Thoughts from: MATT

Wow, just over 24 hours ago we were driving through a earthquake devastated country on the way to the airport to fly home. The drive was both an exciting, yet thought provoking journey in our U-Haul truck turned human transporter as we bounced and jolted our way through the streets of Haiti. The heat or bumps didnt seem to bother us that morning as we had finally given up the thoughts of comfort by means of air conditioning or schock absorbers. What we were doing though was thinking about the week we had just spent, the lives we touched and were also touched by, the people of a country that looks at times like it may never be rebuilt. Mostly though, I personally had thoughts of all the good that is coming out of this time, I have never been to or seen a country so hungry for something to put their hope into, and for many, there they are turning to Jesus (150,000 people were saved withing 2 weeks after the earthquake).

We spent most of our week at an orpanage outside the city of Leogane named after the late Dezmond Fleury (http://fleuryfoundation.org/). It is not now run by his brother Pastor Kelly (one of the most amazing and selfless man I have ever seen) and is home to around 70 children from newborn the teenagers. From the moment we arrived at the orphanage on the first day we saw how the joy and love that had been instilled in these children as they hugged us and were sitting on laps and holding our hands before we could introduce ourselves in broken Creole. This continued throughout most of the week and everyday we would find ourselves becoming more and more attached to these beautiful children of God. We could see that these children had a love and hope in Jesus as we taught them bible stories, held them, played with them, and “tried” to even talk with them about how to behave.

On one day we split the team in half and went down to Port Au Prince (The Capital) and visited a tent city. Although you were intitially filled with pain and anguish as you drive into what was a golf course, now home to 50,000 people living in tents, I will leave with joy and excitement for what God is about to do and has already done. Most of us were sent with local teams to just go through the tent city and talk to and pray for people, the people were so excited to see you and talk to you and usually after one stop at a tent to pray for someone, you have people coming to you from everywhere asking you to come over to their tent and pray for their family. Amazing. That day ended with an amazing church service that filled and exceeded capacity of a large tent set up in the middle of the tent city.

There is so much to share about what God is doing in Haiti, and what God did in the lives of our team. We had a week filled with sadness, pain, excitement, joy, wonder, amazement, distruction, and beauty. It is something that I will never forget and I am glad, these people have taught us what it is to have joy in Jesus Christ even when there seems to be no hope at all. Pray for Haiti. And Pray that us to can find Joy and Hope in our Lord.

Matt

Music @ The Lunch Box

Our good friend James Spaite will be playing music at the Lunch Box (Downtown Visalia) for lunch. If you are going to grab a bite to eat today between 11:30 & 1:00 stop by grab a tasty treat (the broccoli salad is AMAZING!) listen to this fantastical musician and grab a Haiti T-Shirt!

THE LUNCH BOX @ 112 N Court St.

*Thanks James & Thank you Lunch Box (www.visalialunchbox.com)