Haiti Day 7 (June 20)

Last morning in Haiti. Mixed feelings about leaving. Such great people but certainly we miss our family at home and at CCFred. The devotion today was prepared by Elia and focused on children in God's sight which was fortuitous since our VBS lesson/skit focused on the same subject. Elia referenced Matthew 18:1-5 and Luke 9:46-47. I asked Elia about the "coincidence" and he had no idea. Coincidence? You make the call--I think not! As we closed, we prayed over VBS, the kids and parents, the Haiti Bible Training Center and students, the Amphitheater, the nation of Haiti and the vision to bring Haiti back to Christianity, protection for Pastor Brian and continued bold action under the cover of the Holy Spirit's leading, and for wisdom in handling the challenges of the day to come. VBS started later than planned. Nothing new, I know, right? About 40 kids were there before we got down to the amphitheater. We intended to pass out the T-shirts (173) to the kids as they showed up in order to ensure the dedicated received something for their diligence and timeliness. We knew we did not have enough for all but trusted the Holy Spirit has handled tougher issues than that. There were some hectic moments as more and more people poured in and we ran short of popular sizes. We were honest with them and they seemed to be ok. Our lesson was planned and led by Alex and the skit involved some of the kids in the audience. Check the references above and you'll get the idea. The music and worship were great once again. I have to say Abigail and Caroline should be voted most patient as their hair was twisted and pulled (teased?) by more hands than McDonald's has arches. Vinny was also spotted with about seven kids hanging on him and he maintained a spirit of compassion and love throughout. Awesome to witness. As we closed VBS for the week, one of the local men who runs an orphanage and had been at VBS all week said some very nice words regarding the VBS program but specifically and more importantly, he said he would help to try to make it...gulp...BIGGER next year! Okkaaayyy CCFred! Who's in?!? We packed our stuff and moved it all to the roof as Calvary Chapel Tri-state (Cincinnati) showed up at about 1500 so we wanted to make room for them. Super nice saints who are easy to grab the baton and move it forward.  We made it to the orphanage at about 1600 and played with the kids, gave them all water bags -- the tricky ones got two! We decided to run an encore presentation of today's VBS skit and lesson. The dresses made by YOU were sized to the children and put on by the girls immediately. Lots of very happy children! Thank You Jesus and CCFred seamstresses!  Finally, as this will be the final blog entry for the Haiti 2014 Mission Trip, we need to hold our hands high in praise to God above for His provision and safety, and also for the prayers of the saints in Fredericksburg and those directly associated with Cross to Light. We want to acknowledge the fantastic support team in Fredericksburg who were indispensable in preparation and execution of the trip. From supply/logistics to country preparation to transportation the trip has gone very, very well and that does not happen by chance.  The Haiti "Visiting" Team