We made it!!! Yesterday we had safe travels. Challenges started in the US with the airlines and luggage, but God worked it out. We landed on a grass field in Pignon and were greeted by many beautiful Hatian children as well as the Mompremier's.

We visited our first feeding center yesterday, many children from surrounding neighborhoods; older children caring for their younger siblings. They sang songs of worship, lead by their beautiful teacher, and then we were able to share in serving a healthy meal to the kids.

Time to go, today we have a project I will fill you in on later. KEEP PRAYING

Kathy

Brittany shares about the Nutrition Centers in Haiti.

Today we've started to pack out bags and clean up as we prepare to leave. Many feel tore between wanting to leave and wanting to stay and do more. yesterday, we have the wonderful privilage of distrubuting food. (thank you to those of you that prayed for no rain it was on of the hottest days yet!) We were able to feed over 20 families for a week and all it cost was $150. Many US families spend that in a week just for a family of 4 or 5. The 5 house we went to was locked no parents home. When the door finally opened there were 4 malnutrition girls standing there ages 4-12. JeanJean told us this is really bad, the girls are left alone for hours on end and not feed. We left with them bags of rice, beans and cooking oil, most of us on the team were so moved we handed over our trail mix for the girls to eat right away. JeanJean said he had spoken to the parents before about the girls attending the nutrition center but they declined. JeanJean went back this morning to speak to them again, asking them to send their kids. This afternoon I'm pleased to say they all showed up and ate at the nutrition center and they each recieved a pair of shoes.


This morning we woke early to head down to the river and baptise a few people from the team! What an awesome exxperience... more photos to come.


We had another clinic this morning and treated another 30 people. Kristie does such a wonderful job working with these people. Her pharamancy always needs new supplies, but everything seems to come right when it is needed.


Yesterday we had our last VBS... what they didn't tell us about this one as that it was basically 80 two year olds! yes, you read that right 80 2 year olds! So come 11am it was melt down time followed by nap time. It was a true joy though to be with these little ones and hold them as they slept. At the end we gave them all of our remaining shoes... which were all small shoes. So it was prefect.

Before Lunch today we went and prayed for Andre a witch doctor. He asked us pray for him and to keep praying for him. In voodoo you sign a contract and if you break it before your committement is up their is fear that someone will kill you. Fear is a big thing here. We explained to him that Christ has already paid for his contract in full by his Son. JeanJean was telling us that fear is a HUGE thing here. So we ask you on behalf of Andre to pray for him, pray that God will break the strongholds in Andre's life that he will trust the Lord and not fear.


We ask for your prayers again as we travel back for safety. We also ask for you to pray that we hold on to what God has taught each of us here, that God uses each of us on the team to share this journey we've been on and what He is doing here in Haiti.


PS for those of you wonderful people that are picking us up at the airport: American Airlines arriving SFO at9:59pm from Maimi (sorry don't recall the fligt number)

Today was a busy day! We had VBC with around 100-120 kids, followed by shoe disturbution and clothes. We found out today that it is a requirment for all kids to have tennis shoes to go to school. Often times kids dont' go to school for one to two months due to their parents not being able to afford to buy tennis shoes. What a blessing not only these kids but for the parents. We meet with the Haitian board for UCI this evening and they said that they have parents coming up to them saying "thank you for the shoes" all the time now. It's amazing how God provides!

For the past two days we have had some very heavy afternoon/evening rain showers. It down pours for 3-5 hours straight. If you can pray because of the rain we have been unable to go and distrubute the food we have to give out. Please be praying that tomorrow and thursday between the hours of 3-7pm it stays dry, allowing us to go and deliever not only food but prayer to these people.

Thank you each so much for your prayers! Keep them up!

Enjoy the photos that will give you a glimps into what God is doing here! If you have it I suggest looking at the photos with the song "mighty to save" on as it seems to be our theme song here, we keep getting asked to sign it every where we go!

ps: on Thursday morning Elise & Tracy & Christe and others are going to be baptized in the river! The men's chore are joining us to sing, along with the local pastors and community! Photos to be posted!







VBC - Crafts




VBC - Drama time!





VBC - Sports Duck Duck Goss aka drip drip squeez

Well, this has truly been an amazing trip so far. We're all being eaten alive by mosquitos - thank God for our malaria medicine. We built walls for a house for a family who's mud and stone house was in a state of great deterioration, and we mixed and poured a concrete floor for another family who's children have suffered greatly from parasite infestation and disease. It's amazing to see how the community pulls together to help one another. The truly amazing thing is that just four years ago, that would not have been the case as this area was dominated by voodoo and fear. What little resources the people had was extorted from them by voodoo witch doctors under threat of a curse. Now, the people sing and laugh and come out to help and support one another. It's an amazing transformation! One local resident who left the area and moved to Port au Prince for work a couple years ago could not believe the transformation when he returned.

As others have already mentioned, we left at 4:30am for a strenuous hike to a voodoo cave in the mountains where sacrifices are still performed - bones and a skull from the most recent sacrifice still present. The entry to the cave was guarded by a couple of Pythons (or Boas), but they were too high in the tree to catch - those who know me know I tried. Anyway, we went as deeply into the cave as we thought safe given the slippery muddy bat gauno covered surfaces - it's rumored to go all the way through the mountain, but we chose not to find out. We then prayed through the cave before starting our hike back in the blistering heat of the morning.

We spent Saturday afternoon with a local youth group and had a great time putting on activities for the local kids (anyone 13-30 years old). There was a torrential downpour during our time with the youth group, which today we learned destroyed the former home of the family who we were building a new home for (we helped build the walls).

On Sunday we attended two church survices - one in Pignon at the church JeanJean grew up in, and another at a new church the Mompremier's started only 6 weeks ago - attendance was at least 300 which was amazing. Brooks delivered a brief message which was very well received.

Today we ventured to market, poured another concrete floor for a "dirt poor" family to help them overcome the constant illness and parasite infestation their children are suffering, sorted our craft supplies for the VBS programs we will be doing over the next 3 days, and provided a medical clinic for locals - we served 45 people today - we just wish we had more medication to serve more.

Anyway, we're about to deliver food to starving families, so I need to sign out. The sky is rumbling with thunder so we may get drenched. But a little inconvenience is nothing compared to the need here. We're honored that we get to help those who's needs are so much greater than our own. Thank you for your continued prayers.