Sermons, Soccer, and Streets

The following post was written on Wednesday, August 16th by Cozy Zimmerman and Phoebe Drobish. Unfortunately, our Internet went down, so we weren’t able to post until tonight.

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On our third day in Haiti, we woke up to the crowing of the local rooster, and started hurrying down the stairs to be on time for breakfast. The day had begun! After a hearty meal, we scurried off to the conference room and did our daily devotional. After which, we hopped aboard the Glory Glory Center’s main mode of transportation, the yellow school bus. The driver expertly maneuvered us through the narrow streets of Haiti, and soon arrived to all the smiling faces of the 55 kids at Glory Glory. Once there, we bought some of the wooden and stone trinkets that were laid out on the grass. We soon raced inside with our new friends, as the conference was beginning.

As we all sat nice and cozy in the church, we listened to the different speakers from our group & Pastor Samuel come up and talk about God, tying in the first day’s messages. When we took a break to have lunch and play with all the kids, Cozy and I walked over to the shaded gazebo where many of the kids play. Two kids grabbed us by the hands and lead us over to the soccer game that was taking place. We were divided into teams, the kids scrabbled to choose their friends. One of them dropped the ball as we all chanted un, deux, trois! A girl kicked it high in the air and the game began. We played for the next hour, laughing, cheering, and having a great time. Eventually, we all stopped, too exhausted to continue.

During a break in the conference, Troy Moore drew pictures with Renante. For a peak at their artwork, scroll to the end.

Our group said good bye to our friends as we boarded the bus and the truck. We had convinced Pastor Samuel to let us ride in the back of his pickup truck on the way back to our hotel. We piled into the bed of the truck and Samuel twisted the key. The truck roared to life and we were on our way! The wind turned from a gentle breeze to an unfamiliar gale. We shot past the green branches of the trees and the people setting up for tomorrow’s market. We all counted the speed bumps we passed over and laughed as they jostled the truck to and fro. We turned down our street, and the wind slowed down to a gentle breeze once again. Pulling up in front of the hotel, we hopped down and made a beeline for the pool, thankful to have a chance to rest our tired feet.

Our day was one of many, and we are only half way done, but I believe that this will be one of my favorite days in Haiti. Tomorrow is a new adventure, and we are all excited and ready for it!

Love, Leadership, Land

Written by Natalie & Brad Rockwell, August 15, 2017

Waking up after a night of showers, the sun was up, and the heat was on the rise…. day two had begun. With a beautiful, moving first day – I couldn’t even imagine what God had planned for us today. Being first timers on a Faith Adventure trip and to Haiti, the realness of seeing God’s work, the need of help, and the ability to listen to God was only going to continue to grow. A reoccurring statement that has been said is: Listen to God as He will lead you. Today, that statement struck us.

Arriving at Glory Glory, we were welcomed, loved, and “claimed”. As we exited the school bus, the cutest kids were anxiously waiting for us, ready to claim, meaning, grab our hand and create a bond that would last all day. No language was needed for the happiness and love that filled their hearts as we held their hands – Not only could you see it, but you could feel it. The foundation of our day was based on Ephesians 4: 1-3, God lives in you and then God will work through you. As Pastor Kyle spoke and led us at the conference, he stated the 3 C’s. The 3 C’s are: Called by God, Connected to God, and have the Character of God. When joining him, Holliday added a fourth C: you have a Choice. We as Christian leaders, women, and men, all have the Choice to break the cycle. Ash finished the afternoon session with talking about local leadership to change the problems that are faced by the Haitian people. The reminder to have patience, trust, and listen was re-imprinted in our minds today. God’s ability is undeniable if you are willing to listen and follow.

Break time had begun and the simplicity of life filled Glory Glory. From jump roping to braiding hair to playing volleyball and soccer, our new friends’ eyes lit up. Playing and growing relationships with the kids who “claimed” you exemplified their meaning of life – family, love, and being in one’s presence. Their smiles… their eyes… their laughs… their love, all of it makes your heart melt and fall in love. Sometimes our lives get distracted by outside factors, it was great to be reminded of how the simple things in our lives are what matter and what create consistent happiness.

Leaving the conference and finishing our day, we saw the future. We were fortunate enough to visit the newly purchased property on which Pastor Samuel’s dream – building a school – is going to come true. We walked the land, hearing about all the planning that has gone into this school, and it was beautiful to see. There, we prayed to God for the opportunities this land will create.

From worship to questions at the end of conference, it was amazing to see everyone’s willingness and openness and desire to understand how God is working in our lives and world. Today, we saw the future, we prayed for the future, and allowed ourselves to receive God’s future for us… that is, what is our next step in His plan to help. It’s only day two and our lives have changed and our hearts have been opened. These memories will only continue to grow.

A Soccer Surprise on Night #1

Hello from our first night in Haiti! (Written by Calais Watkins)

Just in case you were wondering, yes, we have already sweat A LOT, but we’re finally here and I couldn’t be more excited to share the first of our many adventures with you. With a night of sleeplessness spent on a plane, two days blurred into one super long, exhausting, yet completely wonderful day, so let’s just start at the beginning…

After two plane rides (with a rushed coffee run in between), our team finally arrived in Haiti’s capitol, Port-au-Prince, where we proceeded to share many hugs with Pastor Sam and his team before loading the bus and beginning our drive to the South. Along the way, we stopped at Sam’s father’s church in Carrefour and saw a church building that seats 1,000 people, a school that educates 900 kids, and a functioning well that Mariners helped build after the earthquake years ago. This is where it all began. This is where 365 families took refuge after the earthquake hit and where Sam rounded up 52 children who would be the start of a family made in the Glory Glory Center. We had to take it all in quickly, as a 4 hour bus ride awaited us still, but this was the perfect beginning to the story that is to be told on this trip – the story of Pastor Sam’s faith and obedience, and how these things, combined with his incredible leadership, is capable of transforming Haiti.

Almost immediately after getting to the hotel, Sam shared that he was on his way to watch the boys from Glory Glory compete in their third round of a soccer tournament, so it was off the bus and into the bed of Sam’s truck as 5 of us girls set out to be the best cheerleaders F.C.G.G. has ever known. This all seemed like a casual shindig at first, but we quickly realized that it was anything but. Refs were put into place, announcers turned on their speakers, teams ran onto the field, the entire neighborhood turned up to watch, and the game began. Sitting on the sidelines in the shade with kiddos in my lap and a cheering crowd behind me, I was completely content as I watched our boys dominate the game in their brand new uniforms*. Their 7-1 win was celebrated by everyone cheering and rushing the field, followed by a victory ride home. Who knew that 20 kids fit so perfectly into a truck bed? The entire experience was a surprise, yet what surprised me the most was how perfectly at home I felt, despite it having been almost two years since I’ve been in Haiti – it was like I had never left.

This feeling of being at home is an example of how the love of God creates one community that spans the globe. Throughout the entirety of our first days’ adventure, I continued to think about what it means to be a part of the capital “C” Church, and the fact that this Church only exists because of God’s universality. He makes it possible for us to belong to a universal church, allowing us to tackle cultural divides in order to achieve a like-minded goal. I could cheer on the sidelines of a soccer game alongside my Haitian community, both of us with the goal (no pun intended) of encouraging our team. Education in Haiti looks very different from education in the States, but because we both believe that education leads to a generation of leaders, we can work together to make this happen. We can build a school in Haiti.

*Special shout out to Bethany and her family who provided the kids’ new uniforms. She and her family were part of the Evolution Haiti trip to visit Sam a few weeks ago. Due to luggage restrictions at LAX, they had to leave the suitcase of uniforms behind. We were happy to bring the suitcase with us, and the kids literally put them on the minute they arrived and ran onto the field to play their game.

P.S. Sorry there aren’t any photos! It all happened so quickly, no one had a camera!!

They are off!

Thank you to those who have supported and prayed for this team over the last few weeks!  The team departed from LAX last night to head to Haiti.  Please continue to pray for this team, our partner, Pastor Sam, and his team, as they get to experience what God is doing in Haiti together.

Haiti Faith Adventure, Summer 2017

In just a few days, our next faith adventure team will be leaving to spend a week with our church partner Pastor Samuel Metelus in Torbeck, Haiti. Each night, the team will blog about their experience, so subscribe to this blog to have their posts delivered directly to your in-box or check back nightly for the latest post.