Being a blessing, being blessed...
When we arrived at the orphanage, everyone knew we were there and came out in the yard to greet us. They all let out a huge cheer as we drove up the hill and around the corner of the house. They have a great time when we are there and want us to enjoy our trip so we will want to come back. As we entered the orphanage, we very quickly saw evidence of this... As we found out later, they had scrambled to finish bunk beds for when we arrived. In the past, most people had to share beds, but now everyone can have their own. They serve us at meals and are always watching to see if we need anything that they can provide for us.
We spend the evenings playing games and just being with the kids. We always bring new games along with us to leave there. In the afternoons, we play soccer games in the yard against the older kids. These games are really fun and can get intense, especially when the spectators start kicking the ball to help their team. This time, our last game was declared the "world cup" between Haiti and the U.S. The teams lined up and sang national anthems before the game. The game itself was a hard-fought battle that ended in a tie.
We make an effort to be a blessing to them, through building relationships, having fun, being prepared spiritually for ministry, and by bringing supplies and finances to help them continue serving the community. Sometimes, the workers can't be paid because there just isn't money available. They really are a big family, though and stick together no matter what comes. One of the most impressive people there is Joe-Danny. He is probably the first one up every day and works until late at night, quietly doing chores that keep the orphanage running. He has been with Pastor Bob, Poppy, and Mommy for several years and has raised his family with them. Joe-Danny has dreamed about getting a cow, but realistically there was no way that it would ever happen, even with years of saving. A portion of the money that we gave went to Joe-Danny for him to go buy a cow. We pray that it will be healthy, fertile, and extremely profitable for him.
Opportunity for adventure...
The orphanage sits a hundred yards or so up the hill from the highway. We have a great view of the valley and the mountain range opposite. Jake wanted to climb it and several others decided to join the trek. The last Friday, six of us set out at 6AM with the goal of reaching a tree at the top. (Jake wanted to try and get back by breakfast at 10AM. There was very little confidence in accomplishing this goal and Jake was given quite a hard time for suggesting it in the first place.) As we went, a few little kids from down the road started walking with us. We had planned out a path based on what we could see from the orphanage. As we actually left the highway and entered the valley, It took a little less than an hour to cross the valley and reach the base of the mountain. We quickly saw that there was a lot more here than we had realized. Along our route there were fields we had to walk around, some with crops growing. There were animals grazing and people everywhere. There was a nice cloud cover that kept the first part of our hike cool.
After climbing the first few hundred feet, part of it up a steep, gravelly hill, we stopped to rest. As we were about to move on, Stephanie (Poppy and Mommy's daughter who was translating for us at services) climbed up over the edge. She was up and found out that we had left without anyone going with us, so she hurried to catch up. Of course, we waited to let her rest, but then set off again.
Stephanie got tired after a while, so we left the kids with her, marked their location on GPS, and continued our ascent. Shortly after that, we came to a point where we had to choose between a few routes and decided to try cutting through a corn field growing on the side of the mountain. There were some Haitian men working in the field, so we tried to ask permission to pass through, but communication wasn't working. When we were just about to give up, another guy, machete (sheathed) in hand, came walking towards us. He seemed to understand what we meant and began to lead us up through the field and along a path on the other side. He would pause in shady spots to let us rest, but then urge us to keep climbing.
After an hour or so, we were almost out of water and exhausted. Our guide continued to point up the mountain and encourage us to keep going, but we were done. We gave him some bread that I had carried along and tried to communicate that we would be fine, he could leave. We did a final GPS elevation check and began our descent. Our guide led us back down and kept going until we reached Stephanie. She found out that he was a Christian and had been at our service the night before. He had visited family that morning and was on his way back when he saw and recognized us. He thought we might be trying to reach another mission group that was working up in the mountains. We apparently were only ten minutes from reaching them when we turned around.
At this point, we were down to our last drops of water. Our guide led us down, mostly on the paths that we had chosen coming up, but took us on a better route that led to a church under construction. The people there working, including the pastor, took us in, let us rest and gave us some water from a brand new jug of pure drinking water. The day before, they didn't have water, so they prayed and God provided. In ansering their prayer, God also provided for us, making up for our short supply of water. While we sat there recovering, we heard a truck on the road just outside. It was Poppy! (...well, actually it was a whole load of Haitians who had come to look for us) Poppy had wanted to leave quite a bit earlier, but Pastor Winston made him wait. As it was, the timing could not have been any better. Praise God! He was really taking care of us through the whole adventure that day. We got to ride in the truck back to the orphanage, arriving in the early afternoon, and quickly being fed the breakfast that they had kept for us.
And in closing...
I have left so much out of this account, but in summary I wanted to say that it was a great trip. People were saved. People's needs were ministered to. We had fun. We saw God work. This was just the next step in the plan that He has for this area. We are privileged, and really I would have to say spoiled, to be a part of what is happening here. With continued prayer, financial support, and visits, I believe that we will see this region come to know Christ, and this wave will spread throughout the nation. The night that the man turned from Voodoo and accepted Christ, Pastor Bob told us the situation. He, Poppy and Mommy were thrilled. Pastor Bob gave us an unforgettable quote: "What's happened tonight is worth my thirty years in Haiti, I hope it's worth your two weeks."
Thank you so much to everyone who helped me go. Thank you for your prayers. It definitely was worth my two weeks. From our group, Sara stayed an additional two weeks, and Kimi and Amy will be there more than twenty days over July and August. We are going back as a team in January, so please be in prayer with us and please support me so I can continue in the work that God is doing in Haiti.
-Brian Kloefkorn
I can be reached via email at bkloef (@yahoo.com),
phone at 310-804-4225,
or mail at 3219 Overland Ave. Apt. 6182, Los Angeles, CA 90034
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These pictures and many more are available in print or digital format with a donation towards future Haiti trips. Email him at AHayesPhoto@aol.com to request copies.
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