The games we play

We do have fun in Haiti. The older kids told us that there are other groups besides ours who come to the orphanage, but we're their favorites because we spend time with them. Apparently other groups interact with Pastor Bob and the adults, but don't do much with the kids. There are the usual games every evening and soccer several times throughout the trip, but then there are some other things that take planning and effort weeks before we arrive...and even others that spring up spur-of-the-moment. We give them time, and everyone is excited when we come and sad when we leave.

The twist for soccer this trip was that only Pastor Winston and I were on 'team A' to play with the older kids (Clint was sick for a few days when we played) so we had to recruit a lot of Haitians to play with us. 'Team B,' however, had a deep roster and faced off with the younger kids. Against the older kids I play goalie, but against the younger kids, I went in as a forward. In the World Cup game for the younger kids, I was shut out, but Jessica scored her first goal ever. It wasn't enough, though. The kids played hard and ended up beating us in penalty kicks...and they were really excited.

As far as other planned fun things, we went to the beach, had a dance party night and a Bingo night. Pastor Winston said Marvik and Wilson were asking about the beach the first day that we were there...they were really looking forward to that! The dance night was freestyle for a little while, but Vicki used to be a dance instructor and started giving lessons. She taught everyone the Cha-Cha and the Salsa. Bingo night is a huge deal. Jessica and Sara bought a bunch of prizes - toys, candy, cologne (very popular), cards, colored pencils, cross necklaces... From young to old, it seems everyone takes Bingo really seriously. News spread to the point where Haitian kids were there playing that I never remember seeing before. The good thing is that we had enough prizes for everyone to win something. I saw something amazing during the evening. One of the older kids who doesn't live at the orphanage, but we've know for years was sitting at the table with a blank Bingo card. Clint called out a number, Vicki translated and Gregory immediately called Bingo. Then he placed five markers in a row on his card and when we checked it, he was right! I asked him later to confirm what I had seen, and he said that yes, he had remembered the numbers that were called through the game. (I'm wondering what kind of intelligence evaluation might be possible...)

And then there were some spontaneous crazy activities. I started one by accident. Wilson looked sad about something so I wanted to cheer him up. As I walked to him, he thought I was coming after him so he scrambled to get away. Within a few minutes, I actually was chasing several kids around, tickling them if I caught them and getting tickled if I didn't notice them behind me. Pretty soon, innocent bystanders became participants just because they were easy targets for the kids. It lasted for a while and worked out whatever energy we had left that night.

The biggest craziness of all were the Super-Olympic games. On a couple of days that we didn't have services, Pastor Winston divided the team into guy-girl pairs for some silly competitions. We did a water-balloon toss, sack race, carried eggs in spoons, ran with cinder blocks, hopped, jumped and shuffled all over the yard. The Haitians got a big kick out of the whole spectacle. Mommy works really hard while we're there to make sure everything is taken care of for us, but even she had to take a break to see all the silliness. It was a lot of fun.

A new perspective

David reminded me of something that I had told Elimage and him when we were there in December. I wanted them to have an opportunity to learn how to use computers and the Internet. It was several days before we had a chance, but on the last night, we finally had the combination of free time, electricity and availability of Pastor Bob's computer. David, Elimage, Vicki and I huddled around Pastor Bob's computer for an introduction to the technology that I truly take for granted. Vicki teaches at the school the orphanage runs and translates for our team. She already knew how to use a computer, but I wanted her there to translate if the guys didn't understand something I was trying to explain. She had already set up email accounts for them and David had used one a little, but it really was a new thing for Elimage. After demonstrating how to use email and some basic computer interaction, I started showing them some websites. Vicki had never seen Wikipedia before and seemed pretty excited about this source of information. Then I got an idea. I love Google Maps and have spent way more time than necessary exploring London, Hong Kong, Dubai, etc. There was one thing in particular that I had done before and wanted to share with them. At this point, Mommy and Poppy were in the room as well and as I navigated the globe to focus on Haiti, I started to capture some more interest. Zooming in and switching to the satellite view, I brought the orphanage into focus. The main house and church are clearly seen and you can trace the driveway and see other buildings and features. This is truly a new perspective, and one that they probably had never considered before.

Wrapping up

It's very difficult to relate the entire story of a trip. I'm far from an author and not terribly emotional, so there's a lot that I can't effectively convey. This account is a window, a glimpse into everything that happened, but far from all-encompassing. I have a few more things before I close...

Just a few months before heading to Haiti, Matt would hardly consider leaving the country on a mission trip. God tugged at his heart, though, and he decided to go. He's an engineering PhD student, and he thought about what unique things he might be able to contribute. He pulled together some electronic kits, wire and duct tape and came ready for some project-based lessons for the kids during free time...and they were a huge hit! The kids got to learn and experiment with things they wouldn't have access to normally. Matt brought something to the table that no one else has done before and was able to apply his education in a way that opened new doors to a few kids in a completely different walk of life.

I noticed evidence of a strengthening bond between our team and the Haitians. Through the years, a favorite activity of most everyone who has gone is to climb a ladder up to the roof as things are winding down at night and enjoy the opportunity to see the stars unobscured by city lights. We talk, we laugh, we have a good time. It was almost always just our team members. Recently, though, several Haitians have joined in each time people head up. And this trip several would be with us until we were all ready to head to bed. It's become an amazing opportunity to connect.

The truck I mentioned in my last account is being held in customs, and this is the one bit of bad news. They are demanding $15,000 to release it, which is a total injustice (it cost less than that to buy the truck). We were hoping to be given a break and get it out for less than that, but they won't budge. Transportation is a major need and currently a major expense at the orphanage because they have to pay for a tap-tap anytime they go anywhere. [UPDATE: Pastor Bob was able to raise $10,000 from someone else for the truck. Customs accepted it and the truck is home at the orphanage now!]

The great news, however, is that altogether 24 people accepted Jesus as their savior during our trip. Most were at services and there are some neat stories there, but a few of the others really stuck out to me. God used Pastor Winston during these two weeks to have strategic conversations with a few people at just the right moment. During one of the altar call times, he let the team pray for the people who responded. Meanwhile, he felt that he should talk with a kid named Sun-Sun. During the last trip, Clint found out that he wasn't a Christian, but at the time he didn't want to make a commitment. During that conversation with Pastor Winston, Sun-Sun accepted Jesus. Wilfred did a tremendous amount to serve our team throughout the trip. He took care of our supply of drinking water, which is very important. The last night, Winston talked with him and found out he wasn't a Christian. Wilfred accepted Jesus that night. And one night Pastor Winston was joking around with Gregory, who I've already mentioned, and found out that he wasn't a Christian. Talking with him later, Pastor Winston led him to Christ, too. Sun-Sun, Gregory and Wilfred are kids we've known for a while. We assumed they were Christians because they were around us so much and most of the kids are already followers of Jesus. These three salvations show that sometimes you have to take a risk and ask a question. It may change someone's eternity...

Winston, Jessica, Sara, Brian, Uwe, Clint, Mitch, Angela, Adam, Flo, Matt, Farika and Desiree gathered together for sixteen days. We ministered to hundreds of people and gave away a lot of needed resources. We also made life around the orphanage a little more fun for a couple of weeks. We covered a lot of ground and sought to serve well. And God honored it all. If you make an effort to do the most possible good, God has a way of helping you get there.