From July 10 through 17, we have an opportunity to travel to Haiti on a mission of hope. Our team of will help to reduce the suffering of our friends a Good Rest Orphanage by build transitional homes for over 75 children and young adults who were left homeless by the quake. While God has opened the door for us to develop a greater heart of compassion for this suffering nation, you can share in this endeavor with us by, praying for our mission and following our blog.
I received a text from Alex, they arrived in Haiti and are on their way to house.
ReplyDeleteYay! Great news :)
ReplyDeleteYay! I am so excited for them!
ReplyDeleteWe have limited technology here, but the Canyon Springs team wanted to give everyone an update of our trip so far...
ReplyDeleteThe team arrived safely in Haiti on Monday morning. We met the host family and sorted through supplies then went straight to work at Good Rest Orhphanage. For those of us who have never been to Haiti, we were immediately blessed by the gracious welcome from the children. Their hugs and smiles melted our hearts and made us forget about the long plane ride. Many of the children remembered the team members from previous trips and ran to them with their arms spread open and smiles on their faces. Many of the team members remarked that they were impressed by how much progress has been made at the Orphanage and in the surrounding area.
The men have been busy clearing the area, digging trenches, building a new chicken coup for their 23 chickens, moving bricks to the new dorm site, building benches, as well as many other construction projects. The ladies have been doing arts and crafts, singing songs, teaching Enlgish, and preparing bible study projects. It is obvious that the children are happy to see the team arrive every morning and sad to see them leave at the end of the day. Each and every one of us have found ways to use our unique skills and talents to help the people of Haiti. More importantly each of our hearts have been touched by a child and the work that God has done through us.
Today our morning started with the entire team helping with construction projects at Good Rest. We took a break in the afternoon for lunch then returned to start our bible study and afternoon games with the children. The work completed is already evident, the children are sitting on painted benches and the foundation for the dorms has been laid.
The host family has been very gracious and has provided us with good meals and cold water to keep us going. We continue to remind each other to drink water and take breaks. So far there have been no major injuries or illness among the team members. The nurses have seen to it that cuts are cleaned and bandaged, and that any bug bites or rashes are treated. Although the temperature has averaged in the 90's, God sent us a nice breeze this afternoon and the insects have not been as bad as previous trips.
Please continue to pray for our health, energy, and that the Lord would provide us with the eyes and ears to see and hear the needs of the children.
Thank-you so much for the news. Infused in this bit of information are many answered prayers. Our God is an awesome God!
ReplyDeleteThankyou so much for the update! I know there are already so many stories to tell. Love and prayers to everyone!
ReplyDeleteI received the following update from Scott Marshall who is back at Good Rest Orphanage with his son Tyler.
ReplyDeleteDay 1:
After a red eye flight we arrived in Haiti around 9:00 AM. After a long wait we crammed into an old school bus and headed straight to our guest house with a sweat that will stay with us the whole trip. The school bus ride was an "E ticket" as our driver weaves in and out of traffic james, pedestrians, motorcycles, pot holes, ditches, livestock, etc. The scenery is a mix of dilapidated houses, shacks, tarps, tent cities, and street side vendors.
The guest house is pretty nice compared to our accommodations from last year (the roof of a Pastor's house. It has bunk beds in a variety of bedrooms and running water; the shower is a mild dribble of cold water and we take military showers to conserve.
We headed to the orphanage after a lunch of wonder bread and something resembling Salami (best part was the mustard). When we arrived the Kids went nuts with huge smiles and their need for human touch (the kids love to cuddle, hug, and hold hands as we become surrogate parents to these parent less Kids).
Gods work here is clearly evident; The orphanage has changed so much since our inaugural visit last July (the first help Good Rest received from anyone post January 2010 earthquake that basically flattened the place). Thanks to a variety of Church's and relief organizations, they now have a boys and girls dormitory, covered picnic area with newly built picnic tables (built by our own Nick), a tent serving as their Church, and the skeleton for a medical clinic and another boys and girls dormitory (that will have the first real bathrooms; they currently use disgusting outhouses). In addition, thanks to our sponsorship, all these kids are attending a real school (a rarity for the poor Haitian Kids).
We divided into groups performing a variety of tasks to include arts and crafts for the Kids and construction. Tyler is incredible with the Kids and immediately bonded with a 10 year old Boy named Emile that held his hand, played patty cake, duck duck goose, etc. and never left his side with a permanent ear to ear smile.
As you might imagine, Tyler and I were relegated to the construction crew in the afternoon given there are 9 boys/men and 15 girls/woman. Our task on day 1 was moving nearly 1,000 cinder blocks into the Boys dormitory and digging a 16 foot deep "pit" for the bathroom. We finished moving the cinder blocks and started digging the pit with our pick ax and shovel.
After an exhausting Day 1 we got our 2 minute cold shower and some spaghetti and salad followed by some group time which consists of individual testimonials on how we see God's hand in our experience. Sleep is difficult with the evening low in the mid 80's and 90+ percent humidity, combined with the sounds of music, trucks, and all the animals (dogs, chickens, goats, donkeys, and even the Gecko"s make noise).
Well its off to breakfast and "pit digging". Please continue your positive thoughts and prayers for our team!
Scott & Tyler Marshall
from Scott & Tyler Marshall
ReplyDeleteDay 2:
We made nice headway Tuesday on our various projects; chicken coup relocation/fortification, bathroom pit (got to 4 feet deep), picnic table construction, and a covered lunch room. More importantly, we bonded with these incredible orphans through games, crafts, Bible Stories, singing, and good old fashion caring/loving.
Tyler is "sponsoring" a Kid named Ronald who is slated to graduate from High School next week having spent almost all his life at Good Rest. Sponsoring is $40 a month and provides room, board, education, and clothing.
Ronald speaks 5 languages and wants to go to college to study computer technology (he would be only the 2nd kid from this orphanage to do so). We plan to help with his college dreams with the hope that he will come back to Good Rest in a leadership role.
Tyler gave him the clothes and shoes we purchased for him and you would think we gave him a Million Dollars (they love all things American).
After a dinner of chicken and rice we were treated to some ferocious thunder, lightening, & rain that took out our generator for several hours. The team was pretty happy about the rain as the temperature dropped below 90!
from Scott & Tyler Marshall
ReplyDeleteDay 3:
Our team has decided to adopt two more orphanages that have significantly more need than Good Rest (hard to believe).
At the first new orphanage, Pastor Gaston's has 65 neighborhood Kids in his one room church/school and a non-operable outhouse. When we arrived, the Kids went crazy for our attention and some human touch. Since these Kids do not live at the orphanage, they are not nearly as well mannered (envision 6-8 kids literally hanging on each one of us).
Ty and I were tasked with digging them a pit for their new outhouse we are building them on day 4 (apparently Ty & I are strong diggers?).
We then drove high in the mountains to visit the second orphanage which is run by Rosemen and Tevi; it is frankly horrifying. Seventeen Kids and these two inspiring young men living in 250 sq foot shanty with no access to ground water. Each Kid gets one meal of beans and rice and 1-2 cups of filtered water a day, on a good day, which essentially means no water for bathing. As with all these orphaned Kids, they just want to be hugged the whole time we are there and are tearful when we leave (as are we).
One 16 year old girl is about to have a Baby and will do so without any medical assistance right there in this squaller.
We brought them a 1 month supply of beans and rice and committed to supplying them with filtered drinking water on a daily basis. Our hosts this week, Joe & Kelly are trying to adapt a 6 month old baby Boy (Salamon) that weights just 10 pounds.
Meanwhile back at Good Rest, our outhouse pit is nearly 6 feet deep thanks largely to the Haitian boys/men hard work.
In terms of our team, we are working hard, growing closer to one another, tired, yet spiritually inspired. Seems as though there are dozens of mini miracles each day via a construction project completion or connection to another orphaned Kid, yet it feels daunting as their need is endless.
PS: if you are interested in helping any of these Kids, go to Children's Heritage website and make a donation to the Haiti cause or e-mail:
info@ChildrensHeritageFoundation.org.
I just got off the phone with Nick DeGraaf who has been overseeing the majority of the work projects at the Good Rest Orphanage.
ReplyDeleteThis is Nick’s fourth trip to the orphanage in 12 months and the first thing he enthusiastically says, “This was the best trip we have had to Haiti because I had money!”
Nick arrived three days before the team to prep for projects and left last night (the team departs on Sunday) to meet his wife in Miami for a well deserved vacation together.
Nick was so complimentary of the team and the amazing progress that has occurred at Good Rest Orphanage over the past year.
Unlike the other team members, Nick stayed at the orphanage at night so that he could accomplish as much as possible. While our work team of Americans would arrive at 8:30, Nick says things happen at the crack of dawn at Good Rest, “Pastor Bob (the 70+ year old man who runs the orphanage) sings hymns at 4:30 to wake everyone up. They have devotions every morning at 5:00.”
Since he had funds, Nick purchased power tools at Home Depot before heading to Haiti to use and leave at Good Rest and said, “Now we have tools to use on our next trip.”
He enthusiastically stated that “We built 12 picnic tables and then we stained them. They really came out nice.”
After he built the first table, the boys/young men at the orphanage took his directions. Nick stated, “I just delegated; they listen. Some understand some English, but ultimately, they understand what we wanted to accomplish. The boys, many in their 20s, they have no place to go and they thrive on the concept of a father figure to work with.” These boys now have some experience with saws, drills and painting. Nick did add, “When one of the boys was sloppy with painting, I would just bring Heidi over to get the job done right.”
Nick hired a local man to perform some masonry that required skilled labor. “We negotiated the price, which consists of two hours of arguing.” The attached photo shows Nick working with the boys. The photo was taken before the hired man built columns around the pillars to reinforce the roof. He then put a coat of concrete around the pillars to provide a finished look. The team then put crushed rocks underneath the patio.
Nick shared, “A year ago the kids got their rice and beans in a bowl and would scatter. Now they sit together and pray before they eat. And they do crafts on the tables too. And because it is a nice shady spot, some nap on the benches.”
Nick concluded our phone conversation with, “I walked away very satisfied; I felt accomplished.”
Another note from Scott Marshall...
ReplyDeleteDay 4&5:
The emotions at this stage of the trip are a mix of guilt (for thinking about our Families, air conditioning, good food, etc), physical and emotional exhaustion, and sadness as we know we will have to say goodbye to these great Kids shortly.
We've worked on more projects for all 3 orphanages which included bathrooms, dormitory buildings, and of course, additional picnic tables.
Communication with the Haitians is a challenge since they primarily speak Creole, yet we find ways via touch, hand signals, and facial expressions.
We took over 70 kids to the beach today which was a major adventure. The bus ride was over an hour on these crazy dilapidated roads. The bus was built for 40 passengers so we were crammed in like sardines (which the Kids love).
The beach was worth the drive as the mountains met this beautiful aqua blue water (looked like Kauai). We brought a variety of floatables such as rafts, tubes, and beach balls as most of these Kids have never swam, much less been in the Ocean.
We spent 5 hours at the Beach and most of that was in the water as the Kids loved leaving the Orphanage and playing in the ocean.
Each night when we get home to the guest house each team member takes a 3 minute "Haitian shower" which is basically a cold trickle of water, eats dinner, and gathers for an hour or so to relive the day, hear testimonials on God's presence, pray, and sing along with Kyle (Canyon Springs music minister)! Then off to bed to try and recharge for another day.
Thanks
Scott Marshall
a final message from Scott Marshall...
ReplyDeleteDay 6 - our final day at Good Rest:
Today we took it slow as we did some light construction and mainly focused on the Kids with games, songs, arts/crafts, Bible stories, and old fashioned love. We than fed the 80+ orphans their favorite meal of rice, beans, friend plantains, spicy cole slaw, chicken, and goat prepared by the Haitian ladies at the orphanage. Eating meat is rare for these Kids; Chicken is typically eaten on Sundays and goat a couple of times per year.
The Kids went crazy for the food.
We than revved up the generator they use to pump well water and hooked up a microphone and amplifier for Kyle's (Canyon Springs music leader)singing. The Kids went even crazier, "crashing the stage" to sing with him. Eventually the kids kicked Kyle off the mic and sang their own Christian songs, in English, with unabated energy. We were either singing, smiling, or crying (sometimes all 3 together) as our two cultures connected emotionally and spiritually.
Next up was speeches by Pastor Bob, Jilane Hawkins (our leader on this trip), and many other Haitians thanking Canyon Springs Church and God for the improvements to Good Rest and our ever growing bond together.
Lastly, is the tearful goodbye with these great people. It is not fun; the only consolation is knowing we get to come back!
Some of the more puzzling/amazing things about our experience in Haiti:
In suburban America we have so much yet we are generally not nearly as happy as these Haitians (especially the children). They are genuinely happy with nearly nothing making me wonder if our cultures quest for success and material things makes us inherently less content in our lives.
My son works tirelessly on these trips with battle wounds to include blisters, bruises, lacerations, heat exhaustion, etc., yet I find it difficult to get him to do mundane tasks at home such as pick up his clothes, put down the toilet seat, and do his homework. Is this phenomena, experienced by many other parents on Mission trips, derived from our caring/giving DNA or God's intervention (I vote for the latter)?
Thanks for listening, this is the most inspiring and rewarding things I have ever done!
Thanks
Scott Marshall