So, as I've been able to process a bit more exiting Haiti and the things that are brewing inside of me there are a few things that are clear to me.
1. God is on the Move - The ways that God moved in our team and how God has shown himself to the GO team, there is something up in Senior High. I'm excited for it and at the same time, very hesitant to get overly excited for fear that we will miss the point that God has for us.
2. There is a cure for "Victimitis Virus" - While a huge number of people in Haiti lived under the reign of Satan (which I believe, happened and ended in 1991), there is a huge feeling of potential and hope in Haiti and the village that we were in, Bois de Lance. On top of that, the people of Haiti aren't crying "victim." For the most part, if they were offered the opportunity for a better life in the form of a job, I think they would take it. But for a nation that is plagued by an unemployment of something around 90% and a landscape that doesn't offer much in the form of agriculture, there simply aren't enough opportunities for the entire nation.
Yet, the people, especially the youth, are far from victims. They do what they can with what they have been given. They play some type of role in the hardships that they face. They have refused to not make some type of attempt to make their life better. This mentality is so much different from many people in our society. When things suck, situations seem impossible, we give up and blame someone else. Now, more than ever, I refuse to accept that mentality. We have a role to play in any situation we face. We have the ability to make things better, even if that simply means having a good attitude about the situation.
3. Where to next? - This was my first trip outside of the country and my first time leading a trip for students. On many levels, I learned entirely too much for one trip and one mind. But as I've processed and recognized some of the things that God was teaching specifically to me, I am convinced that this is not the end of missions for me; by a long shot. Because of that reality, I'm wondering, prayerfully seeking, and trying to discern where God would have me go next. I'm not claiming that I'm turning into a missionary, not even close. But, through the entire last week, I have felt like there is something next; another adventure to set out on.
4. I am not, but He Is. - As I have continued to process and listened to the stories of some of the GO participants, weighing the experience that I got to observe in the students on the Impact trip, I am seeing this theme rise up and rear its beautifully empowering, hugely humbling head. If we can continue to recognize how Good He is, and realize how incapable we are without His Spirit and His Power, we will be able to see Him and His mighty move, every day. Less of us, more of Him.
I'm so excited for Summer Camp. I'm pumped to explore with students what it means to be Different; to find our lives being set apart. Holy. How we can completely surrender to the things that He is calling us toward and pulling us into. This year has the potential to define a lot of things for many people. I'm praying for many little moments.
GC
Showing posts with label Haiti. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Haiti. Show all posts
June 28, 2010
June 23, 2010
Haiti Thoughts & Thank Yous
What an amazing time of ministry in the country of Haiti! Even as I look through some of the pictures, I am overwhelmed by the awesome way that God touched the lives of Haitians and our team. I am flooded with memories with Sampson, Fritz, Peterson, Doug, Wiljean, Kevynson, Tiroro, Lionel, Antonio, Ickney, Junior, Madame Wiljean's cooking, water, heat, love, compassion, poverty and hope.
My life will never be the same. The people that I saw in Haiti and the way that they interact with each other and with us showed their ability to love out of brokenness and to serve out of brokenness. What turned out to be so cool, was our teams' ability to learn to serve out of brokenness and to discover that we can be all God wants us to be when we turn our focus off of ourselves and what we get out of the trip and let our hearts break for what breaks God's.
Our team experienced huge breakthroughs in so many different ways and it was only possible because of your prayers and constant lifting to the Lord. Your persistence and participation in the Body of Christ was invaluable for our trip. So, from the bottom of my heart thank you so much for all your prayers and words of encouragement to our team. We have been truly blessed.
I am not, but He Is. He has changed our lives and has impacted the lives of so many Haitians. Again, like so many other times, He gets the Glory. He has done wondrous things and continues to push us outside of our comfort zones so that we can passionately hold on to Him in every season. He is our Rock and the only thing that holds us up. We praise His name because He is Good.
Thanks for everything that you, the Body, have done to support us in this journey! We wouldn't have been able to do it without you!
Because He Lives in All of Us,
Geoff & The IMPACT:Haiti Team
My life will never be the same. The people that I saw in Haiti and the way that they interact with each other and with us showed their ability to love out of brokenness and to serve out of brokenness. What turned out to be so cool, was our teams' ability to learn to serve out of brokenness and to discover that we can be all God wants us to be when we turn our focus off of ourselves and what we get out of the trip and let our hearts break for what breaks God's.
Our team experienced huge breakthroughs in so many different ways and it was only possible because of your prayers and constant lifting to the Lord. Your persistence and participation in the Body of Christ was invaluable for our trip. So, from the bottom of my heart thank you so much for all your prayers and words of encouragement to our team. We have been truly blessed.
I am not, but He Is. He has changed our lives and has impacted the lives of so many Haitians. Again, like so many other times, He gets the Glory. He has done wondrous things and continues to push us outside of our comfort zones so that we can passionately hold on to Him in every season. He is our Rock and the only thing that holds us up. We praise His name because He is Good.
Thanks for everything that you, the Body, have done to support us in this journey! We wouldn't have been able to do it without you!
Because He Lives in All of Us,
Geoff & The IMPACT:Haiti Team
June 20, 2010
Travel Post: Some Helpful Info and Thoughts as We Return
After a great night of debriefing and encouragement journals, our time is done in Florida. Here is our itinerary for the rest of the day and our travel today:
7:50am Depart from FLL for ATL
1hr 11min layover in ATL
1:00pm arrival at DTW.
We should arrive at NMC much earlier than 6:00pm. I would put us back closer to 5:00pm.
We will pass the phones around as soon as we leave for NMC from the airport. And then utilize Twitter for the quickest updates.
Ok, enough of the logistics.
After tonight, many of you will have changed kids coming home to you (no one will be coming home the same). I encourage you to prepare for the BEST and make sure to sit down and give them time to explain some of the things that took place on this trip. They should be able to easily describe what happened.
Couple of pointers as you do this:
1. Be Open.
A huge thing for a student will be encouragement and affirmation. This is critical even if you have some doubts!
2. Make Time.
The biggest non-verbal you can give your student at this point is the time of day to listen to their story(ies). They have many and are very excited to share (even though they will be weary when we arrive)!
Your students have done some awesome things and have allowed God to show them many things for their lives. You get to be the next part of that discipleship process now. I'm excited to hear how the process continues!
It has been a great trip and we are excited to see you all! We'll see you in a few hours!
GC
7:50am Depart from FLL for ATL
1hr 11min layover in ATL
1:00pm arrival at DTW.
We should arrive at NMC much earlier than 6:00pm. I would put us back closer to 5:00pm.
We will pass the phones around as soon as we leave for NMC from the airport. And then utilize Twitter for the quickest updates.
Ok, enough of the logistics.
After tonight, many of you will have changed kids coming home to you (no one will be coming home the same). I encourage you to prepare for the BEST and make sure to sit down and give them time to explain some of the things that took place on this trip. They should be able to easily describe what happened.
Couple of pointers as you do this:
1. Be Open.
A huge thing for a student will be encouragement and affirmation. This is critical even if you have some doubts!
2. Make Time.
The biggest non-verbal you can give your student at this point is the time of day to listen to their story(ies). They have many and are very excited to share (even though they will be weary when we arrive)!
Your students have done some awesome things and have allowed God to show them many things for their lives. You get to be the next part of that discipleship process now. I'm excited to hear how the process continues!
It has been a great trip and we are excited to see you all! We'll see you in a few hours!
GC
June 19, 2010
PICTURES!
Here is the first set of pictures from our trip to Haiti! More coming once I get the camera to work!
June 16, 2010
Update! The end of Ministry in Haiti is near
Well, today is our last full day of ministry. In light of that, we had a great team meeting last night where we began to be open about so much that has been flooding our minds lately. The impact that Haiti will have on our team, our families, our friends and our church will be so much more than the impact we have on Haiti. But we are making a difference. At today's VBS, about 25 kids raised their hands to accept Jesus into their life. It's pretty amazing what a little love and living in the power of the Holy Spirit can do!
The past couple days have been filled with VBS and prayer walks, visiting the church member's houses to pray with them and bring them a blessing. It has been so cool to watch from my vantage point because so many students are stepping up and reaching out to those less fortunate than them without much prompting or push. I have been pretty amazed at who, how and the frequency to which I am surprised by team members!
Unfortunately, because of our connection here at Open Door, I will not be able to post pictures until we get back to Florida. I may be able to post one more post in Haiti, however, in case I cannot, here is our timetable and how you can best pray.
Today:
VBS finishes up and we do a youth service tonight. The Decision Time drama will be presenting in about an hour or so and the Everything drama presents tonight. Kaleigh and Mallory will be sharing their testimonies this morning and Kim and Adam or Ryan will be sharing theirs tonight at the service. You can pray that the message is clear and that hearts would be open to the message of hope that God brings to all of these elements.
Tomorrow (Thursday):
We will be heading out on a 10 mile hike to a local waterfall. This will be a trek but we are confident that this could be a very memorable moment for students. We depart about 8:00am and will return about 4:00pm. Pray for strength and endurance for each of us as we make this trek! Our last few hours of ministry with the kids will then take place that night. Pray that we can be confident in God's work in each of these kids. I know that it is going to be hard for many on our team to leave such hopeful spirits behind as we leave this place and return to the comfort of our homes and lifestyles.
Friday:
We will be leaving Open Door about 7:30am and travelling to Cap Haitian to visit the Tourist Market that is there for a bout 45 minutes before heading to the airport to depart for Florida. Our flight is scheduled to leave at 10:30am and arrive in Florida around 1:30 (FL time). We will begin our major debrief time on Friday afternoon and need so many prayers for this. It is very easy for teams to begin to shut down when we get on the first flight. Pray that we can continue to process through everything that we have seen and heard so we can allow this experience to make an impact on our lives.
I'll be able to post pictures and many other things once we get to Florida! Until then, keep praying for our team, but also, pray for the people of Haiti. As I look into the eyes of these kids, I see such hope for their future and the opportunities that they might be able to have. It breaks my heart to think that the dreams that they have right now, will most likely fade given their circumstances. So pray that the kids and people we have interacted with and prayed over will soon see a "break in the heat" and be able to rest in the coolness of Christ's presence. He can do all things!
Keep Praying!!
GC
The past couple days have been filled with VBS and prayer walks, visiting the church member's houses to pray with them and bring them a blessing. It has been so cool to watch from my vantage point because so many students are stepping up and reaching out to those less fortunate than them without much prompting or push. I have been pretty amazed at who, how and the frequency to which I am surprised by team members!
Unfortunately, because of our connection here at Open Door, I will not be able to post pictures until we get back to Florida. I may be able to post one more post in Haiti, however, in case I cannot, here is our timetable and how you can best pray.
Today:
VBS finishes up and we do a youth service tonight. The Decision Time drama will be presenting in about an hour or so and the Everything drama presents tonight. Kaleigh and Mallory will be sharing their testimonies this morning and Kim and Adam or Ryan will be sharing theirs tonight at the service. You can pray that the message is clear and that hearts would be open to the message of hope that God brings to all of these elements.
Tomorrow (Thursday):
We will be heading out on a 10 mile hike to a local waterfall. This will be a trek but we are confident that this could be a very memorable moment for students. We depart about 8:00am and will return about 4:00pm. Pray for strength and endurance for each of us as we make this trek! Our last few hours of ministry with the kids will then take place that night. Pray that we can be confident in God's work in each of these kids. I know that it is going to be hard for many on our team to leave such hopeful spirits behind as we leave this place and return to the comfort of our homes and lifestyles.
Friday:
We will be leaving Open Door about 7:30am and travelling to Cap Haitian to visit the Tourist Market that is there for a bout 45 minutes before heading to the airport to depart for Florida. Our flight is scheduled to leave at 10:30am and arrive in Florida around 1:30 (FL time). We will begin our major debrief time on Friday afternoon and need so many prayers for this. It is very easy for teams to begin to shut down when we get on the first flight. Pray that we can continue to process through everything that we have seen and heard so we can allow this experience to make an impact on our lives.
I'll be able to post pictures and many other things once we get to Florida! Until then, keep praying for our team, but also, pray for the people of Haiti. As I look into the eyes of these kids, I see such hope for their future and the opportunities that they might be able to have. It breaks my heart to think that the dreams that they have right now, will most likely fade given their circumstances. So pray that the kids and people we have interacted with and prayed over will soon see a "break in the heat" and be able to rest in the coolness of Christ's presence. He can do all things!
Keep Praying!!
GC
June 14, 2010
Many Days of Awesome Ministry
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Our connection is determined solely on the availability of electricity which usually takes place during prime ministry and debrief time. I am going to set aside some time to put some pictures up tomorrow afternoon when I am told the generator will be on.
Haiti is an awesome place with beautiful people. We have connected with so many kids and teenagers in our time here. The past couple days have been filled with a lot of relational ministry hut-to-hut, prayer ministry for the families of the church, working in a field, water fights, tarantulas named Fruit Loops and Alfred. All in all, it has been a fantastic couple of days.
Many of our students have discovered that the Haitian people are very ready to begin relationships and connect. Even many adults have let us pray with them and have pretty open conversations. The people here have a very interesting past in regards to relationship with Christianity. Many have heard of Christ, but don't accept him or don't accept him at this time. This was very interesting to run into, however, quite enlightening when we are talking about how people perceive the church.
All in all, the students are adjusting to the heat and the fatigue that it brings with little to no complaints, which is awesome. We have had a bit of some stomach stuff due to the change in food, but overall we are doing quite well! Pray that we can continue to make the transition and we can be at full strength for the days ahead!
VBS starts tomorrow and that means you'll get some pictures! Keep praying for God to use us in crazy ways we never thought possible!
GC
Haiti is an awesome place with beautiful people. We have connected with so many kids and teenagers in our time here. The past couple days have been filled with a lot of relational ministry hut-to-hut, prayer ministry for the families of the church, working in a field, water fights, tarantulas named Fruit Loops and Alfred. All in all, it has been a fantastic couple of days.
Many of our students have discovered that the Haitian people are very ready to begin relationships and connect. Even many adults have let us pray with them and have pretty open conversations. The people here have a very interesting past in regards to relationship with Christianity. Many have heard of Christ, but don't accept him or don't accept him at this time. This was very interesting to run into, however, quite enlightening when we are talking about how people perceive the church.
All in all, the students are adjusting to the heat and the fatigue that it brings with little to no complaints, which is awesome. We have had a bit of some stomach stuff due to the change in food, but overall we are doing quite well! Pray that we can continue to make the transition and we can be at full strength for the days ahead!
VBS starts tomorrow and that means you'll get some pictures! Keep praying for God to use us in crazy ways we never thought possible!
GC
June 11, 2010
Day Two: Our first in Haiti...
Well, we're in Haiti! It's Hot, but it's bearable. Students absolutely dove into the people of Bois de Lance today. Amazing stuff for a first day. We made a bit of a hike to the Prayer Chapel of the town. It was awesome to see that as we kept going through the town, we picked up more and more kids. We will have pictures in the next couple days.
Signal for cell phones is unavailable for texting or data, so twitter updates will be limited, probably once a day when the generator is on for events here at the church.
Pray for endurance for the team! We had a pretty long day today and are getting in bed early! But pray that we can be ready to encounter what God has planned!
Signal for cell phones is unavailable for texting or data, so twitter updates will be limited, probably once a day when the generator is on for events here at the church.
Pray for endurance for the team! We had a pretty long day today and are getting in bed early! But pray that we can be ready to encounter what God has planned!
June 10, 2010
Prayer Post: Travel/Prep Day
This morning we left NMC at 4:30a.m. (I know many of you don't think I can exist that early in the morning!) and are heading to Detroit for the first leg of flights to Haiti. We will be stopping in Fort Lauderdale, FL for the afternoon/evening until our flight for Haiti leaves on Friday morning. Tonight, we are going to do some final preparations with our VBS program and some final details that need to be worked out.
Continue to pray for safe travelling mercies this morning and tomorrow as we finish the journey into Cap Haitian.
This is a great team and we are excited about what this week holds!
Continue to pray for safe travelling mercies this morning and tomorrow as we finish the journey into Cap Haitian.
This is a great team and we are excited about what this week holds!
June 7, 2010
Haitian Thoughts on a Monday.
Friday, my team and I will head into Cap Haitian, Haiti with Doug Holliday. This is a trip that I am looking forward to for the year with much apprehension and excitement and it's all coming to a head today.
I'm apprehensive...
...because it's my first trip outside of the country.
I'm excited...
...because I know that it is a huge moment of obedience for me.
I'm apprehensive...
...because I'm leading a team of students. How does that not cause some apprehension?!
I'm excited...
...becasue I'm going to be witness of some things that I know are going to be "life moments" for many of these students.
I'm apprehensive...
...because I haven't been able to think straight today and have been bombarded by the lies of the Devil.
I'm excited...
...because I've been told, believe and know that this means something big is about to happen.
I'd be lying if I said I've got it all together in regards to this trip.
I'd be lying if I said I am completely confident in myself on this trip.
I'd be lying if I said I think everything is going to be amazing.
I'd also be lying if I said that my faith in God is being increased like 10 fold because of this trip.
I'd also be lying if I said that I wasn't completely confident in what God is going to do in and through me and in and through my team on this trip.
I'd also be lying if I said I shouldn't go on this trip.
He is faithful.
He is in control.
He is making me ready; Every day as the trip approaches.
God show me your heart.
God give me a confidence not in ourselves but in your Power.
God show me how to lead confidently and the way that you wish to see this team move.
I know I am SO not.
But I know I know I AM.
GC
I'm apprehensive...
...because it's my first trip outside of the country.
I'm excited...
...because I know that it is a huge moment of obedience for me.
I'm apprehensive...
...because I'm leading a team of students. How does that not cause some apprehension?!
I'm excited...
...becasue I'm going to be witness of some things that I know are going to be "life moments" for many of these students.
I'm apprehensive...
...because I haven't been able to think straight today and have been bombarded by the lies of the Devil.
I'm excited...
...because I've been told, believe and know that this means something big is about to happen.
I'd be lying if I said I've got it all together in regards to this trip.
I'd be lying if I said I am completely confident in myself on this trip.
I'd be lying if I said I think everything is going to be amazing.
I'd also be lying if I said that my faith in God is being increased like 10 fold because of this trip.
I'd also be lying if I said that I wasn't completely confident in what God is going to do in and through me and in and through my team on this trip.
I'd also be lying if I said I shouldn't go on this trip.
He is faithful.
He is in control.
He is making me ready; Every day as the trip approaches.
God show me your heart.
God give me a confidence not in ourselves but in your Power.
God show me how to lead confidently and the way that you wish to see this team move.
I know I am SO not.
But I know I know I AM.
GC
January 18, 2010
Help Haiti Now
In response to the devastation in Haiti and our ties with that area, NMC Student Ministries has made the decision to take a love offering during Wednesday Night Youth on Wednesday, January 20 (That's this Wednesday). This is a very urgent need and many sources have said that the biggest need is money and funds to purchase water and food for the hundreds of thousands of people that have been affected by this catastrophe. If you are a student, save up some money, ask mom and dad to help. If you are a leader, consider what it means to partner with the people of Haiti. I've been reading some tweets sent by Compassion International President, Wess Stafford and the number of orphans is growing exponentially, daily in the area. This a definite Kids in Need opportunity for students to help the thousands that are in need.
Would you consider joining us?
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