Bethesda Evangelical Mission

By: Cassie Sensky

Bonjour from Haiti! I was so excited when I heard about this trip just several months ago. It is amazing to see how God has brought our whole team here together each for a specific purpose. I did not know what to expect or how to prepare for an eye-opening experience such as this. As our time here comes to an end, I realize just how good God is and how He has continued to show us grace in all that we do at the worksite, orphanages, and local church.

God has used these experiences to teach me so many things. It was at the worksite that I caught a glimpse of what a true servant’s heart looks like. I think the whole team would agree that we came here thinking we were helping Haiti when actually the Haitian people have helped us so much more than we could in return. Just watching how hard the construction workers were willing to work so that we could finish the bridge in time was so encouraging. They went out of their way to serve us. I was astounded when some of the Haitian workers carried a few of the female teammates across the way so that they would not have to get their feet all muddy. They also washed our feet at the end of the day. They demonstrated true Christ-honoring service through their humble actions and willing hearts.

Love. If there is any word to describe my experience at the orphanages it is love. The children we interacted with came from different pasts, none of which were easy, but they all had such a capacity to love. I think about how easy it is to love someone who invests in you and cares for you, but they did not even know us. It humbles me when I think how much more God loves us and knows us and takes care of us everyday.

Every night we would talk as a team about the day and one night in particular stands out in my mind. It was late and we were headed to the roof to debrief when the Haitian government decided to turn the power off (this happened quite frequently throughout the week). All of Haiti went dark and we were left looking at the clear night sky with thousands of stars displayed before us. I have never seen anything like it. God’s magnificence presented so vividly I felt incredibly small. It was literally awesome.

This feeling is the best way to summarize my experience in Haiti. Each day through whatever occurred, God was magnified and I was lessened. Sometimes I just get so caught up in my life and doing things my way that I forget it is all about Him. In all things God should be glorified and He deserves it. I am so thankful to have come to Haiti. There is so much need here and the people are so wonderful. If you ever get the chance to experience a community such as Haiti, go there. I guarantee God will change your life if you let Him.

I woke up with every muscle sore. I could hardly clench my fist. The vast variety of exercises we have been doing the last few days made me aware of every muscle I had and when exactly I used them. Mixing concrete, moving big rocks, and shoveling huge piles of dirt to move them out of the way consumed most of our time at the work site thus far, and today was the day when we would finish the bridge!

When we first got there, the bridge was not quite ready to be cemented. Some of the iron supports still needed to fixed before mixing and pouring. While this was happening Mike and I noticed this one elderly man chopping away at a tree that was in the way of the wall that will ultimately be built. He had no shoes, no shirt, no water, and no gloves but just consistently kept whacking away at the base of the tree. During one of his breaks, Mike and I went over and started chopping away at the tree. We took three or four minute intervals at the tree and the old man jumped in on the rotation. Even though we couldn’t speak the same language, we were able to cheer each other on with “wi’s” and thumbs ups. Thinking I could help him out, I offered my gloves to help his hands, but he rejected them because his hands were leathery smooth from all of the years of hard manual labor he’s done. Eventually the tree fell, but not without a fight.

Finally we got the go ahead to start cementing the bridge. This required many different people and we set up an efficient assembly line with many different positions. We had people who would mix up the cement with water, cement mix, and gravel, people who filled the buckets with cement, people who passed the buckets along the line, people who poured the cement, and then people to return the buckets. There were also people there who would level and smooth out the cement. It was a very hot day and so we would have to have substitutes for people who would overheat and need to take a water break. With this system however, we were able to continue working nonstop throughout the whole day except for lunch. By the end of the day our hard work paid off and we were able to pour the last bucket of cement to top off the bridge. It was very rewarding and hard to believe that two days ago there was no way to cross this creek except for the skinny little wall! A good feeling!

To reward all of our hard work we go to spend the night at the beach swimming in the crazy warm water and enjoying fellowship with each other!

-Zach Murphy

By Amber Bewsey
Entering into her second year at Cedarville University studying nursing

I love you Pastor Lubin! Mwaahahaha, ohhh yeaaaahhh!
Waking up around 6:15 couldn’t have been any better! I woke up to the beautiful sun shining, roosters crowing, and Pastor John’s belting a joyful hymn. For some, getting 5 hours of sleep may seem absurd, especially when working as much as we have, but the quality time with the other team members, and host family has flown by very quickly. The reason I had gotten so little sleep was because I stayed up to chat with Andy (Tony), and our bus driver, Franky, who is also staying in the host house. We were all laughing and having a good time as he shared his excitement for the new baby that is to come within the next two weeks. I think he’s going to be an awesome father, as he told us how he was going to nurture the baby and help his wife as they are expecting boy! Wooohooo, a boy! So, flashing back to this morning. We had a great devotional time with the group as we talked about the importance of giving God our trust. Along with this came the realization that every day that has been given to us, has passed through Him first…so why worry when the master of all said “O.K.”? Shortly after devos, breakfast filled our stomachs with delicious fruit and other foods (THE FRUIT IS SO GOOD!). Our stomachs were able to fill up with some energizing fuel for the hard work ahead!

As you know, our team has been helping build a bridge during the day/mornings. While we mainly worked on mixing, passing, and pouring the concrete, there were times when the school children stopped to watch…and even help us. Today was such a wonderful day as God revealed himself to me in many different ways through the people (family) here; whether they’re on the team, or a Haitian. One of the main moments that stuck out the most was when I saw a needy schoolboy receive a backpack. A fellow teammate had asked me if I brought a backpack myself, so that she could put her belongings in it. She briefly told me to make sure the little boy standing beside us didn’t leave as she would be back in a few minutes. As I stood there holding his little hand, he looked at me with smiles and observation. He had no idea what was going on, or why I was holding his hand, but he squeezed back, and there we waited for her return. She came back with one of the nicest backpacks I have ever seen. It was the Cadillac of all bookbags with its several pockets and zippers. We knelt down beside the little boy and began transferring the books out of his tattered Unicef bag into the new blue bag. His face was filled with pure joy and amazement as he stood there watching this happen. My eyes filled with tears as she put the backpack (that was about the same size as him) over his shoulders. As we went back to work, I saw him watching us with even more thankful smiles and observation. Of course the other school children that were around the area saw his nice backpack, and opened the pockets, closed the zippers and even used the hand sanitizer that was left inside. This little boy was the center of attention for about half and hour! Haha, what a joyous time it was. At this point, I didn’t notice the language barrier…but I didn’t need to. Love was the language and I was blessed to share it with my teammate and this precious boy.

After this, some more working time had passed and other school children joined in to help. I looked to my left and saw a schoolgirl in her uniform, passing the buckets with one hand, and holding the hand of Cassie in another. WOW. It was beautiful to see my best friend influence this young girl. All it takes is a smile of love and a touch of tenderness. When one of our team members left the assembly line of passing buckets for a water break, there were several other school girls that filled in the empty space. It was cute when I noticed that they tucked their skirts between their legs so they wouldn’t get in the way/ dirty. Even when cement got on their clothing, they kept passing the buckets with beautiful smiles and gratitude as they helped in the process of building the bridge. And they did all of this with us BEFORE school. I can’t help but wonder how much they would have done for us after the school day was over. They would be covered head to toe! I have also been greatly blessed by meeting Watson. He has been hanging out with our team (this is a family) and helping out at the worksite. The selfless acts of kindness he has shown our group have been more than encouraging, but an example. If he sees one of us in need, he’ll find a way to help. He and his brother, who I have met at the worksite, are both this way. I had Pastor Luben tell him that when we come back, I’m going to be able to hold a conversation with him in Creole. It does get frustrating with the language barrier in between, but it’s easy to let go once you see actions.
As the day went on, the bridge got closer and closer to completion and Sarah (our WONDERFUL leader) wrote “Cedarville University” on the bridge. There it is! CU in Haiti!

We then headed to the beach where another blessing occurred, but you’ll have to wait until later to hear that one . IT WAS SO GORGEOUS! I AM USING CAPS BECAUSE I WANT IT TO BE CLEAR THAT IT WAS MAJESTICALLY BEAUTIFUL!!!! WOW…I just stood there in awe thinking “I’m glad I know the artist of the artwork.” I can’t say that too often, but with God I can.

After a swim in the warm water and trying some conch (which was delicious), we packed up and headed back to the house where dinner was waiting. Fried chicken, corn, green beans, macaroni and cheese, breadfruit, rice and cake. Yes, Gardenett is a GREAT cook. So no worries mommas out there, us babies are being fed good food which comes often. Cassie and I had a short dance party before we ate with the girls here and it was a blast! They are so sweet and full of life…it’s contagious.

After filling our stomachs with the wonderful food, we headed up to the roof for our devotional/debriefing time. Looking up into the night was like a dream. Never have I seen the stars so clear and beautiful! The times when I sang “twinkle twinkle little star” came back when I saw that they were actually do that! Yet another amazing painting I was observing. And I guess I should mention the fact that the power was out. So it was completely dark…besides the glowsticks we brought  Moments like today’s have allowed me to see God’s hand in the darkest places. This gives me hope. GREAT HOPE. From watching the little boy walk away with a smile and a backpack, to the sunset and stars. I am blessed to have lived today! I’m glad my Father let it pass on to me!

by Megan Courtney

Words cannot even describe this amazing experience to Haiti. This trip has been a life-changer for this entire team. We have learned countless lessons and God has revealed so many things to us. I am not much of a good writer, but I will try my best to interpret my feelings into word format.

This week, we have had the great privilege of serving alongside a group of Haitian men. We have been building a bridge so that the Haitians who attend the church will not have to hike through the deep water and mud in order to get to church while in their nice church clothes. Today, we mixed cement and poured it to set the foundation for the bridge. Hopefully, tomorrow we will all finish the bridge. But anyways, God has revealed himself in SOOOOO many ways through these men. They work so hard for so long, get paid little, but do all the work with a smile on their faces. They are so determined to get this bridge done that they work from really early in the morning till dinner time with only a short break for lunch. Their determination and perseverance is truly inspiring.

God has revealed so many things to us as well while we are down here in Haiti. Recently, I have been feeling God tugging at my heart to switch my major from Early Childhood Education to something more fulltime-ministry related. I am not quite sure if it is overseas missions such as in a place like Haiti or just within the United States. I never ever imagined myself as a missionary but with the encouragement from my team and the tugging of my heart from God, I feel like I could see myself working as a full-time missionary devoting my life to spreading the Good News. I am SOOOO excited to continue to hear God speak and work in my life!

Today, we also had the AMAZING privilege of being able to go to an orphanage with the C-U-T-E-S-T children. The joy these children have is truly incredible. They were born into poor families whose parents would sell them in order to get money. Then, the new families would beat them, use them as household slaves, and even sexually abuse them. It just makes me so sad to know that these children went through those circumstances and that thousands of children in Haiti and all around the world are going through the same slavery. However, the JOY and EXCITEMENT they have for life is INCREDIBLE!!!! We got to teach them how to speak in English today by having multiple stations and rewarding them for their hard work with candy and stickers. These children love life and have so much joy in their hearts. I will never forget these children and how happy they were in the midst of their difficult circumstances. The team got a chance to play games like Red Light-Green Light, London Bridges, Ring around the Rosie, and many others. They loved these games and we LOVED playing with them. We also got the opportunity to sing “Amazing Grace” with the children and the refrain says that “my chains are gone, I’ve been set free. My God, my Savior has ransomed me and like a flood, His mercy reigns. Unending love, amazing grace”. These words fit PERFECTLY with the children and their past. They have been SET FREE by the grace of God and have been given a chance to BE KIDS! They get an opportunity to receive an education, a home, a safe environment, food, a loving family, and an opportunity to learn more and more about JESUS CHRIST! ****** These children are truly amazing. The entire team is planning on returning back to Haiti next year if possible to continue investing into the lives of these children and being servants of the Lord to the Haitians.

A few moments ago, the team finished our debriefing of the day and just simply reflecting on what God has been teaching us. Every day, we have a different “question of the day”. Today’s question was “what will you differently when you return back home after this week here in Haiti?” It was so encouraging to hear everyone answer that question and open up about their lives at home. We prayed that we could keep each other accountable while we return back to our old lives; we take everything we learned here and live it out in our day to day lives.

I could go on for hours and hours about how much God has revealed to us since we have been here, but it is getting late and the team is getting ready to go to bed. But, I am SOOOO thankful for this opportunity and the chance to have this AMAZINGGGG bonding experience with this team as well as the opportunity to grow in my relationship with Christ. Everyone should come to Haiti or a country like Haiti to experience God in the most powerful ways. As Pastor Lubin says “ when the situation looks the worst, God’s work can be shown the best”. These words have been proven true throughout our time in Haiti! Thanks for all the prayers and all the love and support!! PAPIMAL! (the team’s favorite phrase)***

The past four days have been incredible and God has shown Himself in an amazing way to our team and today was no different! We began the day at the church working more on the bridge. The Haitians were already there when we arrived and they were ready for us to help pour the cement.

Since we had so many people, we were able to form a line from where they were mixing the gravel and cement powder to the wall where it was needed and pass buckets of cement down the line making the process go much more quickly. Though they didn’t have many tools or the best materials, it was so neat to see them make do with what God had provided.

From reusing rusty nails in old boards to using tree limbs to help support the part of the bridge over the water, God has been providing everything we need. The locals we were working with were so helpful and willing to serve. It was such a blessing to our whole team to see their desire to work so hard for the Lord and their joy throughout the morning.

After lunch, we drove again to the orphanage in Chantel. I was glad that we were able to go back to the same orphanage today and visit the same children, building on the relationships we had started yesterday. The kids were so excited to see us again and the smiles on their faces when we arrived were so encouraging. Before we played and sang with them, we had a chance to teach them a little bit of English.

We made six different stations for them to go to and at each station we taught them a couple of phrases or words. Some of the kids struggled, but they were so willing to learn and by the end of the hour they had already made a lot of progress. These children were precious and full of life, energy and encouragement despite the rough background they came from.

Though it is easy to feel that there is little we can do, God can use our faithfulness in small moments like this afternoon to do great things. Tonight we went to church and were again blessed by a beautiful service. Our brothers and sisters in Haiti that we have seen have encouraged us so much with their amazing faith and their boldness in worship. Though we need an interpreter to understand most of what they are saying and we can only listen during worship, the unity of the body of Christ has been very evident through our interactions with these people. This picture of heaven is one that I will hold with me until I see these people again when our Saviour returns.

I do not know what God has in store for the rest of the week, but I have seen what He has done already in and through a group of Cedarville students with little experience and no knowledge of the native language and I know that whatever the next few days hold, God is using us. God is alive in Haiti and He is doing amazing things here!

Please continue to pray for the ministry of Cedarville University and Bethesda Evangelical Mission! Andrew Herting 5/8/12