The mission team from Lott Carey which arrived on Saturday has 22 people, with 16 never serving in foreign missions prior to this one. There are four individuals who were members of last years mission in Carries. They range in age from their mid-twenties to eighty-plus years old. I am uber excited to serve as their mission lead. I want them to get a taste of the glory I have experienced serving here in Haiti for the past 6 years, particularly what God has shown me during the last five weeks at Mission of Grace in Carries. I look forward to ushering them into the joy of serving God on the mission field and I take that responsibility seriously.
We awoke to a bright and sunny SUNDAY and enjoyed a delightful breakfast outdoors. I had the pleasure to introduce the team during church service. Just prior to the sermon Faviola, a spirit-filled teen with the mission, and I rendered a song together. We sang both in Kreyol and English. Pastor Duane Kay from First Baptist Church of North Brentwood, Maryland is a member of the team and delivered a powerful message of faith and hope in Jesus.
Later we invited the young people in the mission to join us for a period of constructive fun and an afternoon snack. They had a ball making jewelry for themselves and creating whirly things which we will give to the young children later in the week. The goal today was to spend time getting to know each other and, judging by the smiles and hugs which were freely given, I would say we accomplished that goal.
Around 4pm we began packaging food which we will distribute in the village to needy families later in the week. Each of twenty families will receive a delivery of rice, beans, dried fish, tomato sauce, spaghetti, meal, flavoring and spices. This food should last a family of five to six for at least a week. I am proud of the effort these missionaries put forth on their first day.
The various activities these missionaries will participate in this week were designed to push and challenge them spiritually, mentally, and physically. I have purposefully setup a very aggressive schedule for them and they hit the 
ground running on MONDAY with a tour of the various ministries which make up the Mission of Grace. After the tour a few of them get the opportunity to serve at the soup kitchen. The 22 servants are broken into smaller teams and headed out in different directions in the afternoon. The men ended Monday’s missional activities by leading bible study. The entire team ends each day recapping our experiences. The theme for our recap is “how did you see or experience God today as you served?” I thoroughly enjoy listening to how God revealed Herself to these servants on a nightly basis.
TUESDAY I joined the team going to the construction site to help build a house. The “Lott Carey model of service” encourages missionaries to come along side the natives we are serving to HELP them with various projects so we must wait while the men here get setup. After they get organized we all circle up for introductions and prayer. Our group was assigned the task of moving cement blocks into position so they could be used to build the walls of the house. The work was hard and arduous but the team served with enthusiasm. Of course I couldn’t resist playing with and loving on the little 2 year old who lived next door to the site. I was able to easily coax a smile out of him.
During the afternoon I served with the teams which went to the Children of Grace. We spent time holding babies, blowing bubbles, and playing card games and dominoes with the older children. Bossy little Ms. Julie saw me and said “Mr. Vernon push me on the swing”. It wasn’t exactly a request but you could guess where I spent a majority of my time. Julie is pictured in the white and pink dress below.
While the women went to church for bible study we invited the young men of the mission over to spend time with the us. It was delightful talking with them about God and sharing wisdom with them.
Even though I already know the view was spectacular up here I still get caught up when I see it. We came across a small, open sided school near the end of our ascent. Through our limited understanding of the language we find out from Madam Richardson, one of the two teachers, there forty-four students. We also pick up a young guest along the way. He joined us when we were near the school so I suspect he would love to be in school but his family doesn’t have the money. As we were resting from our journey we are joined by two beautiful young ladies who bear a striking resemblance to our young male visitor.
Paul, the young man from Port Au Prince Judy and I have been sponsoring came to Carries for visit today. I arranged for us to spend quality time through Saturday. I introduced him to Shiena as we began our daily tutoring session and he jumped right in to help. He shared with me that he tutors a girl in his village in math and English. After we finished with Shiena we go back to Cap Calen to pick up the items we paid for on Tuesday. As we were walking there we passed a school where the students were singing “Here I Am To Worship” in harmony and it sounded so awesome. After we finish dinner Paul and I sat and talked for a long time.
we passed by the soup kitchen where there was already a line forming. The two 
cooks, Dedine and LaNice, called me over and told me I needed to come to work right away (I am starting to think they like my company). Ms. Lynn stopped by a short time later and admonished the children who did not go to church today telling them they needed to be fed the word of God first and then come to get some food. While we were waiting for the food to finish cooking I started playing with some of the children. One of them is Makenzy, Billy’s brother. He held onto me and sat in my lap for quite a while. We started making funny faces and taking pictures. Also hanging around today were the daughters of the two cooks (I don’t remember their names right now) and we all have a good time. I feel like I put in overtime today, both physically and emotionally, so when I got back to the guest house I took a 2 hour nap.
distracted) poured our energy into the little people here. Abraham arrived severely malnourished with very little muscle tone in his legs. We try to get him to stand but many times he stubbornly refuses. However today he indulged me as he enjoyed his pop.
While I am at the soup kitchen I notice a little boy about 2.5 years old running around having a ball, chasing chickens and goats…just having a good time. It turns out his family is staying at the single mom’s house which is next to the kitchen. His name is Billy and he has been eyeballing me since I started working there. Well this week we broke new ground and are now best buddies. He enjoys being held and loves it when I tickle him. One day this week he was in a bad way and was crying. His mom wasn’t paying him any attention at all so I scooped him up and walked him around until the tears subsided. Before long Billy was back to his normal giggly, happy-go-lucky self. Who knew working at a soup kitchen paid such wonderful dividends.
craftsman. The craftsman begins with piece of wood (raw material), tools, and an idea in his mind of what the finished product will look like. He then methodically and patiently works at it until it is complete. The take away here was we are the raw material God is constantly shaping and refining until we become the masterpiece She had in mind. However, we must be patient as She molds and makes us. We must not try to rush to the end…God has a specific plan which will unfold/take shape in due time. Finally, utilizing the message in Verse 6, I shared that we can’t be like the sea and allow the rolling tides in our lives (the ups and downs), the winds (those things which may have a strong/powerful impact on us), or the gravitational pull (those people and things which attempt to move us from where God wants us to be) to dictate our direction. We must remember to rely on God for wisdom and trust that She will give it to us because, (we know) God is always faithful.
malnourished…protruding bellies and thinning, reddish hair. I am astonished to watch the older child dig into what I know is an empty ketchup package with his finger trying to get a morsel of sustenance from it. Cullen kisses each of them on the forehead and then grabs the soap from the bag and tells the mother she has to wash her baby who is soiled and smelly. It’s as if she needs to be reminded to do so. He then hands the baby to me and we circle up to pray. He explains that the mission offered to take the mother and her children in but she has refused. She knows about the village soup kitchen where she can get free meals but she doesn’t avail herself. Nor has she taken her children to the free clinic in the village. At least she has food for a few days and the family is on his watch list. Cullen says he will check back with them in a few days. As we leave he is chastised by others near this family because he didn’t bring them anything. He tells them he will try to bring them something the next time.
the roof have not arrived yet. This 3-room house with an outdoor cooking area will be the home of Dedine, one of the cooks at the kitchen. She introduced me to her son Levinski on Sunday and I found Yvens, one of my math students, is also her son. There are two other children I haven’t met. I ask Dedine if she is anxious to get in her new home and her answer is a very polite smile and nothing more but I guess I really know the answer. Below are side-by-side pictures of her existing home and partially completed new home.
clothes and stop by the soup kitchen. It is really hitting home that most of the people I see here would struggle to find a meal or simply not eat if it wasn’t for this ministry at Mission of Grace. My heart is deeply touched at what I see. Each individual, and it’s mostly children, know that they must wash their hands before they go take a seat. Everyone is quit
e orderly as they eat their plate of rice and beans. When they have finished it is my job to remove the plates and hand them to the dishwasher so they can be washed and used to serve the next group waiting to eat. I enjoy being here and the staff seems to have grown accustomed to my presence. Each day I make it MY mission to be stop by at 11:30 to help serve. I am greeted with smiles, hugs, and cheek-kisses, and receive the same when my shift ends…that’s more than enough payment for me.
We don’t have a lot of time to enjoy it as we have to get back to the guest house for breakfast. After eating we gather our luggage and board the vans for the ride to the airport in Port Au Prince. 
Our driver tells us there are traffic jams on the way into town but that is not unusual. However the 90 minute ride did take us about 2.5 hours so we have to hurry and unload the baggage. Fortunately my sons David and Paul are there to assist and make quick work of it. Thankfully all of the team make their flights on time and arrive home safely.
each ordered curried goat and I chose a conch dish since I was told this delicacy is better in Haiti than any other Caribbean Island. Paul asked me what seemed like a thou
sand questions but I didn’t mind. I really enjoy the time I get to spend with them and I know it’s his way of getting to know me better. We get back to the airport around 4pm so I can meet up with my driver and head back to Carries. I plan to visit them and their families in a week or so. I will also endeavor to have them spend some time with me in Carries
was there to celebrate the birthday of two of the residents. I understand the music was loud and secular, and a couple of them got on the dance floor and never slowed down. They dined on cup cakes, had party favors, and the celebrants were even gussied up for the occasion. They seemed to really enjoy the love and attention they received. One of our team members shared that as they walked back through the village after the celebration several villagers stopped them to inquire about the shenanigans they heard about happening up on the hill.
Missional Journey 