Ministry in Margarita

This mission trip was quite a luxury compared to my recent trip for Haiti. It was a bit disconcerting for me to stay in an air-conditioned room with a pool outside my door, eating three full meals a day, and then go out and meet persons who had little to nothing to eat.

These children were so happy for the
pack of Crix we shared with them

As I mentioned in my post Venezuela in Crisis the situation in that country is really bad. The average family has to line up for hours to get into the grocery to buy basic food items, and for some of the families we visited, this was not even an option as they were not working, so they had no money to buy food.

I wished we had a doctor or nurse who
could have prescribed something for this
baby's rash

A team of 11 of us travelled from Trinidad with our bags mostly full of groceries and toiletries to give away. God granted us favor with the airline, so not everyone had to pay for the excess weight we were carrying. We also received favor from the customs officials in Margarita. Out of the 33 pieces of luggage we carried, they only searched about 3. Not only this, but they helped us take the bags off the carousel and drag them outside to where our transport was waiting, because there were no trolleys!

Our mountain of bags

Safely landed at the airport in Margarita

Sorting and packing the items we
brought from Trinidad

Our mode of transport was a tour bus, so we did not arouse the suspicion of the armed security forces which were positioned on the streets as we drove through town. The first community we visited was Paraguachi, where we visited homes in the area which were identified by a local school teacher as the most needy families in the area. At each home, we presented the gospel message and gave them an opportunity to surrender control of their lives over to God. When we were leaving, we presented them with a small food hamper, for which they were very grateful.

Listening attentively to the gospel presentation

Receiving spiritual food 

One elderly lady that we met was so grateful for the food stuff she received. She was cleaning a bag of sardines when our team visited, because that was all she could have afforded, and she had nothing to eat it with. With her husband dead and her two sons in prison, she had no one who could help her get to the grocery to get the items that she needed.

Sample of the hampers they received

In the afternoon we partnered with a church in La Vecindad for a time of ministry in the community. We broke up into seven groups, with members from our team and members from their church, and went house to house distributing gospel tracts and New Testaments courtesy the Gideons, and invited them to a special service being held at the church.

The personal touch

My team :)

I was so encouraged by my team, which consisted of 4 teenagers and our bus driver! They were all full of enthusiasm and executed the task assigned with joy. It was so refreshing working with them, and practising my Spanish to communicate with them, since they did not speak a word of English.

Bilingual worship

After a short time of worship with songs in English and Spanish, I shared about the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in the life of someone who has committed their life to God. Thanks to Aunty Carol's and Karla's translation services, I was able to clearly explain what happens on the inside when someone becomes a Christian, and then elaborate on how that change should be seen on the outside. The message was very well received, gracias a Dios.

Using visual aids

Afterwards, some team members shared words of encouragement with those who were gathered, and spoke about how the trip had impacted them so far. Then Pastor Sharon delivered a powerful message encouraging those gathered to not allowed the forces of the enemy to gain a stronghold in their community. When she gave a call for persons who wanted to commit their lives to God, almost the entire audience came to the front, where she prayed for them.

Ministering to members of the community

Blessing them physically after they have been spiritually filled

There was so much love flowing after this service. There was such a spirit of unity that no one wanted the time of fellowship to end. Eventually we had to say our goodbyes and after many hugs and photos we departed.

Having fun after receiving their packages

On our final day of ministry, we joined with another local pastor whose church organised an outreach in the community of Los Cocos. This community is situated on the coast, as the primary source of income is fishing. Many of the residents there live in homes made of plywood and galvanize, and had the reputation of being one of the less safe areas in Margarita. We left the food hampers at the church to be distributed so as not to cause too much disturbance.

These homes get flooded whenever there is high tide

Once again we went from house to house sharing the gospel with the families there. There were some who were already Christians who shared with us the faithfulness of God in providing for them. Although it is not the season for sardines, the fishermen were catching sardines in abundance, thereby providing a source of food for their families, as well as income.

Enjoying the arepas which were 'left over' from our hotel breakfast ;)

In the afternoon, we journeyed to the maternity ward of the hospital where we met with new mothers. We shared the gospel, prayed with them and for their new babies, and gave them gifts of diapers and formulae. Some of the mothers were not able to produce any breastmilk due to their poor diets.

Karla presenting the gospel message

Mothers listening attentively

For some of our team members, this was their first missions trip. They shared about the love that God placed in their hearts for the people of Margarita, when they met them in their homes and saw the challenging circumstances they live under. In the midst of their troubles, however, many are responding positively to the gospel message, and looking to Jesus as their only hope. The local pastors who we partnered with expressed how grateful they were for our presence and gifts at a time when they were experiencing a drought, and told of what a blessing and encouragement they received from our time there. Please remember our Venezuelan brothers and sisters in your prayers, that they would not give up but keep trusting in God to make a way of escape for them.

View from Pedro Gonzalez coast

One of the most popular beaches - Playa el Agua

Ministry in Haiti: The great adventure - Part 2

On Friday we had a tiny foretaste of what it feels like to suddenly find yourself with no place to sleep, with only the clothes on your back and the food in your bag to take you through the night.

It all started when our driver declined our invitation for him to spend the night at our guest house. He lives half an hour away, but we had plans of leaving home at 4am, and it would have been difficult for him to get public transportation at that early hour. However, he was not prepared to overnight, so after dropping us home after 9pm, he went to his home and promised to be back the next morning.

Our security guards at our guest house who
 ensured that we were well take care of

The next morning we awoke bright (well...not really) and early at 3:30am to make sure we were ready for when our driver arrived at 4am. At 4:10 there was no sign of the driver, and calls to his phone went unanswered. By 4:30, we realised that we had a problem, and we needed to activate Plan M. I really didn't want our very faithful ministry partner Mackendy to drive, because he has not been well and his doctor ordered him to take one month's bed rest. However, he is not the kind of person to leave us stranded, so by 5am he was ready to take us to Caisril. As the sun rose, we realised that the delay was crucial, as the sunlight allowed us to see a stone which was lodged in the van's back tires, and could have caused a problem. Our security guards helped Mackendy dislodge the stone, and we were on our way.

Getting the stone out

We found out later that our driver's transportation had shut down 3km away from home the night before so they had to push it all the way to St. Marc and he got home after 11pm. He was really exhausted from all the driving the previous 2 days so he sent a message saying he would be unable to come for us but we didn't receive the message until after 5am. I refused to fret because I know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Our team of Haitian doctors and nurses

We stopped to pick up one of our partners and medication for the clinic, and then we continued on our way, confident that we would still be able to get a lot done that day even though we were close to two hours behind schedule. In giving an orientation to Khamal on what to expect on his first trip to Haiti, I had said that no Haiti mission trip was complete without a flat tire. We had no car issues thus far, but on this last day of ministry, just one hour away from our destination, we heard a loud noise and when we pulled to the side, discovered that our back tire had been damaged beyond repair...

Busted tire

In God's grace He ensured that this did not happen when we were in the middle of the wilderness, or driving down one of the many mountains on the way. We were able to go to a nearby restaurant and buy cold drinks while Mackendy and the doctors changed the tire. While they were still changing the tire, we heard a loud explosion on the other side of the bus. Upon investigating, we discovered that a second tire had blown out. Thankfully, there are double tires in the back of the bus, and Mackendy said that the second one was solid enough to take us to our destination, we would just have to drive slower.

This is why we need manpower on our Haiti trips

After a while we were able to reboard the bus and continue our journey but as soon as we pulled off we heard a funny noise so we had to stop again. This time, the tire that we had just put on had fallen off! Mackendy said it was because the spare was a front tire, so they now had to remove the front tire and put it in the back, and put the spare tire in the front.

One tire missing!

When we resumed our journey, we could not drive as fast as before, so it took us over an hour to get to the turn off from the main road which would take us to our destination. The road we were now driving on was not paved - it was just made of stones, so I kept praying that our tires would hold up. Along the way, we started to get a glimpse of the destruction this village endured at the hands of Hurricane Matthew.

Houses damaged

Plantations destroyed

We drove for about half and hour and then came to a stop. We were told that the road to the house where we would be having the clinic was blocked with a big tree, so the bus would not be able to pass. However, we would walk to the venue, while the bus drove further down the road to meet a boat, which would take the supplies over to the house over the sea. So we disembarked and I thanked God that I brought my rubber boots when I realised that our journey would entail crossing rivers and trekking through mud.

Crossing the first river

Things were going fine until about the 3rd or 4th river crossing, when the water became muddy and got up to the top of my boots. By the time the doctor offered to take me across on his back, it was too late - my socks and feet were soaking wet. I emptied the water when we got to shore and we continued our trek. A little further along while walking in the mud I felt my foot sinking. My boot went all the way down and got stuck in the mud. Thank God Doctor Joseph came to my rescue and helped me out of that hole. He made sure that I made it safely across our final river crossing, where we were able to wash off the excess mud from our feet.

Follow the leader through the mud

Just when we thought our journey was almost to the end, we realised that the house we were headed to was at the top of a small mountain. Some members of our team were ready to give up at this point, but we continued to press on, because no one who puts his hand to the plough and turns back is fit for the kingdom of God. The view from the top was so worth it!

Beautiful view of the sea on the southern side of Haiti

Villagers who had been waiting for us since 11am

By this time it was close to 4pm so we knew that we did not have many hours of daylight left. I shared a word of encouragement with the people from Habakkuk 3:17 & 18 and then we started setting up for the clinic. When the medication and water arrived, we had to get help to bring it up the mountain, so that was a good workout for all involved.

Water, beans and rice which finally made it up the mountain

Doctors busy at work

Receiving a hamper in front of her house which was damaged

Food being served

Dispensing medication by solar light

By the time we finished seeing 200 + patients and feeding that many people, we realised it was too difficult to attempt to get back to the bus, either by making the 45 minute trek through the mud and water, or rowing across in the middle of night; and too dangerous to make the 7 hour drive to Port au Prince on 2 tires which were not sound. It was probably at this point that I recognised why God made sure that Mackendy was the one who drove us that day, and not the other driver: we were going to have to spend the night in Caisril.

In my travels to Haiti, I have spent the night in some strange places before - at the side of the road, sleeping on the top of the bus - but never before without my suitcase. I was already feeling cold and I couldn't help thinking about my sweater which was in my suitcase in the bus on the other side of the sea. Thank God I had my repellant in my bag, so they offered some relief from the mosquitoes which were eating us alive.  We were not sure where we would be sleeping exactly, but we knew that we would be safe. Thankfully I had listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit that morning and packed all my extra food stuff in my bag, so we were able to split a cup of soup for dinner, and I had enough granola bars and crix and tuna for the rest of the team to eat.

Sleep over!!!

The people of Caisril were so generous. They gave up their mattresses and slept outside on the porch so we didn't have the face the cold breeze outside. This is how they have been living since Hurricane Matthew hit, having all things in common, and sharing with others as they have need. What a wonderful lesson for the Church to learn.

The next morning we arose bright and early at 3:15am and after spending time in prayer, we began our trek down the mountain. We got to the sea where we met our boat, and we began our journey by moonlight, while the sun was still asleep. I felt like I was with Jesus and the disciples on a lake - it was so peaceful and soothing, with only the sounds of the oars hitting the water and our voices being heard. Soon some of us started to sing songs of worship as we could not help but acknowledge God's presence with us that early morning.

First time on a Haitian boat!

When we were almost to the shore, we heard a cracking sound and sat helpless in the boat while looking at the oarlock float away. Without the oarlock to keep the oars in place, the boatmen had difficulty steering and we ended up drifting into the mangrove at the side of the shore. Thankfully, the oars were long, and by now it was shallow enough for one of the boatmen to stand in the back of the boat and paddle it like it we were in a gondola. It took a bit longer, but eventually, we were able to make it safely back to shore.

Spectacular sunrise

We battled with sandflies while waiting for Mackendy to bring the bus to where we had landed, but by 5:30 we were finally on board and on our way. When there were about 10 minutes left on the stone road before we got on the the main road, we had to go down in a ditch. We did not realise how much mud there was, and before we knew it, we were stuck. I was praying because I really felt we could not have afforded any more delays since we were aiming to get to the airport by 3pm that afternoon.

Nurse Isla came to the resuce. She jumped out of the bus and started pulling coconut branches from the ground and putting them in front of the tire that was sunk in the mud. When she was satisfied that there was sufficient to give traction, she instructed everyone to go to the back and PUSH!

Guess which one is Nurse Isla?

This was the last chapter in our most exciting 24 hours in Haiti ever. After getting out of the mud, we were able to make it safely back to Port au Prince, have a long overdue shower, and get to the airport in time for our 6pm flight. 

We were reminded that God is the one who orders our steps. We may have our plans, but He always knows what is best. We were also able to share a tiny bit in the suffering of our Haitian brothers and sisters; we were able to go home at the end of the day, but they will be living like that, depending on the generosity of others, for a long time to come. We also saw the power of God to take what the enemy meant for evil, and turn it around for good. It was truly an experience I will never forget.

Ministry in Haiti: The great adventure - part 1

My first real missionary trip was to Haiti in 2005. I took it for granted that I thoroughly enjoyed the different living conditions - sleeping on a cot in a building with no electricity or running water, surviving on tinned foods and crix, not having a proper bath for days - until I realised that not everyone felt the same way. Some were complaining, others were counting down the days until they got home. Since that first Haiti trip, I have viewed every subsequent trip as an unpredictable adventure, because despite our best planned our itineraries, things can sometimes end up being a bit crazy. But it's in those crazy times that we see God at work most clearly.

We left on Tuesday short of one team member; her passport was expiring in EXACTLY six months, and Copa refused to allow her to fly with it. We were all disappointed, especially since it meant that we would not be able to carry half of the items we had planned to give away, but God knows best. She will now be going to Haiti in time to receive and distribute the containers of aid that have been so generously donated by the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

Safely landed in Haiti with all our luggage

We arrived at our guest house in the darkness. There were solar lights, but we had no way to charge our devices, as we needed both oil and gas for the generator. There was also no cooking gas, so we could not have our cup of soup dinner. Nevertheless, we walked down to the gas station to pick up supplies and to change US$, and made the best with what we had. The next morning, we were able to appreciate the true beauty of our location.

Breathtaking view from our guest house

On Wednesday we set out for the community of Leogane, where we found a community in turmoil following floods brought on by hurricane Matthew. A major bridge was washed away, restricting access to a portion of the village to those who could cross the river on foot or on someone's back. Entire plantations of crops ready to harvest were washed away, belongings were swept out of people's homes, leaving behind a ton of mud. We set up a medical clinic with one doctor and two nurses and were able to treat 110 persons for a variety of conditions including high blood pressure and gastritis. Ninety persons were fed a hot meal of rice, beans and chicken, and toiletries and clothing were distributed.

Awaiting medical attention

Nurses hard at work

Distributing clothes to children

Enjoying the bun bun from the bottom of the pot

On our way back to base, we stopped off at the home of one of our ministry partners. We have been working with him since he established a children's home in 2010 to take care of children who were orphaned by the earthquake. We were able to drop off a donation of food items, which was greatly appreciated by Adelson and his children.

Donation of food items

Grateful children - mesi apnil!

On Thursday, we drove for 5 hours to the community of Fonds Des Negres. Here too was a community devasted by the floods and high winds which accompanied Hurricane Matthew. Their village is situated on the road to Les Cayes, and they were distressed seeing containers of aid passing through their village, en route to the major towns, with no one stopping to see how they were affected or to offer any assistance. The pastor said that we brought the first set of help they had received since the hurricane hit one week ago. He kept saying over and over again, what you are doing is very important.

Pastor's house minus the roof

What is left of someone's home

Sharing the Word through a translator 

Roadway collapsed

As on the previous day, we shared the gospel, and then began the clinic.Some of the additional ailments treated were diabetes, chest pains and respiratory problems. The residents were very grateful for the help they received, and did not even protest when we had to close the clinic because we were running out of drugs after treating 112 persons, and when some of them had to leave hungry because the food ran out although we were able to feed close to 200 people.

Dispensing medication at the pharmacy

Cooks hard at work

Sumptuous meal

This sweet girl was talking to me in French all afternoon

Heavy rainfall on our way back to base resulted in flooding, and us being stuck in standstill traffic for over half and hour. It took us another half an hour to get out of Port au Prince using back roads, so by the time we got home we were thoroughly exhausted.

Driving past flood waters in the capital

The last day of our trip deserves a blog post on its own... look out for part 2 of the great Haitian adventure! :)