Moo-ve That Truck to Haiti!!

My sister, Madison, who I wrote about earlyer, is giving her truck to Haiti. However, it costs $6,000 to get it to Haiti, and she dosent have that much money :) Chick-Fil-A Fort Collins Colorado is helping her raise the money by hosting a spirit night.
Chick-Fil-A is going to donate 20% of all purchases to Madison and her Truck on Thursday, March 22nd. I'm asking if you could stop by and enjoy some yummy food, and help Haiti at the same time. Come anytime between 6pm and 10pm. Don't forget to mention that you are there because of the truck/Haiti. It counts for gift cards, which are always awesome gifts especially with Easter coming up... and if you have business meetings coming up you can order trays, after you mention your with Haiti/Truck, and recieve them at another day. Supper awesomeness! Don't forget to tell your friends, and have them tell their friends, and... well you get the picture.
Thanks so much guys!

 “She did what?”

For a little over 21 years now, I have been apart of my family.  Madison, the older of the two was born 5 years after me and Marin was born 2 years after that.  They are BOTH GREAT!! They are both highly involved in the things they love.  Marin is on the basketball team at her school.  She is in all sorts of theater plays and her academics are only of the best!  Madison academics are also superior! She is also very involved in many other things.  This story is about the love my family has but specifically is about Madison. So buckle up folks because you won’t want to miss what God is blowing up through her!



Last week while I was working, I mentioned to my co-worker that my sister(Madison) was giving her truck to Haiti. He was almost appalled that she would do such a thing.  He wanted to know why she would do such a thing and quite frankly just didn’t understand.  I explained to him why but the story from my sister is much more interesting.  So here it is.   There it stands a lifted white Ford Ranger.  She had been super excited to have her very own car when she gets her license in February.  Something however was stirring up her heart.  God was and still is moving this young lady to better his kingdom.  I remember coming home one day to my mom saying “your sister gave her truck to Haiti today.”  I was taken back by this in a some what unusual manner.  I wondered why? She didn’t have a job or money that she could buy another one with so this meant she was giving up her ability to have a car for quite some time. As I sat there thinking all the selfish thoughts of don’t do it and how foolish I thought she was it started to sink in.  This 16 year old girl, my sister is not worried about the material objects.  She is not even worried what people think about her.  Her life and actions here show that she cares about the children that the creator if the universe has put in her life.  This sweet little girl had only been in Haiti for less then a week.  6 days to be exact but yet she was willing to give her truck away to a wonderful organization down there.  Madison is good friends with the team leader(Crystal Funk) who makes regular trips down to Haiti and was in need of a truck.  Crystal had been trying to find a vehicular for awhile and was coming up empty.  It was just the opportunity Madison had been looking for.  She called Crystal up and told her that she wanted to give her the truck.  I can only imagine the excitement on the other end of the phone.  We are still looking for a port to send it down but as soon as we can it will be down in Haiti used to reach the people of GOD!!

I hope you all will be encouraged like me from this story of young girl who is changing the world of tomorrow.

Love you Madison, Marin, and my Mommy!

Two Months

 Two months, that was the duration of my trip in Haiti this.  Is two months really long enough to even make an impact though.  I mean people I am 21 so that is a 1/126 of my life.  How much could possibly happen in that span.  I know in America people finished the semester, celebrated Christmas and for those sports fans the lockout was resolved.. So how much can one guy do over that span?


I can not give you a number or an amount but what I can tell you is I feel blessed and honored to be able to give two months of my life to the people of Haiti.  I have not only started  new relationships but built on the old ones.  Relationships like the one with Tachi and her daughter Esther.  She is a Haitian woman who works at the house I stayed at.  She cooked some of the most delicious food not only in Haiti but that I have ever had.  She is such a serving person, I can not tell you how many times she would just randomly bring me a cold class of water or Gatorade.  Her daughter(Esther) is one of the cutest little girls ever!  Her smile and laugh is captivating at the roots of all our hearts.  Getting to know Bernard some more and his heart for his country and the people of it is very humbling.  He works so hard every day with Kyle(Fishburn) and his brother on the mountain with many other Haitian workers who all have been given the opportunity by Respire Haiti.  Respire Haiti is building  a school for over 350 kids who now meet outside under tents because the church is too small to fit everyone. They will have separate rooms for each grade and a place to play soccer and run around instead of an old broken down building for a jungle gym.  Among other things they will have a library and medical center in the future of this school complex on the mountain.  Ok, I am getting off topic but wanted to inform you of what some of my good friends are working so diligently on.

I will say that my true joy of this trip and even my purpose for going down was my boys from Carrfour.  I didn’t know it when I left the states but these guys were a twinkle, no a bright star that will shine for the rest of my life.  In just a 6 week span of hanging out with them, that was enough time for me to see their hearts and for them to see mine.  We would hang out at least twice a week.  Monday and Thursday at 10 in Carrfour.  We would sometimes read and talk about scripture or just talk about life.  One of the days we talked about the differences from dating in America and dating in Haiti.  Let’s say the differences are quite large.   Sometimes they would come over to my house which is about an hour away to help me build stuff.  We build a couple beds for the house along with some shelves for the school.  It was great being able to serve with them.  The last Monday we met was something to be cherished!  I told them I was leaving Wednesday and that this would be the last time we would all get to see each other for awhile.  It was heart breaking to have to tell them that.  It almost brought tears to my eyes.  We sat around for a couple hours just reminiscing on some of the great memories we had.  Our time at the house was over but the day with them was not.  I needed to get some things for people back home and asked if they wanted to accompany me.  With gleaming smiles they said yes.  So off we went to Port-Au-Prince.  Getting the stuff for everyone back home was very delightful but walking with my brother through their streets just hanging out is where the joy was that day! We rode tap tap back and joked the whole way back.  It was a good way to go out!  These men sacrificed so much to be able to just hang out with me.  Would you or I do that here in the states? Would you trash all your plans for the day to take someone shopping three hours away?  It meant the world to me. Now that I am back in the States, I try and remember to be a servant like them with everything I have.  I get caught up sometimes and think of how important I am.  I don’t have time to help those people I have stuff to do.  In reality nothing matters in this world but people and loving them!!

A shout out to my boys in Haiti, miss you guys and love you much!

Trevor

Me and the Guys

Hello everyone!  I wanted to let you all know that I am not dead and I have not forgotten about everyone back home.  It has been a very interesting and diverse time here in Haiti.

I have been doing all sorts of random things down here so I will just touch on some of my favorite….



About three weeks ago I got to privilege to meet ten young men of Haiti. So many people come down here for the babies and little kids(which is great) but who invest in the lives of the young adults here?  Are you just on your own after 18?  Talking to one of my Haitian buddies(Bernard) he said he knew of some guys that were looking to work on their English and I was looking for some friends.  Sounds like a good pair, does it not? We met on this mountain side where they all lived.  Our first meeting was nothing more then an introduction. We talked about when we would meet again and some “small talk”.  We decided to meet twice a week and go over Matthew.  I was so excited!! Not only was I going to hang out with these guys but we got to go over scripture together.  I can say that things do not always go as planned down here so we have only gone over Matthew once but building relationships with these men is such a blessing and an honor! We went and played soccer once and built some bunk-beds for the house I am staying at. There is something about serving as a group that brings you closer then just sitting around and talking.  I am excited to get to know these men more and more for my short time here.  We meet again Monday and I can hardly wait to see what God and them will bring to the table.

Trevor

Is it more then a “Touch”

As a person we want to accomplish things and mark off the boxes to feel needed.  Why do we think this way?  Is because we were taught this growing up?  Is it a “self worth” attitude?

 I come down here to this beautiful country(Haiti) and they want nothing more then touch.  The touch is special to them but what is behind the touch is what they long for.  For there lies trust, hope, and love.  These creation of Christ have never been given  these things.  No one has ever trusted them, hoped in their future, or LOVED them.  In the short couple times I have been to the girls home, all they want to do is sit and have you hold them.  They like to wrap your arm over their shoulder and squeeze tight into your chest.  They just want to feel appreciated and loved like everyone else.  They are not looking for you to give them something.  They don’t care about what is going on around them, they just want you.  What is it internally that makes starving children give up there food to run and say hello and hug you?


I have also had the opportunity recently to visit where the boys were sent.  While the team and I were waiting in the compound  for the director to meet with us we saw a boy laying on a small shaded wall.  He was also small in size being only 2-3 years old.  Some of us were talking about him and what he was doing.  “He sure looks a lot like one of the boys that was missing from S.O.G” Matt said.  Na, it couldn’t be him.  There is no way, this little guy was from S.O.G, he looked to healthy and had clothes on.  As we kept looking at him Matt walked closer to get a better look.  As Matt got closer the little boy turned his head towards us and saw him.  His eyes light up with joy! He recognized his white skin and tall build.  The boy slid off that wall and started running towards us smiling from ear to ear.  He screamed and laughed all the way to us and then laughed and smiled bigger! There we were,  a statue of hope for a boy that had been tossed around and “lost in the numbers”.  We had never actually forgotten about this boy but he had no proof of this.  He had not seen a face he knew for weeks.(except the other boys with him)  He made us hold him till we could not any longer with a smile on his pretty little face.  We also got to see some of the other boys who are doing great!  They are being fed 3 times a day and going to school.  This is a great improvement from the “hell” they were in before.  We left with warm feeling knowing that the boys had been placed in a much better place and were being cared for.  I have not been back to the boys home yet but plan to soon and see them again gaining health with everyday.

I also want to encourage everyone who is reading this to love more! You might have all the food you can eat and all the things you need but it never replaces love.  My sister back home is always giving me a hug.  It is sometimes annoying but never forgotten.  So guys go hug your moms, girls go kiss your dads and never forget to show the fathers love through you because you never know what a “touch” will do for someone’s day!

All my love, Trevor

Morning Breath

Thursday-03-11

I had not ate in 2 days nor slept in more.  However there was something about walking off that American flight and smelling the air.  It was hot, it was humid, I smelled like I had not showered in days.  There was something though about the air that reminded me of “home”.  As I walked off the plane all I could think of was the memories here.  The kids that came to see me everyday, the little ones that let me hold them, and Michaelle!! After getting through customs I grabbed my bags and headed into the wild(outside of the airport).  I saw Megan and Josh pull up driving a truck.  No more then 2 seconds later did I see Michaelle and her sister Jess.  They both had the day off school and came to surprise me.  It gave me true joy to held them all the way back to the house.  I spend the rest of the day organizing and napping before bed.


Thursday the 3rd was going to be an exciting day.  We had all sorts of things to do before everyone left on Friday back for the states.  We started out taking the girls to the school that Megan had started.  It grew from 97 to 300 since last time I was here.  I was taking pictures of the kids who needed sponsorship.  I did this for a couple hours. After we finished it was time to run some last minute errands.  We needed to get a freezer, some medical supplies, and plates and cups for the new girls home.  We also had to run around doing small things.  We finally made it to the girls home around 7pm.  They were so excited to see us!! Calling us each by name.  Holding onto us for life.  For some of the girls I am sure that was a true reality.  The last place they were at was nothing less then hell on earth.  Being treated like slaves and criminals. Some of them were so weak after being moved, it felt as the energy of the sun was being drained.  Seeing them tonight, a week later make me want to dance!  Actually we did.  They had so much more life and energy! We were only there for about 15 minutes to unload all the supplies.  I hope to go back as soon as possible to make more relationships and build on the ones I have now.  It means so much to the girls to just be there and talk to them.

I will keep writing and try to bring more awareness to these wonderful young girls! You can all keep praying that we find the children that are still missing. They need love so much!

Love all, Trevor

Florida 11-1-11

I am sitting in the airport at Fort Lauderdale Florida.  I am waiting anxiously for my flight to P.A.P at 7:05 in the morning.  Every minute its closer to seeing my girls and being back home.  I can only hope that I will be able to show them Christ love like they show me.  I wait for there every smile halting the day in it’s tracks.  I am sorry I don’t have much more, I am working on my “blogging skills” so please forgive me.

Trevor