Rebekah Mennenga 7-18-16

Rebekah Mennenga

Vacation Bible School  

This morning we took part in Vacation Bible School.  The kids love to pull on your hair and braid it.  They also liked to try on our bracelets and sunglasses.  The VBS is totally Haitian run so that the kids look to Haitians for leadership.  We came along side and played with the kids and helped them line up to go to different stations.  We got to hang out and love on them.  We also got to helpserve them some kind of rice and water in little plastic bags.  They liked to squirt the water on everyone.  There were three groups of kids and our group was about 120 Haitian kids. 

Tour of Leveque

Yesterday we took a bus ride to a village that Mission of Hope helped build through sponsorships. On the ride there we also saw the types of houses that were there before the new houses were built.  They were tin roofs with blue plastic tarps for walls.  Some people still lived in them.  We went the village playground and got to play with the village kids.  That was the first time seeing kids and being with them.  The kids loved to play with us even though we didn’t speak the same language. 

Haitian Dinner

After touring Leveque we went back to Mission of Hope’s main campus for an authentic Haitian dinner.  IT was rice, beans, chicken and fried plantain.  It was delicious and we got to experience Haitian culture by eating the type of food they typically eat. 

Haitian Rain Storm

After dinner it got really windy and the cool breeze felt good but there were dark storm clouds coming over the mountains and we knew a storm was about to hit.  It started sprinkling a little but as we were walking down to the church for an evening church service it started to pour.  The lighting was really cool to watch.  We got to the church and we were worshiping as it was storming.  The storm was over as shortly before we got done with church so we didn’t get wet going back to our dorms.  Sleeping was much better last night as it was much cooler after the storm went through.  

Below are some pictures of us as we interacted with the kids at Leveque and VBS.  

Update from Lauren Zernov and Nathan Lawlor

Lauren Zernov and Nathan Lawlor-

MOH Main Campus

We spent the majority of our morning at the Mission of Hope Main Campus where we got a tour of the large campus. There are a lot of different buildings serving different purposes. We were amazed to hear about all of the school programs, orphanages, medical facilities, and all of the beautiful stories about the lives that have been touched by MOH. There is a lot of work being put into lots of projects. Their mission statement at MOH includes the idea to reach every man, woman, and child of Haiti and they truly are accomplishing this goal.

Haitian Church Service

After the tour we attended a church service at the MOH Church building. There were Haitians from all over the community gathered to worship in this large space. They sang songs that we knew like “How He Loves,” “Mighty to Save,” and “One Thing Remains,” but in Haitian Creo, so we sang along in English. Their worship and preaching was full of passion and excitement. It was truly an amazing experience to be able to witness the pride of these people of their faith and worship along with them.

Hot in Haiti

We are so in awe of this beautiful culture! It is extremely hot and there is no air conditioning in sight. We pretty much spend all day sweating and there is no way to escape the heat, even at night. We are fortunate to have plenty of clean water available to us at the Mission of Hope Facility.

The Streets of Haiti

Driving along the streets in Haiti is an adventure of itself. The cars going in opposite directions drive extremely close to one another, and there are these “tap-taps” all over the place, which are vehicles filled with people packed on and even hanging off of the vehicle. As we drive through the cities, we see tons of street vendors selling American products like clothes, Coca-Cola, and other goods as well as produce from Haiti. The streets are filled with brightly colored signs advertising their products. Women and children balance goods on their heads when they walk. We are falling in love with the Haitian culture and can’t wait to explore more of this awesome country.

God Bless,

DC Haiti Team

Update from Linnea Zernov 7-17-16

Linnea Zernov-

Arriving at Port Au Prince airport and Driving Home

Immediately when we landed in Port Au Prince my first thought was everything looks so dry. There aren’t bodies of water except the Caribbean Sea. On our way to Mission of Hope, we saw tons of Haitians walking along the unpaved, rocky roads. Mountains surrounded us which was beautiful. There was a market we passed where Haitians bring new items like clothes and shoes and sell them. There was so much stuff. It is so shocking that there are no road signs or lanes. Drivers drive a bit scary but no accidents hardly ever happen.

Sunday Morning

Our dorms are right on the ocean and it is so beautiful to wake up to and see the sunset/sunrise every day. Sunday morning, we planned on waking up at 5:55 am, as breakfast was at 6:30. I had set an alarm and was in charge of waking people up, and it turns out it was actually 4:55 am. My phone had changed to eastern time, but daylight savings never happened in Haiti so it was actually central time. I had some angry friends that morning but we luckily had an early start to the morning! Haiti culture is extremely beautiful.

Haitian Culture and Environment

I think the people are very nice and want to get to know you. Men and women have very heavy baskets balanced atop their heads filled with supplies; so impressive. There are no buildings; just very small structures. There is a lot of empty compounds that are used for selling items. The amount of wild goats, cows and dogs is crazy. We see them right outside our dorms throughout the day. The Mission of Hope main campus is very incredible. There is so much going on. They have a warehouse that holds packed food, TOMS shoes, and other medical supplies.

First World Problems in a Third World

Hello All,

We have been intending to blog on our trip every day but being in a third world we didn't take our first world comforts to account.  We have spotty internet access but will try to update you as much as possible.  We have experienced so much in only two days and are all doing well.  
Thank you again for your prayers as we serve in Haiti.  

Door Creek Church 
Haiti Team

Haiti Less Than a Week Away

We are less than a week away from our departure to Haiti.  We will be flying out of O'Hare airport and then heading to Ft. Lauderdale before taking the final leg of our trip to Haiti.  Yesterday our team went shopping for all the food and supplies we need to take with us to Haiti.  We split up into 3 teams to divide and conquer Wal-Mart.  When we came back together we had 4 shopping carts full of food and supplies.  We played an impromptu game of the Prices Right and all guessed how much our supplies would cost.  I can't remember who was the winner but their guess was $525.  The final cost of our food and supplies was $528.33.  We got to share with the person who was checking us out why we were purchasing all the food and supplies.  It was cool to share why we are going to Haiti.  

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we prepare to leave on this adventure.  We will give regular updates and hopefully some great pictures and video as well.  

We are still looking for some financial support as we prepare to leave.  If you would be so generous to give to our trip you can do so securely at this address: https://doorcreekchurch.ccbchurch.com/form_response.php?id=412 

You may choose to donate to any member of the team. If one student becomes fully funded the extra will go to another student in need.  

Thank you so much for your generous support of money and prayer.  

16 Days From Departure

Hello All,

In 16 days our group will be leaving for Haiti to partner with Mission of Hope Haiti.  We are getting very excited to see what God is going to do while we are in Haiti.  All of our team is getting very close to being fully funded but we still could still use some funding to help us get our goal of being fully funded.  If you have been contacted by a member of the team to help support them financially, would you please consider helping support the team.  If you have already given, we thank you so much for your generous gift.  

Finally we need your prayers.  As we get are getting close to leaving, here are a few ways you can support us through prayer.  

1.  Pray that all the logistics of travel go well.  
2.  Pray that the final financial support comes in. 
3.  Pray that God is and will be softening hearts to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ while we are there.  
4.  Pray for boldness for our team to share the Gospel without hesitation.  
5.  Pray for the people of Mission of Hope that they would be encouraged in God's work there.  

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about and pray for our team.