When it Rains

We arrived back from meetings and family time in the states at the beginning of May. It had been raining. Since Haiti has been in a drought for 4 years, we knew rain was needed, but we were not excited about what we may find in our house. We found water and mold damage.

Like many people here, we built our house in stages. When we got married 4.5 years ago, we had a kitchen/dining room, bedroom, bathroom, and a very small area we called our living room. When Bityah was born, we added a two story, 2 room section beside the original house. When Oved was born, we added an additional upstairs bedroom and beautiful living area--which is my current favorite room because it stays cooler than the rest of the house. 

Left/lower is the original house, right/front is the first addition, right/back is the second addition.

But, there was a problem. Since the original house was one story and the added on sections were two story, there were two separate roofs that came together in the middle. This is a really big problem when it rains. The two sections were not sealed well, so water would run down the wall in the center of our house. With all the rain that has been coming down these past months, this became an even bigger problem that really needed to be fixed.

We decided that this problem needed to be fixed right away, but--with teams coming into the country--this wasn't ideal. A design was made anyways and a foreman was hired to get the masonry work done, so Al could put a new roof on. The construction was going well--even when Almando was in Jacmel leading a trip--until last Thursday when it rained. 

To get to a certain point in the construction, the workers had to remove the roof of our original one story house (side note: the roof on the newer side of the house stayed on). They left the plywood ceiling. That doesn't hold much water. No one anticipated that much rain to fall, but it did. And it fell inside. I was so grateful to Almando's family. They spent hours trying to get that section of the house dry. Filling bucket after bucket and dumping it outside. Still the rain fell. When they left that night, they knew--and I knew--that they would have to come back in the morning to get all the water out.

It rained a lot that night and the forecast called for rain all weekend. My heart sank as I thought about it. All weekend with rain? With no roof? What were we going to do?

In the last year, I have gotten connected with the expat and missionary community in this area on Facebook. We have a group page to share resources and network. Friday morning, as Al was looking at a pile of 2X4s and tin, I asked him if he would like me to put out a message for help. He said yes. Within minutes of posting on the missionary page and our staff page, I received a response that left me in tears. 

9 people showed up that day--some missionaries, some of their contacts, and some of our staff. Because they knew we needed a roof. A project that would have worn Almando out had he attempted to do it without others became a project that would be completed by a community of friends and family that we have surrounding us. The roof took 2 days to complete. And it continues to rain. But, now, we have a roof.  Yes, there is much work still going on in the house to get everything back to normal, but we have a roof.

I don't have words to thank my family, friends, and co-laborers for the Gospel who prayed and/or came to help with this massive project. God has blessed us with a wonderful and growing community to call upon in times of need down here. He brought them into our lives and we are so grateful! Praising God for a roof that doesn't leak today!

Activity Unleashed

It's official as of last Friday. Our summer teams have started flowing in! A rush of activity has just been unleashed! The days heading into that first trip were filled for Almando. I am amazed at the amount of energy and stamina this man has when it comes to making sure the ministry--and his family--is healthy and ready for the busyness of the summer.

We visited Thomonde in early April and it was determined--by the pastor--that one of the many projects that the church needed completed was they needed new benches for their sanctuary. The ones that they had weren't sufficient for the congregation anymore. A normal church service here is 2-3 hours long. Imagine sitting on benches that creak and crack hen you sit down, standing for the entire service, or carrying your own chair from home to make sure you get a seat. Benches are a huge blessing for the pastor and the congregation.

The team that was partnered with this church raised more than enough funds for the benches, but how much could they get done in a week?

Time for the creative juices to flow freely! While, sometimes, it is good and healthy to give all of the money designated for work projects directly to the pastor to take care of all the pre-work for the team, this pastor desired some extra assistance. Al cared enough about the pastor and the relationship he has with the team to help him make the most of the financial and time investment the team was making.

To make sure the mission team is able to accomplish something in the way of construction--which is something this team wanted to do--we had to brainstorm ideas on how to make the best use of their skills and abilities. We didn't know if there was a skilled carpenter on the team, so we had to prepare for untrained willing workers. For Al, that meant getting the benches to a point where the team could finish with sanding and varnishing while they were here.


He built them here, at our house. 10 beautiful benches. He figured out a good design and ran with it. He worked hard. He worked fast. When he was done with his part, he sent them on a 4 hour journey to the church where they waited for the team to come and do the finishing work.

The team enjoyed working on the benches (among other things) this week and the partnership church congregation has been encouraged by the team's presence and their willingness to work with the kids of the community. This relationship has been strengthened for the glory of God.

Old benches on the top, new benches on the bottom. 

Activity around here has been unleashed. As Al leads mission teams and plans and oversees the different aspects of the ministry that God has entrusted to him, these months will be filled with stories like this one. Just one small part of one team during one week that takes creative planning and preparation. Pray that Al is granted wisdom in decision making, rest in the moments when rest is possible, and continued energy throughout these months.

His Love Reaches Beyond Nowhere--Part 3

Going beyond nowhere with Pastor Woogy and Scott wouldn't have been complete without a hike in God's beautiful creation. If you want to catch up on what we were doing beyond nowhere check out the previous two parts: Part 1--Introduction and First Visit and Part 2--The Vision Trip.

We arrived at the village at 4. After eating the meal that had been prepared for  us, we put on our hiking gear and headed to La Selle, the highest mountain chain in Haiti, raising to an altitude of 8,786 feet. Pastor Benose had told us that it would take us three hours to get to the top--two and a half for someone who is used to climbing it.  It took us three hours to get just about halfway to the peak of the mountain. It was already after dark when we finally made it to a church station where we pitched our tent on the rocky ground and spent the night.

We were drained and worn out from the beginning of the hike. Pastor Benose and many other locals joined

us.  Some of them even carried our bags for us. We had to load up on water because there was no way to find water that our stomachs would be able to handle, which made the hike a lot heavier for us. The fact that we were told it would be only three hours to get to the mountain but it took us three hours to make it half way after dark made us wonder if we would ever reach our goal, which was getting to the top of La Selle.

Many questions were going through our minds as we contemplated whether or not to continue. Not having soft ground to sleep on made us wonder if we got enough rest to continue the hike.  Were we going to have enough water?

We got up in the morning and saw that the peak of the mountain was right in front of us but but how we were going to get to it was little more challenging. We already felt like we were beyond nowhere so getting further past nowhere didn’t seem to be a good idea with limited supplies. Once again, we were surrounded by people like us, who breathe like us, who are married and have kids and strive to live on a daily basis like us and, moreover, many of them were Christ followers and we camped in front of the church where they worship. They build houses like we do but with materials that we could never fathom. All the houses are made of palm tree strips with windows and doors and special architectural designs and decor. 

Many of the locals suggested that we would not try to go any further and many of them, including Pastor Benose had only made it as far as where we were. After consulting with each other, taking into consideration the resources we had with us, we decided to go on as far as we could. So, off we went.

We hiked and hiked and hiked. We got to a point where most of us decided that we would not make it any further but after catching our breath, we decided to continue. On three occasions, we decided we were done, but since we could see the top of the mountain closer and closer, we decided to follow the trail to its end. We finally made it to the top in three hours. 

Scott is a big fan of hiking. He has hiked snowy mountains up to over 6,ooo feet but hiking the tropical La Selle was a whole new experience for him. It cooled down quite a bit as the breeze was getting stronger the higher we were getting but it was still a little warm for the Northerners. The other remarkable thing was that, even though we felt like we were getting beyond nowhere, we were still surrounded by people-and their cattle. What for us seemed to be the wildest life on earth is the daily routine for many. For kids, young people, and adults.

We walked on a trail on the mountain ridge, just about a foot wide and had to use both our hands and feet to go through some sections of the trail and had to avoid looking down to avoid dizziness. The locals who were with us were telling us how they named the cliffs because of how dangerous and steep they were--some as steep as 80% grade. One of the many names I can remember is “so kabrit” and the explanation of the name is the following: A lot of times, farmers have to chase their goats to catch them. In this area, the mountains are so steep that even the goats can not run from the farmers. If they did, they would roll off and die.

As we were hiking, our motto was “Do not get hurt” and that was simply because we would not be able to be rescued. Not even a helicopter could reach us because we were so high and the wind current was super strong. There is a myth that claims that air crafts can not fly over La Selle and as we were on site we could conclude that the main reason why air crafts can not fly over it is because of the strong wind current that they can be exposed to up there.

It was interesting to hear the locals, who were hiking with us, share the superstitions surrounded this

mountain and area. Some of them were saying that, you could never make it to the top of the mountain if you say out loud that you are going. They believe that you would get lost and would not be able to find the trail that leads to the mountain. We proved that wrong. They were also saying that there is a great cave in which secret creatures live. They also said that they hear people’s voice coming from the caves from time to time. We were not able to see the caves but could see the banks of the mountain where many rivers are breaking from the mountain. From up there, we could hear many sounds like the noise of water bubbling from a huge pipe, but not human voices.  Seeing the mountain range behind us is not something that words can describe and seeing a places that no human hands have touched since the earth was created was worth the trip. 

As I was talking with Pastor Momplaisir--the partner pastor there--during our visit and a hike, I found out that he walks three hours every Sunday to lead the church service up on the mountain as opposed to having everyone come down to the main church station to worship. I started asking myself, who else do I know would walk six hours every Sunday, crossing river passes multiple times to lead a church service?

We met many school students hiking home from school and many of them were barefoot and some had rubber flip flops on. I started thinking that shoes were needed, so I asked the pastor if that was a great need in that community and he replied that the kids do have shoes but they only put them on when they arrive to school in order to make them last longer. "Well...that is a smart move," I thought to myself. Sometimes things we think are actually different than they seem.

After celebrating our arrival to the top, we realized that we had a six hour hike down in front of us and that did not sound fun at all. Pastor Momplaisir received an exciting call about his daughter having her baby. He was very excited to be a new grandpa and was cruising down the hills. We told him to go ahead as our knees started getting weaker and weaker. We were getting hungry as we ran out of cliff bars and were very low on water.

When we got halfway down, back to the church station we camped at, we inhaled some coffee, bananas, and bread that the pastor and the church members brought for us. Most of the church members were there and expected us to say something to them before we headed down to the main church. Scott and I shared some words with them and encouraged them to keep faith in the One who created that beauty that surrounded us and thanked them for their hospitality. 

 I remember asking Pastor Woogy after the trip if he sees any value in taking a team to the village and his response to me was a question: "Is there a church that has people there?" But yes, why would we not go since we are called to go to the corners of the earth to spread the good news of the Gospel. We are not the ones who are going to bring the gospel there because His love has already reached them.

His Love Reaches Beyond Nowhere--Part 2

Woogy still expressed the desire to go to the mountain community. I told him that unless he comes with me and sees it for himself, I would not feel comfortable to take a group there. After chatting with his senior pastor, Woogy scheduled to come on a scouting trip along with his friend Scott, on the 29 of September through October 3. (This is where we left off at the end of His Love Reaches Beyond Nowhere--Part 1)

This time, I decided not to take the truck back up the mountain, so we rented a couple of four wheelers and used a motorcycle that is owned by my co-worker, Maico. We drove to Jacmel and picked up a four wheeler and a 125cc bike and started out to the village by 11:30 am. Pastor Benose and I were the ones who knew what to expect as we had been there before, but for the rest of our crew it was a whole new experience.  I could see the astonishment on their faces as we were driving--not on roads but on rocks and through deep river passes.

I was driving a four wheeler this time and I kept asking myself how in the world I drove my truck the whole

way. It must have gotten worse after the rainy season. It took us about three hours to get to the village from our starting point because our vehicles were not as tough as we thought they would be. On several occasions, the engines quit after going through some deep river passes.

We arrived at the church station safely, but later than we expected. The church has been in the community since 1986. The building itself looks like a little shack made out of palm tree strips and a tin roof. It's roughly a 20 by 15 foot building. Pastor Benose's heart is to restructure the building and make it a bigger more sturdy building because termites are attacking the current materials, which causes maintenance issues from time to time. The church has been growing over the years and there is not enough room to seat everybody. They have a conference every year and about six hundred people show up. 

I already told Woogy about the need but seeing it with his own eyes gave him a better grasp on the needs in the area and how his church could encourage Pastor Benose. We only spent about 40 minutes at the church after which we packed up to hike three hours up the mountain to a sister church. We spent the night up there and came back to the main church after our hike the next day. 

The evening we were supposed to head back to Jacmel, we were debating rather we should get back on our vehicles or stay at the church for the night. If we broke down in the dark, in the middle of a river it would not be a good thing. We all agreed to spend the night so we pitched our tent on a cement floor.

The sky started to get really cloudy and we could hear thunder rolling over the mountains. We started being really skeptical about staying overnight because the rain could make the river rise so we couldn't cross to Jacmel in the morning. The locals were not so afraid of the rain because it was coming from the South-typically, the rains that come from the East are the ones that cause flooding. 

Early the next morning, we packed up for the adventure back through the rivers to Jacmel. It was a much more slippery ride out of the village due to the rainy night, but thanks to God we were able to do the river crossings without having to swim. We could tell that the river had risen about 20% but not enough for us to turn back. One of our motorcycles broke down completely a mile from the city and had to be towed the rest of the way, but the most important thing is that we made it back. That brought us peace.

I remember asking Pastor Woogy after the trip if he sees any value in taking a team to the village and his response to me was a question: "Is there a church that has people there?" But yes, why would we not go since we are called to go to the corners of the earth to spread the good news of the Gospel. We are not the ones who are going to bring the gospel there because His love has already reached them. We are planning to go back there in February of 2016--when we don't get much rain--to serve as a reminder to the church that the church of God is not the little shack they worship in every Sunday. It is people from all over the world who believe in the sacrifice of the Holy Lamb of God, who wash their robes in His blood. We hope to do some needed physical work on the church building as we build relationships with the church members.

Going beyond nowhere with Pastor Woogy and Scott wouldn't have been complete without a hike in God's beautiful creation. There is one more post coming! 

His Love Reaches Beyond Nowhere--Part 1

Pastor Woogy is one of the first pastors who led a missions trip to Haiti back in 2010. Even after Woogy moved to a different church, he still committed to continue bringing groups to Haiti. Different than many other pastors who have committed to come back to the same church every year, Pastor Woogy’s heart is to serve in as many different locations as possible and to reach those who have not yet been reached. 

Pastor Woogy

After his second trip to Jacmel in 2014, serving with a church near the city, Woogy expressed the desire to reach out to a different community and it was my responsibility as the Haiti Ministry Coordinator to find him a new location to serve in the summer of 2015. Pastor Benose, one of our contacts, told me about a sister church of his main church in Gressier that is located in a community near Jacmel called Mabiale. I gathered as much information as possible about the church and shared it with Woogy. Both Woogy and I were pumped to explore that new location. Part of my job is to visit any location where we want to bring a group with Praying Pelican Missions in order to provide an overview of the location and the church to the group prior to their trip. That provides peace of mind for me as a local leader and to the pastor who is bringing a group to Haiti. 

So, in April of this year, one month before my wife was due with our second child, I visited the community with the pastor.  I had to decide whether we would bring a group there in July or not. Pastor Woogy and I have built a brotherly relationship over the years, so as I got back from visiting with the pastor, this is what I wrote to him. 

Good morning brother,

 I don't know if you saw my Facebook post about my drive through a river... did you? I went to la Grosseline on Thursday to assess the area and was really surprised at how different it is from what I anticipated.

Do you see a road?

It took me 1:30 driving 23KM or about 15 Miles and the whole time through a rocky river. I crossed the same river 35 times . The pastor was my guide and I had to ask him to point to the road for me from time to time so I could find my way, because I could not see a road in front of me but rocks and a path that looks like a vehicle drove there the year before. I finally got there and I made it because I had the 4x4 option on my truck, otherwise, I would not have made it. The ministry opportunity up there is endless. It was refreshing for me to see and be reminded that the Gospel goes further than our imagination. 

With that being the one and only way to get there, I have some concerns that I honestly want to share with you and have your say. 

On said "road"

-The road is rougher than what any American can ever imagine. I never thought of it being so rough as a local.

-It would not be ideal to travel there after a long day traveling from the States.

-We would need a solid vehicle, not even my truck, to transport 10+ people plus luggage up there.

-We would have to have every single thing we need up there at once (water, food, snacks, medicines etc) because driving that road twice in a week would be hard on a driver and worse on a vehicle.

-If we have a medical emergency that needs immediate assistance, God alone would be the rescue. 

-If a hurricane breaks while we are up there, we would have to find our way across the mountains to get to the city and that would probably be 3-4 hours walk. 

-Pastor's priority is to rebuild the church and I am afraid that $300 will not be able to do much due to the hardship of getting anything up there.

-There would not be a working bathroom for us to us. We would have latrines. 

-We would have to swim in the river like the locals and call that our shower.

-We would have to sleep in tents. Camping style.

I am not telling you to back  out from going to that community but If you feel like this set up doesn't fit you and your crew, I am more than willing to find you a different place that suits you better. 

Thanks Woogy! I look forward to chatting with you soon. Hangout calls work great and they are free :)

I literally could not believe that I drove my truck the whole way. On one of the crossings, I got stuck and I

was scared for my life, had I not had 4 wheel drive, I would have to be towed out. I personally did not feel comfortable taking a group to that place and did not give the pastor any hope that we would come back. But one thing that struck me is the fact that, in spite of the remoteness and the difficulty of getting there, there was a church and a people that is seeking the Lord there. Pastor introduced me to an elderly woman that has been serving the church since 1986. I would feel guilty to just tell pastor Woogy that we can not go there because of the logistics, so I let him to decide. I loved that he did not just back out, but told me that he would talk to his team about it and pray about it before making a final decision. 

One of our major concerns was flooding. The only way to get to the community was the river and during

hurricane season, when that river is raging, it is more than anyone can imagine. It gets as wide as 150 meters between the two mountains and people from one side of the mountain can spend over a month without being able to go to the other side. It brings to the ocean whatever it finds on its path. July is one of those months when we can get unexpected heavy rainfalls, so I would not take any chance unless it was 100% Woogy’s will to take a team there. 

In order to be prepared, I sent a plan B to Woogy to take the trip to a different location, still across that same river but a lot closer to the city of Jacmel and with the possibility of getting across the river by a brand new bridge that was being built around that same time. After considering the options in prayer, Woogy decided to go with the plan B. The team came in July and it was a great trip where many were blessed. 

Woogy still expressed the desire to go the community beyond nowhere. I told him that unless he comes with me and see if for himself, I would not feel comfortable to take a group there. After chatting with his senior pastor, Woogy planned to come on a scouting trip along with his friend Scott at the end of September.

Part 2 will be posted next week, but here is a little taste of what is to come:

I remember asking Pastor Woogy if he sees any value in taking a trip to the village and his response to me was a question: "Is there a church that has people there?" I asked him just to make sure that is comfortable making that trip back, not just himself and a Scott, but with a group of 15-20 people. But yes, why would we not go since we are called to go to the corners of the earth to spread the Good News of the Gospel. 

In the meantime, check out what Woogy's teams have done while serving the Lord here in Haiti with us in previous years.

College Crew Serving in 2015
Construction Crew in 2014
Students Serving in 2013
Sports Ministry Focus in 2012
Calvary's First Jacmel Trip in 2011