"Field Posts"

Living far away from family is definitely a sacrifice—not just for us but for those family members we have left behind.  It seems more exaggerated with the ocean between us.  It’s during the holidays especially, that I am so thankful for this missionary community that we are apart of.  We all come from many different parts of the world; all missing our families and friends. I’m thankful that this community has become like family and that we are able to celebrate the big holidays together. Thanksgiving day is not a holiday in Haiti, but as an American, it’s one of the most important holidays of the year.  There are many different (Haitian) holidays we celebrate and observe throughout the year and many US holidays we tend to forget about.  For us, Thanksgiving isn’t one we forget about!  The last few years this has been a very special gathering for us and it wasn’t any different this year! Once again, we hosted over 100 people at our house for American Th...

Last Tuesday was an exciting day for me and for those of us who work with the Hope for Kidz Child Sponsorship Program because we rolled out phase two of the Deworming Program.  Earlier in the year, we rolled out phase one of the program.  I wrote a report in March on all the reasons we believe deworming (one pill, once per year) is an important part of the HFK program.  To read about that again, go here .  For the 2012-2013 school year we dewormed 9,000+ kids in 33 schools.  This year, we were able to add all the satellite locations that have sponsored kids as well as a few new sister church schools.  That alone is a huge expansion. For the 2013-2014 school year, we dewormed 12,000+ students and teachers! The deworming program is not just for the sponsored kids, but for every child in all of our schools that have sponsored kids.  For phase two, in addition to the increased number of students treated, we added an important aspect to the program:...

We had a great week out in Desriveaux. It was great to get out into the country once again. I spent the week with Walloon Lake Community Church in their first visit to Desriveaux Church. This was their first trip, an opportunity to consider officially becoming a C3 Partner (Sister Church).   Where is Desriveaux?   School Gathering The week began with a welcome like I have never experienced. There was such an excitement in the air as we arrived. The Haitian church shared immediately that they had been praying for 15 years for a visit from a team like this. Their prayers had been answered. The hospitality of the typical Haitian puts the hospitality of the typical American to shame. Friends.  Boys. While we were in Desriveaux, we had lots of gatherings with the different groups of the church. We met with the Youth Group, School Kids, the Ladies gathering was truly SPECIAL including a fashion show!, as well as several services with the church at large...

In Haiti, we have to remain flexible.  But, sometimes I think God has a sense of humor. Remember Hurricane Sandy in 2012?  I was stuck with the team from NewChurch Georgetown in the town of Duchity, on the wrong side of the Glass River...  Here are the pictures and a video to remind you. By the way, if you want to see what progress looks like in Haiti...  Look at this picture of the Glass River last year, and now look at this pictures of the bridge that is there this year. 1 year later, just a couple of weeks ago, we, yes, the same team and I, got stuck AGAIN in Duchity due to a road block.  The team and I just looked at each other.  Really?  Luckly, this time, we only stayed in Duchity about 45 minutes and the road opened up.  It gave us a nice opportunity to visit with our friend the Pastor, who we had spent those long, windy and very wet days with 1 year ago. Here we are, stuck in Duchity, Haiti Again, yes, AGAIN, a third time,...