The boys showcasing their goodie bags.

I realized that I forgot to mention what happened immediately after church yesterday (it seems so far away now!). We got to play with the boys one last time before saying goodbye. Mackenlay and Berry (the youngest boys at the Boys’ Home) got some new clothes and looked so adorable in them. When Mackenlay came to the home, he was malnourished and small, but now he is walking around normally and is at a healthy weight (still skinny, but a healthy skinny). Berry is much heavier than Mackenlay, even though they are the same age. His eyes break everyone’s heart though; his are eyes that have seen far too much pain for one so young.

A lady was talking with Mackenlay, and he gave her a kiss, and everyone began asking “Is that Mackenlay’s mom?” Later on, Jen told us that it was his mom. Now, this is the reason why my trip to Haiti was so heart-breaking: Mackenlay’s mother knew she couldn’t provide for him, so she gave him to the Boys’ Home because she knew he would have a much better life there. I couldn’t imagine how hard that decision must have been to make: to give up your only child because you know you cannot support them. The saddest part is that so many mothers are put in that very same situation all over the world, but they don’t have a place like the Boys’ Home to send their children.

Berry stylishly wearing his new sunglasses. He's gonna get the ladies when he's older!

After saying good bye to the boys, which was still difficult even though we had only spend a few hours with all of them, we rode back on the Tap-Tap to the house. On the way, I did a lot of thinking. I thought about how happy the Haitians I had met were, and how happy the boys, who had had such difficult lives, were around us. And then I thought about how bitter and angry and depressed Americans in general are. I also contemplated the faith of those I had met, compared to the faith of fellow Americans, and I was addend by the contrast. We in America are so “blessed” by our nation’s prosperity. We have health insurance, hospitals, doctors, free public schools, and countless other things. In comparison, Haitians have little or nothing. But who is the more blessed? Because of our reliance and trust in worldly things (let’s face it, we’re spoiled!), we don’t rely on  God nearly as much as we should. Jean-Alix said “You know, in AMerica you have hospitals and things like that, but here in Haiti we have none of that. When someone’s child stops breathing in the middle of the night, they don’t call an ambulance, they call me and I pray for them. Because of that we in Haiti have stronger faith and trust in God.”

And I know he’s right, because I don’t rely and trust in God as much as they do.

Why is it that so many American Christians suffer from addictions to pornography and alcohol and other things such as depression and doubt? It’s probably because they’ve never actually had to trust God with their lives, literally. Christians in third world countries are living day-to-day trusting God with their lives, and because they have no other choice. But, imagine the relationship that these Christians have with Him! They constantly live in communion with their creator. Sometimes I think it

This is Rony ("Wony"). Looks like HE adopted me, doesn't it?

would be better to live a life such as this, because of how much closer to God I could grow. But I know God has me in this situation and life for a reason, and I also consider it a challenge or a test God has set before me. He wants me to grow in my faith and reliance on Him, even though my situation doesn’t “require” me to.

One of the group members, Clay, said of this topic in the last team meeting: “It’s almost as if the hardest mission field in the world is America, because people don’t think they need to rely on God or trust Him. I’m going to school to study theology so I can convince people to follow God.” In Haiti, they don’t need convincing. They know that following God is the only way to live in this life.

As I was thinking about these things in the Tap-Tap, a song popped into my head: “You’re the God of this City,” and it brought tears o my eyes thinking about the lyrics. And, now that I understood the threshold Satan has in Haiti through Voodoo, the lyrics mean so much more:

You’re the God of this City

You’re the King of these People

You’re the Lord of this nation.

You are

You’re the light in this darkness

You’re the hope to the hopeless

You’re the rest to the restless

You are

For greater things have yet to come and greater things are still to be done in this city.

Incredible! GOD is the God and the King and the Lord of Haiti and it’s people, not Satan! Greater things have yet to come for Haiti! Just thinking about that brings tears to my eyes, and reminds me of the one year anniversary of the earthquake. We were told that the churches all over Haiti, including Jean-Alix’s in Guibert and elsewhere (he pastors about 10 in all), are planning on holding a huge revival. I am so eager to see how God uses such a tragedy to bring more people to His family!

As uneventful as flying is, it gives you a lot of time to ink (or to sleep, in some cases!). It also gives you a lot of time to consider things with God and have communion with Him.

Maybe hovering about 2,000 feet above the earth gives clarity. At least, I hope it does.

I celebrated my late birthday today with Ryan and Sarah and the rest of the group, and we were sung Happy Birthday in English, Spanish, and French again. There was an incredibly delicious cake that was so sweet it was actually a little hard to eat!

After the “party” and lunch, we were able to just chill as a group, playing jackpot with one of the rubber footballs that were being donated. I’ve come to love this group so much after spending this last week with them.

Group time for the last time was amazingly touching. I was able to hear a little of people’s hearts and how Haiti has affected them. I didn’t feel led to say anything so I did my best to listen to other’s answers to questions such as “What have you learned about yourself on this trip?” or “What have you learned about God this week?” Now that I’ve had sometime to think about these questions I can answer them. What I’ve learned about myself is that I hope I am destined for missions of some form, especially in the island of Hispañola. I’ve spent over a month on this island over the past five years, and my heart has stayed here ever since. I just pray that God’s plan has me returning here some day.

I’ve learned about GOd’s amazing plans. I never even thought that I would travel to Haiti at the beginning of last year, but here I am. It’s also incredible how He’s prepared me for this trip with my trips to the Dominican Republic. Wow!

As this trip comes to a close, I’m still digesting some of the experiences I’ve had over the past week. I pray that I will be able to discern  and understand everything according to God’s timing.

Sleeping until noon was incredible. I honestly thought that we had slept later than noon – even though it had only been a little over six hours of sleep since getting back from the church.

We ate “lunch,” which was really breakfast, and then left for the Boys’ House. The Boys’ Home was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. We played with them for about two hours on the basketball court behind the school, which is right next to the school.

Definitely one of my fondest memories from Haiti: ballin' it up with the boys (and girls)

I played basketball with two of the other team members, Sarah and Chelsea. We played against the Haitians and had a great time. The two girls were actually pretty god, probably better than me. I had my height on my side though, and became the rebounding king…because  missed so many of shots! But I was still able to frustrate them and have a blast.

We made s’mores with the boys afterward – most of their faces were covered in marshmallow goo in mere minutes! Guerrier kept putting dead grass on the fire and I taught him how to break sticks and put them in the fire. He had a lot of fun!

After the s’mores, we gave out the present to the boys, but not before Jen and Jeff gave them lecture to tell them to do well in school, because they have a lot of people giving money so they can go to school. Hopefully, they got through to them!

THe older boys got a BIble in the Message translation, and the younger boys got a comic book Bible. They also all got sunglasses, and we were able to get a lot of pictures of them wearing them. Most of them put them on upside down to be funny. After a quick snack that they made for us, we said goodbye until tomorrow and left for home.

One of the boys, Mackenlay, enjoys his first ever s'more (and it looks like he LOVED it!)

I haven’t really mentioned this before, but I love having Jean-Alix and his family around (Mylene, Lori, and Markley). At team time, someone mentioned just how Christ-like the family is, and the truth of that statement is so evident. THe parents and children’s’ love for Haiti and for each other is amazing and tear-jerking.

At “team time,” we began preparing for coming home, and just thinking about going home is hard, because of what I have to look forward to. But during team time I was convited to actually look forward to going home to my own mission field. This is the place God has placed me in, and I should be excited about what God has in store for me.

Today we “finished” the school. We didn’t have enough paint to put some final coats on some walls, but it still looks a lot better than it did before. We tried to put back all of the classroom furniture as best we could, as well as mopping without wasting water. After everything, the school looks pretty good, and I can’t wait for the students and the children to finally see it. It’s basically our Christmas present to them.

This is one of the finished classrooms. It's awesome to think that children are learning there right now!

On the way back up the “mountain,” Jeff gave us some suckers he had brought with him (or “sucreats” in Creole), to give to the people we saw on the way back. We gave them to adults and children alike, and both were equally excited. One time, I gave three suckers to three little children who were peeking out of the door of their house. At first, they yelled “Blanc! Blanc!” and were hesitant to come out, but  once they saw the suckers, they excitedly emerged and ran up the little ledge to me. It was the sweetest thing.

After waiting for the Tap-Tap to arrive, we went to the Baptist Mission in Kenscoff for lunch. It was the first “American” food we had eaten in almost a week, but I wasn’t as excited as most. I enjoy Haitian cuisine! Following lunch was our time of shopping/bartering. When we got home around three, we were able to get some nap time in before our all-night New Years celebration.

And let me tell you, Haitians really know how to party! We got to the church around 8:00PM and didn’t leave until 5:00AM. We danced and sang and jumped and shouted – the way that people who have experienced the amazing grace of God can dance! We sang the same songs and lines of songs for about 10 minutes, but it didn’t get old.

Before we went into the church we were able to meet the boys. I’m sos happy that we got to see them before the celebration, because I wouldn’t have been able to recognize who was who! The sanctuary was filled with Haitian children of all ages, so the boys just blended in with the others (except for the ones that we had already and had painted with).

The songs were all in Creole or French, of course, but some of them were adapted from English, so we were able to sing along somewhat.

Of course we had to take a group picture after finishing the school. Here's the whole gang!

Some of the boys sang in a choir “Shout to the Lord” in Creole, which was incredibly touching. And then all of the boys from the Home sang together in a choir. And then, we as a group sang together, which was…interesting. We didn’t have much time to prepare, so it was a little choppy, but it was still fun to do, and I think the Haitian church members enjoyed it as well.

By the end of the night, a lot of us were falling asleep, but it was still worth it, because we prayed for the first 30 minutes of the New Year – how the beginning of a year should begin. And after the initial prayer, we did a count down, Haitian style. The song got progressively more and more exciting, until we started counting down to the New Year in French. And after the count down ended, everyone went crazy and danced all over the place. The Haitians were so accepting of our presence and came over to us and danced with us as well. it was awesome!

There was a presentation to the church about cholera. I’m so glad that this church is able to help their congregation spiritually and physically as well. The presentation educated the people on cholera and its symptoms, as well as how to avoid contracting the disease.

At around 4:00AM, the pumpkin soup was brought out and served to everyone Haitian style: organized chaos! Most of the attendees brought their own bowls and spoons to eat with, and we were provided with plastic cups and spoons. Most of our group didn’t eat much of the soup because they either didn’t care fot it, or because it was 4:00AM and having such a hardy meal at such an early hour didn’t seem appealing . Our Tap-Tap driver didn’t show, so we had to split up. The girls rode with Jean-Alix and the “men” rode with Shalmai (who Hope had built a house for) in his dump truck. It was about 40 degrees outside, surprisingly, so those who rod ein the back were quite chilly. I rode in the cab because my allergies were acting up for some reason. When we got home we all went straight to bed and slept until noon. What a great way to start the New Year!

One of the hardest tasks was cleaning the tools after everyday; there's no running water and we have to use the least amount of water possible.

We got a lot of the school done by the end of the day – everything has at least one coat of paint or more on it.

Everyone is slowly getting more and more tired, and getting a little bit less excited about everything. It was a struggle for some people to stay strong and finish the job today, but at the same time it was a beautiful picture of finishing the race strong. The camaraderie of the group is getting stronger and stronger. We were singing and laughing and having a great time, despite some of our frustrations. There are definitely some memories that everyone will enjoy.

On the way back to the house, we sang some songs and we were taught a Haitian song. Everyone was singing on the Tap-Tap and it was so beautiful. I was surprised by how many of the songs that they know in Creole that are originally in English.

This is one of the photos showing the finished school. Looks great, right?

After dinner, Jean-Alix told us the history of Haiti in relation to the pact that the Haitian slaves made with Satan in order to defeat the French in revolution. It was extremely informative. He also told us about the celebration of New Year’s tomorrow, making me even more excited with anticipation.

The Suttons taught Jean-Alix what “psyche!” meant, and he did one of the best “psyche!” moments I’ve ever witnessed! It was hilarious!

Hard at work painting one of the classrooms. The windows didn't have glass, so they let in a nice breeze from time to time.

I couldn’t have spent my 21st birthday in a better way. There’s nothing that I could have done that would have been more satisfying, rewarding, or exciting as turning 21 in a foreign country on a mission trip, especially one so beautiful and breathtaking as Haiti is. I would say that it was somewhat anti-climactic but I didn’t know until November that I would be spending this day in Haiti and not in America. As it is, this is the best way to do it. I can’t wait to tell my kids about how my 21st birthday was.

Today was almost the same as yesterday, except five of the boys from the Boy’s Home came to help us paint: Ken-John, Wilberson, Astin, Guinsley, and another (I didn’t catch his name). The day went really fast compared to yesterday. But even though the day seemed to go faster, we got a lot of work done at the school. Most of the class rooms have at least one coat of paint on all the walls. The place is looking so good!

It was a little less cloudy today, so we could see the view even better than yesterday. It was even more breathtaking. We could see almost to the top of the neighboring mountain, which is apparently the tallest point in Haiti.

The view out the back of the Tap-Tap. Some kids from Marothiere chased after us almost every time.

I conquered the “mountain” that we have to walk up today when I ran up the entire thing. It was about 100 ft, but at a 30-35 degree incline. It was exhausting but satisfying at the same time. Ken-John and Wilberson ran up with me and we waited for the others to walk up. Everyone said that I was crazy, but I guess I’m used to that – I’m surprised it took them so long to find out!

The rides to and from Marothiere seem to be getting shorter and shorter, but they are the same length every time. The bumpiness of the Tap-Tap is much less than before as well. When we got back to the house, we ate and then met for debriefing, they sang me happy birthday…in English, Spanish, and then in French (the French part was by Jean-Alix and his family)! It was awesome!

I am always surprised by how much can fit in a day on the mission field. It feels like almost two days pass when it’s really just one day, well, less than one actually. I’m tired, but it’s the type of exhaustion that is satisfying, like after a good work out or a good run.

The day started early, at six, but it didn’t feel too early, Breakfast was served after a time of devotions, which was really a great start to the day, mental and physically.

Nothing like a cup of Haitian Joe to pick you up in the morning! Clearly, I needed it...

I forgot to mention that Jean-Alix told us that a witch-doctor had come to Christ recently. He said that they had to go through and burn a lot of his past things, and it reminded me so much of my walk and what is absolutely necessary in order to follow God. We are not called to have sin remain in our lives to tempt us and prevent us from coming in communion with God. We must through off (and burn) everything that so easily entangles us. But this is the only way that we can come and be with God, unashamed and unrestrained.

After breakfast, we went to Marothiere (pronounced mah-roe-tee-air), where one of the schools sponsored by Jean-Alix’s churches is. We spent all day painting, sanding, scraping, and sweeping the school to get ready to paint it. We had to sweep the ceilings because of cobwebs and mold and flaky paint. Now I can officially say that I’ve swept a ceiling!

Some of the boys from the home came with us and helped, along with a lot fo the boys from the school and surrounding area around Marothiere. They made a mess of things sometimes, but they had very willing hearts to help.

The view along the way to Marothiere was breathtaking. Clouds hung around the mountains and hills, making the mountains look like islands in a sea of soft, white cotton. The road wound through the mountains and cliffs (with about a 100 foot drop or more in some places without a guard rail!) Market places were parted in order to let us through, sometimes hitting the carts and umbrellas as we went by. The mountain roads are so narrow that opposing traffic is always a fun thing.

The last half-mile we had to walk on foot, so Jeff (our fearless leader) was able to point out to us some of the houses that Hope for the Hungry has built, along with some of the stories of the families who live in them.

On the drive back, a boy from the boy’s home sang “We are the World for Haiti.” It was possibly the most precious moment I’ve had yet, to hear an actual Haitian sing the song.

I’m so glad for this trip and people I’m meeting. I keep thinking that missions wont’ change me as much as it has in the past (before I considered myself a “veteran”), but each time I go, it continues to shape me so much. I will never be the same person again, for my call to missions seems so much more evident now, as it always does whenever I’m in the field. We ended the day with a “debrief,” and it was amazing to see and hear what everyone’s hearts and struggles while on this trip.

What a long, eventful day. I guess waking up at three-thirty for a flight makes the day seem ten-times longer. That and all the travel as well. But, it all ended here, in Haiti.

The culture is everything I expected it to be – vibrant and exciting. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many colors on a single house or bus! We were greeted by a Western Union band at the airport (I call them that because they were wearing Western Union T-Shirts; whether they had anything to do with Western Union or not is unknown to me).

This shows the view from the Tap-Tap. Breathtaking, right?

The airport wasn’t as hectic as it was mode out to be, which was a relief. It was still an experience, though, for right out of the gate there were about a hundred Haitians waiting, just behind a chain link fence. Some of them were waiting for their relatives or friends who were just arriving, but others were there just to see who came out of the gates. One of them broke out into “Oh, how I love Jesus!” and professed his love for God and Christ, apparently trying to convert people as they came out of the airport. I can’t imagine what stir that would cause if someone did that in the U.S.!

The earthquake’s affect on the city of Port-au-Prince was still evident, though a lot of it had been cleaned up by this time (almost a year since the earthquake struck). The airport was rebuilt, but I had known that. What I didn’t know was the size. The rebuilt airport’s gates were basically the length of a strip-mall, and the damaged still remained – its cracked and shattered carcass visible through the windows of the terminal. I couldn’t get a size estimate for the whole airport. Immigration/customs was probably slightly larger than a high school basketball court. This is the airport for the capitol city of the nation of Haiti.

The drive from Port-au-Prince Airport to Kenscoff and Jean-Alix’s house is about 15-20 miles in length, but lasted about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. It wound south through Port-au-Prince and then up through the mountains, giving me and the others our first true glimpse of Haiti.

This is Jean-Alix's son, Markley. As you can see, he's a character, just like his dad.

Now, this was a bumpy ride seeing out the back of a “Tap-Tap” (a converted large truck traditionally used for transportation in Haiti), so it was hard to get a good look at anything. Also, the city was getting dark already so I look forward to seeing it in daylight.

I still can’t believe I’m finally here in Haiti. It’s all so surreal for me. I’m also having a hard time not blurting out things in Spanish, because the weather and climate and geography, and sometimes the people, remain me so much of the Dominican Republic, the land and people I miss so very much.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love being in Haiti and fully expect to fall in love with its people this week, but I’ll always have a soft sport for the DR.

Jean-Alix’s house is beautiful, and his wife’s cooking even better. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me this week. (The word is we’re having an all-night worship service on New Year’s Eve!)

This is one of the designs I was able to do for MEW. I'm really glad with how it turned out.

Summer went by in a flash – worked at a summer camp in Austin, which was a blast and a challenge at the same time. Now I’m back in school, and as busy as ever. Thankfully enough, most of it is doing what I love – designing. I’m on the Missions Emphasis Week Design Subcommittee, the Homecoming Steering Committee (as their designer), and the online editor for The Bells, our school newspaper. In addition to that, I’m taking 3D Modeling and enjoying it profusely. When these commitments aren’t keeping me busy, I have duties as a Resident Assistent in my dorm to fill whatever extra time I have. Not that I’m complaining, considering my wing won the dorm wide competition called “Color Wars,” giving us an exclusive visitation (which is a huge deal on conservative baptist campuses) with a buffet line in the middle of our hall during it. Free food is always a great.

So, there’s the update. Maybe I’ll post something deeply philosophical next time. Maybe I won’t. I’ll just have to keep myself guessing.

Mr. Tart