Haiti

Map of Haiti

I am leaving for Haiti at the end of May. Last week I received my passport in the mail and bought a plane ticket the same day. Exciting. I'm going to the Living Hope Haiti Mission for 3 months. It is outside of Port-au-Prince right near the coast. This mission is headed by Andris and Mary Jane. The mission has a trade school, elementary school, and church. I will be living with the missionaries and serving wherever they would want. It will be a huge learning experience ... I've talked to a few people that have been to the place I'm going. And all of their responds have been very positive ... I'll be flying over with Mary Jane and her husband considering the fact that they are in the States now raising money for the mission. The last nine days of my stay in Haiti, Aaron and Emily are bringing an group of RXN youth down. Then I will fly back with them. We don't know which kids are going yet. Please pray that the kids God wants to go will take the initiative needed for taking this trip. And for the parents permission to be granted. And for the funds needed for their travels. And for me that I will be prepared for those 3 months... The missions website is http://www.livinghopehaiti.org/

Poem

Go to the people

live among them

learn from them

love them

start with what they know

build on what they have:

But of the best leaders

when their task is done

The people will remark

"We have done it ourselves"

-Unknown author

City walk and houseleader meeting

Paula and myself taking a walk in the city.( A little different from the back country roads ...)

O.K. Now this picture is for the benefit for my good old country friends. This is what you may see on a walk in my parts. This is how it is - our house then alley then a big ugly cement building then a street then the (name slips me -those people that come a pick up your trash) Then this ... It never ceases to amaze me to be walking on a road and to have a highway and train track under me and other bridge roads and downtown in the distance. I told Emily I've gotta take a picture of this!

Aaron and Emily speaking at the RTNI houseleader info. meeting last Saturday.

Guest speaker, James Brown. He's got 16 years of experience with urban ministry and community development. Also, a leader from among his own people.

Last Saturday was the Houseleader info. meeting for RTNI. It was here at the Starrs. We had a few out of town guests and some from Columbus came. Aaron and Emily have a vision to plant more RXN homes in urban/inner city communities. A RXN home is basically like theirs actually theirs is the prototype. So in the next few years we hope to see more ministry houses planted in our cities! It was awesome to hear Mr. James speak. He was a man who was once a drug addict and in jail. Then God rocked his world. A man helped train him in ministry and eventually left him to lead. This is a good thing. Our urban communities have become a oppressed people.(Especially, our black urban.) Many of the best-trained minds, leaders, good examples, have "exodus ed" the inner city - leaving a leadership vacuum. The key to helping people get out of a poverty mentality is developing leaders.Indigenous leaders. Any oppressed people must believe that they can "drink from their own wells".And lead themselves. This is no small commitment in developing leaders.It takes a long term commitment of living amongst the people, modeling a healthy lifestyle. It's a "Incarnational ministry" has John Perkins deemed it. Jesus. How did he love? Did He commute back and forth from heaven? No. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory"(John1:14) Jesus came to the earth and gave/showed us the way to new Life. So also, the most effective messenger of the gospel to the lost is him who lives among the people God has called him to minister. I am kinda hits all over the dart board here. Does it make any sense? One last thing, we can see that government and welfare programs have not worked. They simply perpetuate themselves. One example is the "Aid to Families with Dependent Children program" (something like that). It attempts to stabilize a mother without a father in the house. It assumes no family is in place and give no incentive for leaving the program. Getting this benefit has aloud single parent homes to become the norm... The world has tried its ways ... Simply, it does not work. But the church has the answer in Christ. The Church needs to rise up and give more than charity, which can be given at a distance. It needs to reach and touch "the leper" ... It needs to reach and feel the pain of the poor being willing to offer ourselves (changing the person for we are the church) bringing hope, dignity, transformation, and rest to the people. "Rise up Church with broken wings fill this place with songs again to our God who reigns on high by His grace again we'll fly. Shout to the North and the south sing to the east and the west Jesus is savior to All HE IS LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH."Some of you might know this song.

Random

Aaron and Emily Starr ( He doesn't seem to mind)

Emily and Little Bear

Trinity playing twister

Ivon and Trinity on the Drums. How much noise can we make?

Play me a tune... on the guitar without strings.

It's about time I write about what's been the going on around these parts ... I've been here for about a month and a half now. It's hard to believe it's already the middle of March. The feeling of spring is felt in the air. The park across the road is teaming with more life. There seems to be children out there everyday now - Big boys playing ball and little ones swinging. When walking in the 'hood, we see people out on there porches now ... We even opened the windows one day. Even, the shoots of Emmy's flowers are poking out there heads.

What is the School of Servanthood like? I hear the questions. It's like playing parcheesi with a neighbor girl; it's smelling like cigerette smoke; it's playing ball in the court with kids; it's swinging with them and given under-dog pushes; it's giving a hug; it's studying too. Most of the "study" part of my internship is reading books and writing papers. As of now, I'm reading, "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster and "Compassion,Justice, and the Christain Life:rethinking ministry to the poor" by Robert Lupton. I've been learning quiet a bit about urban ministry, community development ... and charactar development. It's a good thing. The hands on part of the internship is stuff like: RXN on Monday nights ( Youth group for ages 12-18), Young Disciples, playing with the kids who stop by, Thursday nights helping another lady with her bible study for kids in a different neighborhood ...All of my being here is "learning". An important thing I remember that Emmy told me is: I am here to learn from God and serve Him. So whatever I'm doing and through whoever I'm with to be open to learn what God may teach me through them or that situation. And whenever I serve to be doing it for Jesus.Sometimes people won't appricate or notice what you do for them and that could let you down but if you're doing it for Him you won't have that let down. Because of your motive. I'm having trouble knowing what else to write...hum. I know. A few people have asked what the most challenging things has been thus far.

1. Understanding the youth and trying to communicate with them. A lot of times I don't really understand what the teens are talking about. It's not because they mummble it's just because they have a differnet set of vocabulary per say. And sometimes it's hard to know how to initate a conversation. God's teaching me though. I do ask for your prayers in that line... I'm learning all sorts of new stuff from them. Example two boys came to RXN with "fronts". For your knowlege, they are teeth jewerly for men. To me it looks like tin retainers.It's a statius thing for some people. Anyhow I was prying them is it a retainer? Did the dentist give it to you? Orthodonist? Did you make them out of tin foil? ...

2. scheduling. Another challange for me. But I'm to tired keep writing.

I will leave on this note though. I am very grateful to God to be here. I have peace in my heart and soul. " Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion which cannot be moved but abides forever" Pslam 125:1 I challenge you to be trust the Lord in all things for in Him you will be like Mount Zion!!!

Guess what I'm going to Haiti May 22nd - Aug. 13th. I've applied for my passport ... Now all I have to do is learn how to swallow pills :) No actually, there is more preparation then that. ( Swallowing pills I refer to the Malaria and/or garlic pills ).

quote

God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him.
-Hudson Taylor