Two bags packed

Some neat developments today:

Got to live chat on facebook with one of my dear buddies who is already in Haiti. I learned that she will be staying longer than expected and that she would be there throughout the duration of our trip. This was a secret desire of my heart and I am grateful that the Lord saw fit to put that in place. She also gave me some practical advice to share with my teammates and I did that. (won’t mention the gigantic log of cheese that the missionaries requested we put into our checked bags, or the hose for the washing machine, or the shock absorbers . . . . )

The most important thing she shared with me was that they all wanted us to know that those in Haiti are praying for our team, and she gave us a verse:

Gal. 6:9-10
"9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

It is a great scripture to encourage us as we step out from our comfortable life here not knowing quite what to expect. I can tell you this as well; I have personally felt prayers today. They have washed over me off and on all day – so thank you to all that have been doing that – the Lord is on the move!

We are packing up tomorrow and leaving at 1:30a.m. for the airport.

One bag packed

One bag packed and one to go . . . . . .

I had fun packing my first bag for Haiti - it is filled with stuff to leave there: soccer balls, balloons, crayons (lots of crayons), coloring books, baby dolls with dark skin, combs, medical supplies, individual bags of items an Eagle Scout did as a project . . . . . lots of odds and ends. But, as the trip gets closer, and we are starting to hear from our team members that are currently in Jeremie. Here are some quotes from some of their posts:

"Port-au-Prince is still devastated from the effects of the massive earthquake some 14 months ago. Our eyes saw absolute poverty like we’d never seen in our lives. Millions of people living in tents, or a couple of pieces of metal held together with some rope!" Steve Mathews

"Its way worse than what anything u can imagine here.. Were safe tho no worries!!!" Brittany Pardo

"I went back to Yvrose's orphanage again today. She showed us a lady who's husband was killed with a machete and she has 5 children, expecting her 6th and they are in a room the size of our new bathroom - only 2 beds! yes all of the children and mother sleep there. Please continue to pray for Haiti. There is so much hardship here - its very sad." Debbie Warner

" . . . my heart is breaking for the people of Haiti! Its unlike anything I ever imagined. I held a baby this morning until she fell asleep. So sweet and innocent." Lisa Kinney


So, the Lord is already working on my heart and though my first bag is full of good intentions - it is already falling quite short. Doesn't mean I can't wait to get there, just means that my eyes are a little more open.

Prelude to a Haitian Adventure

I have decided to set up a blog because I will be heading to Haiti in less than a week and am hoping to do a little journaling here.

Due to a series of odd events, these are the travel arrangements that my little team is to undergo:


1. Meet in the church parking lot at 1:30a.m. this Friday
2. Drive to Cincinnati (approx. 1 hour and 45 minutes from our location)
3. Half of our team leaves on AA at 6a.m. and flies to DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) then goes from DFW to Miami
4. The other half of my team leaves at 7:30a.m. and flies directly to Miami
5. Hopefully, the team will be united in Miami and will all fly to Port-au-Prince together.
6. After arriving in Port-au-Prince, we will all be loaded onto a large, open truck (with two 50 pound bags each) and start on our journey to Jeremie. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 hours or more. There is a possibility that we will be stopping at Les Cayes - a sort of midway point - to spend the night with a missionary family before we make it to Jeremie.

A dear friend of mine has been in Haiti for three days and has written that we will be heart broken at some of what we will see on that drive . . . . . .

She also shared that, after two days of bumping up and down the roads of Haiti, the truck finally pulled up to the orphanage in Jeremie (where we will all be working) and the children came running out, surrounded them and kissed them on the cheeks.

I am anticipating that it will all be worth it.