Dawn & Darrell - May 12-21. READ THEIR POSTS HERE

Submitted by Pastor Greg on Wed, 2010-05-12 08:16

Dawn Fuglestad and Darrell Knosalla returned Wed, May 19 from Haiti working with the Haiti Mission Project Team. Dawn and Darrell follow Ramsey, also of Jacob's Well, who returned recently after serving as a doctor in a field hospital and in clinics. Among Dawn and Darrell's goals was to find the best connections for larger teams of Jacob's Well people and friends to head down in upcoming months.

Still keep them, the rest of the team and the people they served in your prayers, and thanks for your donations.

BACK HOME: "The After Shocks" - Friday, May 21

I’m thinking a lot about Esperanz this morning.  He’s eleven years old and when he was ten, he was found milling around Port au Prince alone and surviving on a steady diet of garbage. He was taken back to the orphanage where we stayed and has been there now for a year…a year of being fed and cared for.  And yet still now, you have to watch him like a hawk.  Leave a dirty diaper sitting somewhere for a moment, it’ll be gone.  Diapers.  Paper.  Plastic.  Leaves.  All qualify as food for Esperanz…still.   It seems this may always be the case.

I used to think that God orchestrated the circumstances and opportunities that allowed for me to meet Esperanz… that somehow this was God’s way of bringing a cross to me and laying it upon me, not so that I may be crushed by it, but so that ultimately I might find life through it.  I still believe that.  Sort of.  But then I think of walking off the plane from Haiti and into that Miami airport and I have a strong hunch this might have been how Jesus felt walking from a world of immense suffering and into the temple that day to find the money changers and business folks making a mockery of his holy house and all it was meant to be.  Enraged.  And that’s the problem I’m having.  I don’t think God intends for our crosses to be passively laid upon us.  I don’t think we’re supposed to just happen upon them here and there throughout our lives, although that certainly happens too.  I think the table-tipping Jesus of the temple demands something more.  I think that when Jesus says if I want to come after him, I need to actually take up his cross—as in seek it out and pick it up--he probably means it.

I’ve got a lot of crosses going on right now.  About 37 of them by last count, the number of handicapped kids that are lucky enough to be living at that orphanage tucked away in the bottom of the garbage bowl that is the physical geography of Port au Prince.  But I intend to seek and find more.  And I intend to pick them up and carry them not because I give a hoot about being ‘saved’ but because when I see them and hold them and smell them, I start to see heaven now, and I think they do too.

DAY EIGHT: Wednesday Evening - May 19

Hi Everyone, 
Home at 11:00 last nite. I've been pretty quiet and let other members of the team do the e-mailing. As I prepared myself for this mission trip my main concern was staying at and working around orphans. I've been to orphanages in the past and always came home deeply moved and with a closer understanding of God's heart. (religon that is truly of God; one that loves and supports orphans and widows). Other trips I was working outside the orphanages and entered in and was always drawn to a much deeper place where God dwells. This trip I was to sleep and work and play and base our trip out of an orphanage. So I was trying to prepare. But this trip opened up a whole new level of depth and understanding of what my journey to walk with Christ is all about. As we left each day to journey into Hell on earth, we as people make Heaven or Hell on earth, I spiritually journeyed to a place, depth, maybe pergatory, that I have never felt. Each time when I journeyed back to the orphanage (where I had so prepared to encounter my deepest struggles) I walked through the gates of my refuge and sanctuary. Outside lie a world where orphans and widows live in sewage, filth, garbage beyond discription, a place where I met many of God's angels struggling to make a difference. I was on the brink of maddness, and I thank God for seeing into my future far enough to place my own personal angel in my midst, and I have once again been resurrected and filled with a whole new level of INTENSITY and PASSION. I so look forward to talking, hugging, and loving you each. Those who have eyes will see, and those with ears will hear. For some of you a new seat belt may be required because your journey is about to begin. Love and Blessings, Darrell (Joe)

DAY SEVEN: Tuesday Evening - May 18

Hello Everyone, this is Rachel from Chicago sending you all the update from our day today. 
 
Today was our last full day in Haiti and we were excited to get to experience a Haitian Holiday.  Today was Flag Day.  Apparently it's a pretty big deal.  A lot of people have the day off work, kids do not have school, and there are parades and celebrations all over the country. 
 
Because of the Holiday we decided it was a good idea not to work...(I'm not going to lie, I was pretty excited to find out we would NOT be carrying block in the hot Haitian heat again.)  Even though we weren't working, we decided to make the most of the day!
 
This morning our friend Ti Jean met us at the guesthouse.  Ti Jean has been a friend of the Haiti Mission Project for many years and he is loved by a lot of people.  He is 20 years old, attending the school at Delmas 89, helping his sister and her family with food costs, and has now gotten a home of his very own to live in.  He was excited to show us where he lived, so we packed up the big green bus and headed into the Delmas area of Port Au Prince.  Ti Jean took us into his little blue one(ish) room home.  His one room apartment was clean, well kept and it was great to see the smile on his face as he showed us where he lived.  He also told us that he has a "clinic" in his home.  If people in his neighborhood have a cut or any minor problem he treats them for free with the knowledge he has gained from watching medical teams in Haiti.  He now talks about wanting to be a doctor.  It was encouraging to see that not only has the earthquake not stolen the hopes and dreams of all the Haitian people but it's also offered the opportunity for people to have new hopes and dreams. We're excited to see what the future holds for him.
 
From there we took on the streets of Port Au Prince and headed towards Delmas 89, where they were celebrating Flag Day, Elucie's Birthday (she's kind of our Big Boss on our work project),and the anniversary of the school.  We were also hoping to meet our friend Nadine and her husband. On our way there we ran across several parades of people dressed in red, blue and black (the colors of the Haitian flag)  doing dances, singing and celebrating.  Traffic was a bit of a beast, and it was a hot, slow ride up to Delmas 89.  When we got there were were treated to more wonderful music from the members of that church community and a play.  We heard from Nadine and her husband about plans to maybe start serving a community outside of Gonaive that is very poor, and we headed to Epi D'or for lunch...again.  This place has air conditioning and can be VERY appealing on a hot day!
 
After lunch were able to drive over to Sanfil and visit the Sisters of Charity's home for the sick and dying.  We met our friend Mary who hails from Ohio but spends a LOT of time in Haiti serving the people here.  She told us some about the struggles of people before and after the earthquake and some of the women were able to go up and see the ladies and children at the hospital.  We were treated to another concert from the children there.  Lynette left a bag of food with Mary and we heard later that it was the highlight of the ladies day to receive the crackers and snacks!
 
Shockingly we actually made it back to the guesthouse on time today for the regular dinner hour!  The evening was filled with great food, lots of lovey dovey time with the kids here and little bit of Barney.  Before bedtime the small tv was pulled out and the children gathered around to watch a little bit of the purple singing dinosaur before heading off to sleep. 
 
As I write this email I can hear the team members telling other guests about their trip.  Some people are playing cards, and others are on their own, possibly contemplating their time in Haiti.  There's finally a cool breeze coming through the windows and most sounds are muffled by the constant hum of the fans. 
 
I can't tell you how everyone feels as we prepare to leave tomorrow, but I feel that I can confidently say that we've all be changed by our time here this week.  Please continue to pray for the team as they prepare to leave Haiti tomorrow and come back to their "normal" lives in America.  Thank you for partnering with us in this journey and we are excited to tell you all about our trip when we return. 
 
Bondye Se Bon...God is Good. Rachel...for the team!

DAY SIX: Monday Evening - May 17

It was a day filled with ups and downs. We worked out at the orphanage rebuilding wall, tiling, carrying block, and painting railings.  Darrell and Lindsey took off with Leonard to purchase $1000 worth of food and they were able to buy 1200lbs of rice and beans.  We had about 2 hours to bag up that food and head out so we hired a group of kids to help us put the rice and beans into gallon ziplock bags.  It was so much fun to work alongside them.
 
We then started to distribute food.  Friends, it was so hard.  It was a crazy hot day, there were hundreds of adults and children standing outside the gate begging to get in and when we let folks in there were little children nearly being trampled.  Once inside the gate a few men helped us create a little order but the folks were very anxious that we were going to run out of food.  When we gave them bags of food we asked the people to walk outside of the gate. This was when things began to make us nervous...the word spread all over the area and as people were walking out many more were coming and pushing to get in. We were praying that no one was getting hurt.  After we gave away hundreds of bags there were a couple of kids who were picking up the rice that had fallen on the ground...rocks and all.  It was incredibly frustrating and heart breaking.  May we not forget that there are so many who are so hungry.  May we pursue change...so that this isn't the way it has to be for people who live here.
 
We followed that up with a trip to see Miquette, a nurse friend of ours who worked on the front lines of earthquake relief response teams.  It was a  beautiful thing to hear her story and hear about the thousands of medical personnel that came to help...to hear about her education program that she is running to help students have the opportunity for education...to see her hope and her joy.
 
There are so many things that are so hard...we can't even explain. We trust that God is big enough and we're on our knees asking for His peace...

DAY FIVE: Sunday Evening - May 16

Hello family and friends! This is Abby from Poughkeepsie, NY again.  Even though we did not work out at the build site today, we kept ourselves busy.  We went to a wonderful church service at the Delmar 89 Lutheran church.  It was filled with wonderful music and lots of people that were happy to see us.  After church we headed to Erpidor for Lunch and to meet with Patrick, Gertrude's former driver, and a good friend of many of us.  Dining at epidor was a true international expeince.  There were UN soilders and mission and service groups there from all over.  After lunch, we went to see Patrick's home and meet the rest of his family, including his very cute son, Evan.  We heard about the earthquake as they experinence it.  We also visited the original providance guest house that was destroyed in the earthquake.  For me personally, this  was the hardest part of the week so far.  I walked onto the land and the rubble, and I was immediatly remebering the week I spent there.  I could not even process it.  If it had been my home, and my buisness, as it was for Gertrude, I do not know if I could have ever pulled together the strength that she has.  She is truly the most amazing woman. 
 
For the rest of the afternoon, we got to be true tourists.  We went up to Look Out Point on top of the mountain.  From here you can look out over the whole city (hence the name) and see the ocean, the palace, the airport, and other things.  There were also a bunch of cutting edge tradesman there to send us home with souvienirs.  We complied, and went along home.  After Sunday night spagetti, which many Haitians eat for breakfast, many of the girls (not me) headed downstairs to rock some of the kids to sleep.  The children here do not get rocked or sung to at bed time.  The ladies on the team decided to make this night special for them, and they loved it.
 
As we head back to work tomorrow, please continue to pray for our safety and strength.  We are also hoping to hand out some of the donations you guys sent along out in that community tomorrow, so please pray for the distribution. Goodnight!!!

DAY FOUR: Saturday Evening - May 15

Hello all... It was another full day.

Work load: pulling up tile, busting out cement chunks, rebuilding outside walls, pushing the bus out of a hole after Leonard ran over a tree.

Experiences: a couple members of the team took a long walk down the road outside of the orphanage we're building and they were so blessed as they shook people's hands and gave out treats. We were able to visit Madam Venia's (she is a woman who works at the guesthouse) house that fell down in the earthquake and her tent that she is currently sharing with 6 other grown people. It was heartbreaking...we wonder how she is so joyful and fully of hope and smiles. Her life is so far from easy. We also spent the day with TiJean and we were so blessed to hear his laugh and have his muscles at the worksite.

Tonight's devotion was filled with so much heart...God is working on us in ways many of us were not prepared for. May our hearts continue to be soft as we try to love people as Jesus loves. May we see Jesus in each of these faces, may we be generous and have hearts that are willing to give, love, listen, show kindness, and the courage to step into the hard stuff and respond. May we not grow paralyzed by how overwhelming things are...but walk the road Jesus shows.

We love you and are so grateful to have you as our people.             Lindsey (MN team)

DAY THREE: Friday Evening - May 14

Hi everyone.  This is Dawn [of Jacob's Well] coming to you live from Haiti on behalf of the group that I’m getting to know pretty well!  I guess it’s hard to know where to begin from a newbie to Haiti.  I feel like I’m floating between two worlds.  The first world smacked into me from the moment we walked out of the airport a couple days ago.  It’s this world that I couldn’t have imagined in spite of all the news footage I’ve seen and in spite of the reports from friends of mine who have come here before me.  It’s a world that to me laughs at attempts at mental preparation.  There is no preparation to see what I’ve seen: mile after mile of hundreds and thousands of people living practically on top of each other; children sitting amongst piles of garage topped off by grazing goats and pigs and dogs; sewage-filled drainage ditches sandwiched between the dirt streets and the tent cities; an entire city filled with the smell of things that should not be smelled.  This is a world that to me is an affront to the God who died so that we could live, and the Jesus who asks us ‘to love as I have loved.’  This is a world that forces me to ask not “Where is Christ?” but instead “Where are we who follow him?”  So this is the one of the two worlds, the one that is at the same time breaking and enraging my heart.

Then there’s the other world.  This is the world that is just starting to come into view for me now that we’re closing out our second full day here.  This is the world that I see when we arrive each day off the streets of Haiti from our day full of manual labor and into the gates (literally, everything is walled and gated here) of the orphanage where we are staying.  This is the world of an oasis, a microcosm, a small pocket of other similar worlds well hidden behind that first world.  In this world, the last are first.  In this world, the adults exist for the sake of the children.  In this world, no one is going hungry and no one is calling a tent their home.  In this world, those who are held captive by non-cooperative bodies--bodies that don’t bend, move, eat, or sometimes speak as they should--in this world, these young handicapped bodies house Christ himself.  As my dear friend Darrell has said several times, this world is ‘the hope of Haiti.’ 

I don’t know how to leave off with this update.  I remain stuck between these two worlds.  I guess I’ll call it a constant state of enraged hope.  The hope part will ultimately prevail, but until it does, I pray that the enraged part stays close behind.

I’ll close by letting you know that we worked hard today hauling blocks and cement to rebuild part of an orphanage.  Then we played with the beautiful kids here at Gertrude’s orphanage where we’re staying.  Hi especially tonight to Isaac, Bergen, and Oliver.  You know who you are and you know I love and miss you!!! (Love, mom)  We are praying for all of you who care enough to track with us.  Many blessings tonight from Haiti to you—Dawn on behalf of the group

DAY TWO: Thursday Evening - May 13

Friday update: We're about to head out to Lilavois...it is a hot day today...may hit that 110 heat index...there is a breeze so we are grateful!

Happy Thursday! This is Abby Triebel from Poughkeepsie, NY and Mark Burken from Bedford, TX – we are part of the Haiti Mission Project Team that Darrell and Dawn are on. Today was a very sunny day here in Haiti and it did not rain until after dinner. We had devotions on the roof after breakfast before Leonard came for us. Once loaded on the bus, we headed for Lilavois to assess the situation. That we did. Due to lack of key, we could not get into the supply depot. So, we headed up to Delmar 89 to work at the church there clearing rubble off the roof. It was hot, but we were glad to be useful. We had a lot of time on the bus driving around to look out and survey our surroundings. Even those of us who have been here before are curious to see what is the same, what is different, and what is good. One thing that encouraged all of us today was to see how many children are still in school despite everything. They are everywhere, dressed in clean crisp uniforms and carrying backpacks. It is good to know that this part of life goes on.

We did get a prayer answered today, Mark’s lost clothing bag late this afternoon. This is good on multiple fronts…1.) We do not have to live another day with Mark wearing the same clothes for a third sweaty day…praise God! 2.) We did make a stop to purchase underwear and socks and we concluded that they do not have cloths to fit a man as large as Mark in Haiti...more on this story when we get home.  So again, God is good!!!

We all are looking forward to starting the block work tomorrow....more to come in our next update tomorrow or when the internet access allows it to get out!!!

DAY ONE: Tuesday Evening - May 12

We made it! Props to American Airlines for getting all 4 states' teams into Miami within 10 minutes of their scheduled arrival times. But to make it to PAP on time would be just too much...we sat on the tarmac in Miami for an hour while they looked for a lost screw...

It is a lovely night here in Port au Prince. There's a nice breeze and the skies are clear--so no rain tonight.

We're staying at Gertrude's orphanage/creche...which brings fun new adventures, like playing with children, carrying lots of bags upstairs, some sleeping on air mattresses, and learning all the new ins and outs of the new place. The boys are sleeping in the old St. Joseph's creche rooms (where we painted beds last year). The girls are in the new part of the Notre Maison house upstairs in the rooms where Gertrude and Jude were going to live pre-quake.

Tomorrow we'll be off to Lilavois to work: painting, pulling up tiles, and laying block to rebuild one of the exterior walls.

Today's Highlights: Leonard's smile, Gertrude's hugs, amazing mystery meat and mashed potatoes, devotions on the roof, and lovely Haitian noises serenading us to sleep...God is so good, friends. We wish you were here with us.

Prayers: That Mark's bag would make its way to Haiti...He'd love to have clothes. We'd love for him to have clothes...it won't smell pretty if he doesn't get to change. That the team would respond to God's leading, that we'd have eyes to see how we can best serve and the courage to respond.

We are so grateful for your support and prayers!

 

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