We finished VBS this afternoon. Today we had 240 and it was a much more manageable group. The Lord was with us. The team did a great job.

Tonight we begin to pack up and we head to Port-au-Prince in the morning.

We all are reflecting on our time here and will process for the weeks to come how the Lord moved in each of our lives.

I'm sure many of us will call family and friends when we hit US soil. Oh, many are planning already what they are going to eat first when they arrive in Atlanta. Several just was something with ice. :)

Trace

I have had an amazing time being here. The children smile all the time and they brighten your day. I really enjoyed going to church yesterday. Even though I didn't know what they were saying, it was still cool to think that God does know what they are saying. It was fun to praise God with them and to see how much joy they have with so little. God has really helped me to see how much I have and how little they have. I am so blessed. I have really enjoyed being on this trip and playing with the kids.

Sarah S.

Today is the first day of VBS and we have around 400 kids. Yes, 400. We thought we were over preparing when we thought 300. It is great to see so many children. All are eating now and then we will begin the afternoon session. Pray that the children will lean of Jesus' power today and tomorrow. The team is really doing great with the children and working through the language barrier. It is great to see and all of you would be proud of them.

Yesterday we gave another 30 water filters to church members. All were surprised as to why they were called back to the church in the afternoon. All were very thankful for the filters. During the filter training, the youth of the church met and several from our team were able to share their testimonies and one of the local youth shared also. Both youth groups shared from their life experiences.

Evening church was fun. We did a series of skits to invite the kids to VBS. It was very funny and the congregation laughed hard. The team sang several songs and Pastor Nate preached. It was a great service.

We are tired this afternoon after the busyness of the morning, but all are doing well and loving the time here in Haiti. I am glad we could get an update to you today.

Trace

Hey everyone! First off I want to say thank you for praying for us. It has helped out a lot I'm sure, because everything is going really well! Yesterday we got up and had breakfast then hit the road for a really long bumpy ride! It was nice to go through the towns where people live and see how they live each day. It was a very eye opening experience, and showed me just how good we have it. When we got to our campus(which is beautiful) we all unpacked and had a very tasty meal. Today we woke up and had breakfast, then got to take a tour of the campus we are staying at. We got to check out the workshop, school, and beautiful church! After that we met some new friends and got to play around with all the kids! Then we went to a town about 30 minutes away and showed the people of that town that have cholera, how to use the filter systems we gave them! So that was very exciting to help people out that way and we could see their excitement and appreciation for that. Over all, the first few days have been great, and God has really opened my eyes to see how much we have. One thing I've notice is how little they have, but they seem to be the happiest people I've met! That has been a big challenge for me this early in the week! Thank you all for praying and I hope you continue to pray as we finish out the week!

Brandon Cooley

As Brandon has said, we have had good days here in Haiti. There have been the expected unexpected things, but the team has handled them all very well. All of us are healthy and the weather is quite nice. Tomorrow we will worship both in the morning and evening, do another seminar on filters, and prepare for VBS on Monday and Tuesday. It will be interesting to see how many kids come. Pray for us as we prepare and that the kids will learn more about Jesus.

With the limited internet access here, pictures will be a luxury. Sorry.

Trace

Haiti Travel: Stonebridge Team

Our first day of traveling went well. We made it safely to Haiti! We had a good day yesterday and when we talked last night, many were overwhelmed with the sights and poverty here. Nate was particularly emotional and taken by Haiti. All are in good spirits and healthy. We are anticipating a long day of travel to Deyemon. We will continue to update the blog as time allows.

Thank you for your prayers. God is with us and moving our hearts.

Last Day at Ebenezer

At this moment we can hear pockets of cheering Dominicans all around us. Its obvious they are Miami Heat fans. By morning a winner will be decided. We have been reminded here that there is a race we are running. A race we strive to win. A race much bigger than what we think is important in the society in which we live. One of our Bible verses we shared with the kids at camp this week talked about the ultimate prize, an eternal life with God. In our morning devotional, Kayla and Rachel shared how we find strengths through our weaknesses. It was brought up about our journey as Christians being a difficult one, not the easy road traveled. All of us agreed we needed each other to stay the course. Today we got a glimpse of those here in one of the poorest areas and saw first hand very poor living conditions... something you may see in a National Geographic magazine. Children followed us, some with nothing more on than a t-shirt five sizes to big or torn shorts, bare feet and beautiful smiling faces that captured our hearts. Then we got to see God's creation by climbing the water fall and playing in the ocean. It was truly a great ending to our week and an eye opening experience. I know that I am very thankful that my husband and children are here together. What a great opportunity to serve as a family and with a wonderful group of young people!

Connie Lyon



Families get ready to see us soon!!! Thanks for the opportunity to spend with those you love.  They worked hard and shared their love even more.  I'm honored to have lead such an amazing group.  When they get home ask lots of questions and get ready to hear many stories.

Tracy

Monday, June 17, 2013

Hola todos! Its hard for me to write this blog in English because Spanish has been surrounding me everywhere for the last two weeks! As the days count down to our departure, I fall more and more in love with this place every single day. Today, we had our final full day of camp instruction. As wild as the kids can be, it is still a ton of fun seeing how much joy is brought to their faces by hitting around a volleyball or completely airballing a basketball. As Allie discussed in devotions, a couple days in, we all realized that God didn’t bring us here to necessarily make them better at sports, but to share His love through our sports camp, and I think that’s just what we’re doing. I can’t wait for the last day of camp tomorrow to give them their t-shirts and prizes.

The rest of the day, we painted, enjoyed hanging out with our Dominican friends, and played a massive-awesome-fun game of volleyball. After our volleyball game, we came upstairs to an authentic Dominican meal prepared by Ruth and Carlota. It was so delicious!! AND it included my favorite Dominican specialty – passion fruit juice – YUM. (That would be an awesome welcome home gift for me mom or dad if you learned how to make that!) In all, I am so very thankful for all of the awesome experiences and lessons that God has given us here - Be ready family and friends for some amazing stories when you get home!

See you all soon,
Love you all bunches,

Marisa Sonrisa



Hola! Today was so much fun. During the sports camp, I feel like we especially got to know each kid in our group even better. I was personally in charge of five boys in the younger group in the morning. As the day went on, I got to see how each of their personalities stood out even more to me. As they were leaving, the older group came in., the first person I talked to was Naomi- as soon as she saw me, she asked if I was ready to lose a volleyball game to her! Haha. I love seeing everyone's excitement to play sports and learn new things here. After the camp, we all bought a few things from the venders that had come to the school. Later, a few of us girls taught Sadrac and Naomi the "Cup Song", which was really fun. From there, we went right into a full-out, 7 on 7 volleyball game with the Dominicans. It was a blast and I hope we get to play them again sometime before we leave. I am definitely not ready to leave here in a few short days, but, on the other hand, I am excited to share all of our adventures with you all!

Hasta Pasta! and Love you all,

 Maquensi (or Mackenzie, for all you English speakers:) )

Dribble contest demonstration

The campers try it out

Rachel D-ing it up

King of the Court

Some of the girls took a break to style Shelby and Allie's hair

Savy and Shelby

Shooting competition for the girls.  Gabby and Keaton count made shots and rebound

Mackenzie working with the kids on soccer

Alexis marking down made shots.  These boys were competitive

All smiles for the camera

Brittany finishing up our Autobus

This morning we had the opportunity to attend the Ebenezer Church service. The first part of the service the dance team performed. Even though we couldn't understand the words to the song, we were able to understand the message they were presenting through their movements. Moise said a couple things and then Tracy went up and spoke to the church for the team. Alexis and Marisa shared their testimony with those in attendance as well. It was so neat to hear about their journeys and current walk with Christ. After that, we were able to worship. Thanks to the projection of the words, we were able to sing along even though we didn't know what we were singing. The dance team had tambourines and moved along to some of the songs in addition to the drums and piano that was played. Throughout the service, there were 2 songs that a group of 8 young adults sang. The vocals and harmony were amazing! Ruth was able to translate the message for us that Moise presented. At the end of the service, we had the opportunity to take communion and those people that were baptized last week became official members of the Church. Once they were members, the Church had the opportunity to walk through and confirm/congratulate them in their decision to take the next step in their faith. We were truly blessed throughout the couple hours we were able to participate in the Church service here.

After an amazing lunch of mac-n-cheese and shredded chicken, everyone enjoyed some down time.

Later this evening we'll be attending the evening church service which will be followed by pizza! We're all looking forward to see what the rest of the evening will bring in addition to the rest of our time here. Enjoy the pictures!

Brittany



Today was a bit of a change of pace for us without having any campers but it was just as exciting since we were able to attend church services and spend some time with the congregation. This evenings service was a smaller service but we all saw the passion of the attendees. The Dominicans really worship with all that they have and then some. To begin the service we all joined hands in a large circle and prayed out loud together. Everyone prayed their own prayer and thanked God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon us, it was a powerful experience. Tonight's sermon was on obedience and trusting in God's word. It was encouraging to see how many youth are actively engaged in the church and sermons. Two members of our team contributed tonight as well, Kayla and Mackenzie each gave their testimony before we wrapped up. To close out the day we had some pizza and talked about our day and what stood out to us. We all agreed that we admired the enthusiasm everyone at Ebenezer has for the Lord and how contagious it is.


Allie

The whole team after a day of worship

The 2 Shelbys

 

The Lyon Crew

So exciting to be on this trip with Keaton

Mackenzie and Kayla each shared testimonies in the evening service

Alexis and Marisa shared testimonies in the morning service (Ruth translated)

Shelby and her 2 buddies

Moise jumps in on a photo

Allie and Mackenzie are called up during the evening service.  They had no idea why.  A little nervous, but it was just to demonstrate how to move during worship

Mackenzie and Brittany all ready for church

Lunch crew in between church services

After lunch and a little rest we organized camp prizes for our last 2 days

Hello to anyone reading this.  Today was exciting, but I miss home and my friends.  It is a lot of fun here.  For breakfast we have had poptarts, pancakes, and eggs.  My favorite is the poptarts.  Today I played with a Dominican girl.  We hit the volleyball back and forth.  We don't speak the same language but we didn't need to to play.  I got to run drills with some of the kids for basketball and then got to play games with the older kids.  I like it here and making new friends, but can't wait to get back home.

Bye,

Noah



Hi everyone! Today by far was my favorite day. Camp today was great, the children here arrive everyday with a smile. I have learned that even though sometimes there is a language barrier, communication is still possible. The children try to communicate in English using the most that they know. With our older group session today we had an abstinence talk.  We learned many cultural differences between those in the United States and those in the Dominican. To end our day a few of us girls joined in the youth church service in the court yard. The Dominicans shared with us their ways of glorifying God (singing, dancing, etc.).  After the church service we met in the cafeteria with some of the Dominican teens to share our testimonies. It was incredible to hear all the different ways they had found God in their lives, some starting from the very bottom. In only three days here I can not even begin to share the ways this trip has already changed my life. The people here go through many hard things and live in an unimaginable amount of poverty, yet still are the happiest people I've ever met. They still give glory to God when everything around them tells them not to. I wish i could stay here longer, but I know my family and friends cannot wait for me to come back home. Thank you to everyone who has made it possible for me to come on this trip and I cannnot wait to share all my experiences with you! Mom and Dad don't worry about me, I am perfectly fine and having a GREAT time.

Kayla Trevino



Hi everyone! Today at camp was AWESOME! These kids here are absolutely amazing. They come to camp everyday with a huge smile on their faces ready to learn and have fun. They are a blast to be around even though they can be ornery at times, but hey, somethings never change no matter where you are in the world! Communicating with the kids can be tough at times, but we both try to make each other understand what we're trying to say. Today after camp, we had an abstinence talk with the older kids. Its crazy how some things can be so different, yet the same. I learned a lot of cultural differences between all of us, but I think the message still means the same. After dinner, we joined in on a church service. There, they all shared bible verses, dances, songs, and poems. It was really cool to experience that. Then, some of us all sat down and shared testimonies, and let me tell ya, they were inspirational. It was incredible to hear all of them. Knowing these people come from nothing and have nothing, yet still wear the BIGGEST smile on their faces, makes my heart smile. Even though I only have three days left here, I cant wait to see what else God has in store for me. I'm sure everyone at home can't wait for me to get back! I miss you all so much and want to thank everyone for letting me experience this.  It is such a blessing. Special little shout out to my mom, dad, and sister, hi. I love and miss you bunches. hopefully you don"t miss me too much and say hi to Cabo for me.

Alyson Hughes

                             (camp basketball drill)

                         All smiles during 1 of our volleyball camp drills

                                  Kayla working on a watermelon for a fruit mural

       An amazing bicycle added to the transportation mural at the preschool

                                 The younger kids starting a dribbling drill

                                 Noah playing some defense

                

        All of us making new friends and having lots of fun sharing Jesus!!!

Broken things are beautiful. There is poverty everywhere, but yet the people are still happy and have smiles on their faces everyday.  It makes you feel special when the kids stop what they are doing and wave to you and try to talk to you.  I met a girl named Kayla today.  She is 6 years old.  When she saw my leg was bleeding, she put a leaf on it to try to stop the bleeding.  That just shows how caring and loving these people are.  And they try to make the best of what they have around them.  Kids were playing in the street and they were using a bottle cap and stick to play baseball.  I've learned a lot of Spanish and that has helped me connect with others.   I see God in those interactions.  A kid named Hosea kept calling me LOCA Gabby, which means CRAZY Gabby. It was funny.  Another trick they played on me since I don't know a lot of Spanish is to tell me that one of the boy's name was Gabrielle so I thought we had the same name.  They were dying laughing the whole time.  This is definitely an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Gabby



I thought after yesterday things couldn't get any better, but I was wrong! Today was even more fun, so I can't wait for the experiences tomorrow and the rest of the week God will bring us. In the morning we worked with the younger kids and they were nothing but excited! The little girls played with my hair and it's funny how such a little thing can bring a smile to my face...it's the little sisters I never had because they look up to us. After lunch when we had the older kids and were playing volleyball and it started to rain there was mud all over the volleyballs and our clothes. I'm a clean freak and I was having a blast with mud on my face! It's also really awesome how quickly we are all picking up on the Spanish words and being able to communicate a lot better with the campers. They are all very helpful when we don't know how to say certain words in Spanish and have to point at things and do a lot of demonstrations. The first day all some of us could really say was a whole lot of "Hola"s and even just two days later we are much improved! I'm looking forward to the rest of the week and I am excited to tell more stories when I get home!

Rachel


PS - This team has been great.  Everyone is working so hard.  Below is a glimpse of our day!!!
  -Tracy

Hola friends and family,

Today has been a full day of sports! We had a great turn out for our first day with around 70 Dominicans ready to learn. We started with volleyball, then soccer, then basketball. The group I was mainly with were the nine and ten year old's. They were so much fun to hit volleyball's back and forth with and one little boy had fun using my arms as a basketball hoop. Luckily I didn't get hit in the face too many times. When we took the nine and ten year old's over to the preschool to help conserve space, we began to improvise the games and ended up playing tag, four square and some one-on-one. Noah and Keaton did an awesome job teaching the kids that needed a little break how to play a cup stacking game. We ate a delicious Dominican meal for lunch and I got to cook Dinner with Tracy and Marisa. I'm looking forward to what God has in store for the rest of the week! Thanks for everyone's prayers. God is good.

Shelby

 

Hey everyone,
This whole day has been quite an experience! It was very full, especially in the morning. We were all very pleased with how many kids showed up today. Shelby Eddington, Kayla, and I were in charge of the 9 and 10 year old age group. We started off the day with a devotional and then volleyball. I was a bit skeptical because I don`t know how to play that well but the kids just enjoyed learning something new. After we finished that we moved on to soccer. During that time I was put with the older kids who seemed to be very interested with what they were learning. When we took a break for lunch we I was able to get to know the kids a bit better and I was able to build a better relationship with them. After lunch the little kids began to grow tired so we improvised and just played tag with them around the preschool. When the camp was finally over for the day, we gathered together to sing a song and end in prayer. Our group thought that it was an eventful day and were very pleased with how everything turned out. Afterwards, I enjoyed a nice long three hour nap. I`m so very thankful for this opportunity that I get to have with the kids and I can`t wait to see how the week turns out. Thank you to all my friends and family for the prayers they are much appreciated. Love all of you and I can`t wait to see you!
Alexis

 

Hola,

 Today was awesome because it was so different from home.  I helped with volleyball and basketball.  One of my jobs was to chase down balls and another was toss the ball to a kid so they could practice hitting.  Noah and I taught some of the kids how to speed stack (see picture above).  I learned how to say I like  - me gusta.  I threw balls to kids for basketball and help teach them bounce pass.  The best part of the day was my shower.  I get soooo hot and the cold shower feels great.  Love and miss you dad, Griffin, Owen, Ian, and Jaxon

From Keaton