This blog was written yesterday. Due to technical issues we weren’t able to post last night – we couldn’t get the pictures to upload. Consequently we do not have a lot of photos today but know that EVERYONE is alive and well in the Mole! 🙂
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Hump Day
Family & Friends,
Today our group was once again immersed into the Haitian Culture, splitting into our usual daily groups. We were able do the following:
Al Martin & Emily Garner Team – Headed to “ Karenage “ to evangelize as their goal but also wanted to spend time in the village getting to know families, have meaningful interactions with their children, and offer prayer to families who would invite them into their homes. While there they were given a wonderful opportunity to have a VBS ‘ vacation bible school “ to children who would normally be attending school during the time of their visit but were not.
There are so many challenges in place when you enter a town in a country, such as the very prevalent presence of students acting on behalf of Christ as missionaries, or full time missionaries that have given their lives for the purpose that Jesus would be known fully and exalted to the ends of our current world; I know that each day of doing this blesses us but specifically blessed them today with another opportunity to have an investment in there in encounters with the people of “ Karenage “.
Lindsay’s Team – Lindsay just exudes many leading qualities, I know that each day she is given the ability to spend time in the clinic people leave in freedom somehow having encountered her joy & knowledge of all things medically minded.
Khalil’s Team – We were given such a humbling task; Just right of the orphanage Mission we are based on; we were given the task to begin digging the foundation and sewer drainage lines with a couple of Dirt Pick’s & Shovels. The instructions were to dig within the confines of a 12X12 Ft square while digging 12ft deep as well. If you are not completely blown away by this, know that I myself was completely humbled as it is an extremely difficult thing to do without machines that I underestimated with a manned team of 9 college students.
Did we complete the job within the 4 hours given; no; would we like to yes. During we managed to gain an audience in the near by Haitian Community who were completely surprised to see Americans doing the type of work we were doing. I know many of them could have finished what all nine of us attempted in lesser time. I will say that I was blessed by the experience, there are many things in my life that God has began to use as I’ve become a man that remind me of his son, but more my role as a man in this world to live out the gospel; whether I am drenched in sweat in the middle of a 12ft hole in Haiti, and all else that he calls me to; my obedience to him is not optional.
By afternoon after regrouping, and having lunch – we spent most of the afternoon until dinner hosting our usual conference for teens & small children in the town of ” Calvert “
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My own words;
I have been so blessed being able to interact with a team of college students we are slightly younger than I am, being in graduate school, having been on this trip & having walked through so many challenges in my own life, leading from a place of absolute submission to Jesus & all that he calls me to has given me more life than I could ever give to anyone this team. Here are my thoughts, before coming to Haiti Jesus specifically made an appointment with me, & today that appointment was indeed filled & he was indeed in attendance.
This morning as I sat near the Caribbean Sea I remember reading in Solomon, it says;
Come with me from Lebanon, my Bride
Come with me from Lebanon.
Depart from the peak of Amana,
From the peak of Senir and Harmon,
From the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards
You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride.
You have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one of your
Necklace.
How Beautiful is your love, my beloved, my bride.
Because God has rescued us from his own wrath at the cost of is son, and has gathered me particularly together in Christ where I am eternally safe with him. I sat in trembling joy and sat with my beloved. In that moment God imparted to me deeper mystery of his love, his gospel, and it propelled me Go into every assignment today with my heart yelling we have won! He did it! He Chose Us! He Still is! I DON’T DESERVE IT BUT HE SAYS THAT I DO! Chosen, Loved, Forgiven, Forever, Together!
Jesus left me with the questions he’s laid on me for the past year
Do we feel most loved by God, because you believe he makes much of you or because you believe he frees you and empowers you to “ enjoy “ making much of him?
Simply Do I feel more loved by God because he makes much of me?
Or Do I feel more loved my bridegroom because through his work he frees me to enjoy making much of him, always calling me to come, always continually after us.
Request,
For health & Safety,
For a continued willingness to continue in our mission in Haiti; in absolute obedience to God.
That the Gospel would continue being preached in deed and in speech,
My Dad & Mama, I love you, I have not lost any of my belongings, see you soon.
Erika, I love you, more and more everyday, See you soon
Khalil Blaine
Blessings
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From Sara & Mia & Brad
“ We miss you Mamacita “
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Hi Mom and Dad, I love you and miss you so incredibly much! I cannot wait to get back and see yall! I have so many amazing things to share with yall! God has done some amazing things in my life this week!
See yall so soon. Love and blessings!! 🙂
-Ashley Guy + Brady Mikeska
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Brad and Randy’s Daily Adventure (Two Real Physicists?)
F=ma
Brad and Randy’s Daily Test
1) What happens when you have a mass of sand at 30kg and a force being exerted by a 72 inch male?
- A) The male falls down and lands head first into the ground
- B) You accidently overexert the force and fling dirt on a Haitian
- C) A rooster crows at 4 am
- D) Traces of Pat the Rat’s Lunch is found on Kelly’s Bed
If you answered C or D, you obviously need to go back to school… In truth the answer is B, just ask the Haitian. What they didn’t teach us in school is how to shovel. Except this week is different, as we have signed up to study abroad while here in Haiti. We are all taking PHYS 4416 Principles of Haitian Shovel Physics, with obviously a non-credit lab.
Texas Tech advisors have used telekinesis, and informed us, that this course will not be able to be used for any actual credit towards our degree. Typical. Tomorrow we are supposed to be learning about waves, and we will be able to calculate frequencies and wavelengths of the Rooster’s calls. This way we have numbers to match our disdain.
The truth of the story is that Randy overexerted and underestimated his force required to throw dirt. He has been hitting up the Haitian gym too much. Some call him a Haitian gym rat…. named Pat. So when Push comes to Shovel… Get the force right or be conflicted with an awkward situation.
*rap *
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Today, we were going to shovel.
But found out, that the mass was overexerted.
Accidentally got dirt in a Haitian man’s hair,
And Randy got quite the scare.
There was yelling and shouting making quite a deal,
But it was all okay because he knew no Creole.
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Please feel free to read comments. Comments will be read at dinner.
