HOME!

We’re home! Sorry for not telling you sooner :) We arrived just ahead of schedule at 11pm last night.

It’s amazing once we’re home in our own clean comfortable familiar world how suddenly the realities of a few days ago seem so terribly distant! I’m sure you will all be hearing lots of stories over the next weeks, please be patient with us as we try to sort out and process all we’ve seen, heard, and experienced. 

We’ll be posting our thoughts, stories and what God has taught us over the last 2 weeks on this blog - so keep checking. 

Sunday July 22 we’ll be giving a report in Cornerstone. (video, slideshow and a number of people will share) 

Thank you all for your prayers! (we could tell that you were praying!!!!) 

This is not the end.... perhaps just the beginning :)

Janelle

Waiting in PAP!

We are all in the PAP airport after a long night of travel. It was a beautifully smooth bus ride... Until the bearings on a rear wheel went. So we spent 2.75 hours on the side of the road waiting for parts. We had left st.louis at 2:00 in the morning, so the quiet time to sleep was welcomed. Praise the Lord for his provision - pray for us as we debrief and re enter American/Canadian culture. We are all so looking forward to seeing our loved ones!!

Doug

July 9

Haiti is an experience that cannot be explained.  Dick and Colton came here in 2009 with Cornerstone and shared so much but it did not prepare me for what was waiting.  Life here is so hard, so stretching, and yet so amazing!  The country is beautiful and the people are so lovable.  Our whole team of 40 went and spent 2 nights in an orphanage that was about 4 hours away by tap tap. We were in a place called Seline Myette at the orphanage that housed about 129 kids.  If I knew the conditions that we would be facing ahead of time I would not have wanted to go but life is not about comfort.  God showed me how He can fill your heart with so much love for these kids that rough conditions can be tolerated for the blessings He graced us with.  Actually is that not how life here on earth is even in Canada?  If it wasn’t for God coming to us - reaching out to us through His Son - to give us a hope in eternity, life here would be unbearable at times.  There is pain and death and injustice all around us but it is ok when we remember we are aliens here awaiting a better home in heaven.  Eternity in heaven with our Father is our inheritance.  While we are here on earth, He encourages us and showers His love on us   in His mercy.

These kids at this orphanage were incredible.  One little girl (who seemed like 4 or 5 but  actually was 6) came up to me and was so silly.  She was dancing and hyper and jumping on me.  I taught her some clapping games and she tried to teach me some.  She loved to wear my fancy hat and then the hat made its rounds to all the other kids.  After about an hour of silliness she sat on my lap, put the hat on top of her head, stuck her thumb in her mouth and fell asleep for about two hours.  She was by my side most of our time there.  She was helpful and tried to look after me.  She sang praises songs in my arms with some of us girls.  She made it all worth it.  But leaving her behind when we left broke my heart.  She looked so sad and I cried for many reasons.  But I do rejoice because even though life here seems unbearable it is better then what she had.  She is learning about Jesus here and has a good chance for really knowing our Savior.  She is an alien here and her inheritance will be a much, much better home!  I can hardly wait to one day to see my little Maimma at “home” one day and clap with her again.  Thank you Jesus for your goodness and your love!

Carol Bercier

The Home Stretch...

Can you believe it? Only two days to go - and I say that in the joy and anticipation of seeing family and friends (we’re coming Ezra and Ashton!!), but also with a very real sadness. Our team has been awakened to a world many of us didn’t know existed. We have seen so much that demands a response. Keep praying - God is shifting the sands of our hearts and minds in a significant way. Pray specifically that we will know how to process what appropriate response will be as we transition back into life in Canada. 

As I sit here in the dining hall of the St.Louis de Nord campus I can hear ‘Curious George’ playing next door in the court yard where are team is sitting eating popcorn with 48 disabled and special needs children. I can here their cries of delight as they sit with our team laughing and enjoying a movie in the night air. Things that when we sit back and take a look seem extraordinary have almost become common in the last 7 days. Today Myron Thiessen gave a seminar on ‘Faith and Depression’ to a group of Haitian people in the local church. It was well received and Myron had to field some very difficult questions - dealing with a topic like depression in a developing country has some real challenges!

This morning Colton Bercier preached in a local church and was used to glorify God in a profound way. The word was preached powerfully, the worship was loud and Haitian, the sun was hot (for those sitting outside in the overflow in the courtyard), and the fellowship was sweet over the Lord’s Table. 

Tomorrow we hike to a local waterfall and market (4.5 Miles one way along a river), a group will be in the Baby orphanage (86 babies to care for), Myron will be leading a group into the mountains for a hut to hut clinic and prayer ministry, and we will deliver a marriage seminar in the evening. It sounds like there will be quite the crowd showing up, pray that God’s heart for marriage is proclaimed clearly. 

Thats all for now, we love you, and so look forward to seeing you soon,

In His Love,

Doug

2 Days in Saline Mayette (yesterdays Blog)

We spent the last two days off-campus at an orphanage in an area called Saline Mayette.  Getting there involved travelling about 3.5 hours over indescribably horrendous roads in the box of an old military truck and taking big hits of diesel exhaust just out of the vertical pipe right next to my head.  Other highlights of that journey involved me performing on-the-road surgery (an overstatement) to remove a homemade ear-plug from deep within Devan’s ear.  All in all, this is the stuff that dreams are made of….or at least really great stories.  Arriving at the mission made me feel a little bit like Artoo-Detoo crash-landing on the desert planet of Tatooine in the first Star Wars movie, lost, out of my element, and just waiting to collapse moaning on the ground (Brynn, I love you and I even miss the way you hate my Star Wars references).  Have you ever been to New Mexico?  Saline Mayette is a bit like that.  Sandy, some trees, lots of little pokey plants, and no surface water.  While some of the kids that have families were home for the summer (they follow a similar school schedule to ours), Saline Mayette is home to about 130 kids, maybe 10 chickens, several donkeys, and at least one tarantula.  All of this is over see by two, yes two, adults.  Fenelon and his wife are in charge of this lifeline for the children.  With so little supervision, the kids (from babies to late-teens) not only took care of each-other, but fed us with what food they had.  Some of the teenagers would spend hours in the hot afternoon sun chopping beets and potatoes so the “blancs” could have supper.  In full swing, 140 or so people depend on an old military water tank on wheels that must be hooked up to a truck and dragged to the closest town whenever there is a truck around to do that and that’s no guarantee.  We spent our days playing with the kids.  Soccer, Frisbee, tic-tac-toe in the dirt, colouring, lots of cuddling, and watching the little girls braid Viktor’s hair.  All 40 of us, man, woman, and child, slept on the floors and tables in the dining hall (which we painted a cheery blue on the second day) in some kind of great glorious slumber party.  I’m totally out of writing time, and I have not even begun to relate or share the endless things there are to tell, but here’s one little picture.  In the water-less desert of Haiti, there is a skinny little orphan boy who wears a shirt that says “My Daddy Loves Me.”  Believe it or not, he is more fortunate than most kids here to be in such a place.  His Daddy provides.  Jehovah Jireh is everywhere, even in the most desolate places.


Jordy

Day 3

July 4

Today we drove to Ansafleur. Half of our team took a tap-tap and the other half took a bus. The drive was absolutely beautiful! Praise Jesus for creating such a stunning landscape!

Once we arrived in Ansafleur we split up and headed out to different places. As we walked through the town, tons of children came to hold our hands. We’ve realized that the more expressive and excited we are when we say “bonjour” to the locals, the better a reaction we get. The walk was marked by bright eyes and smiles.

Some of us went to the voodoo temple, while the others hiked up to the broken cross. My group went to the voodoo temple first. Unfortunately, we were asked to pay to enter and so instead we walked to a spot to pray for Haiti. 

After praying we started walking up to the broken cross. We were told that the stone cross was struck by lightening and destroyed many years ago. The legend goes that at the same time a black doll fell from the sky. The doll was named St.Anne and now sits in the voodoo temple. Apparently the event was a mark of Satan’s power over the region. Some of us on our team were allowed into the voodoo temple on our last trip to Haiti and saw the doll.

Our team met up again and we walked to a restaurant to wait for our ride to the beach. We found out that something in the bus broke and so we ended up waiting in the sun with the Haitian children. We blew bubbles, showed magic tricks, sang songs, and clapped. I’m very glad for the “chance” opportunities to show the love of Christ. Then we were asked to step into the restaurant were shared a light lunch. Soon after the bus was fixed and, loading up, we drove to the beach.

Honestly, I didn’t expect our time with the children to go as well as it did. We set up under the shade of some trees away from the beach. Our translators were a big help, the songs were fun, the kids listened quietly as we gave our lesson, the craft was enjoyed, and there were enough peanut butter sandwiches to go around. One small group within our team lead the lesson. It was about the story Jesus told concerning the unmerciful servant. It was exciting to hear the children respond correctly to our questions about the lesson. After, Jordy gave a clear presentation of the Gospel. Pray the Holy Spirit gives understanding to the young Haitians.

After the snack, everyone went down to the beach to play. As we swam out into the warm sea, many of the Haitians followed. Some of us found and touched many pokey and slimy things. It was a blast! Too soon, we had to drive back to the mission. 

Just before supper I had the privilege to go down to the market with just two translators and myself. I brought a dollar bill, went to a “bank” to exchange my money for Haitian dollars, and bought nine mangos! Why can’t we buy so many mangos for so cheap in Canada?! Also, the mangos are SO good here! 

This walk was probably the highlight of my day. It was so nice to talk to the translators, ask them questions, and say hello to the people. Getting out of the gates of the Mission and seeing Haiti in the raw, is quite an experience.

I’m very thankful for the way the Lord works. I wish I could explain how He is working in our hearts. I know He is working in mine. Praise Jesus for the matchless grace, steadfast love, and faithfulness He shows to us!

Grace and peace,

Colton Bercier

Day 1 blog

This is what you missed from day 1 (we weren't able to post last night to our own blog):

We’re officially falling asleep in St.Louis de Nord at the NWHCM base! Praise the Lord. Our trip in was a ridiculous experience of terrific speed through treacherous terrain - the bus ride has once again lived up to its dubious reputation (even though many commented that its is better than going to any amusement park. The weather was hot (but not as hot as it could have been - although a bus has a certain resemblance to a pressure cooker when you pack 55 people in - yes, thats an average of 3 per seat for over 6 hrs in a school bus). 

Pray for us tonight as the schedule is beginning to take its toll on many (two nights of less than 3 hours of sleep for some). Pray for refreshing sleep and settling into our new and very different surroundings. Tomorrow is a day on the campus with orientation in the morning and campus projects in the afternoon. 

PS - If I didn’t imply it directly enough - all of your loved ones are safe and sound! Sleep well!

Doug

Day 2 - Settling In

Greetings from St. Louis!  I have limited to time to get this post out so I'll keep it brief:

After yesterdays terrific, if not terrifying ride, left us all pretty much zonked. Thankfully today was a beautiful day of orientation, and stepping into the ministries here on the campus and in the surrounding area this included (not exhaustive) working in the local brothel, ministering to prisoners in jail, walking through the community with a crowd of children to the market (with a translator), fixing a water pump, washing dishes, playing with children at the nutrition program, playing with and feeding special needs children, cleaning garbage, joining in a soccer game, painting toe nails, applying lotions, singing and doing massages in the Gran moon (the old folks home) along with other things. 

Highlights of the day are seeing our team throw themselves into the culture - the Lord is providing incredibly with faith and obedience. Tomorrow we take off to Ansafelour - a city with the countries most important Voodoo sites. We will be touring these sights, seeking to understand the underlying cultural issues of Haiti. We will also be doing a VBS on a beach close to the city with children. Pray for  God to work in the hearts and lives of the children and our team (I know you are :)

God is leading us through unlikely people - its becoming increasingly clear that He is on the move! More to come!

Doug

Good Morning!

It's 4:21(EST) and we're with a crowd of people in the lobby of the Red Roof Inn Airport Hotel waiting for our shuttle to get us all there. One shuttle for probably 65 people makes it seem like it may be interesting getting us all there in time for our flight. 

Pray for us today as we get on our 6-10 hr bus ride across the island of Hispaniola! 

in Miami!

Hello to all!
I'm sure many of you have been waiting for this to be updated! apologies that this is only happening now.
We had a great day of travelling. We're all pretty tired, (lots of us didn't have much sleep last night) but we are in good spirits anticipating what is to come tomorrow  (and beyond....)
All our connections were uneventful, and with 40 people, you never know who's luggage will get lost or something... but nope :) We did have to wait a little while for our airport shuttle to come, but we need to chill out and get used to a different pace, we'll soon be on Haitian time.
Once we did arrive to the hotel, we had a chance to swim a bit, eat supper together in the conference room here at the hotel, have a briefing about traveling into Haiti in the morning, a time in the Word, and prayed together. (and a few lizard chasings)
Tomorrow our shuttle will be taking us starting at 4am, so now it's bed time :)
Praise the Lord that all went so smoothly today, pray that we would endure well tomorrow, and know how to process what we see as we travel through Haiti.

Thanks so much for you prayers!!

We'll try to keep you posted as much as possible (but understand our internet connection might not always happen, or a few days we might not have any at all)

 other ways you can follow us are at:

nwhcm travel blog: http://nwhaititrips.wordpress.com/

or look for northwest haiti christian mission on facebook.

see you later!!
Janelle

Prayer Send Off

anticipation and preparation

How do I sum up what is in my heart after a whole year of anticipation and preparation?  To begin with the Lord has shown Himself faithful throughout our perceived intimidating, seemingly almost impossible, fundraising.  He blessed us through so many unexpected surprises that left us humbly thanking Him, knowing there is no way we could have done it on our own.  Now that the trip is only a few days away I find myself afraid of the travelling, not flying but customs, security etc...  I go with many other fears and personal insecurities of feeling completely inadequate and asking myself,  who do I think I am, surely God could send someone more "qualified".  I am then again reminded that none of us is "qualified".  This is the Lord's work, not ours, and He will see it to completion according to His purpose and grace.  I am afraid I will allow my insecurities to get in the way of His work.  I want to go completely surrendered to Him, willing to serve however He leads.  I eagerly anticipate how the Lord will change each of the team members, and how He will use His message of Hope in Haiti.  For His Kingdom and for His glory.    
Marsella Wiebe

Snapshots from the team:

I am a little anxious about the bus-ride, but otherwise very excited and I'm looking forward to the mission 
Viktor 

 Some things that I am really excited about are:   
-the Miriam centre (I really live hanging out with kids who don't get very much attention because they seem so overjoyed by the attention.  I've noticed this I  Canada and I am really excited to see this in Haiti)  
 -the brothel ( I take it for granted that I live in a place where if you stay pure, it isn't a big deal.  But I really want god to use me in some way, to show the girls in Haiti that it is possible to have a pure life.  And that God is able to help them overcome a life of prostitution and he still loves them.) 
 Some fears that I have are: -giving the devotional -not having a plan -traveling (I've never been on a plane) -that I won't have patience with people, and that I will get cranky. -being in a different country in general. 
Alyssa

I found these verses helpful even though I'm a bit afraid. 1 Peter 3:13-15 God is in charge no matter what "might " happen to me. 

Also these words by Philip Yancey

"The Bible is a Christian's guide-book, and I believe the l know the knowledge it sheds on pain and suffering is the great antidote to fear for suffering people. Knowledge can dissolve fear as light destroys darkness".
 Susan 

what is this...?

Hello! Welcome to our Blog!
There is a team of 40 of us from Cornerstone Bible Church (in Steinbach) that are going to Haiti in a few weeks. We have created this to let you in on our happenings of the trip. We are going with Northwest Haiti Christian mission (check them out: www.nwhcm.org) All for now - more to come!