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!
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!
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