2020 Haiti Mission – November update

I came home on November 1st for a brief 10 day visit. Primarily it was to cast my vote in the general election during the last day of early voting in Maryland. I pray each of you also exercised your civic duty and cast your vote.

As some of you know God placed a vision in my spirit to start a nonprofit to support mission related activities. In December 2019 JJS Missions, Inc. was formed to spread the witness and love of Jesus all over the world. The inspiration for JJS Missions is taken from Acts 1:8 where Jesus commands His disciples to spread the “good news” in Jerusalem (this represents the 1st “J” in our name), in Judea (the 2nd “J”), and in Samaria (this is where the “S” comes from). I will share more about JJS Missions in a later post however, if you would like more information on us click here or go to www.jjsmissions.org.

Before I came to Haiti this September God placed a few people on my heart and told me to invite them to come serve with me. Although none of them were able to join me this time two of these individuals said they would like to sponsor two people to go in their place. I thank God for this gift as it allowed me to prayerfully consider inviting two individuals who may not have been able to serve. Thankfully Bryan Nails, who is like a son to me, and Ryan Arrendell, who affectionately calls me “Uncle V” said yes and joined with me to serve the Mission of Grace (MoG) for five days.  Although Bryan and Ryan met each other for the first time at the airport in Port Au Prince, it seemed like they had known each other since childhood. As a matter of fact most people who met them asked first if they were boyfriend/girlfriend and, when I said “no” the next question was whether they were brother and sister. That is the kind of vibe these two have.

On Thursday (November 12th) we visited the elderly home and the clinic in the morning, and timed our arrival at the school to coincide with the children’s lunch/recess period. These two were an instant hit with the kids…everyone kept asking me their names and how long they would be here. Some of the kids were so engaged in conversations with Bryan and Ryan that I had to chastise them to get them to return to their classes after lunch/recess was over.

After untangling the kids, we were tasked with applying a coat of stain to some tables and a door which we completed in no time at all. And when the school day ended we joined with the children as they walked to the orphanage. As the kids changed into their play clothes and began their homework I gave Bryan and Ryan a brief tour the grounds of the orphanage and they had the opportunity to see how the kids live. There are four homes in this complex, one for babies and little people, one for girls, a boys home, and the teen girls house. There are nannies in each of the homes tasked with caring for their charges and a central kitchen where meals are prepared. I reminded them these missionaries that these kids are fortunate to have a roof over their heads, that there is always food to eat so they are never hungry, they have clothes to wear, and their medical needs are attended to. This is not the case with children in other areas of the country.

We had some downtime on Friday morning because a project we were scheduled to work on got derailed. In the afternoon we descended on the orphanage again for some more fun time with the kids. By the way, Bryan had quite a following of young ladies. I heard he was even queried at length about his age and marital status. You can see some of his admirers in the last picture below.

On Saturday morning we staged computers in the recently completed computer lab. The four tables we previously stained each accommodated three computers, that is 12 computers in all. I love the fact that Mission of Grace operates totally on faith. You see, now the computer lab is setup and ready to go but what is lacking is electricity to run the computers and internet/networking capabilities for the kids to use them. Even the lead administrator/teacher has already been identified! They know God will provide whatever else is needed and they want to be prepared to go when God does His thing…”Now faith is the substance of things hoped for…”.

I had the joy of introducing Bryan and Ryan to the church during Sunday morning service. They both gave brief remarks and, without prompting, Bryan, paraphrasing Romans 8:28, and Ryan reading Psalm 40:1-5 from the French translation (in perfect diction I might add) encouraged the church to be patient while God is working and to have complete trust in Him. This was truly a proud poppa/uncle moment for me. On Sunday afternoon we helped MoG with a community-wide clothing and food distribution. Many of the items available for the residents of Carries were donated by my Alfred Street family, my Grace UMC (Fort Washington) family, as well as other organizations and individuals. The recipients were very grateful.

(Sunday, November 15th) This is the last day Ryan and Bryan will be here and it is difficult for them to say their goodbyes and leave the orphanage. And I see by the reaction of the kids that they don’t want them to leave either. I can tell my friends are forever changed by what they experienced and, to me, this is the greatest reward and my ultimate goal…to share with others what I love doing and have them love doing it also. I am so very proud of and thankful for them both.

After seeing Ryan and Bryan off, I went to the school for their daily opening ceremony. The kids gather each day before going to class for prayer, to sing the Haitian National Anthem, and raise the flag.  I actually arrived a little early and Widline and Micherlange decided to see if they could improve my hairstyle. They didn’t accomplish much more than having a good laugh. Several other young ladies allow to me to take pictures of them in their new uniforms.

As the week progressed I try to stop by the orphanage as much as possible after school is over. Generally we play card games like Uno and Spoons. We also have had a few rounds of Jenga and dominos. I think the kids feel like I am their personal play date and I am alright with that. Oh, and the word is out that I love popcorn and it magically shows up on a regular basis.