"So, How was Haiti?" Part 4 (Last One!)

We're cranking up on final preparations for our UK trip, then our Haiti trip this summer, so this has to be the last post from my April trip.

One thing I learned long ago during my years with World Vision in West Africa, and it applies equally in Haiti, is this: when people are expecting you to take a photo of them, they go from all relaxed, happy and smiley, to assuming the "Victorian England" position. That's just the way it is. The culturally-accepted 'great family portrait' shot in Haiti is one where no-one is smiling.

So, the challenge of getting people to smile when I take photos is one that I thoroughly enjoyed on this trip. Because I have learned a secret.

There are usually 3 stages. First, I demonstrate to the person or people that I'm going to take a picture of them. They immediately assume the Victorian position.

Semi-formal expressions from this mother and daughter, who had both just
made decisions to follow Jesus. 

Next, I ask for them to smile. "Eske ou ka fe yon ti souri?" This usually gets a forced kind of smile. Then comes the secret weapon.

I ask "Eske ou ka grinyen dan?" which literally means "Show me your teeth." It's a very Haitian expression that people don't expect a blan (foreigner) like me to know. It usually gets a laugh. And people oblige by, well, showing me their teeth.  

 A few other photos to finish:

I'm so glad I got this shot of these great ministry leaders. (l to r), Pastor Job, Medson (Emmanuel Félix), Pastor Janiel and Pastor Lucce. Medson serves as Radio 4VEH's Extension Ministries Director (using Resounding Hope radios, along with his assistant Pastor Hérode), and pastors Job, Janiel & Lucce serve with OMS's catalyst for church-planting and multiplication, Every Community for Christ. 

They were with us for the evangelism & solar radio distribution outreach in Adam village near Dondon. As Matt Ayars (Rector of OMS-related Emmaus Biblical Seminary) commented on this photo: " Four. Great. Men." Amen to that!

Kids crowd at the door of the church (in Adam village, in preparation of
evangelism & radio distribution) to see why this group of blan is here. 

I'm taking pictures of them. He's taking pictures of me (on a cellphone)!

Steve Gross had this crazy white holier-than-thou glow over him as he talked  to
this lady, a fellow believer. With the midday sun reflecting off the iron sheeting roof,
I just couldn't get another angle without the glow. I think it adds a little something, no?

Someone's tired. 

I asked this boy what he had, thinking he'd give some local name
 for this particular kind of fish. He replied: Pwason.
Yep, fish. 

Our awesome team from Findlay, OH and Columbus, IN:
back, l to r: Michael, Larry
front, l to r: Amy, Karen, Keri, Kate, Kelly, Debbie

Yes, I was there! Thanks to Steve for getting a photo with me in it. 

Thanks for reading, sharing these posts and giving us feedback. Hopefully there's something of value to you! 

"So, How was Haiti?" Part 3

I've been reading through the book of Acts the last couple of weeks, and I came across this: after a mission trip (called a 'missionary journey' in the Bible), Paul & Barnabas went back to Antioch, 

"where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles."   Acts 14 v 26-27

Yesterday, Keri, Karen and I gave a short update at our church (Community Church of Columbus) on our recent Haiti trip, just a glimpse really of all that God had done through those of us on the team, those we worked with, and those who sent us, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Haitians we met with.

Me, Karen, Keri and Melissa on our way to the village of Leroux Cachiman.

Though I wasn't taking notes yesterday, here's what Keri shared recently when we were on The Bridge FM, our local Christian radio station.

"I've known Kate & Storly for a while, and I've heard about these radios, and it's easy to hear about it, but then to go there and see the impact these radios have in the lives of people all over Haiti was just overwhelming to me. Going out to the villages and sharing Christ, seeing so many people come to truly know the Lord and break that bondage from voodoo and other sins in their lives, it was just really overwhelming.

"There was one particular lady that, when we got there, she couldn't even look us in the eye. She was holding this beautiful, beautiful baby and we tried to share with her, and she kept saying no. She wasn't interested.

"Wherever you went, it seemed like there were crowds of people because the radios are really sought after. Everybody wants a radio, so you have these crowds following you through the villages. And this lady's mother was sitting across from her, and her mother ended up making that commitment [to Jesus].

Orinel, our translator, helps share the message of hope in Jesus.
Notice the children listening in. 

The mother prayed a simple sinner's prayer, asking Jesus to forgive her
and be her Savior.

The radio will help this lady and her whole family to learn and grow. What great
encouragement for a new believer to have Christian radio and her own New Testament
that she can listen to.

Keri said: "I happened to look up as they were praying with the mom and I saw the girl sitting there, and she had big tears running from her eyes and I knew we needed to ask her again. And we did. It was amazing to feel God's presence and to know that he's changed her life for ever.

What an honor to help lead this young mother to the Lord.

Orinel shows her how to listen to the radio, and to the New Testament read by Storly.

She's just heard that no-one is beyond God's grace, and nothing's too bad
that it can't be forgiven, if we ask God. And she did ask God for forgiveness
and received his grace. A different woman from the one who wouldn't even look
us in the eye. 

Keri said: "And each radio reaches about 6 people for about 20 years, and they have access to the complete Gospel right there on the radio. It just made my heart race - what a responsibility we have to get these radios out to the people of Haiti."

Impact

It's been four years since we started taking teams from our church here to Haiti. When we first moved to Columbus, we had no clue that God would open doors for us to accompany so many people on these life-changing journeys. Yesterday, I gave a report of the impact that CCC is having across northern Haiti through Radio 4VEH, at least the impact that we know about and can measure.

• The good people of CCC have funded 104 radios, helped with airtime on Radio 4VEH and now support us, the Michel family, as leaders at Radio 4VEH
• They have sent 8 short-term mission teams
• Who have shared the Gospel with 935 people in a face-to-face conversation
• Helped lead 216 people to the Lord
• Delivered 528 solar radios to homes, hospital beds and prison cells. 

If you, your church or group are interested in being part of this work that God has given us, please do get in touch. There's a lot of work to be done!

Have Suitcases, Will Travel

Memorial Day weekend here in the USA seems to mark the official start of summer. 

And we're counting down...soon to begin a whirlwind summer - heading across the pond first to the UK for a few weeks, back to Indiana for a few days (including being part of the OMS International Conference), then heading south to Haiti until school starts again for the girls. 

There's a lot involved in being away, traveling, visiting lots of different places and people, and sharing well what God is doing in Haiti. And we'd appreciate your prayers for fruitful conversations and connections with people, that we'll be a blessing to others, and for sweet time with family. Thank you!

Click here for our speaking schedule for the UK.

"So, How was Haiti?" (Part 2)

The trouble with writing a Part 1 is that it implies there'll be a Part 2. Well, here it is, glimpses in answer to the question: How was your (recent April) trip to Haiti?

Haiti was...CONNECTED

Inside the new concrete New Life church at Vye Tè near Grison Garde, as the morning worship service was just beginning, something spoke to me, deep inside. Big, bulging tears overflowed my eyes as I felt the words 'I love this place' bubble up from somewhere deep in my soul.  

The journey there was beautiful. The eight of us on the visiting team, along with the Bundy family and Gross family.

The youngest Bundy, Kristina, isn't enjoying getting windswept in the back of the truck as much as the rest of us.

The road becomes the river.

"That way!" she points out for us.

Realizing we need to go down a slope into the river bed, we're wondering if Director Brett is going to go for this one. Of course, he will! So, after some picture-taking, we all decide it's time to sit down and hold on.

Driving through the riverbed isn't the end of the challenge of arriving at the church.

By this point, several people are realizing why I was telling them to wear walking shoes and change into 'church' dress shoes once we get there. So, it's down the hill, across a stream and up the other side. In sticky red mud.

And this is the church, a brand new concrete building since last time I was here (in Dec 2011). (It was finished about a month earlier, I think).

Prayer to begin.

And great worship. When Pastor Enick invites me to the front to introduce the group of visitors, the visitors (who are supposed to be on best behavior) start laughing. I find out later that Brett (who is translating for the group using headsets) has told the team that I'm going to the front to sing. Never trust a translator!

So, why CONNECTED?

I first met the leaders of this church, Pastor Job and Pastor Enick, when they both worked at Radio 4VEH. At 5pm, most evenings, Job would come in after most other staff had already left for the day. Job was the cleaner. Enick worked as a guard.

It was years later when I was visiting Haiti in 2010, with Marilyn Shaferly and others for the 60th Anniversary (we are just starting celebrations for the 64th Anniversary now - special live broadcasts start any minute) that I said we needed to go and visit Grison Garde, a church that I'd heard so much about.

You see, years earlier, in the early days of evangelism and distribution of solar-powered radios tuned to 4VEH in a campaign called Operation Saturation, Emmanuel Félix and a team had visited this area of Grison Garde called Vye Tè. It was an area heavily under the influence of the witch doctors. People lived in fear, afraid to go out in the dark.

But as the short-term mission team went door-to-door and, with the help of translators, told people of the hope available to them in Jesus, four people gave their lives to the Lord. The team left behind solar radios to minister to families every day through the radio programs.

Some time later, Pastor Job graduated from the OMS seminary, and was challenged to go into the rural areas rather than taking the easier route of staying close to town. Seeking to follow the Lord, Job and Enick found themselves in Grison Garde. And the people there began sharing their stories.

They asked Job to be their pastor, but said "You're not our first pastor, our first pastor was Radio 4VEH."

After the Gospel message and solar radios were shared with this community, people began to listen every day to Christian radio, and heard Bible studies, preaching and community programs. By my first visit here, New Life church was well established with 120 members.

2011 visit

A year later, when I returned with a team including ministry partners Tim Whitehead (head of Galcom, who make the solar radios) and Ron Harris (serving international Christian broadcasters, then through NRB, now through MEDIAlliance), we worshiped with the believers at New Life and heard some of their stories.

This was the church in 2011, corrugated iron. Used as a school during the week.

This lady was one of many who suffered at the hands of the witch doctors. She told how she had lost several children to the witch doctors, who were known to sacrifice children to appease the spirits.

Richard is a leader at New Life church. When I interviewed him in 2010, he said: 

"I can tell you, the person I am today, it's because of what I have heard on Radio 4VEH." Fantastic!

It was great to see him again last month. 

On our way to church that morning, Pastor Job had asked if I could translate. I said yes, assuming he meant I would translate from Creole into English for our visitors. My Creole is not perfect, but my English is pretty good :) so no problem. 

When we were getting out of the truck to start walking down that hill to the church, I realized that our visitor Tim had been asked to preach, so I was in fact going to be translating from English into Creole. Not so easy. With God's help, Tim's clear message and a few words of help from others, we got through it. 

A couple of days later, we returned to New Life church, to work alongside this congregation in sharing the Gospel with their neighbors, and leaving solar radios to help them every day. Even found this elderly man with one of the original solar radios.

(Thanks to Ron Harris for some of these photos).

Connected

So after talking to Pastor Enick when we arrived at New Life church last month, and sharing news from family and ministry, including him telling me about several new churches or 'stations' that they have planted in neighboring areas (exciting!), I sat down for the service. And I knew that I love this place. This church. These people. This ministry. This country. This particular place and time that God has me and my family in.

Haiti is connected to me, to us, and we're forever connected to Haiti. Connected to the body of Christ, His church here in Grison Garde, and across this country.

"Remember me?"

On our final day, Melissa invited the ladies on the team to go to town and have pizza for lunch. While we
enjoyed pizza and some good conversation, I spotted someone across the restaurant, realizing I knew him. Turns out, it was Evans, who worked for a while as part of my communications team at World Vision in Port-au-Prince. He asked how was my baby (meaning Hannah, who's now 8) and we figured it had been a long time since we worked together. Another connection.

Exceeding Abundantly More

A while ago, perhaps even a year or two, Miss Valeene (OMS missionary who worked at Radio 4VEH when Storly first started there in 1996) shared a message at the monthly prayer rally held at OMS headquarters that stuck with me. 

Quoting from the King James version of the Bible, not a version I usually use, Valeene read from the letter to the Ephesians, chapter 3, verses 20-21: 

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

She focused on each part of these verses. That he (God) is ABLE. Able to do EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY. Able to do exceeding abundantly ABOVE not just a little of what we ask or think, but ABOVE ALL we ask or think (or as the NIV version says, more than we can ask or even IMAGINE). And he does all this according to the power that is at work not just in him (God) but that is at work in US.

Mind-blowing. MIND-BLOWING.

Months later, I was feeling battered by a work conversation in which a leader shot me down. I was in tears every time I thought back on that conversation.

And then we went to speak at Findlay E-Free church in northern Ohio to present the Resounding Hope radios project as part of their Christmas offering.

And the biggest blessing for me that weekend, beyond seeing others get excited about how they could help people in Haiti by sponsoring the radios, was this: Pastor Blair prayed over Storly and me, and over the radios project. And he prayed those words from Ephesians 3. He prayed on our behalf to the God who is able to do exceeding abundantly more than all we ask or think.

And it was just what I needed. To hear. To chew on. To know.

Then February came, and we calculated that we needed to raise several hundred thousand dollars within a one month period to proceed with the project to replace the AM radio towers at Petite Anse. I'd never had that kind of goal before. Neither had others around us. And the burden led us to prayer.

Led us to pray to the One who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. And we've seen God do just that. In very obvious ways. Today, the towers project is 95% funded. And I believe more than ever that God is able.

When I started the Discipleship Training level 4 class (which we just finished) back in January, and needed to choose Bible verses to memorize each week, I chose those verses from Ephesians, and the verses before, starting at verse 14. I wanted not only to know those verses myself, but be able to speak them over others, just as Pastor Blair had prayed them over us.

And yesterday, in an unusual turn of events, Pastor Chuck closed the service with a benediction, using the King James version:

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Do you know that He is able to do more than you can even imagine? I mean, do you really know? Consider learning these couple of verses. Say them back to God in worship for who He is, and let them become part of who you are. His power at work in you.  

"So, How Was Haiti?" (Part 1)

Part of our team debriefing last week, as the eight of us sat in the 'holiday house' at the OMS mission compound where teams stay during mission trips to the Cap-Haitien/northern Haiti area, was this thought (from the Men for Missions leaflet for this debriefing purpose, entitled The Next Step):

That when we get home, many people will ask "How was your trip?" And because we are overwhelmed with all that we have experienced, we'll give a safe and quick 'GREAT!' and then regret that we missed an opportunity to testify to all God's work during these days.

Many trips over the years in West Africa, and later in Haiti, and I still can't come up with a perfectly worded, complete, God-honouring answer to this question. But I do have answers that give a glimpse.

So we'll go with the glimpses.

Haiti was... BREATH-TAKING!

Leaving from Indianapolis Airport, me, Kelly, Karen and Keri - the Columbus contingent

Along with the Findlay (Ohio) four, we board the plane for the flight to Cap-Haitien.

And within an hour or so, Haiti begins to grace our eyes with her God-given gorgeousness.   

And it never gets old...to approach this country that has such a profound place
in my heart and life and family...and it takes my breath away. Every time. 

Keri's excited too:)

By the time we're over the mountains to this plain, I'm looking for our house.
With the big blue water tank on the roof. But I was on the wrong side of the
plane to see it this time. 

We made it to Cap. Now the real adventure begins.

(This trip to) Haiti was...A REUNION.

With the Gross family! Good friends from Columbus, now missionaries and teachers at OMS' Cowman school. Fantastic to see them where God has planted them now. And though the adjustments to life in Haiti are at times challenging (don't think that changes for anyone!), it was great to see them in action in their classrooms!

Melissa's done a fantastic job with her kindergarten class.

And Steve's talking about Shakespeare (nice!)

And two Gross kids are enjoying this class too (Caleb & Hannah).

And it was great to have them skip school for a bit to join us on our main focus, going out to villages to share the Gospel and give solar radios to bless households with Christian radio and a Bible they can hear and understand.

Melissa, Karen & Keri pray as Orinel (our translator) leads this lady in a simple sinner's prayer.

Steve shares with a fellow believer about putting Jesus first. 

Caleb, Steve & Melissa after a day's Gospel work in the hot sun
(now sitting in a hot church). 

Haiti was...HUMBLING

Every time a team from church gives a report on their trip with us to Haiti, they mention the prayer meeting under the mango trees. There's a good reason for that. Being at a four-hour prayer meeting (where everyone is also fasting), in the dirt, sitting on the mangled roots of mango trees, thanking God for being alive that day, for having legs to get to the prayer meeting, praising Him for all that He has done, interceding on behalf of friends, family, the country, it all jars with a get-church-over-within-an-hour-so-I-can...go to lunch/watch sports/have a nap...attitude that is sadly prevalent in the American (and other Western cultures) church. Not that there's anything wrong with lunch, sports or naps - all (potentially) godly things! But often, God receives the tiniest amount of our attention. 

Not so at the mango trees at Bethanie. 

These three sisters were part of the original group that started these weekly prayer meetings
that have been going on for more than 30 years. 

I was touched this time when we got on our knees in the dirt, praying these verses together from Psalm 139 (v 23-24). Our collective need for the Lord was tangible.

Search me, God, and know my heart;

    test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

    and lead me in the way everlasting.

So, Haiti was breath-taking...a reunion...and humbling. And...more glimpses to come. 

Thank you for thinking of me and the team, for praying for us and our work, and for everyone back home who helped while we were away. Couldn't do it without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!