Happy birthday, Haiti Awake!

Yesterday I sat in a coffee shop, chatting with a friend about life and service and responsibility and what it means to live on mission.  And my thoughts were directed back to this quote from Richard Stearns:

“The adventure that God invites each of us on is a life filled with meaning and purpose. His plan for each of us is unique, but it is always filled with a sense of passion to complete God’s mission to demonstrate and share His love. He may send you to Wall Street or the local soup kitchen. He may ask you to spend years in preparation or to drop everything and start doing what you feel totally unprepared to do.”

Two years ago God clearly called the Graves family and the Derard family to partner together in Haiti Awake.     He has given us a passion for Haiti and her people, and He's continued to clearly show us what He would have us to do day-by-day.

On this special day, we are thankful for the many people, both Haitian and American, God has used over the last two years to teach us, to encourage us, to support us, to help us more clearly define our mission and our philosophy of ministry.

We are excited to watch our Haiti Awake family continue to grow, and we look forward to continuing to share the goodness and faithfulness of God in the years to come.

Below are just a few of the memories we're been blessed with here at Haiti Awake.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

— Ephesians 3:20-21

It's a New Week

“It was so hard (seeing the devastation in Les Cayes last week). Most of the people are homeless. They don’t know when they will have a new house. They lost everything. It is so hard for them when it is raining. They can’t even stand under a tree . . . because there is no tree.”

— Polo

The men will leave early tomorrow morning to travel from Port-au-Prince to Jeremie, and by Tuesday evening they hope to be in Les Cayes again.  Current plans include food distribution and repair work on the church where they will continue working with Pastor Joseph Jeneve Delpeche, Mission Eglise Baptiste Sud d'Haiti.  

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Specific prayer points for the week:

1.     Pray for the safety of our men as they travel.  People are getting desperate out on the peninsula, and desperate people do desperate things.     

Psalm 4:8:  'In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety."

2.     Pray for God-ordained, Gospel opportunities that point people to the true hope of Jesus Christ.    

2 Corinthians 4:18:  "As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.  For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

3.     Pray for the men to be able to find the supplies that they need at a reasonable price.      

Psalm 90:17: "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yea, establish the work of our hands!" 

4.     Pray for the vehicle they are driving to run smoothly and clear the roads ahead of them as they go.       

Psalm 40:2  "He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure."

5.     Pray for Americans to continue to have a heart of generosity toward the Haitian people and not be overcome with compassion fatigue.        

James 2:15-16:  "If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?"

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I'll end with some photos from last week. Daily updates might be hard this week because Jeremie is more remote than Les Cayes, but we will update Facebook and Instagram as we can.  

Please continue to pray for Haiti.  The road ahead will be a long, difficult one.

The Lord continues to direct our steps

“As humans, we will miss seeing so many things without God’s eyes. That’s why I’m so thankful to Him, because He gave us His eyes to understand things that we couldn’t, and to show us that He is always in control.
He provided what we didn’t expect and make us feel useful to help our brothers and sisters.
We have crossed rivers by walking, taken out trees from bumpy roads...
As a photographer I couldn’t use my camera as often I used to... because I felt the necessity to carry things and to do my best to help our fellows Haitians in need.
We are also thankful to Haiti Awake team, Redgi from Heart United, and other friends that were there to help during these three days.”

— Hudson

We thought we had a plan for Monday.  The men were supposed to meet a friend at the airport and caravan down to Les Cayes with her group to start relief work.  Instead, that plan fell apart . . . just as another friend reached out to Haiti Awake and offered to partner with us for work in the same area.  I am very thankful for Crystal Funk and Hearts United with Haiti.  As the day unfolded on Monday, it became evident that this was the partnership God wanted for us to pursue for this week.

Here is the short version of what has happened on the ground so far this week.

Monday:  Polo got to Les Cayes by airplane thanks to Gene Schmidt.  Gene is a new friend, an amazing man, an excellent pilot.  Hudson, Wesly, Fre Jack (a friend from church), and Redgi (from Hearts United with Haiti) headed down with the truck later in the day.  Polo had already made contact with Pastor Joseph Jeneve Delpeche at Mission Eglise Baptiste Sud d'Haiti, and the men were able to sleep at his house all week.

On Tuesday the men bought supplies and distributed them.  But the day was not without incident.  According to Polo, they had a flat tire far away from where they could get help.  He said it was difficult to get the help they needed, but in the end they were able to get the tire fixed and finish the work they had set out to do, including buying rice and re-bagging it for the Wednesday distribution.

Today the men gave out rice in the pastor's community before going to his church where they met with the people and gave rice.  They then helped Redgi get iron sheets to people his organization knows and has worked with for years.

“We passed a beautiful 3 days with the Haitians in Les Cayes. The pastor who shared in his house is a good men.
I pray to God for the people in Les Cayes.
God bless Haiti Awake. It can help the people in Haiti.
We need your help, Dear Father, like the Haitian song says, ‘Papa Bondye nou bezwen ou kounye a.’”

— Wesly

Tomorrow the men plan to return to Port-au-Prince after helping Redgi with another project. The current plan is to return to the Les Cayes area next week - hopefully to help with fixing the roof at Mission Eglise Baptiste Sud d'Haiti.

“I am thankful because God had given us this opportunity to help our brothers and sisters who were in need. And I felt so good working with some of the Haiti Awake staff and Jean Frtiz and Redgi from Hearts United with Haiti.
We worked as a team. We worked hard. The road was bad - trees in some road, but God was with us.
The Pastor this morning said the fact we come to help them it a prayer come true; they were hopeless. They said they will pray for us.”

— Polo

Further, having Fre Jack on the team has provided wisdom and experience, as well as a point of contact who already knew people in the area, including Pastor Joseph.

Please continue to pray for Haiti as the road to recovery will be a long one.

We are thankful for a great team of Haitian men who are helping their fellow Haitians and making a difference in the community in which they are working.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

The heart can only grieve what the eyes have seen

The last 72 hours have been a whirlwind as I left Wilmington, arrived in Pensacola, flew to Haiti, and then went deep into the countryside.

The day yesterday was not what we had planned, but it was what God had planned.

We had planned to Les Cayes, and we did.  But when the contacts in Les Cayes did not direct us to great need, we decided to go on to Jeremie.

From Jeremie we took motos for approximately 3 hours, going through Mafranc to Morow and finally arriving in Chambelan.  From Chambelan we crossed the Riviere de la Grande-anse.  And we climbed further up the mountain until we arrived at Maken's family's home.

When we arrived at Maken's family's house, we found a once lush, beautiful place barren.   The breadfruit trees that surrounded his family home are gone.  The plantain trees are gone.   The coconut trees are gone.  They lie all around on the ground.  Amazingly, his parents' house still stands, but the same can not be said about many houses in the area.

We returned to Chambelan to locally purchase rice and oil and carry it back across the river.  And this morning Maken's father was able to share food with his neighbors and friends.   We returned to Port-au-Prince this afternoon.

 Tomorrow Polo will be going to Les Cayes.  We hope to have more news to share with you later tomorrow.

“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.”

— Nahum 1:7

I wish I could tell this story better tonight, but we are all so tired.  I hope I am at least conveying the information well.  Please pray for Haiti.  People are suffering.  They need help.

Please consider donating through Haiti Awake.  We assure you that 100% of the money that you donate will be used right here in Haiti . . . to benefit Haitians.

Haiti Awake is ready to help with post-Matthew relief

Talk to me for five minutes, and it’s almost guaranteed I’ll find a way to work Haiti into the conversation.  People that know me know God has radically transformed my life through volunteer, missions work in Haiti over the last 5 years.  

God has turned our family's heart toward the country and people of Haiti, and we believe God wants us to have a long-term investment in Haiti's greatest natural resource - her people.  Because of this, we founded the Wilmington-based Haiti Awake as a 501c3 in late 2014.

Since our family began to focus more on Haiti, our lives don't look typical.  Some of the things we do, the way we live, the choices we make don't make sense to others.  But we believe with no doubt that God has put this love for Haiti in our hearts, and we will continue to follow where He leads us.

On Monday night, October 3, something amazing happened.  People, many I did not even know, gathered in our home for almost three hours to help us pray over the people, the country that we hold dear to our hearts.  As the day unfolded on Tuesday, the 4th, we rejoiced to see how God has answered our prayers of safety for the people of Haiti Awake, and yet we were intensely sad for those Haitian sisters and brothers on the southern peninsula of Haiti who were not spared from the wrath of Hurricane Matthew.

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Our goal at Haiti Awake is to equip these local Christians to reach their own communities and their own country through showing Christ’s love in action. In line with this goal, our post-Hurricane Matthew relief is focused on allowing our trusted friends and co-workers to go south to minister to their own people.   We want to be wise, purposeful, intentional in our assistance.  Some of you have already given hurricane-relief funds to be distributed through Haiti Awake. We consider this to be a great responsibility, and we want to steward this money well.

This weekend, Steeve Derard, a seminary student, trusted friend, and ground director for Haiti Awake,  will be leading a group of Haitian believers into affected villages.  Further, we have an American ministry partner joining us with supplies.  Steeve has led Haitian teams into the countryside from Port-au-Prince before on ministry outreach.  Further, he has many contacts in the countryside due to his studies at STEP.  His team will distribute food, medication, but most importantly, a helping hand combined with a Gospel-centered outreach through an established ministry in Les Cayes pastored by Joseph Jeneve Delpeche of Mission Eglise Baptiste Sud d’Haiti.

We believe this will be the first of many such trips, as the recovery process will be a slow one.  Further, we want to see development in the southern peninsula, not just relief.

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Will you consider partnering with us on this on-going project?  All donations are tax-deductible, and we desire transparency and accountability as we distribute funds you entrust to us.

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Donations can be made to

Haiti Awake

4630 Mockingbird Lane

Wilmington, NC 28409

Paypal donations can be sent to becky@haitiawake.org

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Psalm 89:8-9

Who is like you, Lord God Almighty?
    You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

You rule over the surging sea;
    when its waves mount up, you still them.

Glwa Pou Bondye

This morning we are praising God for His protection over those we hold close to our hearts while acknowledging others have suffered great loss.

For those of you inquiring about relief for our neighbors to the south, here is our advice:

“The storm has reached the southern coast, and the very few reports we’ve seen are scary, mainly because no one fully knows how bad it is.
If you or people you know are thinking about making donations for relief....please wait. Wait to find out what the real needs are, and then find a grassroots organization that’s meeting those needs. I promise you, the big organizations are ineffective. We saw it after the earthquake. No one wants history repeated. See where God is working, and join Him.”

— Allison Vantreese Garrett

We are currently working with a trusted friend and mentor, Gloria Board, on a list of organizations you can trust in Haiti.  If you feel led to give, whether it is through Haiti Awake or another organization, please do your research.  Be discerning.

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

— Lamentations 3:22-23

Bondye konnen tout bagay

I am struggling to find words tonight.  I've read so many Facebook posts today, and they all resonate with me.  But somehow I can't find my own words.  The only words I can find are these:  "Bondye konnen tout bagay."  

God knows it all.  

“Statistics are one thing, but friends are another. Numbers may challenge your mind, but faces will soften your heart. And names will stick with you over time.”

— Jeff Shinabarger

These are not statistics.  These are our friends.   Please, as you pray, pray for them specifically.  They have faces.  They have names.  And we love them.

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Steeve, Caleb, Stevenly, Manoucheka, and Lorie

Caelle

Cesnel

Idelmy

Esterlin

Maken

Kerchie, Phebe, Widcherline, and Antonide

Fedlin

Donalson

Handy, Davensky, Fenley

Hudson

Dieussait

Polo

Stanley

Wesly and Christine

Yvenson

Fabenson, Migerlson, and Lorvens

Woodlin

Alanta

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“For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm . . . ”

— Isaiah 25:4

Happy September Birthdays to Widcherline and Stanley!

You are wanted.

You are treasured.

You are loved.

God's Work Through God's People

Two years ago right now, these kids were barely eating.  We visited them in October of 2014 and found them dirty, hungry, thirsty . . . miserable.

And then something amazing happened.  God spoke specifically to one family.  And that one family made a commitment to these children.

Later, God spoke specifically to another man who had a vision for these children to not only have a safe place to live and daily food to eat but to have an education, as well.

That man shared his vision with others . . . 

The first day of school - September 2016

And  last year they went to school - many for the first time.

The first day of school - October 2015

Now look at them today.  God does amazing things through the generosity of His children.  We at Haiti Awake are thankful for the many people God has sent to Haiti on short-term missions teams in the last two years - people who have seen specific needs and addressed them with financial support.  It is because of the generosity of many people that Haiti Awake is growing in its ability to fulfill its mission statement:

“Our goal is to equip these local Christians to reach their own communities and their own country through showing Christ’s love in action.”

“This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”

— Psalm 118:23

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Those of you who know the children might notice that Idelmy is not with the rest of the children today.  Please pray for him.  He has been struggling with his health in recent weeks, and he was not able to attend the first day of school.  I know this is difficult for him.

Special thanks to Hudson and Polo for getting some great photos to share this morning.

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These two handsome young men started school at IMPAD this morning, too.  We are thankful for the way God provides for everyone associated with Haiti Awake.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  Ephesians 3:20-21

Speak Life

A huge thank you to Graham Freels for this amazing new video for Haiti Awake.

Please feel free to share. We at Haiti Awake think it's pretty fantastic . . .and shows the heart of our ministry.

Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue ..."

The Cost of Discipleship

“Yet over and over in the Scriptures, Jesus warns people of the cost of discipleship, that it will cost them everything they have ever hoped for and believed in—their biological families, their possessions, even their very lives.

He warns them to count the cost before putting their hand to the plow.

And Jesus allows people to walk away.”

— Shane Claiborne

Last weekend's surprise trip to Haiti was supposed to be filled with fun and laughter.  That was my expectation.

And it was a great weekend, in many ways . . . except when it wasn't.  This past weekend I was again confronted with the realities of Haiti . . . Harsh realities.  Dark realities.  Realities that rip at my heart.  Realities that are often more than I want to ponder.  Realities that affect people I love and know by name.

And so, this past weekend I counted the cost.

But I'm not walking away.

Thankful for friends who are infinitely patient with me as I navigate life between two vastly different worlds.

Thankful for Rick, Justin, Jared, and Ethan understanding my heart ...

I'm not certain this will ever get any easier.

Be Faithful To What God Has Called You

“He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles. ”

— Job 5:9

Steeve and his precious family as he prepares to go to STEP for his first night of seminary, year 2.

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As I look at this photo tonight, I am reminded of the story of the 12 stones Israel placed for a memorial after crossing the Jordan River (Joshua 4).  Somehow I see Stevenly, Caleb, and Lorie asking a variation of "What do these stones mean?" when they grow up.  

Haiti Awake is not even two years old, and already we can look back and see God's hand of guidance and faithfulness.  God has done amazing, miraculous things for the Derard family during this time.  It has been the Graves family's privilege to walk this journey with them, as friends, as ministry partners.

We eagerly anticipate the future.

“And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,”

— 2 Timothy 2:24

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Steeve, here's our advice for you as you enter your 2nd year of seminary:

“Listen: Just do your thing with passion , joy, honor, and humility, and folks will notice.

Actually, even if no one notices, be faithful to what God has called you.

Remember, we do what we do not for people’s applause but for God’s glory.

Don’t be held captive to either praise or criticism.

Know who you are, what you’re about, and most important, who you serve.”

— Eugene Cho

And remember, you are greatly loved.

Home

So, I'm home.  Again.  

But this time it's different.  I came home full, not empty, thanks to the incredible team from The Bridge Church which came to Haiti Awake to minister alongside of us for over a week.

Thank you, Bridge family, for loving the people we love and working together to honor the Lord as you honored the people He created in His image.  

You exemplified what a short-term missions team should look like.

“In fact, the aim of the gospel is the creation of people who are passionate for doing good rather than settling for the passionless avoidance of evil.

[Christ] gave himself for us . . . to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14).

The gospel produces people who are created for good works (Eph. 2:10), and have a reputation for good works (1 Tim. 5:10), and are rich in good works (1 Tim. 6:18), and present a model of good works (Titus 2:7), and devote themselves to good works (Titus 3:8, 14), and stir each other up to good works (Heb. 10:24).

And when they set about them, the word they hear from God is, Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord (Rom. 12:11).

”

— John Piper in Bloodlines

“And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works.”

— Hebrews 10:24

July 17, 2013

Three years ago today, God in His providence, caused my path to intersect with a little guy named Handy.  Handy was three years old at the time.  I met many, many children at different orphanages that day, but Handy was the one my heart could not forget.

Only God could have known what the future would hold.   About six months later, God brought our lives back together. The circumstances surrounding our reunion can only be explained as God's enabling.

When we said goodbye that day in early 2014, we had no idea when . . . or even if . . .we would ever see each other again.  But God knew!

In July 2014, our paths intersected again.  And this time, Rick and I knew we had to do something.  We weren't sure what something was, but we knew we had a future with Handy.

When Haiti Awake was founded in October that year, the very first children's Bible school we did was with Handy and the other children at his home.

Since that first trip, every Haiti Awake team has held Bible schools with the children, and thanks to team members who came and got a vision for the future, we are now doing life with Handy and his friends.  The children now have better living conditions and a constant food supply, and they are going to school.

One life encounter has turned into many friendships and lots of love for Handy.

“For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.”

— Psalm 92:4

This photo was taken in January of 2015 as we said goodbye after a week of Bible schools with the children.  It was so hard to leave that day because, at that time, we had no communication between trips.   This entire team felt so burdened for the children, but we still didn't know what the future would hold.  But God knew.

Just over three months later, God provided a way for the children to move to their current home . . . which is roughly a mile away from our Haiti Awake home.   He provided funds for monthly food.  And He provided a vision of the future.

Just a month after that, God added Polo to our Haiti Awake staff . . . with his primary responsibility being the children.

And one month after that, God provided the finances for the children . . .  Handy and all of his friends . . .to go to school for the first time.

Now goodbyes look like this. . . because goodbyes aren't goodbyes.  They're "see you later"s.  We know there will be another trip soon, and we know Polo, Hudson and Wesly will send plenty of photos in the meantime.

“You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.”

— Psalm 40:5

Getting outside the walls

Yesterday our kids had the opportunity to go on a summer field trip with Hudson, Polo, Dieussait, and Wesly.    One of our goals as we walk through life with them is to expand their world, helping them to see possibilities they never imagined.  Each trip outside of the orphanage allows them an opportunity to learn and grow.

Thankful for monthly support that provides the funds needed for days like this.

Mutuality

So . . . I've been home for a week.  But it feels like much longer.  And, I'm counting down the days until I go back to Haiti.

As usual, people ask, "How was Haiti?" and as usual, I don't really have an answer.  It's like there's no explanation, no way to explain everything that's in my heart, everything that's on my mind, everything I'm still trying to sort through.

On the one hand, this trip was AMAZING.  For the first time ever, our family spent several days in Haiti . . . just "being" with our friends and co-workers.  It was incredible.

It's been a year since we were all in Haiti at the same time.  I treasured the days we passed together!

Also, I had the privilege of being with Steeve and Manoucheka again as they welcomed a new addition to their family . . . this time it was Baby Lorie.

Further, we hosted some wonderful people who encouraged us all greatly, including the group from Mission Made Jewelry - the first-of-its-kind trip for Haiti Awake.

On the other hand, this trip ripped my heart up all over again.  I tell myself that after 20 trips I should know "that"/ be able to process "that"/ be numb to "that" . . . and yet "that" can  bring my tears time and time again.

Often, the "thats" are too personal to share publicly, out of respect to our Haitian friends and co-workers.  And often a "that" can't be shared because, unless you've been there, unless you've seen it, unless you have some true idea of what life is like in Haiti, you won't understand why "that" is the way it is, or why it is so hurtful, or why it can't be fixed with a simple solution.

I'm thankful for American friends who, like us,  want to understand Haiti better, who are investing their hearts, their time, their money alongside of us.  I'm thankful for Haitian co-workers who are infinitely patient with our American ways, our impatience, and our lack of understanding on so many issues, Haitian friends who love us as we are and give us so much grace time and time again.

“True love flows out of mutuality, where we blur the lines between those who are serving and those who are receiving, and where we humbly acknowledge that we all have something to offer and something to receive from one another. ”

— Craig Greenfield

Happy birthday, Miss Phebe!

Happy 10th birthday to the sweetest girl with the cutest dimples.  We love you, Phebe.

“Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes.”

— Psalm 119:135

Donalson Antoine

On our very first trip to Haiti, we met a little boy.  His name was Donalson.

We came home from that first trip having met many, many people.  A few of them we just couldn't forget.  Donalson was one of them.  We knew him, and he knew us.

In fact, when Jared and I went back to Haiti a few months later, Donalson was one of the first people to greet us upon our arrival.  To say we loved him would be an understatement.  There was just something special about him.

And so a friendship began.  With each trip to Haiti, we looked forward to seeing Donalson and spending time with him.  He frequently came to visit.  He was bright, inquisitive, ready to learn.  He never once said, "Hey, YOU. YOU!" and he never asked for anything.  We knew his name, he knew ours, and what we shared was shared out of love.

He gave us beautiful drawings, and we often gave him the paper and pencils with which to draw.

When Haiti Awake was founded in October of 2014, Donalson began to come by our house to visit.  He then started coming to the neighborhood Bible schools, but it was obvious he was uncomfortable.  He wanted to be with us, but he is not a child anymore.

Soon Donalson was helping us at Bible schools - distributing crafts and snacks, helping with crowd control . . . even doing some interpreting.

And at some point . . . he became part of the Haiti Awake family.  He's an essential part of our team.

And so, today we are very proud to announce that Donalson Antoine is officially part of our staff at Haiti Awake.

God is good.

“
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

— Psalm 32:8

What a fine young man Donalson is becoming.  

A special announcement

We at Haiti Awake are happy to announce that Dieussait and Alanta have been added to our staff.  We look forward to an amazing summer serving together.

 Dieussait will be supervising the kitchen and other parts of household management, and Alanta will be assisting her.

Dieussait began helping us with teams in October 2014 when Haiti Awake hosted its first team.  Since that time she has been a consistent, faithful presence, and we are thankful for her kind ways and sweet spirit - as well as her amazing cooking skills.

Alanta began helping last summer when we had our busy June with three back-to-back-to-back teams.  She has been dependable and pleasant to interact with.  We are thankful for her willingness to help where needed.

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.”

— Luke 16:10

Happy birthday, Woodlin!

Look who's 11 years old today!

“The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

— Numbers 6:24-26