Info and pics of Haiti
Here is another email from Haiti, written to us about you all. So, here ya go, there are also some pics.
Hey guys! Here’s the update of everything going on in MA Haiti! This week and next week are all about getting the church ready to live in. The plumbing is finished, and all of the electrical work should be done by tonight. A few people told me that the pictures of the church did not work properly, so I’ll be re-attaching them to this email. Let me know if it doesn’t work for you this time!
One thing that God has put on our hearts from the very beginning is to bathe every little thing in prayer. If it is possible, we would like a list of the names of each person coming on each team, so that we can pray for each individual by name.
We would also like the youth groups to be in prayer long before they arrive in Haiti. These are the specific items that we would like them to pray about:
-Seriously ask God what His expectations are for their time in Haiti, and if He has any specific words or instructions for them.
-Pray for specific ways that they can bless and encourage the long-term staff here at YWAM Port-au-Prince.
-Also, we want them to please be praying for our team here in Haiti. MA Haiti is made up of: Mike Gervasi, Amy Alexander, Kyle Troyer, Ethan Haworth, and Amanda MacDowell.
I am sure that you have already briefed the teams about traveling to a third world country, but please remind them again that this is Haiti, and things will be different here. Everyone will enjoy their time here so much more if they come with open hearts, and are prepared to be very flexible. The teams also need to be aware that life will not be as comfortable here as it is in America. Haiti is a land of extremes: extreme heat, extreme poverty, extremely simple living conditions—picture rows of mattresses on the ground, bucket flushing toilets, and rice and beans for dinner.
On top of this, there are certain policies that we have put in place for this summer. The first is called “Be unplugged!” And it requires all of the students to leave iPods, mp3s, laptops, and cell phones at home. Cameras and video recorders are allowed, and the youth group leader is welcome to bring a laptop for correspondence. I know that this can be hard, but we guarantee that this will make the best missions experience possible!
Also, be sure to clarify the dress code so that the kids come prepared:
Girls: while on base and for some ministry they can wear: shorts to the knees, loose pants, capris, t-shirts, tank tops with straps at least two-fingers wide, and no spaghetti straps. Some ministry will require girls to wear: dresses, knee-length skirts and shirts with sleeves.
Guys: while on base and for some work/ministry they can wear: shorts, pants, t-shirts. For church and some ministry they will need to wear: pants and a button up shirt. Even though this is a third-world country, Haitians believe in dressing to the nines for church!
Last but not least, all the youth leaders should be informed that an MA staff member will be meeting them at the airport with a “YWAM” sign. After they go through customs there is one door to the outside where we will be waiting. In case they need to contact us, Mike’s Haitian cell phone number is (509) 36802207 and Amy’s Haitian cell phone is (509) 37679585. In the previous update, I included a basic airport briefing–please make sure that every youth group leader receives this briefing.
May God bless you all!
Amanda
