Petal Harvey Baptist Church

After months of preparation and one long day of travel, we have finally made it to Haiti! Some of us are about to kick off the beginning of our relationship with Haiti; the rest of us are so happy to be reunited. We cannot wait to see what God does this week! Pray or us as we minister to the kids of Life is Hope orphanage and the people of Haiti. Pray for us to be sensitive to the Spirit, to know when, where, how, and what He wants us to do. We serve such a mighty God!

Today began with a trip to Life Is Hope B which is now, all of the Life Is Hope boys! We organized a VBS to do with the kids. There were different sections such as crafts, music, bible study, and recreation. We acted out King David, Saul, and Jonathan. The kids loved hearing that Jonathan would stick up for his best friend! We did the same routine at Life Is Hope A which is now all the girls. We came back to our house for supper and a time of worship. It was a successful day full of blessings galor!

Today we began at the Life is Hope boys house with vacation bible school. We had four stations that talked about the fruits of the spirit. Today we focused on peace and patience. Our bible stories were about Abraham and Sarah and Noah's Ark. We took turns being animals that entered the ark two by two. Then a big storm came and the ark shook back and forth with big waves! We hope that the children learned about the fruits of the spirit through our silly skit. We look forward to new stories tomorrow.

One of the stations during VBS was music! Peyton sang songs about Christ and helped the children learn the words with hand motions. Through singing "Amazing Love", he was able to share about what Christ did for each of us. We are so thankful that God is giving us opportunities to share his love with these beautiful children.

After lunch, we went to the Life is Hope girls' home. There we sang songs and played games with our new friends. Some of our girls were treated to a new hair style. This new look makes them much cooler in the hot Haitian sun.

We had a fun day of VBS again today! We spent the morning with the boys of Life is Hope, and we spent the afternoon with the girls. Today, we focused on the story of creation and continued our lessons on the fruits of the spirit. During our breaks, we enjoyed non-stop laughter and fun with the kiddos. Trey probably gained a few inches around his biceps from today's time with the kids! We cannot wait to see what God has in store for use tomorrow!

Today we took some time to do some much needed sanitizing at the boy's home. The work we did will go so far! Pray that these boys are constantly protected from all types of sickness: spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

This morning, we saw some of the workers at Life is Hop orphanage cleaning some clothes. We were so happy to offer our assistance. We tried our best to clean as well as the local ladies . . . but we have got quite a bit of work to do! These women are impressive!

Today began with a trip to Life Is Hope B to continue our VBS with the boys there. Like the previous days, we went back over the fruits of the spirit. It's so wonderful to see the kids hungry to learn about how God desires for us to live. We came back to our home for a quick break to regain our thoughts for our next VBS at Life Is Hope A with the girls. It went over way more than we expected! After the VBS stations were over with, some of us jump roped with the girls. They are so stinkin good! But it was fun trying to be as good as them. We returned to a nice supper and a time of worship. We are constantly thanking God for giving us these experiences with these kids and the way He is using us.

This week we have had the privilege of ministering to the amazing women who give their time, energy, love, and lives to the children of Life is Hope. Without these ladies, the orphanage simply could not function. From disciplining, cleaning, cooking, washing, caring, playing, teaching, and loving the children, these women do it all. Pray for these women daily. Pray for them to have strength, wisdom, good health, happiness, and ever-increasing joy in the Lord. What a beautiful example these women are of a bond servant of Christ!

Today we went to the Life is Hope boys home and began by playing games and singing silly songs. We shared about the last fruit of the spirit, self-control. We told the story about manna falling from heaven and the Israelites learning self-control and trusting God to provide. After that, it was time to wash the boy's feet and give each of them a brand new pair of shoes! We are so glad that we were able to provide such a useful gift, and the boys really appreciated them. Then we went to visit the Life is Hope girl's home for the last time. Some of the girls helped with washing the children's hair and gave them precious new clothes when they were done. They looked so cute in their beautiful new dresses! Thank you so much for your prayers for our ministry this week. Tonight we ask for prayers for safe travel as we head to the beach tomorrow morning!

This afternoon, some of us had the opportunity to participate in tree ministry. In this ministry, we get to walk around the community, praying and sharing the Gospel with people. Our avenue for conversation is a tree. Today during this ministry, we were able to pray for a blind man and his wife. We will continue to pray for God's provision in their lives.

We had the day as tourist in the beautiful country of Haiti. Haiti has so much beauty to offer and we were excited to able to experience it. We took an hour bus ride to a public beach. We played around in the water for a few hours and just had the time to relax. It's was overwhelming knowing the God that created the mountains and placed all the water in the ocean, calls us by name to serve His name. It has been a life-changing week seeing God reveal His glory to us through all the kids at Life Is Hope. We are ready to come back to share our stories!

Today we woke up early to a breakfast of eggs and bacon. Then we headed to church! It was so wonderful to be able to work in the community where we have been serving. Our brothers and sisters here are so free in their worship, and we were inspired to worship with the same ferver. After church, we went to a nice restaurant for lunch. We ate ham sandwiches and prepared to head to the airport. Thank you so much for your prayers throughout the week! We can't wait to come home and tell you about how God worked in and through us.