Thursday, June 19, 2008
bonjour!
Hey All!
I hope you don't mind if I e-mail you every few days while I am in Haiti. Some of you I know better than others, but most of you I figure have either been or have an interest in Haiti.
Alicia (my wife) and I are going for nine days and we are SO excited. We leave tonight at 10:45 and will get there sometime tomorrow morning.
I went to Haiti in August of last year. My poor wife Alicia - she didn't go. Boy has she heard about it ever since. I think most times people get culture shock when they're in a different culture and are relieved when they go back to their "normal" way of living. Is that how it works? I came back and have just wanted to go back to Haiti ever since. There's something so wonderful about people having joy even with so little. In America, we live our days rushing around going in a little circle all day. something has just changed inside me and I can only explain it by telling you that it was God doing a new work in me. The story is so crazy and totally God and this e-mail is already long but if you want to know more, then just ask...
so finally after many months of waiting we are ready to go back tonight, for nine days. we are going with a team of 20 other people and are stoked on getting to use our creole and connect with the kids through a summer camp we are putting on in port au prince. i will be sending updates when I have internet, assuming I do. mosquitoes, bugs, voodoo, guys with guns and funny blue helmets, intense heat and humidity and sticking out like a sore thumb - these are all a part of haiti. but there is also the kids at the orphanage. in the middle of all of this absolute destitution (where people literally eating dirt) there is hope for this nation through what Jesus is doing with these kids. It is an absolute honor to be able to be a part of this and I am so excited...
please keep us in your prayers if you are a pray-er... we are also hoping to connect with a haitian guy we met who runs a restaurant in downtown LA who will be there at the same time, hopefully that happens but who knows. it's haiti!
please forward this along to whoever you like or direct them to www.haiticampinabox.blogspot.com like I said I will update when I can hopefully with pictures!
lucas simmons
p.s. if you forget about the blog: my facebook, lucasyalicia.com, flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience (when there are pictures), lucastheexperience.blogspot.com, and aliciatheexperience.blogspot.com should all be updating
p.p.s. alicia actually went to the bank in AMERICA today and told the teller she was going to Haiti and the guy started talking to her in Haitian Creole! How funny and totally God is that???
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
3 days
lucas and i (alicia) are already almost packed. i only have one shift left of work. but there still seems like a lot to do! today as lucas works, i am going to work on a few dances that i want to teach the kids. i have a couple awesome songs. #1 "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield #2 "For the Lord id Good" by All Together Separate. #3 is going to be a song/artist i found on line yesterday: "Freedom" Nicole C. Mullen. check her out on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaMVow85gC8 (its a little shaky and blurry at first... but hang on it gets good!)
so we went over to the Kruse's last night. the house was so lively! loni came out to greet us, and then Darin, and then Carolyn. they were extemely overjoyed that we had brought not two, but four empty suitcases and two duffle bags. (thanks mom and dad) the kruse's have been accumulating everything from peanut butter to heavy duty construction lights and duct tapping then together for protection!! the camp for the kids is "camp in a box" cause we are bringing EVERYTHING that we need! our suitcases would help them pack donations, spagetti, team t-shirts, shampoo, etc. if it fits... stick it in!! but wait. what is its weight? each suitcase can only be 50 pounds. so there was quite a production being conducted when we arrived. some bags had left with other team mates the day before, others were sitting by the door ready to go, two were open on the kitchen floor (AND... there was suzette too!! on her knees helping pack up! so excited to see her!!), and now there were several more to fill.
we jumped right in. lucas was jumping on the scale weighing suitcases, and i was the "historian," noting what was in each suitcase after it had reached its correct weight. it was decided that suzette could be smuggled into haiti in one of our oversized suitcases. haha. loni fit in one too! i didnt try. darin came out with a megaphone and was duct tapping lanyards together and passing it like a baton to me. we even breaked for 2 minutes to eat ice cream sandwiches. yum. finally we celebrated when we had numbered our 17th bag at it's correct wieght! and then lucas and i we off with three excelently and maticulously packed suitcases.
tonight we are spraying our clothes that we will be packing with mosquito repelant, and choosing pictures to print out to show the kids our family, friends, and wedding. im also cutting lucas' hair! :) tomorrow i think we will be all packed and still have a whole day to wait!!
alicia
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Last Meeting
Woo hoo! Only a week and a half to go. Here are some pics from out last meeting... http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157605133107968/
The highlight I think was Darin’s hat and tie combo and he also busted out his whistle and kazoo that he will use to wake us up in the morning oh joy!
You’re probably wondering what that sounds like. Don’t worry I’ve got an MP3 of it here: www.lucastheexperience.com/mp3s/darin.mp3
Lucas
Friday, June 6, 2008
Haiti Camp Benefit Concert Results
The return engagement benefit concert occurred Sunday, June 1 and it was a success on a lot of levels but a bit of a disappointment on the turn out side. Overall, though, the day was a great blessing.
Results numerically,
• Approximately $600.00 net proceeds to go to the camp fund.
• Approximately 100 people attended the concert.
• 20- 30 prayer cards were taken by the attendees. We have more if another church group can use them at an event before the trip. We will use them at MVCC to keep awareness going otherwise. They are beautifully handmade cards with an MdL child's picture and a request to pray for the child.
• Approximately 30 people asked to be added to the email list or expressed interest in possibly being more directly involved.
• A lot of supply donations were made because of the raised awareness.
• Hundreds of prayers were raised.
Qualitatively,
• The Manasseros were able to devote the day to MVCC's activities and it was a great time for all of us (and hopefully for them).
• Camp trip traveling team members from several of the churches were able to attend the concert and we were able to recognize how we are all one body serving God's children. We were also able to pray for the team and to show the Child Hope video.
• There was a nice time of fellowship afterward on the patio.
• The concert was fabulous as we expected. The creative arts team and the missions committee's goal of raising awareness for both outreaches and to provide a very enjoyable afternoon were met and God was well represented by the beauty and quality of the music. Thank you and God bless you Cheryl, Chris, Erin and Steve for performing for us. Thanks as well to David for the production, Kim for the organizing and MC role, Julie for the space arranging, Mary for the artwork and printing, Joanne for the prayer cards, the rest of the church staff for all of your support and all of the Haiti team and friends who kicked in to make the event run smoothly.
We are truly blessed.
Looking ahead, please pray for:
• Two of the team members went to Haiti today to stay for an extended period as well as to participate in the camp.
• The rest of the camp traveling team travels on June 19-29.
• More financial and provision support are needed for the camp. Contact Jamie Kruse or Brooke Herman at the addresses above if you want to help. You can also send checks to Child Hope International http://www.childhopeinternational.org/or MVCC www.mvcchome.org and mark in the remarks section "Haiti Camp".
• We are in the beginning organizing stage of a trip during the week of Thanksgiving, 2008 to kick off a feeding program for the neighborhood children near MdL. The goal is to have a children's church service type of event several days a week that will include a meal for these children who may not have one otherwise. It will be staffed by the MdL children as an outreach and as a skills/ministry training tool. We will need about 12 trip participants, organizers in the states and approximately $20,000 in pledges and actual funding to guarantee that it will be adequately funded for the first 12 months. Each of the trip participants will also be raising support. Of course, we mostly need prayer to make sure that our efforts are in the direction that God has planned. I’ll write more about this in the next couple of weeks.
Thanks again for all of your prayers and support. I pray that God blesses you all,
Jim Duggan
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
a bright and cloudy day!
we were invited to come and share about haiti, about our trip this summer, and to get prayer! we ate and shared, and learned that the majority of the group were all involved in different summer missions trips: thailand, nicaragua, malawi, and vietnam. the trip dates all range from mid june and through july.
this morning i was praying and reflecting on our meeting last night and part of our theme... "a cloud of witnesses" landed in my heart. wow. i was so amazed. while we are in haiti one of these sisters will be in malawi and the others preparing for thier trips... two of which leave the day we get home! incredible. do you see it. do you see why i was floored with the way God truly has put a cloud of witnesses around us?
be encouraged team!! praying for you.
alicia