Humility

What is humility? What does it look like? What does it feel like? What do you see when you feel it or see it?

Humility is something that I felt today as Tiffany, Peter Marc and I went and visited three families who lost their homes in the earthquake and who were each given a temporary house to live in. These are the same houses that were donated to Jacob's Well Camp and they are given to families/people who lost their homes from the earthquake. Gersan's church has given 22 homes to people and plan to give another 28 by the end of August.

One of the families has a blind man, his wife, their daughter, son, and two grandchildren. The man could see some lights and shadows and some figures before his house collapsed on him, but now he is totally blind. The wife, mother and husband were all in the house when the walls and the roof collapsed on them burying them inside. The wife and daughter were cooking dinner when it happened and they were able to craw their way out. It was a few minutes later when the son said "where is my father?" and they realized that he was still under the debris. They then went and rescued him. They were overjoyed to have this house donated to them and they are extremely proud of it, because it is theirs.

Another family that we met and talked to lost their home and they are living on the same place as their house used to be. The woman is a trained nurse but currently doesn't work. She lives with her boyfriend right now but they plan to marry next month. She has a daughter who was pregant during the earthquake and gave birth to a son a month and a half later. They also have another grandson and another member of their family who is handicapped because of injuries from the earthquake. None of their family lost their lives during the quake, but some were injured.

The first family that we visited and for me one of the most encouraging ones, is the family of a woman who lost 11 of her family members during the quake. Her husband, son and a couple of other members are still alive and live with her. She was only able to recover two of her family from the debris that used to be her house, the other nine are still buried. She invited us in and told us to sit down on two of her beds and she had her grandson in her arms the entire time. She told us of what happened and how her life has been since that day. Can you imagine loosing 11 members of your family all at once? Unbelievable.

All three families, when asked if they believed in Jesus Christ, all said that they do. They all praise Him for saving their lives and for giving them the houses. They don't know Gersan at all and are still amazed that they were able to receive a new house. To me, this afternoon was a truly humbling experience. These people lost everything (material wise) and some of them lost their family members. They were buried beneath rubble, injured and confused, yet they praise the God who saved them and has blessed them since.

All of them are extremely proud of their new homes and they were overjoyed to have us come and talk to them. I would not be suprised if it made their day, it certainly made mine. They each invited us in, offered us chairs or a place to sit and were very open about telling about their experience. We prayed over each family and a couple of them broke down crying during that time. You could just see the gratitude in their faces and smiles. They meant it.

Today was a life changing experience for me, Tiffany and Peter Marc. Tiffany and I talked with Gersan about it just before dinner and he told us that he is happy that we got to go. I told him that even though I just went along for the ride, I like to watch and listen to people, so for me to sit there and hear their stories, that was incredible. I hope that you are moved by these three accounts of the grace of God and the praise that He is receiving from these families.

A walk in the clouds...

Bonjour, last time I told you about a field trip that we had planned for the team from Liberty. Well, because of several things that came up the last minute, mainly the evening just before the trip, we didn't go on Tuesday. We were going to take the group to a place called Wahoo (I don't know if it is spelled correctly) which is a beach area about half an hour to an hour away from the house, North of Port-au-Prince. I have been to a place called Xargura, which is another beach/hotel a little North of PAP. Instead, the team stayed here at the house and just relaxed for the morning and that afternoon, we got some things together and started preparing for another concert at a church in PAP. The church we went to is probably the largest Protestant church in the city. I asked the Pastor how many people come and he said around 4,000 each Sunday. The church is still in construction and doesn't have a roof yet, but when it gets finished it will be a beautiful sight to see.
 
Some of the group went shopping for paintings with Betty and her brother and the rest of them went with Gersan to the church. Tiffany (the intern) and I waited at the house for Betty and that small group so I could drive us to the place. We ended up having Betty's brother lead me and that was a pretty interesting drive. We went to an area that had some pretty good traffic (I had been there before in January) but we made it to an area and met up with Gersan who lead the rest of the way to the church. The churh has a two month revival each year between July and August. They have a service each night except for two every week for those two months. They have a group of pastors that they ask to come and speak so the main pastor doesn't have to do it each time. This time, it was raining most of the evening but not too hard. The pastor didn't make it because of the rain, so it turned out to be just a time of worship with around 300 Haitians. It then took us almost an hour to drive back to the house because of traffic but that was still good because I got to talk to Jerry Dyke a little more. He led the team and has been coming to Haiti since 1969.
 
Wednesday, was an early day for the team. Actually, it wasn't too bad getting up and being packed ready to leave by 6:30. I woke up wide awake at 5:00 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep. Here I try to go to bed between 9:00 and 10:00. I love the sleep schedule here. Anyway, we were all up and the team graciously donated a bunch of snacks to us that stayed behind. I appreciate them for that because my snack supply ran out after my second week here. We ate a good breakfast and then loaded into Gersan's truck and the Montero. Gersan, Betty and I drove them to the airport. On the way, Jerry and I got to talk a little more and I'm glad that I was here when they were because it was really good getting to know them. After we dropped them off at the airport, we stopped at a friend's house to spend a little time with the family. The whole time I was driving back to the house, I was listening to my iPod. I know you can't do that in the states unless it is plugged into your radio system but I did it anyway. As we were driving past the rubble and driving through one of the tent cities, I was listening to Brooke Fraser's songs "Albertine" and "Shadowfeet." I also listened to Jeff Johnson's version of "From the Inside Out" and his song "Ruin Me." Look up the lyrics for these songs. I have listened to them a lot, but listening to them as I was driving here made me think.
 
I started to think how resilient Haitians are. How they can go through such a trauma as an earthquake, loose their houses, family members, personal belongings but still be able to live each and every day. I don't pretend to understand what is going on in their minds and hearts, but from the outside they don't really show anything different. One difference that I have noticed is that they are truly grateful when you give them something. Not that fake "thank you" that you would get from a lot of people but when they say "thank you" here, they really mean it. It is so encouraging to hear that and see their smiles and faces light up when you give them something or do something for them. I'm amazed by the people here. I guess that is why Haiti is on my mind all the time.
 
The rest of Wednesday and Thursday was spend just getting things organized again after the team left. Tiffany had a couple of counseling appointments on Wednesday afternoon. Gersan, of course, always had something to do for most of the day and was go go go all the time. We took a drive with him to go run a couple of errands and that was fun. Gersan and Tiffany were supposed to fly up to Cap-Haitien on Thursday to go out to the camp, then it was moved to Friday, then it was called off completely. He wanted to show her Limbe and the camp. There was also supposed to be the man who donated the temporary houses go with them. I guess he will have to go another time.
 
Yesterday, Gersan and Betty took us up to the mountain where they have some land. It was a beautiful drive up there and I always love going up to mountains. The area where we stopped was 5,500 ft. above sea level (that beats Denver, CO in altitude). The clouds were a lot lower than usual, so we couldn't see too much scenery. This is where the title of this update comes from, we were literally walking in the clouds. It was amazing. Every so often, there would be a break in the clouds where you could see the mountains on the other side of the valley, but I liked having the clouds blow around us. I experienced something like this on a hike on the Continental Divide in Colorado last May, it was cool then and it was cool yesterday. I will try to upload some pictures later but you won't believe that I took them yesterday. There are actually a lot of pine trees in that area and Haiti has the only pine tree forest in the entire Caribbean. The temperature was also amazing. It wasn't hot and humid like it is everywhere else in the country, it felt AWESOME. Gersan definitely made my day by taking us up there.
 
Today, Tiffany and I will just be helping out with whatever is going on. Gersan has a prayer meeting at the church for a while. I think we will probably just do some miscellaneous stuff around the house. We might go run a few errands too. Please continue to pray for Haiti and the people. They are in the rebuilding process, but it will take time. Thank you for your prayer support. I have been here for five weeks now and haven't had any major health issues at all. This is great.
 
I don't know how many of you know this but I wanted to make sure that I told my supporters about it. I know that in the letters that I sent out, it seemed that I would be staying here a lot longer than just two months. It turns out that the Valcins will be coming back to the States a couple of days after I do in early August. Betty called me a few days before I left and told me to get a return ticket for early August and that they will be in the States for about a month themselves. I think this is actually working out for the best because I'm not sure that I would even have the support to stay, at least right now. I also have a college loan that I want to pay off as fast as I can. So, I decided that I will put full-time missions on hold for a while and pay off the loan and any other debts that I have before doing long-term missions. I have a couple of ideas of what I will do but I'm not decided on one thing just yet. I just felt that I should tell you about all of this as you have supported me for this trip and for the previous ones. I hope that all this makes sense and if it doesn't, please ask me and I'll tell you more.
 
So, I hope that everyone has a splendid day and I will too.
 
Robert

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Day 30

Today marks day 30 of this trip for me. I know I have repeatedly said this before, thank you to everyone who has and is supporting me. I know that I need it, I want it and wouldn't be here without it. It really does make a tremendous difference. I also really appreciate it. I will be here for another two and a half weeks before I come home, so please pray for me during that time as well. Also if you wouldn't mind, pray for me to be able to find a job after I get back as I don't have anything lined up yet. 
 
Since my last update about the three weeks out at camp, I guess you could say that a lot has happened. The group of seven from Liberty University arrived Wednesday afternoon and an intern from Dallas Theological Seminary came Thursday afternoon. We spent some time getting things organized, going through all of Gersan's sound equipment and planning out their week here. Basically I am here for the next week or so to help Gersan and Betty with whatever the group/intern's needs are and to serve them in any way that I can. I guess you could say that I am helping host them along with Gersan and Betty.
 
Last night, the group from Liberty University did a concert at the Valcin's church and it was an awesome sight to see. They did several songs that got all the Haitians up clapping and dancing around worshiping the Lord. I haven't seen that church like that ever (but I was only there for a couple of Sundays during Christmas). They also played during both of the church services yesterday morning (6:30 and 9:00). On Friday morning, they played for a local school program. This afternoon, we also went to a temporary house that was given to one of the church members and the group got to paint the outside. It was a pretty interesting drive. I don't mind driving when I am following Gersan or know where I am going, but to have Gersan follow me was a little different. We also drove through some pretty heavy traffic but I have gotten use to that. The area where this lady's house is is in an area that was heavily affected by the earthquake. A lot of the houses and buildings there have either been completely demolished or severally damaged. I think it was good for the team to drive through that neighborhood and see the damage and destruction for themselves. We also went souvenir shopping this morning. Gersan and I have basically been made the official drivers for the group and I don't mind at all. I'm not sure how my mom feels about that though.
 
Tomorrow, we have a surprise for the group as we will be taking them on a "field trip" but I can't tell you about it yet, you might give it away. The group leave Wednesday morning so it will be another early morning for them. Yesterday (Sunday) we got up at 4:15 a.m. and I have gotten up by 6:30 (if not earlier) every day since they got here. I know that this is out of order but I just thought of it. Yesterday, the International AWANA Director and two other guys came to church for the 6:30 service. They were in the country doing a conference with a bunch of Haitian pastors on Saturday and probably some on Friday as well. After the first service, I got to drive them to the airport and Betty came along and gave me directions. It was really neat getting to talk to them. One of my dear friends, Frank, is involved with AWANA and I asked the director if he knew Frank and he told me that he did. I guess it is a small world, but in their case not so much.
 
I do have one more prayer request. Please pray for me to continue to remain healthy and free of any stomach issues or anything like that. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you and until the next update...
 
God Bless,
 
Robert

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Three weeks at Jacob's Well Camp

Whenever the Frontier Camp team left Jacob's Well Camp in January, the only buildings on the camp property were the Church and the bathroom/storage room. During spring break in March, Frontier Camp sent another team of 16 to Jacob's Well to do some construction and they were surprised to see a couple more things added. The Haitian staff that live and work at the camp had started building a septic tank, a temporary kitchen and new bathrooms with showers. The main purpose of the FC camp trip was to pour the slab for the new kitchen and help on some other projects.

The team was able to pour the slab for the kitchen and also start on the plumbing for the new bathrooms. Pouring the slab took a total of 16 and a half hours one day and it even rained some during the evening and night. Whenever the team left camp, all there was on the kitchen slab were some rebar marking where the walls and counters would eventually go.

In April, Jack Watkins and Bobby Haines went back to the camp to do some more work. Jack stayed for a few days to help Bobby do some work, then left because of school. Bobby stayed for a total of three weeks. He was able to build the main wall, counters and cooler/pantry for the kitchen. Whenever Bobby left, the main thing to do was to pour a couple of pillars and put the roof on. Bobby also did some plumbing calculations for the bathrooms and connected a water storage tank that feeds the bathrooms and kitchen.

Bobby returned to Jacob's Well with his son, Dustin, in mid June for two weeks. They spent a couple of days in Port-au-Prince purchasing supplies for the camp with the Valcins before flying up to the camp. I joined them at camp on Monday, June 21^st and stayed a total of three weeks there. While we were at camp, our main focus was to build the roof for the kitchen and get the bathrooms/showers ready for a team from Laity Lodge Youth Camp in Kerrville, TX, that would be coming in for a week the first week of July to put on a couple days of camp.

The first week at camp was extremely busy. With the help of Peter Marc and Dustin, I was able to put the roofs on three of the temporary houses and also the doors and windows. Dustin was busy working on getting everything ready for putting the roof on the kitchen which was mainly done that Saturday and some the following Monday. Bobby was busy with getting a leech field done for the septic system.

The next week was also busy as that was the week before the team of 36 would be coming and we were rushing to get things ready for them. The four of us, Dustin, Bobby, Peter and I, spent two days putting the roof on the kitchen and doing some finishing touches to the kitchen and finishing the temporary houses. We also were able to get the leech field done for the septic system and bid out several jobs to a couple of Haitians.

By the time that Bobby and Dustin left on Thursday, July 1, the kitchen roof was done, the plaster for the septic tank and kitchen were well on the way to being done, the plumbing in the bathrooms/showers was started, the leech field for the septic system was done and work was started in the bathrooms/showers for tile and plaster.

Whenever Laity Lodge came on Sunday afternoon, water had been hooked up to the kitchen, the plaster was over half way done on the kitchen and bathrooms, the plumbing was about halfway done for the bathrooms/showers, the other water storage tank was hooked up (this puts us with 600 gallons of water from the newly drilled well) and most of the camp was ready for the day camps to start on Tuesday.

Laity Lodge came in two different groups, one on Sunday afternoon and the other on Monday afternoon. They had some difficulty in travel arrangements but it all worked out and they were all able to get to camp with their entire luggage. On Monday, I took the group on a camp tour and showed them some different areas of camp and where the activities would be held at. Whenever we were over at the part of the camp with the old Spanish well and the church, a group of kids came to join us. Most of the team fell in love with the kids only after spending five minutes with them playing the hand games and running around chasing each other. Little did they know that those five minutes would change their hearts and lives forever.

We spent the rest of the day doing some training with both the American team and the Haitian team. We also spent some time finishing getting the camp ready for kids the next three days and got everyone situated for sleeping arrangements. The entire team of 36 chose to sleep in tents on top of the hill, where we usually have campfires with the kids. The second part of their team arrived later that Monday afternoon and they were even more tired than the first group. Everyone greatly enjoyed an awesome meal together and called it a night and went to bed. By this time, four of the showers were operational with shower heads and dividing walls in between them.

Tuesday, was the first day of camp for the kids. The schedule was reversed for the first two days, but the team adjusted really well and rolled with the changes. They did activities like; Football (Soccer), Wiffle Ball, Horseshoes, Archery, Riflery, Arts and Crafts and Steal the Bacon. After four or five rotations of these activities, all the kids went to the drama area and some of the American team had to stand in and help the Haitian counselors perform the drama. Then the kids split into cabin groups and discussed the drama and played cabin/group games. We then ate another great meal and said by to the kids for the day. At the same time that the kids were there, we also were able to do a couple of small work projects which included filling in a few ditches and painting a couple of the temporary houses.

Wednesday was basically the same as Tuesday as far as the schedule for the camp goes. With the work projects, we were able to put up almost two houses and the house we put up the day before made a total of three that the group did. The camp schedule was a little different in that lunch was a little earlier but that's about it.

Thursday was the last day that the kids were at camp. The schedule was more like what it was supposed to be like with drama and cabin games in the morning and activities in the afternoon. The three dramas that were done were Jesus calming the storm, the Good Samaritan, and the Prodigal Son. The Haitians definitely have a talent for acting and they always throw in a little humor for the kids. We finished the temporary house that we left halfway standing the day before and did a few more little projects.

By Thursday, several of the team members came down with what I call "Haitian Happiness," which is basically stomach issues. It is probably a combination of the heat, being out in the sun all the time, being tired and not getting good rest at night, not drinking enough water, not washing hands properly and some food disagreements but all you can do is really ride it out. We did have a stressful time one day as one of our sick people had a high fever and it kept going up. We took him to a doctor who gave him some medicine and by the time he left on Friday morning, was feeling a lot better.

The first group of the team left early Friday morning. We left camp at 4:45 to drive to the airport in Cap-Haitien for them to start their journey back home. The other group enjoyed going to the beach for a few hours Friday afternoon and they also cleaned up camp before spending the night in a hotel in Cap-Haitien. They left early the next morning and by that night, all of them had made it safely back to San Antonio.

As far as the team from Laity Lodge goes, I have nothing but praises for them. They all did very well as a team and individually, I saw a change in each and every one of them. From the moment they stepped foot in the country, through traveling to camp, seeing all the poverty and experiencing some animosity, they had a lot to process even from day one. The biggest thing that changed them is the kids near the camp. After spending literally five minutes with the kids, they were changed forever. Each and every one of them felt heartbroken for the people of Haiti and they all went back changed and will never be the same.

The team bonded very well together. Through all the difficulties of just trying to get to the camp, the rain for a couple of nights, getting their tents and stuff wet and being sick, all this brought them together. I only had the privilege of working with them for a couple of days, but they are my friends forever. Even though I didn't know them or even meet anyone beforehand, I saw a change in them by the time they left. Everyone that I asked if they had the chance to come back to Haiti, they all said that they absolutely would in a heartbeat. I am so blessed to know them and to have spend a week with them.

Gersan, Betty, Alicia, Peter Marc and I left on Sunday morning to drive back to Port-au-Prince. We stopped a few times to buy food but the drive was better than the last time I made it. We got back to the house just in time to watch the last hour of the final game of the World Cup. Here, like the rest of the world, everyone lives and breathes Soccer. I found out that being away from email for three weeks means that things pile up and I had 240 emails waiting for me when I turned on my computer. I spent most of the rest of Sunday and most of Monday going through all them.

I will be in Haiti for another three and a half weeks helping the Valcins with whatever they need help with. There is a team from Liberty University coming Wednesday for a week to do some concerts at churches here in PAP and an intern from DTS (Dallas Theological Seminary) will be coming for two weeks on Thursday. I'm sure that I will have plenty to do for the remainder of the time here. I will also be helping Betty with their newsletter for August and for some things related to the camp and teams that will come to Haiti in the future.

Know that great things are happening here in Haiti and at Jacob's Well Camp in Little Guinea. Gersan believes that the camp has the ability and will change all of Haiti and it has already changed the village of Little Guinea in more ways that you can see. In the past seven months alone, it has changes so much with all the building going on there. We now have a generator for electricity, a kitchen with running water, bathrooms and showers and nine temporary houses with two more slabs ready to go. God had indeed blessed the camp and each and every one of you have been apart of it by praying for it and for the different teams and for the Valcins.

Merci beaucoup (thank you very much) for all your prayers and support, they have been greatly appreciated. Please don't stop praying for Haiti and the Valcin's ministry and for the kids. Please pray for them every day; if it's only for a minute or two, it makes a huge difference. Thank you.

May God Bless You,

Robert

6 months later...

Six months ago, the earthquake shook Haiti terribly. There was tremendous devastation and loss of life, but at the same time there was a revival like no other. I have heard many accounts of people leaving their Voodoo practices and coming to Christ and it is still happening. My prayer is for Haiti to recognize this opportunity and to take their chance to start over as a country and rebuild. Please make that your prayer as well.

One of my good friends was here in Haiti during the earthquake and left a couple of days afterward. She has started a blog of her own to tell about her experience during that tough time. The website address is noellefaith.blogspot.com. Check it out whenever you get a chance. I hope that by doing so, you will have a chance to feel some of what she felt six months ago and what she is going through each and every day since. The good news is; she still has a passion and desire for Haiti and if nothing else, the earthquake has amplified that. I pray for her, that she will get the chance to live her dream which is living in Haiti helping people.

Here is a picture of her with two beautiful Haitian girls.

The Presidential Palace.

Please keep Haiti in your prayers.

Robert