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After spending two months in Haiti, I am back in the U.S. I miss Haiti already and all the freindships and relationships, but now I am ready to take what I have to learned and bring it to school with me in two weeks. My trip to Haiti was an experience that I can hardly describe. I saw God work in ways that I had never seen, before, along with many other things that I had never seen before. As I turn around and look back on the trip, I saw an unknown place become real, and what I thought was sheer chaos begin to have meaning (while still being chaotic). God has been faithful and I hope he sends me back to Haiti again someday.  

Running

Our week of running the Haitian Queen is coming to an end now that all the others are coming back. This week where Brandon and I were by oursleves led to great opportunities for us within the community. We met many people and got a chance to watch movies with them, play Haitian card games, get owned at futebol, drink coke and talk with them. It is awesome to be able to build relationships while running the house so the other longterm staff could have a break. This week we didn't serve by putting a roof on or building a house, but by getting to know the people more and developing solid, lasting relationships, which in some ways is more important. In the end building wall or putting on a roof, it's something they can do themselves with the right supplies, and buildings will eventually go away, however, people are forever, on earth, up, or down. The opportunities for relationships has been overwhelmingly awesome. As God continues to surprise me, although by now you would think His undieing faithfulness wouldn't be a surprise..., I will continue to grasp the opportunities, and share Christ in the ways that I can.

Living with the joy of Christ!
-Justin

Straight Up Amazing People

As I continue my internship here in Haiti I am realizing more and more that the people here are straight up amazing people. It is a huge blessing to be able to get to know, laugh with, work next to, learn from and do crazy stuff with the Haitian guys I meet and have conversations with those who don't speak English. Leyley and Tison are doing excellent jobs tutoring me in Kreyole, and they are becoming good friends as they take us to their youth group, come over for dinner, and dance to some fine hip hop. The second team came and went. They were a fun group from Chicago. With them we worked on the wall, went to the orphanage, and started putting on a tin roof on a church.  After eating sugar cane, coconuts and mangos we said goodbye. The next team from Kansas, a team of twenty, came in to work with the Christian Ville organization. Coming up Brandon and I will be running the house by ourselves for a couple of days, should be a party. We are going to try and get in to the U. S. embassy for their 4th of July party, but we will see what happens I suppose. I also had the opportunity to skype my sisters wedding, which was awesome, congratulations to Jeremy and Chelsea Wicklund. God has been so generous to me here in Haiti, granting me many great experiences, and I am blessed to be able to continue to serve Him. So many adventures have been happening here, including riding a dump truck down a river and talking about Jesus with the Haitians. So far it has been an amazing trip!
Giving God the glory!
-justin

Bunks and Blitz

The first team that I experienced from New Hope, MN left bright and early this morning. They were a great group of people who worked hard and loved the Lord. While they were here we pounded out 12 bunk beds for one of the orphanages and started building a retaining wall for Maxo's new community school. We also pounded off a lot of Dutch Blitz, a speed card game. I'm getting tutored in Creole by a kid named Leley and his friend Bilson and they are very cool guys and I'm excited for the relationship that will grow. Along with them I have had the opportunity to talk and begin to get to know and pray with some Haitian people. Gregor is one and He could use some prayer. He got kicked out of school because of his lack of funds and his family life is pretty rough. The people here are amazing, and many of them are filled with a joy that I can only explain by saying Christ. They are very open and freindly and I love the interaction with them. As the bugs continue to crawl please continue to pray for Haiti and the people here. God we praise, all the glory to His awesome name.

Bonjou, Bonswa, and Bonite (pardon my french)

One week in Haiti is complete. Tommorrow the first team that I will be experiencing will be coming in in the late afternoon. It should be good to meet them and to start learning how to help lead them. This week for me has been very diverse and interesting. From learning how the Haitian Queen works(the house), to driving recklessly through Haitian streets, breathing in God's glorious beauty as I look towards the mountains and the ocean in which I am surrounded by, fighting off rats and turantulas in the dark while dodging jumping lizards, invisible fire ants, and those lovely mosquitoes, driving a motto(motorcycle), partying it up with the Haitians, learning how to compra, getting used to the heat and rice, helping with some construction, and visiting the children at the orphanage near by. During my quiet times with the Lord I have been working my way through James and 1 and 2 Peter. He has been teaching me more than ever that things aren't about me, and the way I think and act sometimes is very selfish. Coming to Haiti so far has helped me realize that it's not about my experience, but the lives that are being touched.
 At the orphanage it is crazy to see that all these kids seek attention and just want to be touched or noticed. The first time I went I ventured into the toddler room and was almost overwhelmed by the kids wanting to be held, or just hold on to my leg. Later on I hung out with the younger boys and we had alot of fun. I pray that families come and adopt them so they all can have families that love them. Prayer is definately needed in this orphanage, especially in certain cases where people go through the whole extensive process of the adoption, then go to get the kid and the child's real parent's decide not to give them up, and take them back into usually not the greatest conditions. As the weeks go on and I start to learn more Creole, I am excited to see what happens. Thanks again for the prayers,
Justin

Take off!

Through prayer, support, and the awesome power of our Lord I took off for a 2 month stay in Haiti today! It was my first time on a plane, and really my first time out of the country. I was a bit nervous, but through lots of prayer and a reliance on God I made it safely to my destination in Gressier, Haiti. I have never seen anything like what I saw here today while driving through the pothole filled roads of Pourt Au Prince. It was pretty crazy to fly over miami, and see all sorts of beautiful homes, right on the ocean, a place swarming with luxury, then go on a two hour plane ride back in time. This next week is going to be pretty quiet around the Haitian queen, which is the house that I am staying at, but it's going to be a good time for me to get aquainted with the culture and how things work! I am excited to see what the future holds. God is good all the time.
-Justin

Going to Haiti

Alright, so I'm leaving for Haiti on June 4th to be the EFCA's Crisis Response communications intern! I'm down there on staff for two months, helping with leading teams, legistical stuff, building projects, interacting and building relationships with the Haitian people and the teams that come down, and whatever else needs to be done! God has called me down to Haiti and I am so pumped to see what He has in store for me. God brought the funds for me to go to Haiti in many incredible ways and through many awesome people. I definitely need prayer support on this trip. Prayer for focusing on God's will, and for letting Him use me however we wants. For courage and strength and for God to get the glory and anything else that can be thought of! I will be writing in this blog for the duration of my trip, keeping everybody informed on what is happening.
To God be the glory!
Justin Gloudemans