Life is Hope Group

By the grace of God, we have finally arrived in Haiti! We are so excited to reunite with old friends and meet new ones. After unloading all of our luggage, we enjoyed a delicious meal of rice and beans, chicken, salad, papaya, and juice! We ended our night with a debriefing meeting and a time of prayer. Continue to pray for us as we begin our ministry in Haiti!

This morning, after a yummy breakfast, we all loaded the bus to head to the Life is Hope property. We were so blessed by the congregation here. They are filled with a contagious love for the Lord! Jude spoke this morning about denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him. We must be searching for ways to get involved in what God has going on instead of trying to fit God into what we have going on!

When we walked into church this morning, Michael took advantage of a great opportunity. He loved on a pretty little baby throughout the whole service! The little girl loved being held by Michael, and it was obvious that Michael loved loving her! What a beautiful picture of God's infinite power. God is so good. So good.

This afternoon, we took a trip to visit the new Life is Hope building. It is absolutely beautiful! We cannot wait for the kids to see their new home. There is so much more room for sleeping, running, and simply being children! Next, we took a trip to Life is Hope A to see our friends. We love these children so much! We hugged, played soccer, hopscotch, loved, and laughed. We were also able to give the kids some cookies and gatorade. We are excited about all of the fun things we have planned for them this week! Be checking the trip journal to see new updates. What a great tool this is to use as you pray for us each day!

This morning, we split up into three different groups. Two groups went to Life is Hope A for ministry. One of these groups held a clinic at the orphanage. We were able to help bandage scratches and heal fevers. The other group at the orphanage worked on the Life is Hope child sponsorship program. We took pictures and got background stories on some of the children here. What a huge impact this ministry will make on these children’s lives. The third group went to the new Life is Hope orphanage to get it prepared for the girls to move in! We spent all day cleaning site, inside and out. We delivered the mattresses and fitted the beds with sheets, a baby doll, and candy. The girls are going to be so giddy when they see their new home!

All of us chipped in to help make this new home look beautiful. We painted murals throughout the entire house!

We have some talented artists in our group! Crosses, trees, plants, animals, nativity scene; the girls are going to love it!

We ended the day with a wonderful meal and an amazing time of worship. Even while the universe declares His majesty, He still chooses us and allows us to be a part of His perfect plan! How beautiful.

Today we had the privilege of moving the Life is Hope children to their new homes. The excitement on the bus ride over to the new orphanage was palpable. The girls praised and sang loudly the whole twenty minute drive. Today’s plan involved a divide and conquer strategy between three different locations. By the end of the day, we had all the Life is Hope girls together at the new location, and all the boys together at Life is Hope B. We also put together today’s lunch and dinner, as well as tomorrow’s breakfast, for the children with the new kitchen equipment that arrived today.

We had a great day with the children today! We split into 2 groups and took the big kids to the beach and set up some kiddy pools for the little ones. We had so much fun! All you could hear were squeals of laughter from the children. We also set up a medical station for the little ones and were able to give some really good care.

Little girls playing in the pool

The older children playing in the ocean

Today was a nice end to a full week of ministry with the Life is Hope children! The bulk of our time was spent preparing and serving food for the girls and then later, the boys. We cooked up some hot dogs, made some Carolina cole slaw, and sliced fresh pineapple for lunch. Dinner consisted of a very special chicken and vegetable soup, and we even managed to roast some pork for tomorrow's lunch. What a terrific way to minister to these little ones! At the end of our day, we were able to share some gifts of dental care, cookies (irony) and handmade bracelets for the girls before heading over to the boys home to serve dinner. A few members of the team stayed back at the boys house and worked with a medical team and sponsorship station. The got a history on each child including height, weight and clothing size and addressed any medical concerns. Tomorrow we are headed to Club Indigo for some down time before heading home Saturday. Pray for our safe travels and God's will to continue to be done at Life is Hope!

This morning we had a final opportunity to spend time with the Life is Hope girls and boys before heading out to Club Indigo for the evening. Having already prepared lunch yesterday, we reheated the pork roasts, made a final cleaning of the kitchen and gear, and gave some gifts of more kitchen accessories. We had fun loving on the kids one last time. We even shared bubble gum and made things out of pipe cleaners. What a blessing this week has been for all! We look forward to a little R&R tonight before heading home.

Having fun with the kids, spending time together and making pipe cleaner art!