Completed Project!

Happy Friday, everyone!

4theVoiceless has several major projects going on right now. 

We're still trying to raise funds for the House of Abraham in Jacmel, Haiti, through our Hope for Haiti campaign.  (Hope to see you tomorrow at the SHE ministry crafts fair at CHC Southaven between 9am and 5pm...) 

The adoption cookbook has been an overwhelming task this week and promises to continue to be through the weekend.  We have made significant progress, though, including settling on a name for the book:  Flavors of Forever Families: A Collection of Recipes and Redemption Stories.

Today, however, we pause to celebrate the completion of a project!  Last night, I turned in over 350 handmade Christmas cards that our church's small groups and families have made over the last few weeks as part of our participation in Orphanos' Kards 4 Kids project.  I would sum up the project like this: If the kids in orphanages in Korea, Jamaica, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, and Columbia have as much fun opening the cards as I have seen our people having making them, then this project will be an enormous success.

Thanks to everyone who spent time investing in these children that you will likely never meet.  Thank you for those who invested in your own children by involving them in this project with you.  Thank you for being James 1:27 in action.  Enjoy some photos from the project:








 

 Thanks for reading.  And for moving toward the orphan.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Adoption Stories: Growing Paynes

We continue today to share snippets of adoption stories from 4theVoiceless's forthcoming adoption cookbook.  (We hope to have a name for said cookbook by sometime today.)  Today, I want to introduce you to Joe and Annette Payne's story of adopting their little girl, Hayley, from China.

Anyone who has been through the adoption process, whether domestic or international, knows that the waiting and the unknown are the hardest parts of the process.  Yes, the paperwork is daunting, but at least you are DOING something. As I read Joe and Annette's story, I couldn't help but notice many very familiar phrases that I have heard from other families at similar stages of the process.

Life on Hold

"We knew something was missing."

 

"I was totally shocked."

 

"...I wasn't fully on board yet..."

 

"At the time it all seemed endless."

 

"...we did not have the resources on hand..."

 

"...still no word from our adoption agency."

"We were growing a bit impatient."

 

"We began to question..."

 

"Out of frustration we even made statements..."

 

"...we had to know something."

And then...

Annette, Joe, & Hayley Payne

"A special needs child?"

 

"There was no way imaginable that WE could care for a special needs child."

The Rest of the Story

The rest of the Paynes' story will be available in the adoption cookbook.  For now, I'll leave you with one more significant phrase from their story:

"...God intervened..."

 For the rest of Joe and Annette's story, along with all the others, we hope you will invest in our cookbook for the sake of others following in their footsteps and walking through that long process and great expense of adoption.  Oh, and there are some pretty good recipes in the cookbook, too!  Personally, I'm looking forward to making the Haitian gratinee. 

We are working feverishly to make the cookbook available by the end of next week. Pre-orders will be taken locally at the 4theVoiceless table at the SHE ministry crafts fair at the CHC Southaven Go Center this Saturday from 9:00-5:00.  As soon as we have a production date, we will let the rest of you know how to order.

Thanks for reading and making a difference for the fatherless.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Adoption Stories: Temporarily Todd

For the last several months, the 4theVoiceless ministry has been collecting recipes in anticipation of producing an adoption cookbook.  What began as a trickle of recipes flowing in became a deluge at the deadline, and we are now in the process of putting them together, getting the cookbook formatted and to the printer, and making them available in time for Christmas.  We anticipate having the cookbook completed in the next couple of weeks and will let you know how to get your hands on one (or several).

The purpose of the cookbook is to fund our church's adoption fund that will help families make adoption a little more financially feasible.  At the same time, the cookbook is intended to raise awareness about the need for adoption and how it reflects what God has done for us in adopting us as children in His family.  To that end we have included nine stories of adoption from several different angles.  Over the next few weeks on the blog, I want to give you a taste of those stories.

We'll start today with Jay Trawick's story:

Temporarily Todd

March 8, 1973 was the day my story began. I was born in a hospital in Mobile, AL. I spent two months in foster care as they gave me the temporary name of Todd. They said I was a healthy and happy baby, always smiling. 

Little did I know, May 10^tph, 1973 my world would really begin. A young, married couple named Cheryl & Jerome from Eufaula, AL, were looking for a child to adopt, as they had no children of their own. They prepared their lives for over a year before they got the news a child had been chosen for them. They did not know the details of my story; all they knew was that they were going to love me and accept me into their home, no matter what! 

 And that’s exactly what they have done since that day. My world as I knew it from the start has always been a home filled with genuine love. Somewhere along the way, I knew God had given me amazing parents; I just did not realize how amazing they truly were. My childhood was dotted with special friends and warm memories. Every step of the way, Mom & Dad were always there. 

When I became a young man, I moved away from my parents to the Memphis area. I’ve always enjoyed going home to visit. All of the years had passed quickly in my adult life, but inwardly I always wanted to know the real answers to why I was adopted. 

During the month of April, 2010, my parents hired a private investigator from the state of Alabama. Within 7 days, they found the keys that would unlock the chapters of my life story. On April 19, 2010 at around 2:30 AM, my wife woke me up and said I had a phone call from my parents that I might want to take...

The Rest of the Story

You can read the rest of Jay's story when the 4theVoiceless cookbook becomes available.  The first opportunity to pre-order will be this Saturday at the CHC SHE ministry craft fair in Southaven.  4theVoiceless will have a booth set up to sell paracord bracelets and paper bead jewelry (Great stocking stuffers themselves for a great cause) as well as pre-orders for the cookbook.  I will let you know here on the blog and on our Facebook page when we will begin to take pre-orders online.

^{Galatians 4:4-6 (HCSB)}

⁴ When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”


Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Okay, I'll Play: 23 Ministry Blessings

Throughout the month of November, several of my Facebook friends have posted daily things for which they are thankful.  Some are simple, like coffee or bacon.  Some are sentimental, and others are thought-provoking.  On this Thanksgiving Day 2012, I thought I would play catch-up and list 22 blessings (plus 1)  in the 4theVoiceless ministry.  This is by no means a comprehensive list, just a list off the top of my head (which would explain anything important that was forgotten!).

22 Blessings

1.  That look in Tobie's eyes that led to my  My Taco Bell Moment
2.  The Pillstroms and and the Satchers and many conversations about caring for orphans
3.  The Pinnows, the Beesons, and the Basingers who all helped get 4theVoiceless named and off the ground before moving on.  Baby dedication for Annie Faith Basinger.
4.  Great friends to our ministry like Lauren Johnson, Jay Atkins, Russell Moore, Rick Morton, Tony Merida, Jan Biddick, Andrea Gehrett, Wayne Sneed, Mark Ottinger, Dusty Cooper, and many more.  (Please don't be mad at me if I left you off...)
5.  Paracord bracelets and paper bead jewelry
6.  A March mission trip to Haiti by a group of ladies from CHC, along with our missions pastor
7.  A May mission trip to Russia by a group of CHC young adults to minister to orphans alongside Russian college students.  Several nights of worship in our small groups telling their story and leading in worship.
8.  The powerful, transformative Word of God that compels us to care for orphans
9.  The opportunity this summer to preach in my home church in Star, Mississippi, about God's call to His people to care for the orphan
10.  The Hope for Haiti campaign that has sparked more conversations about caring for orphans that anything else we have done this year. 
11.  How caring for orphans in Haiti has transformed my friends Stephanie and Jacob
12.  Over $7,000 given in one day toward building the House of Abraham children's home in Jacmel, Haiti.  As many of you already know, construction on the new HoA has stopped due to a lack of funds, but we are grateful for what has already been given and what has already been done.
13.  An August mission trip to the Baptist Children's Village home in Star
14.  Beginning of construction on the new House of Abraham
15.  Together for Adoption conference in Nashville this past September
16.  The tremendous Orphanology class that we just completed at CHC Southaven and the action steps that people in the class have taken
17.  Two CHC families who have completed training to be foster parents.  Others anxious to begin that training.
18.  All the quarters and dollars that have gone into jars all over DeSoto County through our CHC small groups' Change It Now campaign.  This "power of everybody" campaign has served orphans near and far this year.
19.  A life-changing mission trip to Haiti in late October and early November this year.  What a team the Lord put together from Illinois, Florida, and Mississippi!
20.  Fenel and Mimi Bruna
21.  Our first Orphan Sunday at CHC on November 4
22.  All the recipes and adoption stories we have received for the 4theVoiceless cookbook, the profits of which will help fund adoptions for CHC families

Plus One

23.  The opportunity to express myself on Tuesdays and Fridays (and occasionally other days)  through this blog about what God is teaching me about Himself and about His most valuable creation: people.  Thank you for showing up here from time to time to read my thoughts and to engage in conversations that move the Kingdom of Jesus Christ forward, especially on behalf of the orphan.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Sound the Trumpet

One of the greatest blessings over the last year-and-a-half or so that God has been stirring in several of us at CHC to begin an orphan care ministry now known as 4theVoiceless is how many new relationships God has given us.  We have met many people in our area as we have raised awareness about God's call to Christ-followers to help the orphan.  We have met others from outside our area via various technology.  Just a few weeks ago, I was able to connect two potential ministry partners, neither of whom I knew when God began to stir in our hearts to care for the orphan.

As some of the point people who helped start 4theVoiceless began to move away throughout this year, one of our greatest needs and greatest prayers was for God to send us new people who had a passion for orphans.  He has begun to answer that prayer through a number of people.

One of these people is Shannon Shaw, who began attending our Orphanology study just a few weeks ago.  You can see the fire in her eyes as she shares what God is moving her toward (though, like most of us, she can't really tell you what that looks like right now!).  We noticed this fire when we first began to talk about dignity bags and what we could do for children taken into foster care.

Shannon recently wrote a testimony about what God has done in her life over the last year or so in preparation for the CHC SHE ministry's Christmas party.  The theme was "Sound the Trumpet."

Shannon's Story

Over the past year I can honestly say, "I've grown"!  Why?  I chose to move.  I stepped out in faith and quit teaching middle school to be home with my family.  HE has provided!

I began my first Bible study and have learned so much while being surrounded with Christian women who love, encourage, and pray for me.  HE has delivered!  I spoke at a women's conference and realized I can do ALL things through him.  HE gave me courage and strength!

I'm now participating in the Orphanology class here at CHC.  I'm amazed at the opportunity I have to serve in this area of ministry!  HE reassures!

God doesn't promise a bump-free road along the way when we decide to move and follow his call.  However, I can now say from my experience, the blessings far outweigh the bumps.  I'm looking forward to continued growth in and through Him!  And one day when I hear the final trumpet call, I hope to hear well done, good and faithful servant.

What is HE calling you to do today?  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain living a life that glorifies Him!  God Bless!

Shannon Shaw

While You Are Giving Thanks This Week

During this week when we focus (or at least, should focus) on what we have to be thankful for, I'm thankful for the people God is raising up both in our church family at Colonials Hills and in churches and organizations throughout the world to care for orphans.  I'm thankful that more and more Christ-followers are stepping up  in some way to answer God's call to reflect His character to orphans.

As Thursday approaches and many of you sit down with your family to enjoy a meal and God's blessings in your life, consider the orphan.  Maybe that orphan is nameless and faceless to you (and maybe not), but that longing that he feels deep in his heart -- the longing for a forever family that most of us will enjoy and perhaps even take for granted on Thanksgiving Day -- is very real.  As you thank God for His blessings in your life, pray for His blessings on the world's orphans today, too.

God blesses us, that the ends of the earth my fear Him.  --Psalm 67:7 (HCSB)

Thanks for reading.  Happy Thanksgiving.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Project Update Day: Happy Friday

Happy Friday to all you friends of 4theVoiceless!

Much of the attention on the blog for the last couple of weeks has been focused on our recent trip to serve the House of Abraham children's home in Jacmel, Haiti, but I wanted to use today's blog to give some updates on some other projects that we have going on.  Many of these will be coming to a close soon.

Kards 4 Kids

Our ministry friends at Orphanos Foundation sponsor an annual project called Kards 4 Kids.  Homemade, handwritten Christmas cards go to kids in orphanages in Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Nicaragua, Brazil, Jamaica, and South Korea.  Here's one unique aspect of this project: the cards are written in the child's native language!  (There is a list of Christmas greetings in each language; they have done most of the work for you.)  Click on the K4K link above to find out more.

If you attend Colonial Hills Church (Southaven or Hernando) and would like to be a part of K4K, encourage your small group leader to pick up a packet or two in our leader meeting or find me Sunday, and I will get you a packet (Southaven before and after 1st service, Hernando after the service).

If you are one of our followers from outside the Mid-South, you can click on the K4K link above and get every bit of the information that I have.  You do not have to go through 4theVoiceless to be a part of K4K, but we would like to know if you participate.

Deadline to have these turned in to Orphanos is November 30!

Adoption Cookbook

We are down to the last few days to gather recipes for the cookbook.  I must have them by Wednesday, November 21.  Go here to submit a recipe online.

We will still take recipes in all the different areas, but we especially need international recipes, crock pot recipes, and starter/appetizers.

We will be compiling and formatting all the recipes, as well as the adoption stories that we will sprinkle throughout the cookbook, over the next couple of weeks and will have them published in time for Christmas.

Dignity Bags

I wrote about this project on the blog back in October.  Click here to read the background on this project.

One of our small groups has committed to providing the toiletries for the first bags and is working on getting the bags themselves through one of the group member's company.

I know that there are sometimes avenues toward serving others that go untapped because those with access to certain goods and services never see how they could be used in ministry.  If you have access to basic toiletries that kids who are picked up by DHS social workers might immediately need (toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, comb, brush, etc.) for free or for cheap, you can help us provide this for kids who are already going through a painful experience.

Ditto with nice duffel bags that provide some sense of dignity (as opposed to a garbage bag) to children who are being removed from their homes most often because of abuse or neglect.  If you have access to such bags for free or for cheap, please help us provide 100 bags to our local DHS social workers.

For our out of town readers, would you consider making a call to your local DHS office and asking if dignity bags would be a need for them, too.  Many of the issues with at-risk children could at least be improved if the church got involved in a helpful way such as this.

House of Abraham

Finally, as some of you may have read yesterday on our Facebook page, construction on the House of Abraham children's home in Haiti has stopped due to lack of funds.

Dusty Cooper of Isle Go Missions wrote a  guest blog back in August about the origins of the House of Abraham and the need for this new home.  Our recent trip confirmed everything Dusty wrote (not that I expected any different) and then some.

4theVoiceless will have a table set up at the CHC SHE ministry crafts fair on Saturday, December 1.  All of the profits from our sales of paracord bracelets and paper bead jewelry will benefit the House of Abraham.  These make great stocking stuffers and will provide great opportunities to share with friends and family members the work that God is doing in Jacmel, Haiti, to provide for the needs of 13 kids and to provide hope for a nation.

Several of you from outside of this area have asked how you can give directly.  Click here to go directly to Isle Go's "Donations" page.  Be sure to note "House of Abraham" on your check or, if you give electronically, in the box next to the amount of your donation.  I know that Dusty and Fenel and all those who have already invested in this project will be extremely grateful for your help.

Get Involved

How will you live out the biblical command to care for orphans?  I have laid out in this blog several ways you can get involved, and most of them don't take a lot a resources, just a willingness to help and a heart for the orphan.

God did not plan for us to remain spiritual orphans.  Nothing better reflects His heart for spiritual orphans than our care for physical orphans.

John 14:18
"I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you."


Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

What You Choose to Remember: Haiti Mission Trip, Final Chapter

Something I have learned from previous mission trips to different places around the world is that you can't hold on to them or re-create them.  The trick is in how to remember them and let them change your life.

I will not forget the extreme poverty I saw in Haiti.  I will not forget the stark contrast of tents and stick huts with the backdrop of the beautiful Caribbean. I will not forget the throngs of people constantly moving but seemingly going nowhere.  I will not forget seeing people in every little tributary washing clothes.  I will not forget, as much as I would like to, the very large woman bathing in one of those said tributaries without a care about traffic moving right past her.  I will not forget the stomach-twisting 3 1/2-hour drive from Port au Prince to Jacmel and back through the mountains and the traffic.  I will not forget the heat that made it hard to sleep at night.

As a task-oriented person, I will not forget the progress we made on the new House of Abraham.  Soon, it will be a new home for the 13 children and those who care for them.  One day, it will serve as the team house for visiting mission teams.  I hope to stay in the house that I helped build in the months to come.

Mission trips aren't just about seeing needs and accomplishing tasks, though.  As a matter of fact, they are not even mostly about that.  They are about relationships.  Relationships with other team members.  Relationships with ministry partners like Fenel and Mimi Bruna in Jacmel, Haiti.  Relationships with the native workers at the job site.  Relationships with children and teachers at schools and discipleship meetings.  Most importantly, relationships with 13 beautiful little Haitian children who will capture your hearts and allow you to see beyond the poverty and hopelessness in Haiti to find hope in Jesus Christ and the generation that He is preparing to change Haiti. 

These are the things I choose to remember.  I remember Haiti as a beautiful place.  I remember it as a hopeful place.  Writing about our trip over the last week or so has helped cement these thoughts of Haiti.  I don't seek to hold on to the trip itself, but I do choose to learn from it and allow it to change my life here, to allow relationships like the one with my new discipleship partner to be my priority.  To pursue Great Commission living with greater intensity.

I have created a slideshow with the song that captured me most in my individual times with the Lord during our trip, "You're Beautiful," by Phil Wickham, as the soundtrack.  To watch the video without having been to Haiti, you might get the impression that Haiti is a tropical paradise, full of fun and adventure.  It is.  It's all in what you choose to remember. 

Thanks for reading.  Read about the individual days of our journey by clicking the links below:

Days 1 & 2
Day 3
Day 4
Days 5 & 6
Day 7
Day 8

4theVoiceless,
Al

Last Day, Saddest Day: Haiti Mission Trip, Day 8

For the last few days, the 4theVoiceless blog has chronicled the mission trip of a team from Illinois, Florida, and Mississippi to serve at the House of Abraham in Jacmel, Haiti.  Links to previous days of the trip can be found at the bottom of this post.  

Monday morning, our last day in Haiti, was another early day.  Most of our things were already packed, and breakfast was a quick bowl of cereal, but we had to be ready early if we wanted to spend a little more time with the kids before they left for school.  They were ready early, as well, and after they said their prayers together, the final goodbyes began.

               


And then,
just like that,
they loaded up in Fenel's truck...












...and drove away.










As soon as Fenel returned from taking the kids to school, we loaded up our luggage and began the long, winding drive through the mountains to Port au Prince.  Again there, the goodbye to Fenel was quick, and there we were in the airport, waiting to fly home. 

A delay in Port au Prince put Jacob and I in a rush to catch our flight out of Miami (We made it juuust before the doors closed!); because of that, our goodbyes to our new friends from Illinois and Florida were rushed, as well.  After a lengthy delay in Dallas for mechanical issues, Jacob and I finally greeted our wives in Memphis about 1 a.m.

Maybe hasty goodbyes were a good thing.  Somehow, though, I don't feel like I gave anybody a proper goodbye after such a purposeful and life-changing week.  Sure, our team here in the states can stay connected through technology (like the first of Gabe's promised Sunday morning texts!), and we can connect with Fenel through social media, but what about with the kids? 

My friend Stephanie (Jacob's wife) wrote about this very thing on her Welcome to Walley World blog just before we left for Haiti.  Sometime during the week during a conversation with Fenel, he told us that Haitians in general do not forget people who come to visit them.  I'm glad.  Because there's a certain photo that, when I look at it, I have to remind myself that they won't forget.



I'm not exactly sure what Tchikovsky is holding up in this picture, but as you can tell, he was very happy to show it to me.  He's also holding the football that we threw together so often throughout the week.

I wonder, will Tchi be as excited to see me again when I return to the House of Abraham as he was to show me this little scrap of paper? 

I will trust Fenel's assurance that, yes, he (and the other kids) will remember me.  But I think I will send Christmas cards along with photos and me and my family...just in case.  And learn a little Haitian Creole so that I can communicate more next time.  Next time...



You can read about the other days of our week of service in Haiti here:

Days 1 & 2
Day 3
Day 4
Days 5 & 6
Day 7

Tomorrow, I will have a few closing thoughts about our trip along with some photos and videos that didn't make it into any other posts and a video memory of our trip. 

Perhaps you would like to go, too.  Check out Isle Go's site for more information.  If you are part of a church that already goes to Haiti on a regular basis, make sure you find out the dates of the next trip so that you can begin to plan (and save) to go.  God's hands and feet on this earth are His people's hands and feet to "visit widows and orphans in their distress" (James 1:27).

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Pictures of Heaven: Haiti Mission Trip, Day 7

Previous days’ blogs:
Days 1 & 2
Day 3
Day 4
Days 5 & 6

Sunday, November 4

Sunday was our last full day in Jacmel, and we got a REALLY early start, attending the 6:00 A.M. service at Hosanna Baptist Church.  I’ve never seen the sun come up during a service before.  And the place was PACKED!  Because of the heat by the 8:00 service, most in the church prefer the early service.  Would they be awake?

We didn’t have to wait long to find out.  With a keyboard, a saxophone, and one singer leading us, the place got loud quickly.  Why?  Not because of the sound system but because everyone was singing with all their hearts and voices.  What a beautiful sound!  I particularly love singing songs that I recognize and can sing along with in English.  I have also experienced this in churches in Cuba and Poland, and it is such a picture (though small) of the worship around the throne in Heaven one day when every tribe and tongue and nation will bring praise to our Risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In all fairness, Jacob is playing, not sleeping.

An early church service meant a long morning and afternoon.  We took  photos with the kids all dressed up from church (above - Don't they look sharp?).  We played and finished signing one another's shirts. We played.  We rested.  And sadly, we packed.  But we also prepared for our final time with all the kids and one another that night.


Sunday night was the highlight of the trip for me.  If you were reading the blog before the trip, you read about the towels that my small group sent with us.  Each towel was monogrammed with one of the House of Abraham kids’ names on it.  The Lord had spoken to me in preparation for the trip just what we were to do with those towels.  I had hardly been able to contain my emotions throughout the week as I anticipated Sunday night.

Before our final team debrief, we gathered on the roof and put out 13 chairs in which the kids were to sit.  When they came up and were seated, I shared with them a short devotional from John 13, the account of Jesus washing the disciples' feet as an example of how we are to serve one another. Then, one by one, our team began to wash the feet of these precious children.  We dried their feet with their personalized towels and then folded them and placed them in their laps so that they could see their names on their towels.  I have no photos or videos of this; some moments are just too holy to try to capture through anything but memory.

As each of us washed the feet of one of the children, we would look into his or her eyes and communicate the love of our Savior.  There were many unique and special friendships formed between our team members and specific children during the week, and many of these were paired for the foot washing. 

After we had washed the feet of each of the children, we washed the feet of Jean-Jean, Mimi, and Fenel. As Scott washed Fenel's feet, he told him that those who serve most, rarely get served themselves but that that was what we came to do.  Then, each of us, in turn, poured a bowl of water over Fenel's feet.  No words can capture that moment, so I won't even try, but if you have ever had an opportunity to bless someone who has been a tremendous blessing to you, you understand in some measure what it meant for us to be able to wash the feet of those who had blessed us.

As if our emotions hadn't been wrung out enough, Fenel asked Erlande and Richardson to pray for us.  They prayed in a language that we didn't understand but with tears and a fervency that we did.  What a night!

In preparing for this trip, there was one regret that I had.  On this Sunday our church was recognizing Orphan Sunday for the first time, and I would not be able to be there.  Though we had people at each of our campuses who were entirely competent (in many ways, more so) to talk about all the areas of the 4theVoiceless ministry with those who were interested, I wanted to be there.  However, on that Sunday night, washing the feet of children who had been rescued and the feet of those who were leading them in the ways of the Lord was the perfect place for me to be on Orphan Sunday 2012.  I will never forget it.

Tomorrow's blog will be about the final day of our trip.  Today marks the first day that I can't look back and say, "Last week at this time, I was (insert memory from Haiti)."  A large part of my heart is still in Haiti, and I am looking forward (and saving toward) re-connecting with it in 2013.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Haiti Mission Trip, Days 5 & 6: The Beginnings of Goodbye

The first of the goodbyes

Previous days in our recent mission trip to Haiti to build the new House of Abraham home for children and to serve in Jacmel:

Days 1 & 2
Day 3
Day 4

Day 5: Friday, November 2

This was a day when we experienced God’s strength that is so gloriously beyond our own.  Thursday night was the hottest night while we were in Haiti, and the power went out twice during the night.  Sleep was at times difficult because of the heat anyway, but when the power went off, the numerous fans went simultaneously silent, and the heat was an instant wake-up call.  Still, we rose early and loaded the truck for our 45-minute drive to the work site.  We had the promise of a shorter work day, as we did not pack food for lunch.

We arrived at the work site to find walls that were not only more numerous but taller.  We mixed and carried more concrete; then, around noon, our work day appeared to be coming to a close.  That’s when the truck full of interior block arrived.  We mustered the strength to unload the truck and then carry the blocks to the room where they would be used.  We decided that we would make another trip up the mountain on Saturday to see the progress that the other workers – our new Haitian friends – had made rather than saying our goodbyes to them on this day.

Interior "walls" arriving

Two cultures collide . . .  in worship

The afternoon provided an extended time of play with the kids and preparation for a discipleship group that would take place later that afternoon.  Dwayne, Fenel, Jacob, and I spent part of the afternoon worshiping and practicing songs together.  I don’t know that we ever got very polished on the songs, but I do know that it was a sweet time of worship.

High up in the mountains outside Jacmel, here’s how this particular discipleship program worked:  we  (the House of Abraham kids along with our team) climbed up and up and up the mountain in the back of the big truck, finally coming to a stop at the beginning of a path.  Then, we hiked about three-quarters of a mile or so until we came to a little stick structure that at one time had a canvas covering; it was now in tatters.  Several rows of seats that were basically stumps with large sticks laid across them made up the seating area.  Kids began to show up seemingly out of nowhere, and they continued to file in as we began to sing.  Eventually, there were over 60 kids plus our team plus several other adults. 

We sang together, and several kids sang individually.  We led “You Are My All in All” in English, and then they sang it in Creole.  Marsha and Val led a Bible story, and Jean-Jean taught the kids from that story.  Afterward, we played with them for a short time, but with rain threatening, we loaded up and headed back to the HoA.  This group meets together like this every Friday, and kids are growing in their relationship with Christ while having fellowship with one another. 

Day 6: Saturday, November 3

Souvenir shop

We began Saturday by doing a little souvenir shopping.  There are very few places to buy souvenirs in Jacmel.  We bought most of ours from a few tables set up in a beautiful little beach cove.  I have been on enough mission trips to know that souvenir shopping usually means that the trip is rapidly coming to an end. 












 The goodbyes began that afternoon as we went up to the work site to see the progress on the new HoA and say goodbye to our new friends.  There were hugs all around and many words of appreciation for one another.  We waved until we went down the other side of the driveway and out of sight.  We all hope to see photos of a completed building for the kids and workers to move into in the very near future. 

The new House of Abraham as we left it

Saturday afternoon brought coloring with the kids.  Many of these were signed by the kids and sent home with us or signed by us to be kept by the kids.  We also began the process of having all the kids sign our Isle Go T-shirts.  Little David and Saintemene just doodled, but some of the other kids were quick to write their names for them so that we would know who those “signatures” belonged to.

Jean-Jean: house parent, discipler, colorer

Richardson getting a kick out of showing off my Isle Go shirt with all the kids' signatures

We knew that we had another full day in Jacmel, but we also experienced the beginnings of goodbye.  I know that most of us weren’t ready for that.  There's not much you can do about that ache of coming separation, even if the separation is only for a little while.

There was, however, church in Haiti still to experience.  We turned in early to prepare for the 6 a.m. service.  That’s not a type.  6 o’clock in the morning!  More on that tomorrow.

Pray for provision for the new House of Abraham.  When we left a week ago today, much remained to be done, and finances were running low.  In addition, the lease on their current house expires this week.  God is the Father to the fatherless, and He owns all the resources on earth (and earth itself).  Why wouldn’t He provide if we ask?  Please join me in asking.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Haiti Mission Trip, Day 4: Personalities and Love Languages

Day 4: Thursday, November 1

Before leaving for the work site on Thursday, we watched as the House of Abraham kids learned Scripture together.  (They were out of school for holidays Thursday and Friday.)  We didn't understand a word they said, but it was precious to watch as they memorized God's Word together.

We arrived at the work site on Thursday to find walls going up all around!  Our bodies were sore, but we jumped right in to mixing, moving, and pouring concrete.  The heat index climbed well above 100 degrees that day, so we loosened up quickly! 

Outer walls -- progress since Wednesday.

Inner walls going up, too!

More slab completed.

More footings being poured.

After a hard day's work, we returned to the beach to cool off.  When we came in from the water (with cuts on some feet from the coral in abundance), Fenel treated us to a taste of fresh lobster -- tasty, indeed.  Then, it was back to HoA for some lovin' on kiddos!

A few things stood out to me about Thursday:

At the work site, we began to see our team's personalities, love languages, abilities, and resources really shine through.  Suzie shined with the kids who were always around the edges, watching what we were doing.  Several team members engaged the Haitian workers, and -- though there was a language barrier -- the international language of kindness broke through.  We gave away much-needed and appreciated work gloves and rubber boots.  Mark and Bethany even engaged the kids outside the gate.  The care for one another also increased as the day heated up.

This guy worked like a champ!

Hi, there, would you like some candy?

Relationships -- even more important than construction

Back at HoA, I saw God give us strength and energy to engage with the kids even as our strength waned.  Kelsie and Bethany had the resource of long hair that kept the girls entertained for hours, and they were good sports to let them.  All of us with cameras and phones with cameras were inundated with "photo, photo" requests, to show our pictures and to take theirs.  (I was surprised to feel my phone buzzing in my pocket later with text messages.  One of the kids had somehow turned my phone off of airplane mode.  I'm sure my good friends at AT&T will quickly resolve any charges to my account -- written with tongue firmly planted in cheek.)

Nice hair!

Photo, photo!

One more thing I noticed on Thursday was that as a couple of our team members began to feel puny, the concern and prayers of the workers, the children, and the HoA staff for them was heartwarming.  We encountered some beautiful, loving people, and part of our hearts are still very much there with them.

Thanks for reading.  Are you ready to go to Haiti yet?

Days 1 & 2

Day 3

4theVoiceless,
Al

Haiti Mission Trip, Day 3: Build Us Back With Precious Stones

It is through tears that I write today as I listen to Know Hope Collective's "Build Us Back" and think back to where I was just a week ago -- halfway up a mountain in Jacmel, Haiti, looking down at one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.  In the photo above, you can see the wall of the new House of Abraham from the bottom of the very steep driveway.  Reaching the top and looking out from what will soon (by faith) be the completed house, you see this:

Mountains to the left and the green waters of the Caribbean to the right.  Photos don't even begin to do it justice.  It was here that we would labor for the next few days.

Let me back up a little and take you on an adventure that we experienced just to get to the work site.  As if the 45-minute drive through Jacmel traffic and up the mountain on the thin ledge of the back of a truck weren't adventure enough, there was the crossing of the river.  You couldn't see the edges of the road, and the water came up to about a foot below the bottom of the window.  Take a look at this video, featuring the raging river and co-starring the back of Pat "Mr. Benatar" Goodwin's head:

We found a crew of Haitian workers already hard at work and were assigned our task, mixing concrete and pouring the foundation of the second level of the house.  This is the house at the beginning of Wednesday morning:

Concrete didn't come from a mixing truck or even a mixer.  It came from mixing gravel, sand (which had to be sifted), bagged cement, and water.   This was hard work!

 (Dwayne and Fenel mixing concrete, with Gabe providing expert supervision, while the Haitian crew is able to concentrate on laying block for the outer walls)

 (Mark and Pat providing the expertise in pouring and floating concrete while the rest of us did the grunt work of bringing them concrete in buckets and -- thanks to a little ingenuity in ramp-building -- wheelbarrows)

(Pouring concrete to frame the front door and windows.  All carried in buckets down a steep hill and handed up to the workers pouring it.  We were definitely glad to call it a day after this!)

Playtime with Sidewalk Chalk

After a quick trip to the ocean to cool off and partially clean up, we returned to the House of Abraham, and the kids were ready to play!  We brought out the sidewalk chalk, and they quickly turned the driveway into an art gallery.

(Gabe enjoying a foot massage, compliments of Richardson)

Precious Stones

This was the day when our team really began to click as we worked together, made sure we were all getting plenty to drink and breaks as we needed them, and played together.  In the process we began to learn one another's stories.  Though I won't share them here, let me just say that God is still very much doing the work that He had planned even before the fall: redeeming broken man back to Himself.

I admired the native stone foundation of the new HoA all week.

Each of these stones individually is just a broken piece of rock.  Fit together, however, they add stunning beauty to an already-picturesque landscape.  I couldn't help but think about how Jesus is building his Kingdom in the same way, broken pieces joined together by His blood into a beautiful tapestry of the redeemed.

Consider the lyrics of "Build Us Back":

We’ve been crumbled, we’ve been crushed

City walls have turned to dust

Broken hands and blistered feet

We walk for miles to find relief

When the thief takes, when our hopes cave

You build us back

You build us back

When the earth shakes, when the world breaks

You build us back

You build us back

We are scared, we are poor

All our safety nets are torn

We’ve been humbled to our knees

From these ruins, we believe

Redeemer, redeem us

Restorer, restore us

Oh build us back

Though the mountains be shaken, the hills be removed

Your unfailing love remains

After all that’s been taken, Your promise, still sacred

You build us back with precious stones

It's Haiti's story.  It's our story as the body of Christ, the church.  

I was privileged to see some precious stones put together to form something beautiful in Haiti last week.  Here is a photo of those precious stones:

 Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al