Beach Day

A recap of our day via pics....It was such a beautiful and fun day, that I couldn't choose only one picture to post.  I guess you get a few today :)

Looking dapper before church

We saw a turf soccer field after church and the boys just HAD to go see it.  They ran on the field and were so excited!  They wanted a picture :)

We had a blast, can you tell?

This team sure knows how to have fun!

It has been a fantastic week!  We have been stretched and we have served with open hearts!  I sit here this morning excited to go home, but I know that in a few hours I will have to saw goodbye to the boys until May.  It is difficult saying goodbye. I know they love the Lord and he will protect them and guide them each and every day I am unable to be here with them.  We serve a mighty God and all glory goes to him, the Lord most high!

Signing off from Haiti,

Alicia

All In

Our morning started out with a bit of a surprise....We were told at breakfast that we weren't able to do our water delivery day because of the unrest in Citie Soleil last night.  Jean said it isn't safe today, so we had to figure out a new plan.  We decided to go to General Hospital, downtown Port Au Prince to start the day, and then head up the mountain to do some shopping for gifts.

God really knew what he was doing today with the switch up...It just so happened that we had the perfect amount of donations left over for care packages to hand out at General Hospital, and that it worked out to be exactly what we needed!  Yay God, right?  As we reflected on our day this evening, we couldn't believe how amazing it was to watch God's plan unfold right before our eyes.  We have had quite a bit of rain while we have been here, which means the people living in Citie Soleil have had their need for water met by the rain, so God gently guided us to serve at General Hospital.

When we first arrived, we all handed out all of the care packages and water we had purchased along the way to all of the patients and their parents.  Then it was time to love on the patients.  I started out playing with this bubbly little boy, no older than 7 months.  I couldn't tell what he was sick with, other than a little cough and the fact that he was pretty thin.  Travis and I were near each other when he mentioned there was a little one in a crib in the corner that was crying.  I handed my little buddy over to Travis to care for and headed in the direction of the cries.  What I saw was saddening.  This little guy was extremely rigid and seemed like he was stuck in his position.  He was having an extremely difficult time breathing and was coughing and wheezing while he tried to suck in short breath.  A team member who is a nurse, Cathy, came over and we discussed how it might be best to get him upright so it would open up his airways and hopefully help him with his breathing.  We were extremely careful while we worked together to get him in my arms so I could help hold him upright.  We seemed to have immediate relief, and stopped crying pretty quickly.  I sat down with him and sang to him for quite awhile and was able to watch his body slowly relax.  He would have an episode of rigidity here and there for about a half hour.  My arms were burning from holding him in the position that helped him breathe easier, but I decided very early on that I was going to do everything I could to comfort him while I was at General Hospital.  This little one needed me.  I was all in, which was also my words for the day, as I was determined to help him relax and feel safe in my arms.  His mom was so thankful that I took the time to hold her son.  She needed to take him from me for her to bring him over to the doctor when it was her turn just before I was able to get him to sleep.  When she returned from visiting with the doctor, she handed him back to me and I went right back to work trying to help her son relax enough to be able to sleep.  Praise God I was able to get him to sleep, and stay asleep after transitioning him to his crib.  The joy that overflowed seeing him sleeping peacefully and relaxed with zero rigidity when we were leaving was indescribable.  I felt useful today, like I was able to be Jesus to this precious little child.  I get emotional just remembering my time at General Hospital as it was an experience I'll never forget.

Looking forward to spending the day at Wahoo Beach tomorrow with the team and Davidson and Dickenson.  It will be a great way for our team to relax before heading home Monday.

Bondje Beni'ou,

Alicia

Touch

Internet wasn't so great, so I'm backing up to Friday with the update...

We started our morning early and went to tent church as a team.  Dickenson joined us and we had a wonderful time of worship.  It was Maddie's birthday and it just so happened that the pastor asked if it was anyone's birthday!  Maddie was asked to go up front and got a prayer of blessing.  How cool is that?

Our morning continued with a stop at the Home for Sick and Dying.  The guys stayed on the first level and gave massages to about 50 people between the two of them in the two hours we were there.  Needless to say, they were extremely wore out when it was time to go!  It was so sweet that the two of them didn't want to leave anyone out.  They had a lot to accomplish in the time we had and they we rock stars!

The women headed upstairs to massage the women in three different areas.  We gave massages and painted fingernails and toe nails and enjoyed our time serving.  My word of the day was touch....I was blown away by the power of touch when we were able to serve this morning.  The ability to communicate Christ's love by massaging the patients was powerful.  It was so welcomed and appreciated, that I felt really used by the Lord while we were there.

We then headed to the Apparent Project which is a shop full of amazingly beautiful and intricate gifts for sale.  We were able to take a tour and saw where the artisans do there work, while they were working.  It was awesome!

Artisans at Apparent Project

After making our purchases, we headed back home to drop off our goodies and then we went to visit the  children at Gertrude's.  Gertrude cares for children with special needs.  Our team had a wonderful time having wheelchair races, singing songs and laughing and playing in their open area.  What a great place to visit!

Playing at Gertrude's

We ended our night with a trip to Pizza Amore, a restaurant run by missionaries, for missionaries..  The pizza was delicious and the fellowship was great!  Our team thought it would be funny to make Travis and I feel awkward while at dinner.  They brought the candle and put it in front of us and told us to gaze into eachothers eyes, oh man.....Too funny!

Pizza Amore fun

A full day full of wonderful opportunities to serve.  It is amazing to see the way this team has bonded and what we are able to accomplish for the Lord when we all work together.  God is good!

Blessings,

Alicia

Water Delivery

Today was our water truck day.  We stopped by Haitian Initiative first to see the feeding center and soccer fields where the children in the program get their meals each day.  We were able to help distribute a warm meal of rice and beans to one of the groups of girls in the program.  Our team also helped fill up water bottles and sang some fun songs.  It was really cool to me because just a couple weeks ago, there were two Haitian Initiative teams in Minnesota participating in the world cup at the National Sports Center in Blaine.  Our whole family went to a couple games and cheered them on, so being able to see where their program is and what it entails was really special.

Filling Water Bottles

We then went to two water stops to deliver water.  I got my work out in today!  We were given the okay to help bring water buckets back to houses for the people, so I got to work.  There was a long road, so I would help one person who lived towards the far end of the road and when I started to head back towards the truck, I would find another person making their way down the road, and then another, and another....You get the idea :)  It was great!  I helped a young girl with her bucket and when we got close to her home, her Dad came out and made sure to let me know she was his daughter.  With the help of a tranlsator, I was able to tell him his daughter was extremely polite, beautiful and he should be proud.  He thanked me and stood a little taller after our encounter, a proud papa for sure.

Towards the end of the stop, I was helping an older woman, and she was going SO fast!  I was a bit surprised at how quick she was going, and so I said, "Oh!  Rapid!" and with a loud laugh and a big smile she said, "Wi!"  We hustled down the road laughing and shared a really sweet moment. 

The last water stop I was on the water line almost the entire time helping out with the line.  I am so thankful for the little bit of Creole I am able to speak to help manage the line a bit.  It was a little hectic, but SO much fun.  Towards the end of the water stop out of nowhere I was quickly refreshed when a bucket of water was dumped all over me.....It surprised me, but I made eye contact with the boy who did it and we shared a good laugh together.

Our afternoon ended with a little soccer with the neighborhood boys.  We set up a make-shift field in the street and played with whoever was in the area and wanted to play.  At first there was only three kids, and before we knew it kids started coming out of nowhere to join in on the fun.  I asked a boy if he knew Dickenson, and he said yes, so I asked him if he could go find him and let him know we were out playing.  Five minutes later Dickenson came sprinting around the corner looking hopeful that we were still there.  When he saw me he beamed from ear to ear, and came over to play.

We had a hard rain tonight, so a few of our team members did a slip and slide up on the balcony again.  I had to try it one time, of course and got a great laugh out of that!

Up early for tent church in the morning, so I need to get my rest.

God is good!

Alicia