Tuesday, August 2, 2011

The End Means a Beautiful Beginning

My beautiful friends and family,

After many weeks of preparing for this survey, we finally began. As most of you know, we have been working with a community in Luly and today for the first time we were able to really get into the lives of the people. For many hours I sat with the Haitian people, in their home and hear them talk to me about their life. I of course had specific questions I needed to ask but the general idea was that they got to tell me about their life and how they live. Although I have been living here for a short while now, I feel like I was able to communicate and start understanding the Haitian people. Simply by hearing what they had to say I felt like I experienced their lives more completely. Obviously there is still much that can be learned from this culture and the Haitian people and much that they can be taught. But, a process began, a relationship was built that I dream will last for years to come.

Today is my last day in Haiti. I knew this day would eventually come, although I tried to pretend it wouldn't. Although, it will be extremely difficult to leave a place that has loved me and I have come to love, I leave with the knowledge that God is still in control of this country and will redeem it in His time.

(That's all I can process for now...)

HOME TO YOU MOM!!!

All my love....

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Our God is Greater!

So I probably owe you all an update, considering its been way too long since I have written. I hope that you have been keeping up with my friends blogs, as they have been great about writing. To begin to describe everything that happens down here is nearly impossible and not always important. So I will attempt to sum up a few thoughts and events.

Since the high school team left a few weeks ago we have had another medical team come through who did a few clinics in the city and then traveled to the mountains for a few days to do some more work out there. It was an amazing experience to be able to help those in need, especially in the country side. In talking with me, many of the members said that they were glad they were able to help out those in need who lived in the city. They often came across people who knew what was wrong with them and just needed more medication, which our med team was able to provide for them. However, as they traveled further out they came across people who had no idea what was wrong with them and were in desperate need of their medical wisdom. I think this goes along with our earthly desire to feel needed. We often feel that we are not useful if someone does not desperately need us. However, this is not true. God can use us in many ways big or small to bring glory to His name. A good daily reminder.

Or focus then turned to the city of Luly. A city with so much potential, a city filled with wonderful people, and a city that we desire to see shining on the hill as a model to the rest of Haiti. With many new projects being started in this city it has been our goal to get the essential information needed. After creating a potential survey of what we may want to ask these people, we began to discover just how many people lived in the city of Luly. 864 houses later...we realized surveying each household will take more time than we were originally thinking. We are still in the process of deciding what would be the wisest decision in this surveying process, so your prayers  would be much appreciated.

As we were driving back from a food and shoes drop in the city of Miroguan, a city where Ginette one of our Haitian staff grew up, we witnessed the most amazing sunset I have ever really experienced. This side of the country had lush green hills, covered in coconut, mango, bread fruit and other various types of trees, with mountains surrounding it. At one point as we neared the top of a big hill I looked out and saw the green filled mountains meeting the waters edge just as the sun was setting. The sun turned the waters edge to a dark orange color and reflected a pink color upwards onto the mountains and the clouds above. And I thought to myself, if I could capture this image, no one would believe me that this is Haiti. The beauty that was created made me want to worship the one true Creator, to cry out and say thank you for this beauty and revealing your beauty to a humble servant like me. God is good and his creation is beautiful. Although Haiti may have been "destroyed" by the earthquake, God is greater. God was greater than the earthquake then and He is greater than the destruction that it left behind. Seek the Lord for He is greater; something I am beginning to understand.

Well, I officially leave Haiti in one week! How crazy; the time has flown by. It is bittersweet to think about leaving this country and these people but I am more than excited to be back with family and friends. I know that the Lord has plans for my life and I am excited in discovering them as I continue to seek the Lord. I would ask for your continued prayers as I finish out my time here, that the Lord would show me all that He has to teach me here and that He would prepare me in departing from this life back into my life at home. I am thankful for you all and how impact my life each and everyday.

1Thessalonians. 3:9 "How can [I] thank God enough for you in return for all the joy [I] have in the presence of our God because of you?


All my love to you from Haiti...

Monday, July 11, 2011

Fun of the Day

Since I am blogging...here are some fun things.

Today I got to go swimming in the ocean with Haitian children and then I "learned" how to wash clothes with a basin of water and soap in the river with all the Haitian village women of Luly. Life couldn't get much better than that. Thank you Lord.

From the Haitian village of Luly...

Still Human

Dearest Friends,

For the past week we have had the opportunity to have a group of high school students here. They have worked on many projects from painting to building benches. They also spent quite a bit of time at the children's home Tree of Life. During their time there they were able to play with the children, paint their toe nails, play futbol and build them a swing set. It was incredible to watch this team of high school students (guided by chaperons) build this swing set. After it was finished the joy that the swing set brought to the children was amazing. They immediately began to play on it, swinging, climbing and of course begging for it to be their turn.

As this team was nearing the end of their final day at Tree of Life, we were able to pray over the children and their new play set. Then the children at the home began to ask when the students would be returning to see them. Realizing at this point how attached the students had become to these children they began to cry knowing they were not sure of when/if they would be returning. At the sight of this not only were the students in tears but the children began to cry as well.

Having this experience brought me back to earth. I often feel like I can become immune to the brokeness surrounding me, however, as I sat there holding a sobbing little girl who didn't know if she was ever going to see her high school friends again, my heart broke. A familiar song to many of us is Hosanna. In the bridge of this song it says, "Break my heart for what breaks Yours." I often pray for this to be true of me, that the Lord will show me what breaks his heart and break mine. In this moment, I realized I am in Haiti. A place where children don't get enough to eat, water is a privledge, and good education is rare. I am in a country where there are more missionaries per capita than any other country and the love of Christ still needs to reach these children.

My heart was broken. I know I can only give so much to these children but I will attempt to give as Christ set the example. And I boldly ask you to do the same. We cannot continue to ignore the issues of our broken world, now is the time for action. The Lord has given each of us a specific purpose to glorify His name and make it known to the nations. If He has called you to the world, search deep and pursue hard until the Lord says yes or no, but move into action. If you feel as if the Lord has called you to give financially, a great organization to give to is http://www.worldwidevillage.org/ :) And mostly importantly pray. Pray for guidance in your purpose, pray for people, PRAY BIG. God is good and He always will be.

All my love to you...

Monday, July 4, 2011

Refocus

I often find myself watching the ground while I am in Haiti. Probably because the roads are filled with obstacles and I feel it is neccessary to watch my step. But I lose out on so much. Today as we were walking through a tent city to deliever some items to a family who shared their story with us, it was so easy for me to stare at the ground, looking for my next step. But I really just wanted to be looking up and taking in the area and the people. This confliction of wanting to look down at the immediate but also desiring to look forward and around can also be reflected of ministry.

I feel that there are so many days while I am here that I remain focused on the small tasks of today and tomorrow. Then I often forget to look up and see what the Lord is doing in Haiti. The beauty of the land, the people and the joy that He has brought to this country. We were reading through James 4 last night and this was a fresh reminder to refocus my view on the Lord's will and not about the small things of today and tomorrow.

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

I hope you all are doing well. E-mail me an update of your life...I would love to hear.
lamoreau.step@uwlax.edu

All my love to you...

A Trip to the Mountains

After a few weeks of being here the interns felt it was neccessary to take a day of rest. So today, we enjoyed the fellowship of church (white church); where we got to praise the Lord with other missionaries who live in the area. Then we headed off to the mountains! I was so excited because I have starred at the mountains day after day and longed to drive in them and today was the day.

We kind of knew where we were going (and by we I mean Alex and Tipap-our driver). Either way we just took off driving toward the mountains and figured we would find our way to the top. After traveling through some of the most beautiful sites of Haiti; with flowers growing on vines spilling over gorgeous rock walls, with smiling people selling items from their stands, with giant beautiful houses, with farming carved into the side of the mountain and the sun peaking through the clouds. It was one of the most peaceful drives I have taken here.

When we arrived at the "top" we stopped at the Baptist Mission. It was a musem and resturant and there was also a hospital. However, it was Sunday and the musem and resturant were closed. So instead of going in we just wandered around and the merchants tried to sell us bracelents and machetes (none of which I purchased). It was fun to be in community with my friends enjoying the beauty of Haiti. I finally have some pictures to add...but I can't load them on the computer...so just look at Bre's:
http://www.aladyinhaiti.blogspot.com/

I love and miss you all...

Thursday, June 30, 2011

In the Spirit

Galations 3: 1-3 "You foolish Galations! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly protrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: did you recieve the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"

How ture is this passage in my life. I often feel that I have so many things that I need to "fix" while in Haiti. I need to train the teachers, love the children, discover the community and the people, I need to learn the language, I need to give medical attention to people, I need to get clean water, food and shelter to those in tents, I need to share the gospel and make Christ known...etc. But the reality is I am powerless.

When I forget to look to Christ Haiti seems huge, endless and unsolvable. Yet, how foolish am I? After beginning with the Spirit am I now trying to attain any goals by human effort? The Lord is not asking me to solve Haiti's problems by myself; problems will always remain. The Lord is calling me to remain in the Spirit, abided in Christ. He has the power and vision to restore Haiti in his own time. Christ came so that the law would be nullified. He was "clearly....crucified" so that we are freed from the law and are no longer bound to deeds. There is nothing that I can do by my own human effort, I must continue to rely on the Spirit. As I continue my time here in Haiti, I ask that you would join me in praying so that we would never loose focus of this idea. Christ is at the heart of this country and only through Him can we attain a goal.

"Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"
Galations 3:3

More fun facts of the day. We got stuck in a traffic jam, due to a demonstration of students. I am still not sure what was really happening there. The children we give medika mamba to were all under weight this week, so pray that next week they gain more weight. I tried eating a coconut (kokoye) and avocado (zaboka). I really enjoyed the zaboka but not so much the kokoye. This sunday we are going to cook dinner with Dennis, one of our cooks. We are making Creole. Yum.

I love you all very much and am blessed to have your support.

All my love to you from Haiti (a beautiful land)!

Monday, June 27, 2011

What's for Dinner?

Hello friends!

I am sure you are all wondering what we have for dinner...well let me tell you.

We eat lots of different types of food, american, creole, french, mexican and others. Some of my favorite dishes are Creole dishes. They consist of rice and beans (the best part), some meat (goat, chicken, beef), vegetables, bread (always), and then this amazing sauce (pretty much the gravy of Haiti...its so good. Another favorite dish of everyone in the house is pumpkin soup. It has a lot of vegetables, potatoes, beef, and some sort of pumpkin sauce. It is delicious.

I often find it interesting how we talk about food as if it is just another days routine. However, it is a completely different mind set for some of the Haitian people. They do not know where their food is coming from next. Last week I worked in a hospital clinic. It was an amazing experience. The team of doctors we had were able to see almost 300 people a day and they worked for four days to help people. One of the nurses came into the pharmacy where I was working and asked me if we had any baby formula. A woman with a baby came in and in order for her to get the medicine into her child she needed food. She was not then going to give her child any medicine. We were able to give her a few crackers that we found so that her child could get the medicine she needed.

At the end of last week and the beginning of this week we were able to do a teacher training. We visited two different schools and about 8 teachers came. We taught the teachers how to use a pocket chart calendars, other fun math materials, a lesson in geography, and more. While we were with the teachers in the morning the students were out in the fields playing futbol (soccer)! They loved playing and the Americans that ran it, enjoyed played with the children. Then the teachers were able to practice what they learned in the morning, later in the afternoon when the students came back in. How incredible it was to watch as the Haitian teachers teach their students alongside me. The Haitian teachers have a passion to teach these children because they want a better future for Haiti.

Haiti, a nation not of wealth but a nation of hope.

All my love to you from Haiti!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Start of Something Wonderful

So much has happened since I was last able to write. But I will attempt to cover some of the cool events.

As interns we met with Randy (our director) on Sunday and we were able to begin talking through our Luly project. Luly is a province to the north of Port au Prince. If you try to look it up on the map you won't find it, we've tried. However, it does exist and that is where our focus will be this summer. Currently in Luly we are connected with a school/church (they are the same building). The Lord has opened up amazing opportunities for us and we are now building a new school with 6 classrooms, that will hold 32 students each. Another exciting project we are working on is the garden. We need 35 families to participate in the gardening project. They will learn how to care and maintain a garden and then they will be able to take produce from the garden to feed their families. There hopefully will be enough produce to sell in a co-op or market, but we won't know that for a few months. The other neat project happening in Luly is the bio-digester. This is a machine created by some of the engineering students at the UofM; it allows people to place their poop in it and it then creates methane gas which can be used for cooking and a soil enrichment product which will be placed in the garden. There is much more happening in Luly and I am excited to continue investing in the people there. Pray for a bilingual female so we can work with her and she can translate. Pray that we can find 35 families to be involved in our gardening project, and pray for safety as we are there for many days.

One of the other places we have been is at a children's home. We have been putting a roof over the kitchen of their home. The team from St. Paul has been working hard on helping the Haitian construction team to get the roof up. It has been a learning experience for both groups. The children at the home are always excited to see us. On Tuesday when we were working there I met a little boy named Wesley. He spoke french pretty well and so I was able to communicate with him-as long as he spoke slowly. He is 11 years old and is always smiling. He told me on Tuesday that he hoped one day he would be my child. It broke my heart. He wants someone to care and love for him. I am not sure if he has a family here or not. Most of the children in the home have families, but their families just can't take care of them. It is sad but in these homes they are at least able to get an education, food and water.

The Lord continues to give hope to the people of Haiti. There is still a lot to be accomplished but God is good and He will continue to love and care for His people in His ways.


Check out this video on: www.povertycure.org It's worth the time.

All my love to you...

Friday, June 10, 2011

Je suis arrive en Haiti!

I arrived in Haiti last night! It was quite an experience traveling throught the airport. Many people were trying to carry my bags, but we found our driver Alexi and he helped us through. He took us to a white SUV and we piled in and took off driving, or more like weaving through the streets of Port Au Prince. There were vendors lined up on the sides of the streets and vehicles weaving in and out. The "roads" had pot holes everywhere. We arrived in our Village of Theodat and I got a tour of our grand house. The house is wonderful and filled with fun people. For dinner I got to experience real Haitian food: salad, rice and beans, chicken and goat, and other sauces and toppings that I am unsure of. The food was delicious and I enjoyed eating with the interns and staff.

Today I will get to experience a trip through town and to visit my first childrens home. The children are in so much need here, they are malnourished, without shoes, they all lack clean water, their building structures often consist of piles of rubble on three corners a stick for the fourth and a ripped tarp over top.

Continue praying for our team of interns and the team that came in today. The interns will be moving into a new house soon and setting up the main office there. We are just waiting for internet to get connected and the place to be "bug bombed."

My computer is currently broken right now, so I am borrowing internet from a friend. If you want to read a more up to date blog you can follow my friend Breanna's: http://aladyinhaiti.blogspot.com/ . She does a great job of keeping it current and filled with pictures.

All my love to you...

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

My Journey begins!

Welcome to my blog! As I travel to Haiti I feel like this is the most appropriate way to communicate with everyone, so here we go!

I will leave June 9th from Minneapolis and fly to Miami where I will meet up with another group and we will travel to Port-au-Prince together and then through customs. Once I arrive in Port-au-Prince I know I will be working with children in cities about thirty miles north of Port-au-Prince. I am not sure exactly how this will look, but I think I will get to do activities with the children and show them love, which sounds great to me!

I am excited to get there and start serving the Lord. Some days I have nervous spots and most days I just want to leave and be there, but I know everything will come together in due time. Here are some prayer requests as I begin this journey:
  • Safe travel- Pray that the group I am with and myself make it through customs without any delays. Pray that our flights are on time and fly smoothly. 
  • Good health- I know I will have clean, running water and good food. Pray that the Lord will protect me from disease so that I can continue to serve Him. 
  • Relationships- Pray that I can establish good relationships with the other interns and teams. Pray that I can continue to stay connected with friends and family back home while I am away. 
  • The Haitian people- Pray that they will continue to find hope through these rough times. Pray that they will be open to us as we come to serve them and that we can build relationships with them. 
  • My heart's attitude- Pray that I would be humbled by my experiences, Pray that the Lord would break me free of myself so that I can be used by Him even more.
Let's start praising the Lord now!
  • Financial- All my support came in and some, so I was able to help another intern out. Praise the Lord!
  • Goodwill has treated me well and I officially have enough clothes for Haiti!
  • I will be flying into Haiti with a group, so I do not have to go through customs alone!
  • And simply because the Lord is worthy of praise!
Thanks everyone for your continued prayer and support! 15 days and counting!