I know it has been a while, and I know you are tired of me talking about Haiti. Hopefully this will be the last Haiti post for a while. But I can't stop thinking about my trip to Haiti, which is why I haven't posted anything different on here in a while. It has been about 2 1/2 months since I went to Haiti, but my heart is still there. I love the people and the beauty of the country. Beauty you say? Yes, absolute beauty. It is hard to even imagine or describe without seeing it, but the mountains there are beautiful. Hence Haiti's name, meaning Land of Mountains. I know it is hard to believe I fell in love with such a place that is so poverty stricken, but maybe that's what makes it so great! They don't worry about what they will wear (except to church on Sundays) or getting home to watch tonight's best TV show. It's a land of community and helping one another, and I believe this is what we are all longing and searching for. We are just too caught up in the hustle and bustle to know exactly what it is we are looking for. We try to fill it with so many other things that just continue to leave us empty.
Anyway, I just wanted to share what was on my heart. Now let me ask you, where is your heart and your passion? Mine comes from God, and he has given me a heart for Haiti. Have you done the things you are passionate about? Have you let yourself be still enough to figure out what your passion is? Have you put your priorities in order?
Please feel free to share your comments.
brittany_dyer@yahoo.com
Showing posts with label Haiti. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Haiti. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
God is Great All the Time
Yes, I have more ramblings from my recent trip to Haiti. I am sorry that I continue to post about Haiti, but I want those who want to know about my trip to have the details they want. So for the next few weeks, if you don't want to know about my trip, you don't have to read my blog!
Anywho, after we went to the Children's Home on Monday, as I talked about in my last post, then I went to teach English in a tent camp in Karade. It was amazing to see how eager they were to learn English. In America, we cringe every time we step into a required foreign language class, but these Haitians were excited to be able to communicate with others in a different way. I was helping with the intermediate English class, so most of them could already understand and speak English for the most part. The class occurs on Mondays and Wednesdays; the first hour is set aside for teaching English and the second hour is an optional Bible Study. To my amazement at the end of class on Monday, all of the students agreed that they would rather study the Bible in English both hours on both days (all 4 hours) and learn English through learning about the Bible! So the class is going through Genesis now in order to understand about Creation. There was a question about Darwinism and Evolution, so they decided they wanted to study Genesis, so they could compare Evolution to Creation. Ah-mazing!
We were able to go back for half of the class on Wed., so I was able to hear John teaching them about Creation. John is amazing at teaching the Bible. He is so knowledgeable and inspired me to get more in the Word to know the ins and outs of the Bible in order to can teach others more effectively.
Monday night started the first of three nights of leading a Discipleship Training at the church. By the end of the 3rd night, the training seemed to be a big hit! We taught them to discover where they were on their path with Christ, to determine where their strengths and weakness lie in being a disciple, and challenged them to be proactive in being a disciple. At the end, the majority of the people at the church had come up with 3-5 names of people they wanted to begin to disciple! It was awesome!
On Tuesday, we also got to experience visiting with church members. We went out into the community and visited with new believers and church members and prayed for them. To my surprise, they did not pray for food because they were hungry or healing because they were sick, they prayed for spiritual guidance and strength! They want to share the name of Jesus to those they know! They have nothing, but they do not care because they love Jesus and know that Jesus loves them!
We were also able to meet with the Haitian ladies in the house that day. It was hard because none of them know English, so we had a communication barrier. The ladies were precious, and I am saddened because we were supposed to meet with them again on Wed., but were unable to because of that language barrier. They do not get much attention in the house, again because of the language barrier, and my prayer is that they will find a way to be included in the discipleship efforts much like the Haitian guys in the house. The Haitian guys do speak English, so they were able to communicate and have started a discipleship program. They also decided that they were going to start another ministry to help older adults-God Supports Adults Ministry. These guys pledged to give 15% of their weekly income to help people in wheelchairs and with special needs. We are talking about a country that lives on $1 a day, pledging 15% of their income to help others! I am speechless!
God is doing amazing things in Haiti!!
Anywho, after we went to the Children's Home on Monday, as I talked about in my last post, then I went to teach English in a tent camp in Karade. It was amazing to see how eager they were to learn English. In America, we cringe every time we step into a required foreign language class, but these Haitians were excited to be able to communicate with others in a different way. I was helping with the intermediate English class, so most of them could already understand and speak English for the most part. The class occurs on Mondays and Wednesdays; the first hour is set aside for teaching English and the second hour is an optional Bible Study. To my amazement at the end of class on Monday, all of the students agreed that they would rather study the Bible in English both hours on both days (all 4 hours) and learn English through learning about the Bible! So the class is going through Genesis now in order to understand about Creation. There was a question about Darwinism and Evolution, so they decided they wanted to study Genesis, so they could compare Evolution to Creation. Ah-mazing!
We were able to go back for half of the class on Wed., so I was able to hear John teaching them about Creation. John is amazing at teaching the Bible. He is so knowledgeable and inspired me to get more in the Word to know the ins and outs of the Bible in order to can teach others more effectively.
Monday night started the first of three nights of leading a Discipleship Training at the church. By the end of the 3rd night, the training seemed to be a big hit! We taught them to discover where they were on their path with Christ, to determine where their strengths and weakness lie in being a disciple, and challenged them to be proactive in being a disciple. At the end, the majority of the people at the church had come up with 3-5 names of people they wanted to begin to disciple! It was awesome!
On Tuesday, we also got to experience visiting with church members. We went out into the community and visited with new believers and church members and prayed for them. To my surprise, they did not pray for food because they were hungry or healing because they were sick, they prayed for spiritual guidance and strength! They want to share the name of Jesus to those they know! They have nothing, but they do not care because they love Jesus and know that Jesus loves them!
We were also able to meet with the Haitian ladies in the house that day. It was hard because none of them know English, so we had a communication barrier. The ladies were precious, and I am saddened because we were supposed to meet with them again on Wed., but were unable to because of that language barrier. They do not get much attention in the house, again because of the language barrier, and my prayer is that they will find a way to be included in the discipleship efforts much like the Haitian guys in the house. The Haitian guys do speak English, so they were able to communicate and have started a discipleship program. They also decided that they were going to start another ministry to help older adults-God Supports Adults Ministry. These guys pledged to give 15% of their weekly income to help people in wheelchairs and with special needs. We are talking about a country that lives on $1 a day, pledging 15% of their income to help others! I am speechless!
God is doing amazing things in Haiti!!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Inspirations from Haiti
I know it has been a while since my last post, and I apologize for that! Today's post is going to be a little different as well, and I hope you don't mind. I recently got back from a trip to Haiti and wanted to share some of the things I experienced there.
When we arrived on Saturday, I believe all of us were on sensory overload. We were excited to be in Haiti and ready to get to work, but before we could get out of the airport, we had to retrieve the 7 bags we checked. Now you may be thinking, "What's the big deal there?" Well, when you are in a country with an unemployment rate around 85%, everyone is trying to make money any way they can, so there are dozens of men trying to take your bags to your car. They want to take your bags to your car, so you will tip them and they can make some money. After fighting our way out of their airport, we hop in a van with Greg to learn that Haiti pretty much has no street laws. We are passing cars with no middle line, honking as we go by, bouncing up and down due to the rubble that still makes up the roads in Haiti. But finally and safely, we make it back to the Guest House where we will be staying. We are greeted by Zech, who will be our security man for the week. Zeck is a man a God, who will strike fear in anyone who wants to mess with him, but who is also the most caring gentle soul anyone could ever meet and get to know. We are also welcomed again by Greg and John, who give us the rundown of what we will be doing for the week. Greg is the main missionary for Chadasha, where we were staying. Chadasha is a foundation developed to serve the poor and make Jesus's name famous. Greg is one of the most amazing men I have ever met. He arrived in Haiti 2 days after the earthquake and has been plowing through Haiti ever since. He and his wife, Michelle, truly amaze me. (There will be more on John later.)
Side note: You can also check our Chadasha's blog at www.chadasha.blogspot.com
On Sunday, we attended Penier Baptist Church in Haiti, where we would be working for the majority of the week. Their church service was amazing! The congregation sang at the top of their lungs to God! It inspires me! It's hard to even describe the feeling I got when hearing them sing. I couldn't understand the words, but I knew they were giving their all to God. We also learned that the church had purchased the piece of property connected to it, so they can expand their church! Praise God! Little did we know when they made the announcement, that our guys would be working with them to begin digging the foundation the very next day! Our guys were excited and honored to work alongside the Haitian men to begin the addition to the church, but of course the Haitian men worked circles around them. They only gave them 2 hours to work because they knew they would be worn out! On Wed., Bryan Whitt returned to help them dig the foundation. I know he, as well as the rest of us, are excited to see God's glory shine in Haiti through this church and the people we met throughout the week.
We also ate lunch at a hotel where the UN stays and eats. It was ridiculous-they had a pool, great food, and I'm sure great accommodations. It was strange to see this fancied up place in the middle of Haiti, fenced off from the rubble that remains on the ground just outside.
We also went to a tent camp to see a little boy, KenKen, who had just turned a year old. A tent camp is a place set up for all the misplaced Haitians, whose home were destroyed during the Quake. They are made up of tarps and wood, which were sent by many foreign aid teams. KenKen just celebrated his first birthday in December, and it was overwhelming to see him. He has HIV/AIDS, TB, and is severely malnourished. KenKen is still tiny and has not met the developmental milestones for his age, such as crawling or walking, but God has proven that he is a BIG God by giving KenKen even one birthday! Continue to pray for KenKen as he continues to get stronger and grow.
We saw some amazing things upon our arrival in Haiti as well as during the first day. I will continue to update you on our trip, so check back over the next week to get more information.
When we arrived on Saturday, I believe all of us were on sensory overload. We were excited to be in Haiti and ready to get to work, but before we could get out of the airport, we had to retrieve the 7 bags we checked. Now you may be thinking, "What's the big deal there?" Well, when you are in a country with an unemployment rate around 85%, everyone is trying to make money any way they can, so there are dozens of men trying to take your bags to your car. They want to take your bags to your car, so you will tip them and they can make some money. After fighting our way out of their airport, we hop in a van with Greg to learn that Haiti pretty much has no street laws. We are passing cars with no middle line, honking as we go by, bouncing up and down due to the rubble that still makes up the roads in Haiti. But finally and safely, we make it back to the Guest House where we will be staying. We are greeted by Zech, who will be our security man for the week. Zeck is a man a God, who will strike fear in anyone who wants to mess with him, but who is also the most caring gentle soul anyone could ever meet and get to know. We are also welcomed again by Greg and John, who give us the rundown of what we will be doing for the week. Greg is the main missionary for Chadasha, where we were staying. Chadasha is a foundation developed to serve the poor and make Jesus's name famous. Greg is one of the most amazing men I have ever met. He arrived in Haiti 2 days after the earthquake and has been plowing through Haiti ever since. He and his wife, Michelle, truly amaze me. (There will be more on John later.)
Side note: You can also check our Chadasha's blog at www.chadasha.blogspot.com
On Sunday, we attended Penier Baptist Church in Haiti, where we would be working for the majority of the week. Their church service was amazing! The congregation sang at the top of their lungs to God! It inspires me! It's hard to even describe the feeling I got when hearing them sing. I couldn't understand the words, but I knew they were giving their all to God. We also learned that the church had purchased the piece of property connected to it, so they can expand their church! Praise God! Little did we know when they made the announcement, that our guys would be working with them to begin digging the foundation the very next day! Our guys were excited and honored to work alongside the Haitian men to begin the addition to the church, but of course the Haitian men worked circles around them. They only gave them 2 hours to work because they knew they would be worn out! On Wed., Bryan Whitt returned to help them dig the foundation. I know he, as well as the rest of us, are excited to see God's glory shine in Haiti through this church and the people we met throughout the week.
We also ate lunch at a hotel where the UN stays and eats. It was ridiculous-they had a pool, great food, and I'm sure great accommodations. It was strange to see this fancied up place in the middle of Haiti, fenced off from the rubble that remains on the ground just outside.
We also went to a tent camp to see a little boy, KenKen, who had just turned a year old. A tent camp is a place set up for all the misplaced Haitians, whose home were destroyed during the Quake. They are made up of tarps and wood, which were sent by many foreign aid teams. KenKen just celebrated his first birthday in December, and it was overwhelming to see him. He has HIV/AIDS, TB, and is severely malnourished. KenKen is still tiny and has not met the developmental milestones for his age, such as crawling or walking, but God has proven that he is a BIG God by giving KenKen even one birthday! Continue to pray for KenKen as he continues to get stronger and grow.
We saw some amazing things upon our arrival in Haiti as well as during the first day. I will continue to update you on our trip, so check back over the next week to get more information.
I will leave you with this: Jean Claude Duvalier was quoted saying, "It is the destiny of the people of Haiti to suffer." Jean Claude Duvalier, or Bebe Doc (Baby Doc), was the president of Haiti in the 70's and 80's. As you will see over my next few quotes, I believe this is far from the truth. I believe more along the lines of Pope John Paul II visit to Haiti when he said, "Something must change here." I believe things are changing. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti and for their hearts to change and to be softened to hear the voice of God.
brittany_dyer@yahoo.com
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