Our trip to Haiti September 18th to 24th, 2017

9/18/17

Traveling to Fort Lauderdale today to head to Hait early tomorrow morning.  It was awesome to see how God confirmed this trip throughout the day.  We had a great travel day.  Blessings came throughout.  First was a cart given by another traveler so we could bring in our 9 bags with ease to the ticket counter.  Next was the man we stood behind in the TSA line.  He was amazed we were heading to Haiti even with the threat of hurricane Maria knocking on Haiti’s path.  He was very encouraging about our trip to encourage missionaries!  Our kids did amazing navigating through the airport and keeping themselves entertained for the 5 hour plane ride.  Lastly was the hotel driver.  Encouraging words to hear from another believer. I do believe he will be praying for our family.  As the day progressed hurricane Maria is predicted to miss Haiti.  We will keep a watch, but trust the LORD.  Praising Him for a different direction for that storm!  Excited to get to Haiti and hug my dear friend Erin!  It’s been a long time!

Lord thank you for this day.  Continue to show your desire for this trip.  Lead the way so that we may follow.  Amen

9/19/17

What an amazing long day.  We made it to Haiti early this morning.  I didn’t get much sleep last night – about 3 hours, but we got to the airport with plenty of time.   I was so tired and didn’t show compassion to the TSA agent who had to look through two of my bags and pat me down.  I was thankful when that was over.  Arriving in Haiti was very smooth.  We made it through customs without any hiccups.  Simon was able to meet us with our baggage.  That was a huge help!  Oh what a great reunion to see our dear friends.  I miss my friend and to give her a hug was truly amazing.  

We got to see some of the city as we drove around to find fruit, veggies and eggs.  Although their normal fruit lady was not there, the veggie lady was excited to see her returning customer, and the egg lady who was out of eggs.  So proud to watch my friend be bold in a new language and negotiate.  Fun to see!  They also took us to a local grocery store. I was impressed how clean it was.  

I loved being able to see where they are living.  It’s a great house, lots of stairs and plenty of room.  Honestly though I’m not sure I could live like this full time.  Electricity comes and goes.  They rely on solar, batteries, and generator when the city power isn’t available.  Not being able to use water out of the sink to cook or drink.  Bleaching fruit and veggies so your family doesn’t get sick.  It’s a lot to maintain.  Erin definitely has her system down!  She’s a pro!  

My family enjoyed giving all the gifts to them.  It was truly a blessing to be able to bless them.  Thank you God for leading our family in what to bring.  Each prayed for one member of the Simon family of what to bring.  God directed us!

We also got to visit Elsie’s school today.  She was so proud to show us her classroom, her seat in class, and the playground.  I think Greg had more fun chasing the kids around then the kids did.  I’m so thankful for this experience.  Praising God for the opportunity to visit friends.  The riots that are threatening this week did not occur today!  Praise the LORD.  Excited to enjoy tomorrow without being so tired.  I did take a nap today though.  It was needed!

 9/21/17

Yesterday we were able to to go on a scenic tour of Haiti.  What a cool way to support MAF and see more of Haiti. Dave flew us around.  We got to see from the air where they lived in La Gonave.  And hear more stories about their time their.  I was thankful that demonstrations did not deter our plans.  So far they have not been an issue for us.  Praise the Lord!  An answer to prayer for sure!  

When we came home we went for a quick swim in the house across the street.  It was a great refreshing swim.  Chrismene made us a Haitian dinner.  Bean sauce over rice, a Haitian coleslaw mixture, and a friend plantains.  All very good!  Thankful we got to try some local food.  She also makes jewelry and ornaments.  We bought out all she had with her to take back and sell at church.  I’m excited about that!

Today we went out to eat at Papillon.  It is a business that provides a way to prevent adoption due to lack of income!  We had pizza at the cafe along with smoothies.  We also had a great time in their gift shop!  Lots of fun treasures!!!  We learned that they have a store in Olympia, WA.  Excited to go and check that out.  We got to tour their facility and the non-profit Apparent Project.  It was awesome to see so many employed workers and a place for their children to receive an education.  We loved going!

Tonight we painted the Simon’s living room.  Loved being able to help them in such a practical way.  Plus what a great way to spend time with them.  On a fun note our feet were so black and covered in paint.  I had to take a picture!

I also got to attend the women’s bible study with Erin and other missionaries.  Loved being able to learn with them more about demons and know how to pray for the missionaries. I cherish these moments.  It also gave me an opportunity to share with Erin and the ladies how proud I am of Erin and the work she is doing in Haiti for our Lord!  Maybe someday I can and encourage more missionaries on the field!  

Thank you Lord for this opportunity to come to Haiti.  Amen!      

 9/23/17

Yesterday we went up to lookout Mountain.  It is a place that you can see Port-au-Prince and the ocean.  Unfortunately it was over cast up there.  What we could see driving up was very beautiful.  After that we headed up to Mission Baptist.  They had a playground, zoo, and a museum we could explore.  It was very cool to see all the animals at the zoo.  The kids really liked the alligator, bunnies, and alpacas.  The playground was a big hit too!  It was Noah’s Ark!  A big jungle gym for the kids.  Greg got out the balloons and made swords, flowers, and helmets for the kids.  Even though our family couldn’t speak the kids found a way to play through the language barrier.  It was quite the surprise for the Haitain’s when they realized the Simon’s could speak and understand a little Creol.  What a blessing that was for our family to have our own interpreters.

Driving home was quite an experience for two reasons.  First was the demonstrations that we were starting to come together.  Lots of commotion, piles of tires, etc.  Second was the car we were driving lost the brakes as we were coming down the mountain.  Simon did a great job keeping us safe by using the emergency brake and downshifting to get us home!

Going up to the Mission Baptist and these past few days has really shown me how much the Haitian’s pride themselves in their appearance.  They always look amazing, nice clothes and jewelry.  Yesterday I was convicted about my clothing that I brought.  I chose all my ‘work’ clothes.  I didn’t bring a skirt because I didn’t want to get it dirty.  So selfish!  Especially since I have the best washer machine money can buy back at home!  It has opened my eyes a little to try and understand the culture better before arriving.  I don’t want the way I dress to interfere with the gospel!

Lord thank you for opening my eyes.  May your truth reach the people of Haiti!

9/24/17

As we leave Haiti I want to reflect on what I want to remember.  As we came into Haiti the verses I read came from Romans 1:18-20. “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”  

I couldn’t help, but think what an incredible passage to sum up Haiti.  As the week continued on it was so evident to see God’s light shining through all the wickedness.  It made me wonder who is hurting more for the light to shine Haiti or the USA.  Both are filled with wickedness and the Light.

I am thankful for the time we got to spend blessing and encouraging the Simon’s this past week.  What a blessing to our family as well.  It brought me great awareness about missionaries.  They have the same worries and prayers that I do, all while trying to learn and embrace a new culture.  Their food, language, shopping, dress, driving, etc.  My heart is desiring to be the gap to help supporters understand how they can support with pray and be an encouragement to them.  To remember they are in a ‘fish bowl’ with everyone watching and quick to critique.

I’m also thankful what we were able to watch their children so they could go on a date.  It’s hard enough to date when you are fully supported, let alone with limited resources.  Pray that they will continue to find ways to make that happen.

No matter where God has called you, we are to be truth-bearers.  Lord help me to spread truth about you!

 

Last note:

We were able to enjoy the beach in Fort Lauderdale as we waited for our flight home!

We fly to Florida.  We first got to the airport and then went to the hotel.  The whole family went to Florida.  We ate at a Thai restaurant.  I liked it.  Then we went swimming at the hotel pool.  Then we went to bed.

We got up and went to the airport in Florida and went to Haiti.  🌎  Then we landed in Haiti.  It was REALLY hot in Haiti.  Mr Simon came to pick us up.  Mrs. Simon was in the car waiting for us.  We first got to the Simon house.  Then we met the neighbors who were watching Isaiah and Sammy.  We got a tour of their house.  Elsie was at school.  We went to pick up her.  Her school was good.  We played at the playground with my Daddy.

We got a tour of the whole city.  The people were crazy.  They were riding on top of cars called Tap Taps.  Tap Taps are kind of like a pickup with people riding in the back of it.  With no doors, only the front has doors.  They are crazy.  The can ride on top of the cars, you can ride with out seat belts there.  Its a different world there.  Everybody is black there, there is some white people.  They would balance stuff on their heads with a donut, like fruits, lots of eggs, water bags, and bowls.

We went on a scenic flight of Haiti. We saw houses.  We got to see the country side.  We got to fly over the house the Simon’s stayed in La Gonave.  I fell asleep.

Papillon!  We ate there!  Pizza, it was good.  I bought a whale at the gift shop.  It was purple.  I like my whale.

We got to play on a playground and give out balloons at Mission Baptist.  The playground was a Noah’s ark.  There was a zoo.  I couldn’t believe there was a  zoo.  We saw bunny rabbits, alligator or crocodile, snake, lots of birds, alpacas, and bananas growing in the trees.

My favorite part of Haiti was playing at Noah’s Ark.  I loved playing with the Simon kids.  I played with Elsie building forts, doll house, and outside in their yard.  I liked going swimming with them.

-Rahab Ireland

We went to Haiti to visit friends.  We saw lots of tap taps. A tap tap is a pick up truck that has no doors on the back. Tap taps are Haitian Taxis, people ride in the back. We saw people riding on top of cars.  People also carried stuff on top of their heads with no hands!

We also went to Papillon and which means butterfly in French.  I bought a handmade metal bookmark.

We also made a giant fort upstairs in the house we were staying in. We also went swimming.  I got to dive down to the deepest part of the pool.

We also went to the Baptist Mission.  It was a noah’s ark playground and a petting zoo.  They had an alligator, we couldn’t pet it though!  I thought it was really fun!  We also had some balloon sword fights with the Haitians boys.  That was my favorite part at the Baptist Mission.

We went flying in Haiti.  We didn’t even have ear muffs.  I think the flying was awesome!  That was my favorite part!  I liked the view.

I really like going to Haiti.  We also got to try Haitian food.  I really didn’t like it.

-Jadon Ireland

I went to Haiti with my family it was very fun. Mommy got lots of stuff like cheese and butter. Rahab got a present for Elise, Jadon got something for Sammy and I got something for Isaiah.  I think that they really liked their presents.   We got to try some  Haitian food I really liked it. We got to try two different meals on two different nights and they both had to do with rice and beans.  There was a swimming pool across the road and almost every day we got to in the pool.  When we went for a car rides we did not have to wear seat belts.  The roads where very bumpy and you could not hold on because your hands were so sweaty they would slip right off.  Driving we went over a big bump and the car bounced so I hit my head on the top of the car it really hurt.  We saw lots of motorcycles and Tap Taps. People also rode on top of cars.  Tap Taps are basically Haitian Taxis.  A Tap Tap is a pick up truck that has lined seats like a tractor ride at a pumpkin Patch.  People sit in the back on the seats in the pick up part of the truck.  I really liked seeing all the people carry stuff on top of their heads.  My favorite people where the ones with baskets on their heads with fruit hanging out.  Everyone except the Moms and Dads built this giant fort with sheets, couches, chairs, clothes pins, and more. We all got to sleep in the fort, that was really fun.  Mr Simon took us for a ride in a airplane and we flew over almost all of Haiti.  I thought that was really cool to see.  We went to Baptist mission there was a mini zoo and a giant Noah’s ark play ground.  First we looked at all animals in the mini zoo, then went to the play ground and had lunch.  After lunch Daddy got out his balloons and made ballon flowers and swords for us to give to the other kids on the play ground.  Though we could not speak the same language we played together and had lots of sword fights, I got beat a lot.  Playing at the play ground with all the other kids was my favorite part of the whole trip.  There was also a Museum so we learned all about Haiti.  We went to a place called papillon which means butterfly in French.  There they make paper beads, glass beads, and clay beads.  We got to see how each one was made.  I really liked how they made paper beads.  We saw people make pottery there and put it in kilns.  They made lots of cool things there.  I got a bracelet.  Above the gift shop there was a cafe where we ate lunch.  It has American food like pizza and hot dogs there.  I had a really fun time in Haiti with our friends, the Simon’s.

-Esther Ireland

  Our last stop in this road trip was the TL Ranch in Almont, ND! This has been in my family since 1881! Being able to have my Grandma Lois there as a tour guide was perfect! She was born on this property! The land has changed over the years, but it hasn’t! The highest spot in the county lies on their property. Jay Larson currently owns the ranch. He is the son of Grandma’s brother Jake Larson. The ranch is beautifully maintained by Jay and his wife Tracey. They raise Black Simmental cows. Their hospitality and company is top notch! We appreciated them opening up their home, ranch, and home grown food for us! What a special treat!

  Growing up my family would visit the TL ranch. One of the most memorable times was going during branding season. What an exciting and learning curve that was on the ranch! Especially for this ND city girl! Not that much excitement happening on the this trip! Perfect for us to walk around and hear the stories from Grandma! We went up the hill where you can see most of the ranch! We could see the path Grandma would have taken from her home to school. None of these buildings are still there but you can image it! 

  Jay and Tracy’s daughter, Amanda, and her three kids were there for short time as well! It was great to see her! We haven’t seen each other for 10 years. In fact we have a picture of us 10 years ago with our oldest daughters. Of course we had to reenact the picture with our grown 10 year olds! Fun memories! Hopefully it won’t be another ten years till we see each other!

  After the Ranch we headed to Sims Church. So much family history here! It is the oldest church west of the Missouri. It is in the National Register of Historical Places. My Grandma and her sisters helped restore the parsonage! It was amazing to walk through and see all the hard work they had done. Seeing pictures of family members over the years, and hear the stories of Grandma remembering when she went to church in the parsonage home, because the church wasn’t built yet. She attended bible school up stairs, but not in the winter because there was no heat upstairs!

  

Grandma’s Grandparents were charter members of the church and helped build the church. In face both set of Grandparents attended the church. It is crazy to think of how many years, around 130 years, our family has been attending that church and continues to attend. We have deep roots there! In fact, another family member, Jay’s son, will be married there next fall!  

  Going to Sims church was my favorite growing up. It’s a quaint country church! Every time we would go the family would sing for church. The pews would be half empty because there were so many of them. It was Grandma Lucille’s, Grandma Lois’ mom, favorite when her grandkids would sing at church. Every time I sing hymns I image this country church.  

   We headed up to the Sims cemetery. Fascinating to see all the history on that hill. Walking down memory lane with Grandma Lois was priceless. Hearing the stories of so many family members. So much history recorded in a cemeteries all over the nation. Couldn’t help but wonder if my current generation will use cemeteries to preserve the history for centuries to come.  

   Our last stop before heading west, was a stop at a family, fun tradition! Salem Sue! She is the world’s largest Holstein cow at 38 feet high and 50 feet long! Doesn’t get any better than this!  

Chris Ireland

   I have been wanting to take Greg to Medora, ND for 14 years. This weekend, September 2nd, we finally made it happen. Well, actually Greg did! He planned an amazing cross-country trip that ended in Medora! Thank you Greg! My parents and Grandma Lois met us in Medora. What a treat it was to have them with us! Mom worked in Medora 40 years ago at the Cowboy Cafe. The place hasn’t changed she said, except the guy who owned it is no longer living. Such good food, oh, the caramel rolls!! YUM! Touring this quaint cowboy town was such a treat! Lots of original buildings and a true small downtown feel! The history of the cowboys in embraced everywhere! Love it!

   

      We also toured the Cowboy Hall of Fame. What an experience to go through that museum with Mom and Grandma. We were standing there looking at all the pictures of Cowboys in the hall of fame. Mom and Grandma start talking about when they saw that one in the rodeo. ‘He and his brother were so amazing! I remember watching them!’ Comments like that just kept coming! Makes going to the museum come alive with the stories behind the pictures. We also found my Great Uncle Jake on the wall! In fact that was the last time I was in Medora, was when he was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame, ten years ago.  

   We took the scenic drive around Theodore National Park. I didn’t realize how much Greg knew of the history of Theodore Roosevelt or that it was his favorite president! The park is one of the best kept gems in the United States. Part of me wants to encourage everyone to go, but the other part says stay away! Too many tourists will ruin that place! We hope to come back and really explore that national park!

   My favorite part about Medora is the Medora Musical. It’s an outdoor amphitheater that seats 3,000 people, facing the Badlands! The view is incredible, the history is rich, the singing and dancing is topnotch! Oh so funny too! The wit these writers have is incredible! The co-host of the show was a neighbor to another Great Aunt and Uncle! We also, got to meet one of the Burning Hill Singers, Misty, earlier in the day. Looking for Misty on stage was a highlight for us all! After the show we got her autograph and a picture. She even remembered the kids from earlier that day! How cool is that!    

   Oh Medora! The sweet treasure of Medora, ND. My home state! Thankful I got to share this gem with my family!

Chris Ireland

   We went to North Dakota. We went to Medora, ND. We went to the Medora Musical. I really liked it. I thought it was fun. We also went to a ranch. There was some cows ?. We also went to the biggest cow ? in the world ?. My favorite part was seeing the biggest cow in the world.

Jadon Ireland
     I had a really fun time in Medora, ND with Grandma and Grandpa Barrus and my great Grandma Lois. Medora is a very small and pretty town in the Badlands of ND. The badlands are very pretty with all the different colors. My favorite color of the rock is the color red it looks like dust, and it looks like pizza grease when it gets on your hands. We drove though Teddy Roosevelt National Park and saw lots of prairie dogs we drove in the badlands. We also saw Teddy’s cabin that he lived in. We went to chimney park there was a chimney in a middle of a field. In the old days they would burn what they did not want to keep. We walked all around Medora and went in all the little shops. We went to the amphitheater in Medora. There we saw the Medora musical. It was really cool with all the dancing and singing. We all wanted to go back again. After it got done we all went to bed.  

   The next day we went to the ranch where Grandma Lois grew up. Grandma Lois was with us. She told us all the things. Like where she lived and the path where she walked to school. And all those types of things. She also told us about which grandpa built things. It was really hard to think about all that. After the going to the ranch, we went to the church her grandpa built. The church was really pretty. Grandma Lois told us all the things about it. Then we went into the parsonage. In the parsonage, she told us she went to Sunday school there when she was a little girl. Parsonage was really cool and you could see how they lived in the olden days. There was some really old books there. That daddy and me looked at. Most of the books were from late 1800’s and the early 1900’s. Some of the books were written in Norwegian and Swedish. After we saw the parsonage and the church we went up to the cemetery. We saw Grandma Lois’ mom and dad were buried. And a bunch of other people that she knew.  

   After that we went up to New Salem. There we saw the biggest Holstein cow ever. It was so big I could barely touch the utters. We ate dinner there. Then we went to bed.      

We went to the Cowboy hall of Fame there we saw my Great Great uncle Jake Larson picture. Grandma Lois and Grandpa Becky were there also at the Cowboy hall of Fame they were saying things like do you remember this guy or this guy that guy was in the rodeo, he was really good that year.

   The End

Esther Ireland
   We went to Medora Musical. Me and momma went down to the stage. Misty was in the musical. Her danced and sang and her was in a super sandwich. I loved the musical. We got cotton candy. Before the musical we had pizza.         

   We walked around Medora, that was the boring part. I will tell you about the cowboy cafe. First, we got caramel rolls. Then we got pancakes and french toast.  

   We went to the ranch we saw cows and sunflowers. Grandma Lois was born at this ranch.  

   We went to Sims church we saw the bell and the balcony. I liked the upstairs of the house. We saw some dresses. They were pretty. They were like baptism clothes. I liked the church.  

   I loved Salem Sue. It’s a cow that never returned. It’s a statue. It’s the biggest cow on earth.  

   I drove around with Grandpa Tim, Grandma Becky and Great Grandma Lois.  

   The prairie dogs build holes and then pop up. They looked cute! I wanted to take one home! The Grandma’s didn’t like the prairie dogs. We saw them at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We got another ranger book.

Rahab Ireland

*Rahab picked the title!u

  We spent the last few days exploring the great park of Yellowstone. We didn’t get to drive the whole park but much more than I have seen in the past! We all enjoyed watching Old Faithful go off. In fact we watched it twice! It’s so amazing what happens under the crust of the earth that we cannot see. I loved going up to Midway Geyser Basin. The colors up there are phenomenal! The kids were working on their ranger books which taught us that the different colors means different temperatures, blue being the hottest. My favorite part we explored was the to Boiling River entering the Gardner River. The contrast between the water temperatures is amazing. I could heat my back and ice my ankle all at the same time!    The other highlight for me was watching my kids work hard on their ranger books. They did a great job trying to learn all they could. Watching them receive their junior ranger badges was a very proud moment! They wore their badges with pride! Love it! All the science and history the kids have learned from our travels this summer is quite amazing!  

   We were in Yellowstone 7 years ago exactly! We saw the Lower Falls last time from a distance. This time we hiked all the way down to watch the water drop off. Watching the incredible amount water fall off the edge in such a powerful way was amazing. I love the imagery of water. It’s quenching, peaceful, and yet so powerful. It reminds me of our Lord. He is the quench of my thirst, provides peace in my life, and his power is unimaginable.  

   Our quick 2 day exploration of Yellowstone Park went way to fast! Loved how much we saw in the park in such a short time. I do hope to go back or maybe check out the Grand Teton next time!

Chris Ireland

We went to Yellowstone National Park. It was really fun we saw bison, deer, elk, pronghorn sheep, and lots of birds. You could almost always tell when there was some animal around because people were parked on the side of the road. We spotted some animals by our selves also. We went to a ranger talk and learn about some animals. I did not know that bison could jump about six feet high they look like they can barely jump a inch. Rahab Jadon and me each did the junior ranger program and got a really cool badge. We went and saw old Faithful it shot up really high it shoots up about every 68 minutes. What I thought was really cool abut the hot springs was all the different colors, it was really pretty. One of my favorite things that we saw was flying mud. The mud was an interesting color a creamy or a light gray color. The mud would bubble and then pop right up in the air so it would look like it was flying. We saw one of the hottest hot springs in the world and one of the biggest hot springs in the world. We saw three big waterfalls up close and one far away. The waterfalls were called Gibbon Falls, Tower Falls, Twin Falls (upper falls and lower falls). Then we went to a place where a very small river called the Boiling river (its really hot) meets the cold Gardner river we made chairs out of rocks. When you sit down you get this really weird feeling because one river was cold and the other hot so you get an icy and hot bath all at once. The funny thing is that the water mixes but the Gardner river stays the same cold. We saw Mammoth hot springs some of it was dried up. Mammoth hot springs was like a hot tub at the top and then some steps going down with water going down, it was really pretty. I really liked Yellowstone and would go back, it was really fun and there is so much to do.

 

Esther Ireland

We went to Yellowstone. We had a great time at Yellowstone. I think Yellowstone is the best! We got one book about Yellowstone and a badge. I had to finish my ranger book to get my badge. I think the rangers are the best. They keep the animals safe in the wildlife. When we were headed on the road I spotted a whole herd of bison. I learned bison can jump 6 feet. I think Yellowstone was very nice. We hopped in the pool and mommy did laundry. We went out for pizza, its a family tradition to go to The Gusher! We saw lots of hot springs. Old Faithful was the best! It was a great time watching it explode really high. I thought it tricked us because it starting shooting out water and then stopped. We saw the Yellow Stone River. 

Rahab Ireland

   We went to Yellowstone National Park. We went to Old Faithful Geyser. We also saw the Grand Geyser go off. We also went to the visitor center, Old Faithful Inn and Old Faithful Lodge. The next day we went to Gibbon Falls. We went to Beryl Hot Springs. It was one of the hottest ones in Yellowstone. It was really blue and bubbly. Then we went to Mammoth Hot Springs. We drove down to the Boiling River. It was really hot! We sat right where the Boiling River flowed into the Gardener River. We saw some elk. We also did a ranger talk and completed our ranger books. I learned from the ranger talks that bison can jump 6 feet! I was excited to get my ranger badge. I never knew that a stream could be warm. I felt it. It was coming off the Mammoth Hot Springs. Then we went to Tower Falls and Twin Falls. There was an upper falls and lower falls. We went to Excelsior Geyser. Years ago it stayed on for 400 hours. Somebody had put a tripod in it. Some people lost their hats on the ground. Somebody’s also lost their map. We saw flying mud at the mud pots! We saw Mr Gloopy’s mud factory from Candy Land. I loved watching the mud fly. Then we went swimming at the KOA camp.  

I loved Yellowstone!  

 

Jadon Ireland