Haiti 2011 Video

Haiti 2011 from Circle Missions on Vimeo.

Coming Home

Hey everyone,

We’re home! Thank you so much to all of you for your loving and faithful support before, during, and after this trip. God’s hand was so clearly evident throughout our time in Haiti, and your prayers were definitely answered!

We hope you enjoyed reading our accounts of the trip on this blog. If you were wondering why we didn’t upload any pictures with our posts, it’s because the internet connection at the orphanage was so slow, it would’ve literally taken an entire day to upload one picture!

                       

Although our flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until 4:25pm yesterday, we had to leave for the airport at 10:30am because another team was arriving that afternoon, and the bus that brought us to the airport was also taking them to the orphanage. After bittersweet goodbyes with Greg, Jasmine, and the children, we loaded up the bus and headed for Port-au-Prince. In addition to us being several hours early to the airport, our flight was also delayed by an hour, so needless to say we had plenty of time to eat lunch, relax, and have a time of debriefing together.

Landing in Ft. Lauderdale around 7:40pm, we rendezvoused with Mrs. Wonderly and Mr. and Mrs. Rigel, our chauffeurs for the evening, and grabbed dinner at a local restaurant before making the 4-hour drive to Orlando. Finally arriving at the church shortly after midnight, we unloaded in the rather frigid (compared to Haiti) night air, and after many goodbye hugs, departed for home.

Traveling to a place like Haiti is always a shocking and overwhelming experience. Even though this was the second trip to Haiti for several of us, in many ways it was just like the first. God has grown, taught, stretched, and challenged each of us in incredible ways through this trip. Please keep us in your prayers as we begin to process everything we’ve experienced and learned during our time in Haiti. We look forward to sharing more about our experience with all of you in the coming weeks!

For the team,

David

Beast-mode, golf focus.

Hello my friends!

Today was wonderful.  When we woke up this morning, the babies were calling my (our) name(s).  I’m not actually sure what most of the team did up until breakfast, but I (Kate), and Donnie were holding the babies in the nursery.  We had breakfast and then we held more babies until we left to go hiking.  Knowing that today was our last day was pretty hard, but somehow everyone else seemed to sense it too. The children all seemed to be tense and testy today and that made today more difficult.  We welcomed the hike as a wonderful change of pace.

I think I had magically saved all of my excess energy for this hike because I had an incredible amount this morning.  Christine who works and lives at the Touch Global house a little ways away came to bring us to the Touch Global house so we could embark on the hike from there.  Steve who is staying at the house was our hike guide and he gave a more informative, less strenuous version of the hike, while a few of us took the faster pace hike.  It was a hard decision to make because I really wanted to know the background of some of these places here, but I needed to burn some energy and I never pass an opportunity to hike!  Our group split up with me, Brooke, David, Donnie and Nick on the hard hike, and April, Sarah, Josh, and Hannah who took the educational hike with Steve.  I noticed the beautiful land as we were landing last Saturday, but hiking in the beautiful land was another experience.  There is something different about this beautiful land though and it is that the land has been about 95% deforested.  Looking at the land with that in mind is much more sobering, but there is this beautiful mix of tropic that allows me to forget that sad fact.  This hike wasn’t a mountain hike; it was more like a steep hill hike because we walked on a dirt road the whole time. However, it sufficiently drained us of energy and once we all made it back to the Touch Global house we were feeling good and tired.  We had our lunch break of MRE’s there at the house and then headed back to the orphanage.

Magically, as soon as we got back we were given a job because the Touch Global team was leaving and passing their job to us for finishing.  We jumped right into fixing the walkway and even though there was work to be done, it was not meant for many people.  Where we were working was on the boy’s side of the property and so we had many eager “helpers.”  I snatched one of those eager helpers whose name is Nathaniel and sat him on my lap.  To my surprise he fell asleep there and we didn’t move for at least half an hour.  Unfortunately, my cuddle time was cut short because there were smaller babies who needed my attention.  Off to the nursery I went and was met with the cries of at least four babies.  Maybe today was more difficult than normal, or maybe I was just tired and impatient.  Whichever it was, it made the day much harder.  What do you do when you can’t hold all the babies that need you and some of the ones you have won’t be appeased?  It was a hard day for the nursery.

I stayed in the nursery until shower time, David and Donnie continued on the walkway, Hannah and Sarah moved piles of dirt, and Brooke and April spent more time with the toddlers.  After shower time it was back to the nursery for me and I was joined by Donnie and April until dinner time.  Dinner was not too hectic and was pretty delicious.  I was feeding one of the babies for awhile but was moved by Donnie and David force and replaced.  Dinner was followed by more nursery time and by this time I was really having a difficult time with the hectic boys room/baby room mixed together.

Our group meeting tonight was full of tired eyes, including my own.  Today our devotion’s subject was on faithfulness, and the group time was full of great discussion.  Coming back to the States is going to be hard I think for the majority of us, since we have built relationships with Greg, Jasmine and the children.  We are excited about coming home and seeing our loved ones, but brace yourselves for some long conversations!

Tomorrow morning we will be leaving the orphanage at 10:30 and our flight will take off at 4:25.  Pray for us tomorrow as we travel for safety and energy.

Other prayer requests:

-Josh is tired and possibly under the weather

-My addiction to babies

-The new team that arrives tomorrow

-That Greg to sleep well and recover from his sickness

-That Jasmine would find some time to relax

-For the rooster to not crow tonight

-And that we don’t leave anything behind!

Oh, and rest for the majority of the team that returns back to school and work on Monday!

Goodnight, friends and family, we will see you tomorrow night!

Day 6

Allo,

Commen ou ye? Today was another busy day here in Ayiti. The Touch Global volunteers joined us again after breakfast, which was some pretty tasty oatmeal supplemented by some of our group with MRE PB and J sandwiches. Even though it was pretty hectic with so many people running around, I think it was ultimately good for the kids because some of the neediest ones got one-on-one attention and even some therapy.

 Brooke and I began our day with the toddlers and continued to entertain them, with some help from the other volunteers, throughout the day. Along with the new nannies, hopes for the toddlers to be on more of a strict schedule (as far as water breaks, potty training, etc.) and better consistency in discipline and efficiency also arrived today.

We really enjoy our time with those little guys, all nine were able to participate today in the activities because of the extra help that Brooke and I received. They are particularly adorable when they sing one of the favorite worship songs here (don’t worry we got it on tape). They are particularly difficult when they remind us that they too were born selfish and with a sin nature and we have to try to discipline them with the small amount of Creole that we have picked up supplemented by gestures and tone with our English words.

One good thing is, though, that one of the girls here who Greg and Jasmine have sort of adopted and who helps run the place is seventeen and speaks English fairly well so we have asked her about a few key phrases and she has generously allowed us to borrow a little booklet with lists of words and phrases in Creole and English, which is really helpful.

While Brooke and I were occupied the other ladies of the team (Sarah, Hannah, and Kate) selflessly offered to do the team’s laundry. They also conquered the task of a second coat of paint on the kitchen. I would like to say good job ladies; I think that counts as a productive day.

The men thought that they would have the opportunity to complete their massive dirt removal undertaking, but instead got drafted for some more pressing matters. OLTCH got a new female turkey today, and Jasmine was afraid that the other one would kill it so she asked David to build a small pen for it within the larger turkey enclosure.

The guys also spent a little while replenishing the stockpile of bottled water. They were then able to spend time with some of the babies and older children.

One thing that Brooke and I thought was odd and a little funny is the fact that most of the children are terrified of the puppies that they have here. Here at OLTCH there is a momma dog (looks like a large pug) and her three babies (two white, and one with the coloring of a shepherd, but still smaller than their momma), as well as a larger puppy (probably a shepherd St. Bernard mix from the looks of him), and most of the children are completely scared out of their minds’ by those dogs. The toddlers would scream bloody murder at the sight of them and practically climb up your body to get away.

Today’s lunch was not very appreciated by some of the team, who opted for MREs. However, dinner was quite a hit; it was rice, beans, corn, hotdogs/sausages, and spicy coleslaw for the brave (me and Nick). Brooke and I had dish duty today so we had to dispose of the scraps to the animals; the goats were quite grateful for the food (aren’t goats always?).

Some of the prayer requests for today included:

·         The new toddler nannies (who seemed quite bewildered, and there are only two for all nine)

·         The nursery/boy’s nannies (one went on vacation so there are only two for all the babies and all the boys old enough to be potty trained because they  are all in one building right now because there are not enough yet to have a separate nursery- they are trying to raise the money for that project right now)

·         General continued team health- a few bumps, bruises, sore muscles, and bug bites so far but nothing major

·         General continued team unity, strength, and patience with the kids

·         Peace, health, and strength for Greg and Jasmine

For Team Brute Strength,

                April

Day 5

Hey everyone!

Today was another beautiful day here in Leogone!  We started off our day with a breakfast once again of delicious bread along with something new-hard boiled eggs.  During breakfast, Jasmine asked for two of us to stick with some of the toddlers throughout the day.  New nannies are coming in for the toddlers so April and I hung out with the “rambunctious” ones so that while the nannies are in training tomorrow, the little ones will be used to us already and be comfortable staying with us again.  We had Jimsley, Evelyn, Emanuel, and Rolvenski and they were great!  Tomorrow should be a breeze. J   The rest of the girls tackled the project of painting the kitchen and it turned out very nice.  The guys were back to digging their enormous pit and then enjoyed trying to get out without a ladder haha. Lunch was special because today was one of the little girls Jessica birthday!  Some of the sweet ladies from Touch Global that are here during the day made cupcakes, blew up balloons, and then put on a CD of tunes like Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes and there was an awesome dance party!  The rest of the day was spent lovin on the kids.  Fried chicken and rice was for dinner and it was DELIOUS! 

Breaking news is that April got her whole head braided and it looks fabulous!!  She and Kate are really starting to fit in J

Alrighty, that’s all for now. Please pray for strength to stay focused in these last few days here and that we would continue to reflect Christ’s love in all we say and do.  Thank you all so much and we’ll see you soon!

Good night!

Love,

Brooke

Days 3 and 4

Greetings from Sunny Haiti!

It’s great to be back here at OLTCH – it really feels like a second home. The kids are as cute as ever. There are some new faces, and I am missing some old ones. (A few of the girls went back to their previous families. We’re not sure if this is a good situation or not…please pray for them: Geraldine, Shalin, and Nina.) It’s also fun hanging out with Jasmine’s 15-year-old son, Nick. (He was in the states last time we were here.)

Here’s what we’ve been up to the past couple days:

Yesterday the girls and I were able to make the new kitchen building feel a little homier by painting the inner plywood a pleasant cream color. That took up much of the day, and the other parts were filled with loving on babies and playing with kids. Meanwhile the fellows tore down an old barbed wire fence and dug a trench in its place to set up some piping for a kitchen sink (which was installed today). They also played basketball and football with the little boys.

Today we intended to paint the rest of the kitchen, but we were drafted to help prepare lunch instead. We have a newfound respect for the cook here – wow! We cleaned, peeled, and chopped enough vegetables to feed a small army, and it almost took us all morning. The other ladies who work here came and helped us toward the end, presumably because they saw how slow we inexperienced ladies were with peeling odd vegetables without a peeler, just a large-ish knife. We chopped potatoes, carrots, and onions without much difficulty, but there were a few vegetables we were unfamiliar with. I believe taro was one, and maybe some variety of monster radish? We’re still not quite sure, but the veggies were certainly yummy after the cook had her way with them!

After lunch, the girls joined the boys and Nick to dig an enormous hole for a septic system. I believe it is supposed to be something like 8 ft all the way around, and we got pretty far. We took turns shoveling and wheelbarrowing the dirt over to the other end of the orphanage to build up the rapidly eroding driveway. The little boys had fun helping us flatten the dirt as we spread it across the drive way (mini feet make light work!). I am quite impressed by the buffness in this crowd, particularly the ladies.  We also loved on some babies and played with the kids throughout the day. They’re so precious J.

Kate got her hair done in cornrows today! I admire her bravery – you’ve  gotta be tough to endure that kind of intensity. I’m not sure I could handle it!

Well, my friends, it is bed time. Thank you so much for your prayers and support! Please continue to pray for our health, safety, energy levels, and that God’s will would be done here in Haiti both during our time here and afterward. Please also pray for this odd bug bite I just got… kind of an itchy-stingy sensation. Thank you!!!

Love you all, and goodnight!

Sarah

Days 1 and 2

Hello from Haiti!

First of all, thank you all for your prayers, and please keep it up! :)

It feels great to be back in Haiti! Everything is so completely foreign, and yet somewhat familiar from being here before.  I just want to say really quick that our new team members, April, Brooke and Kate, are doing great and I am so proud of them! Haiti can be overwhelming at times, and they all seem to be handling it very well.

So, I'm going to try to give you a quick summary of our trip so far, before I fall asleep...

We flew from Ft. Lauderdale straight to Port-au-Prince.  Customs was quick and painless - much less crowded than last time. And we actually got all of our luggage! :)  Greg and Jasmine sent a bus to pick us up from the airport, which was really nice, since we each got our own row to stretch out on.  Driving down along the coast for most of the trip, we reached the orphanage with no problems and very little traffic.  Being in a bus really helped, since the biggest vehicle usually rules the road. 

Greg and Jasmine were elated to see us, and we were excited to see them too. It was also wonderful to see some familiar faces amoung the children and be able to hug them once again. 

We arrived just in time for dinner, and then we joined their evening worship time before having our own Bible study time.  Josh has put together some daily scripture readings and questions to think through, and they are all about the characteristics of godly love. Yesterday we looked at patience. 

Soon after that, we headed to our tents, got situated, journaled for a little while, and then went to sleep. 

Since today is Sunday, we had church this morning.  Most of us went and got babies to hold during the service.  I got to hold a precious little one named Josiah, and I am definitely in love.  He's almost 3 months old, but he's so tiny.  Jasmine said that they just got him a couple of weeks ago, so they have been trying to feed him enough that he puts on some weight. 

Now back to church... It was held in one half of the classroom building.  (There is a building for pretty much everything now, except for us, of course.  We get the cool tents again. :) I like tents. Can you tell?)  One of the ladies who work here led the worship time and Jasmine did the teaching. 

After chuch, Sarah and I spent some time with the toddlers.  They are an energetic bunch, and so cute.  Some of the other girls went over to spend more time with the babies, and the guys worked on trying to move some new beds into the girls' building.

Then we had lunch, and afterwards the guys got to work on digging a trench to put in a drainage pipe.  We girls brought some of the little girls into the dining room to do some coloring.  When they had finished, we went and took showers.  We worked on our Bible study and rested for a little bit until dinner.  April, Kate, and Brooke went and helped the ladies in the baby room, bravely facing the prospect of changing lots of diapers, all for the sake of love. :)

Dinner was great: lots of rice with some veggie sauce to put over it. Somebody had told Jasmine that today was my birthday, so the kids sang happy birthday to me while we were all in the dining room. And Jasmine, whose kindness and generousity continues to amaze me, gave me a very sweet gift.  Evening worship time was right after that.  Later this evening, we gave Greg and Jasmine the supplies we brought for them and then we had our discussion time.

That brings us up until the present time, and now I think I'll head off to bed.

Here are some things you can be praying for:

• Deep, restful sleep for all of us - most of us came into this trip feeling exhausted from midterms
• Rest for Jasmine, who has been feeling completely worn out today
• General strength, endurance, focus, patience, joy, and a godly love for our teammates, the Martinsons, and the kids

Thank you all for all of your prayers! It is a great encouragement to us to know that you all are standing behind us and going before us in prayer. 

For the Haiti team,
Hannah



p.s.  To my family: thank you for all of the cards! :) I love you guys so much!!!  And, Bekah, your comic card was absolutely hilarious, and I had to share it with the team! :)