Hello, Gary again.
Tonight I am afraid it is time for me to fess up. I will have to admit that I had serious misgivings about making this trip. I will explain.
I was first contacted about this trip by my cousin Claudia. I accepted because Claudia is one those people that simply loves everyone in the world and wants nothing more than to help everyone that needs it. It is a modest goal, but she is sincerely trying to accomplish it. I felt if she was involved in this it had to be great work.
A few weeks before our departure we had a team meeting. Being approximately a thousand miles away I decided to call in instead of driving to Tom and Shelly's house in the Twin Cities. During the call they went over the agenda for the week. It consisted of one day working a water truck bringing water into Cite Soliel, one of the most dangerous places on the planet I am told. This appealed to me and in fact was a great experience. The rest consisted of visits to hospitals, orphanages and schools. They didn't really say what they were going to do there, or I couldn't hear it over the laughter, they were so excited about going they couldn't control themselves, so I wondered what they wanted to accomplish. When they were done I asked what I felt was a very important strategic question ( that way they would know I was some kind of great planner, anyone who knows me would get a real charge out of that). I asked; "Are we going to look for opportunities for projects to help rebuild Haiti, my thought was we needed to get some value out of the visits. I was told that was really not their intent but if they did see something they would pass it on to others that handled that kind of thing. I was immediately deflated. I had thought we would go there, work hard, and make real changes in Haiti. Instead it sounded like we were going to do what many would call touchy feely, feel good things that meant more to those doing them than to those receiving them. I even shared this with a co-worker who has been on a couple of mission trips to Haiti where they did things like build playgrounds. I told him how disappointed I was and that I regretted agreeing to go. He just looked at me and said; "Why don't you wait to see how you feel after you have made the trip. These turned out to be words of wisdom.
If you have read my blogs from the last two days you will already see clearly how wrong I was, shamefully so. I will not go over everything from those days but I will try to explain the depth of my error. First off, it is exhausting work. The schedule is as full as can be tolerated. I have two full days left, and though I don't want them to end, I am already so tired I know it will be a hard push to finish. The exhaustion comes from, the work itself, the heat and humidity of Haiti and as I learned the constant rush of emotions constantly flowing over you. But none of this is really to the point of my shame. The point of my shame is my belief that touchy feely things are mostly fluff intended to make the doers feel better about themselves. One of my beliefs that was the basis for the former is that the people we were going to see would not get anything substantial from us, and if they did it would be so fleeting it could even do more harm than good because as soon as we left they would be right back to the misery they lived in. I felt it could make them even more miserable than they were before. Now lets take a look at reality.
Here is what really happened. Each place we went I found the people overwhelmed with gratitude and full of love for us. It was clear the result was not at all fleeting. The difference made would stay with them and give them hope and more than a little light in their lives. When we walked into a hospital room with lotion to rub on bed ridden patients they all eagerly placed themselves in a position that made it clear the anticipation of what we were going to do was high. If they weren't so sick, I would have said they were excited. I began with the intention of simply rubbing in the lotion as quickly as I could and moving on to the next. I was not at all enthused about rubbing on a strange man and many were in diapers. But as I worked God worked a small miracle in me. It quickly became obvious that the lotion was bringing great relief but more importantly their longing for loving human touch was bringing relief to their lonely soul. The next thing I knew, I was in full massage mode working as hard as I could to bring as much relief as possible to both their bodies and their souls. I even made a point of getting as far under the diapers as I could to bring relief to any rashes they might have. But that wasn't the miracle. The miracle is what it did for my soul. I found myself full of love for these men and boys to the point where I didn't want to leave until I was sure we had done all we could. Thank you Lord. This was just the beginning. When we visited the schools and orphanages I found the children would rush to greet us and jump into our arms. (I want to make it clear this is not from any willful neglect on the caregivers. The staffs at these places are truly dedicated loving people. Many giving all they have from their hearts and souls as well as financially to bring a better life to these children. It is simply an overwhelming task.) It was obvious the children looked forward to our coming with great anticipation. They were absolutely full of joy, even squealing with delight. The amazing part is they are the ones that brought the joy to us and filled us with their joy. I made the comment to members of our team that only someone made of stone would not be profoundly moved. The idea that the effect would be somehow fleeting, or even more absurdly as I now know, make them feel worse when we left, was completely smashed, and as before God worked his small miracle in me and enlarged my soul. I could go on like this for another twenty pages and still not get even remotely close to the depth of the feeling running through me, so all I will say now is the value of this work is so great it defies measurement. Why, because God is infinite, his love is infinite and so must be the result of any work he puts us to.
May God forgive my doubt.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Haiti Newbie Day 3
Hello, Gary again, trying to put in words the unexplainable experience of doing mission work in Haiti. In this addition Donnie, another newbie is going to help me make the attempt.
Today we were visiting elderly people being supported by Healing Haiti. Before getting to an incredible story, I will spend just a few minutes reminiscing about our visits to these very special people. These people are those, who without the assistance of Healing Haiti, would not be able to survive. In truth not all are elderly, some are young, but afflicted in ways that make them unable to fend for themselves. They are supplied basic needs, including food, water, and most importantly, love and affection, from the many groups that come to visit them. The reaction of these people is certain to pull on your heartstrings in such a powerful way that some have to step back from it. It is simply too overwhelming. A deeply moving example was one of the wonderful ladies we visited asked us to pray for her son who had gone to the hospital. What she did not know, is her son had died, and no one close to her dared to tell her. They were afraid of what would happen. This tore us all apart. All we could do was pray for her. We dare not interfere with something so complicated and deeply personal. It was during this visit that the incredible event occurred. At this, I will turn it over to Donnie, who was much closer to the happening than I.
From Donnie
As we were gathered around Merolen a young girl came running from a small shack behind us holding a tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket. She was had a anxious to show me the baby and put her in my arms. The young girl told me that the baby was born the evening before in the streets of Titanyen and that her mother was not well or able feed the baby. A few of us went to her home to pray for her and find out if there was anything we could do to help.
Back to Gary
As it turns out there was a great deal we could do to help. Our base of operations that morning was Grace Village, a healing Haiti school and orphanage with medical staff. Before going to visit another orphanage and school in the area, we returned to Grace Village and informed the staff of the issue. We were told a nurse and another staff member would be sent with formula and other medical supplies to see what needed to be done. We then went on to visit the next orphanage. As we left we saw them returning to Grace Village. We do not know what the final outcome will be. Whether the baby or the mother will survive (she was sick from giving birth with no assistance). But we do know they would have had little or no chance if we had not been there.
Many people will want to call this simply a fortunate coincidence. I just cannot see it that way. I believe to the bottom of my heart and soul, that God sent us there for for reasons we will never know or understand. It seems clear to me that we where already on God's work and were drafted, as only God can do, to carry out his work. While it is certain this can never be proved, I know everyone of us felt the Father's hand in this, and were awed, and humbled to have been used by him.
I am now three days in, and the experience just seems to get more profound as I go. I lament my poor ability to share this in anyway that really touches how I feel. I know that if really could do that, it could move mountains, never the less, I will try in the hopes that maybe just one person will decide that they are called to help in some way the great work that is being done Healing Haiti.
I will pray for that.
Today we were visiting elderly people being supported by Healing Haiti. Before getting to an incredible story, I will spend just a few minutes reminiscing about our visits to these very special people. These people are those, who without the assistance of Healing Haiti, would not be able to survive. In truth not all are elderly, some are young, but afflicted in ways that make them unable to fend for themselves. They are supplied basic needs, including food, water, and most importantly, love and affection, from the many groups that come to visit them. The reaction of these people is certain to pull on your heartstrings in such a powerful way that some have to step back from it. It is simply too overwhelming. A deeply moving example was one of the wonderful ladies we visited asked us to pray for her son who had gone to the hospital. What she did not know, is her son had died, and no one close to her dared to tell her. They were afraid of what would happen. This tore us all apart. All we could do was pray for her. We dare not interfere with something so complicated and deeply personal. It was during this visit that the incredible event occurred. At this, I will turn it over to Donnie, who was much closer to the happening than I.
From Donnie
As we were gathered around Merolen a young girl came running from a small shack behind us holding a tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket. She was had a anxious to show me the baby and put her in my arms. The young girl told me that the baby was born the evening before in the streets of Titanyen and that her mother was not well or able feed the baby. A few of us went to her home to pray for her and find out if there was anything we could do to help.
Back to Gary
As it turns out there was a great deal we could do to help. Our base of operations that morning was Grace Village, a healing Haiti school and orphanage with medical staff. Before going to visit another orphanage and school in the area, we returned to Grace Village and informed the staff of the issue. We were told a nurse and another staff member would be sent with formula and other medical supplies to see what needed to be done. We then went on to visit the next orphanage. As we left we saw them returning to Grace Village. We do not know what the final outcome will be. Whether the baby or the mother will survive (she was sick from giving birth with no assistance). But we do know they would have had little or no chance if we had not been there.
Many people will want to call this simply a fortunate coincidence. I just cannot see it that way. I believe to the bottom of my heart and soul, that God sent us there for for reasons we will never know or understand. It seems clear to me that we where already on God's work and were drafted, as only God can do, to carry out his work. While it is certain this can never be proved, I know everyone of us felt the Father's hand in this, and were awed, and humbled to have been used by him.
I am now three days in, and the experience just seems to get more profound as I go. I lament my poor ability to share this in anyway that really touches how I feel. I know that if really could do that, it could move mountains, never the less, I will try in the hopes that maybe just one person will decide that they are called to help in some way the great work that is being done Healing Haiti.
I will pray for that.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Word of the Day
Hello, my name is Gary. Tom has asked me to take a few minutes to share the experience of a first timer to Haiti with the Healing Haiti mission group. After giving this a little thought I decided to use a technique we do every evening. It is called "Word of the Day". We each pick a word that best explains how we feel after a day spent with the wonderful people of Haiti. This time it will cover my first two days. The word I choose is "deep".
Deep are the feelings that have swirled around me from the time I get out of bed until I am back in bed. I don't think I can cover them all, but I will do my best.
Exhaustion; this can be from spending way too much time in the airport which resulted in getting us in late. It can also be be from working your backside off delivering water to crowds of people who are desperate, and have to line up to get what we all take for granted. But, maybe, the most exhausting is handling the barrage of feelings. They can rocket up and down with unbelievable speed.
Elation at seeing joy in the faces of people, either struggling to survive, or losing the battle, that God has allowed me to serve in what seems to be such small ways, but received in a way I would not have anticipated.
Frustration; knowing that no matter how hard we work on a given day we have left so many people untouched.
Anger at knowing how little the world really cares. The worst is that many countries contributed directly to the terrible situation here.This blog is far to short to go into the tragic history of Haiti, so I will limit myself to the very basic. Haiti was a French slave colony. It is the only country to have a successful slave rebellion only to find themselves shunned by Europe and the US where slave holding was still very strong. This shunning was only the beginning of their long tragedy and I encourage all to take the time to study and understand the rest.
Gratitude; there but for the grace of God go I. I could have been any of the people I have seen but he chose to put me where I am. I believe this obligates me to share with others less fortunate but no less deserving.
Amazed; the spiritual resilience of the Haitian people is truly astounding. In the face of hardships most of us cannot really understand, even after spending time here, they do not give up. The depth of feeling I experienced at a morning mass, even without understanding what they were saying, has to be experienced to have any chance of understanding.
Impressed; the talent and devotion of the Haitians that work with us is really something. They are talented, gifted, committed and above all, full of life and the Lord.
Compassion and sadness; seeing the depth of poverty, the lack of even the most basic needs, the desperate need for love and attention and the loneliness of many is hard to deal with.
Joy; Sharing the successes we do have with those in our group is as uplifting as could be asked for.
Lastly, humbleness; seeing the dedication of all those who have come before, seeing the resilience mentioned above in the face of hardships that would likely cause me to wilt is a humbling experience. However, the most humbling experience is seeing how God has taken so many ordinary people and molded them to perform a work far greater than any of them (us) could have accomplished. Without his grace, mercies and strength the task ahead would be truly impossible.
In the end, none of the above comes remotely close to covering the experience and I am only two days into it.
Imagine what the next 4 days will bring.
Deep are the feelings that have swirled around me from the time I get out of bed until I am back in bed. I don't think I can cover them all, but I will do my best.
Exhaustion; this can be from spending way too much time in the airport which resulted in getting us in late. It can also be be from working your backside off delivering water to crowds of people who are desperate, and have to line up to get what we all take for granted. But, maybe, the most exhausting is handling the barrage of feelings. They can rocket up and down with unbelievable speed.
Elation at seeing joy in the faces of people, either struggling to survive, or losing the battle, that God has allowed me to serve in what seems to be such small ways, but received in a way I would not have anticipated.
Frustration; knowing that no matter how hard we work on a given day we have left so many people untouched.
Anger at knowing how little the world really cares. The worst is that many countries contributed directly to the terrible situation here.This blog is far to short to go into the tragic history of Haiti, so I will limit myself to the very basic. Haiti was a French slave colony. It is the only country to have a successful slave rebellion only to find themselves shunned by Europe and the US where slave holding was still very strong. This shunning was only the beginning of their long tragedy and I encourage all to take the time to study and understand the rest.
Gratitude; there but for the grace of God go I. I could have been any of the people I have seen but he chose to put me where I am. I believe this obligates me to share with others less fortunate but no less deserving.
Amazed; the spiritual resilience of the Haitian people is truly astounding. In the face of hardships most of us cannot really understand, even after spending time here, they do not give up. The depth of feeling I experienced at a morning mass, even without understanding what they were saying, has to be experienced to have any chance of understanding.
Impressed; the talent and devotion of the Haitians that work with us is really something. They are talented, gifted, committed and above all, full of life and the Lord.
Compassion and sadness; seeing the depth of poverty, the lack of even the most basic needs, the desperate need for love and attention and the loneliness of many is hard to deal with.
Joy; Sharing the successes we do have with those in our group is as uplifting as could be asked for.
Lastly, humbleness; seeing the dedication of all those who have come before, seeing the resilience mentioned above in the face of hardships that would likely cause me to wilt is a humbling experience. However, the most humbling experience is seeing how God has taken so many ordinary people and molded them to perform a work far greater than any of them (us) could have accomplished. Without his grace, mercies and strength the task ahead would be truly impossible.
In the end, none of the above comes remotely close to covering the experience and I am only two days into it.
Imagine what the next 4 days will bring.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
God Is Love
Bonswa from this beautiful night in Haiti! This is Sam here :)
What a powerful first day! We were in Cite Soliel on the water truck today, and WOW, it was an amazing day. Being back on the streets of Haiti, immersed in people, culture, and every part of Haitian beauty was just awesome. You can feel God moving so strongly in this country, it's incredible, and I am so, so happy to be back.
It was so great to see the members of our team in action today. God has pieced together an AMAZING team for this week and everyone played their perfect part today in helping hold the water hose, move and carry buckets of water, and love up the Haitians - especially the adorable kiddos. I believe every one of us was moved by today's experiences in Cite Soliel. We had a great share session after dinner and words of the day included thankful, humbled, granted, fun, Spirit, nurture, desperate, respect, and exhausting. My word for today was Love. I saw and felt many different things today, but above all, the word love reigned in my mind to best describe it. It started this morning with being reunited with the awesome people who take care of us here in Haiti, and continued with the overwhelming teamwork and bonding (LOTS of singing and dancing on the Taptap and elsewhere! :) ) that went on throughout the day, the love that was shared by God through our team to the Haitian community in Cite Soliel, and the love that was shown from the people of Haiti to our team throughout the day was just so strong and amazing! Something I feel only an experience in Haiti can gift us with :)
Bondye se bon!! (God is good!)
Goodnight from Ma and Pa Kettle and all of us Kettle Kids <3
What a powerful first day! We were in Cite Soliel on the water truck today, and WOW, it was an amazing day. Being back on the streets of Haiti, immersed in people, culture, and every part of Haitian beauty was just awesome. You can feel God moving so strongly in this country, it's incredible, and I am so, so happy to be back.
It was so great to see the members of our team in action today. God has pieced together an AMAZING team for this week and everyone played their perfect part today in helping hold the water hose, move and carry buckets of water, and love up the Haitians - especially the adorable kiddos. I believe every one of us was moved by today's experiences in Cite Soliel. We had a great share session after dinner and words of the day included thankful, humbled, granted, fun, Spirit, nurture, desperate, respect, and exhausting. My word for today was Love. I saw and felt many different things today, but above all, the word love reigned in my mind to best describe it. It started this morning with being reunited with the awesome people who take care of us here in Haiti, and continued with the overwhelming teamwork and bonding (LOTS of singing and dancing on the Taptap and elsewhere! :) ) that went on throughout the day, the love that was shared by God through our team to the Haitian community in Cite Soliel, and the love that was shown from the people of Haiti to our team throughout the day was just so strong and amazing! Something I feel only an experience in Haiti can gift us with :)
Bondye se bon!! (God is good!)
Monday, April 15, 2013
On our way!!!
After a nice long wait for an airplane repair, we're about to take off from Miami! Can't wait to be back in God's country!!!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Beautiful Blue Eyes
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Edmond
Dear God –
I thought I knew what the definition of mercy meant in Your eyes. I have been blessed to walk with the brokenhearted for several years in a care ministry program at church. However, I was taken to a new level of understanding the action of mercy on a mission trip to Haiti. You had our team visit an elderly neighborhood in Haiti. During this visit, I met Edmond; an elderly Haitian man living in a one man tent in the hills of Titanyen. By your grace, I was given the privilege to sit with Edmond. Walking into his tent, I thought that I would be given a chance to show mercy to Edmond. I was allowed to put my arms around him, hold him, feed him, and pray with him. Then, I experienced a moment of a lifetime. Edmond put his arm on my thigh. At that moment, it was not me that provided Edmond mercy. In that moment, God, you were showing me mercy through Edmond’s touch. What’s more, Edmond, could be an angry and outraged elderly man. Yet, I witnessed a man filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Edmond is a man who is grateful for visitors, food, water, and a hug – the simple things in life.I will be forever thankful, Lord, that you used Edmond to inspire and humble me. Thank you, Lord, that you have positioned Edmond in a place which defines mercy at its deepest core. Thank you Lord for, once again, unveiling my eyes to humanity's basic needs in order to survive which includes mercy.
Written by Russ Scott
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