"Reaching out to the heart of our neighbors.”

Project Haiti Heart

May 2009 Mission Trip

He Called Us All By De’Korey Sanders

I never considered myself to be a missionary, partly because I never saw myself as the evangelistic type. It’s not that I had a problem sharing my faith, but I always looked at missionaries as these “special” people called by God to go out to the most remote parts of the world and preach the gospel. It never occurred to me that I was one of His, what I called “special” people, and that Christ did not just commission a select few, He told all of us to “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:19-20)

I went to Haiti with an open mind, not knowing what to expect, but ready for anything. I left changed forever. I have always been pretty grounded and thankful for everything that God has blessed me with, but to witness and interact with people living in TRUE POVERTY and who have nothing and to see them worshipping God with everything inside them was truly an eye-opening experience.

I saw babies stricken with what we consider to be preventable diseases and minor ailments because they do not have access to basic medical care. My heart was also broken as I watched little children living in huts and shacks, thankful for a bowl of rice and some beans. I met teenagers with so much drive and promise, wanting to better themselves, but who were confronted with the reality that the opportunities to do so did not exist. And I dined with doctors and missionaries who have a heart for helping and are grounded in the belief that they can make a difference.

Everyone should get involved in mission work. You may not be equipped to make the trip, but you can make donations to support those who do. You can pray for the safety of those who do. You can organize fundraisers and events that support the work of PHH. One person cannot do everything, but everyone can do something.

To Whom Much Is Given

By Dr. Serge Geffrard

I recently returned from a short-term mission trip to Haiti with a group from Atlanta. The trip was sponsored by Project Haiti Heart, a non-profit US based organization whose mission is to provide medical, humanitarian, and spiritual aid to the people of Haiti.

Having been born and lived in Haiti for the first fifteen years of my life, my experience from the trip is quite different from the others’. I have been participating in mission trips to Haiti since I was a medical student at the University of Florida in 1996. Yet, my experiences from each trip are different. Over the years, my experiences in Haiti through mission trips have taught me about myself, the human spirit, the universal meaning of compassion, how strangers are often one’s last hope, and the lasting impact of short-term mission trips.

The most recent trip taught me in various ways about this biblical principle: “To whom much is given, much is required.” Luke 12:48.

We arrived to the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti late on Saturday night after an eighteen-hour journey from Atlanta. We were exhausted but excited about the next few days. We began our mission trip in Haiti the next morning by attending the Sunday morning worship service. It was quite a moving experience to see how those believers, in the midst of abject poverty, diligently and jubilantly worshiped God. One would have thought that these people had it all made. However, it was not long before reality settled in and for us to quickly realize the degree of poverty of these people.

Shortly after the church service, we visited several families in the town to provide them with food (rice and beans) and prayers. Seeing the living conditions, especially when compared to ours, was not only an emotional experience but triggered several questions and made us realize how blessed we are and how much we ought to give back. This would be the theme for the remainder of the trip.

All of us want to help the people of Haiti, however, what is the best way to help them is a difficult question as the needs are overwhelming and there are many barriers to overcome. One thing that all of us agreed on is that we can make a difference. From destitute children dying of hunger to adults with advanced stages of preventable diseases, the needs in Haiti are enormous. As we have begun to address both the short-term and long-term needs, individual as well as collective needs, we will continue to remind ourselves that much has been given to us and much will be required of us.

After all, what is the real value of our blessings if we don’t give back to the people who are less fortunate than we are?

An Answered Prayer

By Eldridge Stephens

After my 26-year-old son died suddenly from an asthma attack on my 47^th birthday on July 5, 2004, it had been my prayer that God would reveal to me the good from this tragedy. It had always been my belief that from every tragedy something good would come. I prayed for God to reveal the good from my son’s death.

Jaison was employed as a Family Support Coordinator with Sheltering Arms. He was working with small children and was loved by the staff, children and parents. It came to me that maybe God was calling me to work with children. I chaired the Board of Directors for the Ben Hill United Methodist Church Christian Academy for six years, and then was elected to chair the Policy Council at Sheltering Arms for three years after Jaison’s death. These positions were great, but did not put me in direct contact with children.

In 2008, at a bible study in Guilford Forest, I met Dr. Serge Geffrard. Serge talked about his mission trips to Haiti and the great work he was doing to provide healthcare to Haitians in need. We developed a special friendship and he shared his vision of what he was trying to accomplish in Haiti. It was then that he invited me to attend his next mission trip to see what God was calling him to do there.

In May 2009, I traveled to Haiti with three young men to explore God’s plan for me there. Once I arrived, I held a conference with the youth, spoke to students at the schools, visited the sugar cane plantations and ministered to the children. It was the last day of my trip when I met Simpkins, an 11-year-old Haitian kid. Simpkins spoke perfect English and had several questions about me and my family. He immediately became my assistant in my project for the day of washing the kids’ hair with shampoo. He told me he missed school because his pants were torn. He reminded me of my son, Gene – smart, but a little mischievous. I told Simpkins I would buy him a pair of pants so that he would not miss another day of school.

Simpkins and I began to bond as we went out to search for material so he could have the pants he needed. Then he asked me in a sincere voice if I would be returning to Haiti. I informed Simpkins I would be returning and we would spend some private time during my return. I realized that God had answered my prayer by placing Simpkins in my life and my work with the children. Simpkins wanted to be assured that this trip was not just a one-time stop.

Please share your gifts with us as we embark on our fundraiser to raise funds for the mission trip in 2010. We are planning to sponsor a youth to attend so they can see how blessed we are and to share their talents with the children of Haiti. We will be hosting our annual A Taste for Haiti at the Adamsville Recreation Center on August 30, 2009. Tickets are $10.00 each. We are also looking for chefs to prepare a dish for the event. We will be collecting clothes, toiletries and other basic necessities for the mission trip in 2010, so your help is greatly needed.

God answered my prayer five years after my son’s death, and I know he will answer yours, as well. Please help me keep my promise to Simpkins.

Thank God for Opportunity

By Dr. Mincs Calixte

After too long of a hiatus from my annual mission trips to Haiti, it was refreshing to have the opportunity to go on this year's Project Haiti Heart mission trip to the motherland. It was doubly exciting since I haven't yet seen the newly built OB/GYN wing of the new hospital. After the usual tiring first day of travel, and having to Help Serge ease the initial culture shock of our American companions, we had a restful night under the “soothing” serenade of the mosquitoes. The following day after the usual drama of crossing the Dominican border into Haiti, and having to deal with the ever changing rules of border crossing, we made it to our final destination in Fonds Parisiens for Sunday Service and our first day of mission work.

Fonds Parisiens is a rural town not too far from Port au Prince and, as in all rural areas in Haiti, the people are polite and accommodating. Despite living in abject poverty, they have a sense of dignity. At the church that Sunday, we found people who love God with all their hearts despite their harsh living conditions. They love to get together on Sunday to worship and they have the most beautiful voices. One of the events that marked me the most was the afternoon meeting with the youth. In spite of having been through a long worship service and being hungry, they were obedient and accepted our invitation to stay after the service for a conference presented by Eldridge entitled “Opportunity.” The youth were very well-prepared, asked some astute questions, and exhibited knowledge far beyond what I expected.

Having grown up myself in a rural Haitian area in the 80s, I can sense the tremendous opportunity that the Mission at the church in Fonds Parisiens is affording these kids who might otherwise not have had the chance to go to school, or have basic health interventions in cases of emergency, or in many instances would not have had at least one meal a day. Eldridge did a great job to encourage them to take advantage of every opportunity given to them to advance themselves and those around them, whether in the spiritual, physical or financial realm.

More than anything else, I think that our mission to Haiti accomplished that: providing a little more opportunity to the people whose paths we crossed. There is no doubt that the hospital being built will go a long way in providing a better health outlook for the population and improve infantile mortality, and thus provide opportunity for countless children who may not otherwise make it past their first year of life. I encourage each and every one of you reading this newsletter to pray for Haiti and support this noble project.