KHC Haiti Team Blog

[SPAM] New Bell & Ross Tourbillon collection

2014-04-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

Good shoes good prices

2014-04-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Sparkle like the stars

2014-04-09T07:37:00.001-07:00

Fundraisers for Haiti

2010-02-01T10:34:00.001-08:00

DSC_3514
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

We've been having some fundraisers for Haiti. Tune in tonight at 8:30PM PST to www.justin.tv/saintrocke for a live streaming fundraiser!

Prayer for Haiti

2010-01-17T02:45:00.001-08:00

Prayer for Haiti
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Keep praying for Haiti. Updates and how to donate and help are at http://bit.ly/5WmAdL

Worship and Prayer for Haiti

2010-01-14T01:30:00.001-08:00

Worship and Prayer for Haiti
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

We had a time of worship and prayer at our church for Haiti tonight.

We are raising money for Haiti relief. eDivvy.com is giving 5% for everything we raise. To donate and get updates, see www.childhope.org/about/earthquake.html Please feel free to forward to your friends.

haiti quake info

2010-01-13T07:21:00.000-08:00

I have heard it from 2 sources and therefore completely believe it to be true that everyone we know in Haiti is ok. There was only one notable injury. 4 yr. old Daphne broke her leg. they are now holding a medical clinic and am sure need our prayers!! as well as prayers for the country and people.

My most current updates are coming from a friend and friend of the Manessero family Troy Livesay who is a missionary in Haiti and serves at another orphanage and various ministries. He and his family and kids and staff of his home are also misraculously all ok. he has updates coming pretty regularly via Twitter, his Twitter name is: troylivsay also here is the link: http://twitter.com/troylivesay

he and his wife have a blog. http://www.livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/ their stories and updates are ripping at my heart. Please please please continue to pray for Haiti and its people.

Alicia Simmons

Spring 2010 Trip

2010-01-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

The next trip going with our church is going to be this spring, the dates as of now are April 2-11.

We will be having a info meeting on Jan 31rst at Kings Harbor Church in our Fellowship Hall at 1pm.

23915 Garnier St., Torrance, CA 90505

Come find out all the basics about the trip, and grab an application! Be there or be square!

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27

Alicia Simmons

714.261.0288

Child Hope International 2010 Calendar

2009-12-18T06:29:00.000-08:00

Order the Child Hope International 2010 calendar here!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-16T16:45:00.003-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-16T16:45:00.001-08:00

"Love tastes like rice and beans" (posted by Dave Beck)

2009-12-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

One of the unforgettable things we got to do on this last trip to Haiti was have the first ever "Church in the Ben's" service. The Ben's is the area beside the boys' home where the kids play soccer and basketball. It's a cement area the size of a tennis court and a half. On Sunday we held a church service there. All the orphanage kids were present, and I think a few kids from the neighborhood as well. About half way through worship, I heard the gate rattle, and in walked a proud procession of well-dressed Haitians in single file. It was Pastor Gabriel and his congregation from the Ravine. He is the one who hosts the Ravine feeding every week, and the day before we had invited him to come to Church in the Ben's. Pastor Gabriel's congregation had on their Sunday best -- maybe not fancy by American standards, but for the little those people own, they were dressed to the nines.

I had the privilege of preaching the sermon that morning. I preached in English, and Zach interpreted in Creole. The subject was God's love, the greatest and most powerful force in the universe. Pastor Gabriel and his parishioners said many "Amens" throughout the sermon. If you are preaching, you love "amens"! But one "amen" caught my attention. Toward the beginning of the sermon, I was describing love. It went like this:

"Love looks like a caring face and a smile." [From the crowd: "Amen"]

"Love feels like a gentle hand placed in your shoulder to say, 'I care about you.'" ["Amen"]

"Love tastes like a bowl of rice and beans given to you when you are hungry." ["AMEN!"]

That was the loudest "amen" I received throughout the sermon. I wanted to be amused at the irony that the loudest response came at the mention of food -- maybe even more than the mention of Jesus. But my sense of humor gave way to a deeper realization. I had hit a nerve -- hunger. I wanted to say to those people that any of us could be hungry. It is not degrading to be hungry. And any of us who have God's love in our hearts will give any extra food we have to someone who is hungry. Such things are natural for disciples of Jesus.

I also wanted the folks from the Ravine to know that the reason they were receiving rice and beans was not because of an American political or social agenda. It is because God's love has compelled the people of Maison de Lumiere to provide it. (BTW, many of the older orphanage kids participate in the feedings -- not because they have to but because they want to.) As it says in the text I was preaching from, "Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another" (1 Jn 4:11).

In the Ravine, life gets down to its bare essentials -- food, shelter, physical health, and safety. Love means concrete help. When you are hungry, love tastes like rice and beans.

But God's love means more than social action. That morning our team enjoyed praying for many people (we paired up with interpreters). Most of the folks from the Ravine came up to request prayer for one thing or another -- "I have to leave my home, and I don't have anywhere to go"... "I have this growth on my eye"... "Please pray for my children"... "My mother is very sick"...

Church at the Ben's was a special experience. It was unlike any church service I have ever been to. I believe church will return to the Ben's regularly. Some of the older orphanage boys will be preaching there someday. Bill Manassero and I both envision this. The next generation of Haitian leaders is about to mature, and they will be drawing on deep experiences at the Ben's and the Ravine.

priyee

2009-12-03T11:05:00.001-08:00

priyee
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

The team is home... Alicia and I are still in Haiti. For updates go to

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience

or

http://lucastheexperience.blogspot.com

Dillickson and Mylin (posted by Dave Beck)

2009-12-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

We are back in the U.S. now, tired and emotionally wrung out. Going to a place like Haiti, which is so different from our home here, cannot help but affect you emotionally. But what is more, I cannot help but give my heart to the kids and leaders of the MDL orphanage, and it is really tough to leave them.

I didn't get a chance to blog the last two days we were in Haiti because we were too busy winding down the trip. But I want to tell about a couple of things that stood out in those last few days.

This post is about little Dillickson and his sister Mylin. On Saturday, we went down to this slummy area called The Ravine and did a feeding for the kids there. I have been told that the average Haitian eats one meal a day. Those kids aren't living up to the standard of the average Haitian. If the Manasseros weren't feeding the kids, many of them would be badly malnourished. Some still are. We hold the feeding in a ramshackle hut used for a church. It has four walls made of cinder block and corrugated tin. The roof is a patchwork of tin with many openings. I'm not sure what they do when it rains. The space is about 30x40 feet. In one corner of the church we had cooked two large pots of rice and one pot of broth with slices of sausage (I don't think meat is served often at the feeding program). When we welcomed the kids in, about 70 or so of them crammed into little church. No adults are allowed in for the feeding, because they will eat the kids' food. So the rule is, no adults inside, and no food goes outside. Once the feeding starts, it is necessary to post a crew of larger boys and men near the door because the women will start pushing and doing whatever they can to coax a bowl of rice and beans outside for them. It is a crazy scene marked by young children trying to give their food to their mothers who have coached them to bring it outside.

The first thing we do at a Ravine feeding is sing some worship songs. Worshiping with Haitians is always uplifting, because they put their hearts into singing to God. Next we say a few brief words to the kids. I said something about how in God's family, everyone is equal, no matter how old they are, where they are from, or how much money they have. Then Alicia talked about salvation in Jesus. After that we feed the kids.

On Saturday just after the worship and gospel exhortation ended, I was standing in front of all the kids, looking at their faces. They sit on benches or the floor and pass their bowls when they are invited to do so. When their bowls come back, they can eat. As I was looking down, I saw one particularly small boy on a bench right in front of me. He was scrawny and spindly. His arms and hands looked like a collection of twigs. I watched him nod off and start to slump over. Feeling my heart stirring for him and fearing that he might fall off the bench, I reached down and picked him up. Susette leaned over and said, "This is Dillickson. He's four years old. He's falling asleep because he hasn't eaten." He laid his head on my shoulder and went fast asleep. He weighed nothing. No more than 15 pounds. That's right, a 4-year-old who weighs 15 pounds.

I held him for ten minutes, and then he woke up. Dillickson was there with his three older siblings. The oldest, Mylin, was just getting food for them when Dillickson woke up. I handed him to her and continued to watch them. Mylin is about 10 or 11. She's skinny as a rail, but she has a strong, determined look on her face. Her life revolves around taking care of her younger siblings. Rather than simply devouring her own bowl of food, which is what most kids do, Mylin ate while also making sure her brothers and sister had something to eat. The kids at the Ravine feeding sometimes scrap with each other over their bowls of food. The protection of an older sibling is a good thing.

It was hard to take my eyes off Dillickson and Mylin. After the gut-wrenching and somewhat wild feeding had ended and all the rice and beans had been handed out, the women left the doorway and the kids filtered out. Mylin and her siblings were some of the last kids left in the room. One of the younger ones was still finishing. I walked over to her and asked in Creole if I could pray for her. She smile up at me, nodded, and quietly replied, "Mesi" (thank you). I took her right hand in both of mine and prayed in English over her. She has many concerns. I hope God's love will somehow find its way deep into her heart.

I left Haiti with Mylin's and Dillickson's faces in my mind. Will you pray with me for them?

Cups

2009-11-30T19:19:00.001-08:00

Cups
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

the team left today... we are still here until the 26th of december. click on the picture to see images from today. The best way to keep up with our updates is to check out my facebook or go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience

Ravine Feeding

2009-11-28T21:20:00.001-08:00

Ravine Feeding
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Thursday (Thanksgiving) and Friday

2009-11-27T20:17:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, we pigged out on a huge American style Thanksgiving meal yesterday. Just like any other Thanksgiving, most of us ate way too much food. We went to a party with some local folks the Manasseros know. It was fun!

Today David and I held our last Bible study with the leaders of Maison de Lumiere. They are sharp folks and very caring. It has been such an honor to serve them!

In the afternoon, we helped the kids paint t-shirts. That was a blast! I especially liked sitting with the littler kids, holding their t-shirt in place so they could paint on it, helping them get the right paintbrush, and wiping the inevitable paint smears off their little brown arms. You will see those t-shirts sometime soon, as we will be selling them in a fundraiser.

Tonight we held a worship gathering for all the kids at the boys’ house. What a blast! When they really get going with Creole songs, it is a wonder to behold. I couldn’t sing along, so I just prayed and looked around. Each time I gazed on a kid’s face, I felt a familiar rush of compassion and fatherly care. I think we were all feeling the same way. You can’t come here and not be affected by the kids. Well, I guess you can if you don’t have a pulse. We are all deeply thankful for the amazing transformation that has taken place in these kids’ lives, and that we all worship the same God.

At one point, I looked over and watched as Isguerda, our sponsor child, held Nathaniel in her lap. Isguerda is 14, and she is so happy we are all here that she is beside herself. Haha! "I am beside myself" is a saying the Haitians think is complete gibberish and nonsense. How can someone stand beside himself? Ha! :-)

thanksgiving

2009-11-26T19:47:00.001-08:00

5haiti-8941
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

today was really great. we had a traditional thanksgiving meal, but in Haiti and shared it with a lot of people who are missionaries here. Afterwards, we went to a pool at one of their houses and then had our team meeting in the back of the truck as we were driving down the streets of Port-Au-Prince at night. We finished it by singing worship songs and praying for the city which was really cool!

A seriously great day (Dave Beck)

2009-11-25T20:42:00.000-08:00

It was one of those days that you want to live over again just so you can soak up its goodness a little more. And think of it. When we live one of these incredibly good days, we still haven’t seen anything like what we will experience in the age to come, when we are completely open and love flows without restriction. God is good!

Highlight #1: Praying with the orphanage leaders. David Jones and I have held a daily Bible study for the leaders of the boys’ and girls’ home. This morning our team gathered, and we spent about 20 minutes praying over the five leaders (Zach, Fritz, Marval, Erta, and Navy). It means a lot to them to receive ministry from missionary teams. The focus of everyone’s attention is the kids, as it should be. That made it even more gratifying to bless the leaders with prayer.

Highlight #2: The Beck boys. It has been amazing to watch Spencer and Nathaniel mix with the kids here. When you think about it, it is not all that common for kids to come here on a mission team. So when the orphanage kids saw that there were a couple of boys along, they welcomed the boys very warmly. Spencer and Nathaniel have both mixed in seamlessly with the kids. The girls especially like Nathaniel because he is crazy and makes them laugh. I think Nathaniel is even more crazy than Adeline, who is known to be gwo fou (really goofy). Today Spencer and Nathaniel took part in the Jonah skit for the feeding program. Spencer even played the starring role of Jonah. The boys seem to be loving it here.

Highlight #3: The students became the teachers. I had the privilege of leading the Bible study for the older kids this afternoon. A few of the kids were helping with the feeding program, so they could not attend the Bible study. BTW, I am very happy for the ownership the older kids are taking in the feeding program. Two of the girls who are especially dear to me, Isguerda and Cherley, have become feeding program regulars. I have this fatherly pride kind of feeling toward those two. Well, anyway, they wandered over to say hi after the feeding program and Bible study were finished. One of the boys who had been in the study, Willie B, was standing with me. When the girls asked what we had talked about, I turned to Willie B and said, “Hey, can you explain the lesson to them?” I had used an illustration that involved small espresso cups. One was empty to signify the person who is without God. The other was full of water to represent how God fills us with his Spirit. Willie explained it very clearly, which made my teacher’s heart skip a beat. But the best was yet to come. Willie wandered off, and the girls stayed around because they wanted to talk for a while. Whenever anyone new walked over to us, I had one of the girls explain the lesson. They taught the lesson to perfection! Isguerda taught in Creole to one of the kids. Cherley was our English-speaking teacher. She even taught the lesson to Susan! She would say, “There are two cups, one empty and one full. The empty cup stands for the person who does not have God in his life. The full cup stands for the person who has God in his life and is filled with God’s Spirit. Also, because God’s Spirit lives inside of us, God can speak to us in our hearts and give us good thoughts and ideas of good things to do for people.” And then she would smile with a mixture of embarrassment and pride. I don’t know if I have ever been so happy doing Christian ministry as I was this afternoon.

Highlight #4: Solomon and coconuts. With help from Morgan and David, this evening I led a Bible study for the older boys on the rooftop of the guest house. We talked for close to an hour about the life of Solomon and ended by contrasting the excesses of King Solomon with the humility of King Jesus. The discussion was fruitful and seemed to break some new ground for some of the boys. But again, the best was yet to come. After the study ended, four of the boys stayed behind to talk a little more with Morgan, David, and me. Patrick (who had graciously served as interpreter for the study) extracted four ripe coconuts from the two trees by the back porch of the guest house, and when someone retrieved a butcher knife from the kitchen, Patrick cut open the coconuts. My kids and Ari were also there. The bunch of us shared laughs and feasted on fresh coconut milk and meat. It was one of the coolest things I have ever stumbled into!

If the trip gets any better, I don’t know what I am going to do. There are a few dozen more stories I could tell of teammates doing selfless things for others. Isn’t it wonderful that God’s kingdom consists of love and restoration and the very best stuff of life!

Pics from today

2009-11-25T19:47:00.001-08:00

42haiti-8776
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

feeding program, skits, bible studies, painting, fixing computers, prayer for staff and just hanging out...

a few pics from today

2009-11-25T16:04:00.001-08:00

4haiti-8822
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

What made my day yesterday and today (from Dave Beck)

2009-11-24T19:52:00.000-08:00

I didn't blog last night because in the time we have available for blogging and such, a "God thing" happened. I was sitting on the back porch talking with Morgan Keach and David Jones about life and Haiti and God. About 10:00, Markenson, one of the orphanage graduates and and currently a Maison de Lumiere employee, walked by with his bedding to go sleep up on the roof. (The flat roof of the guest house is a very desireable place to sleep when it is so hot.) As soon as Markenson passed us, a little voice in my head said, "Pray for him." That little voice is a good one to follow.

A couple minutes later, David, Morgan, and I were on the roof with Markenson and his friend Robinson, the night security guard. With the cool evening breeze drifting over us, we gathered around Markenson, placing our hands on his back and praying quietly for him. Markenson aspires to be a pastor, but he lacks the means to go to Bible school. We found ourselves praying for his future, growing in confidence that he will indeed preach the gospel as he desires.

Not wanting Robinson to be left out, we asked if we could pray for him too. He replied, "Yes. Mesi" (thanks). He laid his shotgun on the ground in front of him. The barrel happened to be pointing at my feet, which made me a little uneasy. But again God spoke to us about Robinson as we prayed for him. God has dreams for us, and as we pray for people God often shares his dreams with us. In essence, we prayed that Robinson would live up to the potential God sees in him -- a future that can include being a security guard but is far beyond just being a security guard.

Those were the 15 minutes that made my day yesterday. Out of the blue, God invited us to participate in his work in the lives of Markenson and Robinson. Since we don't speak much Creole and they speak almost no English, prayer was the best way for us to bless them. You don't need to know the same language to build someone up through prayer.

Today I did normal weekday things -- walked the kids home from school, had a Bible study with orphanage leaders, played with the kids, and hung out with teammates. Tonight we got the added treat of celebrating the birthday of Erta, one of our very dear friends here at MDL. What a blast! Because Erta is a caretaker of the girls, they joined our team for the party. It was crazy. When they sing "happy birthday," you would think it is the last party before the world self-destructs.

At the party, I spent a few minutes talking with Cherley, one of the teenage girls who has become a precious friend. She wants to be a doctor someday. Aspirations like this are not all that common here, so I was very impressed. I asked her how she decided to become a doctor. "Because there are a lot of sick people in Haiti, and even if I can't help them all, I can at least help some of them." I replied, "You can bring them Jesus, and you can bring them medicine. You can help their souls and their bodies. What a doctor you will be!" Today Cherley made my day. I am deeply happy to see the kinds of things going on in her life -- she is first in her class in school, she is learning English at a tremendous pace, she has long been known for her servant's heart, and she has big plans for the future. Please pray a blessing for Cherley. That would make my day too.

posted some more pics

2009-11-24T19:13:00.001-08:00

3rd3haiti-8211
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157622569340017/

my wife

2009-11-23T18:55:00.000-08:00

is also blogging http://aliciatheexperience.blogspot.com/2009/11/first-days-in-haiti.html

another blog

2009-11-23T18:52:00.001-08:00

on our trip from another team member: http://tdavidbeck.blogspot.com

KHC Haiti Team Blog

[***SPAM***] New Bell & Ross Tourbillon collection

Good shoes good prices

Sparkle like the stars

Fundraisers for Haiti

Prayer for Haiti

Worship and Prayer for Haiti

haiti quake info

Spring 2010 Trip

Child Hope International 2010 Calendar

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

"Love tastes like rice and beans" (posted by Dave Beck)

priyee

Dillickson and Mylin (posted by Dave Beck)

Cups

Ravine Feeding

Thursday (Thanksgiving) and Friday

thanksgiving

A seriously great day (Dave Beck)

Pics from today

a few pics from today

What made my day yesterday and today (from Dave Beck)

posted some more pics

my wife

another blog

[SPAM] New Bell & Ross Tourbillon collection