The thing that we love about leading teams is seeing their eyes opened to a new culture. Watching them try to soak in everything they are seeing. We also love watching how unconditional love works, when all of the pressures of our own culture are behind us. We are free to embrace the child-like love of people again, remember it, saying hi to any and everyone. Anyone could be your friend just because.

I think this is when we are the closest to being what God wants us to be.

Doing projects out in the community, puts teams in close contact with the people and allows them to be even further out of their comfort zone.



We are blessed to be witnesses of events that will change peoples lives forever as our lives were also changed by going on a missions trip. If God has whispered in your ear to go somewhere to serve Him, let Him send you no excuses, just take a leap of faith and see how you grow.

We have hosted several teams over the last several weeks, we are truly blessed to be a part of what God is doing in Haiti. Have no doubt that this is where we are suppose to be, Praise to the Lord God Almighty !!!

Works and Deeds

We are finally in a position that lets us work with teams that are coming down. It is exciting for us because this is one of the things that we felt God was giving us to do.
Our plan is to start with the Haitian staff and ask about their ability to catch and use rain water, this has led to other requests for help, like replacing tin roofs that are in bad shape to here's where my house use to be can you rebuild it.

I guess it shouldn't surprise me, but I can't help to be shocked at the living conditions of our own staff and that they haven't asked us to help them.
We went to check a home for installing a rain barrel yesterday, one of our staff, her house is 8'x 8', one room and the structure itself looks as if it could fall in the next strong wind. For her and her 3 kids.

This past week a man that had shipped down alot of things that he got people to donate since he visited Haiti 10 months ago came into Haiti to distribute the items. We were able to replace 25 tents that were so worn out, we also gave clothes to the families in the tent city and some of the surrounding community. Every action has a reaction, while we were in the tent city, people came to us that were sick asking for help. God has such perfect timing, there was a doctor with us who was more then willing to care for these people. She was able to give life saving help to a baby and a woman. There was also a man that had a infected leg that was so bad that she had to cut it open to drain it, no scalpel so she used my leatherman tools knife to cut it open, while I held the man from behind and let him squeeze my hand.

We also had the opportunity to install three rain barrel systems for staff members. It rained the very same evening and filled the barrels, Thank You Lord.

People thanking us and shaking our hands, so happy for the things they were given, We said we were happy to do them a service and told them to Thank God for doing this because we serve Him.

We can't wait to get out there and see where God takes us this week.

Breadfruit

There is a large tree across the street from us that produces a fruit that was unknown to me. I was told it is Breadfruit (or Labapen in Haitian Creole).

In 1787, a Commanding Lieutenant William Bligh, sailed his ship the "Bounty" to Tahiti to bring breadfruit trees to the Caribbean in hopes that the fruit would provide adequate food for the slaves working on sugar plantations there.
Of course this trip was unsuccessful due to the famous mutiny on the Bounty. Bligh and 19 loyalist were set adrift in a 23 foot launch ( row boat), they somehow navigated 3,600 miles of Southern Pacific Ocean waters to Timor. Which many consider the greatest act of courage and seamanship in history.
In 1793, now Captain Bligh sailed his ship, HMS Providence, to the Caribbean and successfully introduced the breadfruit tree to several islands, including Haiti.
I was told that Capt. Bligh landed right here in Jacmel.

Breadfruit are rich in starch, they are roasted, baked, fried, or boiled. When cooked the taste is described as potato-like or similar to fresh baked bread ( hence the name).

Today while working on a home for a family in Kaye Jacmel, the woman made for us, breadfruit.
I have to say it really tastes like boiled potatoes. It was very good.

Helpful words for the missionary or missions team member

We have been asked and have ourselves asked, how can we help the people here when the need is so great and our resources are very limited. It's the question that has reoccurred daily since being here.
A mission team is coming down in March from our home church, Sarasota Alliance Church, so we've been trying to put together some helpful documents to prepare them for facing what they will experience in Haiti.
One of things done for teams is the field training guide, it's a twelve unit study for preparing to go on a missions trip. Jennifer asked me to read it over before sending it to the team leader from our church.
This is written on the fourth page,
What is a missionary? "Jesus said to them again, As the Father has sent Me, I also send you"(John 20:21). A missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ just as He was sent by God. The great controlling factor is NOT the needs of people, but the command of Jesus. The source of our inspiration in our service for God is behind us, not ahead of us. The tendency today is to put the inspiration out in front to sweep everything together in front of us and make it conform to our definition of success. But in the New Testament the inspiration is put behind us, and is the Lord Jesus Himself. The goal is to be true to Him, to carry out His plans.
Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and to His perspective is the one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary work the great danger is that God's call will be replaced by the needs of the people, to the point that human sympathy for those needs will absolutely overwhelm the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The needs are so enormous, and the conditions so difficult, that every power of the mind falters and fails. We tend to forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary work is not primarily the elevation of the people, their education, nor their needs, But is first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ, " Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations..."(Matthew 28:19). From My utmost for His Highest, 1963, Oswald Chambers.
These words just echoed my my head, over and over. Question answered, disciples first, needs etc. as God provides.
Wish I would have read these words along time ago, so I'm sharing it with you, hopefully, before you go out on the mission field.

Missionary Blues

Ok, I wasn't going to write about this, but I feel that to be transparent and honest about this experience, that I must.
We are very excited about being given this opportunity to serve God and the people of Haiti and really love being here, most of the time.
But there are times, when I just want to go back to Florida and be with our family and friends. Moving here was the biggest change to the Hancock family, we have always been together. Now Katie is in the states. We miss her so much. Something is missing without her.
Our biggest support has always been Doug and Linda, Jennifer's parents. They have been their for us through everything good or bad.
The hardest times have come recently, Thanksgiving and now Christmas in a few days. The holidays have always been a special time for our family and it's hard to not be with the rest of our loved ones.
And even though we are going home in January, we still have momentary bouts of missionary blues.
These are first set of important holidays here, I'm sure we will get through it, only with the Lords help.

Our Staph Infection

Another hazard of being in a third world country is all of the things you can catch, like Staph Infections.

We have since July, been working with twenty-eight people trying to make a good, clean, and safe place for Mission Teams to come and stay, while they visit Haiti. Everything that we have worked on like making sure only clean water is used in the kitchen. That House Keeping has each room clean for guests. Our Laundry girls have the sheets and towels cleaned on a regular schedule. The grounds are kept clean.
There was this hidden virus that none of us could see but it is there, the STAPH INFECTION. I know you all just gasped at the thought, staph infection, yuck! I have to tell you we all caught IT!

This STAFF Infection is the good kind, yes there is a good kind of Staff infection.
It comes from working with and getting to know our staff not just a working relationship, but being involved with them and their lives and getting to know them as individuals. We love our staff, they are a great group of people so yes we have caught a Staff infection.

Our head of the Kitchen, Nahomie, makes it her duty to know peoples favorite food and to cook it for them/us, yes she spoils us and is always more than happy to make our favorite meals. She will look at one of us and say in English "I cook for you" She has a great heart and her hospitality is unlike any other. As if she doesn't work hard enough she almost cried when we asked her if she would make extra food for Danny, so he could eat good food while in jail. The emotion she showed was that she was honored to be able to help Danny.



There's James, who was working as one of our security guards, he has shown great potential and would tell us things that were going on because he understands that what we are doing is to everyone's benefit, for the long term. James has been promoted to assistant manager of the Isaiah 61 House.

Olga, a single mom, with two sons, was making the least of the House Keeping staff, would come in everyday and work hard, when the other girls would slack off, she was finding things that needed to be done. She now is Head of House Keeping and makes the money that goes with it.

Everyday when we show up at Isaiah House, we are met by Bon Jou (good day) and hand shakes, hugs and a kiss on the cheek.

If we are working on a project there are always volunteers to help me. When teams arrive the guys jump right in and help carry the guests luggage. These are just a few of the many stories we have about our staff.
We hope to keep our case of Staff Infection for a long time.

Bucket List

Since I was young I loved Photography. In High School I was on the yearbook staff as a photographer. I took one semester of Photography at our local junior college. I even took an online course. Jennifer and I had a dream of having a business doing freelance and maybe even some studio work. We spent alot of time together shooting photos at the beach, zoo where ever.
A lot of time has gone by but something I always wanted was to shoot something that would be published, you know a shot in a newspaper story, magazine, whatever.

Yesterday our state side director for CCH sent an email saying that they had been contacted by NBC asking if any of their people in Haiti had photos of the violence thats going on because of the election.
I took one of my security guards and off we went on a moto to get some pictures. We were able to get into the middle of a large demonstration, and I shot several photos. Some people in the crowd were becoming irritated by my presence, more like they didn't want to be photographed, so we moved on.

We sent the photos to our Director in the states, she called this morning and said that CBS news wants to use the pictures and was that ok.Of course I had to think about it for 1/2 a second.
I just thought it was kind of fun, to finally check something off of the Bucket List thats been on it for so long.

Haiti water

I know how nice it is to walk over to a faucet, turn it on and have a nice flow of pressurized, clean water to wash your hands in or get up cup of water to drink. So the difference in how it works in Haiti is like you are on another planet.
The city water if you are fortunate enough to have it is only on every other day... or so.
So here's what you do, the water starts trickling into your cistern and you turn on your pump, To pump the water up to the roof to your other cistern or plastic water tanks.
When you turn on your faucets the water feds down to whatever fixture your using with the help of gravity.
Now the water you get from the city is not drinkable, we bathe in it, wash clothes in it but do not drink it.
The problem we've been having is running out of water. I've done my part as a team player, I've committed to not bathe for up to 4 or 5 days at a time. This has caused Jennifer an increased level of stress, I'm sure of this because she will all of a sudden look at me and say " oh I thought you were in the shower" or "honey whats that smell", shes so cute.
We have around 14 people that live here not to mention the ocassional visitor, and most of them are teenagers, so the water can't keep up.
So when we run out of water, we call the water truck! Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?
The water truck goes to the water plant and gets a truck full of clean refreshing water. Oh the water plant is the river that drains into the bay, and the water itself, just up stream from your truck is, people bathing, washing clothes and things that I won't mention now, use your imagination. And thats what they bring to your house. We love clorine.
Another problem associated with running out of water is the ONE FLUSH. The problem with the one flush is deciding when is the opportune moment to intiatiate the ONE flush. An early flush can be just as dangerous as the late flush. If your ever in this situation I can't tell you when the opportune moment is, everyone must decide that for themselves.
I was going to write some more but Jennifer just walked past me and said "honey what's that smell?". Think it's time for a bath,,,

The road less traveled

The road before us, has been an interesting trip full of twists and turns, not very smooth. Usually it's just like these Haitian roads uneven, bumpy, and full of potholes that can easily disable your vehicle.
We travel the same road every day. Then something happens and you find yourself on a road less traveled.
Which brings us to Jorel Printemp. Jorel volunteered his time before we came to Haiti at the Isaiah House doing manual labor. He was given food, drink and the ministry paid for his wife's surgery. Upon our arrival, Jorel was still a volunteer. Jorel is one of the happiest people I've ever met.
When we were placed into leadership of CCH and began filling staff positions, I called Jorel and offered him a job as one of our security. He accepted and has worked for us ever since.




The other night he came to me and said he has a problem. He told me that his house is "kraze", or broken. Then he said " Eske ka ou ranje kay la mwen?" can I fix his house?
He was working the night shift at our house and got off at 6am, so I got up at 5:45 and we walked to his house.
We walked up the same road we use everyday towards the hotel. I knew about where he lived, not to far from us. Then we turned and took a path between to houses, that led to a bunch of houses that you would never see from the street. There is no drivable road just the path. The homes back there are small concrete wall with tin roofs. Several have visible earthquake damage.
Jorel told me that they were sleeping in a tent after the earthquake, and the condition of the home still bothers him. He is concerned for the safety of his wife, son and himself.
The roof leaks when it rains. The wood trusses for the tin doesn't look to be in much better shape. The concrete walls have damage from the quake.
Then he invited me inside. They share the house with their in-laws, so their part of the house is just big enough for the bed on one side and some of their belongings on the other with a walking space in the middle.




They have no water, no electricity, and their outdoor toilet is "pa bon", no good. I made notes and Jorel allowed me to take pictures.
I told Jorel that we must pray for God to provide for him, so we can fix his house.
Then I started back to our house and Jorel wouldn't let me walk by myself. He walked all the way back with me introducing me to some of his friends along the way.
We said see you later my friend ( na we piti zanmi mwen) and I walked up the stairs to our apartment that seems like a penthouse, compaired to what I just saw.
I mean we have water and eletricity most of the time. Toilets all the time.
I was laying in bed thinking this is why we are here, to help the people God has put us in relationships with to really know them and be a part of their lives.



It's on my heart now to find out the living conditions of all of our staff and pray how to best help.



Before writing this we heard that someone on staff is living in a tent, still. I will find out tomorrow if this is true.

Dreams and Reality

I want to share some of our dreams. Things that we hope to do. Things we believe God brought us here to do. I want you at home reading this to see into our minds and maybe join us in dreaming.

We want to house these young men that stay with us, in a safe,loving, Christian environment and getting to know this boys, their hopes and dreams. To help give them skills that may help them in the future. We are living this dream.

We knew we would be leading teams when we moved. It is something we enjoy, to watch people as they are introduced to a new culture and to be able to walk with them through it. To share that know matter where you go in the world, people are the same in the most basic of ways, We are all created by God, the Gospel applies to the entire world, people want to be loved, they have hopes and dreams, laugh and cry, live and die.

Something that was thrust upon us that we never expected was to be put in a position of leadership for CCH, that we find ourselves in now. But our hope and dream is to be Godly leaders to show by our actions, not just words, that we live what we believe. We believe we are called to show God's love to our staff by being there for them. Not just, yeah I hope that works out for you, but to actually be there for them. We were very happy that when the hurricane Tomas was coming there were no teams and the staff and others that needed shelter were able to stay at the Isaiah 61house. Our daughter, Carrie was out at midnight taking money to one of our staff that was sick and in the hospital.

There are so many people in need all around us, everywhere, I'm asked several times a day for money, food and/or a job. One of the realities is we can't help everyone, then there's who do I help? God tell me who to help today, how do I be a good neighbor to everyone? We are involved with a group of deaf students that collect sea glass and make necklaces, we buy the necklaces from them and resell them to teams. The money gives them income and the rest goes into buying materials for more necklaces. We have another idea for something similiar with people with disabilities to create jobs for them.

The realities of Haiti is that it is hard, on your body, mind, and spirit. Everything takes two or three times as long to accomplish. One simple thing can take a whole day to do.
Since my last post, CCH's van was impounded in Port Au Prince because the temp tag had expired. We have to go through a bunch of stuff to get it back, so we've been walking back and forth to the Isaiah 61 house, I started taking motos (motorcycle taxi's) when alone to save time. CCH has three moto's of it's own, so I started driving one, the moto drivers are alittle wreckless for my taste. Needless to say another moto that was flying hit me from behind. The other guy was hurt pretty bad, I was banded up but managed to stay up on my bike so was not as badly hurt (body).
To see the struggles of so many for everyday necessities and the level of poverty (mind).
The combination of body and mind, coupled with the everyday stuff, beats down the spirit.

Yet I'm thankful for it all because I'm well aware of how much I need God, every moment of everyday.

And I'm are so Thankful for the family and friends God has put into our lives, that I know are praying for us daily.

The biggest dream, I think for all of us is to serve the Lord our God with everything we have and someday hear,,, well done good and faithful servant.