As I look at the basic goals of the mission, I believe our goals were accomplished.  Our main objective was to facilitate a camp, and we were able to complete three full days of camp activities and storytelling with 200 Haitian kids.  They clearly heard the gospel through the daily dramas and testimonies.  These kids were so hungry to engage with our team.  It was the simple things that made the greatest impact.  Things like playing soccer, exchanging bracelets, playing games, braiding hair, holding hands, being called by name, eating and drinking, and laughing.  In many cultures, children are not valued as an important member of community.  I’m not an expert on Haiti and their culture, but I am a witness to what our team did in Haiti, and it is my opinion that the kids in the Jacob’s Well area felt valued and loved and accepted.  They felt safe, and this is a component we strive for at LLYC.  I remember a moment when Ang and I were talking under a shade tree in the neighborhood, and a teenage boy came our way who clearly had his feelings hurt or was physically hurt.  We couldn’t discern his situation, but we do know he had tears streaming down his face.  What did he do?  He tucked himself right under the wing of Ang.  That’s right, he didn’t know her personally, but he felt safe with her and desired her comfort.  That visual example tells me we accomplished something significant—we built trust and community.

And, of course, there were many projects accomplished at Jacob’s Well.  First, with the money raised, a water well was drilled at the entrance of the camp.  It was the water that allowed us to take showers.  Since it takes energy to run a camp, we provided the nucleus for the power.  We funded the purchase of a large diesel generator, and it allowed the water pump to draw water from the well in addition to providing electricity for the new appliances in the kitchen.  The team was able to construct three cabins while they were there which will be used for lodging in the future.  Our group took on the first four months of a contract with a local horticulturalist who will be planting, nurturing, and growing 5,000 mango trees which will in 6-7 years be able to produce a revenue stream that can fund camp.  Literally, we were planting for the future.

Clearly, the country of Haiti has overwhelming needs.  There are many good people in Haiti trying to make changes, and it will be a very long term endeavor.  A couple of things I am certain.  First, these people are worthy of our time and effort.  And second, this I know is true.  There is a little 40 acre camp, the only one of its kind in Haiti, that might just be a new epicenter.  Not of an earthquake or not the eye of a hurricane, but a launching pad to a new way of life—a life rooted in the love, acceptance, and compassion of Jesus.  Where there is vision there is hope, and I see a future for this village and this nation.  May the God of all creation use us to make it happen!

Humbly,

Kevin Mayne

The sun came back out, and day three of camp was completed successfully.   The drama, performed by both our staff and Haitain staff, was the best of the week.  The topic was Prodigal Son, and the messages of forgiveness and grace were clearly presented and enjoyed by all.  Activities ran all day long and everyone persevered through the heat.  We finished up the day with a celebration dinner with the whole team.  Great moments of the week were reflected upon—everyone has been greatly impacted and fallen in love with the people of Limbe and of Jacob’s Well. 

One highlight to report is that Louis Henri Mars, from Port-au-Prince, has been with us the last day and a half.  He is a friend of Laity Lodge and his son was a camper with us last year.  It is a blessing to let him see Jacob’s Well grow.

The first half of the team is now in Port-au-Prince and will get to Ft. Lauderdale tonight.  The second half of our team is doing camp clean-up and breaking down equipment.  A surprise for this group will be a trip to the beach in the Limbe area.  We have been able to reserve rooms at the Mont Joli hotel in Cap Haitian where we will be able to rest up for a full-day of travel home tomorrow (Saturday).

Our entire team has been nothing short of extraordinary – they have truly pursued and played hard with the kids each minute of the misson.  Even this morning, our team played with kids for a few hours at the local community soccer field.  Goodbyes have been bittersweet, but our team has done an amazing job of bringing 36 people together to become a team of missionaries and family.  Mission success!

Group Of Teens Leave For Camp and Mission Work – KSAT 12

Local Campers Head to Haiti  – FOX San Antonio

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The work team, headed by Alan Soth, has built two houses, and they are working on a third. These are future cabins.

This morning (Wednesday), the weather was beautiful and we had about the same number of campers (185) as Tuesday.  T-shirts were given away and can now be seen all over the area.

The kids had a great time with the skit today.  The story was the Good Samaritan, and we talked about neighbors.  We were also able to feed the kids a hot lunch, and the food has been outstanding.

Today’s schedule has gone smoothly. We completed a full round of activities – archery, bb guns, soccer, kick ball, horseshoes, and arts and crafts.  The kids especially loved the crafts. 

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

Kevin Mayne

The campers participated in activities like wiffle ball, soccer, horse shoes, arts and crafts. We also did our first story today. In the drama, there were both Haitians and our staff to act out the story of Jesus asleep in the boat. The storm came up while Jesus was asleep. The overall message today was in dealing with fear with the main message being, “The Lord is my shepherd.” We had so much fun in pouring out love to all the campers.

Our staff is also working on three houses being built on the property. People from the village have been here to help start building the first house. Other projects include digging a trench and making a commitment to bring in a horticulturist to plant mango trees and to care for them for the next three months.

Our staff is adjusting to the heat factor and are taking showers, thanks to the new well.

This is truly a tropical paradise. We saw so much today in loving the Haitian people . . . a common denominator is soccer. We had a game with 400 to 500 people watching.

Everyone is helping. There have been no injuries. Everyone is happy getting into their roles and having such a blessed time. Our kids are being changed significantly as they understand how little the Haitians folks have and how much we have. They are entering into a “love Haiti” relationship. Lots of leadership is emerging in the high school kids.

Please continue to pray for us.

Kevin Mayne

We had some travel delays because of bad weather, but ended up getting to Fort Lauderdale around 1:00 a.m. The team was able to sleep a little bit in the airport before catching the 4:00 a.m. flight to Miami, then a flight into Port-au-Prince. After an uncomfortable hour’s ride, we arrived at Jacob’s Well at 3:30 p.m. Sunday! The “Take Down Team” is, as of Monday 3:15 p.m., about 30 minutes from arrival at Jacob’s Well.  Today the team divided into multiple teams, painting cabins, getting the equipment separated, and setting up for opening day activities tomorrow.  We were also working with the Haitians practicing skits in English and Creole for tomorrows storytelling session, focusing on the gospels and the story of Jesus walking on the water to his disciples. The highlight of the day is the fact that the sun rises at 4:30 a.m., and that we went to bed around 10:00 p.m. to the sound of voodoo drums in the distance. We did have a great, big soccer game between the Haitians and our team, which was a great ice breaker, with their kids easily outrunning ours even though they were barefoot. We had an amazing worship session with our team singing in English and the Haitians singing in Creole. One of the more saddening things that we have seen are the Haitian kids, hungry from lack of food, hanging on the fences waiting to get in. But the great news is that camp starts tomorrow and we are going to be able to feed them! They don’t have much here; they truly live the simple life. During our one-hour trip in the back of an open-air truck to Jacob’s Well, we saw poverty that none of us thought possible in the western hemisphere. Everyone on the team is healthy and very happy despite the fact that it’s quite hot here, with the temps in the 90s and the humidity hovering around 80%. We are losing weight just being here and have to drink a gallon a day to try to stay hydrated. We are lucky to have a great chef from a resort here in Haiti so we are eating well. Everyone here is very excited about opening day tomorrow! Kids get here at 9:00 a.m.! We are understaffed but everyone is confident and knows that God will provide. As we teach the story tomorrow of Jesus walking on water to meet his disciples, we are trying to meet the kids where they are. Already we can see that our team is changing from the inside out! All they want to do is pursue and love people. We are sleeping in the most amazing spot! Our colony of tents is on top of a mountain ridge with a 360° view of northern Haiti, including views of rivers and rainforests.

More updates soon!

We know all of you are watching the weather, and so are we! We have had rain in the canyon, but the river is running completely normal. As you drive here, just remember to take the high road which is I-10 to HW 41 to HW 83. If you are traveling through Leakey, please be aware they are having a parade in the morning that will slow traffic. If the river rises, we will post the status immediately.

Please feel free to drive right into camp on Saturday morning between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m. We will be serving a breakfast beginning at 9:00 a.m., and we hope you will join us for food and conversation. These kids have been fantastic at both camps! Take the time to visit with your camper’s counselors and find out all the significant things they loved about your child. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!