We spent a lot of time and energy preparing for our trip. In the busyness of preparation, most of you may not have given much thought to what things would be like after it was over, how things would never be the same.

Tomorrow many of you will go back to work. Schedules will mandate your time and focus, and routine will demand your cooperation. As you prepare to fall back into a sense of normal, you may be also dealing with some unexpected emotions. God shook your world this week. He opened your eyes to things you didn't know existed. He accomplished things in you that you didn't know possible. And He awakened your spirit to something you never want to forget. In light of that, you may be feeling some aftershocks.

Perhaps you feel depressed. You encountered joy amidst poverty and peace despite difficult circumstances in a way that words are inadequate to express. You have shared your stories, but it's not the same. Your friends and family just don't get it, and the feeling that "life is about to go back to normal" is depressing.  If you are feeling this way, remember life will go back to normal, but you don't have to. The same God that gave you those experiences abroad is the same God you worship at home. Focus on thanking Him for allowing you to be a part of His mission and look for ways you can have joy and peace where He has planted you.

Maybe your mood is better characterized by guilt. You look in your fridge and shudder at the many options to fill your belly. You sat in the air conditioned church this morning on a cushioned pew and felt embarrassed by your comfort. You think about your home, your car, your clothes, your job and somehow feel repulsed by your abundance. Ask God to provide you with a clear direction of how you can be a good steward of all He has given you and the courage to obey then allow Him to replace your guilt with a grateful heart. 

Anyone feeling frustrated? People at home just don't understand what you saw and experienced. It's frustrating. What's even more frustrating is that our culture doesn't seem to care that they are filthy rich or blessed beyond measure. Remember your trip opened your eyes, not everyone else's. You are responsible for the way that you live going forward, not everyone else. As you live a changed life in response to what you experienced, your friends and family will notice.

As things settle down and you transition back into a routine, you have a choice to make. You can "forget" what God has shown you and live like your trip to Haiti never happened or you can implement a change. Allow God to use those incredible experiences and emotions to motivate you to live differently. You don't have to be in Haiti for God to give you immense joy and indescribable peace. You don't have to be on a mission trip to be used by God in ways you never thought possible.

Tomorrow when you wake up, you are still on mission. And God is still on His throne. Praise be to Him from who all blessings flow!

Valmy is my interpreter, but he is more than that. He is my friend. This week we have all had some amazing adventures. I thought you might enjoy hearing about them from a different perspective so tonight here is our day from the eyes of Valmy...

Today was a good day. We had fun with the kids. We danced. We sang. We made noise, a lot of noise!
 
It is good for Americans to come because you help a lot of people in Haiti, people who were suffering from difficult diseases and hunger. You help kids to go to school and you share the Gospel with them. Through you they come to know Jesus. Many other people live in Damien and Bigarade, and you share the love of Christ with them.

Early this morning unfortunately we did not have the medical clinic at Damien Baptist Church so many people came to see the doctor. Some of them live far away from Damien because they don’t have money to go to the hospital and they know American people come to Haiti to help with health problems. That showed when American people come here it’s a hope for these people. We do not have opportunity to go to the hospital to survive. The most important thing that American people do, they are not coming just to provide medicine, but also to provide spiritual things.
 
My favorite things this week is to see how you bring joy to the kids at the school in Bigarade and how they appreciate American people and what they do, like the food that you provide and the songs. This week I got to know the American people much better, and they make me want to be a better man.
 
I love you all!

We love you, too Val, and we look forward to the time when we can see you and your precious country again. Until then "babay Ayiti"

Today was our first day to do ministry both in the school and at the medical clinic. Both teams could sum up their day with the same two words…difficult and rewarding.
 
The tap taps picked us up at 8am and took 20 team members to the school in Bigarade. The children were excited to see us. Thomas, the school administrator, and all the teachers were also very welcoming. Thomas introduced us and asked Zack, one of our team members who is far more mature than his 11 years, to share about how hard he worked selling things to come and see them.
 
We taught the children about the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. Laurie and my mom poured out their love and energy as they shared their lesson with 200 elementary kids using a puppet named Molly. The 80 preschoolers also learned about the armor of God, then both groups made bags using t-shirts. They loved the t-shirt bags!
 
After we served the children a lunch of rice and beans, the kids were told to go home. But they never want to leave. They want to stay to hold our hands and sit in our laps. We love how they love us.
 
After lunch some on our team took the kids to a nearby plantain field. We brought sacks and taught the kids to sack race. They loved the relay races! Then of course we had to play a game of soccer with them because kids and soccer in Haiti are nearly synonymous. The Haitian sun was hot while team members played, but you wouldn’t have known that anyone was uncomfortable because there were smiles on every person’s face.
 
While the kids played outside, other team members led a Bible Study for ladies.  Eleven ladies attended, along with the pastor of the church. Heather and I shared the salvation message with them, along with the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness. Then we prayed aloud for each of the women. It was very powerful. The messages were well-received, and we are hoping they will invite friends tomorrow.
 
The medical team had a very busy day as well. They served about 225 patients.  There were already about 100 in line when they arrived at the church this morning. The demand for the medicine made it difficult to organize and control the crowds, but they worked together and by the afternoon things began to flow smoothly. There were so many to treat that the team members got very little break today, but God sustained them and they all returned to the guest house this afternoon tired but in good spirits.
 
We enjoyed authentic Haitian beans and rice for supper and then the guesthouse surprised us with some delicious chocolate chip cookies. We just finished devotional time, where Larry challenged us to remember that we are all here because it is God’s will. He told us a story about a butterfly. Did you know that a butterfly flapping its wings can start an effect than can change the path of a storm?
 
Some of us look at the needs here and feel like what we are doing is so little to help. But maybe God has made us that butterfly. Maybe a child who got eyeglasses will be able to read now and grow up to be a God-fearing leader of this country. Maybe one of the women at the Bible Study will put her faith in God, share it with her family and begin a legacy of generations after her who serve the Lord. Or maybe we will be the ones God changes. Maybe one of us will go home and see life differently. Maybe we won’t take our hot showers, warm beds or full bellies for granted another day.
 
We may never see the effect, but God has told us to fly here and flap our wings. And in His strength and by His will that’s exactly what we will do!

​This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
 
This morning we all woke up sure of one thing – we are thankful to be here. However, one thing that we could not agree on was what time it was. No one, including our guest house hosts, was sure if Haiti recognized daylight savings time last night. Last year the country’s leaders chose not to spring forward; this year they took the jump but did a poor job of notifying the country. So…we rolled with it. It was really a good reminder that we are not in control. God is the one in control. He appointed every person on this trip. He ordained every moment.
 
After a wonderful breakfast of sweet porridge and juicy mango, our team left in four tap taps for Gossen Church. We were greeted by smiling faces of children in the village and warm hugs from Haitian friends. I was greeted by a smiling face too. One I never expected to see again.
 
Two years ago, the last time I visited Bigarade, I met a man named Examo Remy. He was on the side of the road selling alcohol. He offered a cordial “Bonswa” our way, to which we replied “Good afternoon!” Seeing the opportunity for a conversation, I mentioned that we were in Haiti for the week sharing Jesus with the kids at the school. Then I asked if he loved Jesus. “Wi” Examo Remy replied, yet the girls beside him giggled. He explained to me that he misspoke. He, instead, worshipped Satan. We pleaded Scripture with him until our tap tap pulled up, and we had to leave. Our translator wrote his name in my Bible. For two years I prayed for him. Today he met me at the door of the church to tell me that he is thinking about Jesus. That he has decided that Jesus is more powerful than Satan. What a way to prepare your heart for worship!
 
In service, Pastor Estaphat reminded us that there are black people, white people, yellow people, red people and brown people, but there is One God. Even though they worship and dance differently than most of us do, we share a kindred spirit. Several team members spoke in the service about how God asked them to come and how He provided the way. Some, and I won’t name any names (Barb Metreyeon) led the dancing as we all let down our guard and worshipped Jesus with our Haitian friends.
 
After service we shared the sandwiches we packed with our translators and broke into small groups to visit families in the village. Several groups collected children as they walked from house to house until there was a caravan of 15 or 20 kids holding their hands and following on their heels. It was a great opportunity to learn about Haitian culture, especially about their unmatched hospitality. We were welcomed in their homes and invited to sit and rest.
 
At 3pm we left the village. Our tap taps surprised us by taking us to New Life. Two teams from our church have stayed at New Life in the past and hold a fondness for the children living there. It was a blessing for all of us to spend some time loving on the kids that New Life rescues and nurses. We also enjoyed purchasing some ice cream there and cooling off. It was a sweet end to an even sweeter day.
 
We are back at the guesthouse now and just enjoyed a meal that included authentic Haitian pikliz and fried plantains. We are going to end our day by meeting with our ministry teams to prepare for our first day of teaching in the school and hosting the medical clinic. Before bed we will have a team devotional. I can’t wait to hear more about what is on each team member’s heart, but here is a little preview of what’s going on in hearts and minds of a few…
 
“I was very impressed with how they worshipped. They expressed themselves so well and were so willing to welcome us. They were very affectionate” – Wanda Harper
 
“It was amazing to me that even though they have poor living conditions they are still full of joy, and they adapt to their surroundings. Every child we saw had a smile on their face and they were all playing with each other and us.” – McKenna Osgood
 
“It broke my heart to peel myself away from the kids at New Life. I wanted to stay and give them more love.  Another thing that happened is a big rush of wind and sand blew in our direction as we started to walk to visit families in the village. It felt like it was the Holy Spirit going before us and directing our path.” – Lisa Arisco
 
“Let me hear joy and gladness – Psalm 51:8 That was an answer to prayer for us today because all day long we heard joy and gladness as we listened to testimonies at the church. It blessed my heart to dance with freedom, love and joy with my brothers and sisters – both my team and my Haitian friends. I felt a joy and freedom today that I have never experienced before.” – Allisen Roberts
 
“We came to touch the hearts and minds of these people, and they are the ones that touch you. This place is such a beautiful place due to the attitudes of the people.” – Jacob Sonnier

We have had a long but wonderful day. We made it very easy through security both in Houston and Port au Prine. Everyone arrived with all of their luggage. We are tired but feeling blessed. Thank you for all of your prayers while we were traveling.

We arrived at the guest house about 3pm. It is very nice. The view from the roof is especially beautiful. We relaxed some this afternoon then enjoyed a wonderful meal of fried chicken, rice and sweet carrot and pea sauce.

After dinner we lifted up several songs in worship. Everyone sang their hearts out. Something about being on a mission trip, being out of your comfort zone makes worship so meaningful. Bob encouraged us to allow ourselves to be vulnerable this week. To be willing to allow God to use us anyway He wants as we pour our hearts out to Him and to the precious people of Haiti.

Tonight our eyes are heavy but our hearts are ready for everything God wants to accomplish!

In a little over 24 hours, a team of 32 people will get on a plane and head to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. While that is a lot of people who are ready for an adventure, there are dozens more who will stay behind. This blog is for the mom who hugs her daughter one more time before she heads through those security gates, the husband who is about to appreciate all his wife does just a little more, and the wife who lovingly agreed to single parent for the week.

When your loved ones return from Haiti, they will have powerful and unique stories to tell. But until that time, you can visit this blog for a little glimpse into all God is doing through them and in doing so, may you be reminded to pray that all things would be accomplished through this mission for His glory!

Before you say your "see you soon," I want to take the opportunity to encourage the team. I imagine some of you are very excited, maybe mentally counting down the hours until our early departure. Some of you may also feel nervous of what unknowns lay ahead or unsure if you will have anything to offer. In 1 Chronicles 25, David, along with the captains of the army, were making plans for how the priests and other Levites should organize themselves for service in the temple once it was constructed. Specifically, chapter 25 addresses how the musicians would serve God.

"And they cast lots for their duty, the small as well as the great, the teacher with the student." 1 Chronicles 25:8

They let God decide who would lead the singing, who would strum the harp and who would play the cymbals. In God's plans, there are no auditions. There is not even a pre-requisite for talent or ability. God chooses for one purpose - His glory!

He has chosen you, set you apart for this mission for His glory. He is not concerned about how well you can get around, He does not mind that your mouth goes dry when you talk in front of big groups, and He is not worried that your medical knowledge may be a little rusty.

What He does take note of is your obedience. He is delighted that You have chosen to follow Him, and He needs nothing more than your Yes. So as we depart, let your worries fade and let your hearts be amazed as God uses your yes for His glory!

I feel blessed to serve Him alongside you! - Alison