Treasure and Friendship

Today was our last full day in Desire.  The team worshipped with the kids and the community.  Pastor Charlie preached about the treasure of Jesus.  When presented with that amazing gift, we have to ask ourselves, what will we do with it.  Do we embrace it, do we run from it, do we hide it?  When we embrace it and accept it, we have true life.  This message hit home to us as we wrestle with what we see here in a land filled with hopelessness, poverty, and corruption.  How do we reconcile with it? As we were worshipping with our Haitian brothers and sisters, we were reminded that no matter where we come from, we all get that chance to choose God because He first chose us, and He sees all of His children the same.  They are His children.  And tomorrow, we say good-bye to these children that we have embraced.  While we say good-bye, we know in our hearts that these children represent God's treasure on some level.  Their love, their desire for a relationship, and their hope of a future beyond our wildest dreams all point us back to what we know is the greatest gift of all, God's treasure.

Sunday in Desire

On Sunday, we had the chance to worship in Desire with the kids and some from the community.  Pastor Charlie spoke on behalf of the team and preached on God's treasure.  Afterwards, we had time with the kids.  The highlight was a gift of a picture to each of the kids and mamas.  They were so excited to have this special piece of them taken.  In the afternoon, we had a quick review of the English lesson and some music.  It was mainly a time to play with the kids.  We saw girls jumping rope, soccer, dodge ball, and kids learning to make friendship bracelets.  It was great when a team member heard Pastor Jeannot say, "when the kids play, I am happy."  And, so were we.

Ruth and Dodge Ball

Today the team really poured it out.  They  spent time playing with the kids in the morning while we tried to take individual portraits of each child.  Each child will receive a picture of themselves by the time we leave.  It was exciting to see the pride and excitement in their eyes about getting their picture taken.  In the afternoon, our team shared the story of Ruth and shared the gospel with the kids.  The story involved the team and the kids and was entertaining.  Later they were introduced to the game of dodge ball.  How exciting it was to see  the kids enjoy this classic game!  The team had great fun playing with so many kids at one time.  The last part of our day was spent visiting  with Jan Thompson and the 32 kids (Hopesters) at Christopher's Hope Mission.  It was another look at an orphanage in Haiti and a good time to hear Jan's story.  In all, it was a great day and the team really emptied their tanks to fill these kids with hope, love, and time.  Tomorrow, we get to enjoy worshipping with Pastor Jeannot, the kids, and the community.  

In His Arms

In HIS Arms.  What does it mean?  It means letting go of everything: my fears, my past, my hopes and dreams all fall onto Jesus.  My trust rests in Him.  When  I do this, I can rest in the comfort and strength of His arms.  Nothing else matters then.  Joy and peace fill me.  With these kids, it's kind of like that too.

Breakfast in Haiti!

Breakfast in Haiti.  One of my favorites!

One body, many parts

This afternoon, Ryan shared from I Corinthians 12 about one body, many parts.  "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ."  The body has many parts, and each plays a role in making the body move, breathe, and function.  Just as the body has many parts, so does the body of Christ.  We each have our different gifts and personalities, and together, reflect the love of Christ as a church.  And, just as we are a team from Fort Collins and a village of orphans in Haiti, we bring our differences together as one body to reflect the love of Christ.

Best Friends

This morning we spent some time with the kids teaching English.  In this lesson, we talked about friends.  Who is your best friend?  What do you do with them.  How do they make you feel.  If Jesus is our best friend, we know that we have Him for life.  The kids enjoyed the entertaining lesson, reading with team members, and coloring friendship links.  This afternoon we will go back and have some bible story an game time!