What a week it’s been! It never ceases to amaze me how
quickly these Haiti mission weeks pass by. The week went as follows:
·
Day one (Friday): We spent the day in transport
getting to Haiti. What strange trip it was. Flights being delayed and a round
of “whose stuff is it anyway” with Haiti customs.
·
Day two (Saturday): We played and worshiped
with 120 plus kids (over 20 with disabilities).
·
Day three (Sunday): We worshiped the Lord in an
eclectic service in which an hour and a half felt like 10 minutes. Afterward,
we invited the neighborhood futbol (soccer) teams to come by for the second
annual afternoon tournament.
·
Day four (Monday): We ventured to love three
other orphanages by feeding, watering, clothing, playing and sharing the
gospel. Truthfully, we could only get to two because one was on the muddiest road
I have ever encountered. While the pastor we were visiting thought our vintage
1970‘s yellow school bus could make it down the road, I wasn’t a fan. I could
only see standing in the mud rut pushing the truck out or paying a few thousand
Haitian. We did find a way to get him our gifts and give away the greatest of
all gifts to the neighborhood boys – an indestructible soccer ball. The day
ended with a teammate falling down the stairs.
·
Day five and six (Tuesday & Wednesday): We
woke up before 6am and made it to the bus for a 1-2 hour ride to our good
friends at Respire Haiti. There we held another soccer tournament for U12/U17
boys. We had 8 total teams and all heard a gospel message before their games. Additionally,
we fed and watered over 300 people during the afternoon. It was really quite
heartwarming to see the team fan out and meet folks. I believe the team started
some great relationships with the community by handing out clothing, food, and water
and soccer gear. We gave away over $80,000 in new soccer cleats, balloons
(balls), shin guards and cleats. I have never seen a more contented Haitian. I
am so grateful to our sponsors and the Chicago soccer clubs. We couldn’t have
done this without them.
·
Day seven (Thursday – July 4th): We
are waking up and heading to the beach. It’s another of the rarities the
children and the staff at New Life get to enjoy because of the generosity of
those on our “soccer” trip. I am so glad we are funding over 120 orphans and
30-40 adults who never go otherwise.
The trip is just about over but really, it has just begun.
You see, lives have been changed. The ones we have served here in Haiti and
ours. We had 10 newbie’s in the largest team ever for “Soccer Beyond Borders.”
The stories from the team during our evening devotions have been inspiring.
They are stories of unadulterated love for one’s neighbor – a love that
somebody might not expect in the world in which we live. In addition to our
“work” in Haiti, the “Soccer Beyond Borders” team decided to take the remainder
of the funds raised for the trip to dig a water well for orphanage, purchase
nursery items for the infant center, support the New Life rescue center and the
amazing outreaches by Respire Haiti.
God is so good and occasionally, when we allow ourselves to
make peace with His will, so are we. Hope to see you on Sunday in Oswego. I’ll
be the one with the farmer’s tan!
Pastor Coach Bob
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