Heading to Haiti

Next Tuesday I will have the opportunity to travel to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with a small team from my church. We are going with One Vision International to minister to a group of 100+ orphans, to repair their cots, and to build some tables and benches so they will have a place to sit and eat, other than a dirt floor.

Did you know? ...

• This Caribbean island which is slightly smaller than Maryland (pop. 5.6 million) has a population of just over 9 million.


• Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty.


• The life expectancy of Haitians is 60 years old.


• Roughly half of the population practices voodoo.


• The percentage of Haitians over age 15 that can read and write is 52.9%.


• A 2003 report estimated 1.2 million orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in the country.

This trip will certainly be unlike any I’ve taken and this place unlike any I’ve visited. I look most forward to the time we will spend with the children. We will singing songs, playing games, telling stories, face painting, and making balloon animals (a new skill I've just acquired). We're also taking supplies for the children, including flip-flops, clothes, and vitamins, which we've collected in abundance from generous friends from school, church, and work.

I look forward to writing about my time in Haiti and sharing photos on the blog when I return. Please pray for our team while we travel May 25-30 (Ellen, Adam, Darren, Donnie, Mia, John, Katie, and myself), our time the Haitian people, especially the children, and our own families while we are away. Thank you!