Michigan Iowa Team Heads Home

Matt Entingh watches as Amy Gilbaugh shows the photos she took to the children at the soccer game. The team of visitors from Michigan and Iowa got an early start this morning. During our last evening of song and fellowship, everyone agreed this was an outstanding team. They showed a huge heart of love and compassion for the Haitian people and a great capacity for sharing their talents and their faith at any time and in any situation. This morning, they left the HAFF campus at 7:15 for the 30 minute drive to the Pignon airport. From there they fly to Port-au-Prince and then on to the States and home. Thank the Lord with us for this team and all they accomplished with things built and painted and cleaned and people encouraged and taught and blessed. Pray for them as they travel. Pray for them as they get back to their normal lives this week. Pray for what the Lord is going to do through them because of this trip. Pray for the folks they touched here in Haiti. Pray that the things they heard and learned will bear fruit for the Kingdom of God. And pray for us, the HAFF staff, as we get back to normal. Pray that the encouragement the team brought would remain with us. That the passion they showed for Christ would inspire us each day as we labor here in His service. 

BTI Plays the Chilean UN troops

Friday the Michigan Iowa team had the fun of attending the 5th or 6th match up between the BTI soccer team and the Chilean soldiers posted to Pignon with the UN. The best fun was, when we arrived, both teams needed an extra player. So, Bethany Gilbaugh donned the orange uniform of the BTI team and Matt Entingh joined the opposition UN team, though he had to wear his own shirt and shorts. When Matt had spent the first half chasing the ball, making a few great blocks, kicking his share of the ball and getting into a leg race with BTI's longlegged team captain, he said he was done! It was more of a cardiovascular workout than this asthmatic American Football line backer was used to! So, Sam Gilbaugh took his place on the UN team. You can see Sam in the photo -- he's the white guy dressed in white as opposed to blue! Bethany didn't get a chance to play until the second half, but play she did! After the game, the UN troops invited the BTI team to the post for lunch on Saturday! A great time was had by all and there were, thankfully, no injuries. 

The BTI and UN teams were well matched. The match was scoreless at half time!! It was an exciting game with lots of action around both goals. And even though in this photo, the UN is threatening the BTI goal, BTI won 2 goals to none!!! GO BTI!!! 

More Team Activities -- Tuesday through Thursday

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were busy days for the team. Melanie Dawe and Greta Entingh have just about worn out their beautiful voices singing with Keket Docteur's and Barb Van Schoyck's English classes. Haitians love to sing and singing is a great tool for teaching language. But it is quite taxing to the voice to try to be heard when you are leading 25 or so students singing with normal Haitian joy and volume!! When Greta's voice gave out, Tim Hausler filled in for her for a while. 

Met Phanes' house is done!! The team got it painted inside and out. Sam, Greg Van Schoyck, Amy, Bethany, Greta and Matt stand on the front porch of what is now the prettiest house in the neighborhood! Met Phanes loves the blue -- he even used some of it to paint one of his dressers. And when the house was done, he said, "It looks like a bridegroom's house!" meaning it was all fresh and new looking and ready for a bride. Too bad his wife and children are all in Hinche! They'll have to come visit.  

Several of the team members have been helping Dr Greg in the dental clinic in the mornings. Here, his daughter Bethany helps him fill the cavities of a local pastor's wife, Mme Saint Val. 

Tuesday the Godly Woman class met. They studied lessons 5 and 6 of Peace Making, learned to bake and decorate cakes and how to decoratively paint chairs. 

With Barb translating Tuesday, Melanie Dawe shared with the Godly Woman class about how to better live out the Biblical injunction for wives to respect their husbands.  

Melanie also showed the ladies how to make icing roses for decorating their cakes. 

Nine chalkboards have been assembled! A number of the team members have worked on the chalboards. Phil and Matt and Tim were over working on my back porch when I took this. And Bethany had gone to change for visiting. But here, Amy and Mary assemble the last of the 9 chalkboards. 

The Young Leaders for God class met again Wednesday. This time, they met in the gazebo. That is Melanie Dawe sitting in the back on the railing, taking photos for Eric. 

Phil DuCheny taught the Young Leaders for God class Wednesday with Eric translating. Today, Phil is sharing with the church leaders in their seminar this afternoon. 

Tuesday afternoon and this afternoon, the team held seminars for local church leaders. Each day they served the church leaders refreshments of peanut butter sandwiches and fresh grapfruit juice. This is Sam and Amy Gilbaugh and Mary Swainston picking the grapefruits from the HAFF fruit orchard this morning. As I post this to my blog, the team is squeezing grapefruit, mixing it with water and sugar and making sandwhiches as the church leaders get fed with the Word of God. 

Each day different ones of the team have led devotions for the school. They have shared song, scripture and testimonies with Eric translating. Here Matt Entingh shares from Scripture as Eric translates. 

Each evening on the dorm porch we have closed with song. It has been a glorious time of worship. The team has wonderful voices and they sing songs with great words of truth, strength and encouragement. They also sing with great gusto!!! Many of you know how much I love to sing. This week with this team has been like a fore-taste of heaven!  

A Day in the Life of a Team at HAFF

After breakfast, devotions at school, a visit to the open air market at Gard Bohoc and some of the team doing home visitation, the team broke up into several groups. One group painted the BTI headmaster's home. Amy Gilbaugh, Mary Swainston and Matt Entingh are shown here. Bethany Gilbaugh was painting too, but she was on the front porch beyond Matt for this photo. 

All the paint did not end up on the house!!! I had to chase Matt Entingh to get this photo. 

Meanwhile, in the Administration Building courtyard, Greta Entingh and Melanie Dawe pruned the plants, pulled the weeds and generally cleaned up the foliage which was threatening to take over the walkways! 

The third group started making chalkboards. Here Phil DuCheny and Tim Hausler mark the spot to cut the celotex for a chalkboard. 

Sam Gilbaugh paints the cut celotex with chalkboard paint. Tomorrow the frames and legs will be cut and the chalkboards assembled. Then they will be ready to be distributed to rural elementary schools. 

In the afternoon, Pastor Eric Hausler met with the Young Leaders for God class. He spent 2 hours teaching them from Scripture about Spiritual Gifts. 

Three members of the Young Leaders for God class following the lesson intently. 

Dr Greg Gilbaugh (left) spent the morning working in the HAFF dental clinic. In the late afternoon, Pastor Eric translated for Dr Greg as he led a Bible Study for a group of young men.  

Here are 4 of the young men, 19 to 24 years old, who attended the Bible Study with Dr Greg and Pastor Eric. 

This evening just before dinner, the UN troops from Chile who are stationed near Pignon, came to visit. They specifically came to make arrangements with Zach for the BTI soccer team to play a match with the Chilean troops. Thankfully, Edouine, the BTI team captain was visiting Zach at the same time, so the match was easily scheduled. It will be Friday afternoon. Check your TV Guide for local lisitings!!! Yeah, right!!!