Cuba Team- May 21

We are sitting at Camp Canaan watching the sun rise, the roosters are crowing and the air is cool. We traveled about 4 hours by bus yesterday. Manuel, our driver, took us south and east into the interior of the island. We were greeted at the camp by the bishop and his wife in addition to a few other pastors who were just finishing a meeting of pastors. As one by one, the pastors and their spouses caught a glimpse of Aldo and Susan, their eyes lit up and the would come running with outstretched arms to enfold the in a hug. Aldo and Susan showed us the camp. It is unbelievable. In 199? when Aldo and Susan first started coming to Cuba they asked the bishop what was the number one priority for the United Methodist Church. The bishop shared that the government had taken away their previous camp so they had no place to gather as the Church. So, over the next several years they found land (a story to follow) and began to send teams and materials to an area near Santa Clara. Over 65 teams participated in the creating of this beautiful camp that can hold over 800 people. The altar has a depiction of the Holy City with it’s streets of gold, the tree of life and the light that shines forever. It is a magnificent focus for worship, reminding the people of the hope of a new creation.
We ate well, slept nicely and we are now ready to go eat breakfast and get on the road to Cabeza.

Cuba Team- May 20

Buenas Dias! The day is muy bueno here in Cuba. We are sitting in the courtyard of the United Methodist building awaiting breakfast. Last night the team shared in devotions. As we sat together we marveled at the fact that we were actually sitting in Cuba, on a rooftop in Havana, singing praises to God! We talked together about how God speaks to us; what is God saying? What tone of voice is God using? How are we hearing God? It is our hope that while we are here we are able to open our hearts to the fresh wind of the spirit that seems to be blowing through the United Methodists in Cuba. We have already witnessed God’s spirit in so many ways.
- the nice young man in customs who was so helpful in moving ALL of our bags and us through the process
- the welcome we received from Alba and Manuel
- the wonderful food prepared for us by Magda (especially the chocolate flan!)
- the beautiful Cuban music Jorge Luis shared with us as we ate dinner last night
-the smiles on the faces of all the United Methodists who welcomed us ‘home’ yesterday afternoon
- the laughter and the tears we have already shared as a team
We are feeling blessed and are anticipating all that God has in store for us today.
Dios se Bendigan!

Rebuilding Together 2011

On the last day of April, 50 members of Floris enjoyed the beautiful sunshine to help a needy person in Reston during our annual Rebuilding Together ministry. Rebuilding Together is a nationwide home “revitalization” organization that fixed up the homes of more than 4000 families across the country.
With excellent teamwork, we were able to accomplish/install the following: stair-lift, 3 comfort height toilets, 5 grab bars, kitchen faucet, kitchen light replacement, outside light switch, electrical plug, storm door handle, front door stain/sealing, front walkway “leveled”, garage door opener adjustment, fence latch, deck railings (2), deck steps attached, deck board replaced, deck lattice installed, deck power-washed/sealed, holes patched, indoor paint — 2 bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, hallways(2), stairwell & family room; outdoor window trim replacement, garage door molding replacements (4 bottom pieces), front exterior trim painted, gutters cleaned, landscaping– bushes/trees pruned (many), yard mowed, yard junk/debris removed, 4 truckloads of junk/yard waste taken to landfill, hospitality (snacks/drinks/ home baked sweet rolls), flowers planted, truck rented, everything cleaned up and 1 stubborn stump removed.
It was very rewarding to hear the heartfelt thank you’s from the elderly homeowner and her daughter. They were delighted at all we were able to finish. Many of these changes will help them stay in the house despite their disabilities. Helping a member of our community was extremely rewarding for everyone that participated in the kickoff event for Floris’ Big Serve.

Thoughts from Steve, Work Project Director

Flickr.com photo gallery of Haiti Mission Trip March 2011

If you’ve been reading previous entries you know the details and type of work we were engaged in. I remarked several times each day since Monday 3/28, that I would not have accepted the difficulty of our task had I been told beforehand. We are blessed with members of our team that would have faced the full knowledge of this work with a smile and reply of “Let’s Do It!” I would have thanked God for these stout members of the team and plunged ahead. But the Lord is gracious and kind, our challenges and even our blessings are metered at a rate which we as mortals can absorb and accept. So looking back on a week of hard physical, hot, sweaty, dusty work on a site with jagged bits of old rusty steel rebar ready to snag or impale, and jagged pieces of concrete, rock and rubble strewn underfoot, how is it that we were able to dig until the Haitian foreman said stop, there’s no more digging to do – and do this with joy in our hearts, smiles on our faces and laughter in the air? It’s simple, we did not do these difficult things in this fashion, or at least we didn’t do it alone, God was with us, in our hearts working through us revealing his plan at a mortal rate and bonding us together as reunited brothers and sisters. It’s the only answer I have for accomplishing what seems to be impossible with such an impossibly joyful attitude.

So who is this “us”, who are “we”? It may have started as the Floris Mission team, but that’s not how it felt Wednesday night. “We” are The Boys Brigade of La Tremblay, the Floris mission team, our two interpreters Carine and Tootoo, the cook Lulu and her team, and the children and workers at the construction site. An impromptu party began and came to a head when Nixon, the gifted charismatic natural leader of The Boys came by in the evening to converse with the Floris team and translate sentiments from the rest of the boys. Nixon spoke and expressed his thanks for our hard work, fellowship and coming to Haiti. All of the boys expressed similar words of gratitude, many of the exact words escape me now, but the theme of fellowship, thanks, love and unity with God was clear. One of Nixon’s opening statements was about how God would repay us for our hard work in Haiti, I just chuckled inside, as I know Dave did and probably others too. When the boys were done expressing their thanks it was Floris’ turn. We returned words of thanks for their hard work, their hospitality and friendship, their strength of faith and their beautiful singing at Sunday’s service. Regarding God’s gratitude, Dave and I both explained that any payment for our work in Haiti has already been paid, the opportunity to work with The Boys and people of Haiti, the fellowship, laughter and joy we were blessed with seem excessive for the task accomplished and beyond what we could have imagined – God’s further gratitude in this life or the next is just gravy (really good gravy).

We spent the rest of the evening sitting together on the balcony sharing music and joking with each other in broken bits of our combined vocabularies. Apparently I am “big as bear” and I “mangé beaucoup”, I made sure these traits were ascribed to other deserving fellows where appropriate. The boys on my right and left leaned in next to me as we hung out enjoying the night breeze and joking around, I felt like just another “puppy in the box”, life was good. Later Cellistine, an administrator at the school, was enticed into a comparison of bicep muscles with me, this deteriorated into an arm wrestling contest – it was exciting for the boys and a bit nerve racking for the Floris team, I think they were worried about me “the bear” – but all was good Floris was not embarrassed or broken from the contest. As it got later and we wondered how late these youngsters would want to stay up, Madame Lulu blessed us by giving the boys the boot so she and her cooks (exhausted after serving two mission teams back to back) could get to bed. Morning comes early for us, and even early for cooks reduced to cooking meals on charcoal.

As I went to bed, the squeaky cots, roosters crowing, horns blaring from traffic barreling down the road are like background colors and textures on a painting that would have seemed alien to me a week ago, but now seems like a home away form home – I’m very excited about coming back

To the Boys Brigade from Lindy

To the Boys Brigade, thank you for your patience, your acceptance, your sharing, your laughter, your smiles, your forgiveness, your protection, and mostly your oneness in Christ’s love you shared. I am honored to call you brothers.

Madame Lulu, by Lindy

The food was great! Madam Lulu, Chella, Lusette, and Luis were up early and up late preparing, cleaning, and serving us. Madam Lulu even stopped to teach me a little Creole song to the Lord. I’m thinking I need the book on Creole for Dummies…slower dummies! Her patience and heart warming smile made it all okay. Thank you Lulu!

Thoughts from Lindy

In addition to being hired as laborers to build the church, the Boys Brigade was hired to protect us in Haiti. All are leaders and hard workers who love the Lord. They showed me what strong faith in God is. Some are so ready for Jesus to come again; I surely can relate. All who I met I love dearly and hold close in my prayers until we meet again.
Your sister and servant in Christ,
Lindy

March 31 Homeward Bound Day 7 in Haiti

Today starts the journey home. Renewed in strength and spirit from the fellowship shared and night’s rest, (whatever amount members got…morning still starts at 4 am , the team enjoyed the last of Madame Lulu’s hot breakfasts (today being spaghetti with tuna and vegetable sauce) then packed up and dismantled their temporary living quarters. Mosquito nets were removed, camping cots folded, and rooms swept so what had been dorm rooms for a week could transition back to classroom space. Final conversations, hugs, good wishes and prayers were shared with the Brigade, as well as the cooks, school staff and so many who had been involved and supported our stay in La Tremblay.
The bus and cargo van arrived around 10 am and bags, tools, and living gear were quickly loaded and we were on our way to Petionville where we would spend the night at the United Methodist guest house. Once again, team members marveled at the skill of our driver, and gave thanks both to God and each other that none of us were having to maneuver a vehicle through the broken rural roads or busy city streets! Petionville was quite distinct from La Tremblay. Replacing the goats, chicken and activity of the small village, the city was full of traffic, hustle bustle, hundreds of street merchants, and just the “busyness” often associated with city life. It was good to expand our view of Haiti beyond a village and take in all the sights and sounds our hour + drive provided.
Arriving around noon, we quickly unloaded, then reboarded the bus to travel to a Baptist Mission guest house at one of the highest peaks in Petionville. The ascent of the mountain was phenomenal, and offered yet another perspective on the land and people of Haiti. The higher our vehicle climbed, the higher the standard of living and homes we witnessed. Yet, along the way, was the display of shanty and tent towns built into the ravines and remaining rubble that shook the country to such devastation just a little over a year ago. Once atop the mountain, the team enjoyed the “American” lunch offerings of the restaurant associated with the mission, primarily sub sandwiches or pizza, sodas etc. The trip home included stop offs at local markets where team members could try their bartering skills, and a breathtaking overlook, where all of Port-au-Prince could be seen. The view was stunning in its scope, particularly in seeing how many, many, many people live there. It was as much of a sea of rooftops as it was landscape, which helped team members fathom just how wide, and deep and broad are the challenges the country faces. Perhaps this sight will leave an imprint upon our heart that our prayers might remain fervent for these people and their needs.
The evenig was spent enjoyng a delicious dinner alongside other missioners returning from, or preparing to depart to the field, and then a productive debriefing with UMVIM staff. Team members took turns expressing their thanks for the infrastructure and support UMVIM provided to make such an experience possible, their high value upon being able to stay in La Tremblay while working there, and answers to specific feedback questions asked. In addition, team members shared their hope that they could work with UMVIM to be involved not only in the church building in La Tremblay, but community building as well. It was a good evening of shared visioning, prayer, and celebration.
With some sense of wonder, team members enjoyed the amemities of a cold shower, with running water, and a mattress on their beds as they retired for the night. The transition for re-entry has begun….tomorrow the Haiti Mission team will return home. Thank you for sharing in this journey with us and for your continued prayers until we return.

The Gift of Words: A Farewell Gift

Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their nees, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Philippians 4: 8 “Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things…And the God of peace will be with you.”
What a great surprise and memorable gift our team received through the words of our friends in Christ on our last night together. Leaving the eating area after our shared devotion, we realized our friends from the Brigade were waiting to enjoy the evening air and time with us. Whereas just a few days ago, the two groups sat separated on the balcony, the team on the end in front of their rooms, and “the boys” in front of their own room, group boundaries were no longer defined as 25+ of us were interspersed everywhere. The evening was a contiuation of the afternoon, small groups of conversation, singing, laughter, until Nixon, a respected and equally admired leader by both the Brigade and team members spoke up. Nixon was often the bridge that resolved langugage confusion on both sides, as his English, both spoken and written is very good. Saying that he must depart soon, he wanted to take a moment to say his good-byes. With eloquence and conviction, he spoke with gratitude to the team collectively and to each member. We were told that the Brigade noted that we were hard workers, and they respected us for that. We were thanked for caring about Haiti and about their church, and for our willingness to give our time and resources to help them complete something that was so important to them. We were also told that they were sorry that they could not pay us for our work, but that they knew God’s “rewards” would be given to us as we have worked, loved, and cared for His children in Haiti. Finally we were told that they would be praying for God’s provision and favor upon us and our families as we traveled and returned home. As if that was not enough, Nixon then suggested that perhaps some of the other boys would like to say something. One by one, they spoke, with Nixon serving as interpreter, sharing their thanks, their love, and their faith. Needless to say, the team was deeply moved. We too, in return, offered our words of appreciation, faith and love to all of them. What had been perhaps our biggest challenge throughout the week, words, had come full circle, and every soul was lifted up through the the words exchanged. How good it is to honor one another, and to realize that no matter what our native tongue, the common language of God’s love is universally understood and transforming. As we prepare to return home, may Love be the language we speak and share wherever we go. Thank you, La Tremblay Boys Brigade, for your great gift of words. We pray your lives might be as fully blessed as you have blessed ours. Amen.

March 30 Day 6 in Haiti

March 30, 3011

Today was a day of great celebration as our work in “digging the hole” came to an end. The combined energy and enthusiasm from the La Tremblay Brigade and our team allowed for the work to get completed earlier than expected. This allowed for some of the team members to split off mid-morning and return to the school to enjoy some time with the children. The novelty of introducing parachute play with no language to explain what to do might be better described as mob chaos! Rather than the traditional games of calling out names or descriptors and having children run under, the volunteers concluded the quickest way to bring some order to the laughing, shouting, grabbing children was to toss shoes on the parachutes and enjoy tossing them in the air or from one chute to another. Consensus among the team when the other members returned was that equal sweat was shed in both the trenches and the schoolyard!

Time seems to be a resource for which appreciation continues to grow. While there was great satisfaction in a job well done, the fruit of  hard honest work, the completion also signaled our time with our comrades would soon be drawing to an end. What a gift to have to have the afternoon to spend, playing, visiting and just enjoying one another’s company. We have observed how communal and comfortable Haitians are with one another. Often hand holding, leaning on one another, almost always in groups and rarely alone, there is a beautiful sense of connectivity and relational health displayed in the day-to-day routines which make up life here. There is a sense of peace and joy found in simply standing on the balcony, watching the comings and goings of the villagers as they come to draw water at the well, work and play in the schoolyard, or simply sit under the shade of a tree and enjoy the pleasure of one another’s company. Along with the tap-tap horns, and rooster crows, which have become almost white noise to our ears, is the constant ring of laughter, sight of back slapping and happy smiling faces. Perhaps we poured a little sweat into Haiti, but the Haitian have poured great joy and love into our hearts.

The afternoon passed with multiple soccer matches, short-phrased Creole/English conversations, and further discoveries about one another. It was during this afternoon time that it was discovered how well our Haitian friends read English, and it was a gift to both hear and see them read Psalm 23 or the Lord’s Prayer from our Bibles. There were exchanges of names, signing of shirts, and the moving, and unforgettable requests of “I am _____________. Please remember me.”

Chip led us in our devotion after yet another dinner feast, with a perfect focus on the Biblical teaching of “joy.” Members shared how they had experienced joy on this trip and it was wonderful to reflect upon how much fun we have all had, both as a team, and as a larger community of Christ’s followers. One of the boys laughed this afternoon as Karen tried hard to speak in Creole, without success. Stopping her he said, “We all speak one, Karen. We speak Jesus.” So few words, but so much truth. Through and in Christ, it has been all joy to share this time, to work alongside the Boys Brigade in their project to rebuild a church. We hope and pray that our church family can can continue to be a part of what God is doing through and in His people in La Tremblay. May we always claim, live and share the joy we have in Christ. Amen.