Hurricane Isaac update

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Hurricane Isaac has dumped lots of rain where we live in Port-au-Prince and the wind has been howling since Friday afternoon.

Since Port-au-Prince has a very poor storm drainage system and much of the city is built on the side of the mountains, much water damage is expected.

Because Francoise and her three children live by the side of a ravine, we invited them to stay with us on Friday and Saturday to make sure they were safe.

Rich, Francoise and her 3 children and a Haitian friend

My Haitian friends and I had built a tire retaining wall to try to keep the ravine from eating away her property, but this summer a heavy rain washed away the wall and ate away at least 10 feet of the hill leading up to her house.

So we didn't want to take a chance that they would be swept away during the night in their one-room house if the flooding was severe.

It has been nice to have them over for a "sleep over." Last night we watched a movie with them, and this morning we warmed up with bowl of hot oatmeal.

Lexy our dog and Macy our cat are inside as well, although Macy the cat insisted on going out for the night and got soaked!

Please pray for those in tent cities as they are cold and wet!

The completed wall

A summer storm took away earth up to the 4th tire from the top. We are afraid this storm might take even more away.

View from the top showing the water damage this summer.

View from the bottom showing how the ravine washed away all traces of the wall we built.

Results of the soccer tournaments

Since We got back to Haiti on August 5th, we have held two soccer tournaments!

The first one was held on Saturday, August 11th in Verrettes between 4 schools in the area. We had four teams play in the morning, and a final in the afternoon. In this case, the home team, La Providence, won the tournament. More importantly, 11 people indicated they trusted Christ and are being followed up with.

This tournament in Verrettes was observed by a delegation of 13 from Ambassadors in Sport International. There were coaches from Brazil, Peru, Mexico, South Africa and the US present. They were all thrilled with the level of play and the evangelistic component of the tournament.

The second tournament was held from August 14 to 18th and involved 8 schools from 2 neighboring towns: Archaie and St. Marc.

First game of the Archaie tournament

Each town had four teams play to determine a town champion.

The match to determine the town champion of St. Marc was played at a small home-made stadium in the neighborhood of "Cite" in St. Marc. This game drew a large crowd. The seats were shaded and even more comfortable than the professional stadium!

Praying before the game!

The team that won the St. Marc Championship was from the Ebenezer school and won one game 4-0 and the other 3-0 so they weren't really challenged.

The team that won the Archaie tournament won their first game on penalty kicks and the second by only 1-0.

Then on Saturday, the two town champions played in an inter-city championship match.

The final between the two towns was played in the professional stadium in St. Marc which was a very nice grass field with solid goals and nicely laid out.

During the first 10 minutes of the final the teams were playing pretty evenly, but then Archaie scored on a shot from outside, and the Archaie team just started to pass around St. Marc. Once Archaie discovered that the St. Marc goalie could not handle high shots over his head, they scored two other goals in the first half, and added three more in the second.

The team from Archaie was well coached by a former professional player who had played against the Cleveland City Stars back in 2007 and had scored the winning goal. Coach Menard now has a soccer school in Archaie and is clearly doing a good job coaching the school team at Toussaint Louverture school which won the tournament.

During this tournament we estimate that at least 40 people trusted in Christ. We will have more exact figures later after we go over the response cards.

Many thanks to the volunteer committees in Archaie and St. Marc that helped make these tournaments possible, and to the finances of the Canadian "HEADR" team that financed the meals provided each day and the transportation.

HEADR team from Canada has a great week!

From August 13th to August 20th a team of 6 Canadians from Moncton in New Bruswick came to help us start 8 new soccer teams in schools in St. Marc and Archaie (Ar-ka-yea).

Meeting a policeman with the UN from Quebec when they first arrived

The team was headed up by Art Moore a jolly Irishman who, along with his sidekick, Nick, in the tan cap, convinced 4 of his former high school students to come and help school kids in Haiti by starting soccer teams at their schools. So the team was made up of Ali (in yellow in second picture, a petite blond full of energy; her best friend Bri (in neon green in second picture), and two rugby players: Cory and Chris with the longer hair and hat.

Visiting "Dessaline park" in Archaie

Our fist stop was Archaie where we visited the 4 schools we started teams in and played with some of the students there, even though schools are not in session in Haiti at this time of year. When we had space, we played outside games like duck,duck, goose, basketball and of course soccer.

Rich introducing the team to children from one of the schools we visited

Where we didn't have a lot of space we sang a French-Canadian children's "parts of the body" song and also "I'm climbing Sunshine Mountain". This year coach Wadnec, one of our Haitian staff members also added a new song that says "Children love AIS and AIS loves children, galigaligalizoom!"

Our schedule each day was to visit 2 schools in the morning and then watch the schools play each other in the afternoon.

While in Archaie, we also helped paint two classrooms in one of the schools that is just being built. This is the same school that our fellow Crossworld missionary, Mark Bradley, has been helping with through his church in Philadelphia: Church of the Savior.

More on the other things we did and the results of the tournament later this week!

AIS USA team members share their perspective after visiting Haiti

From August 8th to August 12th a delegation of 13 members of Ambassadors in Sport came to Haiti to see first hand what God has been doing through us here.

The delegation included AIS staff from Brazil, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and the US. The director of AIS, Jon Ortlip and his assistant Jan came as well as Jon's son. A businesswoman who grew up on a farm also came to help me do research about the Genesis Goat Project, and there were other members of AIS in the group as well.

Here is what Kent, who came with his wife Kyle, wrote about the visit:

"To say that Kyle and I were impacted by you and the work in Haiti would be a great understatement. I think the work you are doing is incredible and I have mountains of respect for you and your family. I can only imagine the mental, emotional and spiritual stress and challenges that come with living and working in Haiti. We consider you and Carol heroes of the faith and we love you very much. Thank you for your example and willingness to lay your life down so that others may have the opportunity to know Jesus.

What we were impacted by the most was not the hunger or the poverty. We were taken by the complexities created by the socio-economic situation that really makes true conversion to be something unique. Ultimately, Christ changes hearts but the challenge of empowering Haitians to live & teach the bible seems to be a great one.

The program you have started is a brilliant avenue for the church to connect with people in their communities. It is a vehicle where local pastors can share the gospel and their congregation can serve the local people and connect with them relationally. This is powerful because at a glance it doesn't seem like there are too many venues like this in Haiti. To give the church a program that connects it directly with the people and allows the people to see the local church meeting them where they want to be most.......the soccer field. That is so cool."

A lot happened during their short visit, but what was really exciting to me was that 11 spectators trusted in Christ at the evangelistic tournament we held as an example for them last Saturday. Members of the local church will be following up with them to help them in their journey.

It was great to hear Kent talk about his work as a coach in the Ambassadors Football Club in the US. It sounds like a lot of winning is going on! And being around Kent and Kyle, we're sure that it's a blessing for the girls on the Kent's teams to be around them.

We are touched by Kent & Kyle's interest in the people of Haiti. As you can tell from the comments above, they are giving careful thought to what they've seen and heard about Haiti, resisting the temptation to make snap judgments. They have a desire for the club in the US to help young people in Haiti and wanted to see for themselves what life is like here. (Kent has actually been here a couple of times.) They have already made an impact by being part of this group that brought loads of soccer equipment down for our teams!

Thanks for your prayers and support that make this all possible. We sow and water, but God makes the ministry grow!

In Him,

Rich Mears

AIS Int'l 13 member delegation to Haiti

Last Wednesday, August 8th I welcomed a delegation of 13 to Haiti. The purpose of the trip was for AIS leaders from all over the world to see the model that we are using in Haiti and also visit other ministries in Haiti to discover their best practices. This trip was the vision of Jon Ortlip, the director of AIS and Kent Manson, who visited Haiti as a member of the Cleveland City stars tour in 2007. Kent is currently the coach of several girls teams for the Ambassadors soccer Club near Cleveland Ohio. Kent brought his wife Kyle along. Kyle is a kindergarten teacher and just loved being with the Haitian children.
The delegation included AIS staff from Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Peru and of course the US. In addition, a businesswoman came to learn about the Genesis Goat project.
On Thursday we visited two non-soccer focused organizations who nevertheless would like us to help them reach their communities through soccer.
Friday we split the team up with 4 doing a soccer clinic for high-level coaches at the National Stadium and the rest of us going to Leogane to see a newer soccer program called “GOALS” that just won the prestigious “Beyond Sport” award. In the afternoon we visited “Athletique D’Haiti” and met with Bobby Duval, the founder and director. He is a dynamic leader who dreamed of building a soccer stadium in the poorest neighborhood of Port-au-Prince: Cite Soliel. Now this dream is coming true! Take a look at his website: http://lathletiquedhaiti.org
Our last stop on Friday was Viva Rio, a Brazilian soccer Academy in Haiti that is trying to produce players capable of becoming professionals in Brazil and around the world. I had a chance to give my testimony to the U-17 team and hopefully we will be able to visit them again soon.

Back home in Haiti

On Sunday, August 5th Carol and I arrived in Haiti from two different cities. Carol flew to Port-au-Prince from Miami, and I flew from Newark, NJ.
You may wonder how Carol got to Miami. She drove down with Ricky to help him get started at Florida International University in Miami. Ricky is living with his best friend from Quisqueya Christian School: Abraham Jaar. Ricky starts freshman orientation on August 13th and classes start the following week.
Unfortunately, my flight was four hours late, but as God worked it out I landed just about the same time as Carol and so we went home from the airport together. We were greeted at the airport by Ronald and Ti-Frère, who sometimes drives for us.
We went directly from the airport to Quisqueya Christian School where Carol was supposed to have a teacher’s meeting. However, we got in too late for the meeting, just in time for dinner, which was good because I was pretty hungry!
When we got back to the house our Haitian friends Ecdes and Paules and our dog, Lexi, Macy our cat and were waiting for us. We're glad to be back but it's hot--just as hot as being in Philadelphia! Hot and humid – ugh! We've had a super busy week with Carol getting ready for school and me preparing for and hosting a team--already! But that's a story for the next post....

Speaking to some future professional players at ASD

July 23, 2012

The evening of my last day in SA I was given the opportunity to address about 15 top players between the ages of 16 and 20 at the weekly optional Bible study held on Monday nights.

Before I spoke, I had time to sit down and talk with the team’s chaplain: Bruce Nadin. He had been the chaplain of the professional team from his home town: Leichester in England, but had moved to SA about 3 years ago to work with AIS and also plant a church.

We talked about some of the problems that face youth in SA: The fact that most young men have no Fathers in their lives, the high incidence of sexual sin and rape and the prevalence of gangs and violence in many low-income townships.

Then we had dinner with the players. I ate with Carlo from Capetown and Mwene from Zambia. Mwene is a product of the AIS ministry in Zambia and went through many years of soccer and Biblical training before making it to ASD’s professional soccer training academy. I also met a young player from Cameroon that spoke French.

So when it came time to talk to the boys, I had some information that I used to relate to them right where they were. Even though I did not have anything written down, God brought to mind stories from my life and ministry that hit a nerve with many of the players.





Afterwards I had the opportunity to pray with the captain of the team who was facing the difficult prospect of not making it as a professional soccer player. He had spent the last 3 years of his life preparing for this career, and now it seemed just beyond his reach. So we prayed for God to show him the next step, and give him peace beyond understanding.

Drakenstien “Hope Academy” Prison Ministry

Monday, July 23, 2012




Have you ever felt like every experience you have had in your life was for a reason?
This is the way I felt as I spoke to 18 inmates in the youth section of Drakenstien prison in Capetown on a Sunny winter (our summer) afternoon. As we went around and introduced themselves the program leader had them say their name and also state their crime, sentence, and how long they had to complete their sentence. Their crimes included murder, rape and armed robbery. If I hadn’t been in prison and heard their crimes, I would have never suspected that these good looking young men between the ages of 18 and 25 had ever broken the law.





As I prayed about what God wanted me to share with these young men, I felt God prompting me to help them see the pain I felt as the victim of two violent crimes: The murder of my Father, and my being shot in a robbery. As I started to describe the sorrow I felt when my Father died, and the pain I went through when I was shot, I could see them reacting emotionally. Then I asked them if they had ever had the opportunity to ask forgiveness of those they had wronged by their crimes. Most of them said they had not. Then I described how God had given me the power to forgive the young man who had murdered my father, and the young man who had shot me even though I had never met them. I told them that because I had asked for my sins to be forgiven and God had forgiven me, I could then forgive those who had sinned against me. I urged them to ask God for forgiveness for their crimes, and also forgive those who had wronged them in their lives. Since 90% of these young men did not have a loving Father-figure in their lives growing up, it is likely that some of them had to deal with deep hurts from their past.

Through the Ambassadors in Sport ministry at Drakenstien, many of these young men have already trusted in Christ for their salvations, but they still have deep hurts, scars and habits that need to be dealt with. I told them how Christ had helped and was helping me deal with these issues and find deep healing. Later that day, a young man who had been involved in a kidnapping and murder thanked me for sharing.






After the short talk, we went out on a large field big enough for a soccer field and a rugby field. It was well equipped with two soccer goals and two rugby goals. It was an exciting day for the team because they distributed new Kappa uniforms to the team. They all looked great in the new uniforms and had an extra spring in their step as they practiced. The AIS SA staff had trained Jonas, one of the prison guards, as their coach. In the past year the prison warden has allowed the Hope Academy team to play in an adult league outside of the prison. Last year they won this league!





I worked with the goalie nick-named “Station”. I showed him how to catch and hold onto the ball securely, showed him and a friend some drills they could work on together, and also explained some simple geometry so he could understand angles better. He soaked up all that I showed him and even asked if I could work with him later in the week. Unfortunately, I had to tell him I was leaving the next day.





As we left the prison, we went by a statue of Nelson Mandela walking with his fist in the air. It turns out that on February 11, 1990, Mandela was released from Drakenstien after spending 27 years in various prisons and started a new life in politics, eventually becoming president in 1994.





My prayer is that each of the young men in the Hope Academy program will leave there with a bright future ahead of them because of their new relationship with Christ. Some are completing their High school education, and several are taking college-level courses.

There have already been several who have “graduated” from Hope Academy program at Drakenstien and most are doing well in their post-prison lives. As mentioned before, one of them is now the assistant coach of the Hope Academy in Soweto.

Church in South Africa

Sunday, July 22, 2012

This morning I attended the Julbilee Church in Cape Town with my host family. The church is renovating a big warehouse and the sanctuary is already finished.





Downstairs they are building Sunday school and meeting rooms. The service was held in English, so it was easy to understand, even with the South African British accent.
The music was a contemporary mix of worship songs in English and two songs in
“Kosa” an African dialect spoken in Capetown. The musicians included guitar players, bass, drums and even a sax player.

“Jubs”, as the locals call it, makes an effort to welcome all types of races and social backgrounds. On Sunday nights they have a large number of young adults and college students who attend.

Another popular church in the area is named “Common Ground”. It is known for its vibrant, young congregation and community outreach. Aaron Treadway, who is on staff with Ambassadors in Sport (AIS), preaches regularly at this church when he is not travelling for AIS. I even met a man on one of my flights whose daughters go to this church and like it a lot.

South Africans tell me that more than 50% of their population attends church, one of the highest percentages in the world. But false doctrines abound, and many have a pretty shallow faith. In Soweto we saw several billboards advertising a church that meets under what looks like a huge circus tent. My hosts told me that this church teaches a “prosperity gospel” that leads people to believe that if they give to the church and trust in Christ, He will give them good fortune.

But the church we attended was vibrant, alive and evangelical. I had met the preacher at the house of my host family several times, and even went to the Manchester United game with him and his family. He spoke about our need to believe that every trial is for a purpose, and for us to comfort others with the comfort we have received from God.

African Soccer Development School

African Soccer Development School




Mike Steptoe (left)

The ASD is an elite residential soccer academy that trains young men 15 years and older to become professional soccer players. It was founded in 2009 by Mike Steptoe who is now 60 yrs. old Mike was CEO of Gestetner copiers in England and a business consultant before moving to South Africa and opening the Academy. His wife was a school teacher and now spends her time tutoring the players in academic and life skills so that they will be able pass the South African high-school equivalency exam.
Currently, ASD Has players from India, SA, Zambia, Nigeria, and some from National Team of Kenya. They have already placed 4 players in the professional league in Belgium and one player is doing very well.

Their coaching philosophy is patterned after the great basketball coach John Wooden of UCLA.






The dormitory is on a property named Paradise Estate. It used to be the manor house of a huge farm. After that it was run as an orphanage by a Christian family for many years. Later it was given to the SA Government who had to shut down the orphanage for lack of funds. ASD was able to rent this beautiful large house, but had to do a lot of rehabilitation as it sat vacant for many years.




Hennie & her husband Norman prepare the meals for the 30 or so players. Hennie is a wonderful Christian and explained to us how she prayers for the boys as she makes their meals. She says she seasons her meals with prayer, and sprinkles in the fruits of the Spirit as she cooks: “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”

Here are some Stories:

Fayid: from Muslim background – expelled from school at 15 for carrying a gun. Both parents served time in prison as members of gangs. Now Fayid is earning his HS diploma and is getting along well with his teammates.

Dillon: His Mom was an alcoholic but after Dillon became part of ASD, she trusted Christ. Unfortunately she died in Jan 2012. He is now an orphan.

Akhumzi: Has twin brother who is not in ASD. After good nutrition you can see the difference in size of the two boys. One of his brothers “glassed” his other brother. “Glassed” means to cut with a broken bottle, usually on the throat. Fortunately they both survived the fight. Please pray for Akhumzi as he trys to share what he has been learning at ASD with his brothers.

A Chance of a lifetime to see Man. United!

Saturday, July 21st I had the chance to see Manchester United play an exhibition match against the Cape Town professional team "Ajax".

The game was played at the stadium in Capetown that was built for the 2010 World Cup! It was the chance of a lifetime!



The $100 tickets were donated by a member of the press, and there were about 12 of us who went.

We were on the second row from the field!




The first half ended in a tie. The second half was almost over when Ajax scored on a corner kick.

Man. United scored in the 4 minute injury time to tie the game at the last minute, so the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

It even stopped raining for most of the game, so fun was had by all!

Hope Academy in Soweto

Hope Academy in Soweto




Today (July 19, 2012) we visited the Hope Academy in the notorious township of Soweto. On June 16, 1976 a group of high school students from Soweto marched in protest to having to use the Afrikaans language 50% of the time in schools. In response the Apartheid government eventually opened fired on the unarmed protesters when they refused to disperse. Estimates of those killed that day range between 176 and 600 killed and more than 1000 wounded.

Soweto is no longer the shanty-town that it was in 1976. It is now row-upon-row of government-built housing. The day we visited it was very dusty and dry, but in general it was well-kept and clean.

AIS South Africa runs a Hope Academy in Soweto with 36 children participating. They are divided up into roughly 12 girls and 24 boys between the ages of 9 and 12. They day we visited they were all excited because they were handing out brand-new Kappa uniforms (see picture).



Their typical training lasts about 3 hours and consists of about 30 minutes of homework help, 30 minutes of Biblically-based life-skill training and about 2 hours of soccer training. They usually practice 3 days a week and play games on Saturdays.
The neat thing is that their coach is a product of AIS SA’s soccer ministry in Drakenstien prison. After he was released from prison, he was hired by AIS to coach these children because he grew up in Soweto and knows the gangs and challenges they will face even in their young lives.



AIS SA would like to multiply the Hope Academy model throughout Africa and my visit is helping them evaluate the program and get a different perspective. In addition, I have learned lots from their example and am reflecting on how I can integrate parts of their best-practices into the ministry in Haiti.

First day in South Africa

July 19, 2012

On the plane from Frankfurt to Johannesburg, South Africa I watched a movie named “Cry Freedom”. It starred Denzel Washington as Steve Biko, an anti-apartheid activist in the 1970’s and the newspaper editor that befriended him: Donald Woods. I would highly recommend it. This movie gave me insight into the deep suffering the people of South Africa have experienced in their past, and the price brave people like Biko and Nelson Mandela have paid to bring positive change to South Africa.

Unfortunately the first article I read in a South African newspaper was about how prevalent rape is in SA society. SA has one of the highest incidents of rape in the world, with one happening every minute. The article told of how two men gave a false alarm for an ambulance. When the two women Paramedics arrived the men raped them. Now more and more paramedics are carrying weapons to protect themselves.

Then I went for a run outside of the hotel. The guard told me to avoid the dozen or so prostitutes that were hanging around the corner. Then as I ran I saw signs for the usual “sex enhancing” drugs that are prevalent now a days. It seems that North America is not the only society that has corrupted God’s beautiful gift of sex within marriage.

But that is one reason why I am here: to evaluate and encourage the Ambassadors in Sport staff who are working with disadvantaged youth and break the cycle of poverty and abuse these children have lived through. Only by obeying Jesus’ command to do to others what we would have them do to us can we truly love one another by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is why the world needs Jesus!

Trip to South Africa

July 16, 2012

Monday, July 16th I left on a trip to South Africa. The purpose of the visit is to observe the various types of soccer ministry my collegues in Ambassadors in Sport are doing there. Then in August, Ambassadors in Sport is sending a delegation of 12 coaches and administrators to Haiti to observe what I am doing there. Please pray that this exchange of ideas and models produces some “Best practices” that can be shared with the 15 other countries that AIS serves in.

In South Africa AIS has developed a model call “Hope Academy”:
“Hope Academy is an intensive and holistic football based program that provides underprivileged children in Africa the opportunity to fulfil their God-given potential on and off the field.

Our vision is to strategically establish self-sustainable Hope Academies in disadvantaged communities and to uplift children in Africa in their football, faith and future.”

They have also started a ministry with prisoners in the notorious Drakenstien prison in Cape Town. Here is a story about them:

Cape Town, November 30th, 2011 – South Africa’s first prison-based football academy has been nominated for a prestigious accolade from globally recognised sporting organisation Beyond Sport.
This is the second time that Ambassadors in Sport’s (AIS) Drakenstein Hope Academy has received a nomination for Beyond Sport’s Social Inclusion Award for having recognised and successfully harnessed the potential football has as a mechanism for social upliftment. Being selected, as a finalist is no small feat – of the 400 entries from 125 countries into the various categories of the Beyond Sport Awards, 38 finalists were chosen and only four of these are from South Africa, one of which is the Drakenstein Hope Academy.

It will be a long trip: It will take me two days to get there and two days to get back. I will be in Africa 6 days, making the trip a 10 day adventure! Please pray that God will speak to our hearts through this trip and help us refine our strategies for His glory!

Equipment on its way to Haiti!

July 12, 2012

Today I packed two barrels to ship to Haiti with books and teaching materials for Haiti as well as two sets of uniforms and some balls for the soccer ministry. The soccer balls were collected by Northampton Presbyterian church during their vacation Bible school. In addition, Northampton also collected several hundred dollars to help with the cost of shipping of the balls.

I also was able to fit in lots of cereal boxes collected by the children of Crossing Community Church. Our friend Francoise will use these boxes to make paper beads which she will use to make beautiful necklaces that can be sold in the US to help support her three children.

With careful packing, it is amazing how much you can fit into two 55 gallon barrels!

Diary of Haiti Trip June 14-21, 2012 Final Day

Thursday, June 21, 2012

The next morning we got up early and went to visit the UEBH campus at Bolosse. On the way there we stopped to buy some paintings and also some Haitian handicrafts.
I visited with lots of Haitian friends while at Bolosse and showed Ed and Justin where we used to live.




We also picked up 50 pounds of Haitian coffee to take back and sell in the US to raise money for Haitian-sent missionaries who work in Senegal, West Africa.



A Haitian Lizard runs through the brush


That afternoon we got on the plane and had a safe and uneventful trip back to Newark and Justin’s parents picked us up at the airport.

diary of Trip to Haiti June 14-21, 2012 Day Seven

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Ed was still weak the next morning, and so he and Justin stayed at the guest house while I had meetings. I met with my AIS Haiti staff and then the Ambassadors Communication staff. After that I went to visit Joan Martineau, who used to be the director of Quisqueya Christian School when our children were little. She has cancer and I wanted to visit her and pray with her.





Then I went back to the guesthouse to see how Ed and Justin were doing. They were feeling better and so we went to visit Francoise and her three children. When I got there I was very disappointed to see that the tire wall we had made keep water from ripping away the earth and eventually destroying Francoise’s house had been totally washed away by a rush of water from the rainy season in May.





Nevertheless, Francoise and her children were happy to see us and she had some necklaces and beads to give us to sell in the US.





My friend Daniel had invited us to his guesthouse for dinner that night, so we all went over there and had a nice dinner.

Diary of Trip to Haiti June 14-21, 2012 Day Six

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

We got up and Ed was complaining of an upset stomach. I had an early meeting with Pastor Doucet who is on the board of AIS Haiti. By the time I got back to the house, Ed said he was feeling OK, so I we jumped in the car and set out on our adventures for the day.





I had to go to the bank near the main park in Haiti named Champs de Mars. The presidential palace is in this part, as well as Haiti’s only history museum. So after doing some sight-seeing , Ed and Justin went to the museum with an AIS-Haiti co-worker, Ronald and I went to the bank.
While Ed and Justin were at the museum they got into a conversation with a Haitian-American who spoke English very well. They ended up sharing the Gospel with this young man who listened intently and thanked them afterwards for sharing such encouraging words.

However, Ed was not feeling good, so we headed back to the guesthouse and while Ed was getting the ice chest from the back of the pick-up he got dizzy and fell. At this point, I decided we had better take Ed to see a doctor. So I called up Dr. Jeudy, the same doctor who had treated me after I was shot. He called me back and said he was in his clinic and we could come right over.

After examining Ed, Dr. Jeudy said that he was dehydrated and would need at least 3 bags of intravenous serum to get re-hydrated. So they put Ed on a gurney (in the woman’s delivery room! gave him a pink hospital gown) and started the IV.
Once he was settled I went back to the guesthouse and got him an extra pillow, lots of snacks, water and his book. Justin was with him the whole time, and I also left Ronald with them. I also brought Charles, a Haitian friend who lives at the guesthouse who speaks a little English so he could translate if need be.





Then I went on to my next appointment: Talking to the Amputee soccer players who had taken part in the Ambassadors Communication business. These meetings went well and through them we better understood some of the challenges of starting a business in Haiti.

After these meetings, I went back to the hospital to pick Ed and the other guys up. Ed was feeling much better and even complained of being hungry! So we went back to the guest house and had a little dinner.

Diary of trip to Haiti June 14-21, 2012 Day five

Monday June 18, 2012
Monday we got up and then went to visit Albert Sweitzer Hospital. Our first stop was the Hanger clinic where they make prosthetics for amputees and those with physical handicaps. Justin was very interested in this. Then we walked through the hospital wards on our way to visit James Arbaugh. James is in charge of the computer systems for the entire hospital, but also is a film maker on the side. He has written and produced two films in Creole that really relate to the youth of Haiti: One is called “Vre Sekurite” (True Security) and the other is called “Vre Padon” (True Pardon). Both films follow a family and the thieves that ruin their materialistic lives as their lives intertwine and both find God.


After we purchased several copies of these films from James, we walked back through the hospital and were troubled by all the people on gurneys crowding the hallways. Some looked very sick. It made us realize how blessed we are in the US to have good health care for most people.

Then we started out to return to Port-au-Prince by way of Mirabalais, which would take us on a mountain road with some stunning views. It was a rainy day and because of this was not as hot as the previous days had been. So when Ed asked if he could ride in the back of the truck for the 2 ½ hour trip, I didn’t think twice about it after I told him to put on some sunscreen. The trip was uneventful, and we arrived for our meeting in Mirabalais on time.




In Mirabalais we met with three local leaders who want us to start working with four schools there. One of the leaders is the coach of the professional soccer club in Mirabalais and also the coach of the amputee soccer team we work with: Coach Andre Pacombe. They have organized a board of 5 members to oversee the work and now are just waiting for us to do a training for the schools so they can start the teams in the fall.

On the way back to Port-au-Prince we stopped at Life Ministries to pick up some books and tracts we use in Creole. They gave us lots of Bible story books and other material for evangelism that we will use at the new schools where we are starting teams. Ed and Justin were a big help in loading them in the truck.

Diary of trip to Haiti June 14-21, 2012 Day four

Sunday, June 17, 2012

I got up early in the morning, put on my bathing suit, grabbed my snorkeling stuff and jumped in the water. I really did not expect to see much, but God had lots of surprises for me!

As soon as I reached the pilings holding up the dining room over the water, I was surrounded by thousands of little fish. It seemed like it was snowing fish! As I worked my way through the fish, I found a line of large cement blocks and started to see many other types of fish swimming around them. As I followed the blocks I came across something that looked like a ball made of feathers. I dived down to get a closer look, and found a fish that had blue and white “feathers” sticking out from it on all sides, so it looked like a ball of feathers. I had never seen anything like that in Haiti. On the next dive down to look at this extraordinary fish, I found a puffer fish!

I went back several times to make sure I knew the location of the “feather fish” because I wanted Ed and Justin to see it. So I swam back to shore and excitedly told Mark Bradley to go and wake up the boys so they could see the fish. Mark came back in his bathing suit and tried to find the fish, but by that time we were running late for church. Ed and Justin did not have time to put their suits on.
I told Mark that snorkeling is like a worship service for me as I marvel at God’s creation under the water!

Then we went to church in Archaie with Mark Bradley’s team. Pastor Kelly greeted us warmly and gave me the chance to introduce the entire team. He also gave me the opportunity to share the story of how I got shot. Then just as I was about to start speaking, Pastor Simon and his two children, Jude and Barbara walked in. They had come to see the progress on the school. My story was well received and I felt empowered by the Holy Spirit as I spoke.

Then a guest pastor spoke. He spoke from Galatians 1:1-9 where Paul talks about false doctrine. He spoke pretty slowly and clearly and I was able to translate most of the sermon for everyone. Ed and Justin were particularly pleased with the strong Gospel content of the message and even wanted to invest in this pastor’s ministry.
After church, we went to Pastor Kelly’s house for lunch and had a great time of fellowship. Jean Paul met us at the church to join us for the rest of the trip. Then we said goodbye to Mark’s team and set out for St. Mark. We stopped in St. Mark to talk to the newly appointed coordinator of the St. Marc regional committee. He received us warmly and we set up a training for June 30th and talked about the tournament we want to have in August when a team comes from Canada.

The Church in St. Marc:





Our second stop was in Liancourt to talk with a Pastor who was started a new work their in 2009. He said he started with a Bible Study with 3 young men. After six months they trusted in Christ and his church began to grow. Now they have 50 baptized members and 130 who have trusted in Christ. We will work together with this pastor when we have games in Liancourt and will also provide him with Christian literature and help train his leaders.

He lives right across from the town’s soccer field and so I told Ed and Justin they could play on the field while we met with the Pastor. When we went to get them, we found that they were talking with Liancourt’s second-division professional soccer team: the Black Panthers. They wanted the soccer ball they were playing with and were trying to manipulate Ed and Justin into giving to them. I told them that if they would pay attention to me for 5 minutes, I would give them the ball. So I told them the story of how I was shot, and how God assured me that if I was to die, I would go to heaven. We also gave them some tracts, and the Pastor we had met with earlier was there and I asked him to follow up with them. I also gave the pastor some tracts for the other team that was playing.

We finally arrived in Borel at 3:45 PM and found a funeral in progress. The Father of one of the boys on our teams had died after a long illness. I lent my leaders my pick-up truck so they could take the soccer team to the burial.
After the funeral, Ronald, Jean Paul and I met with the new committee for the Department of l’Artibonite. Everyone on the 5 member committee is very sharp and committed. I was very encouraged by their commitment and eagerness to share the Gospel through soccer.




As we sat around the table after dinner, I asked Jean Paul if he wanted to say anything to Ed and Justin. He said that he had benefitted greatly from working with me and AIS. He said I was like Paul and he was like Timothy. He also talked about some things he was learning through his marriage.

Diary of Trip to Haiti June 14-21, 2012 Third Day

Saturday, June 16, 2012:

On Saturday morning we got up early to do a training with Amputee soccer team. When we got there they told us that they had no shorts or crutches to train with. So I felt I had to go and get some shorts and crutches to that everyone could train. This meant I had to leave Justin and Ed with a young translator at Quisqueya Chapel to do the training. Justin and Ed did a great job showing the team some warm up and strengthening exercises, and they even asked him for more. Meanwhile, I had trouble getting into the office where the crutches were stored, but did find some shorts and purchased some lunch for them.

Imagine my surprise when I got back and found every one of them practicing with crutches and shorts! I guess they wanted to practice in AIS shorts and not their own! After practice, Ed gave his testimony as I translated and then they sang a song that Orima, the team captain had written named “ Jehovah ye ye” for us.
Saturday afternoon we packed up and went to meet Mark Bradley’s team so we could visit the school that Mark Bradley’s congregation “Church of the Savior” had built in Archaie near the beach. It was great to see a US church partnering so well with a church in Haiti.





That evening we all stayed at a beach hotel together and talked about our time so far in Haiti. It was nice to get a little break in the midst of a busy week.

Diary of trip to Haiti - June 14-21, 2012 Second day

Friday, June 15, 2012

Ronald had made contact with Mercy Corps so that we could partner with them in their program to use soccer to train youth in health practices as well as civic education. They are having a training program in August, and we explained to them how if they train some of our coaches, we would disseminate their message to the schools we work with.

After that we went to a meeting at the Haitian Soccer Federation. On the way we stopped for lunch and it was a good thing because we ended up waiting an hour for the meeting to start. Finally Carlo Maslin, the General Secretary of the Federation invited us into his office.

During the meeting we talked about our plan to organize a national tournament for boys under 14 years old. As we talked about the training we wanted for our coaches, he told us that he wanted all of our coaches to have level 2 Haitian coaches training before we could start the tournament. In addition, we did not feel we had enough qualified referees in the areas we work with. Therefore, we talked about the best way to train our coaches and some referees over the next year. These factors combined with the fact that fund-raising for the tournament has been going slow has lead us to the conclusion that we need to start the tournament in the fall of 2013.

After the meeting we saw a team of young boys outside the office. So I went out to talk with them and found out that it was the U-14 National Team. I quickly asked Justin if he would be willing to show the boys some warm up exercises, and he did a great job doing this. After the exercises I introduced Ronald and Jean Paul our Haitian staff. When they learned that Jean Paul was a chaplain, they asked him to talk with them. So while Ed and Justin and I went to visit the four girls AIS Haiti has on the girls U-14 team, Jean Paul talked with them. It turned out that four of the young men trusted in Christ with Jean Paul and that he made arrangements to follow up with them in a few weeks when he has a Bible study with the girl’s team.



In the meantime, we talked to the four young ladies from our girl’s soccer program in Verrettes that made the U-14 team. It turns out that one of them is now the captain of the team. We have been supplying them with equipment during their time they have been in the residential program at the Haitian Soccer Federation’s campus.



They told us a sad story: One day they were told by their coaches to leave all of their cleats outside of their dorms, probably because they got wet and smelled. That evening someone stole the entire box of cleats! The next morning the coach was so mad she made the whole team practice in bare feet on a rough field full of rocks. When the captain of the team from our program protested and refused to practice because of the chance of injury, she was sanctioned and they threatened to kick her off the team. Ronald William, our head coach, had to go out and talk to the coaches and the Federation about the situation and managed to get everyone reconciled.

That evening we went to visit the tenants who rented our house and see Ecdes who lives at the house. Ecdes is the 18 year old young man that does the yard work, etc. in exchange for us paying for his schooling.

Ecdes told us he strongly suspected that one of the young men that used to play soccer with us, and who also attended a few of our Bible studies over the years, had stolen about 40 soccer balls and several basketballs from our soccer depot. So Ecdes and his cousin Paules and I talked about how this had happened, and how we could prevent it from happening again. We also talked about how best to confront James. Unfortunately, we did not have time to talk to James before I headed back to the US. In the meantime, we put up more barbed wire around the house to prevent future thefts.