Helpings of Hope

"Men anpil, chay pa lou."

2011-04-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

We wanted to share the thoughts of one of our team members, Jaclynn Balas, as she returned back to LA.

Over a week later, although quickly falling back into the comforts of life in Los Angeles, I find myself missing Haiti. I miss the smiling faces that eagerly greeted us each morning, the delicious meals all thoughtfully prepared and the simplicity we found in silence. As I reflect on my second trip, friends and family ask the normal questions; did you see the same children, how long were you there, when are you going back and why…

There is a Haitian proverb that goes, “many hands make the load lighter.” That is my hope for our visits to Haiti. That we may be one of the many hands that make the load lighter, that we may slowly but surely support and contribute to long term change headed by our Haitian brother’s and sisters and that we accept that our loads are becoming lighter too. My visits to Haiti haven’t been filled with spa treatments, shopping trips or lavish meals as some “travels” are/do but what I have gained from my visits is something far less tangible and much more valuable- CLARITY. There is a level of transparency in Haiti you don’t find in Los Angeles, an honest vulnerability. Once you see the reality of someone else’s life, once you share experiences and empathize with fears and hopes, you realize that we are all so similar at the core. Haiti has taught me how to expand my “comfort zone,” how to accept that sometimes I’m the one that needs help and that we really are all brothers and sisters. I’m excited to see how Christ will continue to transform ALL of our lives in the coming months, I’m eager to go back to Haiti to see our friends and I’m hopeful that more people will hear and answer the call to lighten the load.

Sharing smiles

2011-04-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

We have been back for a week now and are getting back into the swing of things. We are gathering all of our pictures and videos and will begin sharing profiles of our borrowers in the next couple of week, so please continue to follow us as we want to be able to share the stories of our borrowers with as many people as possible. We were so blessed to get to know these men better and get a picture of what God has planned for them. In the meantime, I wanted to share a few pictures of the kids, who were definitely one of the highlights of the trip and put smiles on all of our faces!

Pastor Jean Paul is opening a restaurant in downtown LaPlaine and we were blessed to get a sneak peek, as you can see from the team picture below. The restaurant will be in an area that has city hall and quite a few banks and other businesses. Since there are no other restaurants in the area, there is a lot of excitement about the new opening, and we are excited to share that it will employ members of the church and create a lot of job opportunities.

Finally, tonight, we ask that you keep the people of Haiti in your prayers as the results of their presidential election have been announced. We continue to pray for peace and safety in the streets of Haiti.

So hard to say goodbye

2011-03-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that the trip is coming to an and. We are already at the airport getting ready to take off! We had the opportunity to stop by the restaurant that Jean Paul is building on our way out and can't wait to come back when it opens.

We had a tough morning as we said goodbye to the kids but as we leave we are so excited to see what is next. These men are so encouraged and their love for Christ shines.

Once we return we will share pictures and videos as well as what is going to happen next. We will also let you know how you can be a part of this adventure and how you can help!

2011-03-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

It looks like my first couple of attempts didn't work so we are tryin again!

We have been incredibly busy since we landed (three hours delayed of course) For those of us on the last trip it was so great to be back at the compound and see all the kids. It was amazing to see how much they have grown since August! We also had te chance to start our interviews with some of our borrowers and it was so exciting to hear their ideas. We will be sharing pictures and videos of the men once we get back so you cam hear their ideas first hand.

After a relatively good night's sleep (there were voodoo drums banging all night as well as roosters waking up around five this morning), we set out for Port AU prince. Our first stop was meeting with zafan (zafan.com). They are a fantastic micro-finance organization that we are excites to partner with. We also had the opportunity to have lunch with a member of the World Vision team (wvi.org) and learn more about the work they are doing. Look for a future blog sharing both zafan'S and world visions work here in Haiti.

We are on our way bck to conduct more interviews but askthat you continue to pray for the people of Haiti. As we drove through the city, we witnessed so much poverty. We also ask that you pray for God to give us wisdom and use us to helpthese young men fulfill their dream for their businesses.

I was hoping tonpost some pictures but Internet here is a little challenging. I will continue to try as much as I can!

One day away!

2011-03-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

The micro-finance team flies out tomorrow night on our way to Haiti. As we make last minute preparations, I continue to thank God for allowing such talented people to use their skills to serve him and his people. We ask for you to continue to pray for us as we begin our journey and please pray that God uses us as his instruments while we are down there.

I thought I would share some pictures from our last trip as we get ready to hit the road....

The front of the compound where we will spend the next few dyas

We had the privilege to have three men share their gift of music with us, including one song that was written about the earthquake, by the 16 yr old on the left.


The kids are so beautiful, and for those of us who were there last year, we can't wait to see them again!!

Thanks for coming!

2011-03-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to everyone who came out last night for our PCC Haiti kick off. It was great to see everyone and share what God is doing in Haiti and through PCC. Thank you so much to Juliana Zhu for offering up her home and backyard.

We were really fortunate to have our partner, Rev. Martin Hawley of Reformation Hope, speak last night and share the great work that is currently being done. There is still so much work we can do, but it is really encouraging to see the amazing things happening in this community. To learn more about Reformation Hope, please visit reformationhope.org or you can follow us on Twitter at @refhope.

The PCC micro-finance team heads out this coming Thursday night to La Plaine, Haiti. We will be busy talking with the borrowers and local micro-finance organizations, and learning more about the community's needs. We will do our best to post while we are there and are excited to share the stories of our first set of borrowers

We are still looking for medical items, school supplies, and sporting goods to bring with us. If you would like to donate, let us know!.

We appreciate all the support and prayers as we begin this journey in Haiti and are so thankful you are taking the journey with us!

Pacific Crossroads Haiti Kick off event

2011-03-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

Join us tonight for our Haiti Kickoff! Our mission partner, Martin Hawley, from Reformation Hope will share about the ministry in Haiti. Hear the vision for this partnership, our current involvement, and don’t miss out on the announcement for all 2011 short-term trips! Light refreshments will be provided.

We will also be collecting supplies to take down to Haiti. Please bring your donations to the Haiti event or drop them off at the mission table on Sunday March 20th.

1. School Supplies (paper, notebooks, pencils, pens, crayons, chalk)
2. Medical Items (aspirin, decongestants, bandages, antibiotics, ointments) and vitamins for the children
3. Sports Items (esp. soccer balls and basketballs)

To RSVP, click here: http://bit.ly/eFeiDR