Before we left, Emily made a journal for all of us. Thanks Emily, it was a great way for all of us to record our thoughts before, during, and after the trip. Here's the brief version of my Haiti journal.
1/17/09
I pray for all the members of the Haiti team as we prepare to leave 4 weeks from today. May God put everything in order for us and keep our hearts focused in the coming days. Prayers for 1st time mission trip people that their hearts are filled with wanting to serve others after they get back.
2/7/09
Wow, it's only a week away, how fast time goes by! I pray that God will help me through the busyness of the next week and continue to prepare my heart for the trip. I pray that we will touch the heart of the people in Haiti and teach them about what God can do for them.
2/14/09
Finally we leave for Haiti, we got to sleep about 11:30 and were up at 2:45 to be ready by 3:30. A big thanks to Mark J for taking us to the airport! The flights all went well and we made it to Haiti safely. The airport there is quite an adventure. Everyone wants to help you with your bags in hopes that you will tip them. We eventually made it through the crowd and found Pastor Rene and Papa Butch. We are staying at Pastor Rene's house in Port Au Prince. Butch and Karen are serving there as well and are there from November to May of each year. They are known as Papa Butch and Mama Karen. Our van ride to the house was a little bumpy. The roads are not the best and people drive wherever they want to. Up the hill to the house, which is beautiful! We settle in and get room assignments. Paul and I are in the basement which used to be called the "Man Cave" we renamed it the "Couples Cave" for our stay. Dinner was great and I got to take a much needed shower. We unpacked the suitcases and showed Karen what we had all brought. Meds and toys were sorted and we got things ready to take to Sister Ann's the next day. Butch and Karen told us about when they first started coming to Haiti. We got instructions for the next few days and how things in the house worked. Electricity is a bonus as it's not always available, hot water is not needed, and no paper goes down the toilets. I'll leave it at that! I've had a headache for most of the day, hoping it's gone tomorrow.
2/15/09
Gina made us a great breakfast of eggs and bacon and fresh fruit. Pineapples and Mangos never tasted so good. Sunday AM church was amazing. (yes, I know I use that word a lot) Great music and a great message by Pastor Rene. We enjoyed worshipping with our Haitian brothers and sisters. Pastor Mark and Emily even got to say a few words. Lunch at the Visa Lodge where Paul shared a card trick, then off to spend time with the boys at Sister Ann's Boys Home. There are approximately 60 boys ages 10-16. They wanted to play soccer....let's simply say they are very good soccer players! After a header by Ruth, a ball in the face to Jayne, and a tumble by me, it was half time. After halftime, they but in their 2nd string, how unfare! By the way, the headache from Saturday, just intensified. I went to bed at 8:30 tonight as the head still hurt.
Gina made us a great breakfast of eggs and bacon and fresh fruit. Pineapples and Mangos never tasted so good. Sunday AM church was amazing. (yes, I know I use that word a lot) Great music and a great message by Pastor Rene. We enjoyed worshipping with our Haitian brothers and sisters. Pastor Mark and Emily even got to say a few words. Lunch at the Visa Lodge where Paul shared a card trick, then off to spend time with the boys at Sister Ann's Boys Home. There are approximately 60 boys ages 10-16. They wanted to play soccer....let's simply say they are very good soccer players! After a header by Ruth, a ball in the face to Jayne, and a tumble by me, it was half time. After halftime, they but in their 2nd string, how unfare! By the way, the headache from Saturday, just intensified. I went to bed at 8:30 tonight as the head still hurt.
2/16/09
Breakfast at 6, leave at 7 for our first day at Arcahaie. We had a flat tire on the way, put the spare on and continued. We road in the open top truck today. It was a great way to see the city and the rural areas, just not the best if you didn't like the smell of diesel. Didn't help the headache. I'm feeling like a big wimp so far, wish I felt better. We saw 105 people at the clinic today. Their information is written down, they see a doctor, the doctors prescribe meds, the meds are filled in the pharmacy, the nurses give the meds to the people, they get glasses if they need them, then a toothbruth and toothpaste, a piece of candy, a gift from the table, and most importantly we prayed with/for everyone who would let us. The guys are working on a block wall to protect the property where the church and clinic are. They are working alongside the Haitian men who have been hired for the project. We took the van back today, crowded and hot. Still have a headache, managed to get back without getting sick.
2/17/09
Finally no headache.......Praise the Lord and huge thanks to Jayne for massaging my head last night! Today at the clinic we saw just over 200 people. We got there a little earlier and things seemed to go much smoother. I measured people's height today, worked a little in the pharmacy, and handed out gifts/prayed. It's tough to see the older people, many of them very thin. It's also tough to see the babies who are very sick! Most of them don't have diapers on.
2/18/09
Today was the last day of clinic. We saw about 150 people today. I sat by Karen for the first part of the day and helped pass out meds. Helping Karen was a lot of fun. She has a pure heart and a true passion to help these people as much as she can. We played with the kids each day after we were done in the clinic. They all want to know what our name is. They are adorable. Some without shirts, or pants, some do not look too healthy. The government just gave Pastor Rene 30 more acres of land adjacent to the 20 acres they already have. The guys hiked up the hilltop today to pray over the land. We could see them up there. God is so great!
2/19/09
Back to Arcahaie today to serve the Feed My Starving Children food to the kids in the school. We brought the food that we packed the Monday before we left. The Haitian women added chicken, onions, green peppers, seasings, etc. Ruth and Jayne helped prepare the food. Ruth speaks french and has been able to communicate fairly well with them. The women got to hike up the mountain today. It was a little challenging in our skirts, but we made it. Took the long way up, but it made the adventure even better, especially in the heat. We prayed over the land as a group and then spread out and prayed individually. We got back together as a group and Mono prayed in Creole. The guys could see us from below. They were explaining to the kids that we were praying for the land and their people.
Serving the kids was such a rewarding experience. We started with the little ones who were so happy to have food. Stacy and Ruth helped a few of the very little ones eat. The kids even ate the bones, now that's hungry! They were very thankful. For many, it's the only food they will have today.
Then on to Wahoo Bay for some down time. We enjoyed swimming in the ocean, snorkeling and simply taking a break. A hot shower before dinner was heavenly. Tonight we got to share with another missions team that was there. They had been in a different village/school doing construction and painting classrooms.
2/20/09
Water Baptisms at 6:00 AM. Pastor Darin loved getting up early! We walked the beach, prayed and PD spoke about what Water Baptism means. Then two people from our group were baptized, truly amazing, what a glorious day!! Each day that we are here is packed with God-moments. The days go so fast though, I'm sad to think about going home tomorrow. I've really enjoyed the simpleness of the Haiti lifestyle. We enjoyed the rest of the morning and early afternoon at the beach and pool and even managed to find time for a game of cards. And yes, we even managed to collect our sand.
2/21/09We got up early to watch the sunrise, truly amazing. After breakfast we did a little sightseeing through the streets of Port Au Prince. Another hot, van ride, which ended very nicely with a trip to the supermarket where we bought cold pop and Stacy treated us to ice cream bars, thanks Stacy! Back to the house for one last cold shower, and it's time to pack up for home. How do I sum up such a great trip? I don't believe there are words to do it justice. I will say, if you want to hear more, we'd be happy to share, if you want to see more pictures, check out the blog before this one. If you've never been on a mission trip.....GO! No matter what! It will change your life! Paul and I feel that God is preparing us for something great. We are getting ready to serve in a big way. I don't know where or when, but I am working on being patient until he reveals it to us. Maybe it's Haiti, maybe it's El Salvador (the next trip), maybe it's Prior Lake/Savage, only God knows.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading!
Blessings,
Robyn
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