Friends

Jesse is holding hands with one of his new Haitian friends. We have all made some new friends that we will not easily forget. The community here is very warm, kind, and loves to laugh.

Praying

When we deliver food to families we also offer to pray for them. Each member of the team took a turn. Among all those adults, Hailey was the first to volunteer to pray. Later Troy would also lead us in praying for a family that God would bless them and provide food for their family.

Feeding those in need

The kids carry the cooking oil that we handed out along with a sack of rice and a sack of beans to folks through out the community. July is the dryest month and the crops that do survive can't be harvested till next month. What little food there is, is even scarcer in July which makes our trip even more important.

Sunday at Church

Today has been a full day for the King Family. We all went to a local Haitian church. The girls went to children's church where 200 Haitain children were singing loudly and making a lot of noise they didn't understand. The had a friend with them to translate but it wasn't much help. The boys went with Lyn and I to the main service. Actually Lyn sat with the boys because I had to sit up front with the lead pastor. I gave the message in English and JeanJean (the lead pastor) translated.

The boys did pretty good, though it wasn't very exciting for them as well. However, they did enjoy the three choirs that sang. We didn't understand a word, but it was beautiful none the less. When I got up to speak I introduced Lyn and the boys. The interesting thing was that they translated my introduction of "This is my wife Lyn" to "This is Madam Pastor Joel". Lyn didn't mind, as they treated her like royalty :)
We came home for a casual lunch of peanut butter and honey on fresh baked bread. It was delicious. Then they kids played with the Mompremiere kids and we went to another church service where I taught again. It was fun to see the building which didn't even have a foundation a year ago completed and filled with twice the amount of people as last year.

This evening we watched the local boys take on another local town in a soccer game. They had the game to celebrate our gift of the nets to them last year. It makes a big difference.

The kids are having fun, and at times request to live here. Then they get hurt or tired and want to go home. Thank you for your prayers, I believe they are helping big time. Lots more to tell, but I'll save it for later . . .

New Hairdo

Brittany has her hair done "Haitian Style".

Medical Clinic

Jesse and Troy help out at an afternoon medical clinic. They write down blood pressure results. Many of the kids who end up in the nutrition center start at the free clinic first. Red hair and bloated tummies are a sure sign of malnutrition.

Planting

Troy and Lyn are planting some trees. Haiti has been devastated from deforestation. Part of how the local church serves the community is helping them with replenishing the depleting natural resources.

Painting

Jesse is helping paint part of the new Church building. This Building is used every day for everything from church services, school, prayer meetings, a nutrition center, and community gatherings. It is fast becoming the hub of community life in this area.

We made it

We have safely made it to Haiti though not without some bumps in the road. The kids slept through the night on the flight over except for Hailey who couldn't resist watching the in flight movie "Monsters Vs. Aliens" even though she couldn't hear a word of the movie. We had an adequate airport breakfast in Miami and boarded the plane for Haiti. As if we were already in Haiti the plane left almost an hour late. Upon arriving it took us another 45 minutes for our bags to all come off the plane (again typical for Haiti). We then took a short ten minute bus ride over to a smaller airport where it took us two hours to work out the details of our charter flight. The kids did really well with all that waiting. You all must be praying. Thank You! The kids got another taste of Haiti as the plane we flew in required Hailey and Troy to share a seat; and Jesse and Brittany sat on their parents lap. Aviation flying regulations are a little lax in Haiti :)

The kids enjoyed the small flight and were very excited when we arrived in the middle of the country and landed on a grass landing field. They felt like they were in a scene from a Indiana Jones movie. We then loaded up on a school bus and began to make the trek to the Mompremier's home. We used Haiti's highway number 3 which was a washed out dirt road with lots of pot holes. The kids loved it as they took in the local scene of people riding on donkey's and pulling carts with oxen as well as the little rock houses they lived in.

It is a bit hot and humid for them which has effected their appetites along with the different foods. Shortly after our late lunch they were off playing with the Mompremeir kids and we barely saw them until it was time for bed. By this time they had gotten their second wind and weren't as ready for bed as we were, but we manged to get them down. Then the evening drama began. Hailey kept waking up and was freaked out by the new surroundings which is very dark. We finally turned on flashlight and left it on and I let Hailey share a bed with me. Then in the middle of the night Jesse rolled out of the bunk bed he was in and crashed into the cement floor head first. After a considerable amount of screaming and lots of blood it came down to a pretty good gash in the head but nothing else. Praise God! Fortunatley, Kristie is a nurse and was able to glue it shut, and he seems to be none the worse for the experience. We moved him and Troy to a bottom bunk and mattress and got through the rest of the evening drama free.

Up, up, & away

Our adventure has begun! We got the family to the airport and through security. The good thing about flying the red eye is the line was short and so there wasn't a whole lot of anxious people behind us waiting for the king family to get through :). The kids are all chatting and playing with the rest of the team. Traveling with 12 babysitters is definitely the way to go. Hopefully the kids will sleep through the night . . . Because mom and I plan too ;). We'll let you know how it goes. If you want an exciting tale ask the boys about the special hand dryers they had in the airport restrooms. They were a different kind where you stick both hands in and get a 360 degree dry. They were very impressed.

Jesse's Journal

Jesse (7)decided that he was going to keep a journal of his experience in Haiti. He decided that he will write about what he thinks it will be like and then write about what it is really like when we get there. Here is the first entry from his journal. I put a few words in () that I thought might need translating.

“I’m going to Hatie in 9 days. It will be fun. I like going on planes. You can see a lot in a plane. My mom and dad are the group leaders. I’m exited. First we are on a plane, a bus, a small pick up truk. I love trips. You can axiller (actually) learn a lot. We will see are friend Jhon Jhon and Christey and their two girls Carey and Tana. Thay have feeding setters (centers) to feed young kids that don’t eat good food. They can mostly only eat rice and beans. There govemet is very striked (strict). That’s what I thik Hatie is like.”

Rough Itinerary for our trip to Haiti

Mon July 6:

The team flies out of San Francisco International at 11:05 pm

Tues July 7:

Arrive at the Mompremieres in Haiti approximately 1-2PM (Eastern Time).

Wed July 8:

Here are some of the work projects we will be starting on: organize supplies brought in by team, cement floor/putting up roof for Zouell, cement floors for others, Painting–painting doors and windows in the community, Carry rocks for road repair, clearing ground for basketball court, building rock walls

Thurs July 9:

We’ll continue with the projects above in the morning. In the pm we’ll get a chance to participate in an English class and then take a prayer walk and deliver some food.

Fri July 10:

We will continue the projects above and some of us will . . . attend a 4am Bible Study (that’s right 4am! Got to get it in before the day’s work begins), a women’s Bible Study, and a meeting with the team that runs the local ministry in Haiti.

Sat July 11:

We will get up early and take a long hike to a cave that is used for the practice of Voodoo. Some of the team might elect to rest or continue working on various projects. This afternoon we will spend some time with a newly started youth group and this evening we will hear the testimony of a former witch doctor.

Sun. July 12:

We will prepare our own meals. We will attend Sunday school at 9, church at 10, and another church service at 2pm. The rest of the afternoon will be spent hanging with the local kids and resting.

Mon July 13:

This morning we will go to the local market and see some of the local towns. This afternoon there will another English class and a prayer walk where we will deliver some food. A men’s choir will come and sing for us

Tues July 14:

We will be doing a Vacation Bible Camp for little kids and possibly end the day with another prayer and food distribution walk.

Wed July 15:

We will be doing a Vacation Bible Camp for older kids and possibly end the day with another prayer and food distribution walk.

Thurs July 16:

Today we will be packing up and flying home.

Reflections on a Kindergarten Graduation

Facts about Haiti

• Haiti is about a two hour plane ride from Miami to Port-au-Prince, the capital
• Haiti is the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere, with 76 percent of its population below the poverty line, in Kentucky that would be over 3 million people (KY has about 4 million residents)
• Most Haitians live on less than $2 per day
• 95% of Haiti's 8.5 million people are descendents of African slaves
• An estimated 300,000 children are child laborers or Restavecs,* domestic slaves
• Child mortality:
o 1 out of 14 children die before their first birthday
o 1 out of 8 children die before they reach age of 5

• Life expectancy – 49 years , lower in Haiti than in Sudan
• Only 50% of primary-age children are in primary school
• Less than 2% of children finish secondary school
• 40% of the children do not get regular vaccinations for childhood diseases
• Its people have less access to clean water and sanitation than residents of Ethiopia or Sierra Leone
• Chronic malnutrition affects 42% of children under the age of five
• Haiti has the third-highest rate of hunger in the world, behind Somalia and Afghanistan
• Haiti has about 11,000 square miles with over 8.5 million people
• Port-au-Prince, the capital, has about 60% (5 million) of the total urban population
• A greater percentage of Haitians live in poverty than citizens of the war-ravaged Congo in Africa
• Haiti is a beautiful tropical land, with a rich history, full of amazing kids

Hurricane Season

Today marks the official beginning of the hurricane season. Haiti was devastated by hurricanes last year as you can see in this video by UNICEF. Please pray that this is a better year and that Haiti might receive some relief.

Brittany shares about going to Haiti

King Family Update

Thank you all, we feel extremely blessed. To date our family and friends have donated about $3400 to help us go and serve Haiti. The final price we need to raise has also lowered to $6000 which means we are over half way there! We are getting very excited about the opportunity we will have to serve in Haiti. The kids in particular are excited about making new friends and handing out food to families who otherwise would have nothing. Please continue to pray as we prepare for this family service experience, and thank you for being part of it.

Voodoo

One of the main religions in Haiti is Voodoo. This religion is about fear more than anything. It goes way beyond mere superstition and often gets violent. When I was in Haiti last year I had a chance to hear the testimony of a former witch doctor. He shared with us how he use to go out at night, get drunk, and then look for people to hurt. I recently got am email from our friend in Haiti regarding the inroads they are making in helping people escape voodoo and a life of fear.

"Many of you know that the season of Easter is also a time for many voodoo ceremonies. Starting on Easter, Andre, a witchdoctor that lives in the neighboring community, decided to hold nightly voodoo ceremonies. He wanted it to last the entire week. We have talked to Andre several times about his life and about Christianity. God has also given us the opportunity to help him medically and materially through the giving of food and clothes. We have invited him several times to our Sunday afternoon service, but there has always been excuses. When we heard the voodoo drums on Easter night, it was such a disappointment. JeanJean suspected it was Andre and was burdened for his soul. God put it on our hearts to pray right then for Andre and the others in the area that would want to participate in the ceremony. We prayed mightily for the men and women that have recently come to know Christ. We prayed that they would not be tempted to revert to their old practices. We prayed for our youth because so often the youth search for things to do and end up dabbling in evil just to check things out. JeanJean then had a chance to talk to Andre on the Tuesday after Easter. Andre told us that he had planned to have the ceremonies each night for a week but was stopping them because no one came!!! He just couldn't understand why no one wanted to participate. JeanJean shared with him about our prayers and again invited him to come to church on Sunday with us. He told us he may just do that. Please pray for Andre."

Haiti - A Country in Dire Need

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Last year when I was there we went to a kindergarten graduation. The ceremony was three hours long and there was a huge party afterward. The Kindergarten graduation is the biggest celebration of any life event in Haiti because many kids don't live to the age of five and of those who do live getting to go to school is even rarer.

During the 2008 hurricane season, four tropical storms struck Haiti, which resulted in torrential rains, extensive flooding and mudslides, and hundreds of reported casualties. The lack of governmental infrastructure and rescue services combined with impassable roads and bridges severely hindered rescue and relief efforts. In late August and September 2008, heavy rains and gale-force winds from hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike pelted the country's coastline and interior causing heavy flooding and mudslides. In the aftermath of the storms, eight of the country's nine departments reported significant physical and economic devastation. The storm damage came on the heels of the civil unrest in April 2008 regarding the already dismal economic conditions in the country.