Photo Team - Friday, December 11

Last post for this trip... We're all missing our friends and families and looking forward to leaving tomorrow - but also sad about leaving this beautiful and desperate place!  This morning we traveled to Lahatte to visit the adorable kids at our farthest school.  I haven't been there before, and didn't know that there was an actual dessert (with real cactus!) in Haiti!  Thankfully, the kids were very excited to see us, and no one cried or screamed and ran away!

We took a short tour of a close village, and loved on the kids while taking their pictures and helping our nurse (Anite) determine which students needed vitamins the most.  We watched them play some soccer during recess before lunch, and learned a lot about their culture.  It's hard to believe that the people in that area often have to walk between 2 and 3 hours to find water, then carry it home!!

This afternoon, while I am writing to you, Alonzo, Darren, and Myron are napping, and Jeanie is practicing her Creole with one of the staff.  Darren and I will be having a couple of short meetings this afternoon with Pastor Herve and Hachemy, then the Leadership graduates will be here for dinner and training again this evening.  I am really looking forward to meeting with some vendors a little later to purchase some Haitian vanilla, coffee, and souvenirs to take home.

Please pray for our long journey home tomorrow.  We will probably be spending many hours waiting at the airport before our plane leaves, so pray for safety there.  Then we will travel to Miami for dinner together before going our separate ways.  Please pray that this time together will spur us all to share with others about the amazing Haitian people and culture, and to work toward building a better place to raise up the next generation of Christ-centered leaders!!

Kimberlie :)

Photo Team – December 9, 2015

Sorry for not blogging yesterday – it was a very long, busy day and I was just too tired!

We are right on schedule and taking lots of pics that we are excited to share with you when we return.  Yesterday we hiked up a mountain and over some water to Dupin, then headed into the “city” to reach our St Marc school.  Played a lot with the kids at both places, and got back to the Mission Center in time for a good nap before dinner.

Today we walked to our Lanzac school, where we saw just 25 little ones.  And although I didn’t believe him, Darren was right when he said some children would cry.  There was one pre-school student who actually ran away screaming(more than once) because the scary white people were invading his territory! 

After Lanzac, we went to our largest school, MPCA, where we photographed most of the students there.  Because there is some extra testing going on this week, we will need to finish three grades tomorrow.

This evening began with a dinner with our leadership academy graduates, then a time for them to hear from Darren and Pastor Herve about the difference good leaders can make in someone’s life.  Our team ended the evening with a good hour of TENZI (a dice game) – and could only stop after Darren won a game!

Tomorrow we hike up another mountain to Degeance, and will hopefully be able to do a little sight-seeing on the way down before heading back to MPCA.

We appreciate your faithful prayers for us while we’re here!  We know the Spirit is moving in Haiti, and believe God will do great things through the work we are doing this week.  We are missing you all and praying for you as well!

~ Kimberlie J

Photo Team - December 7th, 2015

Our first day of student photos at our Chardene school (Pre-K through 13th grade) was a huge success!!  I tried to upload a picture, but our wifi here is completely opposed... Maybe tomorrow??

We have already been greatly touched by our time with the kids here.  We photographed just over 500 students and their teachers.  And we had so much fun at the same time!  Along with just taking pictures, we played and interacted with the kids, sharing Jesus' love with them through our time and attention, hugs and hand shakes, broken French and a fluffy blue teddy bear.  We were so proud to see the students working hard on their school work, and especially on their "faith work" and discipline.  Our teachers, administrators, and principals are doing a great job!

Tomorrow we head to two other schools, and I'm looking forward (ha!) to the long hike up the mountain early in the morning.  We have to do something to work off the ice cream Pastor Herve is feeding us!

Please continue to lift us up in prayer - for safety, for our vehicles and equipment to work, and for some issues some team members are having with a fungal infection and bug bites.

By the way - our lost bag finally arrived from Miami at just the right time.  God is so good!!

~ Kimberlie :)

Photo Team - Sunday, December 6^th

So glad we are finally able to post and update you on our trip so far! 

When we left home at 2am Saturday, I had to scrape ice off of my car… And when we landed in Port au Prince at 3:30 Saturday afternoon, it was sunny and 92 degrees. Quite a shocking change in a short period of time!

Just a few issues on the trip here have made things “interesting.” So grateful that my passport was found and returned after somehow falling out of my carry-on bag in the plane.  Then Alonzo’s checked bag (the one with the beef jerky in it!!) was left in Miami and has still not been returned.  But despite those bits of stress, we have all bonded well and have had a relaxing day together here at the mission center.

Tomorrow starts our big photo job beginning at Chardene.  We will have tons of fun with students in grades Pre-K through 13.  I’m excited to have two new photographers who will hopefully get our best school photos yet!

Church was amazing at St. Marc, and we loved hearing Pastor Emanus speak about God’s plans for our lives and believing that he will take care of our needs in al situations (from Genesis 3 and Jeremiah 11).

Thanks for your prayers – keep them coming!!

~ Kimberlie J