Goodbye to Max and Berothie

Today we said goodbye to Max and Berothie after having them here for 4 1/2 months. I think it will be a bit strange not having a packed car everywhere we go and leaving church without a train of people. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time with these great kids.
They experienced their first snow, first spring season filled with crazy PA weather, first time mini-golfing/driving golf balls, first trip to Hershey Park (thanks to Jeff's parents...great Easter gift).
Berothie says the only bad memories she has is snow in her boot and the Storm Runner that Doug talked her into getting on at Hershey. It caused nightmares. Max enjoyed it all except for being limited on his screen time. We've had some good laughs over accents (both theirs and ours), culturally normal things for us and them (us-eating pancakes for breakfast, them-eating ketchup on everything).
Our kids have had a great time playing games, learning Kreyol, swimming, and learning each other's cultures a bit. Colton and Max began acting as brothers a while ago, but more so over the past few weeks. As boys do...picking at each other, competing with one another, and making up games.

I got a great kick out of the 3 teens getting into the car. No one ever wanted to sit in the middle seat. We would see one of them sort of hanging out in the garage a little longer thinking they were being inconspicuous. Occasionally we would witness Colton jumping in and locking the door so the others were forced to go the other side inevitably making another go to the middle. Today alone I saw 2 events unfold. The first was Max bending over tying a shoe for what seemed like 5 minutes until Colton finally just got in and slid over. The second one was the icing on the cake at the end of the day. I had taught Max and Berothie to use the word "shotgun" when there was only one adult traveling. All this time, it was never used, Colton always just sat up front. This time though rather than peacefully getting into the car or even using the word "shotgun", it was an all out pushing fight to get into the front seat. While the boys were distracted getting the other away from the door...out of nowhere...Berothie climbed in from the back and filled the spot leaving both boys stunned. Way to go B!
Thank you to all of you who welcomed them into our community and church family! I know they felt very comfortable here.

We'll miss you guys!!
Manmie Deb

Sea Container...finished!!!

Friday June 11th at 7:00pm, the sea container pulled away from our church loaded with many items from our home and for the orphanages. We along with a great team of people worked 3 evenings prior to package, label, and prepare everything. Friday was a relaxed enjoyable day because we had so much help and we felt such a great sense of support. It was all material possessions that we worked so hard over, but they represent much more than that. They represent the God-given mission our team is trying to carry out, they are a symbol of love for the children we work with in Haiti, and they are a representation of Jeff and I following God.
We always said we wouldn't go until our house sold, but here we are as I said last week finding that our plan was not God's plan. We have to constantly be open to HIS agenda, not our own. For me personally it was comparable to laying an offering at an alter before God.

Thank you again for all of you who donated, organized giving, helped package and load the container. I can't say enough what it means to Jeff and I to have so much support in our church, our leadership team, and friends & family.

We ask that you join us in praying for the container to arrive in Haiti and to be released from customs for our teams traveling to unload and work the last two weeks of July. We pray this remembering we are not in control. Our agenda has to be in line with what God has planned. We also ask for prayer as we seek to follow God's guidance as a team.

Much Love,
Deb

Sea Container

We have been packing and loading a trailer the last two days to send items for the orphanages, our house and the guest house.

The loading continues:
Thursday evening at CBIC 6-9
Friday at CBIC 10am-5ish???

Please let us know if you are available to help. We could use a minimum of 20 for Friday.

THANK YOU to all who have helped to wrap, label and load so far!

Learning to depend on God, not ourselves

I thought after we returned from Haiti, I'd spend more time updating information, but it has been a whirlwind since we got back.
We came back having learned a bit of Haitian culture...our way of working is not the Haitian way of working, we want to get as much done as possible. If something doesn't go as planned, we keep working at it until we get the desired result...not the Haitian way. We saw patience in the haitians to wait for the right time to do the work that needed to be completed. Very frustrating to us Americans who wanted to get this work done at the guest house when we wanted it done. Now we see they were right and the work will get done, just not in our timing.
Our team was determined to get all the necessary work finished and move kids into their new homes. Only we didn't seek God's timing in it and depended too much on ourselves. The work was too much, too involved and it couldn't possibly get done.
Now we plan to go back and finish the work at the end of July and move the kids then.

For now, we are packing up our house to add to the sea container of supplies going for the orphanages and guest house. After this week, we will be hearing our echos throughout the house.

I really thought this week would be very hard and emotional, but God has given me peace. Seeing our house in Haiti has sealed the deal so to say. I did a jig to break the house in and was then joined by the other ladies on our team and many of the girls from Good Sam. They couldn't figure out why we were dancing around a haitian broom(which is quite interesting), but they laughed and danced anyway. This dance was the beginning of our 3 day cleaning frenzie.

Now we continue to learn to depend on God and not ourselves as we wait for our house to sell. We have said all along we couldn't go to Haiti until it sold, but here we are sending furniture, beds, and our kids special toys on Friday. We feel God is asking us to have faith and trust him and prepare to go. We don't really know what this means with our house, be we said we would follow and be obedient to what God was asking of us so this has to be no different. It doesn't come without a bit of anxiety, but we continue to ask for our house to sell and for guidance in how to move forward. We know many are praying with us for our house to sell. Thank you for joining us not just in prayer, but also in learning to depend on God and not ourselves.

praying together,
Deb

Greetings from Haiti

Our team consists of Jeff and I, Tony & Cindy Brandt, Brian & Robin Richardson, Geralyn Denlinger, and Marv Diller.

We arrived safely to lots of rain on Fri, didn't last long after we arrived, but it clearly had rained hard for a while.

The girls are all doing great. They are all better in their English and are practicing it on us. I wish I could say the same for my Kreyol.

We took them to their beautiful new house yesterday and they were flipping out! We did a great dance around our haitian broom to break in the new house then set to work.

They worked right along side us cleaning all day. We washed, swept, mopped and mopped again. The men worked outside on putting wire up around the wall, getting the electric running properly and the water inside going.

We hope to have them moving in on Tuesday!!!!



Sat evening we went to visit Pastor Nathan in his new home. He has a great home. We sat on his rooftop enjoying the incredible mountain view, and in conversation as always with Pastor Nathan, we say joy in him. He is so happy to be there but we know his main concern is his church. God helps him perservere with joy.



Today we went to Pastor Nathan's church in the street. It was so cool because while Pastor Jeff was preaching, several kids and adults were listening to what he was saying. God uses the struggles and hardships even still!



We also met up with a family here that are connected to Alisha Brandt in the states through their family and were able to deliver some very important supplies. We met them in front of the Presidential Palace...much worse to see in person than on TV or in pictures. The park by the palace is full of tents. It is truly unimagineable. The tent cities are everywhere, but people are generally so friendly and full of hope.



We went to see Schneider's new home where he lives with 8 other family members. At the ripe old age of 23, he supports them with help from one brother who is also old enough to work.



We visited Gesner and Youdeline and their 1 year old Gessy. They have a tent that Tony and Jeff put up for them in March and have become quite creative in how they have made it into a home. Gesner's barber shop is a separate tent in front of their home. He is trying to run the shop while being Mr. Mom so Youdeline can go to work with the Red Cross. Her contract will end with them in July and we pray they will renew it. As we drove away, full of emotion, I realized only God can fill a person with joy the way Youdeline is filled with joy even in her circumstances.



Tomorrow we plan to have the women clean at the boys' new home while the men finish the wire on the wall and yard work at the girls home. Lots more work to be done. We are so excited to move the kids into their new home!



I have to admit, seeing our new home, while as beautiful as it is, the reality of what we are about to do really hit me. I struggled for a bit to make sense of the emotional roller coaster I seemed to have hit. But God spoke to me last night as I read in John 14:1 when Jesus was speaking to his disciples. 14:1 says "do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me." Those circumstances were different, but I know God was asking me to trust in him and what he is going to do through me.

Praise God for all He is doing here in Haiti and in us as we humbly serve!

Deb

"Awaken Haiti" awareness / action / hope

Yes we finally officially have a name: Awaken - Haiti

Who We Are:
Awaken – Haiti was founded by a group of people who are striving to be the hands and feet of Christ by stepping outside of themselves and their own desires in order to help those in need.

Mission:
Awaken – Haiti desires to establish avenues to begin breaking the cycle of poverty through providing aid to orphans and the poor while intersecting diverse cultures in order to further one's spiritual transformation.

Why We Are Here:
We want to make people Aware of the need among orphans and the level of poverty in Haiti. We also want to Awaken spiritual Awareness in those who serve as well as those we serve. We desire to be a vessel for people to Act on this awareness of physical and spiritual need. We desire to bring Hope for the physically and spiritually impoverished.

What a blessing it has been to be a part of seeing the passion that so many people have for the people and children of Haiti. We have been very busy getting all of this off the ground, coming up with concepts to support and carry out the mission, and trying to juggle life at the same time.

I want to share with you some of things that have been and still going on with the ministry over the past month:

1. Myself and Tony Brandt took another trip to Haiti to meet with our Haitian leaders and continue to follow through with our relief and restore effort with our orphanages and ministries.
2. Continue to work on and are in the final stages of launching the Awaken-Haiti web-site.
3. Designing and launching of our new logo.
4. Have had two sponsor meetings.
5. Broke ground and completely framed the House4Haiti. (Thanks to Doug and Randie Thomas, the H4H team, and all the volunteers.)
6. Have had numerous small fundraisers
7. Drafted and got approved an outline of the ministry so we are now a sponsored ministry of the Carlisle Brethren in Christ Church.
8. Rented and will be moving the girls of Good Samaritan into their new home next weekend.
9. Are in the process and in the next month will open our new boys orphanage that will house and take care of 15 boys.
10. Have been assisting two orphanages with there monthly budgets.
11. Helped fund a construction project at pastor Nathan's church.
12. In the process of making 25 bunk beds for the orpahanges and guesthouse. (Thanks Glenn and the Sawdust Alley team)
13. Gathering items for the 40 foot container that we are going to pack and send to Haiti on June 11th.
14. Writing trip manuals and gearing up to host trips for people that want to serve in Haiti. - Dates for fall and winter trips coming soon!!!!!!!:-)
15. Made many improvements to our financial and receipting system.

I could go on and on and on..........

None of this would be possible without a very gifted, dedicated, and resourceful group of people that is also known as the Awaken-Haiti Leadership Team:

Director of Haiti Operations: Myself and Deb
Director of US Operations: Doug and Ger Denlinger
Director of Ministry Development: Robin Richardson
Director of Finances: Bryan and Amy Gobin
Director of Sponsor Relations: Michelle and Jeff Bell
Director of Mission Trips: Tony and Cindy Brandt
Director of Construction: Marv Diller
Director of FH/FG Relations: Matt Reichard

We have asked a lot of these people, and they have delivered. Deb and I can't express to them enough how critical they are to this ministry.

As we continue to do our best to be obedient to what God has planned for this ministry, we need your prayers. Please pray that:

1. God continues to give us a clear vision on how He wants us to carry this mission.
2. We continue to seek out and listen for that guidance.
3. People's interest continues to turn into passion for Haiti.
4. The container will go smoothly.
5. Our house here the States sells in a timely manner.
6. Deb, myself, and our children as we go through this transition of leaving friends and family and moving to a developing country.
7. The hearts and minds of all the people touched by this ministry will draw closer to God and His desire for their lives.

May God continue to bless Awaken-Haiti, the people of Haiti, and all those involved in helping us to carry out this mission of making people aware, turning that awareness into action, and giving people hope....

Jeff

The House 4 Haiti

Tomorrow is the first day that framing begins at The House 4 Haiti. Once the house is finished, it will be sold and all the proceeds will go to provide a new home for the children of the Good Samaritan Orphanage in Haiti. What an exciting concept this is. People and businesses here in the States lending a hand by giving their time and resources to help children most of them have never met before. The project was dreamed up and being directed by a long time friend and business partner of mine Doug Thomas. Doug and his wife Randie have been working tirelessly, along with a very talented and resourceful board of individuals, to turn this concept into a reality. Our church, Carlisle Brethren in Christ, is sponsoring this project as well.

So again, Deb and I are humbled and continue to be grateful for how everyone is so willing to give of themselves to help in Haiti.

A "BIG THANK YOU" to:

Everyone that will be and have volunteered for this project.

All the businesses that gave or discounted materials.

The House 4 Haiti Board.

Carlisle Brethren in Christ Church for sponsoring the project.

Doug and Randie Thomas for directing the project.

Bud Jones for being Bud Jones (those of you that know Bud understand...)

Chuck Sieber for coordinating all the volunteers.

And the children of Good Samaritan for helping all of us to think outside of ourselves.

Nou renmen ou,

Jeff

PS. for more info or to follow the progress, go to thehouse4haiti.com