Gateway Youth Team in the DR - Sports and Art Camp

June 16^th

1^st day of camp.

Today we were up at 7am for devotional readings, breakfast and last preparations for the kids.  Camp started at 9am.  Kids were at the door at 8am, waiting with GREAT ENTHUSIASM.

The kids were exposed to soccer, volleyball, basketball and art.  Some of the campers showed up in their school gym uniforms (long pants & collared tshirts) and it was HOT today!  Full sun and heat!  Luckily the courtyard had some shade!  The kids were excited about each station they played at and so were the leaders. 

Overall, day 1 was a total success and now we are all EXHAUSTED!

Art camp was quite an adventure! Campers learned that art is a display of God’s beauty in this world. The high school students had to help the art teacher interpret Spanish and give directions; thank goodness for our patient high school volunteers! The campers worked creatively on coil pots, pinch pots, and stamping while the high school helpers distributed supplies and collected projects. Everyone did an excellent job! We are truly blessed by young adults willing to serve God and one another!

Carrie hard at work with one of her many students.

Jennia giving great encouragement, a student making a pinch pot and Ty playing soccer with the girls.

1, 2, 3 Jesus at the end of David's station.  Why not get excited about Jesus?

JD and Carter with Jennia and Grace instruct some students on the finer points of ball handling.

Madi and Gabbi working hard to scrape the inside of the church.  

We made it to the DR!

Hey everyone!

This is Rene here in the MP office; I just talked to Tracy and she asked me to let you all know that they made it to the Dominican Republic safely! The team is doing great and they're preparing for a busy week ahead! They're hoping to post again tonight and give you more updates on how things are going! Please continue to pray for their team! :)

Dupin May 18 2016

Final thoughts!
What an amazing experience this has been.  We have truly come together as a team and have made so many new friends.
We had a wonderful last day together.  We all went up to the school at Dupin.  It is a long and slightly treacherous hike up a mountain and across a river.  But it is so worth it when you get to the top and see the amazing view and see the kids.  Once again the kids met us and helped us carry all of our supplies up.  We were SO thankful for their help.
We again did scabies and hygiene clinics.  Checked and fixed teeth at the Dental clinic and also saw children as well as other people from the community in the medical clinic.  The high light of the day was the soccer game between the Haitian kids and us.  They of course won the game (it wasn't even close).  It is so much fun to see how everyone can play together even when they do not share the same language.
We closed the evening out by meeting in the gazebo and sharing who we have been praying for all week.  At the beginning of the week we drew names and secretly prayed for and observed that person all week.  It was a very emotional and touching evening as we shared what we have learned about one another and how they have impacted our lives.
We are looking forward to coming home and seeing loved ones.  We are also excited to come back to the luxury of air conditioning.  But we are also sad to be leaving this beautiful country that we have all come to love.
Please continue to pray for safe travels as we all head home tomorrow.  We are thankful for all of the prayers you have been saying for us.  We have felt them and believe that is why we have all stayed healthy.
So Good Night from Haiti.  We will see you all soon.

Sorry for the lack of photos but we all promise to post to Facebook when we get back.  Pam in a shower cap is a photo that needs to be seen by everyone.

La Hatte May 17, 2016

To sum up La Hatte... it is hot.

       The La Hatte (hawt) school and community is based on top of mountain in a very dry area with lots of dirt and cactus and scrub bushes. We took the open bed GMC truck and drove up a dry river bed to reach the school. At some places, the sides of the river bed were very tall indicating the river became very deep during the rainy season.

        Fortunately for us, there was a very strong breeze that was present while we were there. We did our now usual set up of a hand washing seminar, medical checkups, and dental services. There was also a separate construction crew who worked very hard during their day to dig holes in very hard rock.

       We ate peanut butter and jelly tortilla roll-ups with summer sausage and string cheese for lunch. After we were finished for the day, our translators and the school pastor took us on a walk through a part of the local village. The poverty there is very strong and it was evident. They use whatever resources are available to build housing and provide for their families. However, their spirits were high and they were very friendly while showing us around.

        When we returned the mission compound, there was a girl from a school we saw earlier in the week waiting to see us. She had had a bug stuck in her ear for 20 weeks (140 days). She had gone to the local hospital, waited seven and half hours and they were only able to remove a little bit. We were able to flush her ear and remove the remaining parts of the bug. The girl's father was the principal of the school and they were very grateful for the resources that Mission Possible provides.

        We finished the evening gathered around and listened to the testimonies of our pastor Herve (Air-ve) and our supervising translator Ashmi (Ash-me). They told us how Mission Possible has continued and overcome obstacles, despite the difficulties. Herve also told us how the Haitians were mainly practicing voodoo, but many have converted to Christianity. But most importantly, they spoke of how grateful they are for us coming to their country and helping their people.

Great Day

This morning we walked to the Lanzac School, which is located near the Mission Possible compound. This school consists of approximately 36 students; one of which is being sponsored by a team member. This is not the first time on this trip a team member has been able to meet their sponsored child. The kids at every school we attended have been amazing. They love getting their picture taken. Even more they love seeing themselves after.

                                                                                                     

After Lanzac we drove to MPCA. This school consists of approximately 700 students. We have finally connected with air conditioning!!!! Whew zipping hot! We were able to take a tour of the school’s gardens where they grow corn and bananas. One of the big jobs at this school was to organize and clean out a room at the training center. Here there is a vocational school that they plan to expand the programs offered. If a teacher is to teach in one of the Mission Possible schools they must first graduate from this school.

At each school we ran medical and dental clinics along with teaching handwashing and proper care of nails to prevent Impetigo. We also ran a scabies prevention seminar.

At Charden, part of the team completed building the school playground. What a great time watching the kids play on it once they were done!

Once again we’re enjoying an evening of swimming in the ocean and just hanging out with each other learning new card games. What an unforgettable week it’s been. So hard to believe there’s only a couple days left.

Sunday May 15

     Last evening the team spent a wonderful evening getting to know one another better.  Testimonies were shared and we learned that while we come from very different back grounds and life styles (as well as different countries) we are all one in Christ.
     Today we went to church at St. Marc and enjoyed sharing a time of worship. Pastor Beth preached the sermon, which was then translated into Creole.  Worship was loud and passionate and included a lot of singing.
     After a wonderful meal prepared by Manita, the rest of the day was spent relaxing, swimming, playing cards and enjoying the beautiful ocean view and sunset.
     We are all having an amazing time and are truly enjoying getting to know one another and serving together.  We all love spending the time with the children and seeing their beautiful smiles.  Yesterday they came running down the mountain to meet us and helped us carry up all of our supplies.  They are such special children.  When there was no soccer ball to play with, they improvised and used an empty medicine bottle as a ball.
     We look forward to spending the next three days continuing to do Dental clinics, hygiene clinics, and provide some medical care.  The construction team will finish the playground at Charden and then begin another playground at MPCA.
    Everyone says hello to all of our loved ones.

Group photo after finishing a hard day!

Dan going banana's for banana's

Nurse Stephanie showing the kids their picture

Nikki, our English Nurse Practitioner, and Elizabeth, a nursing student, playing soccer with the kids 

Heather, Pastor Beth, and Kyra drinking from fresh coconuts 

Children's smiles were plentiful as we spent the day at Chardene School. Hammers and saws were on the move as the playground took shape and faces of curiousity hung on the perimeters waiting for a chance to experiment. The medical team worked hard taking care of little ones throughout the day and the dentists with help from the team painted teeth, pulled teeth and gave reassurance to lots of kids and adults. The rest of the team were doing seminars on personal hygiene around nail care and clean hands and ragged  nails became smooth soft and dirt was removed. Each child was pleased to take home a nail care kit from youngest to oldest student. All in all a good day and God was present.