How do you describe "Real"?

     Have we been in Haiti for two weeks already? One minute it feels like we just stepped off the plane and the next minute it feels like we've lived here for a long time!
     The kids' new best friend, Cody, went back to the states this week and the team members from Kentucky and Colorado left Saturday, so it's only our family staying in the volunteer quarters for two weeks until another team arrives. While they were here, the kids and Barrett were able to go with them up the mountain to visit an orphanage their church sponsors. It's amazing how your list of basic needs changes when you're faced with very few options.
     Would you feel blessed to receive a "safe" place to sleep, a basic meal, water and someone who shares the love of Jesus with you. These children do.. but should we feel like, "at least they have that?"  It's difficult to imagine this way of life and even more difficult to try and describe this kind of poverty. It's real. You can't take a picture of it, video tape it, bottle the smell of it or tell someone about it and make it as real as it is without living it. Try as I may, even being right here, I can still only imagine the hardships these people face. I can see it, smell it, and even hear it in the streets.
    What do I know about trying to find food from friends or strangers to feed myself and children on a daily basis, looking for someone to give my children to so they don't starve, going to a well with old plastic jugs from the side of the road just to get water for cooking, bathing, washing and drinking. (if there is a well nearby, I'd be lucky) When people say they need wells here for the Haitians, it's real. If you go by a well without anyone pumping water, it must be broken. If I could sit by a well one day, I'd ask everyone who came, how far they had to travel to get there. What did they do for water before this well? What did they eat that day? How do they survive? I watched a very small, elderly man make trips for an hour and a half one day with two full five gallon buckets of water. He could barely walk with them but he would pump them full and then as carefully and quickly as he could, he would carry them off somewhere and then come back and refill them. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. The sweat pouring off of him and his small frame shaking, he still smiled and said "bonjou" every time he passed. It was real.
     It's difficult to take pictures of people we see or places we go, even telling you about sad events, because there's just a sense of privacy you feel they deserve. How can we share what we see here and make it real for you? I can tell you it's real, but do you really understand the desperation and need? We see people of all ages malnourished and desperate for basic needs...that's real. Driving along the highway where all could see, we saw a family crouched down behind a small pile of stones. They were pouring water on themselves from jugs, bathing in water they must have gotten from the dirty inland stream. There was no privacy...it was real.
     We went to church on Sunday. The service started just after 7:30. Many had already been there for Sunday School and stayed for service. The service last three and a half hours long. The church was packed, no seats remained. Everyone was dressed in their best. It was a gazillion degrees with a very occasional wisp of air flowing past.  People prayed on their knees and raised their hands in worship. They loved Jesus and you could feel God's presence amongst us. We were blessed...and it too, was real.
 
 To those of you who have prayed for us, financially supported us and encouraged us, we are so thankful for you. You are a part of this ministry here and we keep you all in our prayers and in thought as we share and receive the love of Jesus.
    

"Follow" Todd Family Haiti

*With our amazingly advanced computer skills we've added the option to "follow" our blog and get our new posts emailed to you. :) *

End of First Week- Celebration!

We really want to apologize for not getting more blog posts up. Our internet is very sparse and uploading anything is a real challenge. (they may have to be added after the blogs are written) We are still trying, so please keep checking!

Our first week ended with Anders 3rd birthday! What a great celebration with new friends! He had so much fun and will probably be asking when his birthday is again, every day. This morning the kids and Carrie helped with the Gran Moon (Eldery) feeding program. They learned how it worked so next week when they can help run it by themselves. Barrett was in Port Au Prince helping prepare ground for a new well. There is a team here from Kentucky and they helped celebrate with us tonight and Anders invited some of the kids who live on the property over for dinner, cake and games. Sunday we went with the team to a local church where the pastor from Kentucky gave the message with a local pastor interpreting. The service was  1 1/2 hours long, the shortest Haitian service they had ever gone to. (normally 3 hours) We are so thankful and blessed with great staff here at Global Outreach. They are Wonderful! The team from Kentucky was able to meet two of the girls they sponsor today. So Great! I know this is all sporadic but I'm trying to get as much info out before I get kicked off line. :)

Thank you all so much for continuing to sponsor us!

   

water pak, without the wells we provide people really have to ration their water

Love, The Todds

First Couple Days in Haiti

Thank you for all the prayers regarding our safe travels. We made it to Titanyen, Haiti on schedule and without any problems. The kids meet some Haitian children who live on the property with us. They have had lots of fun running around and they are picking up Creole quickly. Carrie has been getting our home organized, helping the kids with all their school work and trying to keep Anders busy. Barrett has been spending more time off the property. They have four wells that are about to become operational in the next few days! That will take Global Outreach to about 350 wells. Each well provides over 500 people clean drinking water, so we’re providing close to 200,000 people their only source of water a day. At the last well, the kids were laughing, dancing and splashing in the street with excitement. Praise the Lord that we have been blessed to be a part of this! We’re still working on getting good internet service so please keep checking back, we have so much to share! Thank you for your continued support, Love, The Todd’s

Do you tend to put God in a box? I think it’s something we all do, consciously or not.  

The Most Important Commandment—Luke  10:27 NLT

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.  And, love your neighbor as yourself.”

-who is your neighbor?

Did God mean the family living next door to you in the cul-de-sac or across the street?  Or did He mean His neighborhood, which is the entire earth?  I know that every one of you would stop what you were doing, be it heading to work, watching TV or heading to the ballgame to stop & help this child if he were your literal neighbor.  What makes us turn our head, to ignore our God given neighbors?  Please support us in our vision to end the hunger/starvation happening to these poor, innocent children.  1 in 8 of them will die before age 5 from malnutrition or treatable illness.  That has to change.

We are leaving on Monday for Haiti and any blessing you can give, no matter how small or large will be multiplied 1,000 fold in the Kingdom of God.

Headed to Haiti Sept 10th!

The countdown begins!  We’re all really excited to depart!  God has blessed our family in so many ways over the last few months & we can’t wait to serve Him & the people of Haiti. We are still in need of sponsors & are prayerful that our story continues to touches people’s hearts.  Please keep us in your prayers & look for updates next week from Haiti!

God Bless!!

Video - Our Call to Haiti

Sometimes it's difficult to say with words what you feel in your heart, especially when God places it there.  A friend of ours put together this video and captured what can't be expressed verbally.  Please watch our Call to Haiti:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQeXnrbLm-Q