The Hope Spencer team is made up of diverse people with different backgrounds and skill sets. This eclectic group has identified their common thread which holds them together – their love for Jesus Christ. Read this beautiful introduction to the team to get a feel for the days ahead.

With only one of our members under 30, we’re an older team, but not old. Old enough to know we like our comfortable beds. Old enough to know we like climate controlled housing. Old enough to know what hard work is, and that if we do too much, we’ll feel it tomorrow. And yet, here we are. Some of the team have never been to Haiti. Some are seasoned veterans with lots of third world experience. Some are professionals, and some are blue collar. The common thread, of course, is that we want to serve God and share the love of Jesus with others. We each bring a unique set of skills and knowledge to the team. Like pieces of a puzzle, we don’t know yet how we will all fit together, or what the picture will look like when we’re finished. I’m so excited to see it all come together.

We visited the market this afternoon, shopping for food that will be distributed Sunday. The market is always an experience, for all the senses. Tarps strung over stalls, filled with bags of rice, giant bowls of beans, and fresh fruit and produce laid out on the ground. Unusual sights and smells, and cooking pots filled with unfamiliar cuts of meat, make the market indescribable.

Last year, I lost my phone and couldn’t take pictures. This year, we’ve been challenged to be IN the moment, instead of trying to take pictures of the moment. We walked to the goat farm this afternoon, which was a fair hike, on a very dusty road, but the cool breeze made it absolutely delightful. The goat program has grown exponentially in the last couple of years, and it’s so exciting to see the partnership between the families in the community and the MH4H programming. On the walk back to the compound, a Haitian woman on the road squealed in Creole and hugged me tightly! She said she remembered me! In June 2018, we delivered a bed to her house, and she was so grateful, and that’s how she knew me! Yet again, I have come to Haiti to bless them, and instead have been blessed myself! She said she was so happy to see us, and would be praying for us. She hugged me several times, and everyone else, and talked excitedly nonstop. It didn’t really matter we couldn’t understand each other. We were friends, and friends are excited to see each other after an absence. I hugged her, and talked just as excitedly in a language she didn’t understand. But you’ll have to take my word for it, as I didn’t pull out my phone to take a selfie with her. It was glorious and happiness leaked out my eyes.

We’re preparing for the color blast, and the construction projects tonight. It’s going to be a busy week for this team, and we’re digging in with both hands! Every team member is pitching in and offering their skills, and we’re starting to come together, piece by piece.

By – Lori Taylor