Haiti: A Peace Offering

Wow, it's been a while (I love posts that start with that...)

I have been working on a project for my church since about Christmas. This project has been taking up most of my attention recently and, let's be honest, projects for me are rarely quick endeavors. Speaking of which...

Last week, I was planning on finally sharing a wrap-up of my Haiti experience but, over the past month, I have been force to admit that I really don't know how to share the experience in a meaningful way. That's incredibly lame, I'm sorry. The truth is that I have some pretty complex feeling about Haiti, what ministry means there, and what the trip in November trip meant to me personally.

I was so very well supported that I recognize that failing to really offer something tangible to my supporters is a let down. It's really not something I want to excuse, but I hope you will still find some grace for me. Believe me when I tell you have, literally, pages of journal notes and outlines, several word documents and a couple of photo galleries all dedicated to trying to tell you what happened to me in Haiti. But I haven't been able to get a handle on what it all means.

So, again, I'm sorry for breaking all those promises to "share something soon," I feel very bad about that.

Please know that I deeply appreciate your support. Because of all the prayer, God is continuing a deep work in my heart, several Compassion staff members and pastors were encouraged and many children were loved. At least three children were sponsored as a direct result of this trip.  Additionally, there was so much financial support, that I was able to give two gifts of $350 to two of the projects that we visited. That represents a half of a year's salary for many Compassion families in Haiti.

Selfishly, I held back from sharing many of my photos because I wanted you all to see a "finalized" project.  Now that the project I had envisioned has been temporarily shelved, I would like to share some of the many photos I took.

Thank you again for your support and your grace.

Live58 Challenge

This video was made about 4 weeks ago, right after I got back from my Haiti trip with Compassion International. Compassion is involved with Live58, a coalition of nonprofit organizations dedicated to ending poverty by practicing a "True Fast." True fasting, as described in Isaiah 58, is characterized by loosing the bonds of wickedness, undoing heavy burdens, letting the oppressed go free, breaking every yoke, sharing your bread with the hungry, bringing the poor cast-out ones into your home and covering the naked. 

More than anything it is a call to love and have compassion on one another. This passage, the Live58 ministry, and my trip to Haiti raised some questions about how we respond to pain and poverty.

Gift from Haiti

 

It's been a little silent around here about my trip to Haiti with Compassion International. Apologies.

I have a plenty of photos and videos and piles of confused, seemingly random notes, but nothing that really captures the trip yet. God is stirring up a bigger vision here than a series of photos and some statements on "how blessed we are in America," or even an appeal to sponsor a child. So, please accept this as a down payment on that vision and know how much I really appreciate you.

Because of everyone's incredible generosity, I'm going to be able to make a $350 donation from all of us to two Child Development Sponsorship Programs! One of these programs is in Verrettes, where this little sweetie is from. She's one of the children who received some of the love that you sent.

That's for you Becca! There's a little girl in Haiti with a picture of you beside her bed, thanks for loving her.

(Don't those eyes melt you just a little?)

I have something really special in mind for all of you to say thanks. Please be patient with me, I'm a little neurotic about having things "just right."

Voulez Vous Chante?

Mwen kontan fe konoses ou!
That's the Creole that I'm taking away from this trip, it means I am very happy to meet you!

I can't remember how many times I said it this week, but there is one that stands out.

I met Shaika at a Compassion project in Versette, an area hurting more than most in Haiti for jobs. I brought Shaika's child packet with me when we visited her project today. I picked it out for the same reason I picked Fabi 8 years ago: she loves to sing.

If you've had the privilege of listening to a Haitian or African choir, you know that American kids don't sing the way these kids sing. It's an amazing experience. But I wasn't sure if Shaika loved to sing the way I loved to sing when I was seven! Hey, my mother thought it was beautiful.

So when we say down together at the project, my translator asked her, "Voulez vous chante?" - Do you like to sing? She smiled and said, yes, she did, and she would like to sing me a song.

I went to Haiti looking for another child to sponsor and if I had any questions about whether it was going to be Shaika, I forgot them.

God has a way of speaking to us that seems silly, small or surprising at times. I should know by now that it delights God to set His spirit on seemingly unworthy or inappropriate places, like a little shepherd boy who'd rather sing than go to war, a vain weak-willed man with long hair, a persecutor of the church, or a shy little Haitian girl singing on a concrete floor in the middle of one of the poorest countries in the world.

It is so very right, because He used the weak or foolish things to shame the wise. And God used this quiet little girl with the priceless secret smile to bring praise to His name.

Mwen tre kontann fe konoses ou, Shaika.

To Haiti With Love: Itinerary

Well friends, I fly into Port au Prince tomorrow!

I met with the rest of the Compassion team tonight (including Bethany, my roommate), it still all seems a little surreal but I'm going to be in Haiti tomorrow, crazy!

I'm not sure what the specific itinerary is but we will be flying in tomorrow morning and flying out Friday, it's kind of a fast and furious trip. That is compounded by the fact that we are meeting with so many people.

If you are the praying type, we could definitely use prayer for safety and health (don't drink the water, don't drink the water...). I don't know if you heard, but they've got a cholera outbreak in Haiti (the first one in 100 years!) and that is one Haiti-immersion experience I would like to skip.

You can also pray for my poor little arms. I am checking two 50 lbs bags and one 25 lb carry-on bag of donations for the projects and people we meet. Thank the Jesus that my insurance covers chiropractic care!

As for me, I will be living out of a backpack for the next 6 days! I normally wouldn't mind but I'm planning on taking a lot of pictures and a few will probably have me in them. The fact that I am forgoing all but he most essential hygiene items raises some concern about the quality of those photos.

Yes, its a ridiculous concern but there you are, I'm a vain little girl at heart.

But above all please pray that the people we meet will be better for our visit. Pray that the people we talk to when we get home will be filled with love and compassion for the people of the tiny, downtrodden, resilient little country.

Pray for Haiti.

What I'm listening to: Arcade Fire

Happy Veteran's Day!

My (first) flight leaves tomorrow at 2:30 PST. I'll be in Ft Lauderdale on Sunday morning and fly into Haiti with the rest of the Compassion International team on Monday! 

If I can magically access a wifi signal in country I'll be posting on Twitter and updating the blog with pictures. But I have some posts scheduled in advance about another I am currently on, not as exciting but still challenging!

In honor of my impending trip, I took a break from Christmas music to listen to Arcade Fire's Haiti. I was going to break out some Wyclef Jean, but this is a bit more my style.

Haiti

Haïti, mon pays,

wounded mother I'll never see.

Ma famille set me free.

Throw my ashes into the sea.

Mes cousins jamais nés

hantent les nuits de Duvalier.

Rien n'arrete nos esprits.

Guns can't kill what soldiers can't see.

In the forest we lie hiding,

unmarked graves where flowers grow.

Hear the soldiers angry yelling,

in the river we will go.

Tous les morts-nés forment une armée,

soon we will reclaim the earth.

All the tears and all the bodies

bring about our second birth.

Haïti, never free,

n'ai pas peur de sonner l'alarme.

Tes enfants sont partis,

In those days their blood was still warm

Translation:

Haiti, my country,

Wounded mother I'll never see.

My family set me free.

Throw my ashes into the sea.

My cousins never born

haunt the nights of Duvalier.

Nothing stops our spirits.

Guns can not kill what soldiers can not see.

In the forest we lie hiding,

unmarked graves where flowers grow.

Hear the soldiers angry yelling,

in the river we will go.

All stillborn form an army,

will we soon reclaim the earth.

All the tears and all the bodies

bring about our second birth.

Haiti, never free,

I am not afraid to sound the alarm.

Your children are gone,

In those days their blood was still warm

P.S. Happy birthday to my big brother, Matt!

It just keeps coming!

Becca at She Becomes sent me beauties yesterday. I'm astounded! You can tell she's a teacher :)

Awesome!

More stuff!

Thanks Jill!!

Do you feel it? I feel it!

Yesterday, I asked people in my office to help me "fill my suitcase" with gifts & supplies for the Compassion projects I'm going to be visiting.
They've already filled this box with many more promised.
Feeling the love!!

Haiti Update: Send some love!

Things are gearing up as November approaches! I have my ticket to Florida (finally) and am making cards like a mad woman. Thank you again for all of the encouragement and support. I am amazed by the number of people who have voiced their support and are praying for me.

Thank you!

If you have no idea what I am talking about, you can read more about my trip to Haiti with Compassion International here.

May I share with you a bit of this trust-building journey I'm on? Back in January, I made a list of "I am going to"s (and pretended that they weren't resolutions). These were not intended to be my promises to myself, the world or to God, but rather a commitment to live confidently, to trust, in the promises that God has given me. One of those was the promise that I was going back to Haiti.

I had no idea how I was going or when but I believed God was going to make it happen. I found out that Compassion was sending their first teams to Haiti (since the quake) in July about 3 weeks before I needed to come up with the $1500 fee. It was like God dropped a crumb in front of me and asked, do you trust me for the rest of the cookie?

With the quaking faith of a shriveled and underdeveloped mustard seed, I watched people pour their love, encouragement, and support over me over the next three weeks. Friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers, harbingers of God's promise.

It's a frightening thing, to do something alone. But may I just say how much more frightening it is to need help doing something? I am terrified that I'll reach out and nothing will be there, so I just make the most of it on my own. But God pushed me to reach out, to put my faith and trust in Him and in others and, yes, I quaked.

So, at the risk of gushing (do you pronounce that guh-sh or goo-sh?) or sounding hyper spiritual, thank you all, even the ones who have prayed and never told me. Even if you have just thought in passing, "Hey, it's nice that that girl is going to Haiti," I appreciate your good juju.

(In love) He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

Eph 1:5-10

Reminder

If you would like to send some love to Haiti with me, I am going to be taking down a suitcase full of cards and letters to share with the kids that I meet.

A few guidelines:

• Keep it simple, I'm not sure what kind of translating resources will be available.
• Keep it fun: brightly colored paper, stickers, activities (simple, again)
• Keep it personal: Include your name (first name only is fine) and a little piece of "you," ex: include a coloring page and another page you've already colored!

[[[[Sorry I'm having trouble uploading the pictures!]]]]

Bon Fêt!

My little darlin' is turning 11 this year. 

Eight years ago I saw her lying on a crowded table at Creation Northwest in a little plastic pouch. "Her favorite activity is singing," it said. I could see her in my head, a gorgeous eyed, dark skinned three year old with crazy braids all over her head, singing as she bounced around her little Haitian hut. I have no idea if Fabiola lived in a hut, but in my head she did. A little one with a mud floor.

I thought, at that time, "This girl is special and she needs me." That might have been true, I think that God did bring me to that table and put this girl in front of me. But I think that He wanted to teach me something new about "benevolence" and "charity" through that little three year old girl. He wanted to teach me about the lies of poverty and why I too hated the poor. He wanted to show me that merely giving wasn't enough, that true Christ-like love is found in respect, hope, and partnership.

She stole my heart with memories of Haiti still fresh in my mind, and I thought, "One day I'm going back there and I'm going to meet this little girl."

Now, eight years later, not only am I going to meet her, but I'm going to celebrate her birthday with her.
Bon Fêt, cheri! Bon Fêt!

Haiti Update!

Thanks so much for supporting and praying for me as I get ready to go to Haiti with Compassion International. It’s such a powerfully humbling feeling when someone believes in the call of God in your life, thank you!

August and September have been filled with alternating waves of excitement and stress as I pull together details for the trip. Occasionally I “forgot” that God has already opened the door for me on this trip and is not going to make me walk through it alone, though it's helpful to remember why I'm going...

(SO EXCITED!)

Nevertheless, I’ve really appreciated your prayers and encouragement.

So, here is the condensed version of the past few months:

Shortly after registering for the trip, I realized that, one, the trip was scheduled after a three day weekend (Veterans’ Day) and, two, there is a Foursquare church in Haiti, that my church supports and, three, that there is a team from my church going to visit Foursquare Haiti early next year (Haiti twice in one year? Yes, please!). I thought that it would be an incredibly opportunity for me to take the extra days to visit the people at the church and lay a foundation for the next trip.

Though this still sounds like a good idea to me, from the beginning, the details have been a nightmare. Haiti has not known for exceptional civil services like public transportation or safety even before the Earthquake. So, even after sending countless emails to Compassion and the coordinator at Foursquare Haiti and even visiting a church that sends teams to Haiti every month, things have still not come together. Worse, it is actually creating more work for the people I am supposed to be serving and I am not comfortable with that.

So, this time around, I’m not going to be visiting the church. I am disappointed but I still feel that this is a better decision, given the circumstances. The good news is that I will be able to really focus on Compassion projects I will be visiting. So, once again, thank you for your prayers, they have come in handy!

I am hoping you might help me once again. Don’t worry, I’m not asking for money! I am hoping that you will be willing to write a letter or card that I could share with a special child that I meet in Haiti. It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular, just a few short lines of love and encouragement, even a pretty card or a drawing would be a huge blessing to them. If you are able to do this, please contact me!

Also, if you are currently a sponsor or are interested in child sponsorship I'd love to hear from you. You can leave me a comment OR visit the For Sponsors section.

Thanks again!

-Sarah Elizabeth

To Haiti, With Love

It's been about a month since I announced that I would be going to Haiti in November with Compassion International. I was working within a tight timeline to come up with the money for the trip but God came through in an amazing way; I am beyond blessed by those who decided to help me out financially. But even more, I have received so much encouragement from friends, acquaintances, mentors, even strangers; thank you.

God has already paved the way for this trip to happen, so I should have no more worries but, alas, control freaks are prone to worry; God continues to peel back my layers.

I would love your prayers as I work through these worries. The greatest of these worries is logistical issues. I may have the opportunity to spend some time with a church in Haiti that we support through my local church before I meet up with the Compassion team. This would be an incredibly blessing for me personally but it would also be a way to build up the relationship between our church and theirs.

It is hard to get around in Haiti as a foreigner. As a young women and a foreigner, especially an American, it's not safe for me to travel alone, so I have to find a way to get from A to B and from B to C, it's a bit of a challenge.

I'm not sure if this is just a bump in the road or if God is closing this door, either way, He's got it.

Thanks!
Sarah Elizabeth

Haiti: Can't I just rent a car?

I have to admit, I'm having some trouble planning my trip to Haiti this November. Because the good people "in charge" in Haiti are obviously unaware of how important it is to maintain a good working relationship with Google Maps. Or of the value of addresses.

Normally any trip in Sarah's future involved painstaking planning and extensive Googling. I google the best hotels and attractions, gas stations, fees & tolls, addresses of my destinations, the shortest routes to these sites, road construction, advice from locals, common pitfalls, etc. All of this information is saved in a custom map which I can access on my computer or my phone so that I will never, never have to ask for directions. Then, and this is the best part, I use Google Earth or Street View to do a "dry run."

Nerd. High-strung, anal, nerd.

The real reason I do this has to do with how much I hate being dependent on others or feeling insecure in my surroundings. I want to step off the plain, train, automobile looking competent and bored. This is difficult in a foreign country for obviously reasons but the poorest country in the western hemisphere? Streamlining public transportation or any kind of civil services are not prioritized.

As I'm trying to find my destination on a map devoid of addresses and written in french I think, "Why can't I just rent a car, input the address in my GPS and go?" As I remember the crowded, pitted streets and haphazard, yield-the-right-of-way-to-the-vehicle-that-can-do-the-most-damage rules of the road, my frustration deepens.

Tap-taps, the closest things to a taxi in Haiti, are brightly colored trucks full to the rafters with people

Getting around successfully in this country requires either a well-developed sense of adventure and an imposing physical presence (or a blunt instrument if it comes to it) or an in-country friend. I don't have much of an imposing present or, if we're honest here, much of a bring-it-on attitude.

This wouldn't be that big of a deal to anyone except to the stubbornly independent girl. Alas, she will have to ask for help, because I'm not entirely sure I will be able to "blend"...

...especially because all I can say is:
"Mwen pa pale Kreyol!" (I do not speak Creole).

That is if you don't count "Ale!" (Go!) and "Chita!" (Sit down!).

(I worked primarily with kids the last time I spoke Creole)

Look at that 17 year old world traveler!

But the thing is, this is Haiti. It doesn't apologize for being crazy and chaotic or not yielding itself to my control. And don't you love someone more, not when you bend them to your wishes but when you learn to understand and accept each other? 

I don't want to control Haiti, I want Haiti to love me.

Jaminsky, He is about 18 years old now.

Still, deep in the back of my mind something resolves that, one day, this is not going to be so overwhelming. Maybe next time...

In the streets, there seemed to be this ongoing turf war between the pedestrians and the vehicles.
I think the pedestrians were winning.

Walk.

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
1 John 3:18

To Haiti With Love

Back in January I talked about my One Word for 2011: Trust. It was and has been a rough journey but it's good! Each day is a new challengeopportunity for me to learn to trust God's promises and His faithfulness and, occasionally, trust actually wins over doubt.

One of the specific areas that blazed brighter than the rest was going back to Haiti. It was one of those impossible promises that has been seemed more and more impossible as each day went by. Still my heart longed for Haiti and for my little almost 11 year old hanging out in the mountains there.

God is as faithful as I pretended to believe He was, and, God willing, I am going to be going to Haiti with Compassion Internation in November. I wrote more about the trip here.

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" Psalm 34:8

One of the things I learned in the woods was that it is not enough to know God is good; we have to sense it, like we would sense anything else in the world, taste it and see it. We have to touch Him--to feel the warmth of his body--and see his face. Because, when we see His face, we not only trust Him, but we are changed.

"...but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 1 John 3:2

I have a theory. I believe that looking into the face of the needy, if you really see them and let their stories touch you, then it  changes you. I think that this is because God appears in His purest form in the lives of the hurting and the broken. So when you look at them, you are looking at God.

I know God is everywhere, I know you don't need to go to the third world to find God or even a hurting person. But for me, in this moment, this is it.

And I'm stoked.

I'm unbelievably excited to see how God is showing his glory in Haiti and to see the work of Compassion in action. I will be blogging updates about the journey to Haiti as well as the trip itself, but I would love to share this trip with you personally. If you'd like to hear more personal updates, send me an email.

If you would like to help support me financially you can send checks or money orders directly to me or online use Paypal.

Sending money with Paypal is actually really easy:

1. Go to Send Money at http://www.paypal.com/ or click here. Select "friends and family" under "My Payment is for" in the Send Money Now section and click next. 
2. Enter thesaraheffect@gmail.com in the "To:" box and your own email address in the "From:" section and 
3. Log in to your paypal account and finish the transaction.

Before you click "send money" make sure you put your name in the "message" section so I can say thank you!

If you do not have a paypal account, it only takes a few minutes to sign up for one and you can pay for items with a direct transfer from a bank account or a credit or debit card. If you use your bank account or paypal balance there is no charge, if you are using a credit or debit card, you can still send money this way just make sure that you specify that the recipient (me) is going to cover the 2.9% fee.

If possible, I prefer this method simply because July 27th is just around the corner! If you'd rather send a check or money order you can mail it to:

Sarah Brewer
305 3rd Ave SW
Ephrata, WA 98823