Haiti Outreach 2012

My First Mission Trip

I had been interested in helping abroad for quite some time and researched missions but I could never find anything that was a good fit.  One day, my coworker Julie posted pictures on Facebook of her recent mission trip to Haiti which sparked my interest.  When I asked her about the trip, it turned out everything sounded like what I was looking for at the time.  My goal was to go and photograph another culture.  The organization I went with was Faith Missions International founded by Omaha resident, Dan Jensen.  From 1998-2014, this group led many successful trips and is no longer active.  Dan has now been called to Drawbridge Ministry, encouraging Pastors and Ministry leaders.  He is also working for Kids Against Hunger.      

Our Mission

Our team helped in many ways.  A few of us stayed at an orphanage, while others led a Christian conference at a local church.  There were also some members who counseled Haitian female orphaned teens.  Our team also helped the younger orphans using play therapy.

play therapy with team member Sherri

Youth counselors Kelli and Stephanie with Haitian Creole translator

The Orphanage

At the orphanage, we helped paint and decorate rooms for the kids.  We also played with them and got to know them.  The orphanage believed in the saying, "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."  They taught the children life skills so they could support themselves once out of the orphanage.

entrance of orphanage

our team painting one of the rooms

Steeve all smiles at work

the kids were asking if I was an American and were so fascinated with my hair

classroom

textbook

bakery at orphanage to teach children to bake bread

Brooke blowing bubbles 

painting my nails with pink chalk

hand paint

I gave them beads.  They wrapped it around their wrists and ankles.

limbo

He enjoyed taking pictures with my s90 canon

thank you letter to team member Brooke from the children

thank you letter to team member Steeve from the children

Thanks to Brooke, I learned about the portable printer.  She and I took pictures of the kids and then printed it for them using her portable printer. 

Pastor Vincent  

I had the pleasure of meeting Pastor Vincent during my trip.  A native Haitian, Pastor Vincent grew up in  Cite Soleil, an area regarded as one of the poorest and most dangerous areas in the Western Hemisphere.  It was in search of his father who left behind a family of 8 that brought Pastor Vincent to the slums.  While living on the streets, a native pastor and American teacher met young Vincent and instilled hope for a new life.  Now an adult, Pastor Vincent founded the Good Samaritan Foundation  to feed, teach, and train the people of Haiti to become future leaders.

our group with Pastor Vincent infront of the church where he preaches

Sharing a love for photography, Pastor Vincent drove me to Cite Soleil and Port-au-Prince so I could capture images of his home land.  For my safety, the pictures were taken from our van.  

burning trash

walking pharmacy 

Haiti Earthquake 2010

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti.  Death toll range from 230,00-316,000.  300,000 were injured.  1.5 million were initially replaced.  As of September 2014, the number of people who remain displaced are 85,432.  

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption BEFORE earthquake (photo credit)

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption AFTER earthquake

Presidential Palace BEFORE (photo credit)

Presidential Palace AFTER 

relief camps "tent cities"

Mud Cakes

At first glance, I thought the Haitians were selling pottery but as I learned, it is actually food.  Made out of dirt, salt, and vegetable shortening, these round discs serve as a stomach filler.  Haitians rely heavily on imports and with the food price rising along with floods and crop damage in Haiti, many people resort to eating dirt.  

mother and child making mud cakes.

mud cakes laid out to dry.

600 Women

This was one of my most memorable days.  It was when I went to Pastor Vincent's church and there were 600 women who traveled near and far to attend a Christian conference.  The amazing women of Omaha shared the gospel for the two day gathering.  Being a non-Christian at the time, what blew me away was the joy that I felt radiating from these women.  Here they were with barely enough resources to meet their basic physical needs but yet they seemed very happy.

girls at the entrance of the church

Pastor Vincent worshipping

they were very interested with my look- wanting to take many photos

Thank you

What an incredible trip with these Godly people.  I went not knowing anyone and enjoyed getting to know my team and witness God's work through them.  While on the plane home, I journaled and wrote "I don't want my feelings to be forgotten.  I want to continue to travel, to document, to live with purpose, to be around passionate poeple, to learn, to put myself out of my comfort zone... I want to see people thrive.  I want children to be taught and cared for."  This mission trip was a significant seed planting experience.  Two years later in 2014, I went on my second mission to Romania and came back as a believer.  God willing, my upcoming mission trips for 2015 will be Berlin, Germany and Mumbai, India.

First day in Haiti outside the airport

Last day at the airport before we went our separate ways home to Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Nebraska.