Haiti Round 2: Day 5

What a sweet team God orchestrated to serve on this team!  Each person serving others and sharing Gods love in unique ways.

Today was our last day spending time at the children's home. Over the last few days we have depended greatly on God's provisions, whether worldly things as electricity and air conditioning, or spiritual peace and comfort.  The time we spent with the kids today included a lot of playing ball, jumping rope, playing Uno, singing, crocheting and simply loving on the sweet kids.  

Others have reassured us of how much of a blessing we will have been to the children, however, I have seen that our team has been blessed beyond measure by those in Haiti. 

The best part of today was the worship time with the kids where Jordan played the guitar. The the kids also serenaded our team, then surrounded us with prayer before we left. What a sweet, sweet time! After saying goodbye, we then arrived at the guesthouse and after dinner we had worship time on the front porch with the Vaval family and friends! Kristie sang while Jordan played guitar. What a beautiful time of restoration. During these sweet worship times I have seen a true relationship built with this community.

Yeah God!

-Donna

Haiti Adult Day 3

We all woke up for our 7:30 breakfast this morning and it was clear that today is the halfway mark, but of course the Lord still did some seriously awesome work. To me, this trip is unique because the bulk of our work is not building things, painting things, or cleaning things, but instead it's all about building relationships. I'm an emotional, touchy-feely, warm fuzzy type of person, so this specific kind of work is completely breaking my heart and revealing the goodness of the Father all at the same time. 

At the end of breakfast, Devin gave a short devotional and challenged us to ask the Lord which individual, unique gift He has given us specifically for this trip. So today I became an internal processor and took quite a few moments to just stop and look around at our group as we served. It was the most beautiful site to see. 

The fruits of the Spirit lesson today at the orphanage was awesome. The kids were so attentive and respectful! They colored their own name sign and decorated it with "fruit" stickers, to remind them of the fruits of the Spirit. One of the boys that I've grown close with just stared at me and smiled as I helped him write his name (Schneider) on his name sign. He doesn't know english at all and yet he looked at me and said I was doing a good job. These kids are changing me and blessing me more than I had imagined and I am praising Jesus for His sweet, intentional work in me this week. 

Today was my first Haitian church experience and I cannot believe how incredibly faithful, prayerful, and worshipful these people are. Not to mention we were all drenched in sweat the whole two hours! The kids also sat in during church today and even they were raising their hands, closing their eyes, and worshipping the Lord. We all smiled when we realized the pastor was speaking on the fruits of the Spirit (Galations 5:16-25). God is so good. :) 

Each day on this trip, the Lord has shown us that He is at work here and sometimes it practically brings me to tears. I am usually a pretty anxious person, but the few things I thought would be obstacles on this trip have been completely removed by the Lord: the fear of safety, the fear of sickness, and the fear of language barriers. 

The Lord continues to rejuvenate us each morning so that we can pour out again and again. This is my first ever mission trip and I can't believe I've gotten the opportunity to serve alongside my husband, my sister, my mom, and my cousin! I'm so thankful. 

Also, I love fried plantains. 

-Graysen

Uganda Update Day 300026

Today we started the day by going to Phil's kids house to visit with the children one last time. When we arrived only the secondary kids were there as the primary children were still in school. We had a great time playing with them. Sam was in a group with Regina, Moses, Gabriel, Ruth and several other kids who started out hitting volleyball and ended up playing keep away. The kids were all so excited to have someone playing with them! The joy on their faces was great to see. Samuel, Peter Longoli and I sat around and talked for a while Hannah and a few of the kids threw an American football around. I will say they are better at soccer than football but they were all having so much fun and it was fun watching Hannah (future football star) teach them how to throw the ball. I got to see Scovia today and she looked good though she told me that Susan was sick with Malaria. Phil was in Kampala getting the truck fixed so we didn't get a chance to see him. But we thoroughly enjoyed the time with the kids. Moses wanted to be sure Jen that we told you he was praying for you and he loved you. Judy, Samuel wanted me to tell you that he loves you more than anyone in the whole world. Those two kids are amazing. I really will miss them all when we leave.

 

I then dropped the girls back at Musana so they could continue with "their" projects (Hannah with the dining room walls and Sam with the sign for Sol Café) and I got back into the car to head to Bulubandi. 

Arriving back at Musana I found Sam in the room sewing letters onto the sign for Sol Café. The final product is great and Patrick at the restaurant loves it. I immediately put on my paint clothes and joined Hannah at the wall. She is still creating remarkable things and relegating me to writing quotes. Today I wrote two – all the while talking to Isaac and several of the other kids. He is such a bright little boy. He kept asking me question after question about everything. He finally said, "I need to know your name". I told him my name was Suebee (Sue is too hard to pronounce) and he said I should have picked another name because that was hard to say. I responded by saying I didn't have a choice, my mother picked the name when I was born. I asked him how he got his name. He grinned really big, and told me his mama picked his too! After about two hours of painting and talking I called it a day and took my first real shower in two days. I can honestly say being clean never felt so good. Then Kyemba came back and off to Sol Café we went for Trivia night. I am proud to say I have a perfect record at that game. I am not so proud to say that my record is perfect in losing!! Andrea shared her story with us of how she came to be at Musana and all the struggles she went through in the first several years to get the school off the ground and running. It is an amazing story and reinforces that God was a part of this plan from the very beginning. It is unbelievable that as a young 20 year old she didn't give up but instead fought every battle and challenge that came her way. Today as she looks back she realizes that there are many things she would do differently in hindsight and is glad she had the guts to realize where they were making mistakes and had the courage to change directions. Acknowledging mistakes and the willingness to make changes is what has made Musana so successful over the years. That and the faith they have and the love they all share for the children and for each other.

 

So tomorrow is our last day here. Hard to believe this journey is almost over. It has been wonderful! I will miss the people, the countryside, Kyemba, all of Musana and chappati. I will not miss cold showers. I love you all.

 

Sue/Mom 

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Preparing to Say Goodbye...

Happy Anniversary to my seester and her husband! It was great to talk to you and hear your voice! I'm looking forward to when we can do that on a regular basis!

 

We got up early this morning (actually Hannah and Sam woke me up), our second day without water, and after a breakfast of Sarah's delicious eggs we headed back to the dining room to paint. We didn't pass go; we didn't collect our two hundred dollars.  We just collected our paint and got right to work. I finished the verse I started yesterday and wrote another one. Sam painted two new ones and Hannah created a new and wonderful design. Yesterday she was a little stressed that the job wouldn't get finished but after today I think she is feeling a little more confident. What she is designing is absolutely beautiful. The collection of creativity just blows me away. I am in my element just printing verses.

 

The kids still swarm us at every break they have. They are fascinated by the artwork. Even Gideon came down late this afternoon and painted the tires on his bicycle. Emma helped him (each side of the tires was a different color) though he told me this would just lead to the bicycle being stolen! But Gideon was having so much fun and was so proud of his work! Watching him paint was a very joyous experience! I will be amazed if my camera makes it back to the US in one piece. It now has touches of paint and is covered in orange dirt. The kids all try to grab it after each picture to see what they look like. Then as a group they all break into giggles. I have learned to be quick to take a picture and then to quickly lift the camera over their heads to display each picture! I love these faces! They are all beautiful.

 

The kids finished their exams today. Vicki, I spoke with both Solomon and Benjamin and told them you were interested in how they did. Both assured me they had done very well and both were happy that you had asked. It seems that every child I talked to feels good about their performance! That speaks so highly for the education they receive at Musana.

 

As I write this there is the constant sound of hammering in the background. Sam is in the kitchen hammering new fabric onto the sign for Sol Café. We have promised that it will be ready by tomorrow. With painting all day Sam is going to be up late sewing on the letters. She has taken full ownership of this project and she is serious about getting it done. I can't wait to see the final project. We asked Kyemba to go into town for us today to buy small nails. We probably need about 40; what we got was half a kilo! We now have enough nails to give every member of the Roman army their very own!! But we got them at the Ugandan price and not the Mzungu price so we are still ahead of the game! He also brought us chappati!! We were in heaven!

 

At the end of the day as the wind was blowing in and we were sure a storm was brewing I finished writing the first part of the Shema. There was a group of girls standing around me as I wrote the final word. I decided it was a good time to explain what the words meant. So I told them what we say every week in church that in God's smallest finger is enough power to transform the world. I then showed them how to say the Shema and had them say it with me. It was awesome seeing them raise their pinkie and repeat the words I had just written on the wall. I told them that every time they read those words they would know that God has the power to do anything. 

Tonight is our last dinner at Musana. I can't believe our time is almost over. It seems that we just got here and it is already time to go home. I have loved our time here. It has been the most productive trip I have ever been on both in terms of what we have accomplished and relationally. The projects have certainly helped to form relationships. And the relationships have led to other relationships. I am going to be so sad to head home and leave all these new friends behind. On the other hand, I am anxious to see my family and friends at home and share this trip. The pure joy we have experienced. 

 

Tomorrow we are heading to Phil's in the morning then I will bring Hannah and Sam back here to paint and I will head back to Bulubandi and Kokombo to finish some things I have started. I am hoping that these two stops don't take very long so I can get back and spend some time painting and with the kids. Tomorrow night is Trivia night at Sol Café. Hannah is putting together questions as I write. Those two young ladies have been incredible on this trip. They have done everything asked of them with pure willingness and have gone above the call of duty every single time. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve alongside them. I am so proud to have taken this trip with them. I can't wait to see what the future holds for them.

 

Thank you all for your prayers and your thoughts. We couldn't have done this without you. God has blessed us every step of the way.

 

Sue/Mom

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Adventures with Sue

I am starting tomorrow's blog tonightbecause I want to make sure I don't forget the excitement we just had. This huge bug got into my room and was flying around the light. Hannah, who is afraid of bugs, came in to save me with her shirt in hand and her toothbrush in her mouth. Next thing I know she is flinging her shirt at the bug and running away. This continued for a number of minutes as I am under the mosquito net fully protected and Sam is saying she will help in any way but has taken out her contacts and can't see a thing. Hannah is flinging away and jumping at every move. Finally the bug lands on the floor and I scoop it up in her shirt. Her next words are, "Don't squish it, I like that shirt". So outside we go, open the shirt up, fling the bug away and run into the room quickly closing the door! It was a good release for all of us! Hannah was a hero and Sam provided good support! Now fully exhausted from the day, we are all going to bed! 

Ok, turns out the bug we were so afraid of Sarah fries and eats for breakfast! She eats our enemy! She has an entire cup full of them ready to eat. I am so glad to have Bill Miller right down the road!!! All I can say is bugs beware. Sarah is on the prowl! She actually came in our room with a whole pot of them tonight and offered a few to us. I am a little embarrassed to say we all politely turned her down! She just smiled and downed another one!

Sam here! Since Hannah and I stayed at Musana painting most of the day, I thought I would add a bit about that for the blog tonight. If it hasn't been mentioned in previous blogs, Hannah has been tasked with painting the entire dining hall…which is very big. So today she managed to get most of the longer walls done. She has separated it into about three sections: a sky full of hot air balloons, two elephants playing with kids, and a sea. The sea hasn't been finished yet, but she has really big plans for that scene! Once she's finished it, I'll write about it and hopefully include a picture. I spent the day helping Hannah by painting the columns between sections and later working on a sign for Musana. At Musana's restaurant, Sol Café, there is a fabric sign they use to hang and sell jewelry made by Musana's ministry. They have asked us to redo it, so today I worked on finishing the fabric letters for the sign and removing the old fabric. All that's left is to attach the new fabric and sew the letters on. Once I finished what I could for the sign, I went back to help Hannah (as best as I could). It was really fun to paint the walls, especially later in the day when school is over. At that point, most of the kids have either gone back home for the day or have gone to play and do other things. A few kids will hang around us while we paint, so Hannah and I let them help us make flowers on the columns and waves in the water. Some kids like to add some paint and then go back to watching us, but a few of the older kids were really into painting. I enjoyed watching them play around with different colors and patterns on the wall; they really had a knack for it! I hope that if it's not already, art becomes something that those kids keep as a hobby, because they seemed to truly enjoy it and took pride in what they made. All in all it was a long, really fun day! 

It was a good day and I feel I was able to wrap up a lot of loose ends. I am so thankful for this trip and the peace I have felt. I know we are serving exactly where we are meant to be. I thank God for his grace in leading us to this place and the joy he has given us on our journey! Kari, you are in my prayers and thoughts. You are beautiful and talented. You are capable of doing anything. I believe in you with all my heart. I can't wait to hear from you… 

May God Bless you all!

Sue/Sam

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Haiti Round 2: Day 1 & 2

Well, we made it and it is so good to back! Waking up at 2am to be at the airport on time was not ideal, but today, by the grace of God, I feel rested and refreshed. Flying into Port au Prince is always an experience. When looking out of the window at the city, you see nothing but rusted sheet metal roofs and lots of dirt. The airport was crowded  and slightly overwhelming, but our translators take such good care of us. From the airport, we hopped into the tap taps to head to the market to buy a few supplies....primarily water because it is extremely hot! In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm checking to see if the street lights are lit indicating the city power is on! When the street lights are on, our AC works in the room, but as of right now....it's not looking good... so we're preparing for another warm night.  

When we finally made it to the guest house, Francois and her daughters welcomed us with open arms. They are such a precious family. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing in order to prepare for our first full day. 

Today (Monday), we started the day off at the museum so we could learn a little more about the history of Haiti. Wow.... the knowledge of where this country has come from is a game changer. After the museum, we went to the top of a mountain to a lookout area where we could see the entire city. It was beautiful!! The tiny houses lining the mountain and the crystal blue water along the coast were breathtaking to see. After we "ooh'd and ahh'd" and took a few pictures, we headed to the orphanage. This was what I was most excited about today. Since my last trip over a year ago, I've been looking forward to seeing two specific girls in the orphanage, Wilna and Kieshna. I searched everywhere for them only to find that their families had come for them and they were no longer in the orphanage. In that moment, I was experiencing such conflicting emotions. I was incredibly sad that they were gone, but so grateful that their families had found them. The rest of the kids were so excited to see us. They have an indescribable joy that is amazing to witness. We played jump rope and soccer most of the time, however there is nothing sweeter than sitting in the dirt with one of those precious kids in your lap. I want to bring them all home! 

We ended the day with a delicious meal prepared by Francois and her girls. After dinner, we spent time worshipping and talking about the days events. I can already see the Lord working in this team and I am so excited to see what He has in store for the next several days. Thank you all so much for your constant prayer. We are so grateful to be here! Stay tuned for more updates!

Kali

Blessings

Hello there friends!

I hope that this blog finds everyone well and happy. 

After a couple days traveling around Iganga dropping off various supplies, going to church, and visiting friends, we were glad to have a day to spend at Musana. Most of my day was filled with staring at a blue wall while I painted it. Another wall of the dining hall is officially finished! This one is covered with clouds, sunbeams, and hot air balloons. I had to explain to the students and staff what a hot air balloon was, because apparently they aren't common in Uganda. Musana had also previously asked us if we could redecorate a bulletin board used for hanging and displaying jewelry for sale in Sol Café. Originally, the sign had cloth words stitched onto it saying Musana Children's Jewelry. This gave off the wrong impression that this jewelry is being sold to support some poor orphans at a home. Musana is not about using pity to try and buy support for their students. It is almost entirely self sufficient with over six hundred students, along with wonderful teachers and staff. They support themselves through a very large farm, Sol Café, a new bakery, and the craft room. Any donations they receive are used to help start up new programs and business ventures like a brand new hospital here in Iganga. The beautiful crafts sold at Sol are made by women in the community who were previously in unstable conditions. Musana seeks to empower these women and everyone else associated with the school including their students and staff. Therefore, the sign will soon be changed to say "Musana Crafts". Sue went into town with our driver Kymba to purchase some navy blue fabric for the sign and pick up some beautiful tie dyed fabric scraps from the women in the craft room. Samantha has been using the scraps to cut out the new letters to be sewn onto the sign. After a busy day, we were all back in our room around six o'clock exhausted. After seven hours of painting, I laid on the floor of our room for a while not even wanting to get up and shower. Thankfully for the sake of Sue and Samantha, I managed to shower before we headed to the dining room for dinner. Sarah had prepared rice, g-nut sauce, fresh pineapple, and Irish potatoes. Leah, Yvonne, Andrea, and little Dezi joined the interns and us for dinner tonight. It is so strange to think that we only have four days left here in Uganda, but I think that will be the perfect amount of time for Sue, Samantha, and I. While we will be very sad to leave Uganda and our friends, we are also looking forward to getting back home to our families and friends in the States. It has really been a special trip for us all. God has really blessed me personally on this trip with so many new friends and experiences. While the team was here, Tamara gave a BEAUTIFUL devotional about blessings. A blessing from God is not wealth or success or even health necessarily, even though it might include those things. Being blessed by God means to simply be in His presence and have your heart changed by experiencing His Glory. I can say for myself and the whole team that we have truly been blessed by God here in Uganda with His presence and perspective. We look forward to returning home soon with hearts that have been grown, stretched, changed, and matured. 

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Love Hannah

 

(P.S. Mom, Please buy me some dark chocolate for when I get back! I love you!!)

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