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

Atlanta, April 1-7, 2012 | Blog 6.

I think there are a couple of things that distinguish this week from many others I’ve ever seen. I think the first would be the already-formed great bonds of our team. Much of this year’s HS mission team was also last year’s team (plus the great addition of Summer & Nick!). Because of having last year’s New York trip together - not to mention the whole April 2011 to April 2012 - we had a springboard to start off from right away. On that note actually, I’d just want to mention that by being with and looking at the people in this group, I can so clearly see the growth, the fruit, the investment...of Christian Life Center. Of parents. Of GC Group leaders. Of each other. Every single one of us has grown TONS in the past year, and while we’re all on journeys and I know that growth is true of every person every where, this team is just solid proof of the grace of Jesus. I’m so very honored to be in relationship with each person on the team.

And because this springboard of relationship had already been formed, we were just ready for more, for deeper. One aspect of DOOR (the organization we were working through all week) is Reflection. Each night we spent time with our two leaders David and Tim reading Bible and talking about what was going through our heads, but then also each night on our own we had times of worship, Bible, prayer, sharing, talking, or foot-washing. During all these times we got real. As I said, I feel that we were already close as a team... but man. I’m literally sitting here kind of chuckling, amazed at all that happened this past week. Yeah, I’m just so honored. We sang badly together. We shared things that we admitted to have felt unable to share before. We cried with each other. We encouraged one another. I’m telling you - this week was beautiful.

On a slightly different note, another aspect that I saw as important and very cool was that we got to work with a few different parts of the Church than we typically do. (I don’t say this as in, “woah - these people are so different - it’s crazy that we actually worked with them.” Not at all.) We got to know people from Presbyterian church and attend a Last Supper sort of dinner with them. We got to hear from a few Mennonites and work on their church’s community farm/garden. We got to spend the day with Mercy Community Church as they served breakfast, had really fun worship, had prayer in probably the most interesting way I’ve ever seen, did communion, and ate lunch in Atlanta’s streets. All through the week, it was the same Spirit. When it came down to it, it’s Jesus. And what’s beautiful is that we all got to learn from each other. We all got to be the Church together.

I could go on and on about probably thirty-four different trains of thought going through my mind right now. Really, I think this week was glorious. So much has been started in us. I don’t think I’m one who says that all the time, “this was so good!...the best week ever!” but seriously. This has been one of the best weeks ever. And what’s great is that I know it’s not done. It didn’t stop when we pulled into the CLC parking lot tonight. Church, know that you’ve got young people in your midst that are leaders. Sometimes “leader” is a term I struggle with, but this week I witnessed probably nine or ten different people essentially telling our team how peculiar we were. How deep were were. How willing. How unexpected. This team is full of leaders, and this team is solid. But we also need your help. We need your wisdom. We need your accountability. We need your stories. We need each other.

I am so blessed by (I’m sitting here trying to decide who or what to name, because there’s just SO MUCH that I and all of us are blessed by)...you. By David and Tim that led us this week. But Pastor Chad as he really exemplified Jesus. By an amazing, hurt woman named Gunnar that I met at Pastor Chad’s church. By a needs-to-be-a-pastor- guy named Demetrius also at Mercy Community Church. By Holly. By Josh. By Ericken. By Brianna. By Summer. By Nick. By Will.

Man, is it good to be a part of God’s bride, his Church.

- Ashley Loveless

Atlanta, April 1-7, 2012 | Blog 5.

Life-changing, a certain experience that leaves one’s life ultimately different than before. Before each mission trip, we are all taught to build up an expectation for what we want God to perform in us and through us during the trip. I have always looked at myself as a hard worker, but often there is a fine line between simply being a hard worker and truly being a servant. This difference between a hard worker and a servant is that a hard worker looks out for his own profit, which is almost the complete opposite of a servant. A servant is not only a hard worker, but someone who doesn’t work for his own profit; the servant often receives no reward. God really pressed in me the importance of this difference and this is what I expected to find in the mission trip.

Throughout the week God dealt with four main things that make up a servant of Christ (Philippians 1:1). On the first day God showed me, through making food bank gardens in a park, that all servants of Christ must learn to serve in an excellent manner. When one fails to serve by not giving their one hundred percent, they are only limiting themselves from what they can receive from serving. The next day we spent eight hours on a Mennonite farm where we did some of the following tasks: mulched, set up pipes for irrigation, painted a barn, lifted heavy things to an attic, and completely swept an inch-thick of dust out of the barn. That day God reminded me the fact that each person is given certain talents and just because I may be a hard worker in one way doesn’t mean that he created everyone else they same way. God also showed me the attitude that one needs to become a servant of Christ. On Wednesday, we went and worked with Action Ministries, work which included making and handing out lunch bags to women and children. It was there that I learned that there has has to be need in order for one to be able to serve. Without anyone to serve there is no room to being able to be a servant of Christ. On the final day God revealed to me the most important part in being a servant of Christ, he showed me that serving is more than just filling the need that I had learned on the earlier day. He showed me that along with fulfilling the physical needs we are called as Christians to also fulfill the need for relationship.

I was blown away when I saw Pastors Chad and Maggie use their relationship with those in church to glorify God (almost all of their congregation are currently living on the streets). To see his congregation get up one after another and give examples on how they are mistreated and some of the devastations of being “homeless” and are still able to say that God has fulfilled every need they had was breath-taking. I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend the day with them and honestly they made a much bigger impact on my life than I ever could.

- Joshua Aman

Atlanta, April 1-7, 2012 | Blog 4.

God is good. In every situation. When the flesh is weak the Spirit is strong. God’s love is everlasting. These statements all applied to the highest extent over this week, and all you can say is God is good. It has become real to me the tangibility of his works and how much truth his light brought to me and his people over the weekend. I am sure my friends have already written of the places we have gone and works we accomplished, so I will leave it to God’s worthiness. All I want to say is that trusting in God is difficult at times, and there’s a real toughness to it. But to know that I’ve never regretted a time where I trusted in the Lord drives me to respond to harder and harder situations and opportunities. All there is to say is God’s everything is beyond sufficient and that his heart for us and the people we met is more than everlasting.

- Ericken Moore

Atlanta, April 1-7, 2012 | Blog 3.

I cannot even begin to describe how amazing this week has been - my walk with the Lord has definitely been brought to a whole new level. I have had so many experiences that have changed my perspective on so many different subjects. I would say the biggest thing that I have gotten out of this trip is just a change in my mindset towards what society calls “outsiders.” I have just really been challenged to be able to throw the stereotypes that I have come to grow comfortable with out the window. I have really learned to be able to put value to each and every person and the story that each one of them has to tell.

On the last day our group got the opportunity to help out at a church called Mercy Community Church. Mercy’s main objective is to reach those who are without a house and to really establish relationship with them. I believe what separates Mercy from other ministries is their ability to see the importance in helping to meet the needs of those who have a difficult time meeting them themselves. But instead of just stopping there, they are constantly taking the time to build relationship with each of their church members. One of the many things that I have learned from the people that I had the opportunity to talk with at Mercy was learning what the real meaning of having faith and trusting in God really means. I was so amazed (as well as challenged) by my own level of faith and trust in God. I am just so blown away by how much I have learned throughout these past few days. My expectations were definitely exceeded.

- Summer Zacharias

Atlanta, April 1-7, 2012 | Blog 2.

The missions trip to Atlanta has been the best week of my life, with so much spiritual growth and doing things beyond what I am comfortable in. I was the shy, quiet one and was very nervous about all the homeless ministry that we were going to do. On Monday night, which was the first day, I was very discouraged and just had to share what I was feeling. I talked to Holly about my pain, thinking that I just could not handle it alone, and she was so encouraging. She spoke to me about trusting in Christ not my own strength and having the power to stop the thoughts of discouragement. David, one of the wonderful leaders from DOOR, noticed my reaction that night during what was called “reflections” and wanted to speak with me the next day. We talked about how to overcome my shyness and told me to share my thoughts with the rest of the group. On Tuesday night in devotions with the group I spoke about what I was dealing with even though it was hard and made me vulnerable. When I was finished speaking, Will mentioned some of his struggles and then the others spoke as well. Through my speaking I grew to understand so much more about my friends. I learned that part of being a Christian means breaking out of your pride and admitting to things and through that others speak up and we grow closer in Christ. We all have issues that we deal with but sometimes we do not want to feel vulnerable or break down our pride. Doing this really prepared me for the rest of the trip.

Thursday was the day when we be talking with the homeless and bringing lunches to the streets. This was the day I was afraid of and I felt very nervous when we went out to talk. I saw others from our team begin to speak and did not know what to do. I saw a man sitting by himself smoking and decided to talk to him. It was weird at first but turned out to be a great conversation. I started talking to other people and realized how strong they were in their faith. The person I talked to first was a very smart man who loved science and reading. I came to understand that we could learn from these people, and that they are not just dumb homeless people on the streets. They are real people and have such strength even when faced with persecution and hopelessness at times. They have passions and brains just like we do. It was so amazing and I was so privileged to speak with the people there. The trip has challenged me to go beyond what I think I can do and trust in Christ because I can not do it in my own selfish ability.

- Nicholas Haufler

Atlanta, April 1-7, 2012 | Blog 1.

Wow, though we’ve only been in Atlanta for five days I have honestly never been so challenged. We went to multiple sites throughout the trip but one that really stuck with me was the last day when we went to Mercy Church. The Mercy Church is all about feeding those without houses, and actually having relationships with them other than just giving them food and praying for them. I had the awesome opportunity to hear from a man named Demetrius as he told a little about his story and how one night when he and his friend were sleeping at the bus stop some random people came and stole his only blanket from him and took off running, he ran after them but couldn’t catch them. He began questioning the situation wondering why they did that, knowing he wasn’t doing anything but sleeping. He had every right to hate those people, yet all he did was continue to love them. He also brought up the topic of people like “us” -people who just go up to him, tell him that God’s good, pray for him and then leave. As he was telling the group these thoughts it really made me realize that that was what I was going to do: tell them God’s good, pray for them and honestly just leave. He continued to say that he was just tired of it, he already knew God was good, now all he really wanted was a friend. Someone who he could talk to that he could share a mutual relationship with. As he was saying that it really made me realize that Demetrius and the rest in the room are people too. He made me realize that even though they’re in this current situation they’re people just like you and me. Attending the service really changed my perspective on “the homeless.” It first made me realize that they’re people who just want friends like we do, and it also made me realize how much joy and life and love they had in them even being in their current situation. It was just so encouraging seeing that they were going to shine no matter what was thrown in their paths. Holly mentioned how saying “the homeless” was just so demeaning and how they’re just people without houses, and that’s how I will forever look at “the homeless.” I won’t see them as people who need food and constant prayer, but as friends who are trying to pick themselves back up.

- Briana Royster