Haiti 2013 Day 6, Part 2: Mwen Fou Pou Ou and a Rah-Rah

CHC Haiti Mission Trip Day 6, Part 2

I could have told you when Jim May and I first began to plan this CHC mission trip to Haiti that Thursday would be the most bittersweet day.  It would be the day that we would sum up -- to the extent that we were able -- what God had taught us and worked in us during the previous week; that's always one of my favorite parts of a mission trip.  The last team meeting on the roof of the current House of Abraham home was sweet.  Fenel's words of encouragement and gratitude to us (which included dubbing us Team Determination) were sweet.  We would see our families and loved ones the following day; that was a sweet thought.

When we returned to the house from our beach excursion, it was time for a little more time with the kids and a lot of good-byes.  We were to leave at 3:00 the following morning to try to assure that we arrived at the airport on time (We had experienced what Port au Prince traffic can be like the previous Friday when we arrived, so we were taking no chances.)  So the good-byes began.

For me, my good-byes came through a T-shirt I had bought that says, "Jacmel: Mwen Fou Pou Ou."  That means "Jacmel, I'm crazy for you."  When the team returned to the house, the kids wanted to see what I had bought.  I looked at one of the boys, called him by name, and said, "Mwen fou pou ou."  And that's how I said good-bye to each of them and how they said good-bye to me.

The good-byes continued throughout the night.  Many individual farewells took place before the formal good-byes, when we had a chance to speak to the kids through Fenel.  He also interpreted the kids' words to us.  We went upstairs to the team area to finish packing and get ready for the early wake-up call, only to have the kids call us down later to come in there rooms for one more round of hugs and good-byes.  

The good-byes were bittersweet.  For me, I had been before and, Lord willing, I will go again.  For me, it was more "until next time" than good-bye.  Still, there was work on the new home that was still far from done.  There were kids who didn't want to go to sleep, knowing we would be gone the next morning; that was bittersweet.  There were the discipleship programs that Fenel and Jean Jean lead that we didn't get to experience on this trip.  There was just so much that we were seemingly leaving undone or un-experienced.

The heat was worse on Thursday night than any other night of the trip, so sleep was hard to come by.  Then, some of us were awakened around midnight by a rah-rah on the street right outside the home.  And, of course, we were awakened again at 2:30 to gather our things and head to the airport.  We encountered one other rah-rah on the way to the airport but had no long delays.  It took 22 minutes to cover the mileage that took us four hours to get through the previous Friday.  And then, just like that, we were home.

The kids gathered around "Papa Fefe."

Hangin' with the boys (plus one).

Robbie with Lucien and David (Bubba).  Must be after 6:00; Bubba's sleepy.

Jodie enjoying some Bubba time.

One last game of soccer.

Jim and Jean Jean

The formal good-byes.

The last sunset we would enjoy from the current House of Abraham home.  Next trip, new home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relationships

Colonial Hills Church has long been a relational church, for better or for worse -- and we've seen plenty of both.  The way we do missions is no different; it is relational.  Why did we go to Haiti in the first place?  Relationships, specifically with Dusty Cooper and IsleGo Missions (whom we partnered with through -- you got it -- relationships).  So we'll be back in Jacmel at the House of Abraham.  If not the specific people from this team (or the one before that or the one before that or the one before that), then others in our body will go.  And so will our brothers and sisters from Illinois and Florida and New Jersey and North Carolina, and so on.  And the work that God is doing in Haiti through Fenel Bruna and the House of Abraham will be accomplished.

None of us can point to the completed house here in a few months and claim more that a part of the foundation or the roof, a painted room or two, some blocks on the wall.  But we can all point to the God who brought us to Haiti at one time or another to accomplish works bigger than ourselves.  Not just in building a house but in encouraging and strengthening the next generation of leaders in Haiti to be young men and women of integrity who seek to glorify God in how they live their lives and serve others.

Mimi & Fenel Bruna

Haiti 2013 Team Determination: Jodie, Jim, Robbie, Ethan, Heather, Dusty, Josh, Al, Fenel, Gary

So that's our mission trip to Jacmel, Haiti, and the House of Abraham.  I hope that you have enjoyed the posts and that you have been challenged to get involved.  At last report, the new house is still about $10,000-$12,000 away from being fully funded.  The current lease runs out in May (and that was after a much-prayed-for extension), so time is running short.  You can click here to help.

Sponsor one of the House of Abraham kids here.
Does child sponsorship really make a difference?  In a word, yes!  Check out this article.

 A look back at previous day's posts:

Day 1: The Team's Unexpected Challenge
Day 2: Boaz, Super Ninja. Who Knew?
Day 3: Accomplishment! (and the Return of Josh's Man Card)
Day 4: A Hurtling Batter, Barbie, & Team Determination
Day 5: Puddles, Suncatchers, & Ethan Befriends a Goat
Day 6, Part 1: Pillowcases Without Pillow, a Sliced Arm, & Lobster


Thanks for reading. I hope to have a video slideshow of our trip ready for the blog tomorrow. 

 4theVoiceless,
Al

House of Abraham Update in 9 Photos

Almost four months ago, Jacob Walley and I joined up with a team mainly from Charleston, Illinois, on an unforgettable mission trip to Jacmel, Haiti, to serve the House of Abraham.  Part of our team's mission was to help in building the new home for the 13 children that HoA serves.  Click here to see where construction stood when we returned home in early November.

Earlier this week, I received some photos (courtesy of Fenel Bruna via Dusty Cooper with IsleGo) showing progress on the new home.  You can view them below.  Three weeks from now, a team from Colonial Hills will view the home in person and serve these wonderful children and those who love and care for them on a daily basis.  Pray for us, please.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

The Good News First

Update from Haiti

Good news from Haiti: As you can see from the photos below (Thanks to Dusty Cooper from IsleGo for posting these), construction began again recently on the House of Abraham.  The concrete roof was poured for the first floor.  Also, the walls are several blocks higher now than they were when our team was there a little over a month ago.

Further good news:  The kids and staff of HoA will be able to stay in their current house a while longer while work construction of the new home continues.

And now, the bad news: In messaging back and forth with Fenel earlier this week, I have also learned that construction stopped again shortly after these photos were taken.

The project is about $25,000 short of being funded.  Please take a moment to pray that the funds would be raised up, that these precious kids would have a permanent home, and that God would get the glory for it.  If you would like to give a Christmas gift toward this project, you can do that here.

Cookbook Update

We have sold over 100 Flavors of Forever Families cookbooks in the first week!  Thanks to everyone who has invested in families and the children they will adopt into them.  If you haven't gotten your book yet, they will be on sale at CHC Southaven and CHC Hernando before and after services at least until Christmas.  You can get one online here.  (For online orders, please order by 12/17 in order to get yours in time for Christmas!)


Thanks for reading.

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

Friday Little Bits: Hope for Haiti Update

Hope for Haiti is a campaign to raise $35,000 for the first building for the House of Abraham orphanage in Jacmel, Haiti.  The lease on HoA's current property expires in mid-November of this year.  They own a walled property ready for their first permanent home in a multi-phased project that will ultimately allow them to expand their ministry to orphaned children and raise up young men and women of integrity to be the future leaders of Haiti.

Progress

Construction of the Security Wall

 

Construction Update from Dusty Cooper of IsleGo Missions:

The work on the foundation at the new property starts (today) or Saturday. The river was so swollen from Isaac that they couldn't get across with materials until (Wednesday).

Financial Update:

We are now over 21% of the way to our goal of fully funding HoA's first building, which would house the 13 children and house parents from HoA's current location.

4theVoiceless Update:

We have been given the opportunity for several of our people to join a team from another church on a trip to Jacmel to be a part of building HoA's first building.  I am grateful for this opportunity.  Though I don't think of myself as much of a construction guy, I can't wait to be a part of this team.

How can you get involved now?

#1 - Pray every day that the Lord would provide for His kids in Jacmel, Haiti, at the House of Abraham.
#2 - Send a check to 4theVoiceless, c/o Colonial Hills Church, 5932 Highway 51, Horn Lake, MS  38637.  Please denote "4theVoiceless - Hope for Haiti" in the memo line.
#3 - Join seven other partners across the country in selling our special "Hope for Haiti" paracord bracelets.  We'll send you everything you need (info cards, order forms, and samples in each size) to get you started.  At $10/each, we need to sell a lot of bracelets!  The more we have selling them, the sooner the House of Abraham project will be fully funded.  Email me at alainsworth@chbc.net to get a bracelet sales kit or for more information.

#4 - Plan your own fundraiser for HoA.  Every dollar counts!

Thanks for reading.  Now get involved!
Al

Guest Blog: Hope Amidst Corruption

 Dusty Cooper is the director of IsleGo Missions, along with his wife, Corrine.  The mission of IsleGo is to connect the church across all borders.  Our church has partnered with IsleGo for many years now in Jamaica, Cuba, Brazil, and Haiti, among others.  He introduced us to the ministry of Fenel and Mimi Bruna at the House of Abraham in Jacmel, Haiti. 

 

 JANUARY 12, 2010      

On this date, Haiti, a country already devastated by poverty, violence, crime, and corruption on every level, was further decimated by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, one of the worst in history. By even the most conservative calculations over a quarter million people died in just over 30 seconds. Millions of dollars in foreign aid poured into this island nation in just a matter of days as mass graves began to fill with the dead.

Today, over 2 years later, Haiti looks pretty much the same as it did before the quake. All the food, clothing, construction materials, and supplies have not visibly changed the nation or the hopelessness of its people. While some of the rubble from the quake has been removed, no great strides forward have been made in spite of all the good intentions. 

We began to ask ourselves in late 2010 what was lacking? If millions, maybe billions, of dollars couldn’t seem to set Haiti on an even keel, what would? When asking these questions to Haitian leaders in religion, business, and education, the same answer was repeated over and over again: Haiti needs leadership that has at its very core integrity, character, and compassion. It seems that most of the aid went into the pockets of corrupt government officials, criminals, and greedy business leaders. It became clear to all of us that this was the same problem that has kept Haiti poor for most of its history.

From those conversations came others with Fenel Bruna, awesome friend and brother in Christ in Jacmel, Haiti. God had already birthed in his heart a way to make a difference for the future of Haiti in this regard. From the heart of God to the heart of Fenel rose the beginning of the House of Abraham, a group home for children that would be brought up in the nurture and admonition of Jehovah God to become those needed leaders with integrity, character, and compassion. 

In early 2011 the first House of Abraham was opened in Jacmel, Haiti, in a rented house that had ample room for the children and staff as well as classroom space and security. The staff was assembled, themselves amazing people of God with a heart for God and their nation. The first children were identified and interviewed, some of them orphans and some from single parent homes. The funds were raised to make sure everything needed was there for the staff to achieve the desired results. Materials for education in the principles of the Bible and godly living were purchased. Regular schools were contacted to find the right match for the basic education of the children. House of Abraham opened with a bang and today has 14 children that are being molded into leaders who give glory to God in both what they say and how they live. 

In the summer of 2011, we purchased 6 acres of land just outside Jacmel  and began working there to relocate by mid-November of 2012, the end of our lease on the house where we started. We need at least $35,000 to make this first house a reality and be able to move by the end or our lease. While millions of dollars seemed to have gone for naught, $35,000 will make a huge difference in the lives of the children at the House of Abraham and very well could be the beginning of a new Haiti. 

All of us can do something to get this house built in the next 3 months…what is your part? Pray for the House of Abraham, Fenel & Mimi Bruna, and the kids (Widly, Clyphode, Luciana, Roberson, Erlande, Richardson, David, Lucien, Anadine, Tchikovsky, Christella, Saintamene, and Vitama). It’s all about HIM!