Ouanaminthe at last.

We have made it to Ouanaminthe although it took till Monday night. We flew from Port au Prince to Cap Haitian on Tortuga air in a very dodgy plane. The flight was amazing though and it was a real blessing to see so much of Haiti from the air. It is a very beautiful country For Vic and I the journey from Cap Haitian to Ouanaminthe on the bus was a bit like coming home. It really is such a privilege to be back and to meet the people we got to know from last year. The first stop was the church and it has changed a lot which is such an encouragement. Unfortunately we were too late to get across the border into our hotel in Dajabon and so we spent the night in Ouanaminthe. It really gave all of us a new insight into just how tough life is in Haiti. We slept at the pastors house and had dinner in a local restaurant. Walking the streets in the darkness is a reminder of how blessed we are to live in the UK. The more travel I do I'm the world the more convinced I am that what we have at home is the exception not the norm. Sleep was not easy to come by to be honest partly because of the bugs but mainly thanks to the dogs the cockerels and the pleasant chap who started shouting into a microphone at 5am. We will be staying in Haiti again for several nights on the way home so please continue to pray for that. The main issues are that we have enough drinking water and that we won't catch any nasty bugs. I have to say at this point that the three girls on the team have been truly amazing and an inspiration. It was a very hard journey and they have coped with everything so well and with grace and joy. They have been a real blessing to Vic and I. In truth I am the weak link of the team. When we got up we had our first time with the kids in the church. We had the chance to play duck duck goose and the kids lived that. It means a lit to all the people we meet that we have come back again. For us it is fantastic to see them again and we can already see our relationships deepen. Please keep praying for us on the team. We have had a light day today (Wednesday) but from now on the program is pretty full. Thanks for all your support and your prayers it is much appreciated.

Arrival in Port au Prince

Hi Everyone.  Greetings from Haiti and Port au Prince.

We have arrived in Haiti after a long trip through the US.  The heat and humidity in Haiti is just as we remember it being. Port au Prince is a very different experience from our travels last year and as you can imagine when you get out of the aiport it is very busy with people offering to pick up our bags.  Even the baggage reclaim was good with people arguing and fighting over trolleys and a little Haitian band playing live music in the corner to welcome us to Haiti. 

Our hotel in Port au Prince is good and clean and initially we thought it had air conditioning until we realised that it doesn't work.  Sleeping in this heat does not get any easier, particularly when you have to share a bed with Vic McLaughlin. 

Today we travel on to Cap Haitian and then take the road to Ouanaminthe and will probably have to stay there overnight. 

It is great to see the Pastor again and we look forward to seeing the Church and the others we know from last year.  The team is getting on really well and Anna has cheered us all up by purchasing a special forces water bottle in New York so she is now known as Commando Anna. 

Please pray for us all, for safe travel and that we will settle quickly and that for Vic and I who are back again that we will make more connections with people and that for Jan, Lisa and Anna that they will come to love those people like we do. 

Thank you all so much for your support and your love, we will hopefully update the blog again in the next few days when we finally make it to Dajabon in the Dominican Republic. 

God Bless

Woodsy 

4 days to go...

Hi all

It is now only 4 days until we go to Haiti and it is only now that it has properly sunk in. Every time I tell someone about our trip, I am reminded of the new challenges and expereinecs that we will face. I am really excited about working alongside the team and getting to know them. Here's to many laughs (and tears, I'm sure)!

It it amazing how God prepares our hearts and minds for the work He has planned for us. I have been so humbled by the support from friends and family over the last couple of months. This support has been both financial and through prayer, but without it, my trip to Haiti could not happen. Thank you to everyone and I can't wait to share the stories when we get home.

I was reminded tonight of John 10:10 - Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I hope that during our time in Haiti we will be able to make this verse a reality for the people we meet. In comparison, our idea of a 'full' life may be very different but I pray that the Lord will use us to model the peace and hope which can be found in life with Him.

Please pray for the team as we make final preperations and for safety as we travel.

Thanks
Anna :)

A message from Lisa

Hey Everyone,
Like everyone else on the team I can't believe we leave in a few days on our journey to Haiti. In reality it has been a much longer journey because we have been preparing for this for quite some time now, but the exciting thing is that you can never be fully prepared for what God has in store!  I'm really excited to be a part of this team and looking forward to getting to know the other team members. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we start on our travels soon.
Lisa

Packing for Haiti.

Packing for Haiti. Today is the last proper day for me to pack before I and the team head off to Haiti. As I wondered around Tescos today I was very aware of how much we have in this country and how lucky we are. I picked up all my insect repellant and sun cream as well as my cheap mobile phone so I don't have a huge bill when I get home this time. We have managed to collect lots of stuff to take with us including a printer and a laptop. If anyone reading this has a projector we could take that'd be amazing. I am also a little worried that Gavin Callaghan isn't going so his wife Fiona won't have packed everything I have forgotten to take. After all my preparation work and gathering all my equipment I have had a chance to spend my time with my family. Right now we are cuddled up on the couch watching Rapunsel which is great. I'm going to miss Heather and the girls a lot while I am away. Please pray for them when I am away and if you are reading this from Dundee please ask them to come visit. It's hard for the families of all the members of the team so please pray for them while we are away too. The next update I make will be from the other side of the world. Thank you all for your support so far please keep praying for us while we are away.

A message from Janice Nind

Janice Nind 

l am so going to appreciate every one's prayers before, during and after this trip!  Woodsy keeps telling me we're going to have a blast. l'm not sure if he's talking about our time out there, his jokes or the weather!!  Either way, its all going to be pretty hot stuff and an amazing privilege to serve God amongst so many of His people. As most everyone knows, l dont do packing, traveling, and especialy airports, very well, but, like all the team, l am SOooooo looking forward to being in Haiti, and thank you all so much for being our 'at home back up team'.   Jan

Here We Go Again

It is hard to believe but we are only 2 weeks from returning to Ouanaminthe in the beautiful country of Haiti.  We leave on the 30 June and return on the 18 July and we would really appreciate your prayers for our safe travel to and from Haiti.  In particular we will be travelling through Port au Prince which will give us a great insight into the state of the country but involves a more difficult and challenging journey.  

We have been amazed by the generosity of all those people who have supported financially and we really hope that you will undertake to pray for us when we are away.   

This year the team will be aiming to build on the relationships that we made last year and start to cement those bonds of friendship that we began last year.  It is a smaller team with only 5 members.  Anna Todd, Lisa Moore, Janice Nind, Vic McLaughlin and myself.  The emphasis this year will be to work to build deeper relationships with all of the people of the church, from the youngest children to the oldest members.  We hope to do some children's work each day as well as visiting as many members of the church as possible in their homes.  We will also be doing some discipleship work with the senior people who are responsible for leading the church forward.  

This year we are also hoping that we will have a big meal celebration with the whole church, which will involve us buying and cooking food for around 400 people.  If we can manage it we will also show the Jesus film translated into Haitian Creole at that same meal.  Please pray for all the logistics of organising the trip and that the big meal will be a time of real blessing for us and for the church.   

We will update this blog as many times as we can, so that you can follow what we are up to during the trip.  

Thanks again for all your support and if you complain about how cold it is in Scotland this July please remember us in Haiti, because we will be complaining about how unbelievably hot and humid it is in Haiti.  

God Bless 

Woodsy