Youth in Mission!!

This Sunday our Youth were busy doing God's work!  They began their day by going to the Southside SPCA.  It was the SPCA's Open House.  Our Youth, led by Director of Discipleship, Lyndsie Blakely volunteered at the pet bowl decorating table.

 

After a busy & productive afternoon at the SPCA they met back at the Church for their weekly FUSION Gathering.  During this meeting the focus on mission continued on a more global spectrum.  The Youth packed 50 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child and folded 200 empty boxes for others to pack!

It is amazing to see our youth so active in our missions programs!!

Colleen and Rich Return Safely

Rich & Colleen returned safely from Haiti on Saturday afternoon.  Rich said the trip was very good.  He said it is hard to put in words a description of the area.  I am attaching Colleen's photo album for you all to see for yourself.  They fell in love with the children and you will see several pictures of them with the precious poverty stricken local children.  Rich said he left all of his belongings there for the families.  He only came home with the clothes on his back!  Their job while there was to build a concrete security wall around the Methodist House Compound.  They are both already planning a trip back in May!
click below to see the photo album of their mission journey!
http://picasaweb.google.com/cmeisnp08/20101016HaitiOctober2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCNTPx7yqiP2rlAE&feat=email#

Saturday In Haiti...From Colleen!!

Good morning!
It has been quite an adventure so far! It seems we have been here for days already. We arrived in Haiti at lunch time yesterday at the Methodiste House Port au Prince. Last night we had orientation by Mike Willis a pastor from New York who is serving here as the volunteer coordinator. He provided some encouraging news. There are more people here helping on projects for UMVIM than ever...which makes hosting us a bit of a challenge. There are 15 teams here over the next 2 weeks. There is no air conditioning but there is wireless internet. There are plenty of roosters (they began crowing at about 2 am) with dogs barking, horns honking. The staff cooked us a wonderful meal last night. Many are homeless and sleep on the porch of the house and other places on the campus of the church.
We will be leaving in a few hours for our work-site and anxious to get there in the Leogane community. We will be staying in tents with our translator and a few cooks. We've heard a about them and the community and how lovely they are. We are also looking forward to sampling the bread. There is a local bakery with delicious bread we are told. Our jobs will be demo of a school and working on a security wall. We will mostly be hauling material while the more skilled locals do the demo. The church nearby and temporary shelters are being used by the school. There used to be 500 students but because of the earthquake and the economy there are only 100. We have the opportunity to provide scholarships for more students for less than $100 each per year.
We met several locals and artisans yesterday. There are some beautiful gracious people here and I am overwhelmed by there sense of contentment. We already gave a soccer ball and basketball to 2 young boys living on campus. They were thrilled.
We will not have the ability to communicate much if at all until Thursday night. I am journalling so I don't forget other things we want to share with you...and taking lots of pictures!  We feel your prayers and love you all!
Colleen

Friday Morning

Hello All,
I wanted to let as many people as possible know that we are alive and well - but also hot and sticky - in Port au Prince. We are at the Methodist House, a very nice facility we're sharing with two other teams tonight before making the 2-3 hour trip to Mellier in the morning. Everyone seems to be adjusting well. This will be our last day with internet access (as far as we know) until next Thursday evening, so you may not hear much, if anything, from us until then.
Our flight was excellent and we had zero problems. We enjoyed spending the night last night, eating pizza and redividing our supplies for the trip. Three of us even went by nearby Cokesbury UMC where a Disciples Bible Study class formed a circle and prayed for our mission. We were all up for the trip to Dulles by 2:15 a.m. - thank God we got some additional sleep on the plane.
Port au Prince is a bit crazy and the main fuel for vehicles seems to be the horn! Lots of rubble but also some rebuilding going on. We'll see how things are further out in the country tomorrow.
Grace and peace to all our family and friends - we need your prayers; we feel your prayers; and we believe God hear's your prayers.

In the hope that Haiti will steadily be rebuilt by God's people bit by bit,
Bob Weeks(Rich's Friend)

God's Blessing...Our God is Amazing!!

I just returned to the office from running some last minute errands before
picking up Colleen and heading to NOVA for our early morning flight to Haiti.
When I returned I noticed the message light blinking on the answering
machine.  When I pressed play there was no message.  I did check the caller
ID on my phone and saw it was a 757 area code so I returned the call. It was
Bob Weeks, the pastor from New Creation UMC that is leading our group.
After sorting out some transportation issues Bob shared an incredible story
with me.  I would like to share it with you.  I think it shows God's grace is
going with us.  Something I very much needed to be reminded of.
Bob and I went on a mission a trip to Jamaica several years ago. Bob
returned severals time after the first trip.  He met a young man that was in
seminary in Jamaica, this young man was training to be a pastor back in his
home country of Haiti.  At the beginning of this week Bob received an email
time marked 1:50 am.  It was from this young man who is now a pastor in
Haiti.  He told Bob that he had been thinking about him and wanted to know if
Bob had forgotten him.  Bob replied later that morning and told this young
Haitian pastor that we would be in Haiti next week and where we would be
serving.  What are the odds that it would be in the same area where this
pastor serves?  We will be attending his Bible study Wednesday night.  WOW
God is amazing. God's Blessings and thank you for your many prayers.  We will
keep you posted as much as possible during the week.  I hope my legs
remember some of those old soccer moves.
Grace and peace,
Rich

This is my last blog post for this trip.  Lots of mixed emotions today for Julie, Virginia and myself, as well as the Honduran staff and the families here.  It has been a day of play, of worry and concern, of tears and of laughter. 
In my photos yesterday I am a mistake.  I told you that little Genisis, pictured above was 3 months old.  Well, she does look it.  Actually she is 7 months old.  She has been our worry of the day.  Her little heart continues to work very hard to keep her oxygenated.  Her lungs continue to accumulate some fluid, that needs medication to help her body get rid of it.  When she cries she sounds like a little kitten.  But...she will smile at you when you talk to her and is very alert most of the time.  Poor Julie checked on her every hour during the night.  Please pray for her and her mother as they continue to make forward strides.
The only thing we didn´t have weather wise here today was snow and a thunderstorm.  It rained twice, it was foggy twice, the sun came out off and on, the wind would blow, it was warm and then cold.  Not sure now how I will pack for our November trip.  Most definitely will have long sleeves and a jacket.

The Chicken Dance

Bowling

Play time was a little quieter.  There are only three children old enough to be out playing.  We bowled (a new word for them), we colored, we had a couple of English lessons.  Nancy Haga and Bruce Montgomery will be excited to know there is a Honduran version of the chicken dance, and yes....we learned it!!  Much too funny!
There were many conversations in broken English and Spanish as we all tried to share our feelings about each other and enjoy the last day together.
The flurry of activity started when our newest two post-op patients arrived.  Caroline and Julio both got to the "House" having some problems.  Caroline has a fever and Julio is needing to do lots of respiratory therapy.  Julio I am not so worried about...he has cried often since his arrival.  He will get those little lungs expanded in no time.
The day would not have been complete without another attempt at making tortilla.  Julie did just great.  Mine were a major fail.  I told Berta, our cook, that they could not be used for general consumption.  I had them for my dinner.
I finally got what I call "porch time".  The Barnabas House has three porches that face the mountains and the view is constantly changing.  This is my time to be quiet and listen, to reflect and be thankful.  There are no words, as Edwardo´s mother said to me today, to explain how lives are changed in this blessed place.  If God would allow us to be in two places at once, I would be with my family in Virginia and family here in Honduras.  It is a place of pure beauty, both of nature and people.  It is a place of great need, and great joy.  I will always be thankful that God led me to this place, and has given me the skills to be of service to these people.

Pascuela and Fernando

Edwardo´s mom and I cried together this afternoon as we tried to tell each other how thankful we were that our paths had crossed.  She, and everyone else here this week, have been more of a blessing to me than I could ever be to them.  For the cost of one cardiac surgery in the US, we did procedures on almost 75 children.  That is 75 children who can now live a full life.  75 little hearts that beat stronger. 
It is time for vital signs and evening medications.  I have the last night shift before we leave tomorrow.  The day will be long, but my full heart will get me through.  Thanks so much for listening (reading ) my rambling of the week.  I hope you will keep all these families in your prayers.
One child at a time,
Patti

RICH AND COLLEEN LEAVE FOR HAITI

Rich & Colleen Meiser are leaving for their mission trip to Haiti tomorrow.  Rich just informed the office staff that he still has NOT packed!!! 
God called Colleen to Haiti and Colleen feels very passionate about this trip.  Rich is a little nervous about the trip but is excited about the work they will do once they arrive!  Colleen has stocked up on medical supplies, mainly to fight dehydration.  Their primary task while there will be to work with concrete. The weather in Haiti is currently still in the high 90's. 
Colleen noticed that Rich got a little more excited about the trip when ODU donated soccer balls and a pump for them to take to the children.  We look forward to Colleen capturing Rich's soccer skills on camera!

The Haiti response plan establishes an organizational structure for United Methodist Volunteer in Mission (UMVIM) teams to help with recovery and rebuilding in Haiti.
 Priority projects have been identified by the Eglise Methodiste d'Haiti (EMH, the Methodist Church of Haiti). Find out more at the web site www.umvimhaiti.org

Please join us in praying for a safe and successful trip for the Meisers.  Stay tuned for updates through out their week long journey!