NCC Returns to Haiti!

Welcome to the New Community Church Blog for our 2012 Trip to Haiti!

The purpose of this blog is to inform you of the progress the team of 23 is making in Haiti. This blog will be updating everyone on how things are going and the stories that are coming out of our time in Haiti. There is an internet connection in the orphanage we are staying at but the connection is not the strongest nor is the electricity reliable. Therefore, we cannot promise daily updates. We will also upload photos if technology allows us.

Details:
This year we will be taking 23 team members, 9 adults, 4 college students, and 10 high school students.

Here are the names of the team members:

Adam Jackley
Joel Friend
Jaida Hobbes
John Sicher
Phyllis Coughanour
Aidan Wright
Bradley Nanna
Zac Sicher
Aimee Long
Dan Long
Stacey Long
Kenzie Trader
Tanner Grindel
Shannon Johanson
Alaina Byers
Tori Cavaliere
Alyssia King
Renee Arnold
Tyler Grove
Kate Zierenberg
Natalie Hoey
Jeff Arnold
Ashley Cavey

We will be departing for Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Thursday, June 21st. We will stay in a hotel overnight. The next morning we will fly to Cap Haitian. Once we've cleared customs we will take about a 30 minute ride to the orphanage.  We will be staying in an orphanage called EBAC in Cap Haitian from the morning of June 22nd to the morning of June 27th.

We will be doing a number of things while we are in Haiti. We will be accomplishing two different kinds of mission. The first kind that we will be pursuing is working along side Haitians to repair two things that need some construction work. We will be helping to repair a busted part of the playground that is on the campus at EBAC. We will also help to repair and extend the existing basketball court. These are two things that all the children of EBAC love and we look forward to partnering with them to repair these things. We will also help with miscellaneous work such as teaching the Haitian women to sew clothing and tutoring students with their homework. The second kind of mission we will be accomplishing is building relationships. Adam Jackley has once asked "Why don't we just raise money and write a check to the orphanage? Because the experience we have in building the relationships is an investment that will keep us continuing to minister in Haiti." Once we have names with faces and we invest in the lives of these orphans, it will keep our hearts connected to Haiti. The orphans in EBAC are wonderful people, both older and younger. It's a blessing not only to work with them to repair things in their home but that we would take the time to get to know them and learn how God has moved in their lives.

Finally, we ask you that you would pray for our trip. That we arrive at EBAC safely and securely. Pray that God would continue to prepare our hearts and minds for this grand adventure. Ask God to meet us in profound ways. Whether it be through a conversation, a devotional time, worship, the relationships we build, or the things that we see. Pray that we would walk away from this trip knowing that God loves us and that He loves Haiti. And pray that God would teach us to personify His word and follow His heart.

Thank you all for your prayers.

1st John 4:19 - "We love because He first loved us"

Joel