• New Roof and Addition to Citi Soleil Church
• Medical Team sets up Clinic in Citi Soleil

On Tuesday October 4^th, five men left Greenwood, Delaware to make the journey through Washington’s Reagan International Airport and Miami to Port -Au-Prince (PAP), Haiti.  Bobby Aycoth, our trusted American Airlines pilot, although not on duty led us through the maze of airport check-in and security and showed us the way to a fine coffee shop in the Miami International Airport.  First timers to Haiti included David Chupp, Dennis Bryfogle and his son Bo.  We were met in PAP by Marion and Nancy Coblentz and I was immediately thrust into the exciting role of driver since there were two vehicles.  At the mission house we were met by my daughter, Evie,  and her special friend Glenn Wenger from Harrisonburg, VA, who had arrived earlier in the day.  Then there were lots of handshakes and hugs with our Haitian friends and since there was no time to go to the job site in Citi Soleil we went to the Visa Lodge for a delicious dinner/supper, term of the city folk or country folk, take your pick.

Wednesday morning after devotions and a breakfast of cereal we were off to the Citi Soleil church to remove the old roof and put on the new.

Getting there is always an exercise in excitement and delicate driving with kids climbing onto and holding onto your vehicle yelling “Hey you” and “Give me money”.  I don’t think we ran over anyone’s toes and safely made it inside the gate.  Gary, Glenn, Bobby and David immediately started taking off the roof while Dennis, Bo and I started building the two trusses for the addition.

That was a real challenge because the addition was a foot wider than the old building. To make matters worse, one end of the addition was three inches wider than the other in a length of just thirteen feet. We did our best to match the new roof line with the old.

The new trusses were approximately thirty feet long and quite heavy so getting them set up on the wall was a little tricky. Plenty of Haitian help was needed for that.

Meanwhile back at the mission house, Evelyn and Lois, Papa Charles’ daughters, were busy preparing a chicken creole meal.  And yes it was absolutely delicious!

On Thursday, the rest of the medical team from Delaware arrived as did more people from Hartville, Ohio.  That brought the total to 24 people staying at the mission house, a few too many for a kitchen that can only handle about half a dozen people.

A medical team set up in Citi Soleil with Haitian Dr. Nono and was a success with many people having their aches and pains attended to.

The medical team consisted of Dr. Aaron Green, Michael and Andrea from Delaware and Evie Yoder from Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Friday evening six of us guys went to the Citi Soleil church to spend the evening with some of the Haitian young men and church leaders discussing spiritual things.  That was a high-light for them and us both.  The Haitians just soaked up the camaraderie and the insights that we shared with them.  This was a good way to build relationships.  We spent the night there sleeping on benches and three of us older guys were fortunate enough to have been given mattresses.

Saturday was pretty much a free day and we visited the old palace and walked through the tent city directly across the street.  There was such hopelessness on their part and helplessness on our part, it was a very emotional experience.  I told several in the group that I do not believe God ever intended for humans to live like that.  But because of sin in the world we experience the consequences.

Saturday afternoon we scurried out to Croix de Bouquet to check out the metal art at the Iron Market.  Totally impressive!   Everyone who goes to Haiti needs to see this market.  Haitians taking scrap metal and making something beautiful out of it.

As we ate our last evening meal with team members from other communities, I cherished the opportunity to share together and build relationships.

Sunday morning we made our last trip to the Citi Soleil church to spend an hour in their service under the new roof.  And then it was on to the airport after saying goodbye to our Haitian friends.

On June 23 the Shiloh Youth Group from Plain City, Ohio loaded onto a bus and headed to New York’s JFK airport.  After an all night bus ride we boarded a plane bound for Port-au-prince.  There were 34 of us total; 30 youth, the youth pastor, a sponsor couple, and their son.  Although we had heard stories, none of us had ever been to Haiti personally.  When we arrived we met Mark Kennell, and his brother Merv, who had arrived a few days earlier to prepare for us, and who would serve as our, hosts, guides, leaders and cooks.

On Saturday we went to the boy’s orphanage to meet the boys, see what we would be working on, and begin working.  Most of the work that first day was cleaning up the yard of trash, rocks, and leftover debris from the old wall.  We also spent a fair amount of time hanging out with the boys, playing, basketball, cards, or soccer.  That was a pattern for what the rest of our week would look like.  Work wise we did a lot of painting, both at the orphanage and also at the mission house.  There were also repairs and various types of cleaning to be done at both places.  Whenever there was a break from work there was always someone around who we could get to know.  If it wasn’t the boys at the orphanage it was the little girls who hang around the mission house, or the teens that we played cards with in the evening.

As we prepared to go to Haiti we prayed that God would show Himself to us in new and different ways. I know that I can’t list all of the ways that that prayer was answered,  but here a some of the things that we have talked about since we’ve been home.  The faith, and the worship of the Haitian believers in the midst of really tough circumstances, the joy in a child’s smile who has nothing, the quiet times early in the morning on the observation deck, and through His work being done in ministering to others.

One of the most moving experiences we had was the afternoon when we took food into a tent city.  We were all impacted by what we saw.  Our hearts were deeply touched by the needs around us, and we came away with a lot of questions.  Most of those revolved around two major ideas;” why have I been so blessed when there is so much pain,” and most importantly “what does God want me to do in response to this pain?”

We would like to again thank Mark and Merv for going along down with us and for all they did for us. The things we saw and did, the lessons we learned, and the way in which we met God will stick with us all our lives.  Our prayer is that this trip was not just a week long mission trip, but an influential point that alters how we live the rest of our lives.

“What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?  Listen!  Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”

-       1 Samuel 15:22, NLT

Obedience: dutiful or submissive compliance according to the dictionary.  Doesn’t sound the most liberating or joyful, does it?  Yet following the lead of God brings this and so much more.

There were 19 people from Kankakee, IL who were able to experience an exciting journey to Port au Prince, Haiti, following the lead of God.  Our hearts were joined in unity, as only God can, with 4 people from Christian Fellowship Ministry which is based out of Sarasota, Florida.  This ministry has a mission house, 2 orphanages, 6 schools and 13 churches all located in Port au Prince, the capital city of 3 million plus people.

It was evident throughout that God was leading us to Haiti.  Within Kankakee First Church is a man who was raised in Haiti and called it home for 42 years, Claude Bazil.  He taught classes in Creole for members of the group.  Not only did God use Claude in this manner, but also as a translator on the trip.  This was not always Claude’s plan; however, he obediently listened to God’s leading and returned to his homeland to help minister to the people.

The trip was scheduled for Monday, January 31^st through Saturday, February 5^th.  Quickly the group reached the maximum number of people allowed with additional people on stand-by should somebody not be able to go.  Through our time of prayer and preparation leading up to the trip, there was uncertainty expressed over the mission of the trip and anxiety over the instability evident in this third world island nation.  This process caused the resulting make-up of the group to change and kept us on our knees in prayer.  God continued to lead and we followed.

Knowing Haiti is a deeply impoverished nation and experiencing it first hand are two different things.  Upon exiting the airport with our luggage on Monday afternoon, we saw children outside a chain-link fence begging for money, walking along a busy street.  We loaded up a school bus to take us to the missionary house and as we wound our way through the streets of Port au Prince we went by tent cities and saw many crumbling buildings.  How could our little group begin to make a difference in all this?

As the week unfolded, there ended up being three main components to the work we performed.

1.     We tore off and replaced a roof on a building that housed three families.

2.     On site at the missionary house was a large shipping crate which we unloaded, sorted, distributed and reloaded.

3.     We made benches that also serve as desks for the church / school located at the boys’ orphanage.

There were other smaller items we “accomplished” as well, such as build a new basketball backboard for the boys orphanage.  However, meeting and getting to know the people was more of a true accomplishment on this trip.  We got to see joy on the faces of people who have so little.  It was very clear the Haitian people were not despondent about their circumstances.  We can learn much from this.

We left a group of people in Haiti who now have a few more clothes, better shelter for their homes and improved conditions in their school.  Yet I feel it is the 19 of us who are leaving with so much more.  Through this trip our God got a little bigger as he showed himself faithful to meet our needs and provide a path for our safe travel.  I know He didn’t change, but as we took steps of faith in obedience to Him, I know who did.  What joy!

Take a look at this upbeat video offering a glimpse of the hope and happiness in Haiti as experienced by Alyssa Shrock who visited Haiti with a group in January.

As I sat on the terrace of the house that overlooked the dry and dusty roadways filled with men and women, honking horns and the laughter of school age children, the thoughts of hopelessness settled in my soul.  Thinking of walking day after day on a mangled road, dust coating your clothes as the traffic passed by, and little hope of greatness penetrated my heart.  In this dry, dreary land, how can the children still jump in their seat, have smiles on their faces, and appear hopeful?  Then I began to understand that the children have unknowingly accepted their country, embraced their family, and appreciate their opportunities (few and far between as they may be for some).

It became apparent that I easily become distracted by the negativity that surrounds our country, and to scapegoat my family, and underappreciated what opportunities I have been given.  It’s easy for individuals to visit such a place and only scratch the surface of their hearts and others will experience slight soul searching, but lack of attachment, and lastly some will feel the affects daily.  This experience has not just been one that has grazed or even slightly probed my heart, but rather an experience that has pierced my heart leaving a desire to return, a desire to understand, and a desire to provide stability.

If there is one thing that I am consistently reminded of, it is the smiling faces.  The people have made a choice to stay positive. They have made a choice to be hopeful that there are better days ahead.  Maybe today is that better day?  If I can leave you with one image it would be of a young teenage boy holding a hand colored sign underneath his face reading “Jesus love me.”  Unsure if he meant for the sign to read Jesus loves me or if he simply wrote it as a prayer to Jesus to love him.  Either way, it has impacted my whole being and the way in which I process all my thoughts. Should I remind myself that Jesus Loves Me every day, or do I take it for granted.  Or should I ask, in a small prayer each morning, Jesus to love me today.  It’s not as if my asking will change the fact that He chooses to love me no matter what, but I want to invite him to love me, to be a part of my day, to bring me hope on those February days where the rain seems to never leave but for only a second to catch a single ray of light.   Hope is just around the corner for all of us!

Put your team together and come with expectancy for a great day. Prizes will be awarded for hole-in-one, shoot-out contest, closest-to-the-pin, and the longest drive for men and women. Great raffle prizes will also be awarded.

Please consider being a player and/or a tournament or hole sponsor; contact Shirley (gsstutz@yahoo.com) at CFM Golf Classic or Randy (rscont@aol.com) at CFM Golf Classic for more information. If you are unable to attend and wish to make a donation, please send to: CFM, 10021 Fruitville Road, Sarasota FL 34240. We hope you can join us.

CFM would like to thank the many generous donors and supporters whose contributions made holding this popular annual event possible.

Duane Yoder, CFM board member and former Sarasota resident, emceed the event and described the collective efforts of people throughout the US that have contributed to the work in Haiti through CFM this past year.  Mission trips, prayers, financial support, food, clothing, building and medical supplies filling 10 shipping containers (tractor-trailer boxes) for Haiti have been the result of many compassionate hearts and hands. An award winning documentary produced by The Center for Faith and Freedom featuring the work of CFM in Haiti was also shown. It can be viewed by visiting: http://saltandlightproductions.net/portfolio/projects/CFM/index.html.

Musical group, The Inspirations, truly did inspire Southern Gospel aficionados of all ages with their world class quartet ministry in song. John Schmid of Common Ground Ministries, also known by some as ‘The Mennonite Johnny Cash’, opened the event with his unique blend of country, folk and gospel.

If you missed this event or simply can’t wait to hear them again, plan now to attend the 20^th anniversary of our annual benefit concert on Jan.13, 2012 at Bahia Vista Mennonite Church in Sarasota, Florida.

The Inspirations truly are an American treasure, and Southern Gospel at its finest. With more than 70 recordings and 700 songs, millions of recordings sold, millions of road miles, successful ‘Singing in the Smokies’ annual concerts, television appearances, and consistently packed concert halls…there’s no other like them.

Also featured will be John Schmid of Common Ground Ministries, a singing ministry with a focus on prisons in the Ohio Corrections System. John’s unique style of singing, a blend of country, folk and gospel, has earned him the unofficial title of ‘The Mennonite Johnny Cash.’

Plan now to attend — admission is free — and arrive early for the best seats; reserved seating will be held for sponsors. If you would like to be a sponsor please call 941-302-1016, or contact a CFM board member for details. A freewill offering will be received to support the ongoing work of CFM in Haiti.