Day 1 by Tim Peterson

Ok. We have no idea where to start. To say it has been a roller coaster ride already would be an understanding. We arrived in Haiti a hour late last night. Not bad really. We found 14 of our totes right away but had to wait some length of time to find the last 4. As usual it was pretty chaotic. As went to go out through customs, they stopped us. First time ever. The first tote that they looked at had meds in it. Based on that they felt that they needed to look at all 18. They informed me that we had to leave our 4 totes of meds behind, but that we could have the others and for me to just leave. Well that didn't happen. Everyone else went out and Dan and I stayed with the 4 med totes. At one point they even tried to wheel them away and I wouldn't let them. We were finally able to get a couple of people from NVM in with us. After some haggling and with Dan and I being lighter some cash. $80.00. We were able to take our totes. I was sure at the beginning they wanted money, but I didn't want to set a precedent that would cause NVM a problem down the road. Apparently the rules have changed in the last couple of weeks.

We arrived at campus and had a quick supper. Following that we spent the evenings getting our totes put together so we could go out and do medical clinics today. Everyone slept well. Some of us even got a beautiful run in this a.m. After breakfast, we packed up and got ready to head to Onnavile. As we were approaching the gate to leave E'tienne came running toward the truck telling us to stop. She reported that one of the Haitian's was sick and that we needed to come. Dan and I ran to the tent where the Haitian workers here on campus stay. When we arrived we found one of the Haitians that we know had a seizure in the night and had died. Wow. Talk about a change in emotions. Needless to say going to camp was cancelled as there was alot to be dealt with. We ended up spending the day fixing lunch for everyone and doing odd jobs to help the staff. Everyone found out right away how to be FAT in Haiti. Flexible, Adaptable and Teachable.

This afternoon we walked into Chambrun and spent some time playing with the kids. As we played with Baby Rose and Davidson and we were reminded that in the midst of sorrow God still performs miracles. It really is a reflection of Haiti, life begins and life ends. The quake brought an end to a lot of things in Haiti but new life and new plans as well. We were reminded again that without the quake we probably would not be here. Only God understands the plans He has. There is much more to tell you as we have seen wonderful improvements but we will save that for another post. Please continue to pray.

By Matt Werner/Times Sentinel reporter

Reposted from Zionsville Times Sentinel

February 22, 2012

— As thousands of high school and college students across the country head to warmer climates for spring break to relax and unwind, one group of students from Zionsville Community High School is also heading someplace warmer. However, their goal is to provide fun for others.

A group of 11 students and two faculty members will make a trip to Haiti to put on soccer clinics and build a soccer club.

The idea came from sophomore Madi Mann, who made a trip to Haiti while she was in eighth grade.

“I went down in eighth grade to do a soccer camp,” she said. “It wasn’t a ton of fun since I was in a cast, and I’ve always wanted to go back.”

The group is partnering with Nehemiah Vision Ministries, which serves 450 orphans with a school, hospital, dental clinic and dorms.

According to David Poindexter, co-director of (I’m In) CoachingBest, who is organizing the trip, the group will also have a medical team from Seymour that will travel with them.

“We’re just there to serve,” he said. “There’s still half a million people there living under tarps. We want to serve, but we also want to build into them leadership skills.”

People in the group did not hesitate to use their spring break to make the trip.

“I felt like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Isabelle Dagher said. “We are going to have spring breaks in the future. Why not do (this) now when we have other people planning it for us, and we have open spring breaks.”

Julia Kowala said she was going because it is an opportunity to make a difference in a different part of the world.

Kelly Antcliff, athletic director at Zionsville Middle School and Zionsville West Middle School, will be one of two staff members going on the trip.

“I went to New Orleans last year on spring break to do a similar project,” she said. “I wanted an equally rewarding opportunity on this spring break, and this sounded like a great opportunity.”

The thought of traveling to a different country did not scare anyone in the group, but a few are worried about one thing.

“I just don’t want to get sick,” Kowala said. “I’m not nervous about anything else. I want to help people, but I just don’t want to get sick. I never thought about safety much.”

The group is excited about going to a different country and the opportunities that brings.

“It’s something we’ll be able to share with all of our friends,” Ginna Royalty said. “I have an aunt who is going there in a few months, and it’ll be cool sharing my experiences with her.”

The ZCHS team will be leading soccer camps, rebuilding a soccer field, installing a water purification system and teaching in the school.

“We are there to help the kids,” Mann said. “We want to give the kids some sort of hope.”

Poindexter said they will also be shipping down eight soccer goals after their trip.

“We are starting a program that we are leaving something substantial behind,” he said. “We will be able to set up another club. When you set up a set of (soccer) goals in an area like this, that becomes the town center.”

The group will receive a community commission during a ceremony from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 26.

The community commissioning ceremony will be held at Plum’s Upper Room, 112 S. Main St. The team will be commissioned by the athletic teams, the school, the community and the country.

Chris Malott and Ben Glenn, the world renowned Chalk Guy, will be guest speakers. All are invited to attend. The ceremony is similar to how each military ship in the United States are commissioned before setting sail.

Poindexter said the group is raising money to help cover their costs and the cost of the water purification system. Contact David Poindexter at 506-3114 or dpoindexter4@gmail.com to make a donation for the trip or for more information about the ceremony.

Students and staff from Zionsville Community Schools will spend their spring break in Haiti providing a special service. Two staff members and 11 students will be making the trip. Volunteers include: (front left) Kristen Duffey, Julia Kowala, Ginna Royalty, Lizzy Follstad; (back left) Emily Follstad, Claire Poindexter, Anne Poindexter, Isabelle Dagher, Madi Mann and ZCHS football coach Larry McWhorter. Not pictured are Kelly Antcliff, athletic director at Zionsville Middle School and Zionsville West Middle School; David Poindexter, co-director of (I’m In) CoachingBest; students Carson Kennedy and Lauren Judd.

Posted by Jim & Cheryl Warner, GAiN USA Missionaries: 21 Feb 2012 06:54 AM PST

We have a number of US teams on the NVM compound this week. One of the teams includes a number of teenagers. They have been a real blessing to us all. And yesterday they “gave it a go” at learning a new skill – producing crafts.

If you have been reading our posts you are aware that Cheryl is working with Haitian ladies, teaching them new craft skills. This week, the young people thought it would be good for them to gain a greater appreciation for what the ladies are doing by learning themselves.  They did a great job! Check out the photos.

We pray that the Lord blesses these teens as they return home.

Jim, Cheryl and the Girls

by Tim & Cindy Peterson, ABC Team Leaders

I wish I could take credit for writing the following, but I cannot. A friend of mine sent me this from a friend of hers after serving in a Cholera medical clinic this past year. Each time I read over these words, tears fill my eyes as I remember all the difficult situations over my time in Haiti. - Aubree

1 Corinthians 13

If I speak in the languages of Creole, French, Spanish, and English,
but have not love,

I am only an arrogant, blaring bus horn on a bumpy, rutted Haitian road.

If I have the gift of medical knowledge and expertise and can diagnose malaria, typhoid, and cholera; know the dosages of all drugs; and can treat HTN, scabies, lung infections, diarrhea, rashes, and malnutrition,

but have not love,

I have offered very little healing to my truly needy patients.

If I have the capacity to suture lacerations, drain abscesses, and start IVs,
but have not love,

I am worth less than one gourde, or one Haitian dollar.

If I give all of my time and efforts to treat poor and sick Haitians, but do not show them the true Healer due to fear or time constraints, then little is gained from the experience.

Love is patient when the man has multiple, longstanding and complicated medical complaints, with 180 more ill patients waiting on the bench;

It listens compassionately to the fears and concerns of the mother of a sick child;

It causes all team members to abandon their “roles” and help with a medical emergency situation, being teachable and flexible and learning from each other;

It does not act haughty or proud or better than the local staff, who do this job every day;

It forgives words and actions during a stressful time and supports other members of the team;

It does not complain about the peanut butter sandwiches, or that someone else took the last Coke or Malta from the cooler; it works when the generator is off, despite the stifling heat and lack of good lighting, when eyes burn from the sweat pouring into them,

when it seems the day is never-ending.

Love does not delight in the evil and sickness that abounds in Haiti,

But it always rejoices that our God is ABLE TO OVERCOME;

It protects the vulnerable, malnourished, and abused, prays for them, offers them hope,

and helps find them practical resources;

It trusts that our Father will provide safety for ALL of His children, despite the potential for violence and injury, manifestations and poor road conditions, lack of adequate nutrition, shelter,
clean water, and unprotected living arrangements;

It believes that conditions will improve in Haiti, that more will be drawn to Him;

It perseveres in coming back another day, on another trip!

LOVE NEVER FAILS.

But where there are food and shelter programs, those will cease;
Where there are nearby medical facilities run by NGOs, those will close;
Where there is humanitarian relief, it is temporary.

But these three remain in Haiti:

Faith, Hope, and Love

And the greatest of these is LOVE.

By: Debi Lammert

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I could not have written this any better.

by Brandon & Katie Hutchens, NVM Missionaries

We have been living in Haiti now for almost 4mths. People often ask us what a typical day here looks like, which is a hard question to answer, one that we are still figuring out, haha. Things are always changing in Haiti and here on campus between the people (teams/visitors/workers are always coming and going) and the projects (some change, are completed, or new ones arise) each day and/or week can be so different. Currently, our days begin with getting Fifi (who is now living with us) ready for school and end with putting her to bed, then maybe visiting with each other or others for a little bit before we head to bed. The inbetween is what varies, depending on what’s going on around here.

Brandon is always working on coordinating drivers, teams, or projects when he isn’t anwswering emails, managing the interns here or working on a problem that may have come up that day (such as a generator not working (which is our main source of power), a water pump issue, or a vehicle not working etc…)

My days can consist of planning out meals for between 40-150 people (depending on who is on campus at the time), making grociery lists for those meals, shopping for the grocieries, filling out expense reports for purchases that week (month), cooking and working with the ladies in the kitchen, answering emails, helping Brandon or others out on different projects or needs, helping Fifi with her homework (en francais! :)), and/or visiting with our neighbors down the road. I always try to make time to get down to the village to visit with our new friends! I am also trying to help out with the NVM Sponsorship program, but haven’t been able to focus on that as much yet. Those are some examples of what we do here each day. Oh, and blogging is another one…obviously :)

Never a dull moment here that is for sure! :)

by Jim & Cheryl Warner, GAiN USA Missionaries

Most of us take our food and clothing for granted.  Our closets and cupboards are full to overflowing. However, a large percentage of the people in the world do not have that luxury and wonder how God will provide their next meal. Many of our friends living in Chambrun, just 1/2 mile from the NVM compound, are in that category. From time to time it is our privilege to serve them by helping them with their basic needs. This past Sunday was one of those occasions.

Most of the members of the church on the NVM compound live in Chambrun. Unannounced, we distributed food and clothing to everyone who came to church. Even each child received a bag. The adults received a bag of rice and beans and a bag of clothing. These goods were provided by Global Aid Network and by other friends of the ministry.  Here is a look at what happened on Sunday through the lens of my camera.

Thank you for your kind and generous support of our ministry – both through your financial gifts and most importantly your prayers. They mean so very much to us and make our ministry possible. You are making a difference!

by Aubree Dell, NVM Nurse

This past week I found myself sitting on a dirt floor, in a hot, crowded home. Brooke and I thought we would just run into the village to drop little Davidson off for the night and come right back. We stopped by our pregnant friend Bernardia’s house and quickly realized something was going on. Our gang of children that usually run and play with us were standing outside the house and a group of boys were peeking in the windows anxiously waiting.

We were quickly escorted into the one bedroom home and found Bernardia, sitting on a donkey saddle with a midwife at her feet. “Is the baby coming?!?!” we eargerly asked. With a tired sigh, we quickly learned that Bernardia had been in labor since last night. After watching her push for a while, they asked me to pray. I began praying and could here the whispers of others praying with me.

Still no baby.

As time passed our experience became more and more interesting. I of course was down with the midwife ready to catch and get my hands involved in some way. When contractions would come mom would push, and you could see part of baby’s head, but he was not descending, enough detail? :D

As a result, Grandma decided she would get involved. She “coached” my dear friend by yelling at her telling her she could not scream, but force that scream inward and push. Grandma then proceeded to jump on top of B’s thigh, pinch as hard as she could, while slapping even harder. I was nervous her leg would break before the baby was even born.

Still no baby.

Then the midwife’s turn came. She first started singing, which turned to chanting, and a lot of slapping the belly... maybe to stimulate more contractions? I am not sure, but it was at that point I turned to Brooke and she said, “Remind me to never have a baby in Haiti.” After bouncing the baby all around and chanting at it to come out, there was a pause.

Still, no baby.

The atmosphere then started to change as grandma decided if God was not going to help, how about satan. Grandma then went out and came back with some special oils and perfumes that are suppose to help. No such luck. She then took a dirty shoe, tapped the top of the tummy, both sides, and the bottom, then drastically dropped it on the floor under mom.

Still no baby.

We were all getting a little antsy and to be honest I tried not to laugh at some of the Voodoo practices that were going on. They then brought in special drinks and teas for mom to drink. Still no such luck. Next they brought in a hot, large rock and made her sit on it and push. OWWW....

Nothing was working and so grandma decided it was time to light a candle and invite satan and other spirits into the house to protect the baby and help it come out. She took a candle and dripped hot wax down the center of mom’s stomach, which I had seen before, and then placed the candle on the dirt floor standing up right. I began to pray God would not let any evil enter into this house, and I knew I was safe because I had the power of Christ in me.

We waited longer and then mom decided to take a walk. She walked around for a while and debated going to the hospital. She really did not want to go, but everyone else really urged her to go. A lot of men started to come into the house and start to prepare for something? Probably a VooDoo service to “help” mom. It was way past dark and we thought we should get going before it got even weirder. As we were leaving we saw two men walk into the house with burning coals on the end of two sticks. I stood and watched as they poured water over the sticks and closed the door. I turned away and went home.

Early the next morning we all got up to go see Bernardia. We found her now laying on a bed with no baby! She was exhausted from her two nights of no sleep and working hard. I told her I would pray while I worked that she would deliver. I returned to the clinic and got busy. I looked at the clock and it was 11 and I had forgotten to pray that morning. I prayed then that she would deliver with no problems and both mom and baby would remain healthy.

Later on we went down to the village and sure enough a beautiful baby boy was lying next to proud mom on the bed. She had a huge smile on her tired face. We were all so excited and congratulated mom! I asked her what time he was born and she said a few minutes after 11 o’clock. I thought how cool is that. It could be coincidence, but I think it was much more than that.

I held the new baby, that was not yet named, although Brooke thinks he should be “ti Brooke” (little Brooke) and thought about how fragile life can be. I am standing in a remote village, in a dessert, in a one room mud hut, celebrating life with a family that is so excited. And at the same time another family I know is standing in a hospital in Miami mourning the loss of a young gentleman that had just stood in that same village the day before this little guy was born.

My heart does not quite know how to react. Am I sad or am I happy?, do I celebrate or cry? I suppose Jesus said it best in Romans when He said, “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” I am excited to see where God will take this little boy, and who he will be when he grows up. Bernardia asked Etienne today if she could sit by us if she starts coming to church. Ecstatic, she said YES and next Sunday we will have a new baby to hold.

A little update on Davidson. I want to thank you all for your prayers. God quickly answered them and Davidson was in the clinic the day after I posted my blog. He has now eaten a special concoction for a week and is miraculously healing. He no longer has pitting edema in his legs or arms. His face is still swollen but decreasing. His skin is no longer sloughing off, but healed. We will see how he does this week and what the next steps should be for him.

Thanks again for your prayers!

by Jim & Cheryl Warner, GAiN USA Missionaries

One of the IDP camps of 230,000 people is called Onaville.  It has been on my heart since we arrived here in Haiti.  These people have experienced so much pain in their lives. 

Today, I had the blessing to be with 30 wonderful ladies that live in this displacement camp.  I heard their heart wrenching stories of how they survived the earthquake and how so many of them lost their loved ones.

One young lady, Jemisca , lost every member of her family – she is the only member left.  The home she was in came down around her and all her family.  She shared her story with tears in her eyes.

Another woman named Aline, gave her heart to Jesus because of the heart wrenching pain she has gone through- she said she had no one else to turn to.  She has rebuilt her life and now lives in a tent and is going to have a baby in May.

My passion is to build hope into these ladies lives – to leave them with hope for a better future and a skill that can help provide an income for their families.  I am teaching them to hand sew baskets.  They are beautiful, colorful baskets that have many uses and are sold to the many teams that come to Haiti.  The fabric that has been donated by GAiN has been a wonderful blessing to these ladies.

Regine is my interpreter here in Haiti – she is my voice as I still don’t know the language well enough to speak to a group.  She is a young Haitian woman who loves the Lord.  She has been a wonderful blessing to our ministry here in Haiti. She is standing with me below holding two of the baskets.

Our daughters Jamie and Janessa were also along to spend some time with a couple of the younger participants. There are always babies to hold in Haiti.

We ask you all to pray for these wonderful ladies and their families. Also pray that by learning this new skill they will be able to better provide for their families.

posted by: Jim Warner, GAiN USA Missionary

Since the earthquake in Haiti GAiN has shipped over 60 containers of aid. Many of these containers contained food. Well, a food container arrived a few days ago. GAiN partners with Feed My Starving Children to ship dehydrated and enriched meals all over the world. Each container will hold over a quarter million meals and will bless many. These meals will be used to feed people in a wide variety of situations.  The need is great here and many are hungry. Below you will see photos of the meals being unloaded and stored.

Please pray that God will direct NVM to distribute these meals to those in greatest need. And thank you for your continued prayers for our ministry in Haiti.