And introducing our 2nd summer intern

I won't describe Hannah Hewling as a new family member, as I described Alexandria yesterday, because Hannah's been a part of Haiti Awake since the first Bridge team came in the summer of 2016.  Last summer Hannah stayed in Haiti with us for two weeks, and this year she's coming back to intern for the 2nd half of our busy summer.

Hannah is a third grade teacher in Garner, NC, who graduated from UNCW in 2017.

While living in Wilmington, Hannah was a member of The Bridge Church, where she met Becky.  On her first trip to Haiti, Hannah instantly fell in love with the people and culture of Haiti. 

Hannah can not wait to continue to build on relationships she has made as well as, use her teaching background to encourage the children. In July,  She will be teaching English at the children’s home and assisting with the three teams during her trip.

How thankful we are at Haiti Awake for the many people God has brought to work alongside of our staff through the years.  People like Hannah bring fresh ideas and new energy to our efforts.

Looking forward to a great summer!

Introducing a new member of the Haiti Awake Family

We are planning for a busy summer at Haiti Awake with 6 teams - back to back to back to back to back to back . . .   Our staff will work for 6.5 weeks without a day off!  We are feeling excited - and challenged.

One of the only ways we'll survive this busy season is with additional sets of hands - one of those sets belonging to Alexandria Augi .

Alexandria Augi, daughter of Rich and Jen Augi, felt God was calling her to the mission field on her first mission trip to Arizona in 2010. She absolutely fell in love with sharing God and His love with the children there.

This March Alexandria traveled to Hait for the first time.  It was immediately evident that she felt at home with our children and our staff - and they were equally comfortable with her.  Just a few days into her trip in March, we began talking about the idea of Alexandria coming to Haiti to intern for the first half of our busy summer.

We're so thankful her mom and dad are allowing her to be part of our family this summer!

In her free time, Alexandria enjoys karate (and teaching it!), reading, and baking. While she is majoring in mathematics at UNC Wilmington, missions holds a special place in her heart and she is ready to follow God’s plan wherever it may lead her.

And this summer, He has led her to the summer internship at Haiti Awake.  For this we are abundantly thankful!

96 hours in Haiti

Exchange in the Atlanta airport last night.

Immigration agent:  "Where are you returning from?"

Me:  "Port au Prince, Haiti."

Agent:  "Why were you there?"

Me:  "To celebrate a 3 year old's birthday."

Agent:  "Excuse me?"

Me:  "To celebrate a child's birthday.  He's 3 years old now."

Agent:  "You went to Haiti to celebrate a child's birthday?'

Me:  "Yes.  That's right."

Agent:  "That's an unusual reason to visit Haiti.  But a good one.  Have a nice evening."

Caleb's last day as a two-year-old.

Yes, it was an unusual reason, but such a good one!  Going to Haiti this week was all about celebrating the goodness of God in the life of Caleb Steven Derard, my favorite 3-year-old.  Caleb's birthday is something I hope to be able to celebrate with him each year because his life is a miracle.

In case you've never read his birth story, you can find it here:

The short time in Hait this week was very productive, however, beyond just sharing a meal and cake with Caleb on Wednesday. 

To answer the question, "How was your week in Haiti?" I decided to share the schedule that we at Haiti Awake followed day-by-day.  I know sometimes people wonder what we do when there's not a team.  Well, this should give you some idea . . . at least of what we did April 16 - 20.

As I always say, no matter how long I am in Haiti, it's never enough time.  This short trip was definitely no exception.  Friday afternoon found us rushing to get to the airport and squeezing every last minute out of my time there.

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Monday

• Arrive on Delta 685

• 3:30 p.m.   Meet with the children

• Spend evening unpacking

• 8 p.m. Meeting with Polo re: economic development and more

• 9:30 p.m. Meeting with Steeve

Tuesday

• Work out details of sewing project

• Look at new places to take summer teams

• Afternoon with the children

• 9:30 Meeting with Steeve

Wednesday

• Shop for the children's home

• Go to the market to get supplies for Caleb's party

• Visit other missionaries

• 11 am. Caleb’s birthday

• Gifts for friends in neighborhood

• Visit children

• 9:30 meeting with Steeve

Thursday

• 8:30 Go to immigration to finish application for my permis

• Noon Meeting at hospital with medical staff

• Pack bracelets and other Mission Made Jewelry items.   Pay everyone for a job well done.

• 3 pm April birthday party for children and staff

• Meeting with the wash ladies

• After dinner, rooftop meeting to close out the week

Friday

• 8:00 Meet with ladies again

• 9:30  Meet with Steeve and Polo re: children's home

• 11:00  Staff meeting

• Noon  Finish last minute packing, eat lunch, grab a shower and dress for airport

• 1 p.m.   Say goodbye to kids

• 1:15 Leave for airport

• Leave on Delta Flight 684  3:30. p.m.

The summer is coming up quickly.   We plan to host 6 separate teams in June and July.  Much of the next two months will be in preparation for hosting our friends and sharing more of what we believe God has called us to in Haiti - Community Development, Economic Development and Church Ministry Development based in Relationships, Gospel, and Hope.

Until next time . . . 

2017 in Review

It's been another year.  We have another opportunity to look back and see God's providence, His faithful hand, His leading...and to see that once again, we never walked alone.

The first four months of the year were marked by change as the children came under our care. We also began to discuss the idea of expanding Haiti Awake outside of Port au Prince, hosted teams in the new upstairs guesthouse, launched our child sponsorship program, and added stateside coordinators - Hannah Telman, Liz Kyle, and Alicia Mercer.

Glwa pou Bondye.

The middle four months were characterized by teams - five of them to be exact . . . in addition to the four we had already hosted in the first four months of 2017.  Fun times.  Busy times.  Times of growth.  Many of this summer's team members became sponsors to our children, and for that we are grateful.  

Relationships. 

Gospel. 

Hope.

The latter part of 2017 brought great joy, as well as some hard times.  The children returned to school for their 3rd year of schooling since Haiti Awake began providing for their tuition, and we rejoiced. Haiti Awake was also able to open the copy center and begin its first chicken project during this same period. We are thankful that God continues to expand our resonsibilities. We also were forced to think about the brevity of life when Wesly and Idelmy were involved in a serious accident.   And we finished out the year with a wonderful Christmas celebration provided by friends and sponsors.

We look forward with great anticipation to where God will providentially lead in 2018.  We anticipate growth through new business opportunities as well as outreach and expansion of responsibility outside of Port au Prince.  But we recognize and affirm the truth found in Proverbs 16:9:

“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.”

Tout glwa pou Bondye. Toutan.

Happy birthday, Wesly!

Although we praise God for you every year on your birthday, Wesly, today we are praising Him in a special way for giving you an another year of life.  Your accident this summer reminded us just how precious life is . . . and how quickly it can be taken away.

You are an important part of Haiti Awake.  We are thankful for the opportunity to continue to walk out this journey as friends together.  May the Lord continue to keep you and sustain you.   

Enjoy these pictures of a few of the moments we've shared together.

You are loved.

An Emotional Week.

Last Friday night, Steeve and I talked by telephone.  He was still in Doko with Fre Jacques and Maken, but they were finished working there and had plans to travel back to Port the next morning.   We were rejoicing, praising God for everything that had transpired in Doko during the week.

Roughly an hour later Steeve sent me a text: "I just heard that Wesly and Idelmy had an accident.  They are at the hospital."

That text led to a restless night followed by several busy days filled with texts, phone calls, and requests on our part for favors from people in Port-au-Prince as we tried to ascertain the severity of Wesly and Idelmy's injuries.   Getting medical information about loved ones in Haiti is not always an easy thing. 

Idelmy had surgery on his foot on Sunday and was discharged on Monday.  Wesly had surgery twice (hand and foot), and he is still hospitalized.

I arrived in Haiti Wednesday afternoon and was able to see them both.

Seeing Wesly at the hospital is not an easy thing, but Steeve and I have been able to see him each day since I arrived.  

Visiting hours are twice a day (noon to 1:30 - but they seem to cut the line off about 1) and (5-6:30 - but again, the line isn't open that long). Each patient can only receive one visitor at a time, so for the last 3 days Steeve and I have arrived about 30 minutes before the scheduled visiting time in order to wait for the gate to open where we can pass through, wash our hands, give our ID, and then be given permission to spend a little time with Wesly while trading time with other people who care about him like his mother, his brother, and other friends.

Idelmy is recovering at home.  He can't do much yet because of his foot, so he has been the happy (and exclusive) user of a Kindle tablet to help him pass the time.

The privacy of both Idelmy and Wesly is important to us, and we ask you to please respect that.  We also ask that you pray with us that God will allow them to fully recover.  We are specifically praying that Wesly will be able to come home before I return to the States on September 7.

Thank you for loving the people we love and caring about them.

True Change-Makers

One summer  Five amazingly diverse teams.  And now that it's all said and done, I believe the following words more than ever:

“Local people are at the heart of what God is doing in any particular place.

Our role is to come alongside them, and strengthen their hand. As outsiders we are called to amplify their voices, lighten their load, equip and support them. For they are the true change-makers.

Not us.”

— Craig Greenfield

Thankful for what God has done.  Thankful for what we know He will do.  Looking toward the future with great hope and anticipation.

Glwa pou Bondye.

Welcome, Frè Jacques & Sè Cilotte

Since mid-January, we have been earnestly praying that God would direct us to a more permanent caregiver situation for the children.  With the sudden departure of their former caregivers, the staff of Haiti Awake banded together and "made it work,"  but we all knew that eventually we would need a more stable environment for them.

Shortly after Hurricane Matthew, God allowed Jean Fritz Jacques to begin working with us.  His spiritual maturity, his gentle spirit, his quick smile were things that quickly endeared him to me personally.

And over the last 9 months, I have watched him become more and more a part of our family here at Haiti Awake.

In June, we were intensely praying that God would provide a good woman to mother the children, and one night in mid-June, God made it abundantly clear that Frè Jacques' wife, Sè Cilotte, was that woman.

Steeve and I had several meetings with the Sè Cilotte and Frè Jacques in June and July, and after much prayer and discussion on all sides, they have agreed to join the staff of Haiti Awake and move into the children's home to assume the role of house parents.

We could not be any happier for the children and for them.

The rest of the Haiti Awake staff will continue to be part of the children's lives each week through intentional interactions.  For example, Wesly will continue to sleep at the children's home to provide security, and Polo will continue to administer many of the children's programs.  Maken is so good with the children in loving them, being a friend, and organizing games, while Big and Donalson are great homework tutors. 

“I am happy to be a part of this team, Haiti Awake. I’m a teacher, and I am learning to sew. I have been married for 4 years, and I am a Christian. I used to teach to teach a Sunday school class, and I have been to training for Sunday school. I am a member of Patriarche Eglise Baptiste de Cazeau.”

— Sè Cilotte

“I am happy to be a part of this team, Haiti Awake. I am a carpenter and cabinet maker. I learned this profession in school. I have been married for four years, and I am a Christian. I went to seminary, and I am preacher. I am a member of Patriarche Eglise Baptiste de Cazeau.”

— Frè Jacques

Meet our summer intern

We are looking forward to a busy summer at Haiti Awake . . . including teams scheduled every day from May 31 to July 1 and a team later in July.

We are thankful that Linda Estep has agreed to come to Haiti for the month of June!

Linda and Davensky

Linda is a music teacher in Wilmington, NC,  and has been involved in church ministry from a young age. During college, she experienced her first short-term missions trip to Ukraine that burdened her to see the world and help others.   Since moving to Wilmington, she has been to Haiti three times and has come to love the people that God has placed in her life through Haiti Awake. 

This summer as part of her internship with Haiti Awake, she will be assisting with team Bible Clubs, the Children's Home, and every day operations of the household. She looks forward to building stronger relationships with old friends and meeting many new friends while she is in Haiti. 

Welcome our new Medical Coordinator

We at Haiti Awake are happy to announce that our stateside team is growing again!  Liz Kyle, a pharmacist here in Wilmington, NC, has agreed to join our team as our US Volunteer Medical Coordinator.

Liz in Haiti, March 2017

Two of Liz’s main passions are learning and teaching.  She received her pharmacy degree from her home state of Michigan in 2010 and shortly after moved to North Carolina to work in a physician’s office providing medical care for high-risk patients while collaboratively training health care professionals.

God put international ministry on Liz’s heart years ago, showing how He can reveal His power and love through intercultural collaboration. She enjoys learning about other cultures through international travel, including her first mission trip to the Dominican Republic in 2014.

In March of 2017, Liz was able to travel with a team to serve alongside Haiti Awake staff in Port-au-Prince.  During that week, she was inspired by the work that was being done to bring development to the country through practical, Christ-centered interventions. 

After returning to the US, Liz remained in contact with the Haiti Awake team to help coordinate care for the children of Haiti Awake.  Liz is excited to be moving into a more formalized role as the Volunteer Medical Coordinator! 

In this role she will coordinate care for Haiti Awake children as well as medical training for the staff and associates, thus enabling better community medical care throughout Haiti.

We are thankful to have her on our team!

Creating Fellowship in Haiti

The following was written by our friend, Kaitlyn Hopfer, who is pouring her heart into helping the people of Haiti and Haiti Awake.  

I run a local non-profit called Mission Made Jewelry which is focused on creating jobs in developing countries through the sale of handcrafted items. Early last year, our founder suggested that I join him on a trip to be able to truly experience what it looked like to live in one of the counties we worked with, Haiti.

In June 2016, I boarded my flight to Port Au Prince, Haiti full of nerves, questions, and concerns. I wrote in my journal during the flight into Haiti:

“I honestly don’t have any idea why I am going on this trip, but, Lord, I trust that this is a part of Your plan.”

Little did I know that from that day forward God would awaken in me a passion towards Haiti that is indescribable.

Upon our arrival, my team members commented on the smell of the burning trash, the animals scattered throughout the road, the state of living conditions throughout the area, but I noticed something else – the people.

All around people were huddled together, hugging and high fiving, helping each with heavy baskets or broken down cars, standing united in a way I had never seen before. As we were driving down the road we came to a sudden halt, the person in front of us had saw someone they knew and literally stopped the car in the middle of the road to talk to them. I quickly realized, Haitians take relationships seriously. They live out the command to love their neighbor in a way I have never experienced before.

I thought I was going to Haiti to "give back to those in need,” but I quickly learned that this experience was about something much bigger; it was about building relationships. I realized that I needed to open my heart to loving them, not fixing them.

In the book Helping without Hurting, Steve Corbett  states:

“Your presence and the chance for a relationship together is the most pressing need.”

I knew that if I wanted to make a difference in Haiti I needed to build meaningful and long-lasting relationships.

My friends in Haiti have taught me to love selflessly until it hurts. They practice fellowship in the way Jesus represented it, spending fellowship with his disciples, pouring into them and helping them grow. Jesus could have had 10,000 disciples, but he didn’t.  He chose a select group of individuals to pour into, to love, and to share life with.

Haiti Awake gives us the opportunity to do just that, to walk alongside our friends in Haiti in fellowship.

In June I will be heading back to Haiti for my 3rd trip in less than 1 year.  I continue to invest my heart into Haiti Awake because these are my friends. They are no longer nameless faces in a far-off country.  Instead, they are the people I pray for daily and share fellowship with.  

They are the people who I want to experience life with.

Each time I see them I know that God is helping us grow together for His kingdom. I believe that Haiti is the next crowning jewel of this world, that Jesus Christ will be known through the nation, and that Haiti Awake will play a huge role in making that happen.  

It's Day One of the Rest of Your Life

From our first meeting on July 17, 2013 . . .

To the way God providentially led in 2014 . . . 

To the big changes in 2015 and 2016 . . .

Until today . . .
God has been faithful and true in the lives of the precious children we have come to love with the deepest parts of our hearts.  It is with gratefulness to Him that make this announcement.

Sunday evening, the "director" of Home for Orphans exited the property for the last time with his family.  He will not be returning.  We have prayed for this day for nearly a year, and in His perfect timing, God made it so.   The children are now solely under the care of Haiti Awake, and we will no longer refer to their home as an "orphanage."   Instead, it is the Children's Home.

We are in the process of establishing a routine for the children and furnishing their home adequately . . . things we were unable to do with our limited influence in the past.  Please pray for the children to feel safe, loved, and valued during this transition.  Pray for us at Haiti Awake to have much wisdom and discernment as we take on this new, enormous responsibility.
 

First morning in our care . . . 

Rise and shine.  It's time to brush your teeth.

Yesterday in honor of MLK Day, we asked the children "What is your dream?"  With God's help, it is our desire to help them achieve their dreams, their goals.  Won't you be part of what God is doing in their lives?
 

“This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”

— Psalm 118:23

2016 in Review

What an amazing year God once again gave us at Haiti Awake.  Here are a few of the highlights.

In January, God sent Hattie Pridgen to work with us.  What an amazing lady she is.  She worked harder than any of the rest of us each day . . .and was still looking for more that could be done.  How we enjoyed having her in Haiti!

February brought sadness as one of our staff members lost his godfather through tragic circumstances.  But we all came together to support and encourage him during his time of grief.

March and April allowed us the opportunity to host two separate spring break teams - one for Amplified Youth with Pastor Rusty Smith and one with a group from Wilmington Christian Academy.

June brought teams to Haiti Awake, as well as a new baby to Steeve and Manoucheka's home - Lorie.  One of the teams was from Mission Made Jewelry.  We are thankful for our partnership with Mission Made Jewelry.

In late July, The Bridge Church sent its first team to partner with Haiti Awake.  What a blessing!  We're looking forward to more teams from The Bridge in 2017.

Steeve began his second year at STEP, and Becky was able to spend a long weekend in Haiti in September, specifically focused on the children and their future.

October was difficult, but we saw God use Hurricane Matthew to expand our ministry . . .and open doors for 2017.

We had the privilege of hosting another team from Mission Made Jewelry in early November, and Rick and Becky also were able to go down in late November to visit the work in Les Cayes.

And, the highlight of December has been Steeve and Polo's US visit.  So thankful for the opportunities God is giving them.

We look forward to 2017 with great anticipation as we praise God for all that He has done in 2016.  Glwa pou Bondye.

Grace Upon Grace

 The following is Hudson's report of the most recent work in Les Cayes.

We were back in Les Cayes, especially in "Gelee". This time God has made a path direction to Jack Charlie's house and his family.

Jack Charlie (far right) and a few members of his family.

We feel so much enthusiasm by how God uses our heart, our hands to make it work. Even everyday is a blessing day.

This family feels further blessed, and we got to feel the same way as them because God has touched our hearts and make us do the right thing.

They are so thankful, so happy, and they want to keep us in their prayers... We feel the same way too.

All our acknowledgment to God, Haiti Awake, and you all that've made this work possible.

Do not forget that God loves us.

Editor's Note:  We will continue the work in Les Cayes as long as funds are available.  Please consider Haiti Awake in your year-end giving.

“Keep your doubt away and hold onto faith, my friend. Because every day His grace doesn’t stop to fall on us, to fortify our lives, and make us feel we were made to love and be loved by Him (GOD). Believe, and be sincere in your acts. A heart that gives must always be happy and so for the heart that receives. ”

— Louis Hudson

This is the Gospel

The following is the weekly report from Steeve Derard, Ground Director for Haiti Awake.

The effects of Hurricane Mathew on the south of Haiti (Les Cayes and Jeremie) will not be repaired in a very short period of time. It will take a long time - maybe years - for those people to get back to a normal life.

But God has not forsaken his children.

Thank you for all who have contributed to help in rebuilding several houses and a church in Les Cayes which had been destroyed by the hurricane.

Pastor Delpeche is one of the pastors in Les Cayes who called me to thank Haiti Awake for helping them, and he was telling me how people in the community were so happy .

Describing Haiti Awake's work in Les Cayes: 

“This is the Gospel.”

— Pastor Joseph Jeneve Delpeche, Mission Eglise Baptiste Sud d'Haiti

Lespwa Fè Viv (Hope Makes Life) - Part 5

This week's final installment from Hudson re: the work in Les Cayes.

Jack Charlie who is a very strong man, spiritually and physically, who helped us every day from the morning to the night and didn't expected to receive anything from us.  His family -  Yvena Cadet and their 5 children -  are also in need.

But through all their pains they don't stop to believe, to preach and hope that God always has a plan for their life.

We could have more samples stories from that community, the people that are living in that community have the same issues.  We noticed a lot of repetition seeing what they have been through.

But they are not desperate because they know someone who is awesome, powerful, amazing - a God that will never stop taking care of them.

They're are so thankful, and they ask us to pray for them, like they will always hold us in their prayers, too.

Thanks to God, to Haiti Awake, Fre Jack, and everyone who has made that trip possible by helping with prayers, love, and finances.  We are thankful that God always give us His hands for the broken-hearted, the ones that are far beyond our reach.

“But they are not desperate because they know someone who is awesome, powerful, amazing - a God that will never stop taking care of them.”

— Louis Hudson, describing the people he met in Les Cayes

A new staff member

We at Haiti Awake are extremely happy to announce the addition of a new staff member, Manoucheka Derard Pierre.  Manoucheka has been helping Haiti Awake since day one because she's Steeve's wife, but now she officially has her own position as the Health Care Manager for Haiti Awake.  

Manoucheka will be responsible for overseeing both the staff and children's healthcare, as well as coordinating healthcare outreach in the future.

Congratulations, Manoucheka!

It's a New Week

“It was so hard (seeing the devastation in Les Cayes last week). Most of the people are homeless. They don’t know when they will have a new house. They lost everything. It is so hard for them when it is raining. They can’t even stand under a tree . . . because there is no tree.”

— Polo

The men will leave early tomorrow morning to travel from Port-au-Prince to Jeremie, and by Tuesday evening they hope to be in Les Cayes again.  Current plans include food distribution and repair work on the church where they will continue working with Pastor Joseph Jeneve Delpeche, Mission Eglise Baptiste Sud d'Haiti.  

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Specific prayer points for the week:

1.     Pray for the safety of our men as they travel.  People are getting desperate out on the peninsula, and desperate people do desperate things.     

Psalm 4:8:  'In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety."

2.     Pray for God-ordained, Gospel opportunities that point people to the true hope of Jesus Christ.    

2 Corinthians 4:18:  "As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

3.     Pray for the men to be able to find the supplies that they need at a reasonable price.      

Psalm 90:17: "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yea, establish the work of our hands!" 

4.     Pray for the vehicle they are driving to run smoothly and clear the roads ahead of them as they go.       

Psalm 40:2  "He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure."

5.     Pray for Americans to continue to have a heart of generosity toward the Haitian people and not be overcome with compassion fatigue.        

James 2:15-16:  "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?"

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I'll end with some photos from last week. Daily updates might be hard this week because Jeremie is more remote than Les Cayes, but we will update Facebook and Instagram as we can.  

Please continue to pray for Haiti.  The road ahead will be a long, difficult one.