Ready or Not Haiti Here We Come

Its finally here! Takeoff day is finally around the corner! Tonight our team prayed to our Father for His continued guidance, strength, and wisdom as we follow his footsteps to doing His will and His alone on the this trip. We thanked Him for His faithful providence as he worked through the body of Christ to encourage us and pack us with toys, clothes, and jump ropes for the kiddos. What an amazing church family we have! Special thanks to my roommate Macie Borris and to my dear friends Marty Levitt and Paige Wells for their love for gift giving. I loved receiving bags and boxes full of toys on my doorstep :) The kiddos will love it! I give my props to Mary Hine (my mama) and her amazing packing skills. Another special thanks to Kelli McGinnis whose faithful weekly contributions made it possible for this trip to happen I am absolutely too excited I cant sleep! Praise God for this glorious time!
"For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them up and not pull them down, and I will Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God for they shall return to Me with their Whole heart." Jeremiah 24:7

Next stop Haiti!

Hello everyone!!! Take off day is just around the corner! and we still have lots to do! Our team is working hard to prepare their testimonies to be able to share with kids in schools and also some adults as well, and we are still in the long process of packing 50 pound bags which seem to always be over the weight limit (probably because of all my clothes). A few nights ago we had a chance to talk with Eric and Elisabeth over skype. What a blessing it was to be able to see their faces and hear their voices again! They told us that our schedule will be overflowing with ministry opportunities and unlimited chances to be able to step out in faith and love the people of Haiti. As the day draws closer our team is beginning to feel a little antsy. Prayers our much welcomed! Pray that we would be refreshing to the Ream family, encouraging them and building them up. Pray also for our hearts to be totally lead by the Spirit and that we would totally rely on Gods strength alone. For with Him anything is possible! Pray that the peoples hearts would be open and that we wouldn't feel intimidated to step out in our faith and our comfort zone. Pray that we would have the words to speak, the eyes to see, and the ears to hear Gods glory and presence. Above all pray that God would be glorified and that his name will reign! Thank you all! This trip wouldn't be possible without the support from the body of Christ! We are taking you all with us to Haiti.. if anyone would like to donate baby necessities, toys, clothes, or anything new please contact me!

Establish the Work Of Our Hands For Us!

     Back to Haiti we go! We are super excited!!! In about two months we will begin where we left off last spring break. We will reunite with old friends that we have missed seeing for so long and develop new relationships. I have no idea what God has planned for us in just those two weeks, but I have a strong feeling that this trip will be nothing less than awesome. Our mission on this trip is to be the face of Jesus to whoever we meet! We have missed the Ream family this past year and we are really excited to stay in their home and eat their food just like old times. It will be exciting to see what all God has done in their lives since we last saw them. Since we don't know about the nitty gritty details of our trip, we need lots of PRAYER! Preparation is key and prayer is the first and most important step. Pray that God blesses our time with the Reams and that our trip would be full of surprises! Most importantly pray that we would make a difference for ETERNITY! May we bless and be blessed ourselves. Help us pour out the love! Thanks so much!!!

Shopping the Haitian Way

      All girls love shopping. I know some that just despise the very idea of shopping but I know deep down they really do love the thrill. There is nothing like going to your favorite store with walls of jewelery sparkling as if to say "I love you". There is nothing finding that perfect pair of cute shoes or shirt that just seem to complete your life. (ok maybe I'm being a little dramatic) Lets just say new clothes brings out squeals of excitement in girls!
      Well for Esme Ream new clothes brought out squeals of  "Bloop bloop bloop!" Instead of going shopping for new clothes with Elizabeth's two girls (there isn't much of a selection of malls in Haiti), Elisabeth surprised the girls by bringing the shopping to the girls. Our room became a huge dressing room with pink and blue dresses, skirts, shirts, shoes, and underwears flying everywhere. Every time Esme pulled out a beautiful new item of delight a huge smile spread across her face and she'd say, "ahhhh MARGUERITE! blooop bloop bloooop!"  Me and Elisabeth rolled on the floor laughing. It was the funniest thing ever!
        The bags were stuffed with endless outfits of cuteness that would fill any girls shopping dreams.Esme would pull her new clothes out of the bag then Marguerite and they would both giggle uncontrollable while saying, "Bloop bloop bloop."  This was truly a Haiti shopping spree that I will never forget. 
     

BLOOP BLOOP BLOOP two beautiful princesses :)

Simon di! Ruff!

What kind of game do you play with wild and crazy kids? SIMON DI! or Simon says in English. The kids loved it. Eric led an awesome and crazy game of Simon says out in front making the kids jump up, sit down, spin in circles, and just letting them act like goof balls (or just like Eric :)) It was the funniest thing ever! But the funny part of the story is yet to come.
     At the end of the game Eric shouted, "Simon Di, Bonswa Josh!"
     All the kids screamed, "Bonswa josh! "
     Eric screamed again, "Simon Di, Bonswa Ben!"
     All the kids screamed, "Bonswa Ben!"
     Then Eric screamed, "Simon Di, Bonswa Kelli!"
     All the kids started barking like dogs! I guess the translator translated my name for the creole word for dog! Ruff ruff ruff! Everyone was rolling on the floor laughing. I am now known as Kelli G. dog...  :)

Adventure to the Market

Our trip to the market was quite an adventure. Dodging cars, people, trees and trash we hiked our way to the store to buy cups and protein shakes for the kids. Besides learning the ways of Haitian traffic, a little boy, Jif (who named himself after the peanut butter) about 11 years old taught me a valuable lesson through that trip. Elisabeth, Sydney, Betsy, and I took two of the orphans boys with us, Jif and Stanley. The Haiti super market was like an American gas station closely guarded by soldier holding a giant machine gun (a little scary but I felt safe). I told the boys they could get anything they wanted. Instead of getting candy or blow pops or some thing that kids love for themselves they stacked 2 big boxes of corn flakes, 2 big cans of milk, 2 big bags of Tostitos, and 2 cases of apples.
     "For the orphans!" they said with a huge smile on their faces. My heart melted once again.
     "Of course!" I said while giving the lady the huge basket of orphan goodies. Boys who had nothing wanted to give everything for others.
Philippians 2:4 "Each one of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."
I spent 489.93 goods (Haitian money/ about 50 dollars on food for selfless Jif and his buddies.

 

My Jif the peanut butter kid! 

The power of prayer in Haiti!

"Do you have a machine?"
"A machine?"
"Wi."
"Oh you mean a car?"
"Wi."
Sheylove, a little boy about 13 years old was asking about my family, my friends, my house (cai in creole),and my car. I talked with him about Jesus and my life back in America. I showed him pictures of my mom and sister. I saw tears come to his eyes as he was probably remembering his family who was somewhere in Haiti. Without words I comforted him with my hand in his.

In broken English he said, "Will you remember to pray for me?"
My heart melted. 

 

Remember to pray for my dear Sheylove!

How Great is Our God

     God's creation surrounds the people and the orphans of Haiti! A part of my heart is still in Haiti, and I will never forget the stories and relationships made there. I can't wait to share with you all how Christ worked through us! How great is our God!
      The sweetest and most beautiful girl, Bethany (she is about my age) came up to me with the song How Great is our God written out in English. She started to sing it to me bringing tears to my eyes.Her voice was like a voice of an angel. With her hand in mine,  I tried to sing with her (way off key and cracks every now in then) making a joyful noise in the ears of our Christ and Savior. She told me about her family, but she had know idea where they were because she had not talk to them in a very long time. I asked her if she had Jesus and a smile broke out across her face.  God's greatness was truly moving in this place! Thanks to Josh for teaching Bethany that song and letting God use your musical talents to touch the hearts of others!

                                         Bethany listening to Christian songs on the computer :)

FINALLY IN HAITI!

Omgoshhh best day ever! We have arrived in Haiti and I am LUVING every minute of it!
Our flights felt like they dragged on and on because we were all just itching to get to the orphanage. We were pushed from plane to plane (almost getting on to the wrong one oops), san antonio to dallas to Fort Lauderdale to Port Au Prince. Finally we were in HAITI! While waiting in a huge line for baggage amongest several other church groups and thousands of people (I felt so embarrassed because i was the only one wearing shorts) the nerves were growing larger every minute. Outside the airport people were shouting for our bags, thousands of cars and gas smells covered the streets, and millions of eyes peered through the fences. Through a long archway, we walked in the midst of complete chaos. But for some reason I was at complete peace smiling all the more bigger on every step. A kind haitian man helped me with me bags because something told me I should trust him. I saw elisabeth at the end of the line and gave her the biggest hug ever. We piled our stuff on top of cars a complete OVERLOAD and we squished together no room what so ever in the back. The streets of Haiti were like a rundown circus. No traffic rules at all. If your bigger you got the right away. It seemed like all the crazy drivers were in the streets of Haiti. As we peered through the windows people walked the streets some with hige bowls and luggage balanced skillfully on their heads, rummage broken down buildings and shacks lined the curbs, people hanging out of  colorfully painted haitian taxis (tap taps) swereved every where, tent cities covered the fields and grasses. I was in awe but again totally at peace  because I could feel that God was in the works. Our drivers were long term missionaries in Haiti (Herreras) who were in the process of creating an awesome ministry for the girls and women of Haiti. They were seeking to further the kingdom of God and to give hope to Haiti which is what I sought to do as well. They are Truly my heros. Our ride was a long bumpy one and we drove up through the mountains to reach the orphanage. At nightfall we had reached our destination. The lights of the orphanage flickered and the several bodies of kids ran across the patio. When we drove in we were welcomed with shouts of "Sac Pase!" and "Nam boule!". Elisabeth and Eric held their beautiful girls close and millions of kids swarmed us asking for our names, touching our hair and skin. They were truly adorable! I was so engulfed in the kids that I forgot that I was starving! The food was amazing spaghetti meatsauce, rice beans, and fresh fruit. Yum it hit the spot :) I was exhausted my head hit the pillow and I passed out to tired to worry about tomorrow, to tired to get anxious, but absolutly not to tired to thank God for the day and to pray for his leading for the nex.t

Good bye New Braunfels! Hello Haiti!

Counting down the HOURS! I am sooo excited! Too excited to sleep! But who needs sleep anyways.Seriously this week was the longest week of my life, but now its so close and our whole group is now feeling the last minute gitters.  Our flight leaves around 6:00 tomorrow morning and soon we will be on the streets of Haiti.  I still cant believe it.  It is incredible how God has provided every step of the way. He has truly blessed us with such amazing people who have supported us through out. 14000 dollars raised, bags stuffed full of toys, and the prayers of our brothers and sisters. What an awesome God we have! I cant wait to see what God has planned for us there.  Shining for the Jesus with our hearts and smiles! ahhhhhhhhhh omgoshhh Haiti here we come!