I have been doing a lot of processing over the past week or so. I attempted to do it all in Haiti, but there just seemed to be something preventing me from accomplishing this. Surprisingly though, I was able to do quite a bit of processing during my travels on Tuesday.
I have been processing a lot of different things, everything from 'how my trip went', to 'what comes next', to 'what my long term vision is', and even though I have not found all the answers that I would like to have found, I did find some.
My trip, for me, on all accounts was a success. My time in St. Marc was good, but I really felt that as soon as I moved to Port-au-Prince and started my work there, my heart for the Haitian people was finally ignited. Largely impart because I was finally able to spend the majority of my time with them. (Especially by living there at the New Life orphage.) But in addition to that, the ministry that I specifically came to Haiti to be apart of finally got started, and as much as I enjoy Haiti, my heart and passion lie with in discipleship.
Missions Adventures or MA for short, was a huge success for me. As far as my personal goals to see growth in the students and commitments to love and serve God both in personal relationship with him and in missions. I was amazed once again by the amazing work that God did in and through the lives of our teenage students. One of the more interesting surprises was the commitment of our oldest MAer to do a DTS. All in all though, I think that about three-quarters of our MAers committed to doing missions work, which is huge!, and all of them grew in leaps and bounds. Go God!
As far as long-term, I do feel called long-term to missions, but not just specifically to one nation (like Haiti), but to something called discipleship. Throughout my trips to Haiti and elsewhere, is the discipleship that I get to be apart of, that speaks to mt heart the most. Whether in the lives of my students or in the lives of the people whom we are ministering to. I think that is why I so love ministering in Haiti, because everywhere you go (especially now in the tent cities) the hearts of the Haitians are so open to God. The spirit in the majority of the tent cities that I have been to can at times be similar to that of a DTS classroom. Their hearts are so open to what God has to offer them.
So now that I know what my long-term vision is, which in one word is discipleship, but as for what comes next, I am still a little uncertain. There are a few certainties though, I will be flying out to Denver to visit my brother, and then I will return to Salem, Oregon directly after that. As far as after Christmas though, when I return home to visit my family for the holidays, I do not know for sure. At the moment I am praying about extending my commitment to the campus in Salem, Oregon, and also returning to Haiti for as long as a month to serve the base there. But we shall see, I will definitely update this as soon as possible with what I am getting in prayer.
-Kyle
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Processing this Summer
Wow....I do not know where even to begin. This summer has been amazing!
These past couple of weeks though since my last update has just been the icing on the cake. In the days winding down, I had to fight just giving up, not because I do not love what I was doing (because I absolutely do), but simply because my body was screaming for some rest! In my persistence though, I was greatly rewarded.
The fruit this summer was so apparent. From the masses of people crying out for salvation, healing, deliverance, and blessings simply because of the faithfulness that our staff and students were able to show right before the very eyes of the Haitians. God is still big, powerful, and on the move here in Haiti! (And in the rest of the world. Haha) It is amazing what God can do in and through you, when you are simply willing to step out in obedience to what God is asking of you.
Of all the fruit that I saw this summer, none quite touched like each and every time that we debriefed a team about their outreach. Each time there was a calling of missions was branded on the hearts of the students.
The final team we debriefed just reminded me why I do what I do. This team was at a disadvantage from the start. They were a group formed from four different churches. But they stuck their heals in, and by the end were one of our most unified groups of the summer. But it was the callings to missions that God placed on their lives. The whole group was called up out of normality and propelled to change their town, their church, their families, and their schools/jobs. It was especially interesting for me to see one of the chaperone's one the trip commit the rest of their life to preaching the gospel message on the missions field. She was about the same age as my grandmother! Wow, "Go God"!
Before I go though, I want to leave you with some photos of our last day of ministry....a soccer tournament!
This apparently is a local premier team.
Action shot (Oh, in this game the orphanage team upset the premier team, coming from a goal down, tying it up and then wining it in overtime. The premier team was not happy.)
The orphanage kids beat us too...pretty bad as you can probably imagine. Four to Zero. We looked silly! Haha.
These past couple of weeks though since my last update has just been the icing on the cake. In the days winding down, I had to fight just giving up, not because I do not love what I was doing (because I absolutely do), but simply because my body was screaming for some rest! In my persistence though, I was greatly rewarded.
The fruit this summer was so apparent. From the masses of people crying out for salvation, healing, deliverance, and blessings simply because of the faithfulness that our staff and students were able to show right before the very eyes of the Haitians. God is still big, powerful, and on the move here in Haiti! (And in the rest of the world. Haha) It is amazing what God can do in and through you, when you are simply willing to step out in obedience to what God is asking of you.
Of all the fruit that I saw this summer, none quite touched like each and every time that we debriefed a team about their outreach. Each time there was a calling of missions was branded on the hearts of the students.
The final team we debriefed just reminded me why I do what I do. This team was at a disadvantage from the start. They were a group formed from four different churches. But they stuck their heals in, and by the end were one of our most unified groups of the summer. But it was the callings to missions that God placed on their lives. The whole group was called up out of normality and propelled to change their town, their church, their families, and their schools/jobs. It was especially interesting for me to see one of the chaperone's one the trip commit the rest of their life to preaching the gospel message on the missions field. She was about the same age as my grandmother! Wow, "Go God"!
Before I go though, I want to leave you with some photos of our last day of ministry....a soccer tournament!
This apparently is a local premier team.
Action shot (Oh, in this game the orphanage team upset the premier team, coming from a goal down, tying it up and then wining it in overtime. The premier team was not happy.)
The orphanage kids beat us too...pretty bad as you can probably imagine. Four to Zero. We looked silly! Haha.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Yesterday the next to last team of Missions Adventures students arrived. This team is a group from Washington. I have really liked getting to know this team in the short time that I have spent with them, and cannot wait to see God move in and through them on this trip. All summer I have been able to see the lives of Haitians, students, and staff alike touched by the hand of God.
We also have a group here right now from YWAM Orlando, a group of 11 future staff/ leaders in the mission. This past Friday they asked to go out on a prayer walk in the area surrounding the palace. This area used to be a nice park with about five statues/monuments. Today these monuments still stand, but you can hardly see them amongst all makeshift tents surrounding them.
We had an awesome time visiting and praying with many Haitian families. Time after time, people would see us praying and ask us to come over and pray for their family.
One group went behind the treasury building and found another tent city. Upon reaching this one they simply decided to just spend time talking to the English speakers and playing with the children. God used this to break through the walls on their hearts. The group literally had people running up to them asking to be saved, saying that they have never had white people come just to spend time with them.
God is so on the move here! If you have ever thought about coming to Haiti, come now, because God is here, God is BIG, and the hearts of the Haitians are open. Literally I have met many missionaries, including one who has been here ministering for 35 years, and he specifically told me, "I have seen more salvations in Haiti in the past seven months (the time since the earthquake) than in all his years of ministry combined."!
We also have a group here right now from YWAM Orlando, a group of 11 future staff/ leaders in the mission. This past Friday they asked to go out on a prayer walk in the area surrounding the palace. This area used to be a nice park with about five statues/monuments. Today these monuments still stand, but you can hardly see them amongst all makeshift tents surrounding them.
We had an awesome time visiting and praying with many Haitian families. Time after time, people would see us praying and ask us to come over and pray for their family.
One group went behind the treasury building and found another tent city. Upon reaching this one they simply decided to just spend time talking to the English speakers and playing with the children. God used this to break through the walls on their hearts. The group literally had people running up to them asking to be saved, saying that they have never had white people come just to spend time with them.
God is so on the move here! If you have ever thought about coming to Haiti, come now, because God is here, God is BIG, and the hearts of the Haitians are open. Literally I have met many missionaries, including one who has been here ministering for 35 years, and he specifically told me, "I have seen more salvations in Haiti in the past seven months (the time since the earthquake) than in all his years of ministry combined."!
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