I'm Going Back to Haiti!

On February 15^th my dad and I will be traveling to Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere.  In my public jr. high school there is a major project that needs to be completed by all eighth graders.  The project must either represent a college or a career you may be interested in.  You may be surprised to find out that I chose to do my project on the career of a missionary.  I chose this because of my past missions trip experiences which have impacted me greatly.   One of the trips that impacted me the most is when my whole family went to Haiti in the summer of 2009 when I was only nine years old.  I was able to use my own money to purchase a goat for a family in need (See the "Brittany Gives A Goat" video below).  At that moment I was hooked on serving others. Their happy faces and the knowledge that the goat actually made a measurable difference in the health and financial provision for their family touched my heart.  I know that there are many families in the world like that one, and I can’t think of doing anything better with my life than helping more families like them.   

I am not only required to research and write a paper (which I have already done), but I am also required to give a twenty minute presentation on a field experience with the career.   It has been my hope ever since we returned from Haiti to go back, see my Haitian friends, meet new ones, and get the chance to serve again.  Now I have a unique opportunity to not only return, but to share that experience with others at my public school.  Most of all I am hoping that the experience will help solidify God’s call on my life to be a missionary, and clarify who he wants me to serve and how he would like me to serve.

One of the things very close to my heart is serving children.  It breaks my heart to see the little toddlers that I work with at my church cry, let alone to think of the many children who need just basic sustenance in Haiti.  I hope to once again see up close and personal the great needs of the children in Haiti in a community that is still unreached.  I also hope to meet and build relationships with people in that community, brainstorm ideas and solutions for starting a nutrition center in that community, and then implement a plan to finance and support a nutrition center which will address the great needs of that community.

Video pics of our trip

Crafts with a Message of Love

Lyn helps some kids put together a bead craft. Each bead represented an aspect of the Good News of what God did through Jesus for each of us. The kids are raised seeing their parents sacrifice the family health in order to take care of the local witch doctor. It is very exciting for them to hear that God would make a sacrifice for them.

Prayer

Chaz and I praying for the day to come in Haiti. With so many needs, and limited resources, payer becomes a pivotal practice. With out God's guidance and miraculous provision, the needs can quickly overwhelm you. However, there always seemed to be hope when we looked to God for the answers. In many ways, I felt more alive in resource poor Haiti, than in my comfortable, resource rich, life back in the USA.

Sacrifice

Here an older brother makes sure his younger sibling gets some food. The kids at the nutrition center receive one meal a day for four days a week. It's not a lot but it keeps them from malnutrition. AND many of the kids take the little they get at the nutrition center back home to share with their family. It is sobering to think of the burden that these little ones carry at such a young age.

Malnutrition

Here you see a beautiful child with a tint of red hair. Red hair and a bloated tummy are signs of malnutrition. Thankfully, because of the local nutrition centers, we saw very little red hair this year compared to last. The Mompremiers do their very best to get these precious children into one of the nutrition centers as soon as they are discovered.

Cal-Trans is awesome!

Hailey takes her seat on the bus as we head for our host's home in Haiti. We took Haiti's highway number 3 to get to our hosts home. It was little more than a washed out dirt road. It was a lot like riding a bucking bronc0. Yee - Haw! I don't think I'll complain about the pot holes in the states anymore :)

A Great Adventure

Here's the plane we flew on and the grass field we landed on in the middle of Haiti.

Definitely not flying American

The small plane that took us from the capital to the middle of Haiti had seats for 18. However, in order to get some of the luggage we needed on the plane they used some of the seats for bags. So Hailey and Troy sat together, Jesse sat on Lyn's lap, and Brittany sat on mine. And the kicker was it was hot and humid. Safety regulations? What Safety regulations? :)

The waiting game

Troy and Hailey wait patiently as we try to negotiate getting our luggage to our final destination. After flying overnight we had a three hour wait in a small airport in Port-au-Prince. The kids did great! If that isn't evidence that prayer works I don't know what is.

The Kid's Haiti Stories

This is the last video the kids made for Vacation Bible Camp in order to raise money for the nutrition centers in Haiti. In the end the kids raised over $2400! That's over twice as much as they have ever raised in previous years. Go God!

Brittany gives a Goat

This is a video we made for Vacation Bible Camp where Brittany shares her story about buying a goat for a family in need.

Nutrition Centers

Below is a video Brittany did for Vacation Bible Camp that explains a bit more about the nutrition centers.

Jesse's Journal 3

Here's an entry from Jesse's journal after we returned to California. The words in brackets () are mine :)

In Haite we gave rice and beans to the families. We have a good time in Haite. I love it. It was fun. I want to go again. We went to stay at the Mompermers (Mompremiers). Right when I got there that night I fell of a bunk bed and split my head open on a semet (cement) floor. I still have it. There was a lot of blood all over the floor. I can’t wait till it is gone.

Jesse's Haiti Journal

Here's an entry into Jesse's journal shortly after we got to Haiti. The brackets () are my words :)

Yesterday, in the San Francisco airport we were exited (excited). Then we went on a airplane. On the airplane we saw lights. Troy my brother liked them. I am in Hatie right now. I just got back from church and the songs are really weird. I am exhausted. I love Haite. We had pankas (pancakes).

Haiti and Kids Camp

Upon returning from Haiti the kids started Vacation Bible Camp at our church. They had decided that the campers were going to raise money for one of the nutrition centers in Haiti. Brittany played the role of spokesperson. Check out the first video below.

UCI Haiti Tour part 2

UCI Haiti Tour part 1

Haiti Tour part 1

Coming Home

We head home tomorrow. We are sorry to be leaving but excited to be going home. Pray that the kids travel well with all of the waiting. It's even tough on us adults :)