Hosanna to House Of Blessings!

Hosanna Team Hosanna Team[/caption] Six people began a journey October, 2014 after Theresa Coe shared her trip with the congregation at Hosanna Lutheran Church in Mesa, AZ. She shared photos, memorabilia, and Haitian music; Theresa then suggested and challenged the members to prayerfully consider a mission trip to Haiti. There were several people who prayerfully considered this mission trip and God lead 6 people on this remarkable journey to Calabasse, Haiti. So began our journey to go to Haiti – an unlikely group of six with very different backgrounds, but intense in the unity and oneness in the Love of Christ. All be it a group seemingly as 6th graders on an adventurous journey in boundless energy with child like joy and purpose. How would God lead us? How would God use us? In an orphanage named House of Blessings. In a land where 200,000 perished  5 years ago through earthquake devastation. After all we come from a land with drinkable  tap water, hot water, showers, restrooms with running water, electricity, paved roads, stop lights ( I think you have to go to Haiti to appreciate stoplights)  air conditioning, refrigerators and microwaves. We really got into the spirit of the trip after receiving our information packets from Richard Fields regarding what we would be required to bring with us, which included peanut butter, jelly, tuna, canned chicken, and toilet paper! The six of us also took on the challenge to fulfil Richards’s wish list for items for a summer program. The items included toothbrushes, toothpaste, granola bars, candy, soap, personal items such as combs, hair brushes, and deodorant. The congregation at Hosanna stepped up and donated over 500 tooth brushes along with tooth paste! We put a dent in the request for 475 granola bars! Black board chalk was on the request list also and we collected over 900 pieces of chalk! It was fun to see all the goodies come in each Sunday. The six of us carried extra suitcases to bring our treasures to Haiti. [caption id="attachment_1253" align="alignleft" width="300"]On the front steps with the kids! On the front steps with the kids![/caption] On May 30, 2015 we travel to Haiti and House Of Blessings. Our week at the House of Blessings orphanage was one filled with fun, love, yummy food and outstanding fellowship. I think everyone in our group will treasure the devotions we participated in each evening. We shared God’s word and sang praises to His glory. Sunday morning at church wow 500 or more singing to the top of their lungs! But the pastor yells louder!! They invited our whole group up in front of the church, well I’m sure we looked funny to the congregation. We are dressed quite different from theirs, they are all dressed so beautiful and formal – but the joy in the Lord brings us together. To meet other Christians with a love of our Savior and the gift of loving others. We took hundreds of pictures maybe thousands of the precious children, the mountain sides, Port Au Prince, plants, animals. Pictures of the Church of many Haitian peoples worshiping the Lord! The amazing Church is packed with men, women and children reading their Bibles, no padded pues, air conditioning, restrooms with running water and paved parking lots were not in view, things in the States we seem to put great importance in. There is one picture however that is embedded in my mind. The picture however was not in any of the pictures that our team took. The picture is that of a child, a beautiful child lifting his arms up, wanting to be loved and wanting to be held. The carpenter’s, (Paul, Ryan, and Tom) in our group built four more bunk beds for the dorm like bedrooms and built a queen size bed for the leader bedroom. Theresa and Serenah got into the spirit and hammered some nails and drilled in some screws! Cyndi met the ladies who make the purses for Bagay Ki Bon and was happy to sit and sew with them during the afternoon hours. Our team met Linda and Ron Cox who joined our group to be able to watch the drilling of a water well on the House [caption id="attachment_1252" align="alignright" width="300"]Serenah, Felo & Theresa Serenah, Felo & Theresa[/caption] of Blessings property. God had other plans and the drilling was cancelled as the truck had mechanical problems. Our week drew to a close much too quickly and soon we were back on the road to Port Au Prince and headed home. I know each of us has a special place in our hearts for the people and children we met in those few precious days in Callabasse, Haiti.]]>