Monday

Each morning we start with a group devotional and then eat breakfast together.  The food is a delicious combination of American and Haitian dishes:  scrambled eggs-US style and scrambled eggs-Haitian style (with a delicious tomato/onion sauce), bananas, warmed rolls, and even peanut butter!  Lunch is enormous:  Haitian rice and beans, chicken, calzones-Haitian style (stuffed with egg and onion) and the most delicious fruit salad:  apples, pineapple, mango, bananas, and watermelon. As for the work, everyone chose jobs:  Phil, Dan, and I started installing tile in the Orphanage School, Justin, Maddie, Andrew, Jack,David, and Jim were painting in the girl's orphanage, Kristen and Stefanie were sewing curtains for the girl's orphanage, Sue and Shirley were sorting clothes needed for the flood victims, and Doyle and Dan were working on wood shop projects with Haitian teenagers.  The big news is that Pastor Mike Harbert arrived in the afternoon!  It was soooooo hot, by the way, and all everyone does is drink water and say how happy they are!  How much they are loving being here together!  What a team!

One of the highlights for the afternoon was helping with the feeding program.  About 120 kids (both boys and girls; ages around 3-11) came in and enjoyed playtime to kick off the afternoon.  Our team members especially loved this part, joining in for basketball, soccer, coloring and even just carrying some of the smaller kids around.  Sitting down, next, for a worship and teaching time, the kids sang together and heard the entire gospel story.  Hearing them sing praises (all in Creole) and say all together "Mesi Jesus!" (Thank you Jesus!) and "Benit soit l'Eternel!" (Blessed be the Eternal God!) was so powerful.  Then, with a white board, the school principal Ivans taught an interactive lesson all about Jesus dying on the cross, being in the tomb for three days and being resurrected, giving us hope through His shed blood!  Afterwards, the kids ate a nutritious plate of rice, beans, and vegetables before heading out.  Not knowing if this meal might be the only one the kids eat today is a humbling thought that again makes us realize how very much we have in the States.  Also, serving these kids, giving them food and water, is serving Jesus.  They're so precious, unique and beautiful.  It's a privilege, in this simple way, to build God's kingdom.  Stefanie

Church This Morning

The service we attended this morning was exceptional. The Haitian people seemed very passionate about the God that they pledged discipleship to and the pastor who was leading the service was no different. Haitians are some of the most committed Christians i have ever seen and it blew us all away to see them worship a God who seems to have forgotten them. That proved to be absolutely false once inside the church building where God was as present as could be for us and for the Haitians alike. We all are truly blessed to be in Haiti and have much to learn from these people about what it means to be truly dependent on God and trust that he will take care of all of our needs. -Andrew C. Boyd


This morning the service at Port-au-Prince Fellowship was amazing! We were in a full building with fans going and the hot air wasn't a factor. We sang five to six worship songs to begin the service and these were some of the most heartfelt songs sung, not necessarily the words but from the hearts that were singing. The pastor at this church was one of the most enthusiastic lovers of Christ I have met. As he prayed and praised God he expressed tears of joy and thankfulness for our God.

During the time for the offering the pastor said that they give 40% of their income to missions, and not just in Haiti, he mentioned they support people in the Middle East. It was an amazing act of love that people here would be willing to give money to others when they are one of the poorest nations in the world. Haiti may be poor in worldly possessions but they are rich in spirit. --David J. Weller

What we see in Port-au-Prince:

Landed at the airport

All of us landed safely in Port-au-Prince and the weather was just as we expected:  hot and humid.  Who knows for sure what the temperature was, but the forecast said 105F, and it was quite a change from the 50's in Carmel.  Bill and Susette Manassero themselves picked our group up at the airport, and we made the drive in an enormous caged bus which wove through narrow, congested roadways.  What a vibrant, chaotic place Haiti is!  How utterly poor are most Haitians, but so full of determination and resolve!  We saw what the Manassero's have been able to build here:  a full Vocational Training Center, a K-6 elementary school, a boys orphanage and a girls orphanage!  Truly inspiring to see such Godly servants at work in the midst of a truly needly community.  They have fed us delicious Haitian foods made by incredible Haitian cooks, and have made us feel really at home in such an unfamiliar, different environment.  Everyone was sweaty, tired, and exhilarated by our first day and awaits tomorrow with real joy as we get to worship at a local Haitian church.

Carmel Presbyterian Haiti Trip June 2011

Here is our group:  Kristen Strutner, Sue Clayton, Kyle Strutner, Shirley Harnish, Dan McCarthy, Doyle Clayton, David Weller, Justin Noseworthy, Andrew Boyd, Maddie Noseworthy, Dan Harnish, Laura Harbert, Philip Strutner, Therese Strutner, and Jim Miller  (not pictured:  Mike Harbert)

Here is an idea of the house we are going to build in Haiti: