Visiting friends with machetes

Saturday… a day to buy machetes

With VBS having come to its end, Dixie and the team made the most of their Saturday. Having a bit more painting to do, the teammates grabbed their brushes and rollers and completed the work on “The Upper Room” of the church building, and then laced up their walking shoes for a trip into town for the traditional Saturday activities: going to the market, and visiting Haitian friends.

Dixie wrote that the team went into the Dessalines market in search of shoes and machetes. Shoes and sandals are frequently needed in the middle of team trips, because inevitably, someone neglects to pack comfortable footwear or shoes appropriate for church. Why machetes? In Haiti, a machete is an all-purpose tool that is good for gardening, home repairs, and even protecting the family. Thus, they are sold everywhere and sometimes at good prices. In recent trips, teammates have sought out these machetes as gifts and souvenirs that double as useful tools.

The other part of the day’s activities has been visiting with long-time friends of Dixie’s and Pastor Louinet’s. The team went to various homes and met with some folks to check on them and encourage them. This is part of the continual blessing we try to be as an organization working in this community.

Finally, the team returned to a dinner of rice and beans. This Haitian staple is a welcome sight after a long day in the tropics, let me tell you!

Please keep praying for the high spirits and bond of unity in the team. Pray that they will rely on the Lord for their strength. Tomorrow is Sunday and taking a day to worship the Lord is always a great change of pace, but sometimes the cultural differences can still leave new team members feeling overwhelmed. Pray that their hearts would stay focused on the Lord and the He would be greatly glorified on this Lord’s Day.

Your response to these daily updates has been so encouraging to us! We cannot afford to be without prayer support… thank you for stepping up!

Brandon,  on behalf of the Hope in Haiti Board
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A dance off?!?

The 2nd day of VBS proved to be another great day!

Dixie briefly said it was another good day of VBS.

Apparently VBS ended with a dance off of all things and Aaron Day pulling out all his moves! For those of you who know him, you can especially appreciate this. His legend shall continue to spread… :)

After VBS finished up for the day, the team spent time painting the main room of our ‘guest house’, or the “Upper Room” as we call it. Another step closer to completion!

Pastor Louinet is holding a pastor’s conference which will be starting tomorrow. Pray for the men and women that will be traveling from near and far for this. For listening ears… hungry hearts… truth taught, and learned. There will be church services late every night as this goes on.

Dixie specifically mentioned that there are NO rats in the Upper Room this trip. This is truly a huge praise and a serious relief to those on the team who are returning! Praise the Lord for ceilings and tiled walls and floors!!!

I ask that you continue to pray for the members of the team as they minister. Pray for joy in their exhaustion, peace in their rest, hearts that search for what the Lord might have for each of them on this trip. 
Pray that the Lord would be working in them… through them. That Christ’s light would shine through their attitudes and service. 
Pray for:
Health. Sleep. Energy. Safety. Unity. Relationships.

Remember that our role as prayer warriors on behalf the team is a privilege we hold! Let us embrace it and stand back in wonder as God responds…

Grace, on behalf of the Hope in Haiti Board

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1st day = Success

Dixie texted a short, sweet message this evening saying…

The 1st day of VBS was “amazing“. Praise the Lord!!

She said the teachers of the school assisted A LOT. This helped things stay much more orderly and calm than in the past.
She said there weren’t quite as many kids as usual either, which I’m sure, removed some of the stress for the team.

After VBS finished for the day, kids hung around with the team and played “Poul, Poul, Cock” (duck, duck, goose – but actually “chicken, chicken, rooster” in Creole :) ).
The orphanage sent over some fresh baked bread which was VERY welcomed by the team. :)

Dixie asked for continued prayers for health and energy. 

Remember that our role as prayer warriors on behalf the team is a privilege we hold! Let us embrace it and stand back in wonder as God responds…

Grace, on behalf of the Hope in Haiti Board
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Up next: VBS and a few hundred excited, hyper kids!

The team had a good 4 hour ride up to Dessalines/ Nan wo today…

Things were crowded with 13 people plus all the luggage, but it sounds like everything went smoothly. Dixie said that they visited the orphanage where she and her late husband worked from ’89-’91. They also planned and prepped for VBS which starts tomorrow. Afterwards, they met with a midwife and 10 pregnant women, giving out more donated birth kits and explaining to the ladies how to use them.

“Rice and beans were great,” she said. :) No doubt, Madame Pastor made a delicious meal as she always does to welcome them!

I encourage you to check out this link. We have a few videos posted on youtube that will give you a great sense of where the team is and the conditions they are living in this week!

I am sure they will go to bed hot and tired tonight, praying for no rats in the rooms, a breeze to cool the air down, and looking forward to what the morning holds.

As we pray for the team, I wanted to share the meditation and prayer of another board member, Tony Robinson, who emailed me today. I felt it excellent and worth sharing. May our prayers for the team, echo his…

I woke this morning early and was reading in 1 Samuel about how Hannah’s prayers were answered when she prayed for a son. And then was reminded by an email that in Hebrews 1:3 it says, “all things are sustained by His powerful word.”

My prayers today were indeed for safe travels and as Pastor Louinet taught me last trip I prayed for every part of the day’s journey: the roads, the sun, the truck, the driver, the other drivers, water, safety, itchy bug bites, heat, any missing supplies, some sort of comfort in the back of the crammed truck, health with the food, team unity, no rats, lots of water in the cistern on the roof, a night time breeze, no bugs, that the smiles of the children would bring a sustaining joy to the entire team, and for God to take over the mission of the team and bless it and sustain it.

For those who are going for the first time I pray for an opening of eyes and hearts. I also pray for every sense to be fully alive and taking in the amazing amount of powerful stimuli that can overwhelm.
God, be their filter and interpreter; Lord, imprint their memory with all they experience. Stir a lifelong passion in their hearts for the people of Haiti.

For those who return I pray for a deeper understanding of our mission to serve. I pray for a joy in returning to serve again. I pray for a comfort in returning to something familiar yet so far from our every day.
I pray for God to meet them in a new place, speak into their lives, and sustain them by His powerful word.

I am sitting in my kitchen drinking a cup of REBO coffee that was brought back from Haiti. It reminds me of the flavors of the food, the smells of the countryside and the sounds of the children’s voices. The sun is about to rise here and I am sure the team is well awake and if not on their way to Nan wo they should be loading up and getting on their way soon.
I wish I could be there to see the VBS, but my role of praying for the team is one I embrace and feel honored to fill.

May we embrace the honor of praying for our team! 

Grace, on behalf of the Hope in Haiti Board

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A supposed box embargo and $350 later…

The team met up at Sea-Tac Airport late last night, hoping for a smooth check-in and flight to Florida…

Instead of a smooth check-in however, they ran into a major hassle! The lady at the counter informed them that there is a box embargo currently on all flights into Haiti and the 13 or more tubs they had packed were not allowed on the plane. Dixie had called the airline ahead of time to check on this specifically and had been told there was no current box embargo. But after talking to the gal for half an hour, it was clear she would not budge. She informed them that they could miss their flight and fly a day later, leave all their supplies behind, or buy luggage from the airline. Sadly, the team had to comply and spent about $350 on 9 pieces of luggage. They were unable to pack up every last thing and so a friend came to pick up what they had to leave behind.
Talk about a rough start to the trip!!!

I talked to Dixie tonight (she was able to call from Port au Prince!) and she said she talked to the airline once they arrived in Florida and they confirmed that there really is no box embargo. Hopefully she can get this figured out once she returns and maybe get that money back!
Anyway, other than that, things have gone just fine and they arrived in Port au Prince with no other issues. Our friends Byron and Shelley picked them up from the airport and took them home where they spend the night tonight. Shelley fixed a delicious dinner as always!
Dixie said the team is doing well though everyone is tired from the long, overnight flights.

Pray for a good night of sleep for them!
Pray also for individuals as they adjust to a very different world and culture, especially for the ones taking their first trip. It can be quite a shock.
Pray for the group as Byron drives them the 4 hours north to Dessalines tomorrow morning.
And pray for them as they try to get organized for VBS which starts on Thursday. Because they had to repack everything into different luggage, Dixie said everything was just thrown in all mixed and disorganized.

So that you can pray for the team members by name, the team is made up of:

Aaron Day
Cherie Buzzell
Kasey Morrelli
Danny Morrelli
Joyce Olsen
Myrriah Hayden
Issabelle Hayden
Maria Hawkins
Maddie Mullen
Dixie Montgomery
Joshua McClintock

Grace, on behalf of the Hope in Haiti Board

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