Today, the team started the morning with church. This service proved to be an amazing experience for some with great worship and some encouraging words for 2013 from Pastor John.
Following the service, the team traveled through Port-au-Prince seeing the many different economic levels there and all that goes with them.
This afternoon was filled with fun as the team spent time with the Good Samaritan kids at a local park and playground!
Looking forward to what God has in store for tomorrow!
Kids programs...we can plan and guess how many kids will show up, but we never really know for sure. The church and school community we are ministering to is fairly large, but there are tons more kids that live in the surrounding area. Pastor Nathan didn't know how many kids would show up because so many were away for Christmas vacation, but maybe he forgot how quickly word travels.
We had anticipated about 150 kids, planned for 200, but ended up with well over 250. While there was a lot of activity and tons of kids, they did really well and we're praying that seeds were planted in hearts today.
The team did really well!
We are looking forward to church tomorrow, a tour of the Port-au-Prince area, and a fun afternoon of taking the Good Samaritan kids to a park to play.
starting the program with singing...only about 150 kids at this point
Today was the team's first day in Canaan. They went into the day not completely knowing what to expect. Canaan is a challenging place to see at first. We encouraged the team to see past circumstances and really see the people.
Through painting the exterior of the medical center, playing with kids, and helping in the medical clinic, the team really put themselves out there and did great!
We were able to see approximately 30 children doing health checks and some treatments for illnesses.
We are looking forward to hearing from each team member a bit more of each their individual days as they share tonight.
Expecting God to do some great things in this team!
see the AWAKENHAITI facebook page for more great pictures!
Painting the medical center
First patient, first time using the medical center! Great job Caroline!
Today, team December spend time doing several different activities with the kids from our girls and boys homes. We had three helping with parts of health screening for all the kids. From finding and filing charts to helping do vision evaluations to our trooper nurse checking hearts, lungs, ears etc! Meanwhile, others were helping with bracelet making and playing games.
This afternoon, the children received letters and pictures from their sponsors which is always a sweet time to be part of.
This team is made up of some really great leaders and a great bunch of youth! They all did a fantastic job jumping into things with the kids and putting themselves out there!
We are looking forward to another awesome day in Canaan tomorrow.
To see more pictures from our day, visit the AWAKENHAITI facebook page
Team December has arrived safely! We are very excited about the week ahead! Tonight, we will be eating a great Haitian dinner prepared by our cook, Viviane. She blesses us with her gift!
The team will spend the evening getting settled in and learning just a bit about the week ahead and what they could experience. We know God will be doing some great things as we serve and seek to know Him more!
Daphney
Belfond – December 4, 1994 – Daphney turns 18 this month. Daphney shares a
birthday month with her younger sister Marie-Ange. Daphney is a very quiet,
introspective young woman. She is very smart. Daphney has said she really
enjoys reading and writing. Her English skills are some of the best in the Good
Samaritan homes!
Marie-Ange Belfond – December 13, 1998 – Marie-Ange will be
turning 14 this month. She shares a birthday month with her older sister
Daphney. Like her older sister, Marie-Ange is very smart. She is beginning to
mature and be very motivated to use her mind and learn. This past fall, she had
the fastest and most accurate typing skills in Computer class, clearly
improving each week!
Carme-Suze Desance – December 10, 1995 – Carme-Suze will be 17
this month. You will very rarely find Carme-Suze without a smile on her face!
She is full of life and energy, and very out-going. Carme-Suze is also the
‘queen of the cards’ when it comes to playing various card games with the other
girls. She almost always wins!
Lovely Francois – December 21, 1998 – Lovely turns 14 this month.
Lovely is a beautifully tall girl who has a mild way about her. When asked
about what she would like to do when she gets older, she said she would like to
design clothes. Lovely seems to always be mixing and matching different clothes
and hairstyles for various occasions!
Sandra Gillaume – December 13, 1996 – Sandra will be 16 this
month. Sandra has really been working on developing her English skills. Because
of this, she has been able to help translate sponsor letters and work alongside
teams to translate. As a result, Sandra is blossoming out of her quiet
personality into a confident young woman.
Last Friday,
a group of volunteers gathered together in Harrisburg and loaded furniture,
medical equipment, and supplies into a sea container and sent it off. Every inch of the container was packed full
of supplies that will bless the community of Canaan. These supplies will be a great start to
equipping the clinic and therefore providing medical care and employment. Thank you to Hamilton Health Center for the
donations! And thank you to the
volunteers who helped make this happen!
Manoucheca Jean Baptiste – November 6, 1993 – Manoucheca is
19 years old this month. She is one of the care-takers of the group. You can
find Manoucheca cooking, doing laundry, taking care of the younger children,
and helping around the house as needed.Manoucheca also enjoys singing and often sings solos at birthday parties
and other events the children organize.
Love Cazeau – November 28, 2000 – Love turns 12 years old
this month. Love isvery outgoing and
friendly girl.She enjoys almost
anything she does. She is a very well-rounded girl who really loves Gym class
and volleyball. She has a great personality and is often the one greeting
visitors at the door of the girls home.
Phaline Cledanor – November 30, 1990 – Phaline turns 22 this
month. Her twin sister is Phara. Phaline is in her 2nd year of a 2-year nursing
program. She loves to care for others. She loved working in the clinic in
Canaan this summer and hopes to have the opportunity to do clinic again.
Phaline would love to give back to others someday by using her nursing skills
and caring, loving personality!
Phara Cledanor – November 30, 1990 - Phara turns 22 this
month. Her twin sister is Phaline.Phara
is a smart, independent girl who knows what she wants. You will find her
studying and working hard on her schooling. Phara can also be silly - joking
around and playing with the younger children.
Four children in our Good Samaritan homes celebrated birthdays this month. As we do monthly, we gathered the boys and took them up the hill to the girls home Saturday afternoon. While Manmie Cazeau wasn't there to coordinate things, we managed to pull it off and have a great time!
Happy Birthday Wilmine, Lens, and Kevencia!
Loubenson with his big debut solo for the birthday kids!
Manoucheka leading the "show" part of the party!
Happy Birthday to Resinette too!
Friday, October 26, 2012
AWAKENHAITI 2012 Benefit
Bringing OURMISSION Into THEMISSION Sunday November 18, 2012 6-8pm Carlisle Brethren In Christ Church Carlisle, PA
A team of 7 men traveled to Haiti last Saturday with open hands and hearts to assist in any way necessary. They have gone knowing there was work to be done, but ready to listen to the Holy Spirit for His leading...ready to do what He asks. Since being there, they have spent time praying, listening, talking, encouraging, growing as well as work at the guest house, electrical work & various construction projects on the medical and dental facility, and home visits! No doubt God is using them in big ways. No doubt they are being challenged.
We look forward to sharing more of their experience with you after their return!
Kevencia Cazeau – October 7, 1996- Kevencia will be 16 this
month.She can often be found doing
chores around the house, taking care of others, and joking with the AWAKENHAITI staff. Kevencia tends to joke and pick on people
because that is how she shows love and care.She is also quite the daredevil. When swimming this summer, Kim was
doing tricks in the pool and Kevencia tried them all.She is willing to task a risk for the sake of
experiencing something.
Lens Belval- October 10, 2002- Lens is 10 years old this month. He is
always on the move, full of energy and loves to be the center of
activity. Lens loves to perform songs and show his smooth moves at the
monthly birthday parties. He enjoys playing soccer!
Resinette Forestral – October 27, 1992 Resinette will be 20 this month.Resinette is a very sensitive girl and loves
talking with people.She has a very
caring heart and wants to help those in need.Resinette is determined to learn English and will often practice by
writing letters.She enjoys when teams
come because she can meet new people and practice her English.
Wilmine Cledanor –October 29, 1995 Wilmine will be 17 this
month.She works very hard to be sure
she is doing a task correctly. On our field
trip to Wynne Farm, she picked up on knitting very quickly. Because of this,
she was eager to teach others in her group exactly how it was done! She is
incredibly helpful. Wilmine also loves to dance!She has a very silly side and loves to get
others laughing.
In the month of September, we were able to take two field
trips with the Good Samaritan kids. The first was downtown to the National
Museum. It was a very interesting, educational, and fun trip. The Haitian
history was fascinating. The girls and boys were so well-behaved, attentive,
and really seemed to enjoy themselves. We even had a few taking notes!
The second trip was to Wynne Farm Ecological Center. The
farms are run by a Haitian-American woman whose passion is environmental
sustainability in Haiti. This was an
amazing field trip! We got to hike the top of one of the mountains in Kenscoff,
Haiti, and then return to the educational center for stations. There were 4
stations for 30 minutes each consisting of learning to make jewelry out of
plastic bottles, knitting done from plastic bags, paper making/briquettes (this is a cheap version of charcoal), the
uses of bamboo, and the benefits of composting and vermiculture. Both trips
were amazing times to learn, connect with the kids, and enjoy Haitian culture!
Birthday celebrations are a sweet time of bringing the girls and boys together once a month. It's been a big part of the process of forming the family bond for Good Samaritan. It's a combination of church service songs, talent show, gift giving, and snacks and soda!
This month, we celebrated just before Tropical Storm Isaac!
Love presenting Kylie with her gift. Happy 10th birthday Kylie!
Yviolane presenting Nadia with her gift. Happy 12th Birthday Nadia!
Deb presenting Gamaelle's gift to her. Happy 13th birthday Gamaelle!
Thank you to many who were praying for our staff and friends in Haiti over the weekend with Tropical Storm Isaac passing by Haiti. We were without internet for 5 days so we are just now getting good enough internet connection to fill you all in.
The children in both Good Samaritan homes are all doing great! The boys home needed repair on a section of the roof and the rack holding the batteries that give their house power when there is no city power needed to be replaced. At the girls home, the 500 gallon water tank blew from the roof into the yard. No other issues. No injuries. Praise God!
Driving into Canaan, you wouldn't know a tropical storm even blew through. Some families that were still living in tents moved into the church building for a few days, but now are either back at their own property or are with other friends/family. A few tin pieces were out of place. You wouldn't know a tropical storm blew through. Looking around the homes, it is evident God protected these people! Praise God!
The AWAKENHAITI staff are all great! absolutely no problems at the guest house as far as damage. City power has been off since Friday which means the generator has been getting a work out and we will be using more diesel for a while. Thankfully it is running well and doing it's job. Actually, it also means that a few of us have been sharing the responsibility of waking during the night to run it...we feel kind of like parents of a newborn. Today (Wednesday) is the first day of having internet so we are able to start keeping up with emails, updates and other work. We're blessed to have a home we're so secure in. Praise God!
Thank you again for all your prayers and support! God's provision and protection over many was evident!
Team August arrived just one week after Team July departed. Team August came to Haiti primarily to help frame and roof the larger section of the medical & dental facility. They blessed us with their hard work and the encouragement they brought to the Bethanie of Canaan Community. As the walls went up, lives were changed. Haitians were employed. Children were held and loved. A community in need of health care saw hope. Americans began to see broken people through God's eyes. The way He would see them. This awareness is carried back to The United States so that this team can continue the work they did in Haiti in reaching out to others. Going back with the desire to reach out to those in need; co-workers, neighbors, community members. This is one of the goals of AWAKENHAITI; to transform lives both in Haiti and in North America.
In addition to working on the building, a few team members served in the medical clinic held approximately 2-4 times per month. This was a huge blessing for team members to witness the clinic in action and to see the need for a permanent building and for regular care to be offered in the Bethanie Community.
There were three team members who were in Haiti last August to help frame and roof the church & school building. It was special to have them back one year later to attend Sunday morning service at Bethanie Church of Canaan as we challenged the church to join us in praying for the ministry in Canaan, for the medical care coming, and for necessary resources to be provided.
THANK YOU Team August!
A few additional pictures of clinic:
Kim (new AH staff) and Gesner helping Deb run pharmacy
Joanne and Junior running check in and triage
Brooke had the toughest job of the day...holding babies while moms saw Vanessa
Team July did an awesome job getting the smaller section of the medical & dental building framed up. This group of rookie builders (made up primarily teens entering their senior year of high school and their leaders) worked in groups to frame walls, put on a roof, and get a good bit of siding up. The Haitian crew (made up of Haitians and Americans living in Haiti) have continued the work through this week. The smaller section of the center will house the pharmacy, an office, storage space, and a conference/education room.
The framing of the larger portion of the facility will begin next week with the August team combined with the Haitian crew. This area will have a check-in area, triage, 3 medical exam rooms, 2 dental rooms, and a lab. We are so excited to see this part of the building go up!
Please be in prayer for this week of work coming up. Pray for good health for the team as they work in the Caribbean temperatures and intense sun. Please pray for safety on the job site. Please pray for God to transform people as they serve!
Wow, it is so awesome to see this building going up. Last November at our AWAKENHAITI celebration event, we shared a bit of our vision for the medical facility knowing it would begin this year. But to see it actually happening right now is amazing.
God has pressed this vision on our hearts we trust him to provide all that is needed. From the funds for the building, we trust Him. For equipment needed to help patients, we trust Him. For Staff needed to evaluate patients and run the program, we trust Him. For medication needed to treat patients, we trust Him. For wisdom, discernment, and patience, we trust Him.
God asks us to trust without seeing and now we can see because we've trusted. What a blessing to be part of! What a blessing to now see God provide and take care of his people through medical & dental care and through all the jobs that will be created in this building so that parents can provide for their families!
We are thankful and we continue to press on in this vision and we continue to put our trust in Him!
Welcome Team Manor to Haiti!
This team is made up of mostly high school students along with five
adult leaders who come from Manor Church in Lancaster, PA. We are excited to see all that God is going
to do as they serve in Canaan and Delmas.
The majority of the week they will work on constructing the Primary Care
Medical & Dental Clinic as well as hold clinic and some kids’
programs. This is sure to be a great
week with many “firsts”, as the majority of the team has never traveled to
Haiti before.
The Manor team will be the first group to occupy our newly
constructed bunkhouse. After many
helping hands and a bit of paint, the bunk house is ready to host its first
guests. All the men will stay out in the
bunkhouse, while the women will stay on the first floor in the guesthouse.
The great room in the bunkhouse, complete with bunks below and walkway to the loft above.
On Monday, August 6th Kimberlee Peifer will join
our team in Haiti, being a permanent resident in the bunkhouse.
We ask for prayers over the Manor team as we see God work in
and through the students and leaders who are here to serve. We also ask for prayers for Kim as she makes
final preparations to join our team.
