Hey hey hey! Karen and Tim here (:

So we got up before the crack of dawn at 4:30am this morning (for some, 2 days in a row) for a great opportunity to see the countryside of Pignon, Haiti. We took a hike (about 3 miles each way) through corn fields in the mountains to visit a bat cave. The views were spectacular and in terms of difficulty, it was definitely… not Rancho San Antonio. We basically had to make our own trail and all got pretty cut up, but it was SO much fun.

When we entered the bat cave, there was a snake hanging, we could hear the bats hissing, and the rocks were ridiculously slippery. We thought it was slippery due to mud, but what was actually causing it was a layer of bat guano (poop) over everything. Once inside, with our lights we could see thousands of bats swarming around in circles, eating the bugs by our heads. We also got a chance to check out this corner of the cave that had remains of voodoo sacrifices of animals. This was when the more adventurous group went further down into the bat cave and found they had to cross a river of bat guano. Luckily, no one fell in, or else they would’ve had bat guano up to their waist… Anyway, we went back down the mountain on a different route, and some of us got some fresh mangos from a tree to snack on. (The mangos here are aaaaaaaaamazing.) It was incredible.

After lunch (and a nap), we had a chance to sit down with the board of UCI (United Christians International) and hear about their vision for their organization. It was refreshing and encouraging to see their passion for the glory of God in Haiti and their excitement for the future. God is working through their ministry in such powerful ways and the impact they’ve made on this community in the past 5 years alone is just the beginning of what is possible here through God’s people and His grace.

After the meeting, we were supposed to accompany the youth group to clean up the marketplace, but the weather made it so that it wasn’t possible to go. It had started pouring, so instead we had a chance to distribute clothes and shoes to the youth group. The kids were so polite and excited about it, and seeing the joy on their faces as they got to pick out their new clothes and shoes was, as MasterCard (or Jim) says, priceless. Dave even got some of the boys to get ties to wear to church tomorrow.

JeanJean then took us down the road to a sugar cane press. We learned about how they took raw sugar cane and ran it through a homemade press consisting of a large wooden crank and two oxen in order to produce sweet sugary syrup.

We could go on forever, but… Today was awesome, it’s time for dinner, keep praying for God to move, aaaaand that’s it!

P.S. The food here is BOMB.

Bye!

Hello to All,

This is Lauren here to tell you all about our Day 2 here in Pignon, Haiti.

First off, I want to talk about some things that we did last night :) When we arrived, our amazing cooks had a meal for us which was awesome because we were famished after our journey to Pignon. They cooked goat meat and plantains along with fresh baked bread. YUMMY! After our meal, we had an orientation meeting with the Mompremiers and they gave us a tour of their land. Let me share.... not at all what I expected. We heard that God was doing amazing things to the compound, but they have a beautiful home along with a worship center, nutrition center right there on their land. Also, they are in the process of building a school, which will be ready for the school year in September, and thanks to team 1, there is a newly constructed basketball court. There is a garden and soon to be water tower where the communities around the compound can come and get fresh water! About an hour later, we helped the nutrition center hand out food rice to the kids. They were so thankful and thrilled to eat food!!

That night after dinner, we gathered together and had an amazing worship night. Ryan led with the guitar and we just sang song after song. Tracy and Dave were the first ones to tell their testimonies to the team which were so encouraging. It was awesome being together as a team for one purpose... to honor and glorify our God! Also last night, Ryan and Dave encountered one of Haiti's native creatures.... TARANTULA!!! We were all about to go to bed and all of a sudden we hear screaming for the guy's room! Apparently, Dave yelled at Ryan when he saw a very furry tarantula climb on to Ryan's bed and on to his pillow! Jean Jean came in with a broom and heroically got the spider out of the room! Whew... What a day!!!

Okay, now let me just say this has been such a great day full of activities and some awesome times with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. This morning we had the option of waking up at 4 A.M. and attending a morning worship and service with some of the Haitians in the nearby community. I along with Jennifer, Bonnie, Dana, Palusa, Ryan, Stan, and Tim all sat and listened to the Haitians sing at the top of their lungs to God! Seriously, what I have noticed so far is that worship for them is a constant, ongoing act. When they sing it is loud for everyone to hear! When they work, it is with passion! It is so encouraging and amazing to see! After our church service this morning, we met for breakfast and got ready for our first day of work!
The tasks today....One- digging trenches for the electrical wires which was handled by Carl, Jim, Stan, and Ryan. These guys we have to give props to because they planned the whole layout around the compound and started to dig in hot hot weather!! Good job guys!! Two- laying out concrete and painting doors for for this new house. Here, Bonnie, Jennifer, Catherine, Tracy, Dana, Brandy, and myself painted and played with the kids! The guys, Tim, Dave, and Kris helped out the local guys shovel and carry the concrete! Our two translators, Crazy Animal and Frito were so nice to break the communication barrier with us and the kids! Thanks guys!
3- Organizing and laying out all the donated clothes and shoes for the distributions! Props to Karen, Leslie, Taylor, and Palusa for organizing that for the kids! There will be more to come on how the distributions went!

Well, dinner is almost on the table so that is all I can do for now. There is still so much to say but we will save some stuff to tell in person! I do have a prayer request at the moment though... please pray for physical healing since she has been feeling sick since we have arrived. We have been praying here for her and she is doing better today which is a praise!!

Until next time.... Lauren

So hey this is Tuba Tim signing in for first post of the Team 2 Haiti trip. I'm pretty sure that words won't even come close to being able to describe what we've experienced so far, but I will try. We started out arriving 6 hours early to the San Jose Airport in order to make sure all of our bags got through. This gave us a great chance to hang out with each other, play the name game (at which Ryan excelled) and even learn to play spades with Carl's oh so exciting "electrical supply special edition" playing cards. The rest of our flights were uneventful, save for a few noteworthy things worth mentioning:

-In Miami I cut ahead of Selena Gomez (yes, THAT Selena Gomez) boarding onto our plane to Miami and I didn't even know it was her and that she was on our flight untill after.
-Jim made us a mascot out of a paper bag that would make Jim Henson jealous.
-Tracy survived without any meltdowns .
-Ryan did work and got us 7 carts for our luggage in Port Au Prince for $14 instead of $40.
-Kris was a trooper and flew with all of our luggage by himself on the last leg of our flight in the smallest plane ever.

Upon reaching Port au Prince we were greeted with our first major challenge as the airplane company that was supposed to charter us told us that we had never paid. Our fearless leader Davey came through big as he worked the counter with Jim and Ryan. Our amazing girls at one point all gathered around for an intense prayer session in the middle of the busy airport. Needless to say God (and Jim's Visa Card) came through big in the end and we were finally on our way to Pignon.
Upon touching down in the grassy field that serves as Pignon's Airport, we were greeted by an amzing welcoming committee made up of Jon Jon, Kristie, and a bunch of wide eyed children who seemed just as curious to see us as we were them. We then all piled onto the school bus, or, the Mompremier-mobile, and headed down the road to what will be our new home for over the next week.

Ok I've written enough for now, probably too much...untill next time...

Tuba Tim

This is it
We are leaving in two hours to head to the airport. This will be the final blog from Haiti. We cannot wait to see our families and friends, yet we will miss the new family and friends we will leave behind.

Yesterday was finishing project day. Jason and Amy painted lines on the basket ball court. The basket ball court is done and Pastor Larry, Donovan, Peter, and Jason played a few games with the boys. Others help put the roof on the house that was in need. Brittany, Karen, Kat, JC, Jessica and Aissa all washed the walls in the worship center and did some much needed painting. Debbie A., Debbie B., Pat and myself organized the church library and got things ready for when the school year starts. Kim, our artist in the group, painted a mural on the roof of the bus.

We had an chance to help the local community. They had a market, just for us, where we could buy hand made things to bring home. At night the boys youth choir came to sing for us.

To all who have been praying, THANK YOU! God is doing great things in Haiti. We will be heading to Miami and debriefing before we come home to San Jose. We will not be returning the same way we left. God has done a work in our hearts and we need time to refelect before we go back to our everyday lives.

Team 2,
We are praying for you. We know God will use you in a mighty way. We trust Him to keep you close as a team and to God Himself. Thank you for your servant hearts.

Signing out,
Kathy

Good Morning,
Praise God for letting us see another day that He has made. Yesterday we went to the weekly farmers market. Quite the experience. You have vendors on both sides of a dirt road. You will see rice next to soap for sale. You will also see goats, cows, donkeys, pigs and chickens. They had a food court of people cooking so you could eat while you were shopping. They had a bakery where you could buy hot bread on the spot; many of us did. You spend much of your time trying to stay clear of animals and motorcycles, yet we complain when there are more than 3 people ahead of us at Safeway:)

We met with the UCI board members yesterday and that was eye opening. The board shared with us what the ministry vision is and how they are going about accomplishing it. How they are empowering people by partnering with them and not just giving hand outs. They shared how God is their sole provider; there is no government assistance. We also learned that the Hation government has sold it's rights to it's natural resources and therefore exporting is not an option.
Many of us left the meeting with heavy hearts, because we see how God is using UCI and how this ministry is making a difference in the life of the people, but sad because so much more could be happening, but the government is a stumbling block. Our team prayer is that God would change the heart of the government officials in Haiti. Despite what is going on in the government our trust is in God and we know that He is in control.

Brother Bob did devotion last night and he shared from 2Timothy 8-12. He reminded us that though we do not have all the answers and often wonder about things going on around us, that it is not about circumstances, but about who we put our trust in. OUR TRUST IS IN GOD ALONE!

Today we will work on a home that needs roof and we will go to another local market. This market will benefit the local community where we have been staying.

We are almost home, see you all soon.

Kathy

Bon Jour,
The men's choir last night was phenominal. There are 32 men in the choir and 27 came last night in the rain to sing for us. We had a wonderful time worshiping together. We went around the room and got to know eachother. The men's choir has been together for 30 years and has had the same leader for the past 29 years. The leader was sharing with us that he had 10 children, but one died in the earthquake so, now he has 9. The amazing thing is to know what he shared and watch how he praises God.

We went to 2 church services today. The first one was this morning at 8:50 am. We packed in the bus 3 people to a seat. It was great! We sang for our Hation brothers and sisters and the Holy Spirit spoke through Pastor Joel on salvation. The church was packed out with everyone in their Sunday best. Then we came home. I am sharing this because today is the sabath and the lovely women who usually cook for us are resting. We made our own fancy lunch; peanut butter and jelly sandwiches:) We then attended an outreach service(or a come as you are service), here at the compound. The service started at 2pm. People just kept pouring in. Bob and Pastor Larry brought in every extra bench and chair we had and still people were sitting around on the ledge of the building and others were standing. The youth boys choir sang, the youth girls choir sang, as well did we. Pastor JonJon delivered the message and at the end there was an altar call and 5 people gave their lives to Jesus. Yes one was the woman I mentioned a few days ago, the former witch doctor's daughter. Thank you for believing with us. This siter has stepped out of darkness and into the light. THANK YOU JESUS! When service was over we spent sometime in fellowship getting to know the people. Pastor Larry grabbed his guitar and Debbie A., Debbie B., Kim, Pat and Karen all spent time doing fun songs with the kids.

There was a soccer game this afternoon and they wore all the uniforms we brought. Thank you Rolling Hills. Jason and JC played with the boys and the community gathered to watch.

Amy volunteered to make dinner. She has been spending lots of time in the kitchen with the ladies this past week, so she really knows her way around. Karen and Aissa are helping her. I think we are eating fried rice tonight. Lets just say we can't wait for the ladies to come back tomorrow.

Tomorrow we will get back to work on the basketball court and finish it. We will also visit the local market where we can but goats and pigs and things of that sort. I will let you know more about it tomorrow.

We miss you all A LOT!

Kathy

Good morning all,
Praise God for new day and that His JOY comes in the morning. We had a very sucessful VBS yesterday. We saw our brothers and sisters really using their gifts. Stevo, who has served our country in the military has much medical experience and did infection control yesterday. He took all the kids with cuts and open wounds and cared for them. He removed a bot fly from a boys leg.(for those who don't know what that is, because I didn't either, until yesterday, it's a fly that plants itself in your skin and lays it's eggs and then they eat away at your flesh) Pat showed much patience helping the younger children with their craft. Pastor Larry, Debbie, Jessica, JC, Karen, Kat and Stevo also demonstrated their acting abilities as they did a skit for the children based on the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It was hilarious. Kim, Amy, Jason, and JC took one for the team yesterday, they stayed out in the sun throughout the entire VBS and did sports with the kids. The sun in Haiti is no joke, their gift of compassion and kindness tword their team mates did not go unnoticed.

Jessica delivered a message last night at devotion time about the gifts God has given us and how we use them to serve him. She shared about the arm and the leg and how we need both, but that they are attached to one body, God's body of believers. She did GREAT! Jason piggy backed off that with Romans 12 and Karen brought in Phillipians and reminded us not worry or be anxious for anything, which was an ontime word. God's love is so amazing!

This morning a group of us started our day at 4am and we hiked to a voodoo cave. It was a very different experience. The hike was physically challenging(at least for me). We saw snakes in trees, bats and stuff left over from sacrifices. It did not smell nice in the cave. We made it back 5 hours later and now I am blogging with you. We have a choir coming to sing for us tonight. Stay tuned for tomorrow because it's Sunday and we are going to CHURCH!!! Please keep Pastor Joel lifted as he will be delivering a message of salvation tomorrow.

Thank you for loving Jesus and thank you for your prayers.

Kathy