[Insert Inspiring/Cool/Interesting Title Here]

The Haiti trip this year for me was honestly so unbelievable and I miss it more than anything. One thing that really stuck out to me was that the power of hope is greater than anything. Ironically, the organization that we went with is called “Mission of Hope” which I think is a very fitting name. But anyways, Google tells me that hope means: “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen, a feeling of trust” and that is exactly how I would describe the Haitians because all they can cling onto is hope; and specifically—hope in God that He will provide. It’s absolutely heartbreaking seeing how they live and knowing that they have goals and dreams that they want to accomplish, just like us, except that they don’t have the same opportunities or resources to fulfill those goals and dreams. But like I said before, these Haitians have hope like none other and because of that hope they continue to persevere and it’s so inspirational to see that and witness how strong these people are. I truly believe that Haiti will only get better throughout the years and that it will one day become a strong nation. Their strength, happiness, and giant smiles will forever be in my mind and I can’t wait until I can come back because I am DEFINITELY not done with Haiti.

- Monica

Back in Canada

So we are back in Canada, and I was right, the transition from Haiti to Canada is a lot harder than the transition from Canada to Haiti. I learned a lot from the Haitian people and I am really glad that I got the opportunity to go. I plan to go back as soon as I can, that country has a special place in my heart. Thank you again to those who participated with prayers, and donations and all the support you have given me and the team as we prepared, planned, and went. The trip changed my teams life, and I hope that what we all learned individually stays with us forever or until we get the chance to go back. Many thanks to Cheryl and Teagan Vandermark for organizing the trip and to Bert Prinzen for being a chaperone. You guys did a great job, thanks for making this possible. :)

Kaylee Harkness 

What I learned from Haiti

I learned that not everything is great down there compered to what we have here and it is hard to get money or even a job . its hard to live there . i think its sad how the way they have to live like their is alot of garbage on the ground and i wanted to come back and clean it up but you cant because there is no garbage thing to get rid of it all and there is no place to put it soi felt sad about that . the weather there is unbelievably hot like i dont know how they can live in the heat but i guess if you've lived there for a long time you get used to it then as here its not that hot lol,seems like they are doing fine in it especially the kids . the kids are so happy and they just love seeing you there and they just want to hug you and they want you to pick them up and ypu kinda have to because they are the cutiest kids ever and i love being with them . I had a really awesome time there and hope to go again some time .

                                                                                                                                   Austin

I Love and Miss Haiti

It’s been six days since we left Haiti and I miss it so much. The experience there has changed my heart and inspired me so much. I can’t stop thinking about Haiti. I’m always wondering how the people and families I met there are doing. In Haiti they have a very difficult way of life, but at the end of the week I got to come home and they had to stay there. It’s hard for me to accept that while I’m on my laptop in Florida, they’re still struggling to make enough money for their family. It breaks my heart that they can’t have the things that most people in Canada do, because we don’t deserve it any more than they do.

 

Even though the people there have very little, they are so happy and so excited about worshiping God. This really shows me that money and things honestly can’t buy happiness, and even though I already knew that, seeing this proves that to me.

 

Something that was amazing to see was how open the people were about their faith and how happy Jesus madethem. That was extremely inspiring and encouraging to see. Seeing this makes me want to be more open about my faith and it also helped me realize that Jesus is my Savior and I have every reason to be happy about it like they are.

 

Haiti has given me a new perspective on life and has shown me things that I wouldn’t otherwise understand. I am so thankful for people’s support and prayers for my team and I, and look forward to more mission trips in the future :)

 

Elise Kamstra

Missing Haiti

Last week at this time we about to leave Haiti, I definitely did not want to leave. Going to Haiti was such an amazing experience. I learned so much while I was there and I can’t stop thinking about it. While we were there we saw how happy the people were. Sometimes we think that they would be sad because they don’t have as much as we do, but it turns out that they are the happiest people I have ever met. They share their love for Jesus in any way they can.

A big part of the trip that stuck out to me was when we met our village champion’s grandmother. She was such a sweet lady and was so excited when we came to visit her. She knew right away that we were coming to pray with her. Before we had the chance, she told use that she wanted to pray for us first. This was the first time someone prayed for us, rather than us praying for them. She also sang us a song, and when she was done she kept repeating that it doesn't matter what skin colour we are or whether we are American, Canadian or Haitian, we all love the same God. This is something that I will never forget.

Another part that stuck out to me was the kids, they were so loving even though they had no idea who we were. They ran up to you with the biggest smile on their face and would just want to play with you, or be held by you. When we were filling up water buckets for the trees we were planting, I was carrying a bucket down the road and a little boy that I had never met before ran up to me and grabbed the other side of the handle and helped me bring the bucket to the team. This reminded me that at home we don’t always go out of our way to say hello, or help strangers, but in Haiti, whenever you pass someone they say hello and they want to help you in any way possible.

Going to Haiti was so much fun, our team was amazing and we all got along great. From the moment we got home I have been thinking about going back. If everything goes as planned, I will be going back to Haiti next year!  Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support that we have received over the past couple weeks!

-Brittany

Why am I not in Haiti?

It's crazy to think that we've been back from Haiti for almost a week. Every time I look at the pictures or think back on the experience, the memories are so clear and it feels like yesterday. I miss Haiti so much! It's been hard to get back into the regular routine of school and normal life in Canada. Everything is so different in Canada compared to Haiti. One of the things I miss the most is the love for Jesus that the Haitians demonstrate so clearly in their lives. Often we'd be talking to someone and they'd be telling us about their life and their story, and they would randomly say, "I love Jesus so much," or "God has really blessed me". It was so inspiring to see how outspoken they were about their faith, and how their love for the Lord shines through in everything they do. We met so many beautiful people in Haiti that I will never forget.

It was so amazing to witness our whole team growing in their faith, and becoming closer and more willing to share with each other. I couldn't imagine a better team than the one we had for this trip. We supported each other and bonded really well over the week. It's strange not spending all day, every day with them.

I know that I will never be the same after my week in Haiti. I learned so much that I could never have learned if I had stayed in Canada. Experiencing a culture so different from my own reminded me that I have been blessed with so much and I should never take that for granted. I was also inspired to be more open about my faith and to live it out in my everyday life. I'm so happy that I decided to go on this trip, and so thankful to everyone who supported and prayed for me and my team along the way. Haiti will always have a special place in my heart. I can't wait to go back (hopefully next year!) and see that beautiful country again.

-Lydia

Missing it Already!

So it's been 4 days since we've got back from our trip and I already miss Haiti like crazy! I miss the warmth, spending all day with our team, the people we met there, and most of all, the kids!   This trip could not have been better! We had such a great team and we all bonded and got along great throughout the week.  Even though we're all back at school and back to our different friend groups, we smile at each other in the hallways and talk more, and it's just great that all got to share this experience together.  I learned so much about the country and the people and even myself during the trip. It was incredible to see the Haitian's absolute love for Jesus, and watching and listening to them really helped me to grow in my own faith.  They held nothing back when they worshiped God and it made me want to be able to do that. I've already been talking with some of the Gr.11ers that went on the trip this year about going back next year and working together to lead the team. I can't imagine never going back to Haiti.  I learned so much during the week but there's still so much more that I want to see and experience.  A huge thank you to all of you who read our blog and who supported and prayed for us, and hopefully next year at this time I'll be blogging about Haiti again!

Nicole  

Forever Changed

               This March Break has been phenomenal one that is for sure. I experienced things that I have never experienced in my life and it was life changing. Haiti is a country that is almost the complete opposite of Canada.  The culture, especially, is completely different. In their culture everyone says “hello” and “goodbye” to each other, whereas in our culture you usually don’t converse with strangers. It was very refreshing to experience that kind of culture. It is difficult trying to adjust back to the culture in Canada. Something that I really found was prominent in their culture was just how happy they were, and how much their faith came out in their everyday lives. Everyone that you met, walked by, or talked to smiled and gave you a greeting. It was hard coming back to Canada and not receiving that from people. Christianity in Haitian culture is also very easy to see. Most people that I talked to brought up Jesus in their conversation, which inspired me to do that more within my life.

Haiti is also a very beautiful country, both in its landscape and its people. Watching the sunset over the ocean every night and watching the sun rise over the mountains every morning was one of the most beautiful things I have seen. I mean I took probably about 100 pictures of just the sunrise and sunsets, I think that say something.      

This trip was definitely an experience that I will never forget. I was somewhat nervous before I went, but once I got there I just knew that I was meant to be there.  I could feel that God used me through my talents and abilities in Haiti to help the people there. Our theme of “Changing Hearts, Changing Lives” I thought was achieved well. I could see how we changed the lives and hearts of those we talked to, painted a house for, planted a tree for etc. After we had done something for them their face changed….they felt blessed. The lives and hearts of our team were also affected through this trip. It was amazing to see how everyone grew throughout the trip. I think the most changed during the trip had to be our team. I know that we came to affect the lives of people there but the most affected was our own. I know the way I live is never going to be the same. Once you physically see what things are like in a country like Haiti, your view of life changes. I can say with much confidence that I now appreciate everything I have far more now, than I did before the trip.  I am far more grateful for everything that I have been blessed with in this life, and plan to share it with those who don’t.

I have been forever changed by this trip and I know that the mission field does not end here. It continues throughout my entire life in my own community. I just want to thank everyone who prayed for our team and provided support. Please continue to pray that we are forever changed by our experiences and will continue to change the hearts and lives of people here in Canada every day.

-Grace Visser

Last Full Day in Haiti

Coming back to Haiti is always an interesting experience. Since this is the last time I will be leading a highschool team for a while I wanted to make the most out of my experience. This trip has been amazing, every person on this trip has been incredible to get to know, and every experience we have had has been great. I think that this week everyone on the team has grown spiritually and now have a much better understanding of the world. We have experienced some very cool moments and I don't think that anyone on this trip will return home the same, including me. From just praying with the Haitian people to painting a house for someone in need, we have really experienced what it means to be a servant this week. But at the same time I believe that we have all had our eyes opened and been helped in some way by the Haitian people. When we do reflections so many people comment on how happy the Haitian people are despite having literally nothing, and that it makes them realize that there is something wrong with the way we live our lives in Canada. It makes me really happy to see everyone on this team having their eyes opened, and to see them all fall in love with the country of Haiti. I love Haiti so much and the main reason I have lead 3 trips here is because I love to see it when people start to love it here just as much as I do. Well that's all I have to say for now, time to go watch a movie with the orphanage kids. We leave Mission of Hope tomorrow around 11:30 am so please keep us in your prayers as we travel back to Canada

Teagan

Austin’s Grateful Moments

Haiti where to begin well Haiti is awesome because it is so beautiful and the people are super nice like I mean super nice and there so happy and grateful with what they have even tho it isn’t much but the kids are always happy and smiling at u and its so cute when u interact with them. Its strange to see dirt and dust and a few trees, but when u go to a resort it is like a beautiful garden that just keeps growing and growing and stays nice. The beach and water is nice and warm and refreshing from the hot sun. So anyways I love Haiti and it was awesome to be here. Hope to come back soon.

Love Austin 

Comments are welcome

Feel free to comment on any of the blog posts if you would like to give encouragement to any of the team members!

Shout out to Colette

HI COLETTE.

I forgot to do this before, but just a shout out to my home gurl, Colette, for making me a beautiful card. Your artistic abilities never cease to amazing me. HOPE THE SNOW IS TREATING YOU WELL. SEE YOU SOON. 

- your fave asian. 

#TooTanned

Hey guys, It’s Jon! I have had such an amazing trip! It has been such an amazing experience! I have never felt God so much in my life! I can really feel him working in me through this country. I have fallen absolutely love with this country I will definitely be back soon! The kids here are amazing I have never felt so loved before! The weather is awesome, although anything beats the snow right? Anyways I’m excited to be back home but I will miss this country so much! I miss you all back home! And I am very excited to see you all soon. 

Love,

Jon 

Day 6

Okay so this is Kaylee now, aha and I have alot to say about Haiti. First of all, I LOVE IT HERE! God is really talking to me, like I seriously have my own little chatterbox right now. The weather has been absolutely fantastic, warm, and there has been some windy moments, which is completely wonderful. The teamwork Is incredible, and we have all come so far in faith, and gotten to know each other so much more over the week. I really love it here, and I did not realize that it was Thursday already, and for all who know me, know that I love to keep track of the time and date, but being here, I have lost all that desire to know those things. All that mattered to me this week was being love to others, and allowing God’s love to shine through me. Seeing the Haitian people love God and worship the way they do, inspired me, and I just feel so changed. I made some really good friends with a couple of the Haitians and I already miss them, as you may know today is the last day to do mission work in the villages, so it was a good bye day, and there were tears on my behalf. I know without a doubt that I am coming back here, I have never felt God being so loud and clear in my life. Haiti is where I belong. This week was a hard week, with painting, village ministry, and today planting trees, I loved every minute of it. The kids are so adorable, so trusting, and they just latch on to you, and the teenagers are AMAZING! Their faith, is beyond what I expected. I feel like I am at Camp Shalom again, but its so much better. They are so open, and so friendly, and so willing to help, I was brought to tears. There was many times where I was walking, and I slipped on the path, and immediately there was a hand steadying my arm, you just feel so secure here, so safe, even though you are so far away from home and so out of the comfort zone, you feel relaxed. I have never been so relaxed and felt so healthy in my entire life. God knew what he was doing when he sent me here, and I thank God every second I am here, I love God with all my heart, and I know that doing mission trips is where I belong. I think College is going to have to wait. The Haitians just fill my heart, they are so friendly, so incredible, so amazing, and I just feel overjoyed being with them, and to think that I have so much in Canada, and they have so little here, and they are the ones making me feel happier. It just makes a girl think ya know? I thank everyone who helped me go on this trip, and for the people out there praying for me and my team, and for you, who is reading this blog, thank you, thank you, thank you! I thought the hardest part would be the transition from Canada to Haiti, but its going to be from Haiti to Canada.  Tomorrow is Beach day, we are heading out to a resort tomorrow, so the sun is going to be shining in a more helpful way. :p I know I have been rambling and I most likely have the longest blog post this week, but I hope you can tell I really love it here. I have a card game with friends waiting for me, so I should get going, but I miss you all, and see you soon. 

-Kaylee  :) 

Ps. The Haitians are so funny, absolutely hilarious. I have never laughed so much in my entire life, and that says alot all on its own. 

It's warm, be jealous #NoSnowHere

This week has gone by so fast! I’m so glad I’ve been blessed with this opportunity to come to Haiti. Haiti has been a life changing experience. Everyone here is super nice and all are very open in showing there faith. Church services here are full of energy and everyone puts their all into worshiping God. People sing their hearts out and raise their hands, some even dance. 

We’ve done village ministry twice this week and both times it was a very amazing experience, we prayed with people, for their various sicknesses and for their families, we also played soccer and hung out with the kids in the village Titanyen. All of them are so happy and full of energy.

So far we have done one work project, we painted some houses in Titanyen, it was great. We could show the love of Jesus through our actions. Some of the kids joined in painting, one of the ladies even picked up a brush and told us what she wanted painted and what colour it was supposed to be. They were all extremely thankful for our work. Its amazing what a coat of paint can do to brighten a small room. 

Miss all of you!

~Ashley 

Haitians Rock At Soccer

Today was village ministry day, which was a nice change from yesterdays work day. We went to our village of the week, Titanyen , and went house to house to talk to individuals and families. Later on we would pray for anything that they needed or asked for. A few highlights from that was we visited one of our translator’s Grandmother. She was 93 years old and lived all by herself. She made pillows for a living, and she was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She was so happy, and she sang for us and had the sweetest personality. When she greeted us we each received a kiss on each cheek, she was a blessing that is for sure.
The second half of the day we went back to the village and organized a soccer game. If you don’t know this already, Haitians are AMAZING at soccer! You don’t even know. I attempted at getting the ball away but their footwork cannot be competed with. We played Haitians against White people (if you will) and we lost 11-5. I think by that score you can imagine how good these kids are. It was a lot of fun though, seeing them so happy and having so much fun. We also sang some songs with the kids and just played with them, it was great :)

Tonight we had worship on the roof which was a wonderful experience because we literally just sang songs the whole time and praised God. It was a great day, I know already when I go home I am going to miss all the children’s smiling faces. They just simply come up to you and grab your hand. Even though you don’t speak the same language or understand them they love you all the same. One women, who we visited, brought up a great point. She said that the Americans, Canadians and Haitians are all one in Jesus Christ. We are all connected through him. 

Well I think we are all going to turn in early tonight we have a big work project cut out for us tomorrow. We have to plant trees, and guess what. We only have 3 men on our team…...wish us luck!

Love and miss you all!

-Grace

#STILLPALE

Today was a great day full of hard work. We went to Titanyen to paint a few houses for some families living in the village. When we were done painting the house looked bright and the families loved it. On our way back for lunch the translators started singing with us, their favourite song is 10 000 reasons. We sang it over and over again, each time singing louder. The people in Haiti love to sing and dance. I love seeing how excited they get when they worship, even if they are standing there holding a paint brush, they are singing about God, and worshiping him with all of their heart. After lunch we brought some of the milk mats to Lenault, Teagan’s sister’s biological father. He got one for each of his kids. He was so excited to get them and to see Teagan and Mrs. Van der Mark again. We went back into Titanyen to paint some more houses, some of the kids wanted to try so they painted with us. The woman that lived there was so excited to see her house being painted, she even helped us out. Our team worked really well together and everyone worked really hard. Nobody sat around, so we got a lot accomplished. After dinner we had another church service, it was a lot of worship. They usually sing songs that we know and its exciting to hear both languages coming together to praise God. So far I am loving the weather in Haiti. Although it’s pretty hot, I would rather be here then in the cold. We have two more days left and then a beach day. The people in Haiti have taught me so much already, and I'm excited to learn more. I don’t want this trip to end, but it has been an amazing experience so far and I’m excited to see what else God has in store for us.

Brittany

#HAITIROCKS

Today was our first work day.  We packed up supplies and headed to a village nearby called Titanyen to paint houses for villagers there that wanted a new paint job.  In the morning, I painted the inside of a house with Britt, Monica, Lydia, Elise, Austin, two girls from Texas, and one of the translators (I can’t remember his name but he looks like Usher so that’s what we call him).  I’ve never really had much experience painting before and we were just kind of handed a paint brush and told to start, but our room was a pretty blue and it actually turned out pretty good which was a relief.  We finished painting the inside and out of two houses side by side and went back to do 2 more after lunch. It was HOT.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy to be in positive degree weather, but it’s definately taking a little while to get used to the heat here.  It was completely worth the hard work though.  Some of the kids helped us paint and when we finished and saw how much brighter the houses looked and the reaction of the owners when they saw the painted walls, it was a great feeling. We rode a bus back to MOH when we were done and the our translators sang with us all the way back to the campus.  That’s the thing that I’m noticing around here: Haitian people LOVE to sing.  Back home it’s sometimes kind of embarrassing for teens or young adults to sing, but nope, everyone does it over here.  It’s inspiring to watch them sing their hearts out about their faith with no shame and it’s just shows how grateful they are for what they have, even most of the time it’s nest to nothing.  We went to a worship service at church in the evening and it was completely different from my church back home.  There was people singing and dancing in all the aisles and during the last song about half the church went to the front and had a huge dance party and did a conga line around the church (Dad - hope you’re taking notes for next Sunday).  All in all, it was an amazing day and I’m loving Haiti more and more.  I’m already dreading leaving, but we still have 4 more days so, oh well, I’ll deal with that when the time comes.

Love and miss everyone,

Nicole

Titanyen

Today was the first day we went to a village called Titanyen, and we will be going back there all week. It was an amazing experience to be there today. We walked around the village and stopped at a few peoples homes to ask then some questions about their lives and to pray with them. Walking around the village was such an eye opener for me because I got to see their homes, the way they live and the people themselves. Seeing things like this on TV or in pictures is so different because you see it but you don’t fully grasp the situation. This was very different because everything was right there in front of me and it was so real. Hearing the peoples stories was amazing, but also heartbreaking. They experience so much loss and so much difficulty, but it’s so common where they are that it just becomes a way of life. However, they are still so strong in their faith and they love Jesus so much. We also visited a church there, it was very small but something about it was very comforting. While we were there, the paster came and talked to us. He told us how the church was built, what it was like during an after the earthquake and a bit about his life too. He was very kind and he had A LOT to say. One thing that really stood out to me was when he said “whenever you need something, pray, pray, pray and then wait for Gods timing”. I thought that was really relevant because so often we expect God to give us whatever we ask for right away and forget that he will always provide us with what we need, even if He doesn’t give it to us right when we ask for it. After lunch we went to an orphanage and we played and sang with the kids. That was really fun and I met so really great and happy kids there. It was really cool when the Haitians sang worship songs in Creole and when we recognized a song we would sing along in English. There’s so much more to say about today but I don’t want to make this too long. God is very visibly working hear and I’m so grateful I’m hear to see what He’s doing.

Elise

We Love Haiti

So today was our first “official” day of work and it was such a great experience. Our team was on village ministry, which basically means that we travel to the village that we’ll be in for the whole week and spend time with the people there; talking to them, praying for them, and building relationships. Our team’s focus village is Titanyen, which in Creole means “little nothing”. For the morning, we walked around with our translators and visited some people in their homes. One lady invited us into her home and we prayed over her, and another put us to work carrying water buckets from the well. It’s so special how kids in the village will run up to you and grab your hand and start babbling to you in Creole. I love the kids here. We also visited a tiny school that a woman runs out of her own home. The kids were so excited to see us and sing songs for us. When we were leaving, one of the littlest kids kept saying, “Come every day, come every day!” That was a sweet moment.

In the afternoon, we visited Madame Jackson’s, an orphanage in Titanyen. We had such an amazing time singing songs and playing games with the kids. Our translators got them so pumped up and they were jumping around everywhere with huge smiles on their faces. One of my favourite moments of the day was when we sang “Mighty to Save” in English while the Haitians sang it in Creole. I love how music can bring people together, even when they don’t understand a word of what the other is saying. Afterwards, we took along some village boys and those with athletic talent played soccer with them while people like me watched. 

One of the biggest challenges on the trip is the language barrier. It’s a blessing to be praying for people and spending time with the kids, but it’s difficult when you want to have a conversation or ask more questions. 

Anyways, Haiti is wonderful. I’m in love with it already and I don’t want to leave. The weather is perfect (hope you’re all enjoying Canadian winter) and the food is great. 

Hi to my family, I miss you guys! See you on the 16^th.

-Lydia Vermeer

P.S. Shoutout to my girl Rebecca Powell on her birthday today! :) Miss you.

Haiti > Everything.

*This post was written on Sunday

HAITI HAITI HAITI. What is there to say about it other than that it is AMAZING HERE. I came here two years ago and I couldn’t be any happier to be back. Today was all about hearing about Mission of Hope, how it all began, what they’re doing, and what their vision is. We did a lot of tours and what not, but I won’t describe it all to you since Shae-Lynn already did, so if you want to know more--read her blog! But anyways, something that stuck out to me today was one of the leaders was telling us about Mission of Hope’s mission statement which is … “As an organizing following Jesus Christ, we seek to bring life transformation to every man, woman, and child in Haiti.” She made sure to make an emphasis on the “in HAITI” part and how it’s not “for every Haitian” because their statement is for everyone who steps foot into Haiti--including us. Let’s be honest, the work that we do here isn’t going to change Haiti instantly, but it’s this cycle that Mission of Hope has that allows us to assist in what they want to accomplish and throughout our stay OUR lives will be transformed. Tomorrow we start our village visits and the village we will be going to all week is Titanyen, I honestly can’t wait to see what God has in store for me and my team--but I know it’s going to be GREAT. 

Ps. The weather is beautiful and I’m planning on coming back super tan. SEE YOU ALL ON THE 16^TH!  

-Monica 

Meeting the Haitian Children

*This post was written on Sunday and due to lack of internet could not be posted until today

So today was our first full day in Haiti!!! So because it was our first day, we were given a tour of Missions of Hope with our interns.  We visited the warehouse, orphanage, school, and the clinic/hospital.  Of course it is a Sunday, so everything was closed but it was nice to see everything while there was no one there, and see where everything was.  Tomorrow will be the day where it gets busy!!! We then visited the Church of Hope for a church service.  It was definitely interesting to see the way the Haitian people worship.  They all get so excited about worshipping God, and it was very inspiring.  They sang many songs, most of them in Creole, so it was a little difficult to sing along, but watching the Haitians sing for me, still made it special.  The sermon was also in Creole (with a few English and French words/sentences), but we all knew pretty much when to say Amen, or get excited and clap.  Overall, it was a good experience seeing how excited and empowered these people are, when they pretty much have nothing.  After church, we went on tour to the other campuses of Mission of Hope (which we did not know about).  The first village was Bercy, where they had another school, as well as some guest housing.  The second was Leveque, where there is the 500 homes village.  We then visited with some of the children who were playing in on the playground there.  Its amazing how welcoming and attached these kids get.  I had one girl immediately come up to me when we were off the bus and lifted her arms up, signaling she wanted to be lifted.  I lifted her up and she snuggled in to me and almost fell asleep.  It was pretty adorable.  They all understand some English, at least “photo”, which is a huge thing.  They love cameras and taking pictures and seeing themselves on a screen.  It was pretty sad though, to see these kids.  Most of them were running around without shoes, and they were lucky if they had pants or a skirt on.  Its pretty eye opening when these kids have next to nothing, yet they all have smiles on their faces.  All together, it was a pretty eventful day!!!         

Shae-Lynn

ONE MORE DAY!

I cannot believe that we're leaving for Haiti tomorrow morning!  I remember this time last year when I was at school watching all the trips leave for March break and wishing so badly that I was going with them, and here we are!  The time has flown by, and I'm so unbelievably excited for this trip I know I'm probably going to get no sleep tonight.  I know that God is going to use us to do some amazing things this week and I'm so excited for all of the new experiences we're going to have.  This is my first mission trip, so I don't really know what to expect besides the stories that people have told,  so I can't wait to see and experience everything for myself.  We have a great team and I've gotten to know everyone better through meetings and the team-building day so I can't wait to travel with everyone.  It's going to be an amazing trip! 

-Nicole DeRaaf

1 MORE SLEEP

In 1 day, 5 hours, 38 minutes and 40 seconds the team, and myself, will begin our journey to Haiti. I don’t think the word “excited” can even come close to defining what I feel right now. When I signed up for the trip it seemed like it was so far away, but now here I am a day away from leaving. I have never gone on a mission trip before, so this is an extremely new experience for me which makes it a little nerve-racking. I've always wanted to go on a mission trip because I have heard what a great experience it is. I am extremely thankful and blessed to have the chance to go on this trip this year. The name that we have for our team is “Changing lives. Changing hearts”.  That may sound as if we are there to change their lives, which we are, but I think that my life, as well as the lives of other people on the team, will be the ones that are the most changed. Since I've made Profession of Faith I've really been looking for something that I can do to carry out my faith as well as make it stronger. This mission trip will give me that opportunity to spread God’s love throughout the world, even if that just means smiling at someone. For God calls us to “Do everything in love”. (1 Corinthians 16:14)

-Grace

TWO MORE DAYS

We're leaving for Haiti this Friday! It seems like not so long ago that we were counting down the weeks, and now it's less than 48 hours until we go. I'm so thankful that I had this opportunity to go on a trip with such amazing people. I'm getting REALLY excited and nervous and as I start to pack, it's finally feeling real. I'm looking forward to experiencing everything in Haiti and meeting some great people. I can't wait to see the plans God has for our team on this trip! 

-Lydia Vermeer

4 more days

So about 4 more days until Haiti!!! Getting more excited and nervous everyday.  I did some packing on the weekend and between that and the packing party that happened on Saturday, it is starting to feel more and more real.  I am looking forward to experiencing just how different Haiti is from Canada and I can't wait to meet all the Haitian people, especially the orphans!!!  I am a little nervous about the flying (never been in a plane before) and the fact that it is something new and completely different, but I know God is calling me to go there and I trust Him that it will be a good experience for me!!!  I'm also excited about getting to know everyone on our team better!!!

Shae-Lynn

5 more days until we leave!

5 more days until we leave! I am beyond excited to go to Haiti, but at the same time I’m kind of nervous because it’s going to be so different from here and I don’t know what to expect. Today I started packing and getting everything together which makes the fact that I’m actually going so much more real and exciting. I’m looking forward to experiencing the culture in Haiti and meeting the people there. I’m especially looking forward to seeing how God will use me, and what He will show me and teach me there. We have a team of great people and I’m excited to get to know them better in Haiti also.

 

Elise

A few days

In a few days we will be off to Haiti, and I couldn't be more excited!

All I can think about is Haiti. What were going to do there, who we are going to meet, what do I need to pack.

I have never done anything like this before and I am very excited to see what God has planned for us, and how he is going to shape us, and change our lives through this experience. We have a great team, and I am excited to get to know them throughout the trip!

-Brittany Scharringa