Haiti, Chris Rowekamp | Blog 2.

Being in a different country, surrounded by people who speak a different language and come from a completely different cultural and ethnic context, has a way of reminding you that this life really isn’t about you; that God’s Kingdom is much bigger than you had implicitly believed.

Although I had been to Haiti once before this trip, I had no idea what to expect this time around. About two weeks before my departure, I had a “freak-out” moment where I realized, “Wait. I’m leaving for Haiti in two weeks…and I’m not ready. At all.” I hadn’t sent out a fundraising letter; I hadn’t thought or prayed for a specific vision for the trip; I felt completely unprepared. I came very close to cancelling my flight, taking the $150 fee, and trying this trip again later with my transferred plane ticket. I even told my student ministry pastor and our church life director that I needed to cancel the trip…but then decided to give that final decision a few days.

It’s funny how a day off can do amazing things.

I went home for Thanksgiving 48 hours after my moment of panic, and after a day of rest, over-eating, and general good times, I was in my car on the way back to Williamsburg. As I was sitting at the stoplight at the entrance of my parents’ neighborhood, I weighed the pros and cons, and it was pathetic. At the core, I didn’t want to go because I didn’t have a plan for the trip. I couldn’t see the specific purpose I would accomplish, the way in which this would concretely move me forward in my walk with Christ. And then it struck me: the last thing the Haitian church needs is a presumptuous foreigner thinking he can solve all of their problems. God is moving in and through the Haitian church; He doesn’t need me here to do that. 

So why am I here? I’m here to serve Jesus’ church. I’m here to learn. To grow. And to see how God grows His Kingdom in a unique context. 

Really, it’s no different than the perspective I ought to have about my role in Williamsburg. The church doesn’t exist for my consumption; the church, of which I am part, is God’s means for bringing His Kingdom to this Earth. 

And this brings me to one of the foremost purposes of short term missions, in my opinion: to remind the church, as individuals and as a corporate body, that we do not exist as an end in and of ourselves. God is building a Kingdom. And we, as His church, get to be His partners in that work. What a privilege.

-Chris

Haiti, Chris Rowekamp | Blog 1.

You know, the cold showers are quite pleasant when it’s in the low 90s during the day. I actually look forward to the cold plunge after a long day in the heat, especially because I’m never sure if we’ll even have running water…the electricity can be unpredictable.

Whew. Now that I’m done with the obligatory “hardships of serving in a developing country” story, I have to say, I’m having the time of my life. The weather is actually quite nice; it is winter after all, and I get to be in the shade most of the time. And the water isn’t really that cold…more cool than anything. Not unpleasant at all.

I came here in March of last year with an amazing team of mostly college students loaded down with supplies for Wings of Refuge, a Children’s Home run by Eglise Communion de le Manne Evangelique in Petion-Ville, Haiti. We served Pastor and Mommy Pas as best we could, and tried to be helpful, but by far the most rewarding part of our trip was the time we spent with the kids at Wings of Refuge. When I say that it was hard to say goodbye to them, it’s a terrible understatement, and it only got worse when I saw their pictures every time I walked into Christian Life Center, my home church in Williamsburg, Virginia. 

Coming back was something of an emotional anticlimax. I’m not really sure if the kids recognized me, at least not at first. That’s the anticlimax; the rest is emotion. When I stepped into the Home, I was still wearing my suit from my flight, and I was so tired I was afraid I would fall over any minute…but when I saw those kids, I’m pretty sure my heart stopped for a second. Or more likely sped up, I’m not really sure. All I know is that it’s good to be back. I’m trying not to think about the next inevitable goodbye in just over a week.

I miss everyone back home, but even more, I miss the team I came with last time. I have so many amazing memories of that time with them that keep flooding back into my mind every time I step into Pastor’s home…frustrating games, impossible riddles, seagull sandwiches and oh so much more. I remember sitting in the very room I am writing this post in right now, and listening to Nick Lopez and Caleb Elgut take turns driving me crazy with riddles they were finding online. Such good times.

Well, that’s all for now; I’ll send more updates soon. I have much more I could write about, but nobody wants to read long blog posts, so I’ll stop here.

Thank you all for your interest, prayers, and for making this trip practically possible through your generous financial support. I can’t thank you enough.

God bless,

Chris

Haiti, June 26-July 3, 2012 | Blog 3.

David wrote, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters” (Psalm 24:1-2).

I love serving a God whose heart is bigger than I will ever be able to contain. We get to spend our lives searching the depth of God and will not even begin to tap His sheer magnitude. One of the glorious things about spending time in Haiti (or any other context, for that matter) is that I get to see another side of God through a people very different from me.

We serve a God who is not limited to one culture, one style, one color, one flavor, one method, or one perspective. He can be found in and by all people.

The only necessary ingredient comes in the next verses (Psalm 24:3-4).

“Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.”

I dream of a day when our Church is in partnership with Churches all over the world. Not because this sounds biblical but because it is biblical. The body of Christ is larger than one local Church which means that each brings a necessary part. Imagine the strength that comes when these parts become unified, connected, and partnered. 

There is something for our Church in Williamsburg that can only be found in the Church in Haiti, China, India, and New York City. And the opposite is true as well - there is something we have for those same Churches across the globe. 

Strength will come as a result of partnership. Strength is not a result of ministry being done the same way but because the same Spirit is alive and active in what is being done (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). I am realizing that far less principles exist when it comes to the how compared to the what. I think to ask for God’s heart and then to not expect different could be entirely missing God’s heart. 

Know that you, Church are called to be involved in what God is doing in the whole world and in so doing, the Kingdom of God advances. Fulfilling the mission of God in the earth that is the Lord’s is the purpose that we all live for. 

Much love to you, CLC!

-Holly Aman

Haiti, June 26-July 3, 2012 | Thank you, SoapBox Soaps!

I was hardly in the doors of Wings of Refuge Children’s Home (much less into the country) before I was being asked for soap. Apparently, the kids have been waiting patiently for the soap we collected. Now, don’t worry - I am positive that a substitute was being used but no where near the quality or smell of SoapBox Soaps. 

Last time I brought soap, a few of the kids walked around huffing their hands for an entire day because they smelled so good. 

Our goal was to collect 100 bars of soap for Wings of Refuge Children’s Home. We sold over 163 bars of soap in 2 weeks and brought down over 225 bars of soap. 

Partnering with the Church in Haiti is not for a few who feel especially called or those who are able to travel there tomorrow. Partnering with what God is doing in the world is the call of every believer. 

So, you can’t head to Haiti on the next trip - so what?! Don’t let that keep you from becoming engaged with what God is doing here. Obviously, it goes a long way for the kids at Wings of Refuge Children’s Home. It means soap. It means clean little hands and healthy bodies. 

Thank you, Church for being a generous Church. You are simply glorious.

Thank you, SoapBox Soaps for partnering with us in serving the 21 beautiful kids of Wings of Refuge Children’s Home. They smell so nice, thanks to you.

-Holly Aman

Haiti, June 26-July 3, 2012 | Blog 2.

Mission trips are the best kind of vacations. I am so thankful to be here for a week in Haiti and so thankful to Pastor and Mommy-Pas for having us in their home. I love everything they’re doing down here and am so excited to continue our partnership between church’s. 

I absolutely love the kids at Wings of Refuge Children’s Home, every single one of them. Its amazing to see them act like one big family coming together. The Wings of Refuge children’s home changes lives. It gives the kids support, education, home and most importantly Godly role models. These kids have impacted my life far more than I possibly ever could. 

My athletic ability on the basketball court does not come from a natural ability from birth. It comes from me outworking my opponents. I have been raised to be a hard worker so when I got put up to the job of pouring cement for the construction of the new Wings of Refuge Children’s Home; I was going to try and outwork the people around me. I learned a very valuable lesson that day - you cannot outwork these Haitian men. I was so impressed with the amount of work we did in one day and how hard the men worked. 

Overall this mission trip has been remarkable and I challenge everyone to try and make it a priority to go and see all that God is doing in Haiti. He is up to good things.

-Joshua Aman

Haiti, June 26-July 3, 2012 | Blog 1.

Josh and I arrived on Tuesday it is now Sunday afternoon.  We are about to go back to church for a communion service, we were there this morning from 6 till 10ish for the morning service. We have spent the week partaking Haitian life with Pastors Wilson and Gladys and their family. We have spent time at Wings of Refuge Children’s Home and been loved on by the twenty-one little ones...Darvinsley, Angelina, Erinel, Bedechina, Naelka, Fadelin, Clifford, Adeline, Wilson, Sarah, Jovenesse, Keslourna, Renelson, Jean Widmey, Motha, Guirlene, Migelite, Islande, Adelin, Jaunisse, and Ketina.  Each child is so unique. On Thursday we spent the whole day playing at the beach and traveling to and from. The beach time with the children made the journey so worth it.  Josh and Holly had a work day at the site of the new children’s home....I opted to do beading with the children. On Saturday we had a chance to clean the church with Mommy Pas and then we all went out for dinner in Petion-ville.

That is just a brief overview of the week.....the harder part of writing a blog is to try and share with you, the church, the depth of what we have had the privilege of partaking in.  Last year I read Radical by David Platt.  The book inspired me to go on a missions trip out of my context. Haiti fits that description. The language is different, the climate is different, the city is different, the food is different, the transportation is different....so many things are out of my context. I sat in church this morning and a man shared the scripture that was to be preached. It was the story in Numbers about Balaam being told from the Lord to do something. I know God will send you when He wants, to where He wants, and to do what He wants. The challenging part is....will we go... and will we do as we have been asked to do. 

I have been studying the book of Jonah. Here is another man in the Bible who when asked to do a specific task from the Lord had to wrestle it out. Sometimes we hear form the Lord, we start to walk out what we are being lead to do and then it happens.....it becomes HARD. I love those moments because that is a time where my prayers get specific and God makes the seemingly impossible happen. In this process we stretch. Our context becomes bigger. Our faith becomes deeper. Our thanksgiving becomes fuller and our love becomes richer.   

Our partnership with this church family in Haiti will add to us a beautiful depth that if we stay in only our city we would miss out on. The beauty of this exchange is that we get to bring back that compassion, thankfulness experience to our church. In this Divine exchange we get to be the student and the teacher....the servant and the one served.  The church can operate by it’s New Testament design.  

Thank you church for being a part of this mission trip. And, be open...YOU could be next to go. 

-Juliann Aman

Haiti, June 19-26, 2012 | Blog 4.

After a grueling day of work at the job-site Friday, we woke up Saturday morning and decided the we were just so fatigued that we could not work at the work-site.  We used Saturday as a time to gather a little strength, unfortunately, a few members of the team began feeling a little ill and very, very tired so we slept and read and slept some more.  We woke up Sunday morning excited and a little nervous about going to church in another country.  Needless to say, not only did everything turn out well, it was amazing.  During the first worship song, we began to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit move throughout the entire congregation and continue to flow as the song got stronger and stronger.  Some of us hands held high in worship; others completely in tears ---- WOW!  As we got into the Word, even thought we could only make out a few words and phrases, we all knew that somehow we were being changed.  As the service ended, we were overwhelmed with the sheer number of people that were actually there.  Roughly 300 people on the main level where we were, many more in the basement level watching via video projection and an overflow into the street, again --- WOW!  

Sunday night we decide that on Monday, the entire team would spend our last full day in Haiti visiting the children in the currently rented children’s home.  What a great decision that turned out to be!  It didn’t take long for the children to warm up to the members of the team that they really didn’t know yet.  After a few piggy back rides, some arts & crafts and paper airplanes, it was on!  Hugs & kisses, photos, beach balls and soccer balls, it became a experience that we will never forget.  They are all very sweet and completely innocent of the world outside. What a true sanctuary in a city full of chaos.  Inside those walls you would never know that an earthquake devastated the city not so long ago.

My heart truly goes out to Pastor Wilson and Gladys Charles and the extended family of their household as they not only welcomed us into their home, but shown us love and compassion as if WE were also their family.  Jesus will continue to build His church and in Haiti, He is also building homes for the little ones.  After the new Wings of Refuge home is complete, not only will the 21 children that we spent today with have a home, so will many others.  Children are already on the list.  What a true honor it is to be a part of building a refuge, second chance, and haven in Haiti. God bless Pastor Wilson and Gladys Charles and God bless Wings of Refuge Children’s Home in Petion-ville, Haiti.

-Larry Sanders

Haiti, June 19-26, 2012 | Blog 3.

Since I have been here, I have seen and experienced so much. I cannot even begin to describe what everything looks like around me. I see so much poverty and so much brokenness. Just by looking into people’s eyes you can see and feel their pain and lack of hope. Haiti is a country where the people have been beaten down so much that it has become very difficult for them to dust themselves off and get back up again. But through all of the hurt there is such beauty in the country as a whole. The people here are simply beautiful.

As we drive through the streets I can hear the cars honking, the people speaking, the dogs barking and the music playing. I can see endless shacks (some being homes and some being stores or restaurants), I see many people, many cars, different types of animals, and multiple vendors lining the make-shift streets. But if you look past all of the commotion, if you look in the distance you can see the shadowing of the hills and mountains. It is such a beautiful thing that amidst all of the chaos you can see something that is this peaceful and steadfast. I feel like I could spend forever here,  observing, learning and literally changing from the inside out. 

In my time here so far I have been reminded of the important things in life; I have had the realization that our life truly is but a vapor. That, in the bigger picture we are only here so long. Each of our lives has a beginning and an end. It is up to us to decide what we want to do in between. It is our job to make sure that we make the most of our lives. I am reminded that in order to do this, Jesus is the must-have ingredient. We are incapable of living our lives the right way without God as a part of the picture and we CANNOT do it by ourselves. We can’t live life thinking that we are making a difference by just being a ‘humanitarian’. It is so much bigger than that; motive is everything. That by being a follower of Christ our heart should come in line with His heart and as it does, our actions should come in line with His plan. I am so thankful that it really is that simple; when we make God number one everything else will fall into place. I am so grateful that the weight is not on my shoulders to live life correctly, that really when I am obedient to the Lord I am doing all that I can do. 

I love that as Christians we are not called to simply live life for ourselves, eventually the focus needs to be shifted off of us. It is not about us, we are called to live life for others. We are supposed to live for something BIGGER than ourselves. I am encouraged that really the whole point of my being is to bless the people around me. In being here, I have had the opportunity to do just that; I have had the opportunity to serve day in and day out. But while I am here in Haiti for one week on the missions trip it is very easy to have that mindset. I am reminded that the spirit and heart of serving and missions shouldn’t stop here. I am supposed to carry that same spirit home with me to the United States. As much as I have learned so far and as much as I am sure that I will learn over the next couple of days, it would all be pointless if I didn’t bring anything home with me. I feel like the Lord has just been saying over and over again that my ‘missions field’ is where I live - what I call my home. By leading a selfless life at home I am making more of a difference than I could ever do here in Haiti for only a week. 

-Summer Zacharias

Haiti, June 19-26, 2012 | Blog 2.

When we arrived in Haiti, we did not know what to expect, but we knew God was already here with open arms. The first day of work was good and as the work week progresses, we are becoming better acquainted with the gentlemen on the worksite of the new children’s home that is being built. There truly is one spirit that joins our effort in the building process. To operate as a team is really the fruit of the Spirit in real time operation, yielding to our own leading and working together for one common goal. Even despite the language barrier, hand signals seem to be our best friend in getting direction from the construction foreman. He has become affectionately known as “hey, Bossman”, which is totally OK with him. Lifting up and esteeming others (the Haitian workers) as valuable in their helping give us direction and seems to break down the language barrier. It sort of gives them a higher position over us almost like the main “Bossman”, adding value to their knowledge despite their paid position. We firmly believe that we are uplifting their spirits and giving them a sense of value and worth beyond monetary compensation. Sometimes we often believe we have a better way of doing things to help rather than just coming with a servants heart and the “foot washing” spirit.

Needless to say the conditions the Haitians live in are beyond description or anything the average American can wrap their understanding around. You would have to be absolutely desensitized to not to be on the verge of tears at the sight of the extreme poverty. In our time at the job we have encountered a young boy that has become our friend through hunger. I dare say anyone of us has ever made a new acquaintance because we were hungry and in need of a meal. Sounds like an opportunity to step in and help. Huh? Sort of a no brainer. Breaking bread with a hungry child will definitely humble you and have you survey how blessed you really are.

-Chris Brown, David Scott, and Larry Sanders

Haiti, June 19-26, 2012 | Blog 1.

As soon as we landed in Haiti, it seemed that there was mass chaos. The minute the pilot announced that we could deplane, there was a mass exodus of people, not being pushy but really ready to be off a packed to the gills 3 1/2 hour flight. Then into the airport with our declarations and immigration papers, again packed to the gills with people and all their stuff. While Holly says that it went “the smoothest it ever has”, it was long, hot and stressful to me, not as much so as the gauntlet to get to our vehicle though. Noise, noise and more noise. Horns honking, loud engines, people wanting to carry your bags and not taking no for an answer the first ten times you tell them. Telling you this is really not about shedding bad light on the Haitian people at all, they are just trying to make a living and go about their daily business in the most populated city in the whole country of Haiti. But it is what it is --- extremely loud and hectic. But then!!! When you get to the Wings of Refuge Children’s Home (after a very bumpy, loud ride), you enter a world where the noise is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Children laugh and giggle and run around having fun, giving hugs, giving kisses, sitting on your lap and being kids. Behind the gate to the children’s home - a sanctuary. These children are loved and they are loving to each other - it truly is a family of 21 kids with caretakers like aunties and uncles - people who love them back. They are all equal, no one is preferred over another. They share most of the time and when they don’t, they work it out amongst themselves and keep on going. The baby, Darvensly is the most cared for baby I think I have ever seen, he is the object of everyone’s affection, they hold him, kiss him and touch his head in passing which is such a sweet sight, it speaks of pure love. As we talk about comUnIty at CLC, I look at these children and can’t help but realize that they have only been together for a year. This is what community looks like - they get along and love each other because they have genuine care and concern for each other regardless of any of their differences. Regardless of who and where they were before coming to the home. I think we, as a commUnIty minded church, could all learn a valuable lesson from the children at Wings of Refuge. -Susan Sanders