PACKING MEALS FOR HAITI!!

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELPED!

There were several people that came out to help and several meals were packed! Alex and I went as part of our dates Friday night and then had a blast with our "Hotter than Haiti" Team (most of the group that went to Haiti) on Saturday morning! We assisted in several boxes getting packed and sent! But what an effort of NWA!

The Goal was 2 Millions which was just set to smash the current record of how many meals packed with in 24 hours in one city (which was 1.2 Million in Kansas City). We thought it was a pretty cool goal bc the population for Port Au Prince is 2.2 Million.

The End Result was 1.47 Million!!! Not quite the goal but still impressive & A NEW RECORD!!!

We also asked how and when this food will be handed out. Our concern, as the team, was there was so much money given to the Red Cross and while we were down in Haiti, we saw one container with the Red Cross on it and that was it. No people or relief effort (at least within the city while we were there). So we found out within 5 days these packed meals will be in the hands of Haitians that need them through the Salvation Army. They have their own ship that ships them down to their own port where they know people down there so they can give these directly to the people, not the local soldiers or anyone who might sell the meals instead!

So thanks again to everyone that had a Hand in this! You are blessed for your time!!!

HAITI

It was this time last week we were in route to Port Au Prince, Haiti, to work with Thirst No More Organization. Our team met at XNA at 4:30AM to check-in on Friday, June 11th. By the way there are more at the airport than you would expect that early in the morning. For our group of 10 people we checked 17 bags plus a guitar, each bag just barely making the limited 50 lbs/bag (one was 49.2 lb)! That is alot of supplies that people were generous to donate. We were able to take anything from medication to clothing to diapers, toys, tools and tasty treats.

The flight from XNA to DFW was quiet since everyone was a sleep and then from DFW to Miami was longer but Miami was our challenge when an two of our people were told to check their carry-on's in DFW and were told they could get them right off the plane in Miami. However when we got their they had to go to baggage claim, then back through security and then back to our gate; all in 45 minutes. God took care of it though because when we got on the plane we were delayed for 1.5hrs due to weather and a passanger's "health". So there was plenty of time, one way or another :-).

Eventually we landed in Port Au Prince. It was amazing how everyone was talkative on the flight but as we came in for landing the whole plane was silent. We went through customs in a warehouse looking building and 1 hour later we were at our destination: Thirst No More House in the mountain side. It was a humbling drive when one of the first things we see are tent right outside the airport. And then there are tent cities every where you turn. You see piles of rubble everywhere and amazing to see where the earthquake effected right next to where the earthquake didn't touch.

That first night we all crashed pretty early do to have been traveling for over 12 hours at that point. The sun rose at 4:45AM and we were out the door at 9AM. We round in the back of a truck through Port Au Prince and about 2 hours later we arrive at Cabaret, Haiti. This is where we built the house for the week. We were going to start on this day but due to the lumber store having "personal issues". So like any mission trip we improvised. Instead we saw what the house would look like (a team built one the week before) and then play with a bunch of kiddos! They were so fun and wonderful! Their stories are hard, like how some where left their by their parents because they could not afford to provide food for them, and others were harder such as a girl who got there two days before us due to the police finding her wondering the market. When they asked her where parents were, she said they were dead (due to the earthquake). What a blessing that God brought her to this orphanage, one that would love and provide for her as well as show her the love of God. Here are some pictures of this orphanage.

The next day we got to have church on the top of the mountainside at someone's home and then we headed to two other orphanages even further up the mountain. The first one (Sister Dona's) housed about 80 kids who ran up to us when we got there wanting us to hold them, hug them and would not let go of us! It really would grab your heart. We were going to play games with them but the translation was too hard so instead we had someone tell a bible story while we acted out everything. The kids enjoyed the first one but the second story was even better. We had Alex be Goalith and Thomas was David! The kids loved it! Then we made bracelets together and then it was time to leave for the other orphanage. The second one housed about 20 kids and the conditions were not good at all. This place was struggling to make ends meet but all the same, the kids were a joy to play with. We got to color with them, pass out some lolly pops and then some toys and stuffed animals! They loved it and it was fun to see the kids eyes light up finally there at the end.

The next couple of days, the guys were able to work on the house for a single mother of 5 boys who were living in a small tent. This house had a door she could close and windows to close so there is no worry if her home will be there when she returns. A home! We got to visit all three ophranages again doing something different with all of them. We passed out clothes and goodie bags with personal hygeine products. We were able to give one orphanage 1,600 diapers. We gave out peanut butter to the kids one day and did more bracelets, bible stories and then songs (in english and creole). But mostly we loved on the people there and let the Spirit lead us each day of what we were to do.

The kicker for me is as much as we did, sweated and accomplished for the Kingdom of God, there is still tons more to do. WE didn't even get to a tent City (lack of time) but the tent cities alone have a long journey ahead. Currently they are leading people to Christ by the 1,000's but now that all of these Haitians has received the Lord, now what. They need guidance and discipleship in order to learn how to have a relationship with Christ and they need fellowship with fellow believer for encouragement and restorations. So the next thing Thirst No More is working is establishing churches within the tent cities and then hoping to set up discipleship programs within those churches.

This is a miracle for people of God to be working toward something like this for a country that was founded and ran on the foundation of Voodooism (Worshipping the Devil and dedicating their country to Satan!) What a transformation of where they are letting the Pastors be the main source of authority, turning to God for answers!!!!

Then there are the orphans. They need the love and provision. They need to be shown the love of God where they have lost their families and for some, even more. That there are some people who take advantage of these children who can not defend themselves. It was amazing how the devotion we used as a team for the week would give us scripture that pertained to each day and one day was the passage in Matthew talking about taking care of the orphans and the widows. How we are to take care of those who can not take care of themselves. We couldn't love on all of the children as much as we longed to and as much as we knew they needed it.

Thank you all for your prayers for the team and the support. You being apart of our team like that, was a huge need and was felt the who time. We was in awe when we would see how God truly divinely inspired a team that worked together as one body, sent us with the prefect supplies to do what we did and protected us from the Spiritual battle Satan tried but failed to force upon us! Rejoice with us for what God has answered and continues to answer for the country of Haiti! Continue to fight for them in the Name of God! Your prayers are always a need.

Speaking of NEEDS-

There is a Packing for Haiti starting tonight at 7PM going through to 7PM on Saturday (June 26th) at Basketball Stadium. If you can sacrifice even an hour to pack meals it would be a great help. You can just show up and they will put you to work!

And to close here are some more pictures from the rest of the trip and then pictures from down town were the most damage was. It was interesting when the Haitians told us that where the most damage was, that was where the most corrupt businesses/officials/cathedrals stood. Including their government palace where the president of Haiti declared Voodoo as the foundation of their country and could never be defeated back in 2006. HOW BIG & STRONG & MIGHTY IS OUR GOD!!!