Gateway team and Teacher Seminar - Day 7

Sac passé!(What’s up) This week has been an awesome experience.  I have learned how giving and open those in the Haitian culture are.  When first arriving in Haiti, I saw how much more difficult the essentials for life are to come by and the way of life is much simpler.  Yesterday we played the high school and college age Haitians who have been coming to our evening meetings at soccer!  We had a great time playing against them even though we lost 3-6.  It was difficult playing on their field with all of the rocks and no grass.  I am looking forward to coming back to the U.S. for all of the amenities, but also at the same time I don't want this week to end.  I was playing with some of the little kids and would pick them up and spin them in a circle or throw them in the air and after I did that to the first kid I had a swarm of kids run over all hugging my legs and asking to spin them next.  After doing that to about thirty to forty kids, I was done but looking down and seeing how ecstatic their faces were, I couldn’t stop.  I’m so happy that God gave me this opportunity and thankful for it.  I couldn't ask for a better group of people to experience all of these things with.  When I get back home, I look forward to sharing all of my experiences and knowledge that I have gained from the Haitians and other people we’ve been with on this trip.   I hope all is well back home Mom, Dad and the rest of you and thank you for all of your prayers!

~Steve

Bonjour! As someone who, before this week, had only been to the Dominican Republic, this week was an incredibly different experience. The two countries, while sharing an island, differ in many aspects of their culture and ways of life. Both of the countries share the island of Hispaniola and similar flora and fauna, however, their similarities stop fairly short after that. The most noticeable difference is the language. While the D.R. speaks the well-known Spanish language, Haiti has it’s own unique language of Creole, which is essentially a mix of French, Spanish, and English, making it very hard to learn and translate. The other distinct difference is the terrain. While the mountains of the Dominican are lush and rich with an infinite number of greens, Haiti’s have been stripped barren and are a solid dusty brown. Haiti also brings along the strange and mystical voo-doo religion that has just recently lost its grip on the country. If asked which country I liked more, I couldn’t give an answer. The two experiences are not at all the same so comparison is impossible. Haiti has given me a new perspective and opened my eyes to missions outside of the Dominican Republic.

                                                                                    ~Griffin

Prayer together before the soccer game

We had a downpour after the soccer game and everyone enjoyed the cool rain

Griffin was referee for soccer as he carried 2 little boys around

We ended the week of youth services with a swim party in the ocean

Steve playing with kids at Chardene

Gateway Team and Teacher Seminar - Day 6 (from yesterday - no internet last night)

First of all I just want to say God is good! It’s amazing how much He has shown that He can use me in such a short amount of time here in Haiti. Not only that, but how much the Haitians have taught me about a simple faith and unconditional love. I came expecting to help them, and seeing how much they appreciate us gives me a change in heart. Our translators Carter, Tyson, and Jean have been with us everyday and each day I have asked many questions about Creole. They absolutely love when we ask questions about them and their language, so they always quiz me the next day and laugh at my pronunciations.  They always have a huge smile when I can have a conversation with them or the little kids.  The kids especially have so much fun when I show them the words I know, I count to 20 and say each color, then I teach them the English words for it. I think they are appreciative when we want to learn something from them. With that being said, today we hiked up to Degeance where there was very little space to play, but we improvised.  I walked up to a few little girls and asked them their name and age, told them their hair was pretty (Chave bel) and the little girl in green asked if I had a daughter because she loved me and she wanted to be my kid. So, I guess now I have a daughter named LuvnaJ The kids show us so much genuine love and they truly want to be loved, so being an example of God to them is such a wonderful opportunity. During the camp, I led games and I played guitar for each age group and we taught them the motions to “Lift Your Name on High” and at the end we all sang and danced to it together. As hot as it was, listening to them praise with us in their language gave me chills.  It has been a humbling experience and huge blessing to be here.  I love and miss you mom, dad, and everyone! Remember, Jezi renmen ou! Jesus loves you!

 -Erin

Gateway Team and Teacher Seminar - Day 5

Today we made our first hike of the trip as we traveled up to Dupin. We did another day of VBS and ended up having approximately 160 kids show up! I was in the craft/evangelism group and led, with the help of a translator, the kids through the Gospel while making beaded bracelets. It’s always so fun hearing the kids scream out what each color means and to see the story of Jesus’ love make sense to them in a really simple way. On the way back down the mountain, Emilee and I each suddenly had a child that wanted to hold our hand and lead us down the path. The way they made sure that we walked on the part of the path that wasn’t as dangerous, and then went as far as to throw big rocks in the river for us to use as stepping stones, was a testament to the way that these kids love unconditionally.  They just genuinely enjoyed us taking time to be there with them, hold their hands, and love them. Love is a language that definitely doesn’t need to be translated! Later this afternoon, we held our third session for teenagers. It’s been really cool to break into small groups and to get to know the Haitians in our group better each day. They are starting to open up more and share the struggles that they face as Christians in their culture, but it’s been so fun to joke around with them, too. The best part of the event was the epic song/dance battle that happened between the Haitians and our group! Stay tuned for videos once we get back to the states. ;)  Thank you all for praying for us- we’ve all been safe and healthy so far! It’s hard to believe that the trip is half over; this country continues to steal more of my heart every time I’m back here!

-- Rene

Today we went to Dupin.  It was the first time we had to hike to get to the school. The hike was not very long but it was hot and wet.  On the way up to the school, we saw some cows and donkeys.  Some of my favorite parts of the trip so far include: just being with this group of people.  Drake, Griffin, David, Steven, and the rest of the group have made me laugh all day everyday.  Our translators are awesome and I’m learning some new words in Creole.  I love doing VBS with the little kids in the morning.  I didn't think I was going to like it as much as I do.  My favorite school so far is Chardene.   Those kids were awesome.  I do really miss American food!!! I can’t wait to be back in America just for the food.  I miss my family and air conditioning and my bed, but I wouldn't change anything about this trip. 

Nathan

The teacher seminar is going great as well.  We have around 120 teachers attending and they are enjoying the learning and collaboration.  We have 4 American instructors and 2 Haitian instructors.  Each morning starts with devotions and worship.  We are all learning from each other and it has been amazing.