Let me begin by telling you how I got to Haiti in the first place. My good friend, Adrian Pena, invited me to go to Haiti last year. I prayed about it and I wanted to go, but I felt that God didn’t want me to go. I didn’t fully understand why but I knew it wasn’t in God’s plan. Almost a year later, I went to Basecamp and I heard Felix talk about the Haiti Trip. The moment he began to talk about it, I felt God’s call to go. My heart jumped with joy and anticipation. I knew that God wanted me to go this year. I wasn’t supposed to go last year for the very purpose of going this year.

June 20th, 2009.

Today was our second to last, full day in Haiti. The other 40 something people on our team will be leaving Monday morning. God has opened up my eyes to so many things on this trip. I truly wish that I could spend another month here.

Today we traveled to the mountains to a top tourist spot and a point which overlooked all of Haiti. Looking down on it, with the vast mountains in the background, the bayline in the distance and the huge ocean far away, I was blown away to realize that this was the country I had been working in, for the past six days. Gazing over the tiny clusters of jam-packed towns and cluttered houses connected my mind to the the picture of God looking down on his children from Heaven. I felt so blessed. Blessed beyond words… God looks down on his children, He sees Haiti, He cares about Haiti, just as He looks down upon the U.S. and other countries. And what a powerful experience to know that God has called ME here to be used and to be an assistant for his kingdom while doing the best job we can at influencing the lives of these children. I couldn’t see the people, or the overpopulated towns, or the stick shacks that stand as “houses” with 10 people living in each room, but I DID know what they looked like and what their personas were. I remembered their smiles, the warmth of their hugs, and the love in their hearts. I saw God this week in these kids and in these people of Haiti. I saw God in the kids at the Bible school that don’t have parents yet trample you with hugs and kisses the second you walk in the door because they’ve been waiting for you for an hour–probably even anticipating your arrival the whole day. Or the joyful screams you hear which echo the empty, open, unfinished and unpainted building before even pulling up to it. I saw God in the faces of the kids in the remote place of Galet Chambon, a small rural village. I saw God when I worked on medical team and smiled at a girl standing in line to be “assessed” only to find out that she had worms, a fever, a sore throat, anemia, and a cough.

These children are God’s children. They’ve showed me that God’s love is a love which keeps people alive and brings them hope–no matter their circumstance.

Alexis Fernandez

Although I came on mission to share God’s love, I have been overwhelmed on at least two occasions by reminders from Him of His indescribable love for me.

A couple weeks before coming to Haiti I received a call from a member of the Mission to Haiti team asking me if UBC would take on the responsibility of providing gift bags of toiletries, underwear, and a snack for 425 women in a prison in Haiti, where finally, after a lengthy request process, they were granted permission to visit. I knew why we were asked for such a big project with little notice-UBC is known for her spontaneous generosity! I was also asked to prepare a devotional thought to share with the women. When we arrived in Haiti I learned that they would like a little more than a devotional thought. I was asked to “preach” the gospel. God has allowed me numerous opportunities to “preach” the gospel but every time I consider it a tremendous honor. This time I asked God to let the meditations of my heart and the guiding of His Spirit lead me to identify with these women, make sense of my examples diminishing the cultural differences, and give a clear opportunity for response. Tuesday, in the humblest of surroundings, I was priviledged to tell parts of my story which helped to break down barriers with these women, and to tell His story as Titus 1:7a, 9 encourages. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus%201:7-9;&version;=76;

When we arrived and got out of our vehicle we could hear, coming from inside the prison, what sounded to us like violent yelling between many of the women. The guards were banging on the cells with their sticks telling them to quiet down. We entered what I would call the foyer area of the jail. Hallways and cells extended from each side. We were told that we had 30 minutes to speak to them and we could do it from this foyer. I was dissappointed that I would not be able to see their faces as I teamed with Brucely, a Hatian Pastor who translated my message.

I wondered what would quiet them. We decided to sing Amazing Grace. It worked, they quieted.I spoke, Brucely passionately translated and likely improved, and God moved. At one point in the message I asked them to raise their hands if they knew they were sinners and in need of a Savior. Down the rows, arms that were hanging limply out of their cells went up.
We’ll not know a count on this side of eternity but God reassured all of us that His word never returns void. (More tomorrow on their receipt of the gift bags.) Ginger Mokher

Thursday, June 18, 2009

We arrived in Port au Prince on Monday morning June 15th. We were the second team to arrive in the Mission to Haiti campus preceded by four members of the Arkansas team. We then greeted the subsequent teams from all over the US including a 37 member team from Maquoketa, Iowa. YES, 37 MEMBERS FROM ONE SMALL COUNTRY CHURCH.

I was amazed on the spontaneuos response and the sacrifices people made to send immediate aid to Haiti. To check out some other God-sized projects going on around the world you can visit the UBC Missions Site.