Home from Haiti!

I’m back in the U.S. now. Haiti was amazing to say the least! We really hit the ground running. The 15 days there were full and had no room for any slack. The other team leader, Becca, and I arrived in Haiti a day before the full team. We set up schedules with the Convoy of Hope staff and got things ready for the team. The full team arrived from the airport, dropped off there bags at the mission, and we were off to orphanages. We visited 2-3 schools every day doing education programs with them about common diarrhea which is a very serious problem in Haiti and around the world. We also taught them how to take care of cuts and the other basics of first aid. Then we presented how God can also help heal our cuts and scrapes as well as our spirit We showed how, just like drinking clean water helps our bodies to be hydrated, reading the Bible, praying, and going to church keep our spiritual bodies hydrated. In the schools we measured the kids’ height, weight, and arm circumference for the U.S. Aid the feeding program. After the schools we went to 1-2 orphanages in the afternoon. The same programs happened there as well.

We traveled everywhere in a “people moving” box truck with a Haitian driver. Drivers in Haiti are amazing at their job to say the least. We had two bodyguards that traveled with us as well as two interpreters, and two Haitian Convoy of Hope staff members. The feeding program feeds 6,000 kids a day with food from either “Feed My Starving Children” or “U.S. Aid Breedlove”. Twenty-five schools and ten orphanages are apart of the amazing feeding program Convoy has going on in Haiti. The children are also given food to take home to their families. The professors and staff at the schools and orphanages are also given food. We also had the chance to hike into the Orangers Mountains to reach 4 schools that can only be reached by foot. Many of these schools had never seen white outsiders either! It was amazing to be able to teach them, distribute food, and love them. We also got the chance to have church services in the mountains with the villages. They would call everyone out and we would have service at 9:00 pm. None of the villages have power so church happened by candle light. They sang songs and 2 team members were able to preach with interpreters as well. It was amazing to see how they didn’t have any modern music equipment, sound gear or lights. They just worshiped God with all their hearts. Meeting kids like Christopher or Frederiks or Sara (who I have pictures on the slideshow) who remember your name, jump into your arms, and just want to be loved is something I will never forget.

The “Mission of Hope” where we stayed also has an orphanage that we helped in. One brother and sister, Mishlove and Macinlove (6 and 3 years old), were found by some people in a nearby town in March. They had been living for a month in their house with their mother, who had passed away a month earlier. They didn’t understand she had died, and would go out every day and gather food and fruit and come home. Their mother had been sick for a long time so they thought she was just sick. They were taken in to the orphanage. They wouldn’t speak to anyone at first. Now, when we met them, they jumped into our arms, sang songs, and have a happy life. The orphanage there teaches them English, sends them to school, and teaches them about Jesus.

Haiti is really a place in severe need. Almost the whole country is without power, clean water, jobs, and food. Malnutrition and disease are a real problem. There is hope though. God is doing some amazing things through many amazing people in Haiti. We need to be in constant prayer for these people, and people in need all over the world – asking God how we can help the people in need.

All in all I believe we did what God wanted us to do. We came into the country with the hand of compassion and followed it with the hand of Gods love and salvation. We met amazing people and saw God’s amazing beauty in His people and creation.

If you want to know more stories or have questions, don’t hesitate to email me. I didn’t want to write too long in this summary, but there is a lot more to tell.

Your friend,

Chad

TO SEE A COMPLETE ALBUM OF ALL THE PHOTOS I TOOK IN HAITI – CLICK ON THE ALBUM BELOW.

Haiti '08

Orangers Mountain Trip

tomorrow we leave at 6:00 am for the orangers mountains outside of port au prince. we will be traveling 3 days through them distributing food to schools we can only reach by foot, and camping under the stars. we will be at 4 schools that are about 5-6 kilometers away from each other. pray for safety, weather… cool weather, and God to go before us there to prepare the hearts of the villages we will be going to. much more about it later!!!

chadalonos

God is doing amazing things in Haiti

Hey hey, i am in the great country of Haiti. Things are amazing here. It is first of all super super hot!! it is 8:00 pm and is probably 85, with like 90% humidity. we are doing some amazing things here. i dont have time to go into detail now, will when i get home, but we are visiting 2-3 schools in the mornings, start at 6:00 am, then 1-2 orphanages in the evenings. we are doing school education with the kids who are anywhere from pre-school to high school. we are teaching them sanitation, first aid, and how to take care of djare (creole for diarrhea) we also talk about how God can take care of your body as well. we pray with them, and most of all love on them. some of the school have upwards of 700 kids. we are also part of an ongoing feeding program. we are giving food to the children for a lunch, and also food to take home to there families. haitian people are so welcoming and loving people. they have been such a blessing to me as well. we travel with 6 nationals, 2 drivers, 2 body guards, and 2 haitian convoy of hope staff. they are all amazing people.

that all the time i have for now, but i will have much more when i get home. pray for the country of haiti. God has given me his heart for his people here, and they need Jesus. God is doing amazing things here.

chad

The Disaster in Myanmar

This is an update from my Uncle Rick who I am working with. This gives you an idea of the large mandate that Convoy of Hope has to reach out to the world. (**I am CURRENTLY in Haiti. Read the blog entry below this one to find out more about that trip)
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From Rick Ryan – International Director, Convoy of Hope

Dear Friends,
As you know, there has been a major disaster in the nation of Myanmar (formerly Burma). The national church in country is small but very strong. Convoy of Hope is going in before other groups to mobilize the national church to provide food, water, and other first response needs. We will buy food on the ground because it is impossible to get food and water shipped there. Convoy of Hope disaster relief personnel are departing for Myanmar to respond to this cyclone on Friday. An assessment team just returned from the region and reported massive destruction and widespread human need.

When residents emerged from their shelters after the twelve-hour storm, they found roads were completely washed away or obstructed by large debris. Most areas remain without electricity, clean water and phone service. The damage is of tsunami proportions with unconfirmed estimates of 20,000-50,000 people dead, another 40,000 unaccounted for, and 3 million people remaining homeless.

With the worldwide food crisis, food conditions in Myanmar were already strained. Kenton Moody, international director, said Convoy of Hope will continue to monitor conditions to determine when large quantities of food and supplies can be shipped and delivered in country. There is an immediate need for cash, he said, in order to provide victims with life’s essential needs ­ food, clean water and shelter ­ that will be purchased from neighboring areas.

“Convoy of Hope is about helping people and we want to be sensitive to the people and their culture,” Moody says. “We want to do whatever we can to help relieve the immediate suffering of survivors with what will be a long-term recovery.”

“The needs today and two weeks from today are far different,” Moody says. “With a limited amount of food and hygiene, people are hungry today, but in two weeks it could be a matter of starvation and rampant disease.”

The people of Myanmar need your help! You can help Convoy of Hope respond to this and other international disasters by making an online donation today or sending a response to the Convoy of Hope, 330 Patterson, Springfield, MO 65802. Make sure you mark your donation: International Disaster Relief. That way the monies can get processed and out as quickly as possible.

I won’t send you this request unless the need was urgent. Please pray for favor when our team tries to get their visas in Thailand. Please pray for the financial help we need to accomplish the task. Please pray for the national church in the midst of this tragedy. Please pray for a great revival to break out in this country.–

Living for an Audience of One …

Rick Ryan
Convoy of Hope
417-849-0539

Preparing for Haiti

I’m here in Springfield, Missouri which is our home base. I’m unpacked and getting things in order. Yesterday I was in the office at Convoy of Hope meeting all the staff and some of the people going on the trip to Haiti. I hit the ground running. Meeting about logistics for the trip. Budget stuff. Schedules. The works.

Just an update on the dates for the trip to Haiti. We leave Monday the 5th of May and return the 20th. We will be mainly ministering in schools, homeless shelters, and with orphans. The trip is jam-packed and we will be working non-stop to meet the needs of as many people as we can. Haiti is mostly catholic with some who practice voodoo. Be praying for that.

Prayer requests:
*religious stuff in Haiti
*safety, a lot of traveling
*no problems getting the team in
*health for the team, also me with my headache situation – strength and wisdom
*for God to show up and touch the island of Haiti

That’s all for now!

Your friend Chad

Morning Breakfast

This morning my family and I had a breakfast with some friends. My Uncle Rick Ryan shared in depth about what Convoy of Hope is all about and the vision they have for this year. Sure enough, God provided again with more support that puts me within around $100.00 of my total budget for the year. It’s exciting to see how God works when we earnestly seek him and ask for his help.

Just wanted to give you this encouragement.

A Letter from My Uncle Rick from Convoy of Hope

Below is a great letter from my Uncle Rick who I will be working with:

At Convoy, three of our primary objectives are Pray … Go … Give!
Without the first objective, we could not do anything else because we would be doing everything in our own strength and wisdom. Too many lives hang in the balance for us to depend on our own strength, wisdom or capabilities. Recently in the country of Nicaragua I was struck again with the understanding that every decision made by us, as believers in Jesus Christ and as a ministry, directly impacts a child … a family … an eternal future. They are waiting for us … for our prayers … for our going and ministry to them … and by our giving … of our time, our energy, our passion, and our resources.
With that in mind, let us passionately pray for:
1. Our U.S. Disaster Team is responding all over the Midwest, right now, to flooding and tornadoes. Pray that they will have strength, favor and creative to meet the needs of people who have been devastated by these disasters.2. Our U.S. Outreach Team is reaching to Mountain Home, AR this weekend. Pray that their will be a great in gathering of souls.3. Our Hope Walk El Salvador is happening this next week. Business and Church leaders are convening in El Salvador to see what we are doing and find ways to partner with us to help the 6,000 children we are feeding everyday in that great but needy country.
The next Hope Walk is scheduled for October 13-17, 2008. This is a special Hope Walk especially for women. If you are a woman, contact a few friends and come with and see Convoy in action. Denise Ryan (dryan@convoyofhope.org) and Elsie Moody (EMoody@convoyofhope.org) are leading this team of national and local women leaders. Any woman can be involved. Contact them today.
4. We have 500 people going with us on summer Convoy of Hope teams to reach people with Compassion Ministry and Evangelism. We are in need of 100 white boards and 100 doors for the country of Nicaragua and the schools there. The white boards are ($45) and the doors ($100) each in Nicaragua. Pray that we could find a contact here in the States that could give us the boards and the doors. To these schools, where we are doing our feeding programs, the boards will provide a great tool for teaching for the teachers and the doors will keep the elements out and the distractions to the classrooms down.
5. Pray for Eric and Vineese, both who run our procurement department, that God would lead them to new donors and new products that can help us help others in need. With the world food prices soaring by 15-30% in the last few months, more and more people are unable to afford a nutrition for their families, here in the States and overseas. Pray that we can find more farmers willing to give a tithe of beans, rice and other grains or their seeds to help people move from poverty to a sustainability lifestyle.
6. Pray for Souls. We desire to take our Compassion Ministries, our Development Ministries and our Outreach Ministries from meeting physical needs to seeing people get the ultimate help … salvation of their souls. This summer, in the U. S. and Internationally, we will be in from of thousands of people. Pray that we will have the anointing of God to present the Gospel so people can make the decision to enter into personal relationships with Christ.
Until next time, may the Lord bless your ministry with abundance, creativity and souls.
Love and Passion,
Your Convoy of Hope Team

Here I Go…

The next 2 months are important as I get ready to go. Pray for me – I have a lot of things to do before I leave. I am working like crazy to train my replacement at work, hanging out with friends and family as much as I can, and preparing spiritually and physically for the adventure I have ahead. Getting the word out that I will be gone for the next year is harder than you would think. I want everyone to know about this new step for me, but it is hard to not leave anyone out. Probably the most stressful piece is trying to raise financial and prayer support. Conveying God’s plan for me is sometimes hard. There are people all over the world that will only hear the Gospel if I go. Not to say that someone else can’t, but God has called me here and now to go. People are starving both spiritually and physically, and Convoy of Hope is bringing both the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them along with food. We are meeting them at their point of most need. That’s just a little of my heart as I prepare to go serve. Until Later,Chad