Work ethic and new faces.

Hello again to all my awesome readers!

Today me and Larry picked up more supplies for the Haitians working on the school. I have a lot of respect for those hardworking men! They get paid roughly 8$ US, a day for work.. Which is extremely good since the average income for a Haitian is 1$ US, a day.. And only 80 percent of Haiti is officially unemployed.

When we went to drop off another 300 blocks to the work site I unloaded the blocks from the truck and handed them off where each block gets passed from person to person and carried up some steps and stacked by the building. Now my hands are cut up, blistered, and callousing, and my back is as tight as a rock, but every one of the working Haitians has hands as hard as leather and back muscles that put Americans to shame! Some of the men work in shoes that are falling apart to the point that their feet are touching more ground then rubber. They wear the same clothes every day and hardly have much water to drink, yet they work a full day without a complaint(at least that I am aware of). Their work ethic is truly amazing to me.

This afternoon Me, Larry, and Jean went to the airport and picked up a new group of missionaries from New Point Community Church in Ohio. I have talked to a few of them, and they seem like a good group of people! All of them are very flexible and willing to serve in any way. I am looking forward to see all that God will accomplish through them.

I must thank you all AGAIN for the support and prayers. I don't think I could have asked for a better group of people praying for me. I have felt extremely loved and encouraged by you guys!

Finally, I would like to make clear that everything I talk speak of on here is fully to Gods glory. I am never seeking any kind of recognition for anything I do here. It is through GOD that there was even a way for me to be here. He moved mountains to send an insignificant 19 year old to Haiti, who will accomplish part of HIS mission here. Please praise HIM, not me for everything good that happens here.

I love you guys!


-Elijah-

A changing heart

Hey guys!

So the first half of today Me and Larry spent running errands around the City. First we picked up a load of bricks and brought them to the school for the hardworking group of Haitians to continue work on the school. After that, I am pretty sure God was just teaching Me and Larry a lesson in patience! Today was the second day this week that we have gone from hardware store, to hardware store looking to buy an air compressor.. Each place recommended another place which recommended another. I think air compressors may be as hard to find as white people in Haiti! ;)

After another failed attempt at that, we began work on the building across from our house. It is an International Child Care building, which handles sponsorships of the children in this country. We are going to be putting up horizontal support beams on either side of a wall which was damaged by the earthquake.

I have found myself extremely spiritually disturbed today.. I was not sure why I felt so uneasy in my spirit, so I spent a lot of time in prayer today, and read a lot of the word tonight.. I feel like God is moving in me a lot.

Changing me. A lot.

I have been reflecting on the person I was before this trip... I feel like so much of my focus before recently has been on fighting my "human" or "sinful" side. But now I feel like God is trying to change my focus to be more then that. Instead of simply trying not to do wrong, I feel like I should be striving ahead towards Christ and not accepting anything less then holiness. REAL holiness. I don't want to just be known as a good or kind person anymore. I want to be known as someone who contagiously overflows the love of Christ! I want to be someone, who doesn't need to explain where he stands, because all his actions scream exactly where he stands! I don't want to see and think about only the physical world anymore. I want to see beyond, into what truly matters, loving the souls and spirit of BOTH those who stand by me, AND those who oppose me.

I can feel my beautiful Savior taking me to the next step in our relationship..
I am humbled and amazed that the Creator of the universe would even give me the time of day to speak to my heart!

Here are some verses which have spoken to me lately.. I hope they impact you as well!


"Do not love the world, or ANYTHING in the world, if anyone loves the world, the love of our Father is not in him." 1John 2:15

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need and has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" 1John 3:17

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess, for He who promised is FAITHFUL. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." Hebrews 10:23-24

"Avoid godless chatter, cause those who indulge in it become more and more ungodly. Their teachings will spread like gangrene." 2Timothy 2:16-17

"Above all else, love each other DEEPLY, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1Peter 4:7

"Finally brothers, whatever is TRUE, whatever is NOBLE, whatever is RIGHT, whatever is PURE, whatever is LOVELY, whatever is ADMIRABLE- if anything is EXCELLENT or PRAISEWORTHY- think about such things." Philippians 4:8


Once again thank you all for all your guys continued prayers! I am so excited for all the things God has yet to do while I am here in this country.

Lots of love!


-Elijah-

Beautiful Haiti.

Hello again everyone!

So today Me and Larry met up with Pastor Rick and his wife Cookie. They are missionaries that are permanently living in Haiti. All four of us went to Puits Blaine, the fastest growing Free Methodist church in Haiti this morning for service. Because Pastor Rick was preaching, we all sat next to the choir in front of possibly 900 Haitians... It was a little awkward at first! But eventually it seemed like everyone was staring at us less and it became more comfortable.. Pastor Rick spoke on forgiveness, and was translated by one of their church members.



Here is the church right after the service, from where we stood.



After church all four of us took a little road trip up the mountain by Port Au Prince to an extremely nice hotel/restaurant called The Lodge. It was so incredibly relaxing! The food was excellent and everyone there was very sophisticated and well spoken. Most of the food there was imported from outside the country.. Which is amazing since the Lodge is a very difficult place to get to from the city. Certainly it was a whole different side of Haiti. I almost felt guilty for having such a high quality meal, knowing people are starving just across the countryside from me.. But nonetheless, I gave thanks to God who for whatever reason has blessed me greatly!


Here is the front of the Lodge.


One of the things me and cookie talked about today was the tremendous contrast in Haiti.. There is the depressing destruction, and poverty side to Haiti, which I spoke of in my last post... And then another whole side of Haiti which is extremely rich, prosperous, and beautiful. There is not very many people in Haiti which are considered "middle class".

Here are some shots I took today while we drove up the mountain...



Almost ALL of the mountain sides are farmed somehow.. Even on insanely steep angles.



These pictures definitely don't do any justice to how amazing the view really WAS. But they at least give you all a taste!





I will continue to pray for you all! And I would like to thank all you guys that have stepped up to my last posts challenge.

Much love!


-Elijah-

A taste of reality.

I was extremely saddened this morning, when it was time for the group of missionaries from Ransenville New York to head home. I have come to be good friends with almost all of them. They were a huge blessing to everyone here, and I miss them already. But I know at least for now their purpose here is served. I hope to stay in contact, and see them again!

This afternoon me Larry, and one of FOHOs Haitian leaders Jean, all took a truckload of garbage to the dump here in Port Au Prince... I think today might have been one of the most heartbreaking days I have had. Larry told me to prepare myself for what I was gonna see, and he also told me to bring my camera so I can share it will all of you guys...




The dump seemed to stretch as far as you could see.. The whole place wreaked of the stench of every kind of filth. I can't even describe the putridity of this place, yet nonetheless, many, many people survive off what is dumped here.




When any truck arrives, people run from every direction to search the waste for anything they can eat or drink.




Here they are lined up and waiting for a truck to unload.




Here is a house right in the middle of the dump, possibly one of the most terrible places on earth.







Keep in mind, as you stare at these pictures, that these are REAL people like you and me. This isn't a movie, or some horrible fantasy. These people really are human with thoughts, feelings, emotions, dreams, family, and friends, that are living in YOUR world. These people are literally forced to eat, sleep, and pee right alongside pigs..

This is real.

As you read this right now you have two options. You can turn away from your computer and continue living and forget all about this.. But I want to challenge all of my readers right now.

Fast for ONE DAY this week. The next day before you eat anything, pray and thank your Heavenly Father for your clean and sanitary food. Give thanks that He blessed you, and that it was not you that he chose to be born into such oppressive poverty. And as you eat, pray for those across the world that are digging through the garbage for their meal at that very moment.

I would also like to challenge all of my readers to go ONE MONTH without throwing away one spec of food... This mean be CAREFUL how much food you take. As followers of Christ we cannot let gluttony to be apart of our lives!

Believe me! This experience has certainly changed my view of this topic permanently.

Today, don't pray for me. Pray for the men, women, and children in those photos.

I love you guys!


-Elijah-

Voodoo and culture.

Hey everyone!!

So I have realized that there is a lot about the everyday life and culture here and that I have yet to talk about. There is so much I could talk about, but no matter how many pictures I show and no matter how much detail I describe, I feel like no one will understand fully what it is like to be here. However I will do my best to explain things as best as I can.

There are some times that walking around Haiti, and driving through the slums of the city feels so surreal.. Having grown up in a state with a struggling economy, and a state where there are many crime infested cities, I thought I understood a little bit of the darker sides of life.. Indeed, being here has shown me that even the worst cities back in the states are so much more (at least materially)prosperous then here!
However there is a lot about Haiti that is so much more comfortable then in the US. For example, the people here are in general extremely friendly to a stranger, whereas at home people often completely ignore strangers in public places, and are much more apt to be rude to you if they don't know you.. Granted there are people here and there with a negative perspective on Blancs(white people), but for the most part people here are very respectful and kind.

Me and Dinecia had a conversation last night about her family, Haiti, and the deeply ingrained practice of voudo(voodoo) in the Haitian culture. She told me that as a child her mother used to force her to see a voudo priest often, and she said a lot of her family still practices it, such as her father who she said is often taken over by spirits when he attends the voudo meetings.. We talked for a long time about spiritual warfare, and our own thoughts and experiences. She explained that in Haiti voudo is something that is never advertised, and is often kept under wraps, but almost everyone at some point gets involved with it. She told me how many "christians" in Haiti often to go church, and then secretly also practice voudo. It is so sad to think of the hidden darkness looming over this country that is beyond what is seen by my eyes.

Though these are a thoroughly broken people, I wont give up on them! I know God can transform even the darkest places on earth. There is no corner of this world that cannot be reached and touched my our MIGHTY omnipresent God!

At this point I have taken probably around 200 pictures of the city around me and of some of the amazing people I have had the blessing to know. Here are a few more..



This is a taptap! They are basically Haitian taxis, and they are EVERYWHERE! A lot of times they have either American rappers, or bible verses painted on them. hehe!



These street markets line the roads. Everything you buy, you have to barter for.. I am still working on my bartering abilities. ;)



Here is the tent, where kids meet for school until we finish the school building and where we take breaks during the day. Also we met here for church on Sunday.



One of 1500 tent cities here in Port Au Prince.



Here is yours truly welding the day away!



Here is Me, The missionaries, and the group of Haitians that we have been working with. Behind us is the school which is well on its way to completion.


Also, if any of you are interested, here is the missionaries blog, if you are interested in their perspective of what is happening.. http://rfmcteamhaiti.blogspot.com/

Please continue to hold me and everyone here in your prayers!

Love you guys!


-Elijah-

Red bandanas and selfishness.

Hey everyone!

So I just finished an amazing, two and half hour game of chess with Jamie, and my brain is about fried, but I feel like there is a lot I want to talk about. Please bear with me and hopefully my thoughts will make some sense! I apologize in advance if I say something odd.. hehe! It's getting late!

First of all I would like to thank those of you that leave me such encouraging comments. It has definitely given me the motivation to continue to blog as often as I can! =)

On another note, I found out an extremely interesting fact about Haitian culture that could have gotten me in trouble had I not known about it!... I was speaking to a Haitian today (whose name I will undoubtedly butcher) who could speak English very well. We spoke of my home in Michigan, and the weather, as well as my love for snowboarding. He then pointed out my red bandana which I wear everyday while I work, in order to keep the sweat out of my eyes. He then explained to me that there is a Rap group in Haiti. And those who support that group wear red bandanas, while those who support a different Rap group wear black bandanas... He then laughed, as he continued to tell me that many gangs wear red or black bandanas. And to my complete ignorance, he explained that if you are in certain areas of Port Au Prince where there is an opposing gang to the red bandanas, that you could get beaten up.... Needless to say I think I may retire my faithful red sweatband.

I have spent a lot of time thinking lately about my future, and what I am doing here, and if this is what I want my life to be about. I have thought about how I feel extremely satisfied at the end of the day, knowing I have to some degree made a difference to something that actually mattered! I reflect on how I did not spend my day for myself. I did not waste my time seeking what would benefit me more, or what would make me more comfortable.. Then I think about how often my thoughts before arriving here were generally inward focused. Even when I DID do a favor for someone it was only because it would make them more happy towards ME! I did not see a favor for someone worth doing if it would never be noticed.. Oh how self centered my nature IS!... I can't say that I know for a fact that I will spend my whole life as a missionary in foreign countries. BUT! I do know that wherever I go, and whatever My Incredible Lord has me doing, I want to be a missionary in my heart and in my actions 24-7. I know that the ONLY way I will ever lead a satisfying life, is by living it for others.. The funny thing is that I have known that fact probably my whole life, but until you fully and completely give yourself over to an outward focused life, can you see why your life is so often unrewarding, mundane, and frustrating!.. I hope that concept made as much sense in writing as it did in my head. ;)

Lets change gears now... Literally! Larry took me out today to a road in town which doesn't get much traffic, and attempted to teach me how who drive his stick shift. It's harder then I thought it would be! But hopefully by the time I have to drive anywhere, ill have the hang of it.. As if worrying about the crazy traffic here wasn't enough!

Well, sleep is now fighting for my attention, so before I finish I want to thank you all once again for your continuous prayers! I believe God will take what we are doing here and use it in mighty ways to reach out to his children here in Haiti.

I hope God is as real and present in you guys as he is for me!

Lots of love.


-Elijah-

New friends.

Hello again everybody!

I apologize to my avid readers for not posting a blog last night. Between the many conversations with people that keep me busy, and the storms that have been knocking out the internet every now and then, it is hard to find time! But nevertheless I will try!

The last few days we have continued our work on the school. It is a very interesting dynamic during our days of work, because FOHO has hired 8-10 Haitians to help work on the school alongside us. However we are all learning to work around the language barrier.

To make it easier, God worked his magic to send Dinesia, along with the missionaries. She was born and raised in Haiti until she was 14, when she moved to the States. Shes 28 now, and amazingly has very little accent at all. It is amazing how God worked it out for her to come, and blessed us all with a translator who speaks both English and Haitian Creole fluently. She has taught everyone a lot about the Haitian culture, which would have been hard to understand otherwise. She also translated for Pastor Bill who was asked to preach to the Haitian church on Sunday. It was the first time I had ever been apart of a church service, that was in two different languages. It is quite the experience!

In one way or another I have formed friendships with everyone in our group. It is cool to see how we have all drawn together, and treat each other like family, despite all of our GREATLY differing personalities.

Craig, a missionary I have been working with a lot on the school, is truly a mans man. He hardly ever is found taking a break no matter how hot it is out. His sense of humor is so good for keeping the mood light. Me, Him, and Dinesia have all worked well together the last two days. We have mostly been cutting, and welding the windows together. Both me and Craig have a lot of burns to show from it!

Jaimie is probably one of the nicest guys I have ever met. He has very much a missionaries heart. He is always playing with the kids in the "school" tent next to where we work. He also found out I like chess, so we have been playing together every night recently. We have had a ball!

Carol, who is the leader of their group, has almost taken the mother figure among us. She is constantly asking everybody if they have drank enough water. Shes a very sweet person, but also very opinionated! =)

Paul is an extremely graceful man. He is also extremely soft spoken, to the point of being hard to understand in noisy places. He has told me MANY stories in just the few conversations we have had.

Ed, who is a very hard worker, used to be in the Army. He also is very much a mans man! He leaves the impression of being very harsh and blunt at times, but as I have gotten to know him I have seen him be extremely caring for everyone around him.

Dot is a woman who often keeps to herself, and doesn't very often sit around and talk with the whole group. She has a very timid personality and seems very unsure of herself at times. But for whatever reason, I seem to have connected with her fairly well. She has an incredibly gentle heart.

I would like to go on and speak of everyone here, but my exhaustion has caught up with me! I am sure I will talk about the rest of the group in the future. I am certainly thankful for everyone here. They have all played important parts in what is happening!

Thank you again to all you guys who are praying and supporting me! I have gotten a lot of peace knowing so many people are behind me.

P.S. Carol has been fighting off sickness all week, so pray for her especially!

I love you guys!


-Elijah-