We knew that the month of March was going to be an exciting time at Mission of Hope.  Spring breaks would be in full swing, and hundreds of people would be coming down to serve.  Our project lists were long and our village locations had expanded.  But more than anything, we trusted that the Lord was bringing us just the right people for just the right purpose and timing.  And because our God is so wonderful and His timing is PERFECT, it was just as we anticipated!!  I wish there was some way I could give you every fact and detail from the last month, but you will have to forgive me as I go through just a few of the highlights!

Hundreds of people were treated at our mobile clinics.  Over sixty students were sponsored by team members while they were in country.  Two North American team members accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior.  We painted countless homes for families in our church as well as more of our MOH 500 homes in Leveque.  Our orphanage has taken in two new twins!!  The cement for the second floor of our new office space was poured.  Our new guest house in Bercy has begun, and the lists go on and on and on.

I truly count it a blessing to be here and daily see all that the Lord is doing.  My hope and prayer is that we will constantly and continually boast in Him.  There is no way we can describe the goodness and greatness of our God, but I love that He gives us these beautiful glimpses.

Greetings!  This is Betsy and Barbara from Austin, Texas.  We just got back from spending an amazing week at MOH.  We got see see, participate, and experience many things including mobile clinics, the delivering of new homes in Leveque to deaf families, and great bonding and friendships with everyone on our team.  It was an awesome week!

By far, the highlight for us was getting to be part of planning the partnership between our churches (Hill Country Bible Church and Gateway Church) with MOH and the people in the village of Simonette.  This is a new process and a new type of partnership.  There are still many questions and many unknowns, but we are so excited to see what God will do as we seek his direction.  The starting place for us is to begin to develop relationships with the people in Simonette.  We want to come along side the church in Simonette and partner with them as they begin to experience Christ permeate all aspects of their lives.  To best do this we need to spend time in the village and time with leaders like Pastor Patris.

On our last day in Haiti we got the spend the day with Pastor Patris.  We walked the village, meeting people all along the way.  We asked questions and learned what the people loved doing, what they were good at, and what areas were challenging for them.  It was clear from the minute we arrived that Pastor Patris loves his village and the people, and he has many ideas and plans for how to show Christ in action.  We learned so many things.  It was incredible!  Experiencing it first hand was so different than talking about the village in a meeting.  We were both so surprised!  We came away with so many ideas for ways our church mission trips can come along side the people in Simonette and see both churches being blessed (Haitian and US).

One of our favorite things was watching Pastor Patris use his master machete skills to carve up coconuts to give us a delicious drink of coconut water.  It was cool to watch him use a machete so skillfully.  Definitely not something you see every day in Austin!

I could go on and on about all the beautiful things I get to experience day in and day out here at Mission of Hope.  But to me, apart from seeing someone come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, there is nothing better than seeing a life transformed.  Whether it’s a new orphan that arrives at our doorstep, a family that has been living in a tent since the earthquake receiving a home in Leveque, or maybe a child in our school eating in the cafeteria - the only meal they will receive for the day - life transformation is truly a sight to behold.  But beyond the life transformation of Haitians, the “icing on the cake,”  for lack of a better term, is sitting with a North American team at the end of the day and hearing stories of how God is transforming their lives!!

Some team members arrive somewhat nervous because they’ve heard all the reasons why going to Haiti is unwise or maybe a foolish decision, while some team members arrive and their eyes are bright with excitement and anticipation of what the week may entail. But ALL team members leave with eyes even brighter of the hope they have not only for Haiti, but for themselves!  The year is just getting underway and I cannot wait to continue to see not only life transformation for every man, woman and child in Haiti, but also every man, woman and child that steps foot into this country!

It has been another incredible week working with teams!  We have been to orphanages, villages, project sites, and the list goes on and on.  Painting.  Soccer.  Bible stories.  Our days are FULL!!  I’m fairly certain that some of hardest “workers” last week were a few of the children that came down with their parents!  Who are the best people to play with kids??  Other kids!!  It was so much fun to see them interacting with the Haitian children.  They played in the Village of Hope and did wonderfully out in the villages!  I’m fairly certain that “tag” is a game known around the world.  It was also a guaranteed way to get them to sleep at night!  Most days they didn’t even make it back to campus without falling asleep on the vehicles.  It definitely brought a smile to my face every time the team would arrive back at campus and a child was being carried off the canter. 

It also made me think of Jesus.  It helped me understand more and more why He said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” – Matthew 19:14.  For the children that stayed with MOH this week, it was easy: Play and have a lot of fun!  It was also challenging to me to take a step back and look at my own life.  Do I complicate things too much?  Do I trust the Lord like a little child?  Needless to say, I’m so thankful that I had a few days with some very special children!

-Elizabeth Billingslea