Mission | Reveds's Blog

Day 4 of our mission to Haiti is wrapping up, and while what we did today might not have looked like work, it was just as exhausting, heartbreaking, and powerful as anything else we could have done.
We started the morning by visiting the Village of Hope, a community that has emerged after the 2011 earthquake made up of Sukup Safe-ty Homes. These homes are essentially grain bins that are ventilated to stay cool, but they are earthquake and hurricane proof. This community has been built by the great people of Northwest Iowa, from churches and mission teams like ours who have seen the need and jumped in to help.
We got to the Village of Hope, and as soon as we got out of the car, we were greeted by a group of boys who took us by the hand through the community. My guide was Watson, a 12 year old boy who acted just like my boys, kind of goofy, always wanting my camera or sunglasses, but also always stuck to my side like glue. There at the Village we met a 120 year old woman – she came out to sit in the gazebo in the middle of a cluster of homes, just so she could say “bonjou.” I sat beside her for a moment to say “Bondye bene ou” (God bless you) before I was escorted off by my gang of boys back to the church at the entrance to the Village. There, with the help of Jimmy the Village Director, I shared a quick message about how God loves each of us, and how we are here in Haiti to share that love – then we handed out candy. Maybe they’ll remember the message when they remember the sweets.
From the Village of Hope we went to the Consolation Center, to pick up some supplies for yet another orphanage we were going to visit. 6 months ago, the leaders of Global Compassion were made aware of an orphanage were children were greatly malnourished, so they decided to find it and see how they could help. What they found was heartbreaking. When the pastor who led the orphanage died, his wife wanted to keep it running, but all of the funding had dried up. She was suffering along with the children. Shelters, can you call them that, did not have completed roofs or walls, the kids were sleeping on the floor.
Today we got to visit the Center for Help and deliver some beds. Bunk beds had been built, the mattresses came, and we brought 20 sets of sheets for the beds, so when we got there we were able to set up 10 bunks, with the plan that 10 more would be coming soon. We were instantly surrounded with love, hugs, smiles; we were able to bring joy and comfort to these suffering children. Our hearts were breaking, but we kept smiling, wanting to share the joy of Christ with these beautiful children every chance we could get.
When we got back to the hotel where we are staying, we quickly changed and prepared for an invasion. The forty seven girls from the Consolation Center came to swim in the pool. It was two hours of sheer madness, joy, and fun. There wasn’t a second that went by that of us guys on the team didn’t have one, or more, of the girls on our backs in the pool. When we were done, we were exhausted, blessed, and all just a little overwhelmed.
Today we didn’t build anything. By Iowa, by U.S. standards, it was a pretty unproductive day. But in Kingdom standards, I think we were part of the Master Builder’s plans. The foundation has been laid in Jesus Christ our Savior, today we were building in the love of God for these beautiful and hurting people. I honestly cannot think of a better way to have spent this day.

BTW – as a little side note, I have attempted to immerse myself in the Haiti culture today. I’m still learning and practicing my Creole, but that will take more time than I have here. No, today I traveled like a Haitian. When we transported the beds to the orphanage, I rode standing on the back bumper of the Land Rover, holding onto the luggage rack on the top. When we went into town for dinner tonight, and on the way back, I rode on the very top – it was a great way to travel. Just don’t tell my wife….

This is Beatrice, I think she cheats at hot hands

Here are some of the girls as they arrived to go swimming

This is me and Watson, by guide through the Village of Hope

The 120 year old in the Village

Day three of our mission to Haiti almost at an end, and it has been an exhausting day. After a great breakfast (I had spaghetti, which could become a mainstay at the Sayler house), we went to visit the Consolation Center, an orphanage for over 40 girls outside of Les Cayes, Haiti. If you want the details about the orphanage, visit http://www.consolationcenterhaiti.com/.
It is hard to describe the range of feelings we experienced as we arrived at the Consolation Center. I think we were nervous about what we’d find, wondering if we’d have the capacity to love like we’d need to, wondering just how much our lives would be shattered by this experience, hoping that we could do something that would help in some way. We were turned upside down.
After getting a brief tour of the facilities, Les De Roos introduced us to the girls, and the adventure began. They said their names, we said ours, they sang us songs, then we went and played games. There were dominoes, a caffeinated version of patty-cake, finger nails getting painted, songs to sing, swings to swing, just an entire day of hanging out with these beautiful, smiling, loving girls.
We did some work, don’t get me wrong. In addition to the crafts and games that kept the girls busy, several team members were welding the support beams for the roof on a new building at the Center. Seeing as, outside of ministry, I have no marketable skills, I took it upon myself to help gather some of the trash and take it out to the incinerator, reliving the Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego story for myself. It was hot, the work was hard, but everyone will agree, meeting the girls made it all worth it.
I wanted to take a moment to share the story about one of the girls I met. Cherline is 14, the oldest of 5 siblings, and her story broke my heart. When I met her, she took my hand, taught me to play their patty-cake game (which I still can’t do well), and let me take her picture. Talking with Les afterward I learned that there are a lot of ways to be an orphan here in Haiti.
Cherline’s mother died just four months ago at the age of only 39. Her father, Charlie, did not know how he would take care of 5 children, on his own, and after his wife died, he lost the house and farm – so they had no place to go.
By the grace of God, Charlie worked for the Consolation Center, and when the missionary agents heard of his situation, they moved quickly. The two boys were taken in by a Pastor and his wife, while Cherline and her two sisters came to live at the Center, and the funds were given to provide a salary for Charlie to work there. Now he can be with his daughters, have a place to live and work, and all of his children can be raised in a safe and healthy home.
This is their life. A life broken by sickness, poverty, sadness and grief. Yet it is also a life touched by the grace of God, the blessing of a community of faith, and an unspeakable joy in knowing the love of Christ Jesus. Cherline’s smile, the smiles and and exuberance of all the girls, cannot be explained by anything in this world – it is truly otherworldly. It is a gift of grace, something only a divine presence can explain.
I cannot explain this adequately. I will try, but I will fail. When we get home and talk about this, it will be frustrating, because we will not be able to convey the spirit that we have encountered here. You can only experience this.
I hope, I pray, that you will. The opportunities abound, here in Haiti, and there at home, to encounter the hand of God guiding, leading, providing all along the way. Maybe the joy you see in the faces of these girls will be the joy you will know when you walk and trust in the Lord.
SDG

Cherline