Pictures "God at work"

Thank you to all who have prayed for us and provided for the boys at this orphanage. God bless you as we share a few pictures of the joy we experienced on this trip. Enjoy, we have hundreds of pictures but can only show a few. Please ask us to tell the stories when you see or talk to us.
The pictures are in no particular order, just a little collage.

Pillow cases created by each child on Saturday play day. Thank you to Laura and Lois!!!





















Praying over each boys bed on our last day before leaving!












Wall being completed after cleaning up the back yard. The wall needed to be 3 more brick layers higher for safety reasons.



















Boys before school all cleaned up and in Methodist school uniforms, 1/2 day of school is a luxury when there is 80% illiteracy rate.




Jonah Murial

Daniel and the Lions Den

Noahs Arc

Teaching boys how to play twister

Smiles and laughter

Completed first skyscaper after Lego training day with the boys

Artist at work creating their masterpieces on pillow cases.

Lego training days, piles of Legos! Thank you 5th grade Westwoods Elementary children!! Way to go!

First birthday box given by Traverse Bay United Methodist Sunday School Classes...Happy Birthday Stanely!Each boy will get a birthday box on their birthday throughout the year.

Famous Tarantulas...DEAD NOW! Boys took the shovel to them! Thank you boys. Mary, Dawn and Rachel remained in the house painting the rest of the trip!

Lunch time with the boys. Rice and bean is a staple!

Team picture day of departure, Yo and Rachel, Mary, Bob, Dawn and Dillon. Sad to leave, but ready to rest at home.

All the boys gather for a picture the first day we meet them>

The back yard old dog house and piles of garbage filled with glasss, barbwire, metal, and tarantulas.No place to play outside when we got there, but we cleaned it up and left money to build a basketball court and soccer court. Great timing for summer vacation! See above picture for clean up view.

2-4 boys to a bed, not all had sheets but all have a safe place to sleep and have a VBS blanket from TBUMC to call their own. Donations of the sheets gave each boy a clean one to lay their head and a new pillow donated by other churches! Thank you God!

Hot wheel cars, never played with them before but man did they know what to do. Many many smiles and you could feel the joy!

Group photo in the "play room", only thing on the shelves was a TV.......but not by the time we left the gifts from Traverse City community!!!!

Flooded septic area due to rain, rain, rain. In the garage area of the orphanage.

Teaching about how God provides when there is not enough fish and bread! Teaching how to share when their is little. They know more about this than us.

We do not know for sure if God will bring us back to this little home of boys, but we know He just needs willing hearts and we can be used. The needs are great but God is Greater, so the boys wait in hope, faith and prayers for better tomorrows. God uses all of us to love these boys, and He will provide for them! This is what I know for sure. Maybe the boys thought they got to see a little of heaven thru our service and I know we changed their lives for the days we were there. That is what we were there for, just to change one day at a time. They changed each one of our hearts with each passing day, we fell in love with all their eagerness, simplicity and appreciation for what we were doing. I hope you feel and know the love of Christ thru these pictures. May God bless your day with the opportunity to share the love of Christ with a child. Praise Him!

Home

After a long trip, with a few snaffews, God got us all home safely. After a couple of good meals, calls and visits with friends and family, showers with unlimited clean water, and a night in our own beds, we realize some of what we have been through. I don't know what to say when I know I'll hear that question: "Did you have a good vacation?" or "Did you have a good time?" It was / is so much more than that and not something that I can put in to words. I am not sure who is impacted more by a mission trip- the visitors or the hosts? We see things in such a different light. What waste we have and what abundance. We are so fortunate, yet those "less fortunates" are sometimes happier than we are. We read in our devotion book of how those with so little seem to praise God with that much more enthusiasm, perhaps because they are so thankful for the little bit that they have. Speaking of enthusiasm, we need to bring some of that energy from Thomas church back home.
I keep thinking about Dillon telling me, as he scratched the ear of a sad looking dog we nick-named "Skinny:" "At least for these few minutes, he will have some pleasure in his life." I pray that we had an opportunity to touch some lives through God, as our lives were truly changed.

Last days

Wow, we have been working to get all the painting done. Rachel is an excellent organizer and had us all on different shifts to achieve our goal. We painted hand prints of all the children in primary colors, then I sponged painted over them. Wow talk about bright. Then the Christian fish was placed on all the beams, then stamping away with bugs, and start. BEAUTIFUL. We were able to give each boy a pillow with their own decorated pillow case, then we place a gift under each one. After, of course we put sheets on all the beds. Most were sleeping on thin sponges, or thin mattresses without sheets. Some were even using the blankets from VBS to sleep on top of their mattresses. Most single bunk beds sleep 4 children, 2 per mattress. Our team then individually prayed over each boys bed, the Holy Spirit was surely present. There was not a dry eye on our team, as we recalled each boy and asking God for their protection. We then secretively wrote our names and special messages on a wall that has huge cupboard on front of it. We saw many of the bibles that Lauren Aprill wrote in from VBS, however the boys cannot go to church because they have no clothing or transportation. So, we left the extra $1000 that you gave us to buy the boys each 1 church outfit and to pay for transporting them weekly to church. There they will learn to read their bibles. Thank you TBUMC for that extra money.
I wanted to take one of the very tattered shirts home with me today, but I knew the little boy did not have another one and I did not bring an extra shirt with me to replace it with. They all have 2 school uniforms and 1 set of play clothing. Sandy Aprill I thought of you often, man how does one organize clothing for 28 boys from ages 5-16. Where does one start with 28 pairs of shoes and flip flops, when you do not know who belongs to what. To watch the laundry lady, Marie, wash by hand every day the mounds of clothing....lay it on the roof to dry or hang it to dry....then watch Laonise press each school shirt and pants. Socks and undies, what a hoot to watch the boys try to find them? Ask Bob about the littlest angel boy!!!
Mary has been a wonderful barter for the best price on merchandise on the street market. Ask Dillon how they work together!
We are all ready for home, with many tears of the beautiful blessings that God has bestowed on us. Thank you for your outpouring of love, support and prayers. The boys at the Children's House Orphange know TBUMC family loves them like Jesue. See you Sunday, Dawn

The Lords day no matter where you are

A day of rest was the plan for this day. After worship at Thomas, which is the church the TBUMC assisted withbuilding, we went to lunch and had ice cream. Church was only about 1 1/2 hours, and no Dillon did not use his game boy in church. The Church was beautiful and we were greated ever so warmly. (especially at 100 degrees).Pastor Bernard gives the best smile ever and a very real hugs for our whole team. We sang "Lord Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary" for the congregation and Dawn went to the pulpit to introduce the team and the reason we came to Thomas. What a wonderful extended church family we have. We provided some Sunday School Marterials to Pastor. The classrooms are all painted and have electricity. Bob and Dawn met Marie Yolene who goes to school there, they sponsor her education. She needs a job for food, because she cannot work for food when she is in school. Many days she goes to school hungry, or she does not come b/c she needs to work. the Haiti hot lunch is only there 3 days, and does not qualify b/c she is too old( 10th grade). Well, we needed to help that situation. Done. The healing quilt the ladies of TBUM blessed was given thru many tears (Mary, Dawn and Bob too). We found ths child of God a job in the church to help her not to miss school or have to go to the city for work.(It is a dangerous and long trip to make daily).
The rest of the day, we have napped, walked, swam, played cards and had a few cold cokes. Mary plays a mean Euker game with Yo, Rachel and Dillon. We all needed this day very much to rest in the Lords hands. Emotionally, physically and mentally....Good nourishment for the reamining 2 work days. Thank you for your prayers, and see you next week. Blessings

today we are going to go to church in Tomas. It's going to be a long day. Haiti is so Hot. I got a machete as a present for my best friend. I miss my dog=) Church is going to be 2-3 hours long. I get to bring my Gameboy.

Legos, Artist and candy

What a blessed day we had with the boys. We started with name tags to help us get to know them by name, just as God knows us by name. It is affirming!We had a play day this a.m. We dumped 2 large piles of legos on the tables and Dillon, Bob and Yo instructed in how to build. Someboys played there for the full 2 hours. We also decorated pillow cases with permanent markers, after we placed TBUMC and Jesus Loves you on each one. A few of the boys colored with great detail for the whole 2 hours. They were so intrigued. Dillon gave them pop rocks for a fun treat, man did the popping suprise them. The boys have a very hard time making eye contact, even when you get down at their level. When you hug and praise them for their work, at times you get a glimsp of a smile. They are such beautiful children and are a wonderful resource for this country. If only we can provide more education for these 30 boys, they can start to make a difference in the poverty and harships here. Children are the future. So, as I see it, we help this small corner of the country, and other organizations help other small corners with Christ as our guide, we could have a better place for the people of Haiti. It is very interesting in the lack of play here. They have no toys, so they just sit and lie around all day when they are not in school. Developmentally I am concerned, so I talked to Virginia Bell, and we are going to sit down with the staff on Monday to discuss the importance of Play and learning. We brought toys, but the ladies just put them in the closet where the boys cannot get them. But, the whole society works like that, they are so busy trying to survive that they have no play skills. When the rain comes, it washes all they have away. When you are always hungry and thirsty, there is no time to worry about the garbage that lies around everywhere or education. The average haitian worker here at the guest house puts in over 40 hours a week and make less the $25 a week. UMmmm, they work very hard.
We have experienced exceptional hospitality from all we have met, we feel very safe and the countryside is so beautiful along the mountains. We shopped a lot of street vendors, who have no mercy on us when we say "no, thank you". We buy things we do not need, just to stimulate the economy and help the people out. We feel bad when we do not buy things from them. It confuses Dillon when we buy things we do not need.
The Lord is so good, and has blessed our team with joy, laughter, tears,and compassion for this country. Thank you for all your prayers, and support. We are in the best of care. See you all next Sunday, Peace TBUMteam

Friday's report, on Haitian time

Yesterday was a pretty busy day. We got a lot done on the walls and it looks like the men in the back are ready to pour cement. It was very hot though, 105 so pretty much all of us went straight for the pool when we got back. There were a couple more people at the guest house last night on their trip back from le Cayes where they were doing some medical work. They flew out early this morning. We're not entirely sure what's on the plan for today but we'll find out soon enough i suppose. Until tomorrow then.

Good morning

Our schedule here is one of early to bed and early to rise. I woke up to the taunting of a crazed rooster who seems to have lost his watch. It is 5:30 AM and life has already started. Yesterday is already a blur of activity. Karen, our interpretor went outside the gate to exchange money for us. It was probably not a good thing for us to show our white faces on the street. At the least, the exchange rate might have gone up. It rained so hard while she was gone that I thought we would be washed away. WHen Karen didn't come back, I was very concerned. The laborers worked through the rain, carrying garbage and would through knee deep "water." Karen finally made itback and paid the trash guys. We cought them dumping our trash in the newly formed river, so did we just contribute to the litter down the hill? It is the way I am told. We are all safe a well fed, and the pool is a welcome sight at the days end. We got to spend some time with the boys yesterday, and that makes everything worthwhile.