Voodoo Drums and Sunglasses

What an experience!! G.O. Ministries has worked in Haiti for many years. I (Audrey) have been there before, but have never experienced it quite like this.

A fellow missionary and I went to Haiti (along with members of our construction team) to help finish building a church that G.O. partners with in Phaeton. The church was damaged in a tornado a few years ago. We were there to help finish the new one that was already in the process of being built.

(This is the old church...the tornado damage is on the back side)

(The community came out to watch and help with the construction of the church)

(this is the back side of the new church after putting the roof on)

The town of Phaeton has a very interesting history. Around the 1950's an American built a rope factory in a desolate area in Haiti. He brought Haitians from different areas of the country to work in his factory. In the 1980's the factory went under and the community remained. All that was left were huts and people alongside of the ocean.

I was blown away by the abject poverty that I saw. Children with no clothes. Most people with no shoes. No stores to buy food and necessities. No running water. No electricity. No sanitation. No hospitals. No agriculture. No government. How do people live like this? It's all about survival.

I've often wondered why God allows people to live like this. Why do some live in complete abundance and others live in abject poverty?

God taught me something important in the beginning of my trip: It makes Him sad that people are living in these conditions. But, places like this exist because of choices that humans have made along the way. They are human errors, human mistakes. Not God's.

This is why God has asked every single one of us to be a part of His redemptive plan to restore His people and His creation.

You may wonder (like I so often have)......how do I do that? What can I do to help? The situation seems so hopeless. What can I do that is going to make a significant impact?

God taught me this. There are several ways that ALL of us can play a big part to help in desperate situations like the one these people encounter in Phaeton, Haiti:

Go on a mission trip and show these people love. Love on them and allow them to see Christ's love through you. Invest in their communities to help them prosper in His name.
And if we aren't able to actually Go, then GIVE. Give to organizations/missionaries who are making a difference in communities like Phaeton. And pray. Pray, pray, pray.
Pray. Go. Give.
These are 3 commandments from God.

I feel so blessed that I was able to be a part of building this church in Haiti. I pray that it stays full of people and that they cling on to the one true hope....Jesus Christ. I pray that these precious souls can hold on, hold on to the promise that their treasure is in heaven where they will suffer no more. That one day they will spend eternity wrapped up in the loving arms of the Messiah.

I had some interesting experiences.....some a bit comical, some a bit scary, some a bit intriguing:

I wore sunglasses to the worksite, all of the children were gathered around me getting closer and closer, staring into my eyes. What I finally realized was that they were seeing their reflections in my glasses. Most of them were probably seeing themselves for the first time. They were making funny faces and dancing all around with joy. What I saw through my sunglasses were beautiful creations made by God.


I woke up one night (I slept outside) to the sounds of drums. At first I thought it was probably children playing, but then realized it was the sounds of a VooDoo ceremony led by witch doctors. I was a little frightened at first, but quickly calmed by His overwhelming peace.
The next night we actually saw the ceremony taking place.
Voo Doo is a religion that many Haitians practice that involves the worship of spirts and demons.

(my bed, we slept outside all 3 nights)

There were many other interesting things: a tarantula crawled across Tim's chest while he was sleeping. I woke up with a chicken on my head. Taking a shower and going to the bathroom were quite the experiences. I ate horse for the first time (and last time).

(shower)

(bathroom)

(This is where they cook at the church for the children in the feeding center)

Dear Jesus, I pray for the people of this community that they will come to know the one true hope in a country where Voodoo is so rampant. I pray that we feel the burning passion in our hearts to be a part of your redemptive plan by giving, going and praying . Hold close those who are suffering in this world. I praise you for how BIG and mighty you are!

"The goal of the Christian life is to Love well."

We decided to have a little celebration of our own this year for Labor Day. The first time ever! Labor Day in the Dominican Republic. : ) We invited friends over and had an awesome cook-out with great food, fellowship and wonderful conversation about LOVE.

"How wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love surpasses knowledge" Ephesians 3:18

One of our fellow missionaries, Mike Braisted, has had a year full of many emotions, trials, tears and triumphs. A year ago tomorrow, his dad, Joe, passed away from a heart attack. Joe was a man full of LOVE. He loved God with a fierce passion, loved people, and loved his family. For this reason, we are hosting a 4 team inter-church basketball tournament in memory of Joe Braisted that kicks off on Saturday at the court here in the neighborhood. The tournament is called, "Hearts of Champions", and the theme is love. The purpose of this tournament is to bring church to the un-churched. Three churches from our community; Cuerpo de Cristo, Asamblea de Dios and Vida Nueva Bautista will be particpating as well as a team of adults from the neighborhood that aren't attending worship services anywhere.

How do we use our hearts to love to full capacity?

This tournament is also in memory of a friend of ours that passed away 4 years ago from a heart attack, Claude LaMaster. This is the 4th year in a row that we've honored Claude by hosting this tournament. We have changed the name of the tournament so that it would focus on a commonality that both Joe and Claude shared.......hearts of champions.

We want to use this tournament as a tool to evangelize to the community in an expression of love. We pray that hearts are touched and that the purpose of these games is fulfilled in a beautiful extension of love.

"Our goal is to love God with our whole
being, to be consistently conscious of God through our daily life."

To read more about Joe Braisted, please visit the blog page of Mike and Amanda Braisted. The link is posted below:
http://braistedadventures.blogspot.com/p/heart-of-champions-tournament.html

Love God. Love People. Love Well.

(we were having a little too much fun with our Labor Day sign!)

Love Hopes.

When I see this precious picture, all I feel is love and joy.
This photo was taken just outside of one of G.O.'s Nutrition Centers in Los Perez.
She sat in my lap while I fed her beans and rice. Her physical needs were being taken care of by the food that was being provided in this Nutrition Center.

Since her physical needs were being met, her mind could be clear to soak in the love that was being shown to her, and through that, I pray that she felt God's sweet arms wrapped around her.
After she finished eating, she went outside and began playing with this basketball. My heart was overjoyed by her beauty, smile and spirit.

Dear Jesus, I pray protection over this precious child of yours. I pray that you continue to provide for her so that she can grow up to be a strong, healthy woman in Christ. I pray that she always feels that love, mercy and grace that you so willingly give us.
Amen.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.