking anyone that reads this post to pray Big, pray Often, and to pray Over the decisions that need to be made for God's will concerning the children's well-being.

Matthew 17:20
He replied, "Because you have so little faith, I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Blessings,
Amy

Good Friday wishes

2011-04-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

I miss the children! Strange, I know, since I have never met them. It has been a couple of weeks since the Haiti team visited the children at St. Louis. I love hearing their stories about how the children are doing. I especially love imagining their smiles and giggles.
I was reflecting on the fact that today is Good Friday. The day Jesus told the world, "I pick you" over his own life. It is an overwhelmingly beautiful thought. I imagine that being an orphan can lead to thoughts of abandonment and that no one cares. The greatest thing that we can do for the orphans is to let them know about Jesus and his unfailing love for each one of their sweet faces. To let them know that God is whispering in their sweet ears, "I pick you, come follow me, I will never forsake you".
Take time to pray for God to continue to guide the children to Him. They are precious in His sight!

Blessings,
Amy

Psalm 19:1

2011-04-10T04:50:00.000-07:00

All week long, the prayer team felt two themes for this Haiti trip: joy and God's mighty power. No matter where the team was yesterday, you can sense from the blog that they felt God's joy pouring out on the children and God's mighty power as he orchestrated the time with the villagers during the showing of the Jesus film. May the seeds that were planted yesterday spread across Haiti! Pray big!

Today's verse: Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Continue to pray for the team today as they leave the orphanage. Pray that tears of sadness turn to tears of joy of good memories. Pray for the safety of the team and for smooth travel as they travel back to PAP today and then leave for home tomorrow. And one last thing, please take a moment to thank God for how he orchestrated this week through the happy times and even through the struggles.

Blessings,
Amy

Day 6

2011-04-10T04:28:00.000-07:00

From Saturday

Today felt like a day full of accomplishment. We started off in your standard size school bus instead of our typical passenger van packed with about seven bags of clothes and additional supplies we still had to give out to the mommas and children. Samuel, our interpreter even got a little western wear. He is such a blessing to have with us. As we pulled into St. Louis, Scott had already effectively delegated duties as we were on a tight schedule today in hopes to get everything we had planned to complete.

Several of the ladies were busy laying out all the clothes to distribute. Jewel worked closely with Madame Pastor as she helped to evenly distribute the clothes. They were very grateful and a resounding thank you was given.

The library was in full use this morning with new toys breaking the scene. Puzzles and zooming cars were keeping kids busy, while Linda was having tea parties with all the boys and girls. Other girls enjoyed the baby dolls. Sarah and Andrea completed the last of the children getting their checkups.

We also had the men pulling up the bunk mats that the children sleep on to take outside and spray down with a bleach solution and dry in the heat of the sun to eradicate any remnants of scabies and other diseases that remained. We finished in very little time so we split up in teams of three to walk the street inviting the patrons of the town to our Jesus movie that afternoon. It was an eye opening experience to be a part of the culture and feel the way of living so close. We made our way back to St. Louis and gathered the children into the bus and began our trek about 30 minutes east to the beach.

We were excited to see the children’s faces when they set their feet on the sand and see a glimpse of the beauty God has created for us. It was funny to see that most of them were rather intimidated by the water. It took our hands holding theirs or picking them up and wading in the shallow water to build up their confidence. There were about 15 brave souls that were comfortable enough to walk down the shore and get their feet wet. Many were playing under the shade of the palm trees with the various sport toys that we brought along. We made them peanut butter and honey sandwiches and gave them fruit juice to help finish off the last of their antibiotic pills. Amazed by how well they listen and wait patiently in line, we attended to all the children in less then 30 minutes. Our time was cut shorter then expected because the weather looked like it was going to rain on our parade… AND…we still had all the bunk mats sitting outside in the heat that needed to be put back in the dorm rooms.

We pulled back into St Louis surprised to see that the mats had been moved indoors. Several of the men, with the assistance of the momma’s, put them back in their places while the ladies got out their buckets and soap to start washing the children’s hands and feet. It was humbling to sit next to Brandi while she prayed over and washed the hands of several young boys. Kelsey, Aubrey, Lisa, and Andrea manned the other soap stations washing hands, scrubbing nails and then applying lotion. I was cracking up because a few of the children would take and wipe the lotion from their hands on their faces and legs to make them smoother.

The church started filling up with those that we had invited earlier in the day. We passed out peanut butter and honey sandwiches to all the guests and shortly thereafter, started the movie. A rough count of about 180 filled the church walls and there was an anticipated silence as it began. Our prayer is that a seed was planted where fertile ground was ready.

Sunday is going to be a tough. Anticipation has already set in and the children know we will be leaving. We will miss their smiles, we will miss their giggles, and we will miss the hands that come up behind us to hold ours and the hug from behind showing just how much they can love. Love breaks the boundaries of verbal communication. We have seen it everyday. Thank you for your prayers back at LCF. Please keep Aubrey in your prayers as she is under the weather tonight.

In God’s Grace,
Travis and Brandi

Deuteronomy 33:12

2011-04-09T05:17:00.000-07:00

A day like today makes Satan mad. He doesn't want the team to have a blessed day with the children and the mommas at the beach. Satan doesn't want the team to share the gospel to the people. Please take time to pray over the last full day that the team has with the orphans and the people there. Satan is furious. You know what? God will always be victorious! Pray, pray,pray today!

Today's verse: Deuteronomy 33:12
About Benjamin he said: "Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."

Take a moment to picture that verse. Then picture the LCF team, the children, and the people in the village being able to rest between God's shoulders...beautiful verse to consider as the team fulfills God's purpose.

Blessings,
Amy

Day 5

2011-04-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

Hey from Haiti!
Praise God!..today was such a fun and encouraging day! It rained again today. I am loving the correlation between prayer and the rain..thank you prayer team! The kids did not have school today so we had a full day to play with them!! The team got kids in the library to play today and they had a blast! The kids loved all of the toys and reading the books. I was really surprised at how well clean-up went (definitely better than the average American play room). We are hoping that the library will get used more often. The kids are very well behaved. We also played games and sang songs in the school room like down by the banks, the hokey pokey, and Father Abraham (which the kids thought was hilarious). The rain stopped and we had more time with the kids outside. The men worked in the rain and finished the roof today! They had quite an audience of kids watching. Scott hit his finger with a hammer (its pretty blueish/blackish). The men worked very hard and got very sweaty so they are getting the first showers tonight. The men also put a cross, which they made, on the front of the church. Not long after they were asked to take it down because it is mainly a Catholic symbol here and the pastor's wife did not want it there. We got a picture outside the church with the cross on it before it was taken down. We also had a couple pretty sweet dance parties outside today..even the mommas were getting into it. We are all very encouraged at the way the mommas have been involved in the activities and are much much more receptive to us. Several women have gotten hugs or at least a bunch of smiles and waves from them! We discovered outfits for the mommas in one of the bags tonight and are majorly pumped to give them to them! Please continue to pray for the mommas and our bond with them. I volunteered to do laundry this week and they are lovin’ it. The mommas work very hard with the resources they have. The VBS today was about the resurrection. The kids had another coloring sheet, which they always love. They also got egg shakers and toilet paper tubes to color, shower with stickers, and yell threw (of course the stickers also ended up on their faces and clothes). The kids had a blast singing and using their instruments. We went out to dinner at a restaurant in downtown Les Cayes with Samuel and Sarah tonight which was fun and delicious. We discovered that Nelson, our driver, speaks Spanish so he and I talked as the team fed me questions to ask him. He was very grateful to be able to converse with us and I’m sure he was very entertained as we were all cracking up. Sara and helpers completed the assessments of the younger girls today. We haven’t had our nightly meeting, worship, and prayer yet but we had great fellowship again today. I have been very blessed by the other team members this week. It’s crazy to think that today is Friday..that means one more full day with the kiddos. It definitely gets harder and harder to say goodbye and the end of each day. My little buddy Mardoche, who is very shy and quiet and rarely talks, laughs, or smiles has been opening up to me more and more each day. I put him down today to say bye to the other kiddos and he immediately jumped right back up into my arms. Hanging with these kids and this team has definitely given me a very cool picture of God’s love and challenging me to go all out to share it. We all continue to be blessed with the service at the Pastor Louis’ house. Please pray for them as well. The plan is to take the kiddos and perhaps the mommas to the beach for a few hours tomorrow. They have been looking forward to the beach all week. Please pray for sweet time there. We also plan to show the Jesus film tomorrow and have tracts to pass out to the people that come. Please pray that the Lord would work through the movie and that time and bring lots of people. Well thanks again for all of the prayers!

With love and blessings,

Kelsey (with some input from Greg)

Isaiah 40:11

2011-04-08T04:09:00.000-07:00

I just read the Day 4 blog. The team talked about the rain yesterday. The daily blogs from the teams are so inspiring. I cannot wait for each post to see what God is doing through the team and how we can pray for them.
I felt lead to share a correlation between Day 4 post and the prayer team's gatherings...After the prayer meeting last night, I received a text from Janese asking for a specific prayer for Samuel, the interpreter. He is a man of God that interprets each time the team is in Haiti. My text back to Janese and Scott was, "Let me just say that the team and everyone involved has been BATHED in prayer. I am surprised if they don't feel dripping wet from our showering of prayers." Little did I know when I sent the text that the team actually did get rained on yesterday AND the mamas washed their feet in a humbling act of kindness. God supplies the needs of all involved with LCF Haiti even through a rainstorm AND the team hopefully feels a showering of prayers from us as well. PRAISE GOD for a new day!

Today's verse was inspired by Cindy, one of the prayer team members. The verse comes by accident and she may not even realize that her typo in a text lead to a beautiful verse for today.

Isaiah 40:11
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Blessings,
Amy

Day 4

2011-04-08T03:51:00.000-07:00

From Thursday

Bonjour!
Thank you God, for the way you have created the sun to rise and shine light on a new day. “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118:24. This is the overall feeling we received this morning as our group began the day. Last night as we talked about the many unexpected discouragements we faced that day, we went to the Lord in prayer and gave our burdens over to Him. This followed by a few hours of praise and scripture sharing (as Drew and Sara have already mentioned) prepared us to start fresh today.

After breakfast we loaded up as usual and headed to the orphanage. We traveled through some small patches of rain but were hopeful they would not follow us to our final destination. However, that was not the case. The men had just gotten underway on the roof project and the kids had headed back to class after their morning break when the rain began to fall. After the men had received a good bath while gathering their tools our team convened in the orphanage clinic to wait out the rain. The ladies prepared to bring children through the clinic for their health screenings as the men headed to the church to repair some worn out pews.

Scott missed out on the fun as he had already left with two of the children (Windy and Rosela) to go to the medical clinic in Les Cayes for further test. After the testing that took place Sara was able to start Rosela on an anti-biotic for a minor infection and we are awaiting results on blood tests before taking further action. Windy was examined by an eye doctor who thinks he has a cataract on his left eye that could possibly require surgery. So progress on medical issues are certainly taking place.

Back at the orphanage Sara and many other team members were able give all of the boys their health screening along with a lot of personal love and attention. This involved height and weight tests along with general questions to help us learn more about the kids.

God continued to sprinkle in many blessings as the day went on. A large amount of mud was created due to the abundance of rain. Two of the children and one of the mommas were able to bless Lisa, Aubrey, and Jewel by washing their feet. Lisa later mentioned, “We came to serve them and here they are washing our feet, what a humbling experience.” With the rain postponing the construction on the roof the men were able to spend more time with the kids as they awaited their turn in the clinic. The mommas shared smiles throughout the day and as we left said they would see us tomorrow as they waved good bye. This progress with the mommas is an answer to prayer and a drastic improvement, even from the day before.

Drew and Sara had requested prayer for the meeting Scott was to have today. Thank you for those prayers. The meeting that was planned did not end up taking place; however, Scott and Drew were able to meet with Pastor Louis this evening. They both said they felt the meeting went well and please continue to pray as they seek God’s face concerning our kids.

We are thanking the Lord for His abundant grace and the many blessings He is pouring out on us daily.

Thank you for all your prayers,
Tyler and Andrea

Romans 8:28 and Ephesians 6:10-20

2011-04-07T05:17:00.000-07:00

The prayer team has been praying in earnest for the Haiti team as they are facing trials as well as times of joy on the trip. We sense a spiritual battle happening. Satan does not want us there helping the children in the orphanage. But God has other plans. Please pray in earnest for Scott and for the team today as they face some tough situations. Pray that God shows them His desire and His purpose for the children. Their basic needs must be met. Our main mission is that these children find Jesus in their mind, body, and soul.

Thank you, God, ahead of time for Your will in this situation. Thank you for being right there alongside Scott and the team as they just want to do Your work for the least of these...the precious children.

Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Ephesians 6: 10-20: The Armor of God (These are too beautiful and powerful of verses for me to type...take some time today to read them in your Bible)

Blessings,
Amy

Day 3

2011-04-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

As we write this, it is 10:45 PM and the team is still together following our 8 PM meeting—still worshipping, praying, sharing Scripture with one another. There is a sense that we must come together and rely upon God’s power more than we were prepared to do when we woke up today. Some extra time before his throne will help, and we all know it.

During the debriefing session at the beginning of our meeting, as we shared our hearts’ reflections on the day, there was one major theme: discouragement. Maybe not what you expected to hear, but if we are honest, it is true. We experienced some things today that caused our hearts to hurt . . .

The two of us (Drew and Sara) took eight of the kids to a medical clinic in Les Cayes. One kid, Windy (new since January) does not use his left eye (we’re thinking he may be blind in that eye). Another, Rosela, has been ailing for a while, and we were hoping for a diagnosis for her prolonged disability and suffering. The other six have an itch outbreak on their skin. After sitting in the waiting room for a while (precious time with those kiddos!), the kids were rushed one-by-one in front of the “doctor,” and he hurried through, not answering Sara’s questions and not giving us anything conclusive.

The rest of the team experienced disappointment in St. Louis at the hands of the administration of our orphanage. Kelsey, Lisa, Jewel, Linda, Brandi, Aubrey and Andrea made a concerted effort to reach out to the mommas, but the mommas were defensive and disengaged. Meanwhile, the kids did not eat all day until 4:45 PM when they were treated to a pudding mixture of flour, sugar, and water. Add in the fact that there are rising tensions between our administration and El Shaddai Ministries, and we have a recipe for tension and sadness.

The day was certainly not all cast in gloom. There were several sprinkles of light along the way! Later in the day, Jewel received a hug from two of the mommas who appreciated the shoes we brought for them (the kids got them too). Kelsey and others heard several “mesi”s (“thank you”s) from them after helping with the laundry. The two of us received a love note from Rosela while we waited at the clinic. Travis had the whole camp busting tunes after they attended his spontaneous beep-box and rhythm class. Greg had a kid attempt to share half of his granola bar after Greg gave it to him. Linda is now known as “crazy lady” after she told the kids that “sweet potatoes have eyes” in Creole (she was trying to tell them to share!) Travis, Tyler, and Greg got started constructing the roof for the latrine. All of the ladies had the opportunity to pray with Sarah (our translator Samuel’s girlfriend) and hear her testimony. What a tangible, powerful reminder that there are Haitians who worship our Lord passionately!

These moments cause us to fall deeper in love with our kids. As Linda said tonight, we feel like we each have about 90 Haitian kids of our own now. And this is why we are so disheartened when we realize that they are not being cared for to the fullest potential. Please pray for Scott as he prepares to have a tough conversation with some leaders tomorrow. Pray for us, that God would continue to supply us with his energy and love to pour out on the kids. Pray for our kids, that God would care for them with his omnipotent hands.

It was sweet time tonight with the team tonight. We are leaning on the Lord and leaning on each other as we minister together. Please join with us in seeking God’s power and control over our situation. He is the King. We are simply serving him and trusting Him.

With love,
Drew and Sara

Philippians 4:19

2011-04-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

Last week I was thinking about the Haiti team and the children waiting to see the team. The children's song, "Jesus Loves Me" came to my mind. I started singing the song but changed it to "Jesus Loves You" and praying that the children would know that they are loved by us and, most importantly, by Jesus. They are so precious.

Please pray for two of the children with medical issues. The team will hopefully be able to take them to a clinic to find out answers to their needs. Pray as the team interacts with the children and plays with them. Imagine the smiles on the team's faces as well as the children's faces. It will make your day brighter :)

Today's verse:
Philippians 4:19
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Blessings,
Amy

Day 2

2011-04-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, forewarning, I’m long-winded.
It seemed as though everyone woke up this morning feeling pretty refreshed, even though we didn’t get a ton of sleep last night! Today was the first time for me and many others on this team to be here in Haiti and also to see the orphanage. The roads here are…bumpy. Sometimes they’re non existent. In fact, in both going to the place that we’re staying in Les Cayes and to the orphanage, you turn onto roads that look like either you’re going into a ditch, river, or other dangerous trench. Since being in Haiti, I have discovered that 1. Haitians are loud, and 2.They are the best drivers bar none. I thought we were going to die….well not really, but God is faithful in keeping us safe and getting us everywhere we need to be. I’ll just leave that ride up to your imagination, and yes, you who have been to Haiti before know EXACTLY what I’m talking about!
The Haiti team boiled with anticipation as we arrived at the orphanage. As we walked in, the kids were still in school and were all looking out the windows as we waved excitedly to them. We kept busy in the morning, the guys all scoped out the latrine in preparation for the new roof, while the ladies helped wash laundry then proceeded to hang the clothes to dry over cactus and other assorted bushes.
The kids got a break and we got to hug A LOT OF THEM!! Unfortunately their break was really short so we had to wait another couple of hours to see them again. We did have some time to scope out the area and get to visit with the mommas a little. We plan to spend much more time with them this week. It’d be great if you all could be praying that they would open up to us and see our love and care for them as well!
FINALLY the kids got out of school (I seriously could hardly stand it). We spent the afternoon playing, jumping rope, with lots of hair braiding (with the ladies), some games of dominos, duck duck goose, and “down by the banks” (the group laughed on the last word every time “POW”).
We also had a time of VBS. We taught them about Palm Sunday, which involved some acting out of parts within our group…We decided Travis would be Jesus, and yes, Scott was the donkey. After Travis took a piggy back ride over the palm branches that the kids made (they LOVED coloring them and putting on stickers…even on their faces), the kids got to ride on the backs of the team members, too, while the rest of the kids shouted “Hosanna!”. It. Was. Awesome.
After VBS, we took the kids inside the church and watched the Haiti video and the personal messages from the previous Haiti team. The kids LOVED it! They all got excited at different parts throughout the videos, and I could tell the girls I was sitting by got excited when they heard their name on the personal message video. They all remembered the team members’ names! After the video, the kids all got their daily vitamin, a snack, and we all went out and played for the rest of our time there. The kids are way more active than what Scott and other team members have seen in the past! It’s a great thing! Also, even the mommas enjoyed the snack (they call snacks “bon-bon”).
As we were leaving, the kids kept asking if we’d be back “demen”, which means tomorrow! So before we left, Samuel (our wonderful translator friend) told us how to say “See you tomorrow!” I can’t wait.
Everyone at Pastor Louis’ house has been wonderful and feeding us amazing food. We’re so thankful for everyone’s prayers…we can feel God’s presence here and we’re all excited to see what He’ll be doing for the rest of the week. It’s an amazing feeling knowing so many people are praying for us while we’re here. The kids are understanding God’s love through our commitment to them as we continually return.
I feel so blessed to be a part of this.
All the best,
Aubrey and Jewel

Day 1

2011-04-05T05:22:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Haiti!

We arrived in Port au Prince about 5:30 yesterday (just 12 hours since we had gathered in the KC airport!). After delays in Dallas and talk of missing our flight, we were thankful that we made it. If our flight had to leave just 10 minutes later from Fort Lauderdale, they would have cancelled. They do not allow flights after dark in Port au Prince.

As we were loading our luggage outside the air port, we heard the shouts and celebrating of Haitians in the streets. The election results were announced at 5:00PM, just thirty minutes before our plane landed. Thankfully, most people were happy about the results. Martelly is the new President of Haiti. Pray that he would lead with integrity and that there could be positive change in Haiti.

While traffic was light because of our late arrival, we were slowed at times by crowds of people marching and celebrating in the streets. You could see and hear the happiness and hope in the people.

The drive to Les Cayes was slightly less than 4 hours, a record for us I think! There was food waiting for us, so we had some rice, etc about 10:30. It had been along day, so the team headed to bed soon after.

It’s Tuesday morning. The roosters have been crowing for hours. The sun is up and we are excited to see the kiddos today. Pray we would shower them with the love of Christ today!

If you are interested, we are "tweeting" more frquent updates. Text "follow rshickox" to 40404 and you will receive them on your cell phone. As Amy Newberry said, "tweets from a third world country, isn't technology amazing?"

Blessings

Scott
For Team Haiti

Psalm 138:8

2011-04-05T04:27:00.001-07:00

The team arrived in Les Cayes in record time...only a 4 hour bus ride!

Pray for the team and for the children as they meet and interact with one another today. This is the day that the Lord has made!

Psalm 138:8
The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever--do not abandon the works of your hands.

Blessings,
Amy

The team has arrived in Haiti!

2011-04-04T16:14:00.000-07:00

I just saw a Twitter post from Scott that the team has arrived in PAP. They must go through customs and then they will begin a 5 hour bus ride to Les Cayes. Pray for them as they still have a long journey ahead of them. But...with a great reward to come... seeing the children! Praise God for His blessings upon this trip!

Amy

Travel update

2011-04-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

The team has arrived in Florida! They are scheduled to leave for a flight out to Haiti soon! Praise God!

Amy

Weather delay

2011-04-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

I just received a text from Scott that said that the team is stuck in Dallas due to a weather delay. Please pray that the weather clears up and that the team can arrive in Haiti today. I will update as soon as I know more.

Blessings,
Amy

James 1:5

2011-04-04T05:25:00.000-07:00

Team Haiti is on their way to the orphanage. They have a long travel day ahead of them. Please keep them in your prayers as they begin their journey of showing God's love to the children this week.

Today's verse:
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

If the team has internet access, they will blog from Haiti. I will also post daily verses and any information that I receive through texts. Please PRAY!

Don't forget to come and pray for the team. There are daily times. Even if you can only join in one prayer session or all of them, please join us as we cover the team and the children in prayer. We pray for one hour.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 8pm at the church house
Wednesday: 6pm
Friday: 8pm
Saturday: 9am
Sunday: 5:30pm

Blessings,
Amy N.

Hugs are almost on the way!

2011-03-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

The LCF Haiti team will be leaving Monday, April 4 through Monday,April 11. Please pray as they prepare for the trip. Many are feeling the stress of getting ready for a trip with the the to-do list for home, work, school, and a mission's trip. Several of the team members are feeling a little under-the-weather. Please pray for their health to improve as the week goes on. Even with all of the preparation and last minute details, one thing is for certain... the team members are ready to give hugs to the children and to have fun getting to know them!

Here are the Prayer times that will happen daily while the team is on the trip:
(All prayer times are at the LCF church house)
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 8pm-9pm
Wednesday: 6pm-7pm (before Family Gathering)
Saturday: 9am-10am
Sunday: 5:30pm-6:30pm

Team members that are currently planning on going on the trip:
Andrea Weir
Tyler Weir
Kelsey Heuer
Gregory Heuer
Linda Novak
Lisa Nishimura
Jewel Callahan
Aubrey Callahan
Travis Kreutzer
Brandi Kreutzer
Scott Hickox
Drew Matthews
Sara Matthews

We are asking for prayers for each team member, the children as they enjoy the team's visit, and the adults that are involved in the ministry in Haiti.

We will post more as the trip goes along.

Amy

April 4-11: Next LCF Haiti trip

2011-03-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

LCF has a Haiti trip planned for April 4-11. Please pray as the team and the LCF leadership prepare for the mission trip.

Even if you are not able to go on the trip, you can donate much needed items for the children: Crocs (children, youth sizes), coloring books, and play-doh. Please bring the items to the Haiti tub located in the Multi-purpose area. I can already see the smiles on the children's faces when they receive the items! Thank you in advance for donating.

Please be praying for the team, the orphans, and the Haitian adults and organizations that are involved in the St. Louis du Sud orphanage. May the trip be a blessing to the people and children of Haiti as well as for the LCF team members.

Job 37:5: God's voice thunders in marvelous ways. He does great things beyond our understanding.

Blessings,
Amy Newberry

Day 7

2011-01-17T03:23:00.000-08:00

Always the hardest day on our trips, the day to say goodbye.

More than most, this day was a roller coaster of emotions. From the joy of worshipping with our children, to the sadness of saying goodbye. From the grief of seeing two dead men lying in the road to the pleasure of dining with Moise Vaval in his home and worshipping at his church to end the day. Wow. Those are the cliff notes, read on if you want the more complete version……………..

We left for St. Louis early so we would have a little time with the kiddos before church. We knew we would have to leave immediately after church, so wanted as much time as possible.

From the moment we arrived, the looks on their faces told us they knew. The children are learning, they know the last day is hard. We hugged and took lots of pictures before church started. As always, it is a joy to worship with our orphans. A group of them sang a special song during the service. Everyone on the team had the opportunity to share something with the congregation. There is no doubt the children and the church there know how much we love them, and that an entire church in the US is supporting them. Thank you!

Leaving is bittersweet. Cameron’s French, which has been a blessing all week, was a curse for him on the last day. He hears the children begging us to stay. As difficult as it is, we realized that they are understanding relationship. They are experiencing love, which has always been our goal. It doesn’t make the leaving any easier, but does give us hope they can understand the love of their heavenly Father.

We were on the road to PAP by 11:30, with hopes of stopping at Marie’s (the lady who rescued our June team from the river!). We arrived at Maries about 1:30, but she was not there. She had left for the states just a few days before. We did see some of the staff who had served us in June, and Cameron left pictures for them from the river experience. It is so neat to see how God has allowed us relationships with people around Haiti. It is exciting to think how many we might have years from now.

On our way to PAP, we passed a terrible accident. Two young men were lying in the street dead. It was a vivid reminder of the life and death realities in Haiti. People here are far too accustomed to tragic death. I wondered how long the bodies had been there, would an ambulance come, would they get a funeral, would their family even know? Life in Haiti is hard.

When we arrived in PAP, Moise met us and led us to his home. Moise is the Global Orphan Project country director who was featured on 60 Minutes after the earthquake. His son, John Mark was killed in the earthquake. Moise is an incredible man of God, and what a treat to spend a few hours with he and his wife, Françoise in their home. She prepared a wonderful meal and the fellowship was sweet.

We then had the opportunity to visit his church. The church was destroyed in the earthquake, but the congregation has rebuilt it, and it was dedicated on the one year anniversary of the earthquake, January 12. There were thousands at the dedication service. This was the first Sunday to worship in the new building. What a blessing to celebrate God’s goodness with them. While we could not understand the songs they sung, it was easy to worship with them. Their dependence on the Lord shows in their worship, it is real joy. I had the opportunity to preach, what a humbling experience. It was one of those experiences I will never forget. During the service, the power went out for a minute or so, and God was faithful to just keep us going. Moise prayed to close the service and people were giving their lives to the Lord. The Holy Spirit is moving in Haiti. Thank you Lord for a glimpse of that to give us hope as we return home.

We spent the night at the Global Orphan Project Inn and will head to the airport shortly for our trip home. We are excited to return to families and friends, and to share our experience with others, but a part of us will always remain here. God has used Haiti to change us. I am praying He keeps changing me.

Thank you for all your prayers. We have definitely felt them. God was so good to us on this trip. To Him be the glory and honor and praise.

Blessings

Scott
For Team Haiti

Philippians 4:8-9

2011-01-16T08:07:00.000-08:00

This is the last day there for the team. The team most likely is feeling many emotions right now. Please be praying that the goodbyes that they say today will be filled with joy and not sorrow. The tears of the team and the children will be full of joy and hope and not sadness. Please pray that the children and the adults in the village will develop a deeper bond with Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Please pray that God stirs their souls.

Specific prayers for the team today:
1. Pray for their last few moments with the children and Pastor and his wife along with the mamas, and all of the adults that the team has been in contact with.
2. Pray for safety of travel as they drive back to Port au Prince today.
3. Pray as Scott preaches this morning and then preaches at Pastor Moise's church tonight. Scott specifically asked for prayers that God use him to speak His message to the people. We also pray for Scott to have the stamina to preach tonight after a long drive.
4. Pray for safe travel home tomorrow. On-time and smooth airline connections would be awesome :)
5. Pray for the team as they re-enter the States. Pray that God will show them just what they should do with their memories of this week and make their world around them a better place just by finding their purpose in You in their day to day living.

Today's verse: Philippians 4:8-9 (Beautiful verses)
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

*Amy

Day 6

2011-01-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

Salutations,

Hebrews 12:2-3 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorning the shame and set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

This verse spoke to me (Tami) as we prepared to go out into the city of St. Louis to invite people to the Jesus movie. Every person we met was welcoming and truly happy to talk with us. We have been told several times by our interpreters that our presence in Haiti is encouraging to the people. It is mind boggling to think that our presence is so welcomed by those we interacted with. The villagers were so warm and open to invite us into their space and let us in return invite them to be with us at the church. Pastor and his wife, Venice accompanied us during this time of going out in to the town. Amy Newberry sent us the verse from Mark 1:38-39 where Jesus is preaching in Galilee and instructs his disciples to go out into the towns. We all felt that is what we were doing today.

A huge highlight of this trip is that the children are asking for previous visitors by name. That is such a huge honor in the Haitian culture, when one is not present and asked for in conversation they are verbalizing that they care for you.

Yesterday we finished and opened the library which the children have been enjoying. When we returned to the orphanage this morning you could hear the sounds of laughter and toys buzzing. After a while, some of us began to wonder where two of our members disappeared only to find them in the midst of approximately 50-60 children in the library observing them play. Thank you all for bringing so many smiles to their faces.

Prior to leaving the orphange for the day, we got to teach hand washing and wash all the children’s hands. Similar to when Jesus washes the disciple’s feet in John chapter 13. There is something to be said when you humble yourself and wash another’s hands, you feel more like you are channeling Jesus. You could see the children relax and enjoy us clipping their nails, washing with soap and water and rubbing in cocoa butter. Oh yeah, we also prayed over each child during the special one on one time.

Randomness from Team Haitian 2011.

"I'm not the smartest tack in the shed."--Tami-after a long days work
"Ma'am you are in a third world country anything can happen"--Bob American baggage claim man
“Du...Rag. Look du-rag! I spoke Creole. What does that mean? (As it sits below a photo of a man wearing one on his head)- Tami
“ I thought after the second time he would be whatever.” Erik- after tuna left his hand for the third time and landed on the Haitian next to him.
"Don't take a picture of my beef bourguignon"--Tami saying and Janese thinking
“Hey baby, I Love You!!- Random Haitian man’s proclamation to Joelle.(prayers being anwered???)
"Our driver is from Son-of-a-Mango?"--Jake (that would be Santa Domingo)
“Did you say..Girls we have a long drive to Port au Prince to eat more apples.” Janese- the slightly hearing impaired member.
"That just gets my Goat!"- Tami

Tami, Janese, Erik, Cameron, and Jake

Mark 1:38-39

2011-01-15T04:39:00.000-08:00

Set your phone alarm today or kitchen timer or put sticky notes everywhere like I do...
Pray at 2pm as a church body at the church house as God is having the team work full speed for His glory today. This will be the first time that I can recall that the video of the life of Jesus narrated in Creole will be shown to the people in the village. With Satan full at work in Haiti with voodoo, this is a HUGE opportunity to share the hope that only Jesus can give.

Today's verse: Mark 1: 38-39
Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else-to the nearby villages-so I can preach there also. That is why I have come. " So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

This verse has pressed upon my heart since early yesterday morning. Satan has gripped many in Haiti to believe in evil. Yet, Jesus promises that He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. Pray that Jesus becomes a bright light to many today.

*Amy

Day 5-Pineapples

2011-01-14T15:37:00.000-08:00

“Just abide in God's pineapple...” a famous quote of the day. Thanks Jake!!
No really, we must abide in God’s love and live out His greatest commandment. John 15 explains the vine and the branches and how a branch remaining in God’s love will bear much fruit but one who strays will be unproductive. It is easy in our modern day world to be distracted and to gradually decrease the amount of time in the word. I tend to then wonder why I am seeing unanswered prayers. Being convicted of this, I realize I am not always turning to the Vine or Christ to help prune me so I may bear fruit. Yes sing with me now as the song is going through my head too.

It is so refreshing to see two young men growing and maturing. It reminds me so much of how my walk with Christ was beginning at the same season of life that Jake and Cameron are in. Seeing these guys grow and on fire for the Lord and soaking up His word is amazing, a great reminder for all. I am enjoying seeing their zeal for God. Seeing this, I am also convicted on how God wants me to slow down, reduce the distractions, and quench my thirst. Being so focused on the distractions, I have been neglecting my vine.

Last night, I was compelled to turn to Mark chapter 5, and to my surprise, for numerous reasons. The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ teaching on laying a foundation of moral and ethical living that is unachievable without Him as our center is so convicting. God has shown me in my quiet time here in Haiti that I have not fully given Him full reign over some aspects, i.e. thoughts of inferiority, reconciliation.
One I will share with you all is that I have felt lacking as a medical professional to even help the children here and I know of others that are much more suited for this. This lie has been so repulsive that in order to “Kill the bug,” I must surrender everything to God and ask the Holy Spirit to heal and show truth. I have started this process and am in awe of the peace that floods in and my thirst for His word continues to grow. I have noticed that I want to read the word when I wake and when I prepare to sleep. Every night, I have been going to sleep with a song or a portion of a lyric replaying in my mind. In your presence, I Surrender All, and I trust in you Lord to name a few.

Now that I have been so openly vulnerable I am moving on to what today brought. When we arrived to the orphanage, the children were still in class and we knew we had some projects to get done. Since we didn’t have our bags for the first few days, we couldn’t accomplish those tasks till today. Pastor Scott, as we call him, painted the front of the church while Janese and Tami finished applying a second or third coat of paint in the library that we started yesterday. Jake and Cameron bounced back and forth doing whatever needed to be done. I, being so ADD, started to finish organizing the clinic, helped Janese and Tami for a little, helped Pastor Scott, and bounced back to the clinic.

Once the bell rang for the kids to have their snack and a little outside free time, we had numerous little hands slip into ours, smiles flashing all over the place and kids hopping into our laps and arms. I with the help of Tami, Cameron, Jake, and Samuel (our interpreter) finished obtaining assessments on the children and continue checking back on a few kids and mamas that needed some interventions. I will say that I am so grateful for Janese’s phone, which has now been changed to our phone. Janese was able to obtain software to help me with the interventions, prior to leaving the United States, which has proved useful.

Since I was in the clinic for the majority of my time today, I will say that I did miss the VBS session today as well as Joelle giving her testimony to the children, which I heard was an amazing one.

One last thought:
We came to Haiti to love on orphans as Paul stresses in James, rather the orphans demonstrated God’s greatest commandment, Love. Seeing these children run to us, hold our hands, and give us kisses, is like God showing us a little preview of what eternity will be.

Erik
for Team Haiti

John 3:16: PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!

2011-01-14T04:45:00.000-08:00

If you are new to this blog, you might notice that when a team is in Haiti, there are many posts... posts from the team, updates from texts that I receive, and a daily prayer verse that I post as a prayer team verse to uplift and encourage the team. Please scroll through the posts to make sure you read each one to get a better picture of God at work.

I sent a text to Scott last night that I was sensing that God was pleased, wait, let me rephrase, EXTREMELY pleased about what happened at the orphanage during the day. Then I wake up this morning to read Bev's post, and it confirms what amazing things God is orchestrating in Haiti. It confirms more than that... God's hands and feet, ears and eyes are being used to the greater glory, saving souls and giving hope.

PLEASE pray extra prayers for the team at 2pm today and tomorrow. The prayer team realized some time conflicts for Saturday morning. We decided to move the time to 2pm on Saturday. Today, we know why God orchestrated that time change. That is the exact time the video will be shown. Please come to the church house at 2pm Saturday to pray as a church body for adults and children to come to know Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

Verse for today: John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

*Amy

"God of this City"

2011-01-13T19:12:00.000-08:00

The team sent a text and asked if I would post the lyrics to "God of this City" by Chris Tomlin. They are feeling convicted to the lyrics of this song. According to Janese, they had a great night of singing and worship after a great day of working and loving in His name.

"God of this City"
Verse 1.
You're the God of this city
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You Are

You're the light in this darkness
You're the hope to the hopeless
You're the peace to the restless
You are

Bridge:
For there is no one like our God
There is no one like You God

Chorus 1:
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done
In this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here

Verse 2:
You're the Lord of Creation
The Creator of all things
You're the King above all kings
You Are

You're the strength in the weakness
You're the love to the broken
You're the joy in the sadness
You Are

Bridge:
For there is no one like our God
There is no one like You God

Chorus 2:
For greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done
In this city
When glory shines from hearts alive
With praise for You and love for You
In this city

Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done
In this city
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here.

Day 4

2011-01-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

"Paske, Bondye sitelman renmen lezom li bay sel Pitit li a pou yo..." That's the beginning of John 3:16 in Haitian Creole, which has been our theme verse this week, even moreso than we thought it would be! We can't seem to move away from it - the Lord is putting on our hearts the salvation of the children and the community of St. Louis du Sud. Yes, we want to be Jesus to them in any way we can, but we are also praying that they would know Him personally and that we would spend eternity with each of them! We have the Jesus Film in Haitian Creole and are praying about whether to show the adult 2 hr. version on Saturday afternoon or the children's 1 hr. version which the team showed in October as well. Tomorrow we will be handing out flyers and inviting people to come to the church Saturday afternoon at 2:00 - please pray for the Holy Spirit's directon.

This afternoon Samuel, our main interpreter (who also did the October trip - you would love this young brother in Christ!), helped the kids memorize John 3:16 (which they do very quickly), then shared his own story with them. He was taken as an orphan, along with his sisters, as a 2 yr. old after his mother died. He was in the same Haitian orphanage 11 years, taught to love Jesus by a godly woman from the States who he calls Mama. As he shared in his warm animated way, all 95 kids were completely quiet, and you could sense the Lord speaking to them as they listened to someone who knew better than any of us how they felt and what their life is like. He told them about being hungry and praying for food to come, and someone showing up with a large warm meal for them all. He challenged them to trust in the Lord with all their hearts.

Tomorrow, Joelle will be sharing her testimony of asking Jesus to take over her life as a young child, and feels led to then ask if any of them would like to do the same. Samuel has a very evangelistic heart as well, and it will be exciting to see how the Lord uses them (as he interprets). The rest of us will all be sitting out under the mango trees, with kids crowded all around us and on our laps, praying as they speak. Please join us in prayer for these precious kids - it will be at approximately 2:00.

Another sweet highlight of today was going into the church building after the kids got of school and watching a slide show of the October trip here, as well as a video where each of the October team members shared personally with the kids (interpreted into Creole by Brad & Monica Gautney). Pictures of each child showed on the screen as our LCF team told them that Jesus loved them and that they loved them. The kids were enthralled by seeing themselves on the screen (a white sheet), and excited to hear and see their friends from far away! Again, you could sense the Holy Spirit touching young hearts. Another really sweet moment that brought tears to my eyes was when our LCF kids (led by Cindy Davis) were on the video singing the song we taught these kids first in October of '09 - "Ho Ho Ho Hosanna" - and they started smiling and looking at each other then starting singing with the LCF children on the video! Talk about special! I'm sure even heaven was enjoying that one!

Scott, with help from Jake, Natou and a number of the boys, built shelves for the little library we'll be introducing tomorrow and to add to the medical clinic/storage room.

"Dr. Erik", as he's referred to here, saw "patients" throughout the day, from children to Mommas, for cuts to fevers and sore throats. He's become quite popular, along with his wonderful assistant, Tami!

A number of us cleaned out and painted the room that will house the library. The Mommas came in and oohed and ahhed when it was finished (almost - tomorrow is the completion).

Erik explained "de-worming" medicine to the Mommas and the need to give it to the children, which they were happy for. Then Janese explained it to the kids (after we played our paper plate tambourines and sang songs to Jesus). You should have seen their faces when she told them there were bugs inside them taking away the good nutrition from their food, and that these little orange chewable tablets would "kill the bugs!" They laughed but couldn't way to eat the tablets! :)

Okay, one last thing - a little boy named Mardoche, who lost both his parents in the earthquake, new to St. Louis du Sud, who tears up often - the Lord put him on my heart last night and this morning. When I got there, he came right over to me and wanted to be held. He was holding on tight, with his face pressed against mine. I said, "I will be your Mama," and he nodded and held on tighter - I assume he understood the word Mama, and just wanted her. I had the privilege of filling in today, as he fell asleep in my arms during the videos. Thank you, Lord, for letting us represent You this week. And thank you, LCF, for sending us.

Love you,

Bev

Time change

2011-01-13T17:36:00.000-08:00

****Prayer time change for Saturday*****

Please join us at 2pm on Saturday at the Church house to pray for the team.

*There is still an opportunity to help the team by praying for them:
Friday 6am, Saturday 2pm, Monday 9am

*Amy

Romans 8: 38-39

2011-01-13T06:28:00.000-08:00

Today's verse for the Haiti team centers around one of God's many promises to us, as believers:

Please keep the team in mind as they lead the children in Bible songs, stories, and lead the children to the love of God.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

*Amy

Day 3

2011-01-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

Bonswa friends in Liberty!

It's Joelle from Haiti. :) It has been such a lovely day here. Today marked the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake. I had wondered what today would be like, and was so humbled by what I experienced. Today the kids were out of school because of the anniversary, and were sat down to remember what happened. Many in our orphanage in St. Louis du Sud did not lose family from the earthquake, but all remembered the tragic day and were most likely affected in some way by it. Yet, their response as they remembered was so amazing: they responded in worship to our God! As the pastor, and our translators spoke on all the devastation that happened, they did not remain on the topic of sadness, instead they quickly proclaimed God's wonderful truths: 1.That it is only by the grace of God that they are alive today, therefore God must have big purposes for their lives! 2. They gave a reminder to not worry, and surrender all to Jesus 3. And they talked about even if devastation or tragedy happens, it is all for the glory of God. After their talks, we just worshiped, it was simply beautiful. I sat by an orphan named Roseline as we sang, and it was so cute she grabbed my hands and lifted them up like hers to make sure I too was worshiping :). They know how to worship their God there! I was so humbled to think of my "trials" here in the USA. They are so small, and yet I can get so caught up in them, get discouraged, and quickly forget God's powerful truths. I want to become more like these people who today talked about one of the greatest tragedies I've ever heard of, and yet they responded in worship! And not just downcast worship, they sang at the top of their lungs, clapping and lifting their hands, and closing their eyes, looking up and smiling in joy. The joy of the Lord is truly their strength!

There were two boys in the orphanage that were transfered from Port au Prince and had lost parents in the earthquake. One of them is named Mardoche, and he's very new to the orphange. I'm guessing he's about three years old, and his face looked so sad today, there were several tears. I tried to hang around him and love on him as much as I could, but if you all could be praying for him and the other little boy, that would be wonderful, for I know only God can fully give them the comfort they need. I can't imagine being three years old and losing my family.

Today we also received our luggage!! So we were very happy to have all of our belongings! We were able to give the kids snacks, color with them, blow bubbles, and begin treating them medically. It was nice to have the kids out of school and just play with them all day! They really are some of the most precious kids in the world, their giggles, smiles, and hugs could brighten anyones day. It is amazing how you come to love on them and really they continually are loving on you!

Tonight after dinner mom and I got to talk to our translator Samuel for awhile, and he has an amazing story! After the earthquake last year he led continual worship and prayer with people for about two weeks straight! After that, he got very sick and came very close to dying, but still remained having so much faith in the Lord even when all obstacles were against him. He told us of how God was faithful and saved his life!! Not only that but provided for him every step of the way. The people in Haiti have such great faith, and I believe that Jesus is truly all they want and all they need. I believe because of this the Holy Spirit moves so much here. I pray that we can become more like this in the USA, that we would stop being so consumed with everything in this world and TRULY be COMPLETELY SURRENDERED to Jesus, that Jesus would be all we want!!

Speaking of Jesus being all we want, I got to learn the song Give Me Jesus in Creole tonight! I believe the words in this song truly describe the heart of the people in Haiti. :

Le matin lem leve, Ban mwen jezi.
In the morning when I rise, give me Jesus.

Le mwen sel pou kont mwen, Ban mwen jezi.
When i am alone, give me Jesus.

Le lavi mwen va fini, Ban mwen jezi.
When I come to die, give me Jesus.

Ban mwen jezi, ou met pran tout bagay
Give me Jesus, you can have all in this world,
Ban mwen jezi
but just give me JESUS.

This is already one of my favorite songs, but now even means so much more thinking of the people in Haiti singing this, for they can sing this song TRULY meaning every word.
Wow, I've really made this blog long! One last thing though, a funny story of the day: I was talking with the orphans and was talking about how cold it was at home, and how happy I was to be there with them in Haiti where it was warm! A young Haitian man was translating for me and then he interrupted and said if you love it so much here, you should marry a Haitian man so that you can be here all the time! Then he told me just pray, and then maybe God will give you that. haha, I was defintiely laughing inside :)
Well I think that's finally all for today, auvoir!!
God bless,
Joelle

The luggage has arrived!

2011-01-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

I received a text from Janese that the luggage and other bags have arrived!

Praise God!

*Amy

Day 2

2011-01-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

Sent via text message from Janese:

Lamentations 3:22-24 is our verse to start the day.
Rick Curtin cut his hand last night. He is fine. Had to have several stitches in his hand. Scott Rogers came to hospital to help. What a blessing. Rick will travel with Globals Tour de Haiti Team to PAP and they will all fly out on Thurs. He will be able to attend the rededication of Moise Vavals rebuilt Church.
We pray for continued healing and hearts turning to God in Haiti. On the one yr anniversary of the Earthquake.
The team wants to thank all for their prayers. We feel completely at peace with the challenges we have faced. Can feel that many our praying on our behalf.
Yesterday was our first day with the children. We continue to be amazed and delighted by their graciousness and joy. We were thankful for having no supplies! No distractions!

*I will add that the team asked for prayers to receive their luggage/supplies today. Only Bev, Joelle, and Cameron have personal items. Janese said there is a sense of community as they are helping each other out with this challenge. Praise God!

Prayer team verse for the day: Psalm 63:3

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

*We will have prayer group on Thursday at 8-9pm, Friday at 6-7am, Saturday at 9-10am, and Monday at 9-10am. Please join us at the church house.

*Amy

Day 2

2011-01-11T19:11:00.000-08:00

Day 2 from Cameron and Jake

We had a skeleton of a plan. Upon awakening still with no bags in possession, I (Cameron) found myself bonding with other members of the team, Tami in particular, as I had to give her my new toothbrush. After spending time in the Scriptures and eating some breakfast, we loaded into the truck and heated for St. Louis. Once there was a chicken in the way. Our driver did not stop. As we arrived at the orphanage, the children were in school. Natou, the handyman and papa, opened the gate for us and greeted all of us with a smile of familiarity, as most of us had met him on previous trips. After a time, Pastor LaBastille sounded the bell for the children to assemble for lunch. The majority of our afternoon, since we had no supplies, was spent primarily in hanging out with the kids and showing them affection as our heavenly Father does.

I, Cameron, had a really neat opportunity to talk to the two schoolteachers. The female teacher, Liusette, has incredible faith. It was very fun to delight mutually in our Lord and Savior! The other teacher, however, said that he did not believe in Jesus and only believed in a creator of some sort. As these two individuals pour into our kids day in and day out, pray that he would come to know the Lord and be a spiritual role model for our kiddos. Lord willing, I'll have another opportunity to talk to them both again on Thursday. There is no schoolbtomorrow because it will be the first anniversary of the earthquake. Pray that the Lord would speak to them in a powerful and saving way. Erik suggested we invite both to our showing of the Jesus film on Saturday.

I, Jake, had a wonderful time simply being with all of the children. The younger boys especially seemed to hover around me. Therson, age 5, was especially attached, even after only a few hours. One of our main "activities" was coloring in coloring books (which by the way, would make an excellent donation to LCF Haiti missions!), and Therson used my legs as a table to color on. After he finished, I assumed he wouls either keep his picture or turn it in to Janese with all the other children, bit he gave it to me intead! It was so touching tonrecieve a gift from this child who had next to nothing, especially seeing how intently i labored on it. It rinsed me so much of how we are to trust christ. Although the quality of our service will never be close to what He deserves, He is so glorified by the sincerity and focus that we can only give because he gives to us.

A few other notes: the tour de Haiti bike team from the global orphan project stopped by the orphanage today to give our kids fifteen bikes and spend some time with them. LCF's own Scott Rodgers was with them!

Also, Rick, a team member from PVBC, lost his footing walking down a staircase and broke a glass bowl, breaking it against the wall and cutting his hand. He was quickly taken the the hospital in Les Cayes and received stitches. Because of Haiti's less than sanitary environment. It has been decided that Rick will return home on Thursday, Lord willing, after spending tomorrow with tour de Haiti team.

The verses of the day were James 1:2-5: consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you encounter trials of various kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you asks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

-Jake and Cam

Prayer time clarification

2011-01-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

We will meet tonight (Tuesday) at 8pm at the church house to pray for the Haiti team.

*If schools are in session tomorrow morning, we will meet to pray at 6am as originally planned.

*If schools are not in session tomorrow morning, the prayer time will be at 9am tomorrow morning.

I have a feeling that the team is sweating right about now just as we are bundled up with many layers to keep warm. Continue to pray for the team no matter where you are or what you are doing. God listens to us all! Amen to that!

*Amy

Prayer group tonight: Psalm 28:7

2011-01-11T10:53:00.001-08:00

We will be meeting at the church house tonight from 8-9pm to pray for the Haiti team.

*Verse for the day: Psalm 28:7

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

*Praying that the team is able to have a blessed time with the children.
*We also lift up prayers that the 25 bags will be delivered today.

*Amy

Day 1

2011-01-11T03:29:00.000-08:00

The snow delayed our 6am flight only slightly. Our connections were tight the rest of the day but we arrived in Port au Prince on time, about 4:15 (we are in eastern time now). Filing a lost bag claim in Haiti is a time consuming process. Since we had 25 missing bags, it took a long time! We left the airport about 6:30pm. The good news was by then most of the traffic was gone! We made it to Les Cayes a little after 10:30.

They had a meal for us and then a tired team was off to bed. It is 6:30am Tuesday. All are still in bed, but not sure anyone is sleeping with the roosters and barking dogs.

We are so excited to see the kiddos today! Will try to have someone blog tonight about our day. Thanks so much for your prayers!

For Team Haiti
Scott

Ps - if our bags arrives today, that would be a bonus!
Pss - missing Todd and Becky. Praying you all are doing better.

Arrival

2011-01-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

The team arrived in Haiti. Unfortunately, 25 bags are still in Miami. The team asks for prayers that the bags will arrive safely and securely to them tomorrow.

They are currently on the last leg of their destination to Les Cayes. It is a long and bumpy drive. Please pray for their safety and comfort. From the conversations I have had with former team members, I get the distinct impression they don't have the luxury of an interstate highway in Haiti.

Amy

No prayer meeting tonight. Pray Ephesians 5:8-10

2011-01-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

*Due to the increasing amounts of snow, we will not be meeting to pray for the Haiti team at 8pm tonight (Monday).

*I received a text from Scott saying that they safely arrived in Miami. Praise God! Please keep the team in your prayers as they have another flight and then a 6 hour drive to the village after that.
*Scott mentioned that one of the team members, Becky, was unable to go on the trip due to back problems. Please pray for her healing as well.
*Pray for safety as they travel, pray against cholera, and pray for any political riots to cease during this week.
*Pray for the children to be blessed and to feel without a doubt that they are loved!

*Today's Bible verse:
Ephesians 5: 8-10
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.

*One thing that I am sensing about this trip is that God is impressing the word "light". The song by The Afters keeps replaying in my mind when I think of the trip. After much searching and praying yesterday, I knew God was leading me to Ephesians 5, which focuses on light. Please pray that the Haiti team shines light into the darkness that seems to encompass Haiti.

Amy

Light Up the Sky

2011-01-09T08:48:00.001-08:00

A team of 10 people will be going to Haiti this week to be God's hands and feet as well as His ears and eyes for His work to be done. We will be updating you throughout the week on the praises and prayer requests of the team. We will also have daily prayer times devoted to praying for specific prayer needs for the team.

May God "Light Up the Sky" for the children and adult workers at the orphanage, the pastors involved with the children, and for the LCF team dedicating their week to serve Him.

"Light Up the Sky" by the Afters:

When I'm feeling all alone
With so far to go
The signs that know we're on this road
Are guiding me home
When the night is closing in
Is falling on my skin
Oh God, will you come close

You light, light, light up the sky
You light up the sky to show me that you are with me
And I, I, I can't deny
No I can't deny that you and right here with me
You've opened my eyes
So I can see you all around me
You light, light, light up the sky
You light up the sky to show me that you are with me

When stars are hiding in the clouds
I don't feel them shining
When I can't see beyond my doubt
The silver lining
When I've almost reached the end
Like a flood you're rushing in
Your love is rushing in (your love is rushing in)

You light, light, light up the sky
You light up the sky to show me that you are with me
And I, I, I can't deny

No I can't deny that you and right here with me
You've opened my eyes
So I can see you all around me
You light, light, light up the sky
You light up the sky to show me that you are with me

So I'll run straight to your arms
You're the bright and morning sun
To show your love there's nothing you won't do (nothing you won't do)

You light, light, light up the sky
You light up the sky to show me that you are with me
And I, I, I can't deny
No I can't deny that you and right here with me
You've opened my eyes
So I can see you all around me
You light, light, light up the sky
You light up the sky to show me that you are with me

*Posted by Amy

Prayer time

2011-01-03T17:21:00.001-08:00

We are having our monthly prayer time for our Haiti missions teams and orphanage. Please join us at 6pm before Family Gathering at LCF in the Church house. Hope to see you there! Prayers bring God's power into focus!

Amy

Merry Christmas, Haiti!

2010-12-05T15:09:00.000-08:00

Are you tired of the busy crowds at the stores as you spend hours deciding what Christmas presents to buy for your friends and family? Wishing there was a way to give the perfect gift without all of the "world-li-ness" during this blessed Christmas season?

Are you asking yourself, "How do I find the real reason for the season?"
(I thought you would never ask!)

At LCF, we are celebrating this Christmas season with the Haiti Christmas Fund.

Here are four easy steps to be a part of this exciting time:
1. Think of that special person that you would like to give a gift like none other...the gift of helping others.
2. Give a monetary donation to the LCF Haiti Christmas Fund in replace of a gift for a family member or friend.
3. Take a card provided by LCF of the most adorable children from the St. Louis du Sud orphanage.
4. Give the card to that special person so that they know how much you care to help orphans have the basic necessities of life.

The donations given will be prayerfully used to help improve the basic conditions of the orphanage as projects arise throughout the coming year.

Thank you for your prayers, your time, and your donations as we continue to be God's human hands and feet for the children in St. Louis du Sud.

Merry Christmas,
Amy

Monthly Prayer Time for Haiti

2010-11-28T14:42:00.000-08:00

HELP WANTED: Prayer warriors for Haiti

Before each Family Gathering Night at LCF we have a prayer group that meets at the LCF Church house to devote prayers of thanksgiving as well as prayer requests to the Lord on behalf of those in Haiti that we serve.

Please join us at 6pm at the Church house this Wednesday for a vital time of prayer for the upcoming missions trip in January.

Colossians 1:9
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

-Amy

Prayer request: health concern

2010-11-17T14:14:00.000-08:00

Just a quick blog to say that we have received word of an unconfirmed case of a family of four in Les Cayes (the nearest large town to St. Louis)with cholera. We are asking for prayers to be lifted up concerning the health of the people in the village of Les Cayes and the surrounding area...including the children in the orphanage in St. Louis.
Please pray specifically for protection against cholera, especially for the children. Pray also for God's healing hand upon those that have acquired cholera.

Psalm 34:1-3
I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

Day 7

2010-10-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Our last full day in Haiti was.................full.

It began around 5am when we awoke to prepare for church in Les Cayes at 6. There was no water, which meant no flushing toilets and no showers. Thankfully everyone had showered Saturday night, except me! In typical Haitian style, we didn't leave for church until almost 7, but not to worry; they were just getting going when we arrived.

As I have said many times, worshipping here is like a taste of heaven; John's vision in Revelation of people from every tribe, and tongue and people and nation worshipping before the throne. While we couldn't understand most of what they were singing, we worhsipped together nonetheless. They did sing one song in English, and I was moved to tears.

We left Cayes church early at 8:30 to attend church in St. Louis du Sud with our kids. They are always precious, but in their Sunday best, they are adorable! What a blessing to worship alongside them! Don't know how to put it in words, but when they sing, you feel like you are in the company of angels. We were blessed. I had the opportunity to preach and as always, count it a special blessing.

We spent the afternoon with the kiddos. About 3 it began to rain so we headed to the church and sang; first our songs, then theirs. As we finished, several team members shared with the kids what the week had meant to them and then we prayed for them. As they left the church, each child got a vitamin, a snack, and a hug from each team member. It was special! Near the end, several boys broke down in tears, and so did the team. Then Pastor LaBastille's wife was crying. Even after a week, goodbye's are incredibly difficult. We tried to explain a team will return in January, Lord willing. But I am not sure what their minds comprehend. Hopefully over time, as we continue to come back, they will know how much we care.

After a quiet bus ride home, we had dinner with Samuel, our translator. Today is his 25th birthday. We sang Happy Birthday and had a cake for him. He grew up in an orphanage and said it was the first time anyone had every sung Happy Birthday for him. Afterwards, we gatehrered around and prayed for him. Louis told me later that Samuel was very blessed by the evening. He was sure a blessing to us. The week wouldn't have been what it was without his help. Hopefully he will be a regular when our next team comes!

You would have been so proud of this team. I stood back and watched them, love, serve and minister here. Our two teenagers, John and Jenna did an amazing job. The kids loved them! If they weren't kicking soccer balls around, they had multiple kids in their laps.

Greg and John S. were thinking, planning and working all week. What a blessing to have people who understand construction and site planning. The future of our village will be vastly improved as a result of these two guys being on the trip. But those skills were secondary to their love for the kids; they did such a great job of loving our children. Even when they were working, they had kids following them around, sometimes even helping!

Kelli cared for sick and scratched kiddos, while showering them with love. By the end of the week, some were looking for reasons to see the "Doctor".

Rob was always serving, anticipating needs and taking care of things before anyone could ask. He usually had a child over his shoulder or wrapped around his arms.

Brett led singing, often times in Creole. It was very impressive! He was always juggling, dancing and doing anything to make the kids smile.

Cindy, who had all of 36 hours to prepare for the trip, did an amazing job keeping us organized, preparing daily craft time with the kids, leading singing, and loving on kids. They loved her back!

Thank you for your prayers; we could not have done this without them! God is doing some really neat things in Haiti, and we are blessed as a church to be able to join Him here. Thank you for allowing us the opportunity.

We will leave on a 7:45 flight out of Les Cayes and hope to arrive in KC by 10PM. Please pray for safe and on time travel tomorrow.

Love from Haiti!

Scott
for Team Haiti

You Won't Relent

2010-10-17T11:03:00.000-07:00

I have Haiti on the brain. Many of us at LCF do. Reading the blogs from the team are so inspiring. Once again, God's fingerprints are all over the missions trip.

Lately, every time I think of the Haiti trip a certain song pops in my head. I am wondering if it could be the theme song for this missions trip. Do missions trips have theme songs? If so, this would be a great song choice.

"You Won't Relent" by Misty Edwards.

You won't relent until You have it all
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all
My heart is Yours

I'll set You as a seal upon my heart
As a seal upon my arm
For there is love that is as strong as death
Jealousy, demanding as the grave
Many waters cannot quench this love

You won't relent until You have it all
My heart is Yours
You won't relent until You have it all
My heart is Yours

I'll set You as a seal upon my heart
As a seal upon my arm
For there is love that is as strong as death
Jealousy, demanding as the grave
Many waters cannot quench this love

Waters cannot quench this love
You won't relent until You have it all
My heart is Yours
Waters cannot quench this love
You won't relent until You have it all
My heart is Yours

Come be the fire inside of me
Come be the flame upon my heart
Come be the fire inside of me
Until You and I are one

So, instead of a Bible verse for the day, I have a strong feeling that God is rejoicing in song just as much as the team is right now for the love, time, and effort that has been shown to the children and adults.

Praise you God forever and ever!

Amy Newberry

Day 6

2010-10-17T03:48:00.000-07:00

Day 6

Day six started out a little slow and with some uncertainty. But it turned out to be one of the fullest days of the week for the team. The plan was to leave at 8am to go to the orphanage and to leave for the beach at 10:30. There was a problem with the rides and finally our van came, we loaded everything up, and the van wouldn’t start. So we got out of the van and prayed. While we were praying, God had laid the song “This is the Day that the Lord has made” on both Jon and my heart, but before we could share it Rob shared it in a prayer. So after a few more prayers, we sang the song, “This is the Day” and gave the day to the Lord. John Skillman would say in our sharing time at the end of the day, that once we gave the day to the Lord, everything began to work out right.

After our prayer time, we found that the van was just out of gas, and we were on our way after 10 or so more minutes. We got to the orphanage quite late, but found we had 30 minutes before the bus would come, which we got to spend with the kids. When the bus came, 110 people got on the bus including the 90 kids, the house moms, Paster Labastille and his family and the LCF team. As Kelly put it, you could just tell it was a special day for kids that probably don’t have so many special days. The girls were in their Sunday best – to go to the beach!. The neighbor kids looked on as the St Louis de Sur kids got on the bus for their field trip. We made our way thru the rough, but beautiful countryside to a Haitian national park beach area. It was great to watch the kids gaze out at the views. Even packed sometimes 4 in a seat, the ride was a real treasure for many of the kids.

When we got to the beach, we all filed out and picked out a spot a little way back from the water in a shady grove of palm trees. In groups of 5 or so, each of the kids went out and waded in the water for several minutes and then went back to the shady area under the palms. There we had fellowship, just hanging out together, many of the LCF team commented that it was the companionship not the ocean that was the center of the day. It was much different than we expected kids to act at a beach.

Yesterday, God had put the boy, Marck Gerald, on my heart. He had come over to me several times, but was quiet and slightly withdrawn. He kind of smiled, but it was a Mona Lisa smile. I was hoping to connect somehow with him and I prayed for an opportunity. We had brought a shovel and buckets to build a sand castle by the water, but since we weren’t by the water, Brett and I decided to bring the water to our sandy beach under the trees. Brett went to get some water and I started digging with the shovel. Out of 90 kids, who do you think came over to ask to dig with the shovel but Marck Gerald. Isn’t God great? Marck and I built a nice castle with the help of the water from Brett and when I started making a wall across the moat that he had dug, Marck did the same for the other half of the castle. Some of the other kids decorated the wall with domes made filling sand in a half of a plastic egg and after a bunch of photos, we all jumped on the castle and smashed it to smithereens. Marck and the kids had a full smile that day.

We went back to the St Louis de Sur and showed the Jesus Film (in Creole). The new projector worked great. The kids watched intently as the story of Jesus was told. About 15 or so neighbors wondered in and saw the film also. When the film highlighted the parable of the Good Samaritan, many of the our kids talked between themselves that was the story that they had had in one of their lessons. Isn’t it neat how God weaves the message together. (Thanks Bev for preparing that lesson!) The Jesus Story shared the gospel and asked the audience to pray along if they wanted to accept Jesus as their Savior. Please pray that the seed planted tonight would bear fruit in the lives of our kids and the neighbors that visited.

At the end of the day, Scott shared that he had been a little perturbed that the day started out like it did. Samuel, our interpreter, told Scott that maybe God wanted to show us what it is like everyday for the Christians in Haiti. There are a lot of struggles, but we take joy in knowing that God is our strength. Samuel said happiness is for a time, but the Joy of the Lord is forever. May the God’s Joy fill your life, it certainly filled ours today and the day that started out weak finished strong thru God’s Grace.

We have a big Sunday ahead of us tomorrow with two church services and the foot washing time with the kids before saying the hard goodbye’s tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers.

Gregg and Jon Lehenbauer

Isaiah 35:10

2010-10-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

Today's verse centers around JOY. A joy that only God can provide no matter what the day brings.

Isaiah 35:10
...They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

*Just a reminder that the prayer group will meet again Monday morning at 6am at the church house.

Amy Newberry

Day 5

2010-10-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight, our bodies are exhausted, but our hearts are overflowing with the spirit. God is providing for our needs in Haiti, as we try to help meet the needs of these kids.

"I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth" (Psalms 121:1-2).

God used all of us in a lot of different ways today, and he is really showing us the needs that each kid has here. Today the team finished putting the second coat of white paint on the inside of the Church, and John and Gregg put a solar powered fan in the roof of the kitchen, which really helps to keep the smoke out of the room when cooking, and the temperature much cooler. John said the mamas were very excited to have it, and very appreciative. Kelly, Cindy and Jenna were also able to spend some time with the mamas and Samuel (our interpretor) while the kids were in school. The shower house concrete was finished, and the drain is working as we hoped it would. The kids seem to be quite anxious to use it. They even decorated the concrete walls on the outside of the shower house with beautiful pictures in colorful chalk.

God gave us a lot of time to spend loving the kids today, because they got out of school a little early. Before singing some songs, each of the kids made an egg shaker with rice, decorated with stickers and their names. The kids eyes lit up as they all started to shake them at the same time during the first song. They were a big hit. After the kids ate their big meal for the day, we had a variety of crafts that the kids could make. Kelly, Cindy and Jenna made friendship bracelets with some of the kids, and Rob, Jonathan and I made paper airplanes with the kids (or avion in creole). John hung pictures of previous LCF trip teams on the dorm walls, and Gregg got some help from some of the boys when measuring the buildings for a layout of the orphanage. The boys really loved holding the end of the tape measure. Kelly is still seeing kids each day to assess their medical needs, and is making a lot of progress.

When playing with some of the older boys today, they wanted me to throw them in the air, just like you often see a father do with his very young son or daughter. I couldn't help but think that these older boys have never been able to have that experience with an earthly father. It really touched me to see the smiles light up their faces as they held on tightly to my shirt as they went high into the air, not certain on the first time that I would catch them on the way down. It was a moment I'll never forget, and I know that many of the team here had experiences like this today that they will never forget.

Tomorrow, the team is taking all of the kids to the beach, which is about a 25 minute drive from the orphange. For most of them, it may be their first time outside of the orphanage, and we can't wait to see their faces when they see the ocean for the first time. It will truly be an amazing day, and we know that God is going to reveal himself to these kids even more than he already has tomorrow. Pray for us as we continue to look for ways to love each kid in the way that they need, and pray that God would continue to work on the heart of each kid at the orphanage.

Brett Blanton

UPDATED prayer time for Saturday

2010-10-15T16:18:00.001-07:00

We will be meeting at 9am tomorrow morning (Saturday) at the church house to pray for the Haiti team. Please spread the word!

Amy

Psalm 105:4

2010-10-15T01:07:00.000-07:00

It is 3am and I am awake. I fully believe that God woke me up. I started thinking about the children at the orphanage as they are sleeping right now. Hoping they are in a blissful sleep. Trying to sense their excitement as the team showers them with God's love. Praying that the team is getting enough sleep so that they can have the strength to do God's will on this trip. I fully believe that God uses our church body to be involved in this trip even while the team is so far away. He wants us to be prayer warriors.

Keep praying! God is doing MIGHTY things in St. Louis du Sud!

Today's Bible verse:

Psalm 105:4
Look to the Lord and his strength: seek His face always.

Amy Newberry

Day 4

2010-10-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

Day 4 in Haiti has been our most productive so far in terms of our projects, which translates into the longest and hottest for us. As John, Greg, Rob and Brett poured a new shower floor for much of the day and the rest of us painted the inside of the sanctuary we were amazed we could sweat that much and still function. Pastor Scott spent hours up on a ladder while Jon, Cindy, Jenna, and I tried to get more paint on the walls than on ourselves. Kid-wise, we are almost done weighing and measuring all the kids. This will give us a good baseline in the future to assess their nutrition and health. They like the digital scale and dont quite understand why we want to know how tall they are. We are teaching them to take a vitamin everyday and have brought enough to last until the next team comes in January.

They are starting to realize that I (Kelli) am the nurse and today started bringing me their friends who needed a bandage or didnt feel good. Several have infected sores but so far nothing too serious as far as I can tell.

We also distributed the shoes and clothes that we brought for the children after their lunch...those who didn't have shoes were fitted for shoes first, then all the kids chose clothing items (shirts, shorts, skirts, dresses for church, etc). This took quite awhile to try to fit everyone, especially with the language barrier and only 1 available interpreter.

It has become a daily ritual for singing a few songs in Creole and English with the children and play-time is always a highlight! The kids love popping bubbles with Kelli, dancing and throwing the football with Brett, playing soccer and taking her camera and loving on Jenna, jumping rope with Cindy, watching in awe as the men worked on the shower, following Pastor Scott around, and listening to Jon play guitar and watching the videos on his camera.

A great experience has been getting to know our Haitian interpreter, Samuel. God has blessed us with the perfect man for the job as we need him for nearly everything. He lives 2 houses down from Pastor Lewis' house, drives with us to and from the orphanage, and eats dinner with us every night. He is definitely a part of our team, and a vital part at that.

Our team (plus Samuel) has bonded during the trip, uniting us to serve each other and serve God's purpose for us. God is teaching us many lessons to share with our LCF family and providing us many chances to experience His love and joy. It is so clear, especially here, that He is our only hope. Continue to pray for our team and the orphans that we will see Jesus' love and accomplish our mission here.

Love, Kelli Carr and Jenna Turner

Acts 11:21

2010-10-14T04:24:00.000-07:00

At the Haiti prayer group yesterday morning, there was a mom praying for her daughter while she is on this trip. She shared Acts 11:21 with us to pray over the team. Words to live by...

Acts 11:21
The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

Praise you, Lord!
*Praise God that the team has internet access to blog about their days!
*Praise God for pinwheels!
*Praise God for the children wanting to be helpers!

*Pray that the weather is dry for the next two days to finish the projects
*Pray for the video about Jesus can be shown and that lives are changed because of it
*Pray that the team can show God's love to each child that lives there.
*Pray that God fills the team up with blessings beyond measure

Amy Newberry

Day 3

2010-10-13T19:51:00.000-07:00

From pinwheels, to young boys handling the tools (yes, saws and drills) and hours spent in hardware stores (they do not look like Home Depots here) it has been an interesting day.

We tried to get out early from our guest house and hoped to be at the school by 9 a.m. but 4 hardware stores and a few hours later we got to the school about 11 a.m. We did get many of the supplies we needed to prep the shower building for a new floor, getting paint for the inside of the church and John and Gregg used their work force of 15 boys helping them to hang three lights for the facility.

After school let out, aside from the time working on projects, time was spent just loving the kids, doing Bible story time, praise songs and making pinwheels (and the video will make you smile of the children running and having their new toy spin in the wind).

The shower facility is something to behold and after a very intense cleaning we hope to put in a floor that allows for better draining...so pray for great weather so we can complete this project in the next 2 days. The painting of the church is for all of us that do not have the skill of John and Gregg (more like Tim Taylor-Home Improvement) and we hope also to complete that in the next 2 days.

It is a true privilege to be here and watch God in action with these kids and the people who support them. In 1 John 1:1, it talks about "we have seen with our eyes and what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life". It is so impactful to watch and act and know the love of God is in these children.

Thank you for the support LCF has shown our team. We are blessed to be here.

Rob Miller and John Skillman

Isaiah 43:10

2010-10-13T05:45:00.000-07:00

Today's Bible verse for the team:

Isaiah 43:10
"You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me."

The team is asking prayers for the projects and the ordering of materials. That it all will go smoothly. They would also like to have good communication and interaction between the translators and the children so that the team can go deeper into talks about Jesus' love for them.

Thank you for your part in this trip... your prayers!

Amy Newberry

Text from the team

2010-10-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a text that was received from Scott tonight:

It was a good day. Lots of assessing. John and Greg have things under control. Sand and gravel already delivered. Tomorrow we will attempt to paint inside of the church and clean the shower house floor in preparation for more concrete. Also paid to have masons finish the front of the church. Three dump truck loads of sand were delivered.

The team may post at a later time, but I thought it best to post this text update.

Keep praying! God is working!!

Amy Newberry

Day 1 & 2

2010-10-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

We had our first full day here in Haiti. Yesterday was a long day of traveling, but after 17 hours we made it to Louis St. Germain's house around 10:15pm. All our flights were on time, and all our luggage made it here-a big praise! Our bus ride from Port-a-Prince to Les Cayes was an exhausting and bumpy 6 hour trip, but luckily there was no car trouble and no problems with crossing rivers. Driving downtown in Port-a-Prince was very sobering, seeing all the devastation and debris from the earthquake. There are still many living in makeshift tents 9 months after the fact and the poverty is heart-breaking.
Today when we arrived at our orphanage around 10:00am, the kids were in school. After we took a look around the buildings they let the kids out for a break and we got to meet them. What sweet, beautiful children! There are still around 90 kids here, only a couple of different faces than when the last team came in June. We got to visit just a little before they went back to finish their school for the day. (they get out each day at 1:00pm) We decided on a couple of work projects that we will be doing each morning while the kids are in school; painting the inside of the church, adding a drain in the shower house, and putting an exhaust fan in the building where they cook. From 1-5pm we got to enjoy getting to know the kids and hanging out with them. We also did a craft, worked on a bible verse, and sang songs with them, they have such sweet voices! We are looking forward to seeing them each day and appreciate all your prayers for us.
Cindy Davis

Safely there

2010-10-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

I received word that the team arrived safely in Haiti. Praise God!
I do not have any details than that at this time.
Keep praying for them!

Amy Newberry

Matthew 18:1-5

2010-10-12T06:08:00.000-07:00

Daily verse for the Haiti team:

Matthew 18:1-5
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."

Praying for the team to have a glorious day with the orphans and the Haitian people!

Amy Newberry

Ready, Set, God!

2010-10-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

God is in control of the missions trip to Haiti that will begin tomorrow. In the last few days, God revealed who He destined to go on this trip. Due to personal circumstances, two members will stay behind while another church member has quickly prepared herself to join the team. Praise God that He is the ultimate travel agent with all the details for this trip!

Job 37:5 : God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.

Pray for the team as they go in unity and flexibility to minister to the orphans in St. Louis du Sud this week.

Please pray for all aspects of this trip...from beginning to end. May Jesus be glorified in every detail!

Amy Newberry

In preparation for a trip...even if you aren't going

2010-10-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

God is preparing the upcoming trip to Haiti on October 11-18. How does God prepare for the trip? By preparing the hearts and minds of all of the team members that are going. God also prepares the Haitian orphans and the adults as they receive blessings both physical and spiritual once the team arrives.

How does God use those of us that are not going on the trip? What is our involvement on this very important journey to Haiti? Do we even need to be involved? Proverbs 16:3 says "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." So, guess what? The exciting part about God is that He involves all of us in His plans for this world.

Those of us that are not on the physical journey to Haiti can commit to being involved to help with God's plan for the orphanage! God has given me hints to His needs for my commitment to the orphans even though I have not ever step foot on Haitian soil. Many times when I am eating breakfast, a thought about the orphans jumps in my mind. I pray right away for them. I will be teaching in the middle of the day and an image of an orphan from St.Louis that I have not ever met before will pop in my head. I pray right away. At nighttime, I look outside and wonder if the children are tucked in their beds. I pray for them. Each time I feel as sense of peace. God reminds me in my busy day that He needs prayer warriors for the orphans. Prayers that are said even without knowing the details of what to pray. God is in the details.

Whether you are reading this as part of the Haiti team leaving in eight days or whether you just have a heart for the orphans... God needs you. Ask God to help you know what to do to help Him prepare for the upcoming missions trip. There is no doubt in my mind that the team, orphans, and those affiliated with the orphanage will feel your involvement as they commit to the Lord the plans they have for the trip.

In Jesus' Holy name,
Amy Newberry

October Trip

2010-09-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

Our next Haiti trip is fast approaching! A team of 10 will travel to St. Louis du Sud from October 11-18, to spend a week with our children there. We would apprecaite your prayers as we make final preparations for the trip.

Our plans for the trip incldue painting the church, working on the shower house, and other projects as they arise. As always, our pimary objective is to love the kiddos and staff at our village. Pray that we would demonstarte Christ's love to everyone we come in contact with on the trip.

Check back for more prayer requests as the trip gets closer, and then for daily updates while we are in Haiti.

Blessings

Scott
for Team Haiti

Team Haiti - October 2010
Brett Blanton
Kelli Carr
Scott Hickox
Gregg Lehenbauer
Jon Lehenbauer
Bev May
Joelle May
Rob Miller
John SKillman
Jenna Turner

Reflections - Jody

2010-07-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

How do I even begin to write a reflection on a week that has changed me forever… I must start by giving thanks and praise to our God, and creator, for he orchestrated the whole event.

When I committed to going on this trip I wondered what I had gotten myself into. I was excited and apprehensive at the same time. On so many levels, the trip was way out of my comfort zone - I didn’t really know anyone else going; I have never been to a foreign country or where English wasn’t the primary, or even secondary language; and at 53, I’m pretty use to the comforts of air-conditioning, electricity, hot water & toilets… I tried to assure myself that this was God’s will and everything else would to fall in place. It did.

As we exist the airplane in Port au Prince the phrase, “Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore” hit me. Not because of the beauty, as in the Wizard of Oz, but because of the chaos, congestion, noise and lack of any language I recognized. As we drove through PAP, an overwhelming feeling of despair and sadness went through me. Our focus for the week was suppose to be ‘hope’ but with what I was seeing; I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to feel it. Children walking barefoot over piles of debris, tents everywhere amongst the ruble, and people bathing or fixing a meal right on the edge of the street; even during the pouring down rain. Feeling this way is why I think the events over the next couple of hours were so crucial to our spiritual journey.

As we continued on the wild bus ride toward Les Cayes, a ride that would rival the most adventurous theme parks; we encountered the now infamous river crossing. We found ourselves stuck in the middle of a flash flood, pitch black except for the lights from other trucks and buses plowing past us. Our van dies halfway through the river, water up to the floor, sparks flying up in the cabin. We didn’t know if it would continue to rise and cause the van to topple over or not, so we decided it was best to evacuate. One by one we cautiously (with help) made it through the rushing water and up to the bridge that had been condemned due to the earthquake. We stood there amazed, confused and thoroughly convicted of the fact that things were totally out of our control. In an instant our group truly became a team at God’s mercy. A short time later, after we had joined hands in praise & prayer, a woman called me over to her car – in English- and asked if we needed help. The rest is now history, but for me, this was a crucial part of our trip. God was telling me unmistakably: TRUST ME, I AM IN CHARGE- NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

The people we met in Haiti were amazing. From Marie and her family that worked so hard at a moment’s notice to make us comfortable (even taking the mattress off of their bed), to the women at Pastor Louis’ in Les Cayes, that went above and beyond to feed and care for us, to the children and their caregivers… Oh the children. These kids live in conditions that we couldn’t even imagine, yet they have so much joy and love. Their smiling faces, their laugh, their touch, and their absolute trust, just made you love them instantly.

We were able to see how our support was allowing these children to survive and helping to teach them about God. Though God was working through us; he was also working through them. God worked through the children to teach us the simplicity of true faith without all of the distractions. Trust in God for all of your daily needs. They live this way every moment of their lives.

We didn’t completely understand each other through language, but that didn’t alter the bond we felt. Each of us in our team made special connections. It was like God placed a child in our heart and they will never be forgotten (whether we say their name right or not). Josue was mine. I love him so much and I believe I will think about him the rest of my life. But there was also Roseline (hopefully she will either be a teacher or the next president of Haiti), Jeny, Judson, Dorson, Andersline, Jerry, Benson, Rodrigson, John, Jeff, Dieunika... too many to name and each have a special place in my heart. I can’t wait to see and hold them again.
The work our church and others are doing in Haiti is not in vain. God’s spirit there is strong and he is working through Christians to help make things right. Through the Haitian plight, God has called us to step out of our comfort zone and look at what really matters. Maybe not by ‘our’ standards, but Gods. Not in our timeframe, but His.

I learned that like the Haitians, I too need to become skilled at trusting God with all of my needs and concerns… To simply make myself available to Him.

Jody Fowler

Reflections - Travis

2010-07-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

“I never worry about tomorrow, it will be good because it’s in God’s hands,”-Haiti Project Director Moise Vaval w/Global Orphans Project.

If only we could live by that principle more often; we get caught up in what the world has to offer and what we have to get done.

My first day back I feel like the world is ran by a watch. So many things to do, so little time. Haiti- so much time, seemingly so little for these children of God to do. We are not much different then them. We both hunger, one for worldly possessions, one for something to eat. That is... for food or more of God’s love. It’s not hard to decide what category I fall into most of the time.

The children of St Louis de Sud are pure. Little of the world’s distractions allow them to steer off their ability to feel God’s love for them. They just want to be touched. They want to touch you, the hair on your head, the smoothness of your skin, the shape of your nose, the hair on your arms, the color your skin makes when it’s pushed with a forceful finger. They brush the slightest speck of dirt off my skin when it shouldn’t be there. They are eager to get water from the well to wash my hands when I get them dirty AND THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW ME. I think “I am different then them”

Upon returning, I noticed most prominently the feel of the soft carpet between my toes. Flipping a light switch, turning the knob for some warm running shower water. Clean sheets and surfaces that I’m certain are free from possible harmful bacteria and bugs. A comfortable seat, cool air and the warm breeze available at my discretion. Eating whatever, whenever I want. Nothing at all common with our kids at St Louis de Sud. They have each other. Most importantly they have the Hope of eternal life with God.

Shame on us and all our wants. God will bless those who bless others. I have been blessed by children who can’t speak MY language, don’t know when to smile at a camera or laugh when I’m trying to be funny. By our measure, they have very little. I believe I couldn’t be any more wrong. How is that possible? All things are possible through Christ. They truly have everything because their hope is placed in their savior Jesus Christ and not the promise this world has to offer. I never want to forget that; what little but how much they truly have. Love, Hope, Mercy, Peace, Provision. They’ve taught me to count my blessings. I knew I was much more fortunate than them but I see now that as they wake up every day, they need a meal or two and water and the rest is in God’s hands. They have very few worries (so I think), God has provided for them without the need of idols and things we love to gather. That is something far more powerful then I may ever understand in my lifetime.

I met a little girl, her simplicity, her innocence, her smile, her openness to just be loved touched me for the rest of my life. Rose Darling. I think of her often. I layed her down in a bed after she fell asleep in my arms Sunday before we left. She wouldn’t wake up. That was our goodbye. I think it was better that way. I believe God intended for her to be at peace sleeping instead of watching us all drive off into the world they do not know about.

I will not forget the closeness of our team. I was fortunate to experience this mission alongside my wife. I will miss you all and the experiences we had together! We relied on each other, lifted each other up, became vulnerable to one another, endured together, prayed together and loved together. Thank you for the laughs and the memories I’ll have forever.

Travis

Reflections - Heather

2010-07-06T12:15:00.002-07:00

It’s so hard to explain a different world. I was only there 4 days ago, and I feel memories slipping away. While in Haiti, I wouldn’t have thought that possible. The sights, smells and sounds seemed too vivid to fade. My window to their world was small, but they seem to be such kind, beautiful people. I was overwhelmed with the chaos of transportation, the endless poverty, the destruction of the earthquake, the mountains of trash, seeming idleness, but at the same time the landscape is breathtaking, their buildings, vehicles, clothing are all in vibrant colors, and their overall disposition seemed like one of peace.
We had such a dramatic story the first night. I’m surprised by people’s lack of enthusiasm when I retell it, but God really did mean it for us. If anyone had any doubts about the trip, God stepped in on day one to strip those away. His mighty hand was so evident in each detail of that evening. As the men were pushing our waterlogged bus down the road, I remember just giggling because I felt so loved!
Our time at the orphanage was slow and sweet. Slow doesn’t mean boring because the time moved quickly. We just were able to BE with them all week. Working, singing, playing, holding, hugging. I have no doubt that God places His love in our hearts to pass out. I wasn’t sure how I could spend 5 days with strangers with whom I could barely communicate. But upon arrival, I knew it wouldn’t be a problem, especially for the kids. They long to be held and touched. I love how they looked into our faces. It felt really important. Our interaction with the adults came slower, but it came! I left feeling like I could easily return as a friend.
Our team arrived as an eclectic, randomly gathered bunch, and we left loving eachother. You know that’s only by God’s hand as well. We all came together desiring somehow to please Him, and he truly blessed all our time together. It was wonderful! We had a lot of fun.
You know how it’s hard to explain God? Maybe that’s why I’m having a hard time explaining this trip to people. It was kinda other-worldly. Not because I was overtaken by the Holy Spirit and saw white lights or anything. God is still working with me as it relates to the trip. I don’t have the right words or enough knowledge to describe what He’s doing in Haiti or in me. I was able to see a glimpse of His power and care, so now it feels so much easier to trust his mighty power and perfect care for Haiti and me.

Heather

Reflections - Jake

2010-07-06T12:15:00.001-07:00

This was my first overseas mission trip, and I had no idea what I was getting in to. I really had no idea what is was going to be like in Haiti, and had no expectations. For me, it had always been tough to look at pictures of people in poverty or orphans and really think of them as people, sacred to God (Psalm 49:7). But that week made everything so real to me. The devastation in Port au Prince hit me hard, and our orphans were so human and longed for affection like I've never seen. Just a smile in their direction would make their faces light up with joy, and to hold them in your arms meant so much to them.
In that way, they're like us. We share their desire for love, and we all must turn to God to satisfy it fully. But, the main difference is that here in America, we can turn to many things to take the place of God in our lives, such as sports, TV, school, or even our own family.
However, most Hatians have nothing to turn to besides Him, which produces devout followers and radical Christians.
I want to thank LCF for providing me this opportunity. This was huge for my faith and very encouraging, and I hope that you have an opportunity to go. You won't come back the same person. God bless!

Jake

Reflections - Cameron

2010-07-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

What a trip! God was so providential, blessed us in so many ways, and gave us the pleasure of being agents of his love and mercy over and over! One thing that I will probably never forget about the trip is, of course, the river incident. God was so sovereign and amazing there, it was such a humbling experience to be under his hand! The orphans will always hold a special place in my heart. I hope one day, LORD willing, I can go back to see them again. The love I feel so deeply for them is so inadequate compared to the love with which God loves us, which has been very encouraging to me these last few days. The things that are standing out in my memory right now are the contentedness that the Haitian people have, and how amazing the body of Haitian believers is. The Haitians have nothing. Absolutely nothing, and yet, those who know and love Jesus there are some of the happiest people in the world due to the treasure they have in Him. We would do well to follow their example and break our bondage to prosperity and stuff by following Paul’s example when he said, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Phil. 3:8) Too often we fall into the snare of being satisfied with our stuff, instead of solely in Christ. We fulfill the words of God in Deuteronomy 31:20 far too often. We are blinded to and forgetful of the glory of Christ because of all our stuff. The Haitian body of believers is so simple, yet so joyful. For worship we simply clapped, raised hands, and sung loudly. Not many American churches would be sustained by such simple, yet wondrous, praise. We would tend to complain that the lights, sound, instruments, or whatever isn’t working the way we think it should be. Still processing a lot, and I’m sure this is just the beginning, but God is providential and will bring light in the darkness and much discernment! Thanks for all the prayers!
Cam

Day 7

2010-06-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we got up and headed to church in St. Louis du Sud. The church members were all dressed up lookin fine. The kids were all dressed up in some of the clothes we brought, and the girls were loaded down with hair bows. We were the worst dressed bunch in the crowd! The Haitians seem to be doing fine but we must have looked kinda funny cuz we were sweating like dogs! The most moving part was when they had the orphans sing and they were crossing the room toward us.
Watching them worship was so wonderful with their eyes closed and hands raised. The next part was the hardest part as we said good bye. We took some photos and left. The van was quiet as we all were reflecting back on our week. We stopped back by our new friend Marie's. She is the lady who took us in on our first exciting night in Haiti. Then if it wasn't sobering enough driving through port au prince, our driver drove us thru "the city of the sun" , a expansive slum that is wholly indescribable. Overwhelming poverty. We spent the night at Mission of Hope with about 100 people. They house groups who come in to do short term mission work. It was the first white people we had seen in a while. We had our last group meeting in the midst of all the activity then bunked down for the night. We shared the back of a truck with with 16 other Americans and all our luggage and bounced and lurched to the airport. The road travel has been a whole other story in itself! Now we're all waiting patiently at the airport for our flight has been delayed 2 hours. This is heather and Amy signing off. See you soon!

Day 6

2010-06-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's me again. The team has gone to bed and nobody was left to blog. Promise when we return each team member will post their reflections from the trip. Until then.......more from me

Our last full day at St Louis du Sud began with a stop at the lab. We had taken Rose Marilyn in yesterday and they had done a few tests. It appears she is fine. We picked her and her momma up, along with Amanda and Fritzner (our translators), Dr Don, and Henry, our El Shaddia chaperon. Needless to say, the van was packed!

We spent the day loving our kids. More bubbles, jump roping and singing. Travis finished the storage shelves for the rooms; they look great! The mommas are very happy. With the extra lumber he also built shelves for the kitchen that the cooks had asked for. Jon built a shelf for the storage room to hold medical supplies. He and Dr Don gave every child a pill to treat worms and a vitamin.

We sent Henry to the market and he returned with two goats (male and female) and chairs. The kids loved the chairs; they will get lots of use. Hopefully the goats will reproduce and provide income and nourishment for the home.

In the afternoon we spent time washing little hands and feet. It is one of my favorite things to do with the kids. We finished the day there giving pictures our LCF children had colored for them, as well as photos from our last trip. They were so excited. Afterwards we drove to the ESMI guest house to see the view. It is beautiful.

Packed our bags as when we leave for church in the am, we will not return to Les Cayes. We will drive from st louis directly to PAP to spend the night before leaving Monday am for KC. We are excited to see you all, but will miss our family here. Hard to explain how attached you become so quickly.

Thank you again for your prayers. God has moved in mighty ways this week. Pray that we have a safe trip back to PAP tomorrow. We plan to stop briefly at Maries tomorrow to say thank you again for her hospitality last Monday night. Don't know what we would have done without her

blessings from Haiti

Scott
for Team Haiti

Verse #2 John 17: 20-23

2010-06-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

From Amy:
Bev prayed John 17:20-23 at this morning's prayer time. This is the last full day the team will be at the orphanage. Pray for unity between the team, pastors, mamas, and anyone else the team comes in contact with today. Pray that God's glory will shine through the team members. We are praying for the rains to continue to hold off so that the churches can have services on Sunday morning. Continue to pray for the safety of the team as they drive to the transitional orphanage near Port au Prince Sunday evening. Please, Lord, no rushing waters! The team will fly home on Monday.

John 17:20-23
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in my and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

Psalm 118:24

2010-06-26T05:26:00.000-07:00

From Amy:

I woke up this Saturday in anticipation of seeing a blog post from the team about yesterday's events. One thing that the prayer group prayed about yesterday morning was that we asked God to let the rain stop. AND IT DID! The power of prayer never ceases to amaze! The group said that today will be a big day as well. It sounds like a busy day. May God allow the group to fulfill His will for the blessings the team is bringing to the orphanage today...especially to show love to the orphans and mamas and pastors!

Psalm 118:24
This is the day the LORD has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it.

May God bless every second of the day that the team has doing His work...His hands, His feet, His eyes, His ears... and most importantly His heart. Amen and Praise you God!

Day 5

2010-06-25T19:47:00.001-07:00

What a great day in Haiti! It was the first day without rain at the orphanage and it was a blessing.

We began by digging a trench to channel water away from the dorm entrances. The kids were a huge help as they gathered rocks to line the trench. Hopefully this will eliminate some of the mud and standing water around the well. They really enjoyed helping and made the job go so much quicker. After that, Travis went back to work on the storage shelves for the dorms. Kids sat and watched him work for hours. Natou, the orphanage's do it all guy helped Travis, moved benches, led singing and had a devotion for the kids before we arrived. Pray for him; he is such a joy and the kids really respond to him.

On our way this morning, we stopped at the home of a young woman dying of cancer. John was able to see her, but unless God miraculously heals her, she does not have much longer to live. Jon is going to the clinic early in the morning to get an iv bag and some meds to keep her comfortable. At the orphanage, Jon continues to have an opportunity to treat our children. We are so thankful, no major health problems.

Tomorrow will be a big day. We hope to finish the storage shelves, brought gifts to give the mommas and found creole bibles today to give them as well (one for Natou too), hope to buy 2 goats and some chairs tomorrow as well. The kids don't really have anywhere to sit.

Thank you so much for your prayers. We can feel them. It is so apparent that God is orchestrating our every step, and that is so comforting.

Scott
for Team Haiti

Isaiah 41:10

2010-06-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

From Amy:

During the prayer time this morning for the Haiti team, Cindy prayed the verse Isaiah 41:10. As the week goes on, we pray that the team be refreshed, renewed, and reminded of God's provisions and feeling of delight for the team's outpouring of love to the orphans.

Isaiah 41:10: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Day 4

2010-06-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow readers! Wednesday's blog got caught off due to technical difficulties by me. We had breakfast and got ready for our day. We picked up lumber on our way to st louis de sud. Travis built one of the shelving units & it looks great! The batteries ran out so he was done for the day. He will make 3 total. Dr. John checked out the kids and treated them which is so great to know these kids are getting what they need. Fritz was able to get some additional medication that was needed. It rained or we could say poured most of the day. We sang, played games, did oragami and while the rain stopped we played limbo and jumped rope. The kids are very giving, loving and sweet. The last 2 days with the kids has been an amazing experience. I'm thankful for the way god has showed himself this whole trip. He got us through getting stuck in the river at night with people driving by us to meeting Marie who is a strong Christian who took us in and gave us a place to stay to meeting other new friends like Natalie who lost her group and spent the first night with us to Amanda and fritz who have been a huge help in translating, getting things we need and helping with the kids. Read Hebrews 6:9-12 in the message bible. This verse has stuck put in my head since pastor Scott read it last night. Due to the technical difficulty it is getting late and we all need to get to bed so I'll end today's blog. It's raining once again. Please be praying that we all complete what god has sent us here to do. Plans seem to change daily - we don't want our will to be done, but his! Thank you god for this experience and to LCF for giving us this opportunity. In Christ, Brandi for Team Haiti

Days 3 & 4

2010-06-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

Power is back on and the Internet is working, so here goes.

Wednesday was our first full day. Hospitality continues to amaze us. We were greeted with breakfast before we prayed and we were off to the orphanage . Along the way, we picked up Amanda (who is from a farm town in Iowa) and her Haitian fiancé Fritz as our Interpreters. Wednesday

While driving through Les Cayes and other villages, we saw the local market as Wednesday is market day . The streets were crowded people and their cows, goats, donkeys, and horses were there for trading.

When we arrived the kids were getting their morning snack- mangoes. The kids were very excited and very willing to share. Most of us accepted their generosity. Because of the water well built by LCF, the kids are able to wash their hands and feet. We spent the day with the children playing with our hair, checking out our skin and wanting a loving touch. After we finished our bible story, the hard afternoon rain began. We ran to the classroom shelter and gave the children their animal cracker snack. The children took much pride in their coloring sheets they did and enjoyed snack waiting for the rain to subside.

When we arrived back to the guest house, we had dinner and talked about our first full day with the children and prepared for Thursday. What a great first day at St Louis de Sud!

Jody
for Team Haiti

We fell asleep last night to the sound of a generator drowning out noises. The hospitality continued as we received a hardy breakfast and we got ready to leave for the orphanage. The children were ready and excited to see us as we drove up. It rained most of the day. Travis, Michelo and Natou worked on building shelves for the kids dorms. We spent the day with the kids playing with our hair and skin. They are amazed by how different we are compared to them. The kids are very lovely and giving and

Colossians 3: 12-17

2010-06-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

From Bev:
The team didn’t have power/internet last night or this morning where they are staying (at the home of Pastor Louis) so they weren’t able to make a blog entry. But by text they have let us know that yesterday was a very good day spent at St. Louis du Sud! There are more kids there than they expected, but the same mama’s caring for them. They will blog as soon as they have power again. Thank you for praying!

Verses to pray for the team today as they love, teach and play with the children, encourage the mommas, and build relationship with Pastor Labastille & his wife, Venice :

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:12-17)

Acts 26:17-18

2010-06-23T05:58:00.000-07:00

From Amy:
Today's verse: Acts 26:17-18
God never ceases to amaze when he links prayers between fellow Christians. I was meditating on scriptures last night for the team. I woke up this morning to read the team's Day 2 post. What the team learned about yesterday about voodoo correlates to one of the verses that God led me to pray over the missions team yesterday. May God use you as a "link" for the needs for the Haitian people and the team as well.

Acts 26: 17-18: ...I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

Please be in prayer today for the time that God has provided for the team to love on the orphans and the adults that serve them.

Day 2

2010-06-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

Second day in Haiti
After the van in the river debacle, we were rescued by Marie Masson, president of Lafana institute of hope school in Fauché, Haiti. She sacrificially and joyfully let us sleep the night in a guesthouse on the complex (and we suspect they gave us their mattresses and fans. She is a very strong woman of god and was very encouraging for us on our mission. After we woke up we went down about 100 yards to a beautiful beach where we meditated on the word enjoyed gods creation. We also had a wonderful session of prayer and journling. While on the beach we saw some pigs, cows, goats, chickens, and natives showering in a freshwater spring.

Then we went back and visited the schoolchildren who were in session. The school was free and all children walked there, up to 3 miles. One thing I (Jake) really enjoyed was that we were given a whole coconut to drink the milk, which was very good, and eat the meat, also good. We left some sports balls with the kids as a gift then got on a different bus and visited st louis du sud for about five minutes. God planted a desire in all of us to love on those kids as much as possible. They're so adorable and I just want to hug them all all the time! We also had another change of plans: instead of staying at the guest house, we are now at louis st germains house. But don't worry, Natalie our friend from Miami is at the guest house with the rest of her group (Natalie joined us in PAP and thought she was going to have a tranquil ride to the guest house but ended up experiencing our river adventure)

Tonight, we ate a delicious dinner of fish, turkey, salad, rice, and beans. We also prepared a snack and a pack of photos to give to each kid and talked with barbara, a woman who ministers at pastor louis' church. She told us much about voodoo and the spiritual battle in Haiti. Hearing about all the curses, spells, and demons helped us to understand what the daily battles of those who minister here longterm are. Her words gave new meaning to he promise if 1 John 4:4 that he who is in us is far greater than he who is in the world, since Haitian Christians boldly take a stand against voodoo. I (cam) am really struck by the total schism that exists between Haitian Christians and those who haven't been born again. The believers truly do shine God's in all they say and do. A few prayer requests from the team. First, that we would all be changed in dramatic ways and that God would give us strength to serve in his power. Also, tomorrow, lord willing, we will b with the kids all day, so pray for connections and influence for the name of the LORD!
Thanks!
Jake and Cam

Psalm 40:5

2010-06-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

From Amy:
A reminder: Please join us in prayer from 9am-9:30am at the LCF church house this week to pray for the Haiti team. If you are not able to make it to the prayer time, please take a few moments from your day to pray for the team...

It was great to hear from the Haiti team. Their post shows God at work! God is so good to help the team through the flooded road! Praise God!

Here is today's Bible verse for the Haiti team:

Psalm 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

Day1

2010-06-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

As a team we talked about flexibility before we left. Little did we know What lie ahead. Know before I start we are safe and well. We were driving at a good clip toward les cayes and we came to a road that was covered by a river. Before we really knew what was happening our driver was going for it. Our van became stuck in the rushing water. We vacated quickly carrying what we could. Several of us gathered to pray while the others waded back in to get more bags. The prayer on the embankment was that the van would get out, we would somehow find shelter and that there would be no more rain. In no time a large truck was pulling out our van, an English speaking Haitian woman who had seen our group in Miami pulled up and had us follow her walking distance to her home, church, school compound. Marie is wonderful and had just been to the states to raise awareness about her ministry. We slept here because of their unbelievable hospitality! We walked down to the beach this morning to gather and pray that we would see what excitement Godp would have for us today! We're now waiting for our new van and are being treated to coconut. We're marvelling at his provision. It's always perfect and we're going with it!

Heather
for Team Haiti

2010-06-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

This is Amy Newberry from LCF. I am running a "test" post to make sure I know how to blog while the Haiti Summer 2010 team is away. Scott asked that I post Bible verses that God lays upon my heart while the team is doing God's work this coming week. Although I have never been to Haiti (I hope to some day), God has shown me that I have a heart for the Haitian people. Praying for Haiti is a great way to show love and support for the Haitian orphanage as well as for the mission teams that LCF sends to the country.

I prayed that God would show me the verse to start this mission trip. Considering the massive devastation that has been felt by the Haitian people, this verse is very timely from the viewpoint of our earthly home and our heavenly home. In my reading of the verse, I substituted "Jerusalem" for Haiti. It just sounds like just what the Haitian people need right now:

Isaiah 65: 17-19
"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem to be a delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more."

May God bless the Haiti team as they are His hands, feet, eyes, and ears to the orphans and the mamas in St. Louis.

Amy Newberry

Ready.........

2010-06-17T06:25:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post to let you know you are in the right place if you are looking for Haiti updates!

Not sure if we will post again prior to the trip, but for sure beginning Monday evening, 6/21, (assuming we have power and Internet when we arrive), we will begin daily postings. We are humbled by the opportunity and grateful that you are interested in sharing the journey with us.

For anyone who stumbles on this post that did not receive the LCF email, I am including it here as well:

The countdown is on! Team Haiti leaves in 4 days and we are excited. We are busy making final preparations and packing supplies. Our flight leaves early the morning of 6/21 and we return late on 6/28.

If you are interested in keeping up with the details of our trip, go to the LCF website (www.lcfliberty.org) and click on the link to the Haiti Blog. Our goal is to update this blog site daily while we are there so that you can keep up with all that God is doing on our trip. As long as we have an Internet connection (which is not a guarantee), we will post daily. Hopefully the posts will give you a glimpse of what is happening in Haiti.

In addition to the daily updates, we will send prayer requests and we would be honored if you would join us in prayer. We would ask, above all, that you give an Epaphras Effort on our behalf. Paul describes Epaphras' effort in Colossians 4:12, "Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God." Please pray that we would stand mature and fully assured in the will of God. Specifically, we would covet your prayers for a few details as we prepare to leave:

Unity - Pray that our team of 9 would be unified in spirit and purpose, and that His unity would be a witness to those around us. Team members include: Heather Anderson, Jon Blake, Jody Fowler, Amy Hickox, Travis Kreutzer, Brandi Kreutzer, Jake Ohlhausen, Cameron Riemensnider, and myself.

Compassion - Pray that God would be working in our hearts, giving us compassion for our brothers and sisters in Haiti

Divine Appointments - Pray that God would ordain situations and opportunities to minister to the people He has for us. As of right now, the plan is to do work projects around the village every morning (while kids are in school), then spend time loving kids in the afternoon.

If you are interested, there will be a group gathering daily from 9:00-9:30AM at the church house to pray for the trip. Those gatherings will begin Monday, 6/21.

Thank you so much for joining us on this journey. We believe God has ordained the trip, the team, and the details and we are confident He will accomplish His purpose. We pray that He will be glorified in all we say and do.

For the sake of His Name

Scott
for Team Haiti

Reflections continued.............

2010-04-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

How do you write a few paragraphs about such a powerful 5 days? Janese heard me talk and show pictures for nearly an hour to a guy on the plane from Dallas to KC (a doctor from Liberty)! When I grow up I want to be like those who love the Lord in Haiti (adults & children alike) - content, joyful, and thankful, with an eternal perspective that helps them walk through even the hardest of circumstances!

A definite difference I saw in the Port-au-Prince airport, besides the fact that most of the rooms being used were temporary, small & overly-crowded, was the number of "blancs" being so much greater than in October. There were many medical teams and Christian workers coming and going - it reminded me of our many trips to Pascagoula after Hurricane Katrina - the Church doing hands-on ministry for people in need!

Highlights for me were:

1. Spending time with Pastor Moise Vaval. What a gentle, humble, and yet powerfully filled with the Spirit of God, man! Pray for him and his family as they continue to heal from the loss of their 8 yr. old, Jean Marc, in the earthquake. I was blessed by his resolve to be obedient in worshipping and serving the Lord even in the grip of his grief. We gave him 6 solar audio Creole New Testaments for him to distribute as the Lord leads - pray for the impact of God's Word in people's lives. And he is praying for us at LCF - a bond was definitely created by the Lord!

2. Seeing the happiness and health of the kids and the leaders at Global Orphan Project's Transitional Village in PAP, and envisioning that for our kids at St. Louis du Sud.

3. Arriving at St. Louis du Sud and being remembered and warmly greeted by Pastor Labastille and his wife, Venice, as well as by a mama, Therese, and the hard-working do-it-all man, Natou, who were there in October. Then the children - there's nothing like being surrounded (closely) by many Haitian kids who want to hug you and kiss you and sing you songs and hold your hand and play with your hair!

4. Building friendships with the mama's - Sherline, Berlinda, Evena, Melane, Therese. They would appreciate our prayers as they care for the children (in what we would consider a very primitive setting - no stove, no refrigerator, no electricity, no toilets or showers), as well as for their "spiritual lives" and to have "time to study."

5. Sitting on the porch of the guesthouse on a hill near Les Cayes looking out at a beautiful countryside and having Jerry (10-11 yr. old Cambry orphan who didn't speak for the entire first year that he was there as a 3-4 yr. old) read all of Psalm 8 to me in wonderfully-accented English. "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!...From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise..."

6. Watching Scott & Janese lovingly wash the hands of all the children, knowing they were praying for each one and God was listening.

7. Worshipping Jesus with the children in the Sunday morning service in St. Louis, and seeing some of them with their eyes closed and their hands lifted to the Lord.

8. Seeing the wonder on the faces of children and adults alike when they were each given a small book of Bible stories in Creole, then watching them work at following along as I read (and Philemon interpreted) the story of Joseph. These small books were a treasure to them!

9. Experiencing the joy of the girls as they received what in most cases was their first baby doll, and watching the boys excitedly read the numbers on their little watches or play with a matchbox car. The joy that such simple gifts gave them was humbling and refreshing - again I found myself thinking, "I want to be like that!"

10. They spontaneously gathered around the open doors of the van as we loaded up to leave on Sunday and sang to us. Through our tears, we took pictures and drank in their voices and faces. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for these precious children of yours ~ please protect and bless them!

Bev

Reflections

2010-04-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

Why go all the way to Haiti, when there are needs right here? Wouldn't it be better to send money than to use that money for travel expenses? Do you really believe things in Haiti will ever change? Is it safe? These are some of the most common questions/inquiries I receive from people who are not sure why I would choose to go to Haiti. They ask out of curiosity, concern and desire to know more. For me going to Haiti is simple...God told me to! Who am I to doubt the Creator of heaven and earth? The One who gave his only Son as a sacrifice for my sin so that I may have eternal life. I haven't always been obedient, but I am so glad I was when it came to Haiti. I don't have solutions for the many problems that plague Haiti, but I would like to share a few stories that may help to illustrate why we as a church are called to go to Haiti and other places like it.
Jerry arrives at the Cambry orphanage he's four years old and does not speak a word for the entire next year. Fast forward 6 years Jerry speaks Creole, French and English. His face lights up when we see him at the Guest House and call him by name. "You remember me!", he says. How could we ever forget him?! He figures out how to play video games on Scott's phone. By the end our stay he figures out how to change Scott's screen saver and it now displays a picture of the two of them, something Scott still has not figured out how to do. A safe place, food and lots of unconditional love from everyone who visits. God has always known Jerry was special, now Jerry knows it too.

October 2009 David is sick and at our orphanage in St. Louis. He cries at the sight of us. Tami slowly breaks down the barriers, he spends the next two days taking afternoon naps on her chest. We come to take him to the hospital, he is gone. His mother came and got him in the night. A teacher knows her, promises to tell her we want to help. We give her a picture with Tami loving on him and we pray. April 2010 David is back at the orphanage. He is not scared of us, in fact he pushes his way through the crowd and wants to be held. Our pleasure! Dr. Don checks him out prescribes some medication. He is on the road to healing. Praise God!

A friend of a friend is going to Haiti with a team of eye specialists. We have an orphan with a lazy eye and vision loss. E-mails are sent, phone calls are made, connections, plans and then ..a devastating earthquake. Eye teams' trip is canceled. One orphan's lazy eye seems like a small problem in the aftermath. We can't let it go. This boy needs every advantage he can get. We pray, we ask many to pray. Trip is back on the books for May, please pray for God to clear a path.

A 9 year old boy is missing thousands pray for him and his family. His body is found. To this his family gives praise, because they know so many will never find their family members. A small group of tennis players hear the story of the young boy. Haiti needs help....they network, plan, call in favors and use their collective talents. They throw a fundraising party and get others to do the same. A party? You bet and people were able to speak freely about a mighty God and his grace with people that needed to hear it. They raised over $10,000. They can support 1 Momma & 10 orphans for over a year. The Gospel was shared where you don't talk about religion or politics. Amazing!

At the airport we see Pastor Louis from the church Scott preached at. He thanks us over and over for making the effort to come to his church. Bev and I had not planned to go to his church. We wanted to get to St. Louis early. We had a plan. God had a different plan. Philemon drove us to listen to Scott preach. He was awesome! Did God change are plan so we could her Scott? Maybe?, but then Pastor Louis tells us that just our presence in his church is a huge encouragement to his congregation. Although I feel completely unworthy I am so thankful that God led on that morning and we did not question the unexplained change of plans. For Bev and me that in itself was a miracle to behold!

The key element to all of these and many other stories are God's people stepping out in his name. Haiti breaks my heart. Empty's me of myself and fills me with the Holy Spirit. I am learning to worship more fully from my new Haitian brothers and sisters. As I watch an elderly Haitian born American citizen gently kiss his passport upon re-entry to the U.S. I am reminded to give thanks for my family, paved roads, tap water and the multitude of luxuries I have never had to live without. Not everyone is called to go to Haiti, but if you are one of the lucky ones I can't wait to read your blog one day.

In Christ-Janese

Day 5

2010-04-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

Once again, the entry is late. Yesterday, Sunday was a full day. It began with the 6am church service in Les Cayes. It is always such a blessing to worship with our brothers and sisters in Haiti. The joy they posess is amazing. They praise the Lord, not based on their circumstances, but based on who He is. We could learn a lot from them. I had the special proviledge to preach at the service. Hopefully the translator made some improvements!

We then went to St Louis and though the heavy rain kept most people home there, we enjoyed a sweet time of worshipthere too. The children from our orphanage sang several songs and we gave Creole Bible story books to the children and adults there. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing with our children, washing hands and feet, and giving some gifts before we left. The children were so appreciative, as was Pastor LaBastille when we gave him two solar powered audio bibles. They speak the entire bible in Creole! Janese found these and what a treasure they were. Pastor said "10,000 thank yous".

It is hard to say goodbye, but we pray the Lord will allow many more trips in the future.

I am stuck in the Miami airport so am posting, but will have both Bev and Janese post their trip reflections later this week. Thank you so much for all your prayers. There is no doubt in our minds that God is at work in Haiti.