Second Trip

          I flew out from DFW at 6:00am on Sunday morning the first of July.  The flight went well from there to Port-au-Prince, Haiti with no real issues.  It is always interesting at the P.A.P. airport with so much being different than what we are used to here in the states.  I met “Mom” there and we talked for a bit while someone helped her finish her paperwork.  It took about an hour to gather the bags before we were even ready to leave.  There was one issue though, my bags weren’t there.  They said because of my quick transfer in Miami, they would have to come on a later flight.  What I didn’t find out until later was that the evening flight was cancelled, and then the morning flight the next day was delayed until the afternoon…  What it all came down to was I found out you could survive, not smelling real good, for a couple days with no toiletries, change of clothes or anything else pertaining to personal hygiene.  I was able to shower though, so I did it often and even took my shirt in one time hoping it would be dry by morning.

Like planned, CHO staff was waiting for us outside the airport and we loaded up and headed “home”.  I knew what to expect during the ride this time but it still took me back and caused a sense of being overwhelmed as we pulled into the compound.  What I didn’t know was that God had people praying back in Texas to get me through these specific feelings.  God’s plan always works and it did again. GFMI  

          Before I left for my trip Susan McGowan from Eagle Mountain Intl. Church gave me a CD to listen to by Myles Monroe.  He was speaking on the role a father plays in a family.  We weren’t real sure what the significance of this was until a few days into my trip.  I had time the first week to spend countless hours playing with the children, helping at mealtimes, pushing them in the swing or on the tricycles, and tucking them in at night.  I was becoming a father to them.  What sometimes escapes us is the fact that they have no one that really takes care of them and loves them.  They have hired Haitian workers that make sure they get food, get bathed and don’t get hurt too badly, but, they don’t have anyone to hold them if they scrape their knee, or show them how to color a picture nice, or to tell them they love them before they go to sleep.  We get accustomed to the phrase “orphanage” and it even begins to feel like a daycare sometimes.  The reality hits hard though when the daycare never closes and no parent ever shows up to pick up their child and to ask them how their day was and what they learned.  These children are so hungry for love and direction.  They soak it up like a dry sponge and instinctively (God setup) cling to that source.  One of the points I focused on during my stay was telling all of the children during prayer time how much God loved them and had a plan and purpose for their lives.  There are so many of the older ones that feel hopeless and in despair.  They are past the age of adoption (which is 15 in Haiti) and in their eyes their only hope is for someone (American) to “sponsor” them so they can go to school and learn a trade so they can find work sometime somewhere.  Haiti is so full of people and no industry that there are probably 1000+ people for every job there.  If they do find a regular job somewhere, the minimum wage is equivalent to $2.00 US per day.  Yet, if they need supplies (food, clothing, etc.), they have to pay close to American prices for them.  This is one reason why the economy is the way it is.  People are working, striving and pushing to just survive.  Our foundation scripture for our ministry is John 8:32 which says, “You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free”.  Our primary goal is to take them the Truth, teach them how to access, learn and apply it to their lives, and watch them, through the power of the Word, change a nation from the inside out. The children appreciated and enjoyed all the things that you sent and sowed into this trip.  Kids without shoes received shoes.  The girls all received purses my mom hand made for them and you helped fill them with dolls, trinkets, candy and gum.  The boys got small drawstring bags (which my Mom also made) filled with toys and goodies.  The older girls got toiletries, lotions and nail supplies while the older boys got some t-shirts and hats.  They get so excited for new things; it is a real joy to watch.  GFMI

Convention

I flew in a little over a week before convention was to start to help get things ready for the people.  I painted, hung new clothes lines, cleaned, looked over a school bus and pickup truck that weren’t running to see if we could get them working in time. Investigated
2 bathrooms that weren’t working correctly – repaired one so that all 3 stalls and both sinks were working again. Helped setup the church with extra chairs and school desks to accommodate the additional 800-1000 people that were coming.  CHO considers “convention” to be one of their greatest outreaches of the year. This year convention ran from July 12^th through the 15^th. They order in hundreds of pounds of beans, rice, and grits.  They buy a steer and let it graze for a few days until the morning of convention when they slaughter it right there and cut it up for meat for the people.  They paint and clean everywhere the convention people will be and even setup extra quarters in the truck garages and at the school for people to sleep.  About a month before, they contact the pastors that will be coming and tell them to bring their congregation to a warehouse where they are given clothes and shoes that they can wear during the meetings.  For some, this was obviously the only nice clothing they had and I think for some it was the only clothing they had. We had church 2 times each day with a service in the morning that lasted about 2 hours and one in the evening lasting 3 hours.  There were also various workshops that took place each day with some focusing on women, others for the teens, teaching for the pastors and even a couple youth events.  The Word was preached, hygiene techniques were taught, people were healed and salvations were recorded in heaven.  Glory!

I wasn’t sure what my role was going to be when I headed there this time.  Not only was I put into a place of fatherhood, but I was also put into a place of pastoring. I spoke 3 times during morning prayer and preached the Friday night service.  I was also asked to preach during the Sunday night service and for the youth service during the convention.  God is so good.  How I have learned to put ALL my trust in Him, yield to Him and let Him do the work through me.  I am humbled at the place God has put me and I yearn to give Him more of me to use.  GFMI