Mission Blog

I gotta admit that this is and will be a tough trip. It’s the first trip down to Haiti since Dad passed away. We always talked about my adventures before I would leave and when I got back. He was always so supportive of GMSM and made sure that he let anyone in an earshot know what we were doing.

My trip started out in NYC where I stayed with my good friends Dr. Deborah Ottenheimer and her family. What a treat it is to see her. She has also been a great inspiration to our vision in Haiti. Her husband Herb and son were a hoot to be around. I had about a 3/4’s of a day to kill so we made the beat of it. Small price to pay for using frequent flyer miles. I hope and pray that someone out there will bless us with more miles, it really does help the budget and allows us to stay fresh down here which is 100% crucial to what we are doing.

I left NYC around 8:30am and got in PAP Haiti around 12:15. Wow much to my surprise they have finally finished the new arrival portion of the airport with new carousels and all. Very strange for something to be so easy in this country as this was to dismount the airplane and gather your chum and get on your way.

Harry was right there as always and we greeted each other with some sorrow and happiness. He really loved my dad. They were able to hang out several times and they shared the kindred spirit of farming so besides me they shared a great connection. Harry was so sad about the passing of my father. The last time I was down ( early October ) we were mourning the loss of Harry’s mother. So it was a little somber to say the least.

Anyway we hit the ground running which is easy when traveling alone. I am in my element when I can just sit on GO and be ready to roll at a moments notice. The first thing we did was get in touch with a mission organization called Help for Haiti out of Lake Worth, FL. We have reestablished our connection with Feed My Starving Children, a food ministry from Minnesota that used to help us in Mexico. They hooked us up with Sandra Koch who is the director of Help for Haiti. Through her we were able to secure 60 boxes of FMSC food. All we had to do was pay for the shipping. We got 12,900 meals for about .23 cents each. This will help to start a food distribution ministry out of the school and church.

What a blessing it will be to not only feed the word and academics to these kids but also send them home with some food for their bellies. Sandra is a very nice lady and I think this will be a great partnership. She already has the container shipping down to a science so for the mean time we just piggyback with her. She has already invented the wheel. We certainly do not need to try and reinvent it. God really does look after his own. Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Kenny
GMSM

This trip is built around the fact that we had some food delivered from Feed My Starving Children to Haiti. Continue reading “Haiti Mission, December 2012”

Nancy and I rose early and we had Sem take us to the airport where Nancy’s journey will take her home. We dropped her off and she navigated herself through all the stops and check points that would eventually take her to the ticket counter. I returned to the guest house to awake Tim. From that point we gathered our chum and got ready for Rony to pick us up and take us to the “bus station” to catch our ride over the mountain to Jacmel.

The ride is breath taking as always and the natural beauty of Haiti is evident at every turn. When we arrived at the the guesthouse in Jacmel we were informed that there was no room in the inn. We had made reservations weeks before and even called yesterday to confirm. Oh well I guess that falls under ” that’s Haiti”. We Hooked up with Jackson our taptap friend on the south coats in went in search of another place. We were successful and found a place right on the beach that is almost as good but cheaper. We are so blessed to be able to stay in a nice place for such a cheap price. I have spent many nights on the ground, tents, rice bags, huts and where ever I can lay my head for the night so this is a treat of treats to be comfortable. Tomorrow will be a new day. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. We had our great breakfast that Lita so faithfully makes for us and got ready for the taptap ride to the church. This would be a special Lords day because neither Nancy or Tim have never had the opportunity to visit a Haitian church service. It is always a blessing to worship FBC Santo 25. Lots of good music and a revved up guest pastor. Amazingly the church service was only about an hour and a half versus the normal two plus hour gig. After the service we ate lunch at a nice place with Harry. The original plan was for his whole family to be there but due to family issues his wife and daughter could not join us. Harrys brother Maurice did come by and it was great to finally meet him. We headed back to the crib and everyone did their Sunday routine, me I just hung out with the guesthouse boys. Tomorrow Nancy flys home and Tim and I head south for part two of the journey.

Today was a somber day. They had the funeral for Harry’s mother early this morning. We stayed at the guesthouse at Harry’s request for reasons that only someone who has spent a lot of time down here can understand. Harry rejoined us around noon and I could tell that he was stressed. He has so much going on and he is being tugged in so many ways.

When he showed up we went up the mountain to the Baptist mission and hung out for a couple of hours. It is beautiful and a really nice place to visit. We came back down to the guesthouse in Tabarre and sent Harry on his way so he could be with his family. He really wanted to spend some time with us for stress release. We just chilled and took advantage of a well deserved lazy afternoon. Tomorrow is church day and it will be a long day. Praise God from all blessings flow.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. A light rain fell last night which cooled things down and kept some of the dust down from the roads. It also made for some good back ground noise while falling to sleep. I did end up with a fairly good night’s sleep.

We had another great breakfast and waited for our trusty driver to pick us up and take us to meet Harry at the school. Upon arriving we were met by my dear friends Deacon and Pastor Nixon from Malential. They had come down the mountain to visit with us. I greeted them and then made my rounds to each class just to say hello. The classes sang welcome songs and made us feel at home and showed us their appreciation for our help.

Afterwards I continued my conversation with Deacon and Nixon as Tim joined in and Nancy prepared for her second session with the teachers. School let out and the teachers assembled ready and eager for Nancy to pour into them. To no surprise it went very well and the teachers really do hang on her every word. These two sessions were so crucial in our effort to reach these students and to help prepare the teachers for excellence.

Deacon and Nixon went their way, the students headed for the house and the teachers went where ever they go to when they leave school. We left and went and grabbed some killer food at a hole in the wall then called it an early day and went back to the guest house for some much needed R& R. We all just chilled for 3 or 4 hours and then we were treated to a great meal from Lita. The three of us sat around the table for about an hour after we ate and basically just cut up and had fun. Tomorrow is the funeral of Harry’s mother. It will be a difficult day for him. So far he has done a great job of hiding his feelings. He is such a great dude and I am so stoked to call him a true friend.

It has been a long two months since I’ve been back down to Haiti. Almost two months between trips. That’s the longest span in over a year. I’ve been blessed to make it down every month or so. That really does keep things fresh. I am excited as always to be coming but I come with a very heavy heart.  Harry’s mother passed away last Friday and it was totally unexpected. Of course I think most deaths are that way.

Harry’s mother was a Christ follower but if I hear one more person tell me “she’s in a better place if she was a Christian,” I’m gonna puke.  Hey we all know that, that’s the promise we are given by God but it does not take away from the fact that death is painful and he and his family will miss her dearly.  Any set back in this country is huge.

We are here this time with Nancy and my good friend Tim. This is a very exciting trip because the first part of the trip will be spent at the school doing some teacher training. Of course Nancy will handle all that stuff and Tim and I will be spectating gofers.

The second part of the trip will be down south to Jacmel and we will spend time at the orphanage and out in the community strengthening relationships. As usual Harry was waiting for us at the airport with all smiles. It’s good to see my brother again. We went to the guest house to settle in. This is Tim’s first time here and Nancy is becoming an old pro at this. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

I bring sad tidings.  Pastor Harry’s mother died this afternoon after battling and unknown illness for the past three days. Harry was not able to tell us what was wrong. He called 4 days ago to make  me aware. I spoke with him several times each day since. I received a text just a few hours ago from Harry stating the his mother had died. Please be in prayer for our friend and ministry partner during this difficult time in the life of his family! As of yet, we have no idea about medical expenses incurred over the past few days. We are looking for financial help for medical and funeral expenses. Any amount will be greatly appreciated.  You may donate online below and comment “Harry’s Mother.”

I leave for Haiti this Wednesday.

Kenny

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