Haiti Mission Trip: Tent Building

Haiti Mission Trip: Tent Building

Haiti Mission Trip Pictures

Haiti Mission Trip Pictures

Haiti Recap:

While in the Port au Prince airport (technically still in Haiti, but removed from the chaos) I had the mission trip students do a little reflecting before they jumped right back in to American culture.  I asked them some questions that would enable them to think about their trip on a personal level and to also be prepared for when a hundred people back home inevitably ask the, "how was your trip?" question.  Here are some of their answers.

1. What were you expecting coming to Haiti?

2. What surprised you the most?

3. What did you enjoy the most/least?

4. Is there anything you will change or do differently back home?

5. What does Haiti need most and is there anything you can do to help?

6. Describe Haiti in one word.

7. Describe your experience in Haiti in one word.

 

Fay:

1. I was expecting to do more service such as building houses and roofing.

2. I was surprised most by the water condition and how Haitians both drink and use the bathroom in their river water.

3. I enjoyed holding the quiet little girls the most because they didn't beg- especially the girl who just cried when she wanted to go home.  I enjoyed the downhill hike the least because my feet were in pain and I didn't prepare the right shoes.

4. When I get home, I will make the utmost best of what I have.  I don't necessarily feel guilty for having more than the Haitians, but I do feel disappointed that I don't use what I have to help others.

5.  Haiti seems to need a good government and education most of all, but unfortunately I don't think I am capable of doing much to help in that area, except maybe come back and teach English.  I do feel an urge however, to go home and do research on Haiti's society and maybe base my senior benchmark on this country.

6. Lost

7. Reflective

 

Taylor:

1. I was expecting everything to be completely destroyed and trash and people everywhere.

2. I was surprised by how many kids there were.

3. I liked playing with the kids the most.  I didn't like the heat and the bugs.

4. No, I feel like I already to so much as sponsoring kids and donating clothes, that kind of stuff. So maybe just encourage others to do the same.

5. Haiti needs hope more than anything.  So many people were talking about how Haiti will never recover so I think encouraging the people here and giving them what they need to better their lives is important.

6. Chaos

7. Unexpected

 

Lindsey:

1. I'm honestly not sure.  The ability to help people and show them love.

2. Kids giving me inappropriate hand gestures.

3. I liked most the time I spent helping give out shoes.  I didn't like the heat.

4. I will try and pay attention to what I have and be thankful for it.

5. Haiti needs support and encouragement.  I can continue to visit and show that I care by offering my help.

6. Cautious

7. Enlightening

 

Eliza:

1. I was expecting very tropical but a lot of poverty.

2. I was surprised by the love they show towards each other.  How content and happy they are with so little.

3. I liked being located in the village and playing and talking with the kids who live there.  I didn't like the heat/sweat.

4. I want to make people aware of foreign struggles and poverty.  I want to donate things I don't truly need or use.

5. Haiti needs love.  Many people are so broken.  Also, clothes, clean water, doctors.  I'm going to sponsor a child through lifeline for $20 a month.

6. Loving

7. Eye-opening

 

CJ:

1. I expected a lot of poverty as well as a lack of direction in what I was going on.

2. When I saw just how bad the city was, but seeing hundreds of people just doing nothing.  Where we stayed you could see a change in people's demeanor, they were happy and most everyone moved and had a purpose.

3. I enjoyed playing with the kids, but helping organize the storage room, I felt like that was something that was helpful.  The beach wasn't too shabby either. I didn't like the heat.

4. I think gratefulness and trying to spend less time on myself.

5. The people need a way to sustain themselves without a handout, so I want to support Children's Lifeline in that aspect of the organization.

6. Destitute/Hot

7. Blessing

 

Melissa:

1. I expected to see some poverty and worse living conditions than I'm used to.  Meet some new people and develop new relationships, and make a small effect on Haitian lives.

2. Surprised by the extent of poverty and extremely poor living conditions, how loving the children were and how I thought we had a lot of supplies the last day but the need was so great we ran out quickly.

3. I liked spending time with the locals and gaining perspective on my own life.  I did not like the heat and the bugs.

4. Appreciate what I have and not complain about being hot, bug bites and to be less materialistic.

5. Haiti needs help and improving the poverty.  Every little thing really helps even a simple pair of shoes.  Also just giving love and attention.

6. Developing

7. Eye-opening

 

Laurel:

1. I expected poverty and the tent cities and people walking around without shoes or clothing.

2. I didn't expect the extent of the poverty and individual living in shacks or houses made of mud and rocks.

3. Spending time with the kids was my favorite.  I didn't like the heat.

4. I will appreciate what I have and the little things, so much more.

5. Haiti needs the basic essentials, send clothing that works for them, long shorts, skirts for women, no sweaters.

6. Surviving

7. Eye-opening

 

Peter:

1. I didn't have clear expectations but I imagined it to be something like Belize, where I had been before.  I thought it would be quieter and slower. I was expecting more physical work like building and painting.  I expected life to have been halted because of the earthquake and that there would have been more people there helping.

2. I was surprised by the craziness in Port au Prince. I was surprised by how difficult it is to help people here and how difficult it is getting asked by people to give them stuff.

3. I enjoyed getting to know some of the Haitians and playing soccer.  The Haitians at the mission were great to hang out with.  My least favorite was having to deal with some of the Haitians who were annoying and obnoxious.  Handing out clothing was tough.

4. Coming to Haiti has shown me how real the need is for some people in the world.  It will definitely affect what direction I go in life.

5. It is difficult to answer because Haiti needs so much.  But Haiti seems to need most, people like Donald at Children's Lifeline who are willing and able to carry out realistic needed work there.  I can help by supporting Children's Lifeline.

6. Chaotic

7. Edifying

 

Mary Madison:

1. I wasn't sure what to expect, just a lot of poverty I guess.

2. The whole mission was a great and wonderful surprise.  The work being done in awesome and I didn't know they had something like that in Haiti.

3. I enjoyed playing with the kids the most and the heat and lack of AC the least.

4. I would love to say yes, but I really don't know.

5. They need to be taught trades like the mission is doing.  I can help by donating and encouraging others to donate to the mission.

6. Needy

7. Eye-opening

 

Lauren:

1. I expected poverty but not this extreme and the tent cities were so sad to see.  I also expected to just play with orphans but we got to that and more.

2. Surprised by how happy and joyful the Haitian kids are and not afraid to just run up to us and hold our hands.

3. I liked hiking up to the mountain village and hearing the kids sing.  I didn't like the heat, but we got used to it.

4. Definitely! I will be so much more thankful for everything I have and I won't complain as much.  Also, I'm going to donate clothes and items.

5. Haiti needs more doctors and clean water.  I will let people know and try to donate to Haiti.

6. Awesome

7. Unforgettable.

Another Day in the Institute

We've been working with a P/R firm out of Dallas to help tell the KIVU story to the world. They've been immensely helpful as we try to identify our strengths, tell the differences between KIVU and every other camp in the world, and why parents should trust to send their kids here.

We've recorded some videos I believe that will help people see a true difference, but I decided to take the questions to the kids. So today in our Institute I just asked, "What's different about KIVU and every other Christian Camp you've been to?" The answers were right on.

"I feel like you have a great mix of structure and freedom. We have plenty to do, but you give us the ability to choose what we want to do." one student commented.

"I think the staff you hire are real. They struggle. They don't try to make Christianity out to be something it's not. We all have issues, and they're willing to help us work through issues rather than trying to ignore it and make the faith an un-achievable lifestyle." (I found this interesting)

"You don't tell us what to think. You give us the opportunity to think through hard issues. You're not preaching at us, you're inviting us to know our own faith. I don't know anywhere I get to do that."

"I've found my best friends here. We talk all year long, and encourage each other. We even had a cabin reunion this year in Edmond Oklahoma. Everybody flew in, and we had a wonderful weekend."

The comments just kept coming, and I wonder...how can we tell that story to the world.

The Public Relations company is out here this week just asking questions of the staff and campers, and they are BLOWN AWAY!!

"We've never seen anything like this. You're approach to allowing the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of teenagers is unlike anything we've been around. Every teenager should have the chance to experience a community like KIVU. The Love you guys give to everyone, no matter who they are, what they've done, or what they think is exactly what I think God intends for us."

Again, I'm humbled by the comments, but I'm eager to share this message with the world. We're on to something we believe might be a great model to help people live life together, rather than compartmentalizing their faith and wondering why it doesn't work.

It's a good day here at KIVU. I wish you could come and feel the difference.

An "ULTIMATE" day

Sunday was the ultimate day of rest, relaxation, sleeping in, and moving slow. But we had to have a little excitement so campers went after each other in a crazy game of Ultimate Basketball. 6 basketballs. 6 hoops. 6 teams. Absolute Madness!

Summer Days at KIVU

Summer days at Camp KIVU are the BEST!! When we take teenagers up to the Lake Vallacito, we show them Colorado Mountain Lake fun with two large wakeboard boats, waverunners, tubes, slides, fishing, and just hanging out.

I know it seems like time just passing, but how much do we need this time?

Today's teenager is being pressured from all angles. Academic pressure, Athletic pressure, and the pressure to perform in whatever extra activities they have lined up, are making kids more machine like than human. Their whole purpose for waking up in the morning is to make a list, check the box, and make sure they get the right marks.

I'm beginning to think we've lost the ability to build our own story.

It takes times on the lake, in the mountains, on a bike, or just hanging out with friends to share life together. And, after all; that's what make our faith different from every other faith on the planet.

Paul writes in Philippians, "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!" (2:5-9)

The beauty of a place like KIVU is the life on life mentoring that is taking place all the time. The staff who commit their summer here are interested in living life WITH the teenagers here, rather than AT them. So the traditional attitude of, "I'm on staff you have to listen to me" fades in the distance as we approach each teenagers with a, "We're all in this life together, let's have some fun" becomes the mantra we live by.

The testimonies from the summer prove this to be an impactful approach. Kids are raving about the "community" we've developed, because I think they have a place where we value them as people, not as clients.

Hanging on the lake in the dog days of summer is one of the best times to invest our lives in the lives of teenagers here.

We'd love for you to come and join us.

You can register for KIVU 2012 today at http://www.campkivu.com. See you next year!!

Haiti news!! We have landed in Miami! We started off from our mission compound around 5:30am. A crowded bus ride and short plane trip later, we are back in the USA! Everyone is doing great. We will spend some time today debriefing from our trip. We plan on accomplishing this on a Florida beach with a nice big American dinner. Haiti was great and I can't wait to share the student's thoughts with you all. Thanks again for sharing your kids with Kivu!

Haiti Day 5- by Lauren Wagner

 

Today we woke up and had devotionals at the prayer rock and spoke about what needs we have and have not met while being in Haiti. The question for today was "What can we learn from the Haitian kids". During this trip I have realized how blessed I am and that even the little things in my life like clothes, phones, and shoes are such a blessing and I'm so thankful for everything I have. In my journal yesterday I wrote a list comparing the little things that Haitian kids have and the many things we have. For example, there are over 1 million orphans here in Haiti after the earthquake, but most all of us on this trip have loving parents that are always there for us. The Haitian kids have just 1 soccer ball to play with, while we have phones, soccer balls, frisbees, computer, and more. Many of the Haitians do not even have an education, while we all go to great amazing schools and some of us are even moving on to college. All of these things we take for granted daily, but during this trip I've realized how blessed I am and that I need to be more thankful for things that I'm not. After devos we went to graduation for the school kids here at Lifeline. The kids made an entrance dancing and there were so many parents and family members there. It was so nice to see that they do realize how important an education is. We had a quick lunch and then I went to the medical clinic here and Eliza, Ashlyn, Peter, and I sorted through medicine and seperated the expired medicine and the good medicine for the doctor. Once we finished that, we gave clothes and shoes out to the village kids. One by one they came into a room here with hundreds of shoes and chose a pair. After about 3 hectic hours of helping kids try shoes on, we closed the "store" and there were few shoes left. Now we just finished dinner and we are all talking. I have loved this trip. It's been so eye-opening and I'm so thankful I got to come. We will be back in America tomorrow, I'm sad to leave the adorable kids that are here!! Thanks mom and dad for letting us come to Haiti!

Day 4- by Peter

This morning we woke up a little earlier and went to the prayer rock for a little devotional time. After spending about a half an hour to ourselves reading and reflecting, we divided up between organizing one of the warehouses here at the mission and painting one of the classrooms a new color. At the warehouse we moved boxes of clothes and shoes outside to sort them and put them in classrooms so we could give them out tomorrow. Those of us painting got covered with dots of blue and joked around while we were trying to reach each bit of the walls in our room with paint. It was good to spend some time doing work that made an immediate and visible difference. With our work for the day behind us, we ate some lunch and prepared to leave with the other mission team here to go to a beach resort about twenty minutes away. The resort was called Wahoo Bay and it was by far the nicest place we have seen in Haiti so far. They had a freshwater pool just like we'd see at the beach back home and great places to lay out on chairs in the sun. The beach wasn't huge but it was so nice getting to swim in the cool ocean. Some of us payed to go snorkling, and we were rowed about a quarter mile along the coast to a coral reef where we swam around, getting to hold some coral and sea urchins. When we got back from snorkling we messed around on the beach and at the pool until dinner time at five. We got to eat some great food from the resort like friend pork and shrimp creole. We drove back to the mission and got to hang around for the rest of the night. It was awesome to get some time to relax and see how much Haiti has to offer beyond the poverty. -Peter

Haiti- Day 4

Yesterday was great! I'll have some of the kids blog about it later today, but I just wanted to check in with everyone and let you know we are still doing awesome!  It is still hot, but it seems as though we are getting used to it :)  Yesterday, was the perfect balance of work and play.  After two days of visiting the village and doing some small projects, we started the day off running.  We sorted a huge warehouse full of things donated to Children's Lifeline.  There were at least 100 huge boxes of clothes, towels, toiletries, shoes, blankets, etc. etc. all piled together in randomness and chaos.  10 of us sorted all of this, getting the clothes and shoes ready to be distributed to kids in the village today.  Lots of people in the group are looking forward to fitting and picking out clothes for each kid. The other 4-5 of our group, went to work painting the school classrooms.  Painting is so easy in the US; we have unlimited paint, brushes, rollers, cleaning supplies.  It is much more difficult here, but well worth the work, because the room looks awesome!  After our morning of super hard work, we gathered with the other group here from Connecticut.  We all squished onto the tiny bus and headed to a beach down the road.  We swam, relaxed, snorkeled, and ate a great dinner with our new friends.  It was so fun, spending time with all the students getting to talk about Haiti, what they are learning and what they are experiencing.  Thanks again for sending them.  They are great!  We have one more full day starting and it's promising to be another great one!

When the Ladies Show Up

My friends think I'm CRAZY! "How can you have guys and girls interacting the way you do without hormones getting in the way?"

CRAZY or not, I'm resolved to help teenagers understand how to treat each other. We share life together, not because we're just out trying to find someone to marry, but because 50% of the population is of an opposite sex.

When girls come into KIVU we talk about this community. It doesn't happen when we put each other down, talk negative of one another, or point out the boys and make crude comments. We believe, with a little education on respecting one another; we can live in a place where guys respect girls and girls respect boys.

Sure, teenagers are teenagers, but wouldn't it be a great day when we could simply exist seeing the beauty of another person as God created them?
Wouldn't it be a safe place to share life if we didn't have to worry about what we looked like or how cool we had to be in front of someone else?

I'm convinced the world doesn't teach teenagers how to respect one another, and thus; we have times where they don't trust each other, they don't believe in each other, and they find fault in others in order to find value in themselves.

Here at KIVU we spend a lot of time helping the ladies understand the impact of their words, and the influence of their actions. And to what avail?

We have a community of people, not a segregated group based on gender, who truly love one another.

Another example of great things happening out here at KIVU this summer.

Day 3- by Eliza (with help from Peter and Lauren)

Today we woke up at 7 to do devos by the cross. We talked about seeing God's goodness through bad things, such as the poverty here in Haiti. We thought about ways we have seen God working while we're here. After devos we helped set up a huge tent for the graduation coming up on Friday. It was my first time putting up a circus tent and using a sledge hammer! After eating a delicious lunch, we walked to a different village and stopped at a voodoo house on the way. Donald pointed out paintings on the wall, depicting good and bad spirits. Next we went to the voodoo priest's mothers house, where his mother lay sick and weak for 3 years. We prayed over her, for her healing and Jesus' presence to be made known. From there we went to an orphanage being built and talked to the children of that village. They sang Father Abraham to us in Creole, then we sang it back to them, along with Sanctuary. From there we went to the market on the beach after that and saw where they import charcoal. Our group bought mangos, watermelon and sugar cane. We came back to Mission Lifeline after that and relaxed, Then played and talked with the children after relaxing. They love holding our hands and getting their picture taken. Now our group along with a group from Connecticut just finished a great Haitian dinner. It was goat, chicken, rice, plantains, pineapple, mango, beet salad, pasta, corn and peas. it was delicious! Goodnight! Love you Mom and Dad!

Days 1 & 2: by Laurel and Melissa

 

The first thing we noticed yesterday when we arrived in Port-au-prince was the heat and humidity. The airport was crowded and small, and the damage from the earthquake made deplaning and finding our luggage very difficult. After we got our luggage, we boarded a bus and took a tour of Port-au-Prince. The streets were crowded, extremely bumpy, and all the cars were constantly honking and dangerously driving, but the most shocking thing was the amount of tent cities we saw. We met a few people from the city and learned there were 1200 people living in tents in a plot of land the size of a couple blocks. We expected to see poverty and damage, but not that extreme. After an extremely long bus ride on an bumpy road with a broken window, a good amount of traffic, and somehow most of us sleeping on the way through the honking, we finally arrived at the compound. We've never been so grateful to see ceiling fans in our life. We toured the compound and spent time with the Haitian children in the compound before dinner. The water wasn't working so we were unable to take showers but we happily went to bed early despite the heat.
     Today we woke up at 4 am to hike up a mountain (before the heat came in) to a village to do VBS. The hike was steep and long (about 2 hours) and somehow we managed to get 20 minutes ahead of the rest of the group and were concerned we were lost. The views were so gorgeous it was completely worth it. It goes from gorgeous mountains to the beach here. When we finally made it to the village, we met with a Voodoo preist before going to a church to sing songs and make bracelets with the children. We hiked back down the mountain, had lunch, and took a nap before going out to the local village to play with more children. They took us to their swimming hole all fighting over each other to hold our hands and shockingly almost all without shoes and most without pants on. After spending a couple hours with the children we had another delicious dinner and are currently attempting to bake a cake for Peters birthday but are having oven troubles. The water is back on now and we can't wait to take a shower! We all sweat an unbelievable amount here and there are a lot of bugs so that makes showers a real treat. We can't wait to see what the rest of the trip has in store for us. Now to go check on the cake!

 

Hppy 18th Birthay Peter!

Haiti

We are safe and sound in Arcahaie, Haiti. Monday, morning we woke up very early to get to the airport for our 8:30 flight. After flying over the gorgeous aqua Caribbean Ocean for 1 1/2 hours, we landed in Port au Prince. I could hear the students talking as we were landing. Most of them were saying how it looked like a normal city, until we started landing and they realized the buildings they were seeing were actually tin shacks and tent cities. We made it through the airport, immigration and customs with no issues at all and promptly boarded the bus belonging to Donald, the president of Children's Lifeline, which is the organization we will be working with this week. He is friendly, witty and a great Kentucky man. However, he spends most of his time, down here in Haiti, doing his best to change the lives of thousands of children. We learned yesterday a little of how the organization started and where they are today. Children's Lifeline feeds almost 8,000 children every day for five days a week. They have a sewing and cinderblock microfinance that is booming. They run schools, bible schools, and are starting a fabulous health clinic on their property. They are well equipped and praying for the right doctors to come in and run the place. It is an awesome building and the inside looks just like Walgreens- every drug and tool any health facility could need. They even have a surgical room and a dental room set up, alongside their exam rooms and waiting room. They will document births and health records, which is something very new to this village.

Donald took us on a tour of Port au Prince since we won't be back in the city until we leave. We saw the presidental palace that collapsed in the earthquake, we drove by Cite Soleil which is the poorest slum area. It was actually a lot worse than I had expecting having worked in Filipino slums for two months this spring. It was a hundred times worse. We saw a lot of damage from the earthquake. It is going to take a very long time to even begin to get this city back to where it was, much less better than it was. Every person, every building was affected.

But the story should never end there. Haiti IS rebuilding...they ARE trying, and that is the story I was recently encouraged to have our students pursue. We know all the statistics on the poverty in Haiti, I don't need to repeat them all (I know I have mentioned a few already). I'm hoping our group can go deeper than the media, that we can meet the people, learn their stories, hear their hearts, and walk alongside them, loving them like Christ loves us. Not for any tv show or newspaper, but just because it's what we are called to do. I'm not sure yet what that is going to look like, but I can't wait to see where God takes us.

Right now, the group (one student opted out and I'm home with her, if you're wondering how I'm blogging :) ) is hiking a fairly large mountain behind our compound. At the top of this mountain is a small village with an orphanage and a church that Children's Lifeline supports. The group left a 4:30 am to beat the heat. They will hike about 2 hours and then spend the morning running a mini-VBS, teaching songs, playing games, etc. They will also have the opportunity to meet a Voodoo priest who lives in the village. Donald has been meeting with him for several years and calls him a friend. This priest is very open towards what Donald is doing and allows Donald to pray with him often. The group will spend some time with him and then pray over and with him, that God might change this man's heart, that he might serve the only, one, true God and not rely on his voodoo traditions and falsehoods.

Weather- it is HOT! Sooo hot, so humid, so draining! Pray that our group stays cool and healthy. We are having a great time getting to know eachother and bonding. We've had some AWESOME conversations and had a lot of fun together as well. Thanks for sending your students! Haiti is so good!

When the Fellas Show Up

One of the many exciting things happening out here at KIVU is our intentional training of the guys. Most places just allow for guys to be guys, and whatever trends the world sets up is what they gleen as 'normal behavior.'

Each opening day I tell the fellas, "I don't care how you talk about girls back home, this is a place where we're going to re-train you to respect the ladies." They look at me in wonderment, mostly because they've never been challenged to think that way, but they wonder how we're going to pull this off.

We start by making sure they respect the ladies when they eat. They have to make sure the ladies go first, they serve the ladies, and they are pressured to understand how valuable a lady is in their life. There's no place here for feminist slander. We want to make sure the ladies understand how much we appreciate them.

Some might call it a throwback to the golden days.
Others might call out some kind of feminism.
But we just want to make sure, out of no other motive than respect, when the guys show up, the ladies can be confident they are going to value them.

The same rule applies to the ladies, but I'll write more on that later.

Another reason KIVU is the place to be, as we try and train the next generation to care for one another.

A Double Rainbow on Day One at KIVU Term 4!

Haiti Bound! It is early... We are all together and all checked in! Boarding for Port Au Prince in 30 minutes. We are so excited!! Especially the boys! Love them in this photo!

Fresh fish today!

Today, Greg Hackett, from 5H Farms brought 260lbs of Rainbow and Brown trout and we once again filled the Los Pinos full of trout. Greg comes all the way from Monta Vista and raises the best trout in Colorado. He is also a really cool guy.

Greg and Giorgio Johnson helped me unload all the fish today. Its a pretty dirty job because you get soaked with water that reeks like fish.


260lbs is about 150 fish or so. We stocked them in about 4 different spots along the river and they will spread out over the next week. But most of them stay within 100 yards of where they were put in.



That is Greg holding a 22 inch Rainbow, Giorgio holding a 23 inch German Brown and me holding one of the many nets of fish we put in. Today was a great day! Can't wait to catch them tomorrow.
Thanks Greg.

Our Haiti group is finally all together! After a long day of layovers and delays. I would post a picture of all your great kids together but they are all showering and getting into bed! Which is great!, because we have a super early wakeup call to fly out of Miami at 8:30! I am so excited to have everyone here; group trips are SO great when the group is finally all together. There are 15 of us and everyone is very excited. Two of us have been to Haiti before but it was pre-earthquake, so this will be a huge experience for our group. We talked tonight about flexibility and sensitivity toward Haitian culture and the healing they are going through. I'm sure the students are going to learn and see and share in so much! Please keep us in your prayers! Here are a few of my favorite photos from my 2008 trip to Haiti!

Frisbee Day

Each term we spend the last day of camp playing ultimate frisbee. The cabins all choose a color for their team, and the games begin. This day has become one of my favorite days because I get to see all the cabins enjoying the last few moments they have together at camp. When they aren't playing, some girls take a few last minute pictures (as you can see up above). I had to post these pictures from term 3 before term 4 gets going today. I am looking forward to getting to know new campers, but I sure do miss all the girls from last term!!

On our return trip from Rwanda, I had everyone take some time to process the trip. I asked them some questions, so that they were able to reflect on how the experience was for them personally. But, it was also to consider how they were going to share all they had seen and been a part of to everyone at home who would ultimately be asking, "how was your trip??!" I told them I'd be sharing these answers with the blog, so here you go...

1. What were you expecting coming to Rwanda?
2. What surprised you the most?
3. What did you like the most? least?
4. Is there anything you will do differently or change back home?
5. Describe Rwanda or your experience there in one word.

Kenna:
1. I was expecting to play with kids.
2. I was surprised that the babies did not cry when they were upset, they only fussed a little.
3. I liked playing with the kids. I did not like the lack of sleep.
4. I will save up for another trip. I will be kinder to other people.
5. Fantastic

Logan:
1. I was expecting a rundown country still hurt from genocide.
2. I was surprised by women breast feeding on the sides of the streets.
3. I liked most, the affection of the PREFER students.
4. I will encourage others to go and help.
5. Eye-opening

Elizabeth:
1. I was expecting rural and recovery, but still scars.
2. I was surprised most by forgiveness in the country.
3. I liked teaching at the preschool and experiencing Rwanda. I loved everything.
4. Simplicity
5. Thought-invoking

Jennie:
1. I had NO idea.
2. I was surprised by the culture- the joy and simplicity of their lives
3. I like talking to the natives on the road. I did not like the 12 hour flights.
4. I will clean out my room, give away clothes and toys. I will put more effort into community service and serving the less fortunate.
5. Indescribable

Millie:
1. I was expecting severe poverty.
2. I was surprised of the joy of people who had almost nothing.
3. I liked getting to meet all the sweet kids. I did not like the food.

4. Waste less, want less, love more

5. Life-changing

 

Josh:

1. I was expecting extreme poverty

2. I was surprised by how developed it was.

3. I liked how nice the people are.  I didn't like getting stared at.

4. Nope

5. Freaking-tight!

 

Brett:

1. I was expecting a great opportunity with my wife and daughter.  I was expecting a life change, but really I got great confirmation of what I already doing.

2. I was surprised that it was not as impoverished as I'd thought.  They people made or found a way to get things done.

3. I liked most, Cathy and Teste and their resourcefulness and creativity.  I liked potato farming and the cow.  I did not like the rotten potato and the haziness in the sky.

4. Kindness, resourcefulness, more evangelism

5. Joyous

 

Gretchen:

1. I was expecting lots of opportunities to play with and love on kids.

2. I was surprised by the beautiful kindness and forgiveness of the Rwandan people and the amazing attitudes of the teenagers traveling with us.

3. I liked visiting with the people.  It was such a joy walking to and from the project each day and talking with the people walking beside us.  It was also amazing and humbling to listen to people share their genocide stories. It was frustrating to now know the language.

4. I am excited to have my 2nd grade students pen pal with students from the primary school.  I am also planning a school supply drive to send to PREFER preschool.  I definitely have new ways to pray for Rwanda.

5. Beautiful

 

Mallory:

1. I had no idea, but I was expecting it to be hotter.

2. I was surprised by the amount of English the kids knew and how instantly comfortable they were with us.

3. I liked working with the children and the weather.  I didn't like the food very much.

4. I will not take FREE water for granted.

5. "Amzungu" (lots of white people)

Mallory's most memorable moments:

- walking with Josh and one of the preschoolers back home.  It was a 45 minute walk when we realized the boy had passed his house and didn't know how to get home.  It was chaos on the street with some of the locals trying to figure out who he belonged to and where he lived and how to get him back home.  The kids had a long lecture at school the next day about not following the Mzungus home!

-Taking a nap with one of the little kids during the cultural dance class.

-Josh sleeping on the van and hitting his head on the window during a sharp turn.

-Francois and Dume (2 precious, sweet, new little buddies)

Parents Day

We LOVE Parent's Day here at KIVU. Today at 4:00 the gates will open, and eager parents will drive in to meet their teenagers they haven't seen for 14 days. What a CELEBRATION!! It's such a blessing to see re-unions. The kids are pumped to show Mom and Dad what they've been up to here at KIVU, and we love showing off the beautiful facility here in Colorado.

One of my favorite moments is showing parents all the adventures they're kids have been doing. They've been rafting, rock climbing, biking, hiking, fishing, throwing parties, and getting to know students from around the world.

They've been dis-connected from the "real world" for 14 days, and they've had the chance to think about who they are, who they want to be, and how they want to go home and engage in the world.

All in all, this is one of my personal favorite nights of camp.

We can't wait to see you tonight KIVU families.
We're thankful for your trust.
We're honored you decided to send you most prize possessions off to Colorado for a couple of weeks.
And, we look forward to see how we can partner with you, as we continue to encourage teenagers to LOVE GOD, and LOVE OTHERS!

See you tonight!

There's Something Special Going on Here

Something special is happening at KIVU, and the world is noticing. I'm starting to get a lot of e-mails and comments on various social media outlets letting me know how important the 2011 KIVU summer has been for students who spend time here.

"I do not know what you are doing at KIVU but I wanted to tell you that I just received the most excited and longest letter my son has ever written me. He is excited about what he calls "your world view," your 3 books (which he said are the kinds of books I read), The Institute, Gap Year, and of course all things Kivu. I just wanted to give you that positive feed back before they leave on Saturday to let you know you are definitely making an impact."
-KIVU MOM-

When people ask, "So why KIVU? What's the big difference between KIVU and every other summer program?" I find myself kind of scratching my head and saying...
Maybe it's the community of people who care for one another...
Maybe it's the Best in Class Colorado Adventure students get to participate in...
Maybe it's the ability for people to just be people. They don't have to prove anything for love here...
Maybe it's the parties we throw...
Maybe it's the friendships...
Or Maybe, its just God moving here. His Spirit is dwelling in this place, and teenagers sense it. They know something special is happening, and I couldn't agree more.

2011 Summer is shaping up to be one of the best we've ever had out here in Colorado. The weather is perfect, the teenagers are smiling, and God is moving.

What more could you ask for?

After a layover in Ethiopia and a 17 hour flight across the Atlantic, the Rwanda mission trip group is in DC... USA!

1946 Class Reunion

Last night we had a great time dressing up for the class of 1946's high school reunion.

Campers and staff created some excellent characters complete with costumes and accents.

It was fun to reminisce about the good ole' days.
Check out these cool looks: