Watermark in Haiti

Written by Brena

Have you ever had expectations for something – and God took it and did more with it than you ever could have dreamed?

“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…” (Ephesians 3:20)

Trying to find the words to describe what God has done here – and specifically in the past two days – is incredibly difficult, but here it goes!

As mentioned before, we are here to encourage community here in Haiti, and for a short time to do life with the people that God has placed in our path. Not only have we had the opportunity to have conversations with people in the surrounding villages, but the kids living in the Village of Hope here at Mission of Hope are also learning to form their own community groups! Last night with them was so sweet: The girls and guys broke up into groups just to share what was going on in life and what God has done in all of our lives. The girls broke up into one-on-one conversations – and in debriefing with others, man did God move!! These girls opened up and shared things and allowed us to pray through things with them. To be honest, it is going to be hard to leave after forming these bonds.

This morning our sub-team split up, and some of us went into the village to finish a conversation with a woman we spoke with yesterday. She is Catholic but very open to the grace of God, which several of our team had the joy to talk about with her. 6 girls on the whole team stayed back and did life with the “mommies” of the Village of Hope kids, and we just got to brainstorm how to open the girls up more. (Teenagers, am I right??) Being a teacher myself allowed us to all relate with each other, as we see different things from kids day-in and day-out. After that, we got to do laundry and cook with them, and it was such a sweet morning. In the afternoon, we participated in our last Kids Club of the week, sharing the gospel with the children through jelly bean candies!

God is so good, and we have also been encouraged by the number of fellow believers we’ve met along the way. I can’t believe our week here is almost over, and I am beyond thankful for what He has revealed to us here, in and through the people of Haiti!

Written by Krysten

We’re in the full swing of things here in Haiti – and wow, the Lord is using us in a way that’s truly indescribable. It’s Wednesday, and we have been to Titanyen two days in a row. We’re currently en route to Canaan for an afternoon with some precious kiddos!

Serving the people of Haiti has been nothing short of amazing; it’s only Wednesday, and the stories that our whole team could tell deserves a website of its own. From meeting with a voodoo priest, to praying over the sick, to encouraging young adults that have chosen Christianity over their parents devoted voodoo practices, to helping those in the villages with pumping water and cooking… this is purely the Lord working through us young adults.

Our main focus this trip was to instill the importance of community in the people we’re serving. With that, having small, intimate gatherings with the young adult orphans of Mission of Hope was imperative for us. We broke into teams and truly built trust, enabling them to share some things they may have never shared before. We talked about our own struggles and how we’re not that much different from each other even though thousands of miles normally separate us. We all struggle with different things, but one thing that we have in common is that we have a God who is absolutely wild about us.

We have made a tremendous amount of progress and this is just the start! We’re even using resources from Watermark that have been translated into Kreyole so that the “mommies” of the orphans are better equipped to lead these kids. HOW AMAZING IS THIS?

In our downtime, we’ve been playing some pretty intense games of Farkle that have resulted in some pretty embarrassing dares. A few people have lost some of their personal items – and to earn the items back, some pretty amazing interpretative dances have been performed during our breakfast time! The encouragements, laughs, memories, and fellowship have truly been amazing. All of this is possible because of our love for the Lord. We’re all doing amazingly well and can’t wait to see what else God will do in the coming days.

Until next time, LET’S GO CHURCH!

Written by Frank Colarusso

We leave the airport and pile into the 1995 rusted school bus. Everything and everyone made it – except that one exploded jar of tomato sauce… and everything in the tomato sauce’s suitcase. The dusty road enters your heart as the bus passes concrete houses and traveling villagers. You make eye contact with a boy no older than 14, possibly on his commute home from school.

Does he know Jesus? Does he know he is loved? The rickety bus travels deep into the country, bringing with it the chance to share our hope and our hands with the beautiful people of Haiti.

You pull up to Mission of Hope after dark. Through the light of the headlights, you watch the rusty gate open and 12 interns in red polos run up to greet you with smiles. It’s past 7pm and you’ve been awake since sometime before sunlight – like WAY before sunlight – and their hospitality warms you.

Out of the bus you roll. Into your beds you fall. 6am roosters start calling WAY too soon… wake, devo, breakfast, tour, church, introductions and games with the kids at the Mission of Hope campus, dinner, games, pray for Team 3 (who must dance at breakfast as a result of losing a Farkle game).

Overall, the Watermark Team is in great spirits. Tomorrow we begin ministry with the orphans and go into a village. Pray His name would be known. Pray the people come to understand that they are known.