Month: May 2013

I awoke to the same sounds that always awake me in Haiti. Last night I was presented the task of making a decision. I guess that’s one of the perks for being the “leader”. Since we were in a private plane we had the flexibility to do what we want. With that said some of the guys were willing to cut the trip short so we could get on back. The decision was left up to me that if there was nothing pressing then let’s head back but if stuff needed to be done then we stay. I did have a few things to do but it was nothing that Harry could not take care of. So I submitted to the wishes and made plans to cut out of here a day early.. We first took a quick flight over the mountains to Jacmel where one day we will be doing some outreach ministry. It’s a beautiful place and always a treat to visit. It only took us ten minutes to get there by plane. It usually takes us two and a half hours to get there by public transportation. We headed back to Port to do the paper work to get out of Dodge. I went over some last minute instructions for Harry and left it all in his hands. He is totally dependable and we have no worries with him. This was an incredibly short trip but I did accomplish for the most part what I set out to do. And that was to introduce Beachside Community Church, Fort Walton Beach, FL. to the Evangelical Baptist School of Trinity in hopes of casting our net further out to reach new and more partners. As Harry always says,”God knows”. Another great thing that happened was that Pilot Steve Merritt had gotten twenty seven refurbished lap tops from Capital One and gave us ten for the school. The other seventeen went somewhere else in Haiti. So big, big props to Bahamas Habitat. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. It was a good trip fruitful trip.

Kenny
GMSM

Harry and I getting ready to board the Aztec headed to Jacmel.

The Jacmel airport.

The beaches of Jacmel.

The mountains from the air going south to the coast.

Harry the co- pilot. Yeah right !

After a great meal and a good nights sleep at the guest house, we woke up to the usual sounds of roosters, dogs, goats or whatever happened to be hanging out beyond the walls of Mon Chez Moi. I gathered the troops for todays mission. Harry and Rony the taptap driver came and took us to the school. This was a special day because as I said in an earlier blog this is a trip that was about two years in the making. Today Shaun will see the school and the things that the Lord has allowed us to do. Once we got to the school the crew met the teachers and the staff. We were greeted with welcome songs from the kids and these guys got to see the school in full operation from classes, P.E. to lunch and then back to classes. After a few hours we took the team over to the construction site of Harrys house. The roof was put on it last month and we are inching closer to a complete project. All we lack is finishing and money to finish it. From there we grabbed some grub at a local hole in the wall and headed back to the guest house. Tomorrow will be a new day and we may be headed to the Jacmel on the south coast. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Kenny
GMSM

P.E. Students can’t live by work alone.

Washing their hands before lunch.

The lunch line.

Giving thanks while the class clown looks on.

hard to learn when your stomach is flat. Lunchtime.

The lunch ladies preparing lunch for the kids. As you can see we are still cooking outside. Please pray that one day we would have a small kitchen so prepare the lunches. It will cost around $6000.00 to construct using Haitian labor and bosses. I’m just saying………

Larry, Steve, Shaun and Pastor Harry stand in front of the school.

The new roof on Harrys house.

A big praise from God whom all blessings flow. We made it to Haiti via Eleuthera in the twin engine Aztec in one piece. I really did not think we wouldn’t. It was an incredible journey and I am really stoked to have been able to take this trek with these guys. It’s probably not for the faint of heart but I totally dug it. There were times that I felt fairly vulnerable. The day started with breakfast at the camp and we got to see the teams assemble for their duties of the day. Seems that the Bahamas Methodist Habitat is mainly a construction mission that ministers to the island through home repairs. They have other things happening but that seems to be the main focus which is something I can totally relate to. From there we took the plane to the north side of the island for fuel. While the plane was getting juiced up we took a cab and a boat to a community to see the children’s home and a church built by some local women. Both were very impressive to say the least. We back tracked to the plane, took off and headed to Haiti. What an awesome flight to say the least. This would not be everyone’s cup of tea but for me I see great possibilities for GMSM with this. Once we got to Haiti and did all the stuff you gotta do with private planes, we headed to my home away from home, MonChez Moi guest house. Harry was there waiting on us with his usual smile and all is well. We had a fabulous meal, as always and I think the crew is stoked so far. Tomorrow we check out the school and Harrys house project. I can’t wait to see the new roof.

Kenny
GMSM

This is a trip that is about two years in the making. As we move forward in the adventures set before us it is exciting to see how God puts pieces of the puzzle together. For the longest time Shaun Ellis and I have tried to get to Haiti. The dots have finally been connected. Shaun who is the lead pastor at Beachside Community Church and one of his staff, Larry Holmes has joined GMSM on a trip down to the school so they can see the students, teachers and the progress we’ve made the past two years. We also have a gentleman whose name is Steve from North Carolina. He is a pilot and has a mission called Bahama Habitat. They have flown many missions to the Bahamas and Haiti since the earth quake. They have several private planes that serve both areas. He is also connected with a mission in Eleuthera , Bahamas called Bahama Methodist Habitat. This is where we will spend the night on the first leg of our trip. The aviation mission group has donated a 6 passenger, twin engine plane to Beachside to use between Haiti and Mexico. So GMSM gets to do the shake down flight. Wow what a flight it was. We left Destin airport and topped off fuel in Orlando and then flew straight to Eleuthera. Once we landed in Eleuthera we parked the plane and went through customs. Steve drove us around a little bit and then we went to the mission to settle in. I’ve always wanted to go to Eleuthera and here I am. The surf is good on this island during the winter time. When we get up we will go to North Eleuthera to fuel up, visit a children’s home and then head on over to Haiti. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Kenny
GMSM

The crew Kenny, Shaun, Larry and Steve.

Bahama beauty.