Zach's Journeys

Haiti Camp Thoughts

2012-01-15T16:53:00.002-04:00

This was a newspaper write-up from Dean Stephenson (the team leader during my past trip to Haiti this month). I have set a goal of raising $1000 towards the housing project for these orphans, please contact me if you'd like to contribute or if you have more questions!

Every once in a while we get to participate in something highly significant - something that transcends self. Running a six day camp in Haiti for 75 orphans was that significant event for 21 teens and young adults from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Representing Caton’s Island Camp (www.catonsisland.com) these young people followed through on a dream to give these kids a chance to be kids.

Life is hard in Haiti. It is not pre-packaged, sanitized and sterilized like our North American culture. People in Haiti live closer to the ground. Dogs, chickens, pigs, goats and donkeys roam freely, pedestrians do not have the right of way, you buy your water, food comes from the ground not a shelf and the government isn’t going to pander to your wants; or many of your needs for that matter. If you’re a child with no parents you are at the mercy of the human predators. Some orphans are enslaved to do household chores, be involved in the sex trade or do manual labor. Some are treated little better than animals. Many live on the streets in quasi-organized communities (that’s translated gangs) begging or stealing for daily sustenance, becoming beggars and thieves in the process. The “lucky” ones get to live in an orphanage where at least their basic needs are taken care of, if the resources are available. Over 60 percent of the 9 million people are under the age of 18 with some 500,000 orphans or economically abandoned children. Life in Haiti is hard. Life in Haiti is harder if you are a child without parents or caring adults.

So the opportunity to run a camp program for 75 orphans at “The Jesus Home for Children of La Gonave” became a dream for many of the staff at Caton’s Island. The orphanage in Anse-Au-Galet on La Gonave Island is a three story concrete building located on a busy street with no yard. The kids rarely get outside. The older ones look after the younger ones. Like most orphanages the children eat a lot of rice and beans. They sleep in cramped quarters and go to school in the same building they live in. Better than life on the street but the ability to burn off spare energy and have the opportunity to just be kids is limited.

December of this year saw the dream came to life. A six acre Baptist camp at Croix Lily near Montrois in Haiti was rented. The 75 orphanage kids arrived on a boat chartered to bring them from La Gonave Island. This camp allowed the Caton’s Staff to give the kids the freedom to run around, swim in the ocean (this was the favorite), play soccer, do crafts and play games. In short, they experienced a gentler side of life that allowed them to have fun and be kids.

The Caton’s staff slept in the same dorm with the kids, ate with them, played with them, loved them and ministered to them in the name of Christ. We fed them luxury items don’t usually have like chicken, goat meat, eggs, hotdogs, fried plantain chips, granola bars, and cookies. We served a rare treat of pumpkin soup on New Year’s Day, as is the traditional custom here. We sang with them, laughed with them and, at one point, danced with them. We fell in love with them. And they fell in love with us. Many tears were shed when we parted with them as they climbed in the boat for their return. Speaking of returning, we are already planning for next year…

TEAM MEMBERS

Christina Mullin

Peter Wheeler

Holly Daggett

Amber Salmon Staff Leader

Joel Guptill Staff Leader

Nic Guptill

Lucas Guptill

Dean Stephenson Team Leader

Dinah Stephenson

Heather Morgan Staff Leader

Cheyenne Corey Program Director

Ellen Woodworth

Amy Vail

Natalie Mullin

Richard Mullin Logistics Coordinator

Zachary d'Entremont Staff Leader and Translator

Ian McMath

Nathalie Robert

Shannon Scott

Tami Gionet

Erin LeGassie

Quotes from Caton’s Staff

Caton’s Island is a summer camp owned and operated by the Atlantic District Wesleyan Church. Dean Stephenson of Lansdowne has been the Executive Director there for 16 years. Dean first visited Haiti in 1989 and has made 14 trips since then.

Dean says “ I had the opportunity to visit the Baptist Haiti Mission camp in 2007 and was inspired to run a camp there for Haitian children using Caton’s Staff. 5 years later the dream, with a lot of planning by several people, came true. I am thrilled with the Caton’s Staff and the job they did making the camp happen. The staff are camping professionals. They did a phenomenal job of loving these kids. Even when a wind storm forced boat cancellation and unexpectedly gave us another day of camp the staff rose to the challenge and showed their stellar character. They have my highest praise for a job very well done.”

Ian : Poverty became personal. Suddenly, it had a face and it had a name.

Amber: We just took the first steps in a marathon of change.

Joel : The biggest reality that hit me is that Jesus Christ was abandoned by everyone so he is the one person who can relate to those kids to bring hope and life.

Shannon: All these kids really wanted was love and affection.

Zach: The kids liked the things we brought them, but they loved the time we spent with them.

Natalie M: My eyes have finally been opened and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to close them again.

Nic: I came with a mindset of pride and left with an attitude of humility and thankfulness.

Amy: If I were to sum up this trip I would say that it was an unforgettable, life changing, and mind blowing experience.

To learn more about the orphanage visit www.okipe.org and discover the plans for a new 4 acre Children’s Village and see what you can do to help.

ABOUT OKIPE

Vision

...hope for their future through loving care, food, clean water, shelter, clothing, and physical / spiritual / vocational training.

Our Story…

Over the years, many people have come through La Gonave to offer assistance to the locals in many forms of aid and community development. Often times, they would have the opportunity to hear of the orphanage and meet Mme Soliette & the children. Few left that place unmoved to want to help. We call these people, “Friends of the Orphanage”.

Some have helped with periodic cash donations for food or rent. Others have sent clothing and educational supplies. All have experienced the limitations of their gifts and the helplessness that inevitably comes from living so far away from the needs.

BUT… this is a new season! The “Friends of the Orphanage” are organizing into a powerful new co-operative effort to develop and implement a long term strategic plan for the security and advancement of the “The Jesus Home for Children of La Gonave”. The co-op is called Okipe (Oh-kEE-pAy), which is a Haitian Creole word meaning,“to look after”. We have recruited and sent Matt Smith to live on the island of La Gonave to serve as our “boots on the ground” coordinator for our development efforts. He arrived on April 4th, 2011.

Find a way to join this effort today… you’ll never regret having given your best to those with the least!

Hollow

2011-10-30T16:41:00.000-03:00

It's windy here. The tree outside my window is dancing around quite a bit. Makes me wonder if it'll stand up against the pressure.

Trees that are rotten and hollow in the middle are much more likely to fall down in a storm. They may look tall and strong on the outside, but what's on the inside is what really matters.

How about you? What do your insides look like? Some people talk about having a god-shaped hole in their heart. You may try to fill it with wealth, relationships, fun, food, drugs, fame, or anything else. But the hole can only be filled by God's Spirit living in you. That happens when you surrender your life to Jesus.

^"Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit" - Ephesians 5:18 (NLT)

Pray to End Abortion

2011-10-02T20:09:00.000-03:00

Father, we come to you this evening recognizing that we are so small compared with you. We know that we can’t end abortion in our own power, that’s why we are asking you to intervene. In our weakness, you are made strong. Yes Lord, may you be exalted!

We ask that as we encounter opposition, please remind us that the battle is not against the people we see, but against spiritual forces. When we are mistreated, please may your Holy Spirit show your love through us. When we are yelled at, may our silence be as a loud cry out to you our Father. When people protest against us, may our hearts break with the compassion of our Saviour.

Oh God, we pray for the mothers & fathers and the doctors & nurses involved in abortion. We ask that you would rescue them out of the clutch of the deceiver; the one who is the enemy. Please, will you show them the ugliness of sin, but also the beauty of your unfailing love. Oh, may we all see the ugliness of our sin, thank you for your forgiveness, thank you for the salvation that we find through Jesus.

And as we go to battle against the enemy over these next 40 days, we ask that you would fight for us. Would you please display your power, that nobody will be able help but see that it’s you at work; we don’t want this 40 Days for Life Vigil to be explainable in human terms, but we so desperately want for you to do the impossible.

We ask all of this knowing that Jesus is our advocate, and so it is in him name we pray, amen.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/40-Days-for-Life-Halifax-2011/238781549476709

http://40daysforlifehalifax.blogspot.com/

http://www.40daysforlife.com/halifax/

Open Your Eyes

2011-05-20T12:46:00.000-03:00

This is going to sound really simple, but how could I not give God credit for something he did.

I lost my wallet. I looked hard for it. In the normal places - desk, pants pockets, backpack, car. I looked in the not-so-normal places - kitchen drawers, front closet shelf, fridge, freezer. But it was nowhere to be found. Well, seeing how I've been learning more about living a life of faith, I decided it would be a good idea to ask God to help me find it. After all, he does care about every part of our lives. Well, I closed my eyes and simply asked him to help me find it. As I was in transition from prayer to opening my eyes I was wondering if God would just give me a sudden idea of somewhere obscure where it would be; somewhere that I hadn't checked. Instead, as I opened my eyes, the very first thing that was in my line of sight was another pair of pants on the floor. I went over, sure enough, there was my wallet.

I told you it would be really simple, but there it is. Thanks God.

This got me thinking further. At times when we pray for God to use us to make a difference in people's lives, maybe all we need to do is to open our eyes and God will simply show us a need. Too many times maybe we pray and then go on as if we're waiting for lightning to strike thinking that something has to be something of epic proportions in order for it to be of God. Try it, pray, then open your eyes and see what God sees.

-Zach

The Good Muslim - Luke 10:25-37 (Zach’s 21st Century Paraphrase)

2011-04-15T09:32:00.000-03:00

One day, a church leader came to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what do I need to do to have eternal life?”

What is written in the Bible?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole strength, and your whole mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour like you love yourself.’”

“That’s the right answer,” Jesus replied. “If you do this you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And just who is my neighbour?”

Jesus replied: “A woman came home one night to her drunken husband. He beat her to the point where she could hardly stand. When he finally left her alone and dozed off in front of the TV, she gathered some courage and painfully staggered out of the house to go find help. She stumbled onto the grassy area next to a busy intersection and held out a cardboard sign: ‘BEEN ABUSED – NEED HELP’. A pastor pulled up to the red light beside where she was sitting. He was in a hurry for a meeting, so he ignored her. Next switch of lights, a Sunday school teacher came to a stop next to the woman. He reasoned to himself that she was making it up and just playing the system, so he ignored her. At yet another switch of lights a Muslim man stopped at the place where this woman was sitting and he had compassion on her. He helped her into the passenger seat and took her to the local emergency room. He paid for the woman’s expenses since she had neither citizenship nor medical insurance. After waiting several hours for her to be seen by a doctor, he brought her to the local woman’s shelter and told her, ‘I will return soon to see how else I can help you.’

“What do you think? Out of these three men, who was a true neighbour to the battered woman?”

The church leader replied, “The one who showed her mercy.”

Jesus told him, “Go and follow his example.”

Drying by Fire

2011-03-24T16:11:00.000-03:00

Thursday is typically my day off, and often that means a hiking trip! Today was no different, well, maybe just a little different.

It started out well, I headed out the front door for my trek across the highway and into the woods to Ragged Lake. Over rocks, under limbs, through marsh. I made it, what a beautiful place, the shoreline was even sandy! My main task for this trip was to attempt to start a fire the old fashioned way - rubbing sticks. Well, I prepared everything just as I thought I should. Warmth, but no fire. After much effort I whipped out a strike anywhere match and that did the trick.

As I was burning some dead branches and such on the beach, I took a short stroll to the east and happened upon a Geocach (http://www.geocaching.com/). Put my name on the paper and back to the fire I went. Well, I don't do well sitting down and waiting, so I walked in the westward direction. On the way, I jumped over a tree that had grown out sideways. A second similar tree approached - a little higher. As I ducted under this second one I decided to try to jump over it on the way back. When time came, I leaped into the air, hooked my foot on the tree, and descended into the lake below.

After deciding that running home would be the wimpy thing to do, I proceeded to set my wet clothes by the fire to dry. It was near the freezing mark today, I didn't leave the side of the fire for too long at a time. Eventually I dried, and my pants and sweater were coming along just fine. I went into the woods for a few more dead branches and came back to find that my sweater decided to do a belly flop onto the fire. A few burn holes in the left sleeve, the one that was dry. Hmm... O well, at least it was only my sweater and I have a dry t-shirt on. I can go home with no sweatshirt and not get too embarrassed, couldn't say the same for going home without pants. Yeah, I ended up burning my pants too. Just the top right edge and pocket though, my t-shirt mostly covered that.

What a great day!

How Many Gods?

2011-03-23T09:10:00.000-03:00

I had the privilege of preaching at Metro Wesleyan Church this past Sunday, and it certainly wasn't a fluff topic! The title of the sermon was "How Many Gods?" Is there one God? Are there 3 Gods?

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness

The "us" indicates that though there is one God, he consists of 3 persons:

Father

²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Son

¹⁷In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” ¹⁸ For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Holy Spirit

Psalm 51:11 (NIV, ©2011)
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

All Three Together

²¹ When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened²² the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Summary

“This...[is] unity in trinity,... Father, Son and Spirit – three... but one nature and of one reality and of one power, because there is one God.” – Tertullian (emphasis mine)

What's the purpose?

¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

Simply knowing the truth about who God is is not enough. Just believing that God exists gets you nowhere.

But when we repent of our sin and put our faith in Jesus the Holy Spirit will cleanse our hearts and the Father will forgive our sins and count us as his own children! And then we must follow Jesus by living in the power of the Holy Spirit so we can honour the Father through our lives. It’s all about bringing God glory and living in the fullness of his presence!

Zach's Journeys - January 2011 pt. 2

2011-02-02T08:36:00.000-04:00

Still bad, but not as bad as the news makes it seem. The torn land of Haiti has seen some progress since I visited in May. There is less rubble in the streets, buildings are being repaired, and life seems to be back to somewhat of a regular routine. However, this by no means gives us the right to think we’re finished!

Day One: It was the 1-year anniversary of the earthquake, and a Youth With A Mission (YWAM) team held a memorial/worship service in the town square in Anse-a-Galets, La Gonave. There’s still a lot of hurt in people’s hearts, but it is so good to see many relying on God as their unshakable foundation.

Day Two: a 90-minute motorcycle ride into the mountains brought me to Terre Sel. I was sent to video document the construction & needs of a school project there. I got the information I was looking for, now onward with the fundraising through Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, NS!

Splendid House Orphanage

Through the rest of the week God provided opportunities for some very informative conversations; I love learning about what’s happening and getting a broader perspective of the ministry and the country! I was also able to help with fixing a boat, installing a light pole, teaching English classes, and the other random things that sprout up every day. I love it!

One day, one of my Haitian friends asked me, “Will God judge Haitians for their sin since they already suffer so much?” (The answer is yes for those who aren’t following Jesus, and no for those who put their faith in Christ.) Reality Check – these people are devastated. Life = Hardships.

But there is hope! I see how God has been changing lives for the better. Please partner with a project through Global Partners, the organization I go with in Haiti. You can visit http://wesleyan.org/gp/projects to find where you can plug in! I recommend Leadership Training. You can do this by making cheques payable to Metro Wesleyan Church, in the memo line write “Haiti: WM06-1136.”

Metro Wesleyan Church
21 Roxham Close
Halifax, NS B3S 1G2

Thank you so much for your prayers; praise God for causing this trip to be so successful!

Please continue to pray for those who are serving in Haiti as well as those who struggle to survive.

-Zach d'Entremont

zdentremont@gmail.com

Guess What?!

2011-01-10T15:12:00.002-04:00

Guess what?! I’m leaving for Haiti tomorrow (January 11)! And I’ll be there until January 21.

As you probably know, I was planning to go to Haiti with a group of Caton’s Island staff over the New Year. When we had to cancel due to political rioting, an opportunity was presented for me to be able to go with a different group in January. After some issues were worked through, I was blessed with an airplane ticket!

Mission:

To make video documentation of the progress of a school project in a remote community on the island of La Gonave, Haiti.

This makes me feel a little bit like Indiana Jones or MacGyver (minus the Russian spies, fights, and explosives).

Extra Mission:

Not only do I get to be the camera guy, I’ll have some great opportunities to join in projects with a team from New Brunswick! My friend and mentor, Dean Stephenson, will be leading a team of men who will, among other things, help build a concrete building which will house a water treatment facility in another remote village on La Gonave.

Bonus:

I will also be blessed with time to see my Haitian & Missionary friends!

Your Part:

Pray! It’s useless for me to try to do anything without God; thus, I need you to pray!

· Pray that God will be honoured through this trip

· Pray that I will listen to God’s promptings

· Pray that I can accurately record the needs & realities

· Pray for unity and peace among all who are working together

Thank you so much!

-Zach d’Entremont

zdentremont@gmail.com

zachsjourneys.blogspot.com

2 HUGE things!

2010-11-22T10:27:00.000-04:00

Bit by bit I see God pull the pieces together. On Tuesday afternoons I'm going to be joining the Christian Fellowship Group at the local high school where our church meets. Then in the evenings the plan is to have our regular youth group meetings. These are two HUGE things for this youth ministry that God has placed me in here at Metro Wesleyan Church! Praise God, he is good!

I have really enjoyed getting to know the youth at Metro Wesleyan and I'm super excited about the possibilities! But at the same time this is crazy intimidating, which is a good thing because it drives me to rely on God's power, not my own. I've learned my lessons of trying to do ministry on my own, thinking that I can figure it out. BAD IDEA. When I actually look to the One who has the ability, people's lives are changed! OK Lord, here we go!!

Why?

2010-10-27T08:18:00.000-03:00

He stopped his bicycle and looked at me. “So what are you doing? You’re not with this [40 Days for Life] are you?” “Yes, I am,” I replied. He continued, “I don’t get it. Why can’t you just let people live their lives? Everyone says that their god is the one and their word is true. Why do you have to come here and impose your beliefs on other people? I don’t get it; why?...” and he continued talking for a while. When he gave me a chance to speak there were many things that I wanted to say, but I knew that it wouldn’t be wise to defend myself; besides, the Father is much more capable of defending than I am! I simply said, “Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I’m not going to get into an argument, but I appreciate that you were willing to share that with me.” As he started to leave he finished by saying, “I don’t get it. Why?”

I’m glad that he’s asking that question. Had I thought that he was ready to discuss the topic, my answer would have reflected his accusations. “Why can’t you just let people live their lives?” That’s exactly why we’re praying, so that people can have a chance to live their lives. Why are you coming here to “impose your beliefs on others?” Nothing in my interaction with you was an attempt to impose my beliefs on you; rather, you tried to impose your beliefs on me. But the issue at hand is not about our beliefs, but about the right to live.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven” –Matthew 5:11-12a

Camp + Haiti = WooHoo!

2010-10-23T18:05:00.001-03:00

Zach with the Orphanage Children - '09

Camp + Haiti is like Chocolate + Peanut Butter. Put them together and it’s an amazing recipe! A couple days after Christmas, I will be going to Haiti with a group of over 20 Caton’s Island Staff!

God has fit it all together so perfectly à he provided me with a 6-month internship in Haiti last year and he brought me to Caton’s Island Camp this summer as Head Counsellor. Being able to draw from both of these experiences equates to effective ministry!

We will be having camp for about 60 children from an orphanage. This year it consists of day camps as well as 3 days of overnight camp on the mainland! I imagine these will be some of their thoughts:

We will have grass to play on!
I love fun crafts & games!
Wow, swimming & a boat ride!
Yay! My Canadian friends are back!
God must really love us!

As these children experience holistic growth and development, they will be ready to be courageous leaders within their communities and their country. What’s better than investing in the future generation!?!

“The goal is to have a deep and lasting spiritual impact on young lives as well as create memorable camp moments that connect them with Christ.” -Dean Stephenson

So, please pray that:

Lives will be forever changed – our lives as well as theirs!
God will keep us humble.
He will allow the details to work out.
Our team will be united in this purpose.

Thank you for your prayers & interest!

-Zach d’Entremont

Site 5, Box 4, RR#1

Glenwood, NS

B0W 1W0

zdentremont@gmail.com

P.S. If you want to be added to my email updates, let me know!

40 Days for Life

2010-10-22T13:31:00.000-03:00

I’ve been involved with the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil here in Halifax. Once a week I go in front of the Victoria General Hospital to pray for an hour concerning abortion. This is a peaceful protest, just being there and praying. Most people who come by don’t acknowledge that we’re there. Some people stop talking as they walk by. Once in a while someone will say an encouraging word. And then there are those who shout out insults. It’s funny, I’m always encouraged when people laugh or say something offensive; Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33b). Praise God that what he’s doing is enough to evoke retaliation from the evil one! Let’s keep praying that our unborn brothers and sisters will be given the right to life here in Canada!

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

(Psalm 139:13-16, NIV)

Zach's Journeys - September 2010

2010-09-22T11:04:00.001-03:00

All my life people have told me about this thing they call "The Real World ". They say that life is different once you finish school and get a job. Well, it finally happened. This year as students are all occupied with their classes and homework, I'm busy with other responsibilities. As of this past Sunday, I have officially started as the part-time Assistant Pastor at Metro Wesleyan Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia. My main responsibilities are working with the youth & young adults. Since there weren't any specific ministries established for them when I came, I have the privilege of starting from scratch. My main goal for the first little while is to connect. I'll give you an example:

The nearest university to Metro Wesleyan is Mount Saint Vincent University. Wanting to connect, I looked online to try to find out when Inter-Varsity would be having a Bible study, but I didn’t get the information I was looking for. Oh well. Sunday afternoon I went to the university just to see what would happen. As I was walking up the steps I prayed, "Lord, will you please make this visit worthwhile, please give me a good opportunity to connect." I sat, read, and tried to figure out how to make something happen. As I looked out the window I thought, "The way that person walks seems familiar." I only knew 2 people at the university, and surprisingly, it was one of them who came walking down the sidewalk & up the steps! When I saw that it was my friend Katie, I went over to say hi. And not only did I get to see a friend, she invited me to the Inter-Varsity Bible study the next day! God gave me the exact opportunity I was looking for!

I did go to the Bible study, and I did connect with people who are making a different on their campus. I’ve also met many other people who God is using to impact the city of Halifax. I’m really excited for the possibilities ahead of me; I know that God has some great plans! Please pray that God would continue to help me see the opportunities he puts in front of me. Also, pray that I would always show his love to everyone I meet.

Thanks!

-Zach d’Entremont
zdentremont@gmail.com

2010-08-23T20:52:00.006-03:00

The UN estimates that 20 million people urgently need food, shelter, and emergency care — that's 10 times as many as were impacted by the earthquake in Haiti. You can make a significant difference in the lives of Pakistani flood survivors by donating through World Vision.

End of Caton's 2010

2010-08-23T18:22:00.003-03:00

So often I look back and see that God definitely placed certain things in my life in perfect ways, and this summer at Caton's Island is one of them! I had the privilege & responsibility of being Head Counsellor this summer. That means that I did cabin assignments, led counsellor meetings, dealt with homesick campers, and enforced discipline. Maybe those tasks don't sound fun, but seeing God work in the staff & campers' lives makes it all worth it. I had the opportunity of talking one-on-one with a camper named Skylar. He was ready to accept Jesus as his Lord & Saviour right then and there; it's so powerful to see the Holy Spirit bring new life to someone!

I also loved how God put me in a position where he used me to help the counsellors learn and grow in their personal & spiritual lives! One young man in particular is considering entering full-time ministry after high school, and it has been a huge blessing to help him sort through some of that.

Although I'm quite tired from the constant work involved, I know that God has used this summer to stretch me & teach me so much! He taught me more about love, patience, grace, leadership, teamwork, and dependence on him, just to name a few things.

A Quick Week

2010-05-20T22:38:00.006-03:00

I think more went wrong during this one week trip than my entire 6 months in Haiti last year! Between having a multi-tool in my carry-on bag at the airport, to getting sick, to losing my wallet, I had a few issues to deal with. But no biggie, God gave me peace through it all and he caused everything to come out just fine. I got through customs with a slightly lighter bag, came out of sickness with a slightly lighter body, and came out of Haiti with a slightly lighter pocket. Despite these things, it was definitely worth going back. I surprised some of my Haitian friends there with my visit; one young man even told me that I look like someone who was there last year named Zachary... who could that be?

The team I went with was great. Together we were able to help the long-term missionaries by doing lots of painting for them and part of our team went to the local orphanage to teach some English lessons and to simply love those kids. I know that all of our experiences were very impacting and that God has used them to teach us life lessons. I personally learned about leadership, vision, and dealing with problems. I think that some of my teammates will find themselves on Haitian soil once again someday.

Haiti really has been affected by the earthquakes and the problems induced by them. Food is more expensive. Countless have to live in tent cities. Many have lost loved ones. But hope presses on. God has been faithful even in the midst of the hardships; saving some from falling concrete during the earthquake, bringing many to faith, and providing much food, shelter, and resources to those in need. But there is still a lot to be done, and Haiti continues to be in need of lasting development. If you would like to make a difference, get on board with some of the projects through the missionaries I was with. You can find these projects at wesleyan.org/gp/projects. Just select "Haiti" under the "Field" menu.

Thank you all for your support in prayer, encouragement, and finances - you are a part of this ministry!

-Zach

Blessings & Prayer

2010-05-09T22:22:00.006-03:00

I'll be back in the warmth of Haiti in only 2 days!

I have been very encouraged by how God has provided funds for this trip through various supporters. It's good to know that this ministry isn't just something I'm going on, but a ministry that many people are part of even without ever going. And I know that crazy amounts of people are praying. God has the power to do all kinds of great works, and prayer is extremely important.

I met the team on Saturday; I'm excited to get a chance to serve with this solid group of people. Please pray that the team will work and live in unity and that we will all be humble and open to learning and serving.

Thank you all so much! Praise God for what he has done and will do!

Haiti Again!

2010-05-04T12:22:00.005-03:00

I'm really excited about going back to Haiti from May 11-18 as I have the privilege of co-leading a team from Deep Water Church. We will be tackling a large painting job, teaching 9 hours of English to the children at a local orphanage, and doing whatever else is needed. I know that God will use this experience to teach me and the team many new things and I hope & pray that he will use us to show his love in tangible ways to those we come in contact with. It will also be so good to see my Haitian and missionary friends, eat diri ak pwa (rice & beans), and speak Haitian Creole again!

Sadness

2010-01-16T22:06:00.008-04:00

I heard the news from a couple of friends. Haiti has been hit by a massive earthquake. And so the sadness begins. The next day I read some reports - it's worse than I thought. The sadness continues. Story after story, statistic after statistic, the reality of the devastation brought to Port-au-Prince sinks deeper and deeper in. Tonight I read some of the blogs that I'm following and saw the pictures posted there. The sadness grows in my heart. And to think that those very same streets I just travelled through, the very same buildings I passed by, the very same people who walked where I walked - destroyed. And if this makes my heart sad, how much more is our maker, the One who knows us better than we know ourselves, broken over this tragedy. And so let us unite our hearts with his as we intercede for the hurt, the homeless, and the grieving. The earthquake brought grief, but God will create some good things in the midst of it. Please also make a financial contribution too. There are many good organizations to go through, here's a link to the one I know personally, the Wesleyan Church:

http://www.wesleyan.org/doc/news_article?id=658&src=news&utm_source=from+Wesleyan.org&utm_medium=twitter

Back for the holidays

2009-12-18T21:52:00.003-04:00

Since I've been home from Haiti things have been upbeat and busy; I'm not complaining. I worked with dad preparing for and going lobster fishing the first week home and I traveled around to 8 different high schools promoting Bethany Bible College during the second week. Both were great experiences, I love variety! Then I went over to Sussex to visit friends and attend the Christmas banquet. It was a great time of reconnecting and making some new memories too. Then on Wednesday this week I went over again, but this time with a different objective - to pick up my sister, Carrie, for Christmas break! It was great to see her again after almost 7 months. Now I'm home with all my family for a few weeks, it's such a blessing.

O Canada!

2009-11-29T15:45:00.003-04:00

The hot Haitian environment mixed with the cool air in the plane causing mist all around the cabin as I embarked on my homeward bound journey. A few hours later I wandered around the Montreal airport trying to locate the ticket booth so that I could get a voucher for a hotel room for the night. Going to the hotel brought one concern to mind – I had to go outside to get a shuttle. It was 3 degrees Celsius outside and I didn’t have any long-sleeved shirts of any kind with me. Once I spotted the booth, I made a quick step outside to see if a nice hotel room would be worth 10 minutes of standing in the cold. I was surprised that I didn’t find the cold air all that shocking, so I went and got my voucher. They told me that I had about 10 minutes to wait before the shuttle arrived, so I scurried into the washroom to put on a pair of shorts beneath my pants and pull on 4 layers of shirts before going outside. And I was OK; my limbs didn’t even freeze off.

The next day (Wednesday) I reunited with my parents and my brother and we were on our way home. (In just a few weeks I’ll get to see my sister again.) So far I haven’t experienced much reverse culture shock, not even as much as I had expected I would. Basically I just have to remind myself that I don’t have to be super conservative with how much water I use anymore. Maybe it’s just a matter of time until it all strikes me; I don’t need to worry about it, but I do need to be prepared just in case.

Lessons from a Child

2009-11-19T15:48:00.002-04:00

Mois is a 3-year-old Haitian in the process of being adopted by my supervisor’s oldest daughter. I have gotten to spend a good chunk of time with him these past few months since he has been living here in Haiti with my supervisor. This past weekend I had an opportunity to take care of him for a couple hours one evening and we had a blast! We started by playing with his kids version of Black & Decker tools. He seemed to have fun putting the screw in and out, in and out, in and stuck. Then came a bit of whining, but with my expertise we were back on track and well on our way to putting it in and out a few more times. Oh the simplicity in childhood, no need for elaborate complex projects, just put the screw in and take it back out again. I wonder how my heavenly Father sees me sometimes – simple, childish, maybe easily amused. And still, we get stuck with these simple tasks before us. They certainly seem monstrous to us, but the Father is a few infinities beyond human capacity.

Then came the soccer ball – back and forth, back and forth, etc. But that didn’t last as long, soon it was time to be tired of that event and whine a bit more. It’s funny; sometimes it seems that kids can’t stand to do one thing for very long without getting restless, but other times they want to repeat the same thing time after time (usually involving running in circles) until the adult is the one who finally gives up! And then there’s me; I get easily bored and restless when I have to do certain things too often whether it be schoolwork, manual labour, or whatever. But then there are those simple things that I find endless amusement in – like riding my scooter down the hill to class or eating Maximum Raisin. Seriously, why do we think that we are so mature, when really we’re not much different than children? You know that saying, “The difference between men and boys is the size of their toys,” I think it has a lot of truth. Of course, adults should be more mature than kids and take responsibility and all that stuff, but it must be funny for God to lounge on his heavenly couch and watch the ridiculous things we do.

When I was a kid I used to like to build forts out of things like couches and chairs (OK, maybe I still do). So, I thought that Mois would obviously enjoy that too. And he did, for about 3 minutes. It took longer 3 minutes to set the cushions in place! I was semi-disappointed that he didn’t want to pour some concrete over the top and make it a permanent home. OK, that’s a little exaggerated. But of course, how often do we pour our time, money, and attention to whatever we think will make us insanely happy only to find out that it’s not really all we had hoped for. Then it sits there unused for eons and eventually breaks. Jon Acuff wrote about how we often look to other things and think that they are going to save us. These other things will prove to let me down every time – only Jesus is my saviour, noting else will make my life fulfilling. Even if Mois had played in the fort for 3 hours or 3 days or 3 decades, it would still be an insignificant pile of cushions. What’s your pile of cushions? Where does your hope lie? Where is your treasure (Matthew 6:19-21)? Might I suggest seeking something of eternal value?

Flexibility

2009-11-10T14:47:00.001-04:00

I’m not talking about my daily stretching routine, although I think that’s important too. (Yes, I really do have a daily stretching routine.)

Flexibility in life has come into play many times here in Haiti. The first and biggest instance was actually even before I came! I thought that I’d start my internship around the beginning of June, but my supervisor thought that I was supposed to be coming at the beginning of September. You see, the problem is that he was going to be travelling throughout the USA during all of June, July, and August, and I needed to be in Haiti for 5 months before my next semester of college. So with flexibility from everyone involved, I obtained 2 unofficial supervisors for my first ½ of my internship. But ya know what; it turned out to be a great thing because I have had a HUGE variety of experiences this way and I got to learn from all three men.

Flexibility has also made some major appearances in the two instances when I changed houses. I lived in one house here on the compound for the first 1 ½ months, then I travelled around with Pastor Carl Gilles for the next 1 ½ months, and then I lived in a different house here on the compound for the past 2 ½ months. And today was another move to another house on the compound for my last 2 weeks here. But the truth is that I don’t really have all that much stuff to move and it really isn’t much of a big deal. The houses here are equipped with all the kitchen utensils, towels, and furniture that I need, so personal items are all I need to shuffle around. I basically just have to be willing to do it.

And for whatever strange reason, I find all of this amusing. There’s no sense in me getting upset, or refusing to be flexible, because that would just make life more difficult and it would upset relationships. Of course, there can be an unhealthy opposite extreme where people just become pushovers, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. A healthy flexibility helps you to become a team-player, to make life go more smoothly, and to give you some great experiences that you may never have had if you were too stuck in your ways.

These experiences in Haiti have further opened my eyes to the important role that flexibility has in life. I hope that I will be able to identify the areas of unhealthy stubbornness that I have left and be willing to let go.

So how about it? Are there areas in your life where you are stubbornly refusing to change things up? Might I ask you to loosen up a little bit and embrace the adventure?

Retreat

2009-11-07T12:40:00.002-04:00

It is healthy to take vacations and breaks from regular life. I know that when I came back to Anse-a-Galets, the community where I live, I was refreshed and eager to dive back in and make the most of my time here. It was good to see my friends here and it is fulfilling to think about the ways that I will be able to help out a bit more before my last two and a half weeks are up. One new thing is that I will have an opportunity to teach some computer classes while Matthew is away for language training. I’m not a computer genius, but this course is on a very basic level so there shouldn’t be any problems.

During the retreat it was fun to hang out with the people who are around my age. We swam, played games (such as ultimate spoons – wow), and simply sat around talking. I also greatly benefited from conversations with the more senior missionaries there. They have so much experience and understanding of missions and ways in which we can advance the kingdom of God. I learned about theological education, Bible translation, church planting, agriculture, hospitals, returning to the sending country, and many other things about missionary life in general. Perhaps one of the most beneficial conversations that I had was during my meeting with Pastor Ned McGrady. I talked about the things I think that God is saying to me about ministry, my hopes & dreams, and my strengths & weaknesses. We talked about the next steps and the ways that I should approach them. He was encouraging and affirming to me as I shared these things with him and took in some advice. I don’t know where exactly the path will lead, but I know that as I humbly submit to and follow God, he will direct it where it should go.

My Story

2009-11-01T17:42:00.002-04:00

I started to realize in elementary school that God wanted me in full-time ministry, but I did not really want to be a pastor and I didn’t understand that there were so many other options. In the summer of 2003, when I was 15 years old, I went on a short-term mission trip to Paraguay. Through this God opened my eyes to the huge need there is for missionaries in this world, and he also helped me to see that this was something he has made me for! This sounded so much more like a good fit for me than pastoral ministry did, and so much better than any other occupation that I could think of doing. However, I did not want to go too far away to be a missionary, maybe somewhere in Latin America. I certainly did not want to go to Asia or minister to Muslims!

God led me to take the Global Ministry program at Bethany Bible College and through this he has taught me so many things about missions and ministry. Over the past three years he has put a desire in my heart to minister among the unreached; considering my previous reservations to this, I know it is definitely not something that I dreamed up for myself! The Lord truly prepares us for the good works he has planned.

Through this internship in Haiti I have been exposed to hands-on global ministry in many different forms. I have observed and talked to missionaries who are involved in pastoral ministry, pastor training, developing the national church, infrastructure development, community development, orphanages, and missionary aviation. I have also developed a stronger philosophy of ministry as I learn more about the world’s needs and the solutions to these needs. Through this exposure God has been shaping my understanding of his call on my life as well as the passions and gifts that he has equipped me with.

The most significant single understanding that God gave to me during this internship is the idea of preparing and equipping national believers to minister to their own people. When I learn of a new approach to something I often tend to think it’s wonderful without reflecting on it enough. Therefore, I don’t always trust these gung-ho urges that I want to immediately apply to my life since I often need some time to get things back into perspective. Of course, God knows me, better than I know myself in fact, so he just decided to speak directly to me about preparing and equipping these national believers so that I could more easily believe the validity of it. And then in the next day or so he confirmed it by using my supervisor to seemingly “out of the blue” tell me about this very idea. And then that same week I started reading The Great Omission by Steve Saint which was all about this very same thing! There’s nothing like reemphasizing a point to make sure someone gets it (I can be a little dull sometimes)!

It is wonderfully encouraging to look back and see the ways that God has directed my path so that he could bring me through the life-shaping experiences that he desired for me to have. The longer I live, the more I see how much I lack control and how good God is at putting the pieces in place. With all of the unknowns ahead of me, it is very comforting to increasingly trust God to steer my life. No matter how hard I try to figure everything out, it is God who drops ideas, people, and opportunities in front of me to shape my path. Praise him for his perfect plans!

It is not usually easy to discern the next steps of the journey, but if I were to look at what makes sense as of now, I have somewhat of an idea of where God might want to bring me. Of course, completing college seems to be the immediate next part of the path, but that isn’t too far away! I have already started the process of checking with Global Partners to look into some available options for global ministry service. Perhaps I will go to a relatively new field to help train young Christians to become the leaders of the local church. Perhaps I will work with an organization like the Jesus Film Project to enable nationals to present the gospel to thousands of their own people. I don’t know, but for now I must pursue God with all that I am, live with godly character, and serve with a humble and loving heart. It is God who will lead me and anything good that happens in my life will be of him!

Zach vs. Drain

2009-10-24T12:28:00.002-03:00

I had tried to get rid of the clog in the beginning of July, and ignoring it since then was no help. At the beginning of October Matt and I decided to tackle it once and for all – well, at least we hoped so. But we couldn’t locate the clog, maybe it was down too far to reach. It seemed like we might have to just run a new line since this one was under concrete.
Uncertain as to which pipe was our drain pipe, and instead of cutting the visible pipe and hoping it was the right one, I decided to dig around and look to see if the drain pipe came out somewhere else. After a couple of hours, and many holes, I found what I was looking for. I had located another pipe leading out from the septic tank, and after some confusion as to why the pipe stopped when it got to the house, I realized that someone had broken it and left it that way! And thus, the ground was our clog. I ended up uncovering the pipe enough that the water and the clog came pouring out into the trench that I had built. But it gets better. Where the pipe was broken laid the main electricity line to the house, and after unknowingly slicing the line with my shovel, I got a little shock as I reached into the water that came pouring out. But at the same time my skin started burning from the lye that was in the few liters of drain cleaner that had been poured in there earlier. Well, the water drained/dried up and I was able to uncover the wires enough to do something about them. With advice from Dan and Butch (2 of my supervisors), I covered the lines in silicon and then wrapped them in a plastic bag. And with a new section of pipe things were good to go once again!
From this I learned that it is not worth ignoring (or causing) a plumbing problem in hopes that it will go away. In this case, a slow drain led me having to shut off the electricity to the entire compound. I also learned to think about where the electrical lines are before digging holes. And I now know that it is a great idea to take a picture of lines before burying them so that the next guy who has to dig them up will have something to go by instead of wasting precious time making holes and cracking pipes. Although there were frustrations, I really am quite glad to have had this experience. I’m just adding this to the growing list of things I know a little bit about.

Do the Math

2009-10-18T13:36:00.000-03:00

I am amazed by and thankful for how much God has been teaching me during my internship here in Haiti. He has been teaching me about so many things including culture, relationships, needs vs. misconceived needs, work, and missions. Today I want to share with you a wonderful insight about world missions. Steve Saint in his book The Great Omission describes one of the huge mistakes that missionaries have made of neglecting to include indigenous believers in ministry to their own people as well as to prepare them to go to other places where the gospel has yet to be proclaimed.
Steve’s simple mathematical explanation does a lot to help us understand how it all works. If the roughly 100 000 Christian missionaries in this world each share the gospel with an average of 500 people, we would only have reached 50 000 000 - less than 2% of the world’s unreached. However, if the roughly 100 000 missionaries each mentor 60 people who in turn share the gospel with 500 people, then they will reach all of the world’s 3 billion unreached!
So insights like this are a large part of how God has been directing my future. There are still many uncertainties, but bit by bit he has been revealing the ministry that he has in store for me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-10-12T16:57:00.002-03:00

With a plate full of foods such as turkey, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes, I felt almost like I was back home again. We have a team here from Deep Water, a church in Halifax, Nova Scotia, so I wasn’t all alone in my Canadian Thanksgiving celebration.

Before I came to Haiti I figured that I might miss foods from back home. But this is hardly ever true, although, I have had a strange craving for a few months now – garlic fingers. I tried to make garlic bread once, but instead of going to the market, buying garlic, and crushing it myself, I opted for garlic salt instead. Bad decision. But a few days ago Trish gave me some wonderfully made garlic bread, so that half fulfilled this strange craving of mine.

This being said, I still did thoroughly enjoy this meal today! It was deee-licious!

At the Barber Shop

2009-09-26T18:01:00.003-03:00

I look drastically different with my new Haitian haircut! I decided that my time to experience this part of the culture is quickly dwindling, so with Wadnerson armed with my camera, I entered the barber shop! I brought my BBC pictorial and showed the barber my picture so that he had a target to shoot for. I told him to use the buzzer on the sides and leave about an inch and a half on top. Well, my hopes fell to the floor along with all of my bangs. Although he left an inch and a half on top, I suppose that I didn’t specify that he should also leave that much in the front. From there I told him to cut as he thought was good. And viola, I look more like a Haitian today than I ever have. Most of the men here have very short hair and the top is the longest. Mine isn’t quite like theirs, but it looks roughly the same shape. I have seen Pastor Carl get his hair cut a couple of times and some of the tactics that they use on Haitians’ hair didn’t quite work that well on mine. Most of the time was spent shaping my hairline, which, I didn’t really want to be visible in the first place. Anyway, this was a great experience and it gets a great reaction when people see it for the first time! I am glad that I got to engage this Haitian culture in this way. It really isn’t as hideous as I thought it was going to be, although, it is quite different!

On Top

2009-09-23T22:17:00.003-03:00

These pics don’t even come close to doing justice to the magnificent view I had. It was early in the morning when I decided to walk up the road that leads out of the town where I live here in Haiti. I came to a perfect spot where the road curves away and there it was, Anse-a-Galets (the name of the town) from on top! As I walked out on the roof of the house there (with permission of course), I could see the men working in the sand mines in the ravine, the houses and roads below, and the sailboats in the harbour. It had rained hard the night before, so all the captains put up the sails to dry them out in the sun. What a view! When I was leaving, I said “hi” to the owner of the house and we exchanged names. Then he said in Creole, “Zachary, have you accepted Jesus?” With a smile on my face, I affirmed that I had. It is encouraging for me to meet people who are bold in sharing their faith! How about you, have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and saviour?

A Fear-of-the-Lord Lifestyle

2009-09-23T22:14:00.000-03:00

I read an article about how it is so important to live a Fear-of-the-Lord lifestyle. This means that our lives should be deep in him, living out of that relationship. We should be aware of how serious sin is and how important it is to rely on God for all things. Although this is a simple concept and one that I know, it isn’t always one that I grab onto as tightly as I should. I do have a daily devotional time of Scripture reading, and I am intentional about praying each night before bed, but there is so much more than that. I am one to always be busy doing something, so I struggle with times of silence – opening my heart and mind to God. I want to make this intimacy with God more of a reality in my life, but I guess time will tell. I know that God wants to minister through me as he first fills me. The article also said that sin will be less attractive when we live more in the fear of the Lord. This makes sense, and I know that it is so important. Satan must love to lure ministers into sin because of the hard blow that it makes on the body of Christ. I have lots of reason to go deeper in God and let his power envelope me! Here’s the link to the article: http://www.svm2.net/abandoned-times-articles/cultivating-the-fear-of-the-lord-lifestyle.html

If you want to be fearless...

2009-09-14T21:26:00.001-03:00

I have been reading my way through The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This is one book that goes deep into what the life of faith in Jesus really means! It’s not some flimsy hour-a-week thing that is nice to do. No, it is a life of commitment and submission. This following sentence immediately captured my attention, “If you want to be fearless, do good.” I want to be fearless! Doing good is often so much more difficult than giving in to the easy road of sin. However, if following Christ is my motivation, then no other motivator, not even fear, will hold me back. If I do good, who can justly oppose me? I will be able to stand with a clear conscience.
Do you want to be fearless? Do you want to live a victorious life? One in which you rise in the morning with a sense of purpose and importance. One in which you lay down at night with a sense of significance and fulfillment. Then do good. But it is through the power of God working through you that this can happen. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

21 Benches

2009-09-10T22:15:00.004-03:00

This work team of five men from Pennsylvania and New York came on September 1 and are leaving tomorrow (September 11). They have been a huge blessing as they have been able to do many projects and provide many resources. One of the main things that they were able to do was make 21 benches for the school on the Saline (salt flats). These sturdy bright blue benches are a huge blessing for these people as they eagerly start the new school year. I was also able to help out during part of the process. Here in Haiti many things are made with either steel or concrete, both of which I didn’t know much about before coming, so it was great to be able to work with wood again! I have enjoyed spending time with them and seeing how passionate they are to serve God by serving others.

Backhoe

2009-09-02T21:49:00.002-03:00

Lately I’ve been sitting around a lot... sitting on the Backhoe that is! I am super blessed to have such a variety of experiences during this internship. Not only am I learning about the culture, the language, and pastoral ministry, but I’ve also been learning lots of labour-related things. Operating the Backhoe has been a fun challenge as I have been pushing, digging, scooping, and dumping dirt in various locations. It’s amazing what kinds of things missionaries get to do! The other day the road crew even asked if I could operate their grater for a while! (Of course, this would have been a large commitment to something that I’m not really here to do, so my supervisor kindly declined on my behalf.)

A Few More Pics

2009-08-31T22:39:00.004-03:00

A few more cool pictures to add to the pile. This first one was taken one of the times that I was travelling through the mountains. From my peering-through-the-window analysis, I'd guess that the faint vertical lines are from water, and I am almost totally sure that the diagonal lines are the layers of strata. When I first saw the wall like this I thought that the lines were made from a machine during excavation because they look so straingt!

This second picture is of a bridge that got washed out. Several sections of the paved road in this area were totally gone so dirt roads had to be constructed further in to fill in the gaps. From what I hear, much of the damage that comes from hurricanes is a result of flood waters. It is amazing how much power water can have; it can chew away large sections of river banks and knock over concrete walls.

1/2

2009-08-29T12:18:00.003-03:00

Here is an excerpt from my Journal on August 25:

Today marks the half way point! Reflecting on the past 3 months I know that I have learned so much, way more than I would if I stayed in Canada. And that’s the biggest part, learning. I have been continually reminding myself that I am here to learn, and I often introduce myself as a student. But I have been able to contribute in various ways, whether working with WISH, helping Pastor Carl, preaching, or whatever other little things come up. I have been developing friendships and also digging into the culture and the language. I feel satisfied with how things have gone this far, but in a sense I must do it all again. Of course, it will be a different 3 months than the first 3 since I will have different tasks, a better base from which to work, and even a different supervisor in a couple weeks. I usually find that the second half of things goes by faster than the first, and I’m sure that I’ll be amazed at where the time went, 92 days really isn’t all that long.

P.S. This picture doesn't have anything to do with this blog post other than it being taken in Haiti; I just think that it looks cool!

I’m Back

2009-08-24T17:05:00.000-03:00

I’m back on the island (La Gonave) now and I’m loving it! I enjoy my opportunities to work with WISH again, doing various maintenance and work projects. Today I towed a boat with a tractor and also hauled some blocks with an ATV and trailer. WISH operates an ice plant, and there I got to fix some plumbing and help solder a new compressor into place. In doing all o this today I got to spend time with some of my Haitian friends which really makes the day great! I am able to communicate better every day, and with that come deeper relationships. I was even invited to lift weights with some of the guys, which I did this evening. One of these men, Mikenson, speaks excellent English. Actually, he is training in Port-au-Prince to receive a certificate to be an interpreter. He aspires to continue working with mission organizations so that he can serve the Lord with his abilities. It is really encouraging for me to see that he and others are ready and willing to invest their lives into the Kingdom of God!

Up "North"

2009-08-17T20:14:00.006-03:00

I just got back from a trip up to the Northern District Conference of the Wesleyan Church in Foche. Here is a little bit of what I experienced:

Of course, I climbed a tree. I had eyed it up on Sunday, and when Tuesday came around I finally got my chance. It was kind of a day off, and on days off I should have fun right! So up the mango tree I went.

I had a great time hanging out with pastors and delegates from various churches in the district. These men had a very great sense of friendship as they interacted with each other. During the 4 1/2 days there, and after many conversations, I came away with good memories and quite a few new words added to my Creole vocabulary!

Yes, in the course of 2 days we took the front passenger wheel off 5 times and the front driver's wheel off once. That was because of 3 flats, 1 new tire, and 2 sets of worn-out breaks.

The Citadel

2009-08-10T21:56:00.001-03:00

Today I had the privilege of seeing one of Haiti’s main tourist attractions, the Citadel. It is a fortress built by self-proclaimed King Henri Christophe in 1806 to defend Haiti against Napoleon, although it was never attacked. What a huge and amazing place, I think that I could spend every morning there looking at the beautiful scenery and running around the hallways. I was so tempted to climb up some walls and walk along the roofs, but with better judgment, and a tour guide’s presence, I decided against it. My favourite part was getting to the top and looking over the side of the walls. It’s a long ways up! Oh, and the toilet hangs over the edge, that’s cool too! Fortunately I didn’t end up like King Henri with a silver bullet in my noggin.

A Couple of Pics

2009-08-06T21:27:00.005-03:00

This is quite a good sized tree. Too bad I didn't have a chance to climb it... I love climbing trees.
This is one of my favourite pictures that I've ever taken. It's the view from inside the razor-wire at Pastor Carl's guest house. It's amazing how something intended as a weapon can look so intriguing.

How does one accidently attend a wedding?

2009-08-03T21:16:00.001-03:00

How does one accidently attend a wedding? Well, thanks for asking, why don’t you sit back and let me tell you a little story. It was about 1 ½ hours before the concert started as I saw a man walking towards the church building as he carried a large speaker. Seeing him struggling with it, and since I had nothing to do, I decided to give him a hand. After putting it up in place I just stood around and watched him set up the sound system. I found myself in the way a bit, especially since a few people were up front getting ready to practice a skit for the concert. So, I stood back and watched. It seemed like the people in the skit were quite serious about it since they were all dressed in perfect looking costumes. And the people acting as the congregation in the skit were even dressed up right! Yes, as you might already realize, this skit was about a wedding, and in fact, it wasn’t a skit at all! But I was still in denial that I was accidently attending a real wedding, so I went over to a few men sitting at the back to ask them. After they assured me that it was real, I just sat down and waited for it to start. There were many similarities between this wedding and those I’ve been to in Canada, except here the bride didn’t come down the aisle and they both sat down during most of the ceremony. O, and one other difference… they weddings I’ve been to before didn’t have foreigners accidently in attendance!

The Practical

2009-07-28T20:19:00.007-03:00

So one of my last posts was about how we can invest our money into developing countries like Haiti. Well, it’s a great idea. But it needs to be more than an idea. Here are a couple of practical ways to make a difference:

Go to:

Compassion: http://compassion.com/ or http://compassion.ca/ - and sponsor a kid! – Less than it would cost to buy a coffee each day. (I have personally made contact with this organization, it’s very good!)

Global Partners: http://wesleyan.org/gp/projects - and invest in one of these special projects! (This is the organization that I’m with in Haiti.

4500 Feet Up

2009-07-15T11:37:00.001-03:00

And we were off! I always like the take-off during a flight, but to be right in front of the controls, watching the pilot, is so much better. That’s right, at 7:30am on July 13, 2009, I was the “co-pilot” for my first time ever. I have been interested in Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) since I went Jesus to the Nations in March of 2008, but actually going on a flight sure beats talking to someone at a missions conference. When we got up to a good altitude, Jason allowed me to do the steering. He taught me the basics and told me what to do. I really didn’t do a whole lot, but it was a great experience nevertheless. After not too long we were back in the air and on our way back to Port-au-Prince. This first flight was a great experience for me to actually see what MAF pilots do.

After waiting around the airport for about four and a half hours I went through the same routine to go on a second flight. This time I decided to ask a lot more questions that didn’t pertain so much to the technical aspects of flying. I learned that Jason gets a chance to interact with people, especially on the days when there aren’t too many flights. In his free time he has opportunities to minister as much or as little as he wants to. This is a very important thing for me to know because if I become a pilot, I don’t want to spend all of my time just flying; I want to build relationships with people so that I can bring them the Gospel (good news of salvation in Jesus). I really want to minister among those who don’t know the Gospel, and I know that I will need more than the 5 minutes between landing and takeoff in order to build relationships that will be deep enough for me to be able to be a strong witness for Christ. I will have to use my free time for that. I also learned more about the purpose of MAF. They bring in a lot of ministry teams, medical teams, and medical supplies. This is important, especially in areas that are not easily accessible by land. If people are trapped by physical boundaries they need some way to hear the Gospel, and mission aviation is a great solution!

In the end, I still don’t know whether it is God’s will for me to be a pilot or not, but my interest still has a flame. One of the reasons that I am interested is because I know that it might be a tool that I can use to get into a closed country. If God leads me to a place that doesn’t allow missionaries, maybe I could get in as a pilot. I would be providing a valuable service while also living among people to whom I can bring the gospel. I don’t want to get caught up in all the fun and adventure of being a pilot and end up in it for the wrong reasons, but I do want to be open to however God wants to use me in ministry!

Just a Penny

2009-07-15T11:17:00.002-03:00

You’d better take a good look at it because it’s not easy to find. I had realized before that there was never any money to be found on the ground, but on my 49^th day in Haiti I saw this penny. I know it’s just 1 cent, but it quickly captured my interest. I pulled out my camera and thought “Blog!”

How often do you walk down the street and see pennies on the ground? You probably walk past them every day; maybe you don’t take the time to notice them. If you looked, maybe you’d even see nickels, dimes, and quarters. I figure that anything larger than a dime might have been dropped accidentally, but still, I know that I often see money on the ground in North America. And yes, I’m usually the guy that picks it up.

I have 2 excuses for why this difference is insignificant, and then I’ll talk about why I think it’s important:

Excuse #1: the smallest coin in Haiti is worth 1.25 cents, but they’re not very common. The next size is worth 2.5 cents. Pennies can be thrown out because they’re practically worthless.

Excuse #2: You can buy 4 small mangos for the equivalent of 12.5 cents. Small change can go a lot further in Haiti so it’s too important to throw out. We can’t buy much of anything for that price in North America.

I think that both of those excuses are relevant. Pennies are practically worthless and they don’t buy much. I’m not really concerned about wasted pennies. What I am concerned about is the desperate situations of much of the Haitian population. And no, I don’t have a quick fix. But maybe we should wisely invest more of our resources into places like Haiti so that they can become more independently sustained. Yes, the extra change around the house can help. But do you know what will make an even greater difference? The money that we’d normally spend on our comforts, our pleasures, and our entertainments. If you decide to be like me and pick up the pennies, it won’t make much difference. But let those pennies remind you of your abundance.

Who Needs a Theme Park?

2009-07-11T23:36:00.004-03:00

With Port-au-Prince as our destination, we boarded the WISH Fish (speed boat) and headed towards the other side. We were crowded in, but I was content to simply sit in up on the front and enjoy the ride. But with gasoline problems, we turned back around again. It was an inconvenience, but it really wasn’t a big problem. When we got to the doc, Ti-Maitre, the captain of the Wesleyana, came and we changed boats. With a calm sea and a shining sun, we had a beautiful day to cross. And what made it even better was the fact that we got to see a magnificent show of God’s creation. Dolphins! I spotted them not too far away, arcing their backs out of the bay. I grabbed my camera and managed not to fall into the water as I snapped a close-up of one swimming just in front of the boat. Then I switched my camera to video mode and captured 4 amazing leaps into the air, completely out of the water! What an adventure! It cheered everyone up too. (By the way, this really is the picture that I took!)

Breakfast Dessert

2009-06-30T21:10:00.002-03:00

While I’m in Haiti I am responsible to cook for myself. This is probably a good thing because it gives me an opportunity to learn while it is only me suffering through the mistakes. I’ll be ready to impress my future wife someday. OK, to get back to the story. Now, sometimes the missionaries from here get together for a meal, and I wanted to contribute something this time, so I decided to bake a cake! What an adventure. But I thought ahead, I didn’t volunteer to bring it until I saw how it turned out.

I had a carrot cake mix so I took it out of the box, read the directions, and decided that since I couldn’t make cream cheese frosting, I better try to find another cake recipe. I love my mom’s oatmeal cake with brown-sugar icing, so I went to the internet in search of a recipe. It didn’t take too long before I was ready start putting it all together. Only one problem; was the contents in the bag baking powder or baking soda? You see, I inherited some ingredients from the Goulds before they left, and this bag wasn’t labeled. So after doing some taste-testing (not pleasant) I determined that they gave my tongue a different tingly feeling, so it must be baking powder!

I mixed everything together and got to the last ingredient, oatmeal. But all it said was “add the oatmeal last.” But, how much? Do I wet it first? Do I cook it first? Ah! What should I do now? Well I’ll tell you what I did, I soaked it in water. Bad idea. My mixer only has one beater, so it wasn’t easy to mix up clumpy wet oatmeal. But I was able to do well enough by holding a spoon up to the beater so that I could squish the clumps between the two.

After baking the cake for the required 40 minutes, I determined that it wasn’t done so I cooked it for about another 40 (checking it in increments of course). “Alright, the toothpick still came out a bit messy, but I’m sure it’ll taste fine,” was the thought I had when I finally took it out of the oven.

Now to make icing. Pretty straight forward, except the indicated boiling time wasn’t enough. It was still very runny. No biggie, an overnight in the fridge did the trick! The next day I poured the icing on, put it in a container, and waited until supper time. The moment of truth… voila, it tasted good! Wow, after all those difficulties, I had a nice dessert. You’re probably wondering why I titled this breakfast dessert, well, any time my mom makes this type of cake I eat a piece for breakfast dessert, and that’s exactly what I did for the next three days! Mmmm…

I Lost My Head

2009-06-30T18:52:00.002-03:00

“Roosters,” “cut off the heads,” was the English equivalent of what I thought I heard from the kid gazing up the tree. I repeated back to him what I heard, and he said it again. “Roosters,” “cut heads,” what!? Fortunately my friend Wilson (he works for WISH too) was there to explain (in Creole of course) what on earth this kid was going on about. Haitians watch cock-fighting for a sport, so that’s where the roosters come in. But I still didn’t know how to connect that with cutting off their heads. The missing link was a spherical thing that the kid was looking at up in the tree. What I found out was that for fun, the kids crack these spheres open, take out some seed-type things, and pretend that they are cocks. They each hold one seed and interlock the “head” parts together. They both pull, and whoever’s head falls off is the loser. So once my confusion was all cleared up, we went right to it. Unfortunately, I still have to hone my cock-fighting skills, because I lost my head almost every time J

Preaching in Haiti #1

2009-06-18T16:25:00.004-03:00

On Sunday, June 14, I had the privilege of preaching at a small 2-year-old church-plant near Port-au-Prince. I had prepared a sermon about how through Christ our High Priest, we can receive God’s mercy and grace for forgiveness and power for righteous living. Pastor Carl translated for me, and he also gave me some great suggestions during my preparation. I really sensed that the people were truly grasping the truth of the message. It was so encouraging and humbling to realize how powerful God’s word is!

I recently read Out of the Comfort Zone and it gives great insight into “missions” in general. God has also been using it to instil in me a greater passion to go minister among the unreached in our world (the 10/40 window).

The Lord is My Shepherd

2009-06-11T21:20:00.001-03:00

I was outside one evening and I saw an older man sitting by one of the gates on the inside of the compound. He had a machete (which is very common) and a stack of some sort of stalks. I didn’t think much of it at first because people sit there a lot, but he motioned for me to come over and told me that he had a problem. I didn’t really want to get involved with his problem, but I didn’t want to be rude either. It turned out that his problem was just that he was locked into the compound and needed to get out. No problem, I had a key and so I very willingly opened the gate for him. As he was leaving he started saying something that sounded like mumbled Creole, but then it hit me. He was speaking English and he said, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” This made my heart smile to see that he had memorize a portion of scripture in a language not his own. He continued to help me say the verse in Creole and then we parted ways. I smile every time I think of that occurrence because it was a funny situation with a very meaningful ending. The Lord is my Shepherd!

Out and About

2009-06-11T21:18:00.000-03:00

Now that I am a bit more familiar with Haiti and I can make some basic communication, I have been taking time to go out into the community in the evenings some times. It is really fun for me to practice my Creole and to interact with others. I went for a walk towards the ravine a few days ago and ended up having a long conversation with a boy named Kensley. It was a slow and difficult process, but we both laughed a lot along the way. There were probably about another 20 people standing around listening to us. I suppose that it is quite a spectacle to have some new North American come for a visit in their yard! I hope that I can go back a few times and be able to build my friendships there. As I gain a better handle on the language hopefully I will be able to have some meaningful conversations.

On Sunday I will be preaching in a church in Port-au-Prince and Pastor Carl will be translating for me. It should be an interesting experience! Please pray that God will speak into people’s lives.

Mwen Pas Konnen

2009-06-01T21:28:00.001-03:00

Mwen Pas Konnen is a very important phrase because I don’t know (that’s what it means) a lot of things these days. But this is just a part of learning a new language. Haiti has two languages, French and Haitian Creole. French is not commonly used among most people, so it looks like I will be using Creole for six months! It is a lot like French in that they share many words. But some words are different and the grammar is way easier than any other language that I’ve ever seen! I can use my little amount of Creole that I’ve learned so far and mix it with French words I know and this allows me to communicate with Haitians on a very basic level. But there are a few around here who can also speak English, so that makes a huge difference! I hope to be able to communicate on a decent level within a few months, but I know that it will take much longer to become fluent. I’ll end this post with a phrase that Haitians use quite often – bye-bye!

Warmth

2009-05-26T22:00:00.002-03:00

Yes! Haiti is my new home for the next 6 months. Travelling to Montreal set me in a good groove to practice my weak French, and now I figure that I will have the privilege of using it most days. The struggle is going to be learning what carries over into Creole and what doesn’t. Yay for difficulties!
As I was coming in for a landing today I could see the coral reefs on the shorelines. I’m excited to go swimming and take a closer look. This is my first time on a tropical island! Along with nice beaches comes the heat. Haiti is a very warm country; today was in the high 20s and I’m told that it’s probably not going to be much cooler than this while I am here! O well, I’m sure that I’ll get used to it. It’s all about adapting and approaching every difference with a positive attitude. The people I met have been very friendly so far, so in this way the culture is also described as being warm.
My biggest experience so far was getting a month’s worth of groceries... that would be a challenge for me to do in Yarmouth, never mind a foreign culture, a foreign language, and different brands of food!

Ticket

2009-05-15T13:03:00.005-03:00

I have my ticket! On May 26 I will be boarding a plane to embark on this wonderful adventure in Haiti. I'm pretty much all ready to go, I just have to pack. So considering that I have about a week and a half to wait, I figure that I might get quite restless with not much to do. But I will be going out to Camp Peniel to help with maintenance for 3 days next week, so that should pass the time quite well. I love it out there; I worked there from '03- '05, and then again in '07. I was also there for one week last summer. Besides that, I was a camper there for 7 years before that. It's a great place!

On Sunday night I got to speak at Argyle-Pubnico Baptist Church about Haiti and my anticipations for going. I enjoyed presenting because I am so excited about going. This coming Sunday, May 17, I will be sharing at Yarmouth Wesleyan in the evening. The service starts at 6:00pm, hope to see you there!

So remember to check this blog in about 2 weeks to see how my first few days in Haiti will go!

It's Real!

2009-05-08T10:51:00.002-03:00

The reality of leaving home for so long finally hit me the other day as I realized how much I love and value my family. I won't be able to see them again until December and I don't know how much I will even be able to stay in contact. It's always hard to come to grips with how real the next exciting adventure is until the details are almost worked out and it's about to happen. I'm in a place now where my date of departure to Haiti is almost finalized (once the ticket is purchased!) and just about every piece of paperwork is finished. Also, God has provided enough funds through generous people to allow me to stay in Haiti for 5 months so far (I hope to stay for almost 7). It's real, I'm going!

But while I'm still home I have been keeping busy with prep work, spending time at the church, and whatever else in life that comes flying at me. I even had the privilege of speaking at youth group last week; it was a lot of fun, I used squirt guns! And better yet, the high school students there had the opportunity to hear the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ! They were actually the most attentive group of high schoolers I had ever seen - praise God!

Well, I have a list of 14 things to do in town today, including buying a wireless router for our new high speed Internet! Yay! I'll most likely put another post on this blog before I go to Haiti.

P.S. I'll be giving a presentation on Haiti at the Argyle Pubnico Baptist Church this Sunday evening, 6:30.

Final Exam Week

2009-04-14T19:57:00.003-03:00

Final exam week is my favourite week of the semester. This isn't because I love exams; it's because it's way less hectic and stressful than every other week. All I have to do is study until I'm ready for the exam, and then I write it. After it's over, I don't have to stress about it anymore. This is the week where I get to play ping-pong with Joe, hike to the bluffs, go biking, and maybe even get a chance to play some soccer. But I also get a chance to work on some paperwork for my internship to Haiti. We had a meeting today to talk about the journals and reflections that I have to do. It's going to take some work, but I know that I'll learn so much through the experience. I'm sure God's got some things prepared for me, and please pray that God will continue to prepare me for those things!

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10 - NIV).

As an update, the yard sale at Yarmouth Wesleyan that my mom had for my trip to Haiti brought in about $1100. Praise God! And thank you to everyone who came and contributed. There's still some funding needed, but things are coming together.

Did you know that about half of the people in Haiti practice Voodoo? Please pray that God would work in their lives to show them His truth.

Cadillac

2009-03-27T14:10:00.002-03:00

No, this post isn't about some luxury car. It's actually about Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park which is in Maine. Last weekend I had the privilege of going there with a group from college. We went sea-kayaking in the morning (very cold water!) and we hiked the mountain in the afternoon. There was still snow on a lot of the path and I was wearing running shoes, hooray for wool socks! The view on the mountain was beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I think that my favourite part was the jog/quick walk back down with Dr. Medders because it was a good time to talk and the quick pace brought us down in half the time it took to go up!

My Mom’s having a yard sale tomorrow morning (Mar. 28) at Yarmouth Wesleyan to help with fund raising for my internship. Maybe you could go and find a treasure to bring home!

Ice Cave

2009-03-16T15:19:00.004-03:00

Yesterday I went to an ice cave with a couple from Norton Wesleyan (Bill & Marie) and 5 BBC students (Gary W, Josh B, Carrie A, and Kristen H). Getting to it was a decent hike on a snowy trail, which was fun in itself. The cave was at an overhang where water formed icicles as water fell down to the ground. After enough time it completed a wall and there was a hole cut in the side so that we could go inside the cave. I figure that the cave was probably about 50 feet long and the big end was about 7 feet high and 7 feet wide. But I think that my favourite part was climbing around the sides of the hills and sliding around on the icy snow that surrounded the cave. What a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon! I wonder how many ice caves are in Haiti...

Today I decided to eat broccoli. I usually don't because I don't like it, but I'm going to learn to like it. Actually, I think my strategy is already starting to work...

Missions Week

2009-03-14T11:47:00.002-03:00

This past week at school was Missions Week. Since I'm leading Student Missions Fellowship, this means that I had a busy week! We had 2 services on Tuesday and 2 on Thursday, and Wednesday night was our International Missions Dinner and we supported fair trade as Ten Thousand Villages came and set up a little store (and what a success!). Everything seemed to go quite well and I had so many people helping out it was amazing, praise God!

My favourite was the Tuesday night service because it was quite different than normal. After the welcome we had a powerful drama speaking about how we need to be the voice of Christ speaking to those who are bound and silenced. Everyone who finds freedom in Christ can become another voice for him, breaking the silence. Then there was another type of drama where my friend Christy (clzbylut.blogspot.com) read a few letters that she had written and people acted them out. The letters were written as if she was a missionary who went to a very hostile country and the last letter was delivered to her parents after she was killed. It was very powerful, so realistic, it gave me watery eyes. Then after those two dramas was a time for prayer where we had information from Voice of the Martyrs about the persecuted church. It was so good to know that we can intercede on behalf of brothers and sisters all over the world.

So now that's all done, I suppose it's time to get some homework done. Next weekend I'll be going hiking in Maine, I'll have to write about that when I get back.

Just 3 More Months

2009-03-06T16:30:00.003-04:00

When you're struggling against the rapids in a river it's hard to take into consideration much more than the immediate surroundings... well, I've never really experienced much of this but it sounds good. At least, that's how I've felt lately. I feel like I've been so busy trying to get things done for school, Student Missions Fellowship, and internship preparation that the summer doesn't seem real. It's hard to come to the realization that in just three months I will shift gears and go to Haiti, but I'm still excited, that's for sure!

God has been bringing funds in quite steadily through many people and places, even one's that I totally wasn't expecting. And my Mom is planning a yard sale on March 28 at Yarmouth Wesleyan to raise some more money towards my internship (come on out!).

Prayer cards are done now and I need at least (but preferably many more!) 50 prayer partners who are committed to praying for me at least once each week. If you would like to be one of them, please let me know (you can email me at zad264@hotmail.com).

Just 3 more months, but until then it's back to struggling against the rapids...