The mission team from Lott Carey which arrived on Saturday has 22 people, with 16 never serving in foreign missions prior to this one. There are four individuals who were members of last years mission in Carries. They range in age from their mid-twenties to eighty-plus years old. I am uber excited to serve as their mission lead. I want them to get a taste of the glory I have experienced serving here in Haiti for the past 6 years, particularly what God has shown me during the last five weeks at Mission of Grace in Carries. I look forward to ushering them into the joy of serving God on the mission field and I take that responsibility seriously.
We awoke to a bright and sunny SUNDAY and enjoyed a delightful breakfast outdoors. I had the pleasure to introduce the team during church service. Just prior to the sermon Faviola, a spirit-filled teen with the mission, and I rendered a song together. We sang both in Kreyol and English. Pastor Duane Kay from First Baptist Church of North Brentwood, Maryland is a member of the team and delivered a powerful message of faith and hope in Jesus.
Later we invited the young people in the mission to join us for a period of constructive fun and an afternoon snack. They had a ball making jewelry for themselves and creating whirly things which we will give to the young children later in the week. The goal today was to spend time getting to know each other and, judging by the smiles and hugs which were freely given, I would say we accomplished that goal.
Around 4pm we began packaging food which we will distribute in the village to needy families later in the week. Each of twenty families will receive a delivery of rice, beans, dried fish, tomato sauce, spaghetti, meal, flavoring and spices. This food should last a family of five to six for at least a week. I am proud of the effort these missionaries put forth on their first day.
The various activities these missionaries will participate in this week were designed to push and challenge them spiritually, mentally, and physically. I have purposefully setup a very aggressive schedule for them and they hit the 
ground running on MONDAY with a tour of the various ministries which make up the Mission of Grace. After the tour a few of them get the opportunity to serve at the soup kitchen. The 22 servants are broken into smaller teams and headed out in different directions in the afternoon. The men ended Monday’s missional activities by leading bible study. The entire team ends each day recapping our experiences. The theme for our recap is “how did you see or experience God today as you served?” I thoroughly enjoy listening to how God revealed Herself to these servants on a nightly basis.
TUESDAY I joined the team going to the construction site to help build a house. The “Lott Carey model of service” encourages missionaries to come along side the natives we are serving to HELP them with various projects so we must wait while the men here get setup. After they get organized we all circle up for introductions and prayer. Our group was assigned the task of moving cement blocks into position so they could be used to build the walls of the house. The work was hard and arduous but the team served with enthusiasm. Of course I couldn’t resist playing with and loving on the little 2 year old who lived next door to the site. I was able to easily coax a smile out of him.
During the afternoon I served with the teams which went to the Children of Grace. We spent time holding babies, blowing bubbles, and playing card games and dominoes with the older children. Bossy little Ms. Julie saw me and said “Mr. Vernon push me on the swing”. It wasn’t exactly a request but you could guess where I spent a majority of my time. Julie is pictured in the white and pink dress below.
While the women went to church for bible study we invited the young men of the mission over to spend time with the us. It was delightful talking with them about God and sharing wisdom with them.
God bless you, as you continue leading the charge in helping others serve.