Savannah and Parkside Day 7…

PARKSIDE:

Greetings from The Mole!

This morning, Parkside took a group to the fishing village, Preskul. The Haitians were very welcoming and many said they already had a relationship with Jesus. We did a bible study with them and prayed in groups. They showed us their school, which consisted of benches and a human anatomy poster and a map of Haiti. Meanwhile, Kim was talking with the women about starting a business so they can earn some money. They plan on making jewelry out of shells and Kim will sell them in the U.S. and send the money back. While we were at the fishing village, the rest of Parkside was doing VBS and throwing a birthday party, complete with cake, goody bags, and puzzles. We also gave a bunch of chickens to a woman and prayed over them. We had many kids at the sports camp today and afterwards we talked to the teens again at the church. They opened up even more this time and we gave them lots of encouragement! Some of us took the younger kids to the beach while the others were talking to the teens. Many of us also got our hair braided today. Tonight after dinner we are having a bonfire on the beach for the teens. It’s very sad that our time here is ending, but we look forward to seeing you all soon!!!

Megan

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SAVANNAH:　

Hey guys this is Bailey. This trip has really been an eye opener, even for those who have been here before. This being my first mission trip out of the country was nothing like I expected. I never thought that a country could have such a different culture while being relatively close. The way that people handle problems and the family values are completely different. People here easily take things the wrong way and misunderstand things that are even in their language. For me this trip has really confirmed where my heart is and that is helping people who are helpless. We found a little girl who is special needs and when I saw her smile I became speechless. When you find children who are beaten for going to the beach without permission or just because they do not do exactly what their parents ask. These kids have no idea what true love is, and that is something that no person, of any kind, should go through. The smile you get when you just squeeze their hand and they look up to you and squeeze it back. They do things that are wrong but have no idea that they are hurting people who care. This is defiantly a trip that will be in my heart for a long time and is a reminder of how blessed we are. It also opens my eyes to how much a little “Hello” or smile can change someone’s perspective on life.

Hey, Allison here. The women’s conference today was AWESOME. We were pretty nervous walking in there not knowing how we would be received after yesterday but it was just perfect. Some of the women that had left yesterday after the fight came back and we had a really great time together. We had each girl share how their mom has impacted their lives and I can promise all you moms out there would have been in TEARS. Your kids said amazing things about you and your leadership and influence in their lives. You would have been so proud. So Bailey, Alyssa, Holly, Mallory, Jordan, Maya, Kennedy, Hannah, and Becca each did an awesome job speaking to the women through a translator. (any of you moms that want to hear how awesome your daughter thinks you are…i got it on film) The guys spent another day working hard in the garden. They’ve taken SUCH good care of us ladies this entire time. Every day Mintoo goes and buys a few cokes and just hands them out to anyone who looks in need. CB is our protector, Brian our leader,Garret our ranger who carries little kids on his shoulders all day and Alex our photographer. We have a really great team! Pray for us as we finish up tomorrow. We’ll be leaving early friday morning so tomorrow is our last full day. We are trying hard to finish strong but we are EXHAUSTED and can’t wait to see your lovely faces! Everyone’s doing great! We’ll see you soon!