From Sherry's Journal

Visiting Missionary Teams in Haiti

August 2015

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” — Romans 10:14-15

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We have been so blessed with many missionary teams that have come to Love A Child this year. We host missionary teams from around the world that bring their skills to the poorest of the poor here in Haiti.

Though, I don’t believe the “church world” is sending forth laborers nor training them for the job ahead. Churches that used to have large mission outreaches are now more concerned about “things” than about the “unreached.” But we have enormous faith and hope for the future in our new missionary intern, Kaeli Fletcher.

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We believe in Kaeli, as she has been on several missionary trips and she will be with us in training for several months. After that, Lord willing, she will become a full-time Love A Child Missionary.

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In March, we welcomed the Joyce Meyer Ministries–Hand of Hope Mobile Medical Team to Love A Child in the Dominican Republic! They worked in the mountains with our wonderful team host, Carlos Silvestre. They brought Mobile Medical Clinics to many poor Haitians and Dominicans living in the sugarcane camps!

JMM-Team

 

They did wonderful work in villages that really needed medical help because the people just cannot afford it. They mostly saw poor Haitians in the bateyes.

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On the first day, they treated 316 people and they cared for 423 on the second day. Great work Joyce Meyer Ministries–Hand of Hope Mobile Medical Clinic Team!

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That same week, we had Mark Crea, Executive Director/CEO of Feed My Starving Children, bring in a volunteer team.

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Many children and their families were given food that week. We are so thankful for our 17-year partnership with Feed My Starving Children and bringing food to the poorest of the poor throughout Haiti. This group donates food to us and we share it all over Haiti. We love you!

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Two great teams were working with Love A Child that week, touching the poor on the “Island of Hispaniola!”

 

In April we welcomed the Dream Center Team from the “Big Apple,” New York City!

Dream-Team-NYC-group

 

They came to bless the poor, work on construction projects, and minister the Word of God at night! What a privilege to have them here in Haiti!

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The Joyce Meyer Ministries—Hand of Hope Mobile Medical Team returned near the end of April to Love A Child. Thirty doctors and nurses came to bless the poor of Haiti, especially the children.

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They saw 585 patients; 499 were medical and 86 were dental. There were 77 extractions, 45 cleanings, 33 patients that received chiropractic care and we gave out 2,340 prescriptions. We also had 148 decisions for Christ! God bless these wonderful friends who gave their time and talents to the poor.

Joyce-Meyer-Team

 

In May we were blessed with members of the University of Wyoming football team and other students from the University who came again this year in memory of Pastor Lyonel Narcisse’s son. As a witness to Christ, they do this every year in honor of his son, who attended this university and died in an automobile accident. They have “touched” Haiti with their goodness.

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One afternoon, the girls from the University of Wyoming really helped out so much in the Food Distribution Center. Later, they helped prepare all the beautiful clothes to go to a poor village. Everyone was so blessed! God bless this sweet and wonderful mission team from Wyoming.

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We were very busy in July with a three-day Mobile Medical Clinic in Despeezo, a new church dedication in the Dominican Republic and all our normal everyday happenings. Yet, we were very fortunate to have several different mission teams here to help us with all these different tasks and supporting us in all our endeavors.

 

We started the month with a three-day Mobile Medical Clinic in the extremely tough voodoo village of Despeezo. We welcomed my special Volunteer Medical Team that included: Rachael Abrams, Christine Abrams (Rachael’s mother), Virginia Ricky, Dr. Rosenite Rene, Donna Tribble, Jordanie Mertil and Dana Burke. They conducted a three-day clinic just across the street from the house of a witch doctor! We are so thankful for this team of medical volunteers.

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This is a village that has a well-known witch doctor, (houngan) and a huge Voodoo tree. The multitudes gathered under the ancient Voodoo tree waiting to see one of our Volunteer Medical Team members.

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On the first day, we treated hundreds of people, gave out eyeglasses, provided wound care, fed them, and also ministered to them!

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On the second day we saw many, many more patients.

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In just three days, our Volunteer Medical Team treated 1,165 people, gave out 5,605 medications, fitted 179 people for glasses, cared for and bathed 111 (mostly children) in wound care, prayed for everyone and as a result, had 38 conversions! Our thanks to our wonderful Volunteer Medical Team and to our partners who sponsored this Mobile Medical Clinic!  Also, special thanks to John Beasley and Louis from the Dominican Republic and to Mark and Evie Ostrander.

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Pray about joining a mission team to Haiti or the Dominican Republic.

In the second week of July, David George and his team of 26 volunteers arrived in the Dominican Republic on fire for the Lord! Carlos was already in the Dominican Republic to take good care of them. They handed out backpacks and food to poor Haitians living in the bateyes. Later in the afternoon they passed out food and backpacks in another area as well. They were very busy every day. That Sunday was our first church dedication in the Dominican Republic! Bobby and I traveled there. (But that’s another story!) God bless David George, Angie and all of his team!

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We also welcomed the team of volunteer carpenters from Fort Myers, Florida who came to build school desks for some of the Love A Child schools.

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The volunteer team of eight hardworking carpenters built 250 school desks in four days! Some of our school children had to use the back of another child to do their schoolwork! They built enough desks for 1,518 children – and 30 pews for our new church in Peyi Pouri! Thank you Peter, Jim, Bill, Tyler, Don, Mike, Fred and Forrest, plus some of our great Haitian helpers!

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This is David George’s team of volunteers, along with Pastor Dale Cornell and his group from Liberty Christian Center in Bakersfield, California.

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They visited the village of Old Le Tant to distribute clothing. The whole village of Old Le Tant received clothing… “Family by family!” Thanks to the David George Missions Team and a special thanks to Pastor Dale Cornell and his group from Liberty Christian Center in Bakersfield, CA!

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David George and the Liberty Christian Center Team stained and sealed the benches that were just built for the church in Peyi Pouri. Some of the team left very early in the morning to meet the people at the base of the mountain to help carry the benches up to the village. They also distributed warm clothes to the poor families of Peyi Pouri.

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Wow, what a wonderful week it was! All of the volunteers worked so hard blessing the adults and children of Haiti.

 

The next week, we hosted a Mission Team from Faith Church. The pastors of Faith Church are David and Nicole Crank.

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The team worked with some of our older orphans to prepare for a Mobile Medical Clinic.

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After that, they helped with some other work projects, like staining the school desks that were recently built by the team of volunteer carpenters.

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We were blessed to have this mission team from Faith Church join us for a Mobile Medical Clinic here in Haiti. The team was great! We had a dentist, two nurses, a nurse practitioner and lots of help! Our own Love A Child kids also helped. Fabienne (who wants to be a dentist) worked in the dental area cleaning instruments. Dieuferly worked in the eyeglasses department. Julanne and many others helped too. It was a great day!

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The mission team from Faith Church, which included: Katrina Shaw, Rachael Nelson, Destiny Anna, Blake Eyres, Leshea Goree, Sonia Trogler, Amanda Gaines, Tara Humphrey, Mary Dexter-Mastin, and Nicole Brewer, did a great job helping with our Food Distribution Program in the village of Madamn Bauje. We are also so proud of our new missionary Kaeli Fletcher! Great job everyone!

Faith-Church-Feeding-Children

 

It was a wonderful day for this mission team! The next morning, they helped weigh and measure malnourished babies in our Malnutrition Center. They also helped examine those that have been in our program for a while, and saw the positive results. Much was accomplished this week! God bless Faith Church, and David and Nicole Crank, for sponsoring this team to come to Haiti. They did an “A-1″ job!

Faith-Church-Team

 

In the first week of August, we welcomed Jesse Ostrander and his Sports Mission International Team to the Dominican Republic! This was a group of parents and their children that went to the Dominican Republic to play baseball with the youth living there. They distributed food to poor Haitians living in the sugarcane camps. Mark and Evie Ostrander, Jesse’s parents, were also with the team. Their grandchildren are part of this volunteer team and everyone was so excited to share the love of Christ. Love is something you do! Carlos Silvestre and Jesse were the team hosts. They had a great week!

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On the first day of their visit, the young American team played the Dominicans in San Pedro and finished with a tied game.  The next day they played the kids from La Romana. It was an amazing game, but most importantly they all had fun and shared the Gospel. After each of the baseball games, they all went to distribute food and shoes to the poor Haitians that work in the sugarcane fields.

 

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After the last game they went to our Love A Child Church where Pastor Carmela warmly welcomed the young mission team. They distributed over 100 portions of food in the area near the new church. Thank you Carlos and Jesse for a job well done! God bless all of our partners for helping share the love of Christ.

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This was a wonderful mission opportunity for this youth group to experience another culture and the importance of bringing hope, food and the Word of God to the very poor Haitians of the bateyes in the Dominican Republic, and they all had fun playing baseball.

 

“Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” — Isaiah 6:8

Whether or not you are called of God to the mission field, no one should go through life without visiting and giving some time to a third world country. It changes your life for the better…whether it is to preach the Gospel, feed the hungry, build a project, or work in a Mobile Medical Clinic, your life will never be the same. Please pray about going on a mission trip.

Visit our website to learn more about mission opportunities and view a schedule.

God bless you.

Sherry

Posted in Sherry's Journal