Momentum

 Today was a day full of rejuvenation and relaxation. We began the day by attending church at Grace Village. Pastor Weseley's sermon focused on Luke 5:1-11... Simon Peter was told by Jesus, after a long day of fishing, to go far out into the water and cast his net. Resisting at first, Peter finally did it. Only to have so many fish in the nets that the nets began to break. Now, we know that the common moral to this story is that we need to be like Peter and be fishers of men just as Jesus told him he would become. Pastor Weseley enlightened us with another takeaway from this passage... Notice how the fish listened to Jesus and went to the nets, yet Peter resisted listening? How is it that the animals respect and listen to Jesus, yet we humans resist Him so? Food for thought...

After church, which was an amazing revival for the spirit and soul, we took the kids from Grace Village outside to fly some kites we had purchased upon receiving a generous donation from a special, three year-old little boy. It was a beautiful sunny day -- vibrant blue skies with a few puffy clouds mixed in and a spectacular display of color floating throughout.

After our time at Grace Village, we spent the afternoon shopping at the markets along the way up the mountain. The further up the mountain we traveled, the cooler and more beautiful our scenery became. We stopped at the top for a soft drink and to enjoy the Port-au-Prince Overlook. Spectacular view!

As we sat together and shared our favorite moments of the week, it was clear that two in particular were shared by all. On Friday we returned to Gertrude's orphanage for the disabled children. We went with the intention of helping the staff since we knew from two days prior that they were short-staffed. We arrived and  realized they were not short-staffed. However, the children who usually go to school all day were home for the Carnival holiday. And indeed, they were handling more children than they were used to. God brought us there for a reason!

We began by just playing and interacting with the kids -- the usual. Then the two amazing teachers at Gertrude's put glittery paper crowns on all of the kids' heads in honor of Carnival and began to lead us all in some Carnival songs. That's where it all began. It ended a couple of hours later (yes, two hours straight!) ... and in that couple of hours we sang, danced and laughed with all of the staff and the kids. Music was blaring, adults were singing and literally everyone young and old alike danced together! If I could only capture the expressions on the kids' faces. There were children in wheelchairs, who are usually calm and expressionless, with huge smiles on their faces trying to move around (dancing) in their chairs in response to the excitement and joy which surrounded them. The kids came to life! And the adults came together, language differences aside, and became like one family celebrating together. THIS is why God brought us to Gertrude's that day!

The other highlight of our week was taking some of the Grace Village children on a field trip to an orphanage close by, Juno's orphanage. We conducted essentially a Sunday school lesson (Bible reading, lesson, craft and snack) for 30 children in all. The stark contrast between the children at each orphanage was apparent from the moment we arrived. And the Grace Village kids were amazing shepherds to the other kids -- mingling among them, helping them with their crafts, and becoming "big brother" to them. Before we left we presented them with the seven Bibles we had brought with us. Juno was overjoyed to receive them because they have no Bibles at his orphanage. He said that was the best gift he could ever be given. God showed us yet again where He wanted us to be and how He wanted us to serve. And not only did He have plans for us to serve that day, but also for the kids at Grace Village to serve.

Over the course of the week it was clear the momentum of our team's mission work was building. Early on in the week we served with some reservations, inhibitions and hesitations. By the end of the week we had become more bold in our serving. And now as we return to our homes, our families, our lives... We pray that God will continue to build upon the momentum that He has developed within each of us to continue to serve Him for His glory.

Thank you for following along with us on our team's journey. We are praying for you and your journey in service to Him. Please also continue to pray for us.

Blessings,
The St. Michael's Team