We made it!

We're tired, we're SO hot, and we're dusty.. but after an 18-hour travel day, we made it safe and sound! Although the Detroit airport was packed at 4 in the morning (crazy!), we made it to our gate with about 5-10 minutes to spare! Everything from there on out was typical; no surprises, which is always appreciated. When we got to the Mission Center tonight, Maud had made some Haitian spaghetti for us, so we enjoyed eating a nice meal and then unpacked all of our luggage. Although everyone is exhausted, we worked together to get all 25 bags unpacked and sorted out. People are now enjoying cold showers and hopefully a full night's sleep before we head to church in the morning.

Thank you for covering our travel day in prayer! Please continue to remember us this week!

Last Day! 7-4-18

So we enjoyed our last full day in Haiti.  We traveled to Lahatte and visited the community.  We played with kids in the village blowing bubbles and jumping rope.  They were so excited!  Then we went to see the construction at our Degeance  school.  After lunch we went to MPCA again to paint more chalkboards.  Once we were finished, our Leadership Academy Grads joined us for dinner.  It was great to see the men and women that help run the organization.  This week has been life changing for many of us.  Thanks again for all the prayers and support.  We will see you soon!

Student Leadership/Shout Outs 7-3-18

Grace- Today I gave my testimony to all of the MPCA Haitian student leaders. After I spoke, they all got in a circle to pray over me. Very emotional and touching. Miss and love you Mom, Dad, Grant and Storm. :) Oh by the way the Canadians think I have a Southern accent, not sure why lol.

Kennah (duck)- Thanks mom for naming me duck. My name means duck in Creole. All the Haitians quack at me every time they see me. Josh is currently hanging a lizard from his finger. This is definitely a very fun group and we laugh constantly about everything. Also, I have not won a single game of Uno yet. Miss you mom and dad. See you soon!

Addison - Thanks mom for not naming me duck. This trip has been amazing and I am loving every minute of it! Except the cockroaches. Grace, Kennah, Ben, Josh, and I spoke for the integrity lesson to the MPCA Haitian student leaders today. My first time speaking to a big group through an interpreter. Shout out to Mom, AJ, and Aleah. Loving and missing you!!!

Ben - Today at MPCA, I got my hair forcefully braided by several Haitian girls and the got beat bad by several Haitian guys in soccer. I can't say I'm exactly built for the heat, but meeting the people and experiencing the culture has made up for it. While my French is sub-par at best, it has been fun to practice and attempt to communicate with the Haitians in their language. Shout out to my bed and AC because I miss them (also my family).

Andy - This week has been amazing.  God is certainly at work.  It has been neat to see the kids come out of their shell and really grow in confidence and faith.  I have really began to fall in love with the place my wife fell in love with many years ago.  Love you all Amy, AJ & Aleah - see you soon.

Josh~ Hey y'all i'm not kidnapped, that probably wouldn't be good.  The trip has been amazing so far, we have built solid relationships among the group and with the Haitian people. The group is very fun and we spend most of our time laughing. Spending time with the Haitian people, especially the youth has been very inspiring; their passion for Christ and community has been very eye opening. I sincerely look forward to the rest of the trip.

Darren~ The group has been doing great this past week.  You should all be so proud of your sons and daughters.  They've been working hard and giving their best at everything they do.  To quote Andy above, "God is certainly at work."  I couldn't agree more!  Your prayers have definitely been felt by the entire group.  Love you Megan and Mia!

Student Leadership/Painting 7-2-18

Today we worked with the Student Leaders again at MPCA talking about Mission Possible's core values (Christ-centered and Respect).  We also taught on 2 habitudes (Iceberg and The Opportunity Statue).  With these lessons we had many fun activities which included human knots, water balloons, and breaking free from ropes.  The students seemed to love everything and we enjoyed it too.  After lunch we went back to MPCA and painted chalkboards in many of the classrooms.  We even had a few Haitian "helpers."  Everyone is doing well and drinking plenty of water.  Thanks again for the prayers.

Church/Student Leadership 7-1-18

Thanks for the prayers!  This morning we went to church at MPCA.  We enjoyed our time with our Haitian brothers and sisters.  The rest of the day we relaxed (caught up on sleep), went swimming, and prepared for our time with the Student Leaders.  Andy and Darren spoke about the importance of taking personal responsibility and how leaders must fill their own cup if they want to serve well.  Ben, Josh, Mekennah, Grace, and Addi helped by showing the Haitian students photos of the exhausted worker and also participated in a dodge ball activity that helped illustrate the main points.  Everyone is doing really well.  Tomorrow we get to work with the student leaders again and paint some chalkboards.  Please keep those prayers coming!

Travel Day 6-30-18

Just wanted to let everyone know that we made it to the mission center.  Everyone is doing well and we are excited to go to church tomorrow at MPCA.  Please keep our team in your prayers.  Pictures coming soon!

Gateway DR Team - Day 5

Our small teacher crew ended the last day of the Teacher Seminar and feel they were able to teach the Dominican teachers who attended some new strategies and ideas. Our Dominican Teachers were grateful for the seminar and appreciate all the time these ladies gave them.  Thank you Kristi, Macon, Patti and Sharon.

 

Hello everyone in America! This is Marissa. Just in case you couldn’t tell from what everyone else wrote, we all love it here. The view, the people, the kids, the food, all of it. Despite being coated in dirt and sweat pretty much 24/7, I don’t think any of us really want to leave. Today was the second to last day of camp, and we had blast. I was working in the music station today; the kids are learning two songs that they are going to perform for us on Friday. It sounds amazing. I think some of my favorite parts about this trip so far have been hanging out with the kids and having devotions under the stars. Throughout this trip we have all learned so much and grow closer to the kids, our team, and most importantly, God. It also opened our eyes to the reality of third world countries. Being a Missionary Kid, this trip has brought back so many memories. From the flowers, to the buildings, to the people, it is so similar to Africa. Family back home in case you were wondering, the DR reminds me more of Africa than Nicaragua did. Anyway, I am so excited to sleep and see what the last two days have in store for us!

Family, I love you and we will see you soon!

P.S. I miss you Pooki!!!! 

 

Hello everyone! This is Tara! Today was the last “normal” day here in the DR. The day consisted of the usual camp for the younger kids in the morning and the older groups in the afternoon. This morning before camp even started the sky decided to start spitting on us and we were very unsure about its plans for the day. However, apparently the clouds had an appointment elsewhere because they left in time for camp and even left us a farewell double rainbow! It was beautiful and lasted for more than 5 minutes, it even got brighter near the end. We were a little worried about the humidity that the water could cause, but the day felt the same as any humid, stinky, bright day. After camp ended at 3:30, some of the kids stayed a little after to play basketball and a few girls stayed to teach us some Dominican hand clapping games. By 4 we were ready to just leave them there and go upstairs or kick them out. Our energy runs out quicker and quicker as the week goes on. The stars are one of my favorite parts about this part of the world. During devotions and afterwards, we gaze at them and try to find constellations  we know. Although, I’m not the only one who misses the comforts of home, most of us would sacrifice them in a second to be able to stay and experience more. I definitely want to come again. Serving the people and kids here has been an eye opening experience that I want to never forget! Hopefully pictures and journaling will keep the memories alive for everyone to enjoy! I love you guys! 

This is Juancito (Elliott)! I will be telling you what I did today in the DR. I was chosen to be a group leader for the day. The morning session was very hectic, but it was fun playing with the little kids. The lunch was awesome! It consisted of rice and corn with chicken. After that, I got ready for our afternoon session with the middle schoolers. I love the afternoon session so much more because the kids are easier to handle.  Also, they challenge me to every single game, which is fun for the both of us. I met a kid that is crazy good at baseball! It is awesome watching him play. He can bat both ways, and he has smooth hands for fielding. It is very eye opening to see such a great baseball player that might never get a chance to show his ability. He loves the game with a very great passion and plays whenever he gets the chance. He might likely have to get a job at 15 to support his family. I hope he can make a pro ball player out of himself!

 

Not sure we will be able to blog tomorrow night at the hotel, so this may be the last post.  Enjoy the photos and don’t worry parents, spouses and friends. This team has been fabulous and we will all be coming home changed by this experience!