photography by Lee Murray

Children Enjoy Art Lessons

photo by Lee Murray

Camp Participants

Last month I had the opportunity as one of a 22-member Haiti Camp in a Box team to provide a "Summer Camp" experience for the Children of the Maison de Lumiere (House of Light) Orphanage. I thought with my 10 years teaching art to children this was the perfect opportunity to share my knowledge. "I came to minister and ended up being ministered to."

The team arrived in Haiti a few days ahead of the camp to meet the kids, experience their environment and prepare for the camp ahead. After a few days, we packed up all the children, some of the staff, mattresses and more and trucked them 5 miles away to the Nazarene Compound. The Nazarene Compound is a facility that was built by the Nazarene Church in Haiti and had previously hosted missionary families, and visiting missions teams. It currently only houses a small Bible college. The 5-acre plus facility is like a retreat resort, complete with kitchen, dining facilities, 1,000 seat amphitheater, classrooms , dorms and even a soccer field. The five days that followed were filled with worship, Bible study, fun events and activities, a talent show, soccer games, a trip to a beach resort and the building-up of faith and relationships.

I had never had a passport, nor left the country for that matter (with the exception of Mexico). It was truly an eye opener to be in a country that you can not go to the corner grocery when you are hungry - you do not have electricity all the time (it runs in the mornings then goes off and is back on in the evening - times vary). Water has to be trucked to your home (if you are luck enough to have one) and put in a tank on the roof and then runs through your pipes. The things we take for granted here at home are not available. You see it on TV, you see pictures in the paper, but it does not even begin to show you what only hands on experience can.

These kids that I had the honor of being with for 10 days have seen things no adult should see, much less live through. Yet their faith and love and openness are still intact. In fact their faith is humbling.

So, the next time you want to take a vacation - why not take one that changes the way you look at life and help someone else at the same time? I know I will never go back to being the same person, nor do I want to. Not ready to leave yet? Maybe just sponsor a child? Your dollars will go a long way to help children in need. For more information on the orphanage go to: http://maisondelumiere.org/ or for information on Child Hope International who organized the trip: http://www.childhopeinternational.org/

For pictures from the camp, here are a few sites you might want to visit:

http://maisondelumiere.org/gallery.htm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157605133107968/

http://haiticampinabox2008.site.shutterfly.com/

http://www.caughtinthemoment.com/