What We Have Been Doing in Haiti

As some of you have seen on our Facebook page, Haiti has been having a  lot of celebration for new beds coming! Here at Sweet Sleep we thought that you would like to know what we have been up to in Haiti:

Beds on Boats - A new Dr. Seuss Book

     A couple of weeks ago 105 beds were delivered BY BOAT to the orphans on the island of La Gonave, Haiti by Sandy Lake Wesleyan Church! The orphans are at the Okipe [Oh-kEE-pAy] Co-Op which is headed by Mme Soliette, who for the past 6 years has been caring for over 70 children. Okipe provides "hope for their future through loving care, food, clean water, shelter, clothing, and physical/spiritual/vocational training."

An Old Bed

      We also recently provided 16 beds for Source of Life Ministries! The orphans at Source of Life are provided with "a Christ-centered spiritual foundation, a good education and life-sustaining food, medical and emotional support." 

Group Picture!

      Please be praying for both Okipe Co-Op and Source of Life Ministries to continue to be able to care for the fatherless. Pray for strength for their leaders and that the children they care for are soon placed into loving homes.
     Speaking of a loving home, we have some great news! Ron, our Sweet Sleep Staff Member in Haiti, recently adopted a four year old girl into his family! Please be praying for Ron and his family as they integrate this little girl into their world.

     All of this is part of our 13in13 Movement where Sweet Sleep will provide beds, nets, and Bibles to 13,000 children around the world this year! Our total so far this year will be announced March 31st, so be sure to like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter if you want to be the first to know! It is a very big goal and maybe even a little crazy, but God loves it when we give Him a chance to REALLY show His power!

Want to be a part of our 13in13 Movement? Head over to our DONATE page to help out a child in need!

Why I Go: Meet Laura Ramey

The thought of traveling to a third world country would make many people cringe. Questions flood to mind: Is it safe? Can I drink the water? What if I get sick? Facing these fears isn't easy, but one Nashville woman keeps finding the courage to travel to Haiti, even in the wake of disaster.

Laura Ramey took her first trip to Haiti with Sweet Sleep in February 2010, immediately after the devastating earthquake.

"We took a relief team to provide mattresses, sheets, and love to a traumatized country," Laura said. " I did not necessarily 'want' to go, which is why I knew I needed to go! I was terrified, to be honest, and I knew God was asking me to step out of my comfort zone by going to a third world country in crisis."

The trip to Haiti impacted her tremendously and encouraged her to return.

"The people, specifically the children [keep bringing me back to Haiti]," Laura said. "I absolutely love the spirit of the Haitians. They have been through so much, yet their hope is so strong."

Not only has Laura given her time to travel and help the people of Haiti, she is also planning to help the orphans there in an very tangible way.

"My husband and I are in an adoption process to bring home three sweet Haitian boys, so we grow more in love with the country and culture as we learn more," Laura said.

Since her first trip in 2010, Laura has returned to Haiti once and will travel there once again on April 13. For her, the most rewarding part of her trips is seeing the smiles on the children's faces when they receive the beds and Bibles provided by Sweet Sleep.

"I do not fully know what they've been through, but I know they have had tough circumstances and traumatic backgrounds," Laura said. "To see their faces light up with joy when they receive these gifts...a place of comfort and full of God's love...is so rewarding".

Laura just returned from Sweet Sleep's latest trip to Haiti April 13-19. If you missed their team reports on our blog, take a moment to look back through our blog for their stories.

God knows what He's doing (Kristi Marshall)

Friday April 15, 2011

It is amazing how God puts together a mission’s team just like a puzzle. We just spent an hour hanging out with one another after a great day at the orphanage talking about the victories and challenges we have experienced. There have already been a lot of laughs and a lot of tears as we serve alongside each other here in Haiti. We are a team of 7 women and 3 men. Let me just start with the men…Jim, Todd and Chet. They have done most of the bed assembling in the past 2 days. They had a period of time this morning where they had put together all of the beds that had arrived (2 flat tires on the vehicle slowed up the delivery a bit). When I say these men worked- I mean they worked! Not only have they assembled 12 triples bunks (36 beds) but today during the time between bed deliveries, they built stairs, they did something involving plumbing, and something up on the roof. None were content resting or even sitting. They literally poured blood, sweat and tears into their work today- and for that…I am thankful. For those of you that know, love and support Jim, Chet, and Todd- you are blessed to have such Godly men in your life. They each left a part of themselves in the orphanage today- each proving worthy of the calling they have received.

On to the women on the team. Kelly, Mary Virginia, Laura, Heather, Katie, McKenzie and myself (Kristi). We are a mix of introverts/extroverts, girly-girls/tomboys, singers/dancers (or neither!)—and we are each drawn to different children in the orphanage. I could not be in better company. We have sheets on all of the beds (girly ones on the girls’ beds) and boy “ish” ones on the boys’ beds. Today in crafts each child made a cross that Mary Virginia so carefully hung on each child’s bed. Kelly and I spent time with some of the other girls painting nails (the girls painted ours blue- call the nail polish company b/c we have renamed it “Sweet Sleep Blue”) and we painted all of theirs pink. Kelly let them braid her hair (OUCH!) as we spent intentional time connecting powerfully through the art of human touch. Mary Virginia is just the master- never flustered she personally tattooed probably 50 kids today (they are fake-no worries) and in her sweet voice made sure each child heard the words “Jesus loves you.” Laura spent quality time with many of the caregivers today. You know Laura cares because she is so expressive with her face, her hands, her entire being…she loves and she loves fully. Side note: Laura is also known at the orphanage for the rap music on her iphone! Katie took the time to play basketball with the older Haitian boys….sweating like she was trying out for the WNBA- not intimidated in the slightest that these boys that were much taller than she is! McKenzie is another one of those young women that just never seems flustered. She is “young”, only 18, with the wisdom, passion and maturity of someone three times her age. It sounds funny- but she wiped noses today! I know that seems weird to write about, but she did so with the tenderness of a mother…and that’s all I have to say about that. Precious. Heather has connected with so many of the children here. Her face just lights up with every child that crosses her path and the kids/teenagers know that she is so genuinely interested in them and what they have to say.

If you are reading this, you likely know one of these amazing women. I can honestly confirm what you already know, which is that your life is better and richer for knowing one of them….as is mine. God knew what He was doing when he brought the 10 of us together from 3 different states to serve in this time, in the place, for this reason. We intend to finish assembling the beds tomorrow that each of God’s children may know a sweeter night’s sleep. Thank you for reading...we are all humbled that you would care enough about us to pray, love and support what we are doing.

Sleep Sweetly,
Kristi Marshall

Internet for a minute!! (Day one---Kelly Stanley)

Thursday April 14, 2011

WOW! Well, we were up at 4:30am, on our plane at 7:00am and stepping off in Haiti around 8:30am. I was amazed at “baggage claim.” It was total chaos. We were warned, but it’s just not the same until you are there. There were people standing on the conveyor belt throwing luggage. There was no, “excuse me, let me get my bag so I can get out of your way.” It was like a bull in a china shop. But all 20 bags made it, praise God, and we boogied out of there.

We made it outside and waited on our ride for about 45 min. The landscape in Haiti is very mountainous and very beautiful. I noticed immediately that it is very loud. The Haitian people “holler” when they speak to each other. My children would have no problems here. It would kinda feel like home to them.

Our ride pulled up. We met our Haitian Sweet Sleep contact person, Ron. Super cool Hatian. He brought us a luxurious “Tap Tap.” It looked like a big red caged mini flatbed truck. We rode in back to the place we are staying for the week. As we rode, we did get to take in all the sights and sounds of Haiti. No question Haiti is like you imagine. There were lots of crumpled buildings and thousands of people lining the streets selling anything from whittled sticks of sugar can to Kleenex. There are makeshift homes made of tents as far as you could see in some areas. It was a humbling sight.

Driving in Haiti is a mess. There are no rules or laws or even common courtesy. People honk constantly-CONSTANTLY. This little boy, we didn’t catch his name (it’s hard to understand them, I think), but this boy was probably 10 but looked 6, jumped on the back of our cage and said A-lo! We tried to make him get down, but instead he hustled us out of crackers and some chocolate. I would have given him my shoes because he didn’t have any, but you have to stop.

We finally made it to the orphanage. It was great to see all of them…FINALLY! They all ran to the edge of their balcony. They were jumping up and down, waving, so happy. We were a little overwhelmed. Tears were welling in my eyes. I took a deep breath and asked the Lord for His strength.

These children were living in squalor. I don’t think our team had any expectations so we all walked around as Madame, the main “mama” showed us the conditions. There was raw sewage inside the building and more cockroaches than you could count. The smell was so, so bad. BUT, the children were joyful. Our team, who totally rocks, pulled it together, went outside and began to meet the children. Two of the guys, Chet and Jim left with Ron and got bleach and scrub brushes to clean before we started to build the beds.

The children were beautiful! They were full of energy, they were awesome. They wanted to know us and teach us things they know. They took turns jumping rope, coloring, they didn’t ever fight. I was totally shocked over that. They all got along very well. I got out a little notebook and crayons (Jen Gash gave me that tip) and sat over in a corner and began talking to a girl who was more quiet and to herself than some of the others. I asked her to write her name and her age down. She wrote, “Delenda 9.” I wrote, “Kelly 36.” Her eyes got real big and she, too, could not believe how young I looked for my age. I wrote, “I love you, and Jesus love you.” She wrote, “I love you and I love Jesus.” Delenda laid her head in my lap and quickly fell asleep. As the attention faded, a little boy, Angelo, who I could have put in my pocket, just laid down on my lap and fell asleep, too. As I sat there, I watched Laura, our team leader, make her way over to a mentally handicap boy-really cute boy named, Jean. He looked up and smiled and she sat down and put her arm around him. They both began singing Jesus Loves Me. Then she pulled out her bible and and began reading Psalm 139 to him…”O Lord you have searched me and you know me….you hem me in-behind and before, you have laid your hand upon me….For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb…” Jean just rocked and listened. It was a powerful moment for me and I know for Laura and Jean. God works on all of us all of the time.

I am so thankful for Sweet Sleep. We were at this orphanage for four hours and four children fell asleep on me. I am so thankful for this team and getting to know these awesome people. We have Kristi, the passionate, down to earth, therapist. Mary Virginia, the energetic, sweet nurturer. Heather, the beautiful, kind-hearted singer. Laura, the veteran, and lover Haitian boys (she is adopting 3). Kenzie, the amazing, righteous 18 year old. Katie, the wickedly funny, smart senior in college. Chet the humble builder. Jim the dry, super cool teacher of the Word, and Todd the guardian of us all. I am humbled to be a part of this group. We all have our own different strengths and God has put us all together for a reason. We all want to bring glory to His name. I am going to stop writing now and go to bed. Love to my family and friends and prayer partners!

Kelly Stanley

All Aboard!

After a long night for our Arkansas team members, everyone made it safely to Miami for their dark-thirty flight to Port-Au-Prince. Right now everyone is probably full of excitement and trying to peer out their cabin windows to get a view of Haiti from the air.

Thanks for praying for these ten team members:
Laura & Todd Ramey
Chet & Mary Virginia Frist
Jim & Katie Osment
Kristi Marshall
Kelly Stanley
Heather Schnoor
Mackenzie Jackson

Our fabulous team of 10 will be working with about 120 children this week...loving them, leading them in worship, fun times, Bible stories and giving them beds, bedding, mosquito nets and Bibles! There are many children here whose lives were forever changed by last years earthquake. All have been living with trauma as a result. God has provided two counselors on the team who will be able to work with some of the children and educate the caregivers in ways to help the children long-term.

A couple weeks ago I received a phone call from a missionary in Haiti who was in tears. She had just been at the orphanage our team will be serving this week. Her heart was broken by the sights and smells of these children not having enough safe, clean places to sleep. She thanked me for the new beds we would provide and said we couldn't get there soon enough.

Our Sweet Sleep beds will indeed be clean, safe and smell good. More importantly, the team will tell the children about how these very beds are reminders to them about God's love, protection and purpose for them. They will tell each of the 120 children that when they lie down at night and pull their covers up around them, it's like God giving them a hug. They will share stories with the children about how God lovingly created them and how He desires great things for each of their lives. It's going to be an incredible week.

Thanks so much for the support you've shown to the team and to Sweet Sleep. Our team will be blogging stories, pictures and video each day. I encourage you to check back. Or, save yourself a step and "subscribe" to this blog. You'll receive an email alert as soon as a new post is made.

Thanks again!

Sweetly,
Jen

Announcing Sweet Sleep's next trip to Haiti!

Hello friends!

I'm excited to announce the date for our next Sweet Sleep trip to Haiti: April 13-19, 2011. This trip is open to anybody, so please send this email to your friends or post the information on your blog, Facebook or Twitter…whatever you’d like!

More information is as follows:

Sample itinerary:
Depart for Miami: April 13th
Spend the night in Miami
Depart for Port-Au-Prince April 14th
Arrive PAP and go to Petionville/team house. Petionville is about 30 min outside PAP.
Drop off gear/Collect supplies/Go to orphanage

Each regular day will consist of the following:
Team breakfast and devotion
Day at orphanage installing beds/working with children
Dinner at team house and team time
Additional opportunities for a mission project or seeing downtown PAP is also a possibility.

About the orphanage:

A Haitian pastor and his wife run this orphanage which is located in Petionville, Haiti. Petionville is a beautiful mountainous area with incredible views and, sadly, now thousands of people living in the city now in tents. At last count, there were 120 kids ages 3-17 living in the orphanage; including several who lost parents or family members in the earthquake. 30 children sleep on the floor. There’s a new addition to accommodate children who came to the orphanage after the quake which is located on the back of the orphanage. There are roughly 18 girls sleeping on cinderblocks and plywood in that room. Also the orphanage has a few shanties in the front of the orphanage. They put a bunch of babies in one crib because they only have 1 mattress.

Applications and a $500 deposit are due to Sweet Sleep by Wednesday, March 9, 2011. Checks should be made to Sweet Sleep. All checks must have this note in the memo line “preference for 0411HT (and then your last name)”. The trip cost is $1,950.00 and includes airfare, hotel, insurance, lodging, transportation, food and all other in-country expenses. You will only need additional money for the items you purchase at the airports or for souvenirs.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
• Your passport must not expire before October 19, 2011.
• Sweet Sleep must have your EXACT name as it appears on your passport as well as your date of birth at the time of your deposit in order to book your ticket.
• No vaccinations are required to enter Haiti. The recommendations for vaccinations can be found on the CDC website: www.cdc.gov.

Team meetings will be a mix of in-person and conference calls. You don’t have to live in or near the Nashville area to be on the team.

All other questions can be answered by Sweet Sleep by contacting Emily Colledge at emily@sweetsleep.org

Sweetly,
Jen

HAITI: A Report From Sweet Sleep’s President and Founder, Jen Gash

On January 12, 2010, an earthquake forever changed Haiti and the lives of those who call it home. It also changed the work that Sweet Sleep does there.

Sweet Sleep’s work in Haiti began simply yet in response to an emergency. In 2008, Haiti suffered from one hurricane after another. As a result of hurricanes and driving rains, a mountain on the coastal town of Jacmel essentially slide into the earth below---burying an orphanage that sat in its shadow. The call for help went out. Sweet Sleep responded by giving beds to a dozen little ones that Christmas.


Scarcely more than a year later, the unimaginable happened. The lives of, and ministry to, the people of Haiti changed forever. Immediately, Sweet Sleep mobilized itself and---with the help of friends and partners like you---our swift emergency response provided 5,400 pounds of food; 2,111 Bibles; 5,574 articles of children’s clothing and shoes; over 7,400 medical items; 12,236 baby wipes, 16,268 diapers and 6,034 bedding units.



Today marks the first of many hard anniversaries yet to come. It also marks a milestone where we can look back and see the impact Sweet Sleep is making in the lives of the country’s youngest survivor’s.

Sweet Sleep has been diligently working to show God’s concern for the orphaned children in Haiti. Dozens of people joined Sweet Sleep’s teams last year. Countless numbers of you have prayed for Haiti. Through our monthly prayer updates and in churches across the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia children and youth have been led through our “Build-a-Bed” and “INSOMNIA” events, which we’ve customized for Haiti.





In post-quake Haiti, Haitians struggle to find jobs in order to provide for their families. Sweet Sleep has two Haitian staff and employs a handful of other Haitians who manufacture our beds. Empowering people in the communities where we work is one of our core values. In Haiti, it’s not just a value; it’s a necessity.


Within the first two months of the earthquake, Sweet Sleep provided 6,034 beds. As children have resettled into newly rebuilt orphanages, Sweet Sleep has provided an additional 1,585 beds, bringing the total number of beds we’ve provided to orphans since the earthquake to 7,619.




We welcome you to join us as we continue providing beds to the thousands of orphaned and abandoned children in Haiti. Our work will be marked by many milestones yet to come. Be a part of it. Join us on a trip to share love, hope and comfort to Haiti’s orphans. For trip dates, click here. To provide comfort, health and love by giving an orphan a place to sleep, click here.

Thank you for your continued support of our work in Haiti. Together, we're rebuilding children's lives in Haiti.

Sweetly,

Jen Gash
President and Founder

P.S. As we remember Haiti today, I invite you to join me in a time of prayer this afternoon. Our friends and partners at the Christian Alliance for Orphans have put together a one-hour virtual prayer gathering beginning at 3 pm CST (4 pm EST). Anyone can attend – so tell your friends. We hope you’ll join us from the comfort of your own chair as we help guide you through different areas of prayer for Haiti. Registration is required, and you can do so here. You’ll be given a simple user code to sign into the online prayer time where you’ll find resources for this time of prayer which we’ve prepared. If you're not around a computer or phone, please be sure to take a moment to lift up our friends in Haiti in prayer today.

Haiti: A Time of Prayer

Next Wednesday marks the 1-year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake.

Whether or not you are a person of prayer, so many times it is our human nature to reach out to God in our desperate times. For many in Haiti, THIS is still their desperate time. They've been reaching out to God for months and need you to intercede on their behalf.

Below is an opportunity for you to take part in a "virtual" prayer gathering next Wednesday afternoon. You don't have to go anywhere or do anything, besides "click" and then be still.

Last February, in response to the quake, The Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) organized the Haiti Orphan Relief Team (HORT). As a member of HORT, I traveled to Haiti to assess the needs of the orphaned children and implement a long-term plan to meet their needs. Several of those advocates, including myself, will be leading you through this time of prayer.

I hope you can join us. Read on for a word from CAFO President, Jedd Medefind and then follow the link to register (registering will enable you to have the web address to go to for the event).


Virtual Prayer Gathering
Written By: Jedd Medefind, President of The Christian Alliance for Orphans

January 12th will mark one year since the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Those few moments and their aftermath took hundreds of thousands of lives, left many more homeless, and affected countless children in profound and permanent ways, including leaving many as orphans. The eye of the media has largely moved on to other stories, but the need in Haiti remains as pressing as ever.

Of course, there are as many unique callings and places to serve as there are Christians in the world. We certainly should not feel guilty that we can’t all focus on Haiti. But still, if we felt ache and anguish in the days following the earthquake, we would do well not to quickly forget. To do so merely mirrors the world’s sad and harmful pattern: to feel deeply yet act little and persevere even less.

The true disciple of Christ consistently matches compassionate emotion with both loving action and loving perseverance, just as the Good Samaritan both cared for the wounded traveler and also promised to return later to cover his future medical bills. Even if our primary calling is to Russia or Cambodia or foster youth in the U.S., we can remain faithful in prayer to Haiti.

I’m tremendously thankful that Scott Vair and the others at World Orphans felt a desire to gather Christians virtually on the earthquakes’ anniversary to pray for Haiti. We invite you to join with us and others members of the Christian Alliance for Orphans community on January 12th, 2011 at 4:00pm EST for one hour via “webinar.” Led by a number of orphan advocates, we will be praying together for the country of Haiti, for stability and integrity in its government, for ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts, for the Haitian church, and for the children of Haiti we all care about so much.

Registration is required, and you can do so today here.


Thanks, friends. If you have questions or problems, call our Sweet Sleep office at 615-730-7671 and we'll help you.

Sweetly,
Jen

When you lie down you will not be afraid.

God does not give us more than we can take. I know the truth behind this. But sometimes God trusts me with a surprising and overwhelming load.

Today was one of those days. Today a vast scope of the destruction left by the earthquake was revealed to us. Unfortunately, what we saw was only a glimpse of the entire story. But within that destruction there was hope. The streets are now filled with bustling traffic where two months ago they were desolate. Shop vendors line the streets selling their goods outside their fallen store fronts. And outside the Palace gates within a perimeter in which country people were not before allowed, tents which those people call home lie in the shadow on the once great building.

Exhausted emotionally, spiritually, and physically we returned to the OTV and prepared for the second part of our day. Our prayers had been answered and Pastor Calix’s (excuse the spelling) orphanage had been completed and was ready for beds. Finally we would be able to fully carry out Sweet Sleeps mission: to share God’s love by providing beds to the world’s orphaned and abandoned children. We sang songs, danced, worshipped, and loved each other. It was such a joyous time! Then we traced each child’s hand onto a sheet, along with the orphanage’s name, each child’s name, and Pastor Calix himself added his hand! The children giggled with delight as they each pointed to their mark on the bedsheet. Then it was time for the beds. Bunk bed frames were in place and mattresses added. And each bed was made up with the clean, healthy, colorful sheets that YOU, the supporters who donated hundreds of sheet, provided. Each child also received a Creole language Bible. We were able to explain God’s love to the children and that each night when they lie down they will know they are lying in God’s lap. We explained malaria prevention with the life saving mosquito nets. And we prayed over each child, room by room. And at last, before we departed we gave every child a lovely handmade doll given by a loving group of women. It was a blessed day!

But of course, now we are preparing for our return home. We are preparing for our goodbyes and are trying to understand what we have seen. Our hearts have been broken and will always be scarred. But because of those scars we will never forget.

Prevention

No child should die from a mosquito bite, yet EVERY DAY more than 2,000 do.

We do lots of things in our lives in the name of "prevention". If I asked you to take 30 seconds and make a list of all the things we work to "prevent" the list would include things like: cancer, weight gain, speeding tickets, unplanned pregnancies, sun burns, bad reputations, car accidents, fights and so on. My own list would include the word "malaria".

Today is World Malaria Day. There's no Hallmark card for it (yet), no televised parade or big rock star campaign. It's a seemingly small designation to mark one of the world's deadliest diseases.

Each year more than 1 million people die from malaria; 85% are children under the age of 5. In Uganda, where Sweet Sleep is actively working to prevent this disease from taking the lives of precious children, more people will die this year from malaria than from AIDS.

Really? All I can think when I hear myself say that is "WHY?" We know the cause. We know the cure. Friends, let's save these children's lives!

I'm happy to say that all gifts made today for mosquito nets will be doubled. That's right...we're having a "save a little, save a lot" day. I implore you to go to our website, www.sweetsleep.org, and make a gift TODAY to help save a child's life. A treated mosquito net is only $8.00. In fact, I further encourage you to become a bedhead. Sign up online to make a reoccurring monthly gift toward mosquito nets and you'll know you'll be saving children's lives all over the world, every day of the year. Amazing. Really.

I'm writing this blog from Haiti where, as I type, our Sweet Sleep team is outside loving on orphaned children and preparing to lead them in a beautiful time of worship. Pray for that time. And then pray for how God would lead you to respond to the need the children have for a simple mosquito net.

Later tonight I'll pause, like I have been doing each night here, and will count up the number of mosquito bites I've gotten as the sun has set. I'm blessed to have preventative education, malaria prevention drugs and a net. These children deserve the same. They need us. They need you.

Thanks special friends. You are a blessing. You are the reason we can be here, holding these precious ones and sharing HOPE and LOVE with them. I am incredibly thankful to you.

See you in the next blog,
Jen

No orphans of God

This morning I missed being home. I missed playing with the orchestra. From rehearsal I knew we would be playing “Orphans of God” by Avalon, one of my favorite songs. Fitting, I thought, because I would be here in Haiti serving God’s children.
Today we attended the community’s worship service, a long, passionate, and deliberate service. After each age group recited their Bible verses, they dispersed to their families or back to their orphanage group, and many came to sit with us. Two girls sat on either side of me. One was about 7 and the other was a pre-teen. We held hands, hugged, sang, and searched for scripture in my Bible. At one point, the younger girl tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the older girl. She was lying on my lap and a single tear slowly trickled down her cheek. Her name is Esther.

Of the few orphanages I have visited, all have been exceedingly happy places. In fact, that joy and faithful gratitude to God has overwhelmed and humbled me. But here it is different. There is also sadness here.

I don’t mean to be too dramatic. The children here are happy and healthy and well cared for. The tears are sometimes quiet and hidden but at other times it’s haunting. There is the boy who wails, half a dozen times a day, for ten minutes and sometimes more. They think he might be autistic. But there are no therapists here to teach the mamas how to settle him. There was the young girl who was pinched on the arm by her friend. She cried for almost an hour. I held her and sang to her. But the tears would not stop. And Esther; I don’t know what triggered her tears. But they were there.

There is a trauma and a fear and a loneliness that is here. And it breaks my heart. I have not understood so fully the purpose of a mission journey like this until now. To be the one to hold that child in their time of sadness is my honor. “Assuredly I say to you,in as much as you did it to one of the least of these, my bretheren, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

“So many fallen, but hallelujah! There are no orphans of God.” –Avalon

Madelene Metcalf

God is so Good! ALL the time!

Hi. This is Raquel Babb posting on Stuart’s account.

God is so good! ALL the time! I know that if you have been around me anytime in the past 2 weeks then you have probably heard me say this phrase a time or two. It has become my new little phrase lately, but I truly have seen it in so many different things the past few weeks that I just can’t stop giving God the credit and glory that He is good all the time. If we truly believe it in our heart, you will see that it is true too.

Many of you know that a few weeks ago I grew weary as to why I was going on this journey to Haiti . I started to think of every excuse as to why I couldn’t or shouldn’t go. 1st it was the timing thing. It just didn’t make sense with all the different activities that my girls had going on and all the different responsibilities that I had at both of the girl’s schools and dance that I could possibly go out of town, let alone another country, during this week. But my wonderful husband, family and friends stepped right up to offer to take care of them and I know they are. Secondly, it just didn’t make sense to me that at this time it financially really didn’t fit into our budget to spend so much on my travel expenses, expedited expired passport, vaccines and medicines. But here again my family and friends took care of this by either a generous donation to my trip account or to the benefit garage sale I had the week before my departure. All my financial burdens were met. (Thank you to everyone that helped with this burden, I can’t thank you enough. It has meant the world to me as to how generous y’all have been) Thirdly, I have developed a fear of flying over the past several years. I know I shouldn’t, as God tells us to not have any fear (Isa 41:10), but I have and I thought I really do not know any of these team members. Whose hand am I going to hold if we end up on a rough flight? But here again that was answered as the Lord laid it on my sweet mom’s heart that she too was suppose to go on this mission journey with me. (By the way family and friends: we are getting along rather well…no major fights…ha…yet anyways…Ha!) And thank you God for 2 pretty uneventful flights here. Now everyone start praying for the same for the return.

Lastly, one of my biggest excuses that I was trying to pull was that this trip was way out of my comfort zone. Anyone that knows me well knows that I am a very emotional gal….I cry at everything happy or sad. So how was I going to go to Haiti and work with orphans who have just gone through such a tragic event? I have been on mission trips before but mostly medical ones where I am not with the same kids or people but for a day or a few hours. But this trip I would be with these kids every day and be building a relationship with them. How was I going to be able to do this trip without being an emotional wreck? How was I going to handle leaving all these precious kids? So yes, I am weeping a lot of tears so far on this trip. And yes, I have been developing some wonderful relationships with these kids.

But I am so thankful that God has allowed for me to go on this trip and has taken care of every “excuse” I had. It truly has been an incredible experience so far. This trip has met every expectation I had and beyond. There are way too many wonderful things and some great stories to write and blog about on here that I have experienced so far. The kids are so precious and loving. I just want to hug and kiss every one of them (which I usually do!) They are so excited to see us. It just melts my heart to see them come running up to me and grabbing my hand or hugging my waist. There are usually 3 or 4 kids on us at all times. They are beautiful! Like I just said, I have so many wonderful stories that I could write about that I have experienced the past 2 days, but if you know me well then you know I could and would ramble on and on and on, so I will wait to do that when you have time to sit down with me to hear about them, I am so excited to see what God has planned for our team for the next 3 days while we are here in Hait ; I know it will be more wonderful things and stories. I am so thankful for the Sweet Sleep organization for making this trip possible and for taking me out of my comfort zone. I love everything that Sweet Sleep is doing for these kids and was very excited to get to see the beds today that they are having built here in Haiti for these kids. I hope and pray it won’t be long till these kids will have these bed to call their own and be able to have “sweet sleep” that they so deserve.

Yes, there are a few kids I adore and would love to bring back with me (don’t worry John, I know I can’t as I already have checked on it…ha!) but I do know that God is good ALL the time and he has bigger and better plans for each one these kids here. They are in good hands. They are in God’s hands. I am just so thankful that our team gets to love on them this week.

Blessings from Haiti!

Raquel

Language Barrier

Hey,this is Lee Swartz posting on Stuart's account.

Two days in and I’m finally starting to pick up a little Creole or French or French Creole from the children here…valuable words and phrases like “Hot!”…“No, I mean it’s really hot!” and the more slang vernacular for “How are you doing, Caucasian man or woman.” And I have, in turn, taught a few kids the lyrics to 70’d dance anthem “Funky Town,” which not many people know was derived from a 19th century spiritual, “Lord, Won’t You Take Me To.” (In the interest of being honest and good Christian living, I must admit that that last part is not entirely true…He who has sinned much needs much forgiveness.) And despite these important cultural exchanges, a frustrating language barrier exists. The first question the children ask you is, “What is your name?” (In English) And once you respond and ask theirs (In English, of course), you are left with a period awkward and delightful smiling and even more delightful touching. During games and playtime, the children squeeze off Creole on automatic fire and all I can do is shrug my shoulders and smile sheepishly, like I do when I have to tell my wife I’ve done something dumb. Not that all is lost…you immediately recognize the melody when these sweet voices sing in their native tongue, “I’ll never know how much it costs to see my sin upon that cross.” I look down and hold tightly the hands of my new friends Stanley and Sam and little Cecil tugging on my shirt tail and it occurs to me that, perhaps, language barriers are necessary in some instances to keep us “on mission.” Words are powerful…they can be encouraging and, yet, they can me misinterpreted or misunderstood. In His infinite wisdom and mercy we are prevented, through conventional means, from telling these precious kids how much we love them and how they will not be forgotten…so we must show them. Then I briefly remember my skeptical friends and even strangers who have heard the gospel many times but have never seen it. I don’t wish to discount words. God can use them how and when He chooses, but we humans have proven ourselves to be a careless lot and, maybe, we should just concentrate on being love in action and leave the words to Him…Which reminds me of St. Francis’ famous directive to “Preach the gospel wherever you go and when necessary, use words.” Without conversation constructed of verbal language, the orphans of the T.O.V. and Julie’s House and Nicole’s House have spoken to and melted our hearts…with wide eyes and even wider smiles and hugs you with would never end…They sing a melody sweeter and clearer than “Here I Am To Worship” and certainly more uplifting than “Funky Town,” though I maintain that there’s a good chance that there’s a Funky Town section of Heaven. While I fear that our attempts to out-love these kids will fail, I pray that we, at least, make the final tally respectable.

Lee

Hi this Jon in Haiti

Hi this Jon Bullick in Haiti posting on Stuart's account. Yesterday we visited two orphanages and I had the blessing of sitting by Joseph who helps with GOP. I saw Jesus in the faces of a few hundred people. I talked with Jesus in the back of a truck. His name is Joseph. He was an orphan. His dad was killed at 10, mom at 13 and he was actually pronounced dead himself once after a three day coma. To watch the children light up when he is around is amazing. He is getting married next week and he and his wife will dedicate their lives to helping these kids. Please keep him in your prayers.
Jon

The power of a gift

Our first full day in Haiti is coming to an end. Team members are milling near their rooms and children are finally quieting down. Tonight was movie night so we've all stayed up a little later than usual. As the movie ended, I saw what I had seen on a previous journey to visit children. If you pick them up and hold them for even a moment, they fall asleep. I liked to believe I had a special touch for that which had been perfected over seven years of holding my own three babies until they slept. But the reality is that these children are tiny and they need sleep to develop fully into the person God intends and if they are given just a moment of comfort and security, they sleep. And that gives me all the validation I need to know the importance of this ministry.

As this day comes to an end I am left reflecting on, of all things, the supplies rooms. There are two rooms, one with toys, recreation items, craft materials, and clothing. The other is filled with medical supplies, baby goods, and sundries. In addition to these rooms there is a warehouse full of meal rations and water. The rooms are neatly organized by kind and supplies are obviously rationed closely and responsibly. And as a result, the children here are clothed, fed a 100% nutritionally complete meal, and are enriched with crafts and activities. All of the supplies have been donated to the Orphan Transitional Village.

Shortly after the earthquake, Sweet Sleep along with Brentwood Baptist Church worked to organize first a bedding drive. Then a drive for a variety of other good was held. And in preparation for this trip the team collected twin sized sheets. The donation of these goods sustain these children and give them a life in which they can develop and thrive. So I hope this blog gives encouragement to all those who are not physically here but whose gifts are. Not only did your sheets, coloring books, diapers, and hand sewn dolls make it here, they are being handled responsibly and with respect. They are critical to the growth and development of some of the most precious children I've been blessed to serve. And I thank you for being such an important part of these children's lives.

Madelene Metcalf

Hello From Haiti!!!

Before I started writing this post last night, we were told to conserve electricity because the country’s electric power was not working and neither was the orphanages generator. So the orphanage was running on backup battery power. Soon after I started, the backup batteries died.

There's a reason they call these "Mission's Journeys" and not "Missions Trips".

After a long day of traveling, our team made it to the orphanage in Port-a-Prince Haiti. We started our day at 4:45 am at Nashville International Airport. A couple of hours later we were in Miami for a five hour layover. Once everyone was boarded our flight to Haiti, the pilot informed us that there was a mechanical problem closing the cargo hatch door. It took over an hour to fix the cargo hatch.

Fortunately, we had an uneventful flight to Port-a-Price. On approach, we got a birds-eye view of the damage and tent cities. Suffice to say, it has a different impact on you when you seeing it outside an airplane window as opposed to on TV.

We knew we weren't in Tennessee anymore when we saw the cargo hanger that served as immigration, customs, and baggage claim. (Don't mind the date stamp, I bought a new camera for the trip and I hadn't set the date yet)

Our drive from the airport to the orphanage was interesting, to say the least. Below is a picture of the traffic in Port-a-Prince.

I promise to never complain about traffic in Nashville or at Brentwood Baptist Church ever again.

On the drive, we passed one of the large tent cities that has been in the news recently. It is built in a dry riverbed and there is a need to move the people and tents to higher ground before rainy season starts.

When we arrived at the orphanage, we were greeted by 70 kids who were waiting for us. We spent the next hour playing with and getting to know the kids. It was amazing to see how friendly the kids were. Almost every kid asked my name and wanted to see my watch.

We were told later at dinner that most of the kids at the Global Orphans Outreach transitional orphanage had at least one parent. Many of the parents have made arrangements with the orphanage to look after their children while they are looking for work, repairing their homes, and other earthquake related reasons. It's nice to know that we're able to show the kids love and attention while their family is regrouping from the earthquake.

All of our team members are doing great. We're excited to see what God is going to do through us and with us on this trip.

The Mango Tree

Hi all, this is Keeli.

Wow, what an experience Haiti has been. This is my sixth mission trip out of the US and each time I'm amazed by how awesome God is.

This morning after breakfast we got to experience a 4.6 aftershock. Only a few seconds of rumbling and rocking, and the fear of being by a three story cement building has stuck with me. I can't image what fear runs through those that experienced 35 seconds and mass destruction of the first earthquake.

So with everyone's nerves on edge we started our day, half the team stayed at the orphanage to play with the kids and the others went to the construction site for the orphanage that collapsed, which is anywhere from 30-60 minutes away depending on traffic. running around foreign countries can be a great experience. Being in a developing country without a translator and no one from our in-country support team is very un-nerving for me.

Kim, Holly, John, Jen and I arrived as the workmen were finishing up their lunch (thanks to the aftershock and a flat tire we are a little behind schedule). I was not 100% comfortable being in Port-Au-Prince without someone that is part of our in-country support team, that speaks English and Creole... we don't know anything about these workers... they didn't speak English... in my mind anything could happen... and it did. One of the guys called out, "pray". We look over to him, he and all the other men were standing in a circle under a beautiful Mango tree. And again he said, "pray". We walked over to their circle and they began singing and then he prayed. The men all hugged each other, and back to work they went.
God showed me that what I was afraid of, was in turn, his gift of peace and safety. He is awesome.

Good night

Some Photos from Our Work in Haiti

Just wanted to send a few more pictures from our Brentwood Baptist/Sweet Sleep Team in Haiti! 

Here is our team - you'll see many of them had their hair braided by kiddos. :)

 

Here's Keeli in the process... Being called to go on a mission trip means oh, so many things. 

You must be brave and let kids do crazy things to your hair. 

Here I am with Gary Howard painting a room that little kiddos are moving into tomorrow! So Great! 

(I'm covering my eye that's been bitten by so many skeeters it looks super scary!)

Here's a sweet little boy that asked me to help him make his necklace.

This little guy was so thirsty! He drained that bottle in nothin' flat.

Thank you for continuing to pray for our team! It's been an incredible time spent with these sweet kids at the Global Orphan Project. More soon. 

See you in the next blog,

jen

No Mirrors

They have no mirrors here. The children do not know what they look like. They ask often for us to take their "photo, photo!" because they get so excited to see themselves on the screen after the flash goes off. They smile, they laugh, they praise God no matter what. These children have taught me many lessons so far, and this is one I learned today.

Yesterday my pocket mirror broke. I realized I am now like these children with no mirror here. So, I decided to look at myself through their eyes today. They were my mirror. So, first, before I go any further, let me describe what I looked like today on the outside - frizzy hair up in a hat, a trace of makeup, a big t-shirt (thanks, Em) and some scrub pants. When they saw me and all the team members, these children shouted for joy and grabbed for us like we had just hopped out of a limo to walk the red carpet. While they are definitely awestruck by my blonde hair and white skin, I began to realize it was not at all what I looked like that drew them to me or my teammates. They have a genuine desire to hold and be held...and unfortunately they do not get that often. What we are giving them cost us nothing...yet provided a gigantic return. And as we processed tonight as a team, we admitted it was nice to be loved, to be held, to be accepted by these precious children for no other reason but that we loved them.

This morning a child sitting in John's lap next to me in church took my bible and begin flipping through. His finger landed on a page, and he held it there for awhile. I could see some of my writing in the margin, so I was curious about the scripture. He was holding the page to Psalm 139. I know he couldn't read it, but it was interesting to me that he was holding the passage open...a passage that says he is fearfully and wonderfully made! I had marked that page, because it had a profound impact on me during one of my studies recently, and I had dated it so I would remember the moment. This child, a little over a month later, reminded me about that scripture and what it says about true identity and undconditional love. As the service went on, this same child was so comfortably resting in John's lap and arms that he eventually fell asleep. He was comfortable, he was loved, so he found "sweet sleep" resting in arms of love and compassion.

If you get a chance after reading this, check out Psalm 139 and find rest for YOU...the person He made you. Sit still and let God hold you in his arms...just as you are. No need for a mirror.

Much love,
Laura