6/29/2010

Well, I made. I am back in Haiti!!! All of my flights were uneventful, so that was good. On my flight from Dallas to Miami, I sat by a believer and was encouraged by him. I met up with my friends, the Thompsons, in Miami and got to sit with Jan on the plane. We actually got in a little bit early, but the baggage claim area was more chaotic than I remember, so it took quite a while to get out of there. There was another team on my flight, and someone from the YWAM base was there to get them with the bus, but I was going to be picked up by 3 other staff. We were waiting on the other team so we could take some of their luggage to the bus, because they weren’t allowed to bring it up close. But it ended up that all their check-in luggage was lost between here and Toronto where they came from. We got back to the base and Dani showed me around. There is a Mission Adventures (MA) team here from Orlando, so it was fun to see Mike and Sarah Lennartson and Megan Funaro, for a few minutes. I‘m sure I will see them more, but they are staying at a church somewhere close by. My friend, Hannah, went to the beach with the kids from the orphanage, so she was not here when I got here. Actually, they ended up getting stranded for a little while because something about the bus was messed up or they couldn’t get the keys or something. I’m not really sure. Anyway, she got here eventually, so it was good to see her. I had been trying to find stuff in my bag right before she got here and found out something had spilled, so everything was wet and sticky. I’m still not sure what it was. But I had only slept for about an hour before I had left Topeka for the airport, so I was super tired and a little overwhelmed, so I really wanted to cry. But I didn’t. I went to bed around 7:45 because I was so tired. I slept in a tent and actually got kinda chilly, which I didn’t expect. And I slept til about 6:45. The base directors, Peterson and Lucy are coming back from a trip today. So I will get to meet them. No one really knows what I am supposed to be doing, so Dani said it’s just going to be a chill day for me. I got super sleepy a little bit ago, and wanted to go lay down, but it’s like a sauna in my tent.
I’ll try to update again soon!
P.S. It was 98.2 degrees in my tent at 7:45 this morning… I might die… =]

and she's off!!

Well, I know I said I'd be better about updating this and I haven't been, BUT, I really will try to while I am in Haiti. I have had a super busy week getting the last minute things done and ready for this trip. I have been blessed by great friends and a fabulous support system. God has really blessed me by providing over $800 this week!! I will be leaving around 7:45 tomorrow morning to go up to Holton, KS. I am going to church with my good friends, the O'Byrnes, at First Baptist in Holton. I will go into Topeka to possibly see some friends there and stay with the McElroy's where I am leaving my car while I am gone. I think we're gonna do some fireworks, which I am super excited about because I love them and I will be missing Independence Day.
I need to be at the airport by 4 am Monday morning for my 6 am flight. I will be arriving in Port au Prince around 4 pm on Monday, June 28th, and so my adventure begins!!!! Please remember to pray for me!!

Surprise! I'm going back to Haiti!!

As most of you know, I went to work at an orphanage called Haiti Lifeline Ministries in January 2008 and January 2009. I loved it there! Working with the kids at the orphanage was one of the first things I remember really loving. I didn’t know if I loved it so much because it was the only place I had been or because God had put it there. After going to India, I realize that I have a love for the people of Haiti in my heart that could come from no where but God. I knew I would end up going back to Haiti, even if it would only be with the January Lifeline teams that go every year.
When I was in India, I heard about the earthquake and my heart broke. I cried that day and about every time I went to the internet café for about a week. My heart was hurting for the people of Haiti that have been through so much and put their trust into the lies of satan. The rest of the time I was in India, I prayed a lot for Haiti and the people I know there. I also was praying a lot about what to do after my Discipleship Training School. I wasn’t getting anything from God about what to do and was trying to stay patient. I talked to my outreach leader, Beckie, about it one day. She encouraged me to keep trusting God and asked me about what I wanted to do. I told her I wanted to go back to Haiti and work somehow with the people there, either at Lifeline or somewhere else.
After I got back, I still didn’t think I had direction. I saw a youtube video about the 3 days of prayer and fasting they had in Haiti instead of their usual carnival which includes voodoo ceremonies and worshipping the devil. They also marched around the President’s Palace declaring God’s ownership of Haiti. This is a miracle in itself.
Joshua, a friend of mine from Orlando, had gone to Haiti after the earthquake for about two months. I sent him a message asking him about his trip and told him that I had thought about just emailing the YWAM base in St. Marc, Haiti to see if they could use me. He asked what I was waiting for and I didn’t really have an answer. So I started looking into going to the St. Marc base. Another one of my friends, Hannah Shinkle, told me that she was going back to Haiti to work at the new YWAM base in Port au Prince. I looked up information on that base and watched a couple of videos on youtube. I sent an email to them, got an application back, scanned and emailed it back and got accepted all within a couple of days. So June 28th, I am going to YWAM Port au Prince (PAP) until mid-September!!! I will be helping the PAP staff in their hospitality and possibly accounting departments. I will also be working with short-term volunteer teams and other ministry opportunities. I am hoping to be able to visit Lifeline as it is located just outside of PAP.
The cost for the 2 ½ months I will be there is about $2100. Currently, I am working as a server at a restaurant called Rib Crib in Derby until I leave and am saving as much money as I can. I will be living in a tent during the hurricane season while I am there, so that will be interesting! I am really excited about this opportunity God has placed before me! If you feel led to support me financially, that would be great! And if not, I understand. Either way, I would greatly appreciate your prayers as I prepare to go and during the time that I am in Haiti. Feel free to ask any questions you might have!

If you'd like to support me financially, you can make checks out to me, Leah Duncan, or my mom, Robin Duncan. I will be leaving for Haiti very soon!! June 28th!!
My address is 1436 E 90th St. S. Haysville, KS 67060.