1 Week until we leave for Haiti!

Thank you for all your support.  In case you have forgotten or haven't got an email there is a team of 10 of us from King's Harbor Church going to Haiti leaving October 31st and returning November 10th.

 

http://khchaititeams.blogspot.com/

 

Check it out!  We are updating it daily.  We just had our last team meeting Thursday... There still is a LOT to do (like pack), but we are all very excited and God is good, all of the time.  We are all SUPER excited.  

We found out this week that we will be staying at guest house where we are not sure if there is electricity haha!  And other amenities, like water I hear are questionable as well... I haven't quite experienced anything like that before, except when I am camping.  So I am thinking of it like 3rd world camping.  Should make for an interesting time, and interesting is bound to be exciting. 

 

Pictures and more to follow when we are on the ground.  I will be sending daily updates, hopefully.

--
Lucas Simmons

i am confused

so I saw this movie tonight call + response about how there is a horrid amount of slavery going on in the world. like enough to make any sane person sick to their stomach. so I liked the movie and I totally agree with the message. Ok, but so I was looking at the people that they were showing with the people being trafficked were Westerners... our society sells ludeness, immorality and relativism. we can combat slavery all we want, and I think it is a good fight to fight no matter your background - but I think it is a losing battle without Jesus. and I think there is more than one direction to fight this battle in. Yes, stop the human traffickers. But also rid ourselves of the immorality that has taken over our culture. you should definitely see the movie and go here http://chainstorereaction.com/ i am kind of tired so my thoughts aren't all meshing together. take from it what you will.

Short Haiti Update

Hi Everybody!

 

We are 21 days away from leaving for Haiti

 

I just wanted to send you a couple of quick updates:

 

We are updating our team blog daily.  You can subscribe via email or RSS feed: http://khchaititeams.blogspot.com/

 

We are having a booth at the Lomita Art Fair tomorrow in front of the Lomita City Hall. It runs from 9am to 3pm.  The address for the City Hall is 24300 Narbonne Ave Lomita CA 90717

 

On Sunday October 19th we are having a Haiti Hunger Dinner to raise money for the neighborhood kids to go to school and also just Haiti in general.  You will get a real glimpse of how the rest of the world lives and survives on so little.  Doors open at 6, and we are asking for a donation of 10 dollars.  The address is 23915 Garnier St. Torrance, CA 90505. 

 

Please feel free to forward this email along to anyone who you think would be interested.

 

Thanks!

Lucas

Our country is ridiculous

Yes. I am about ready to drop everything and I don't know what. So, our American greed has finally come back to get us. We are whining because our houses we couldn't afford are getting foreclosed on. Yes, I admit the banks weren't all in the right but somehow we have this idea that we can get whatever we want and just charge it or refinance and pay it off later. Then, something bad happens and we can't afford it. We couldn't really afford it to begin with. The government is scrambling to spend 700 billion dollars to fix the situation, because of course government has to do something. What would happen if government didn't... and we actually said yes I spent too much money, money I didn't have. Wow. Owning up for our mistakes, that's something new. Admitting we are wrong. As Steve Martin once said "I'm sorry but I am pissed" That's not really what gets to me. I am sorry if I offended anyone, if you want to write a blog about how I am wrong, then go ahead. What gets to me is these politicians. I am a Republican but when John McCain says one day we will not spend money on researching bear DNA and weeks later votes FOR 112 billion dollars in pork barrel spending, well that is just plain ridiculous and downright idiotic. We are worried about our economy and our houses being foreclosed on and meanwhile there are people in other countries starving. Take Haiti for example. The country is on the brink of famine and donations and aid is down because of the bad economy.

Well let's see how the math works out here:112 billion dollars divided by the population of Haiti which I will overestimate at 9 million. That's about 12 thousand dollars. Most people in Haiti couldn't imagine that much money. Most people live off a dollar a day. A dollar a day. At 12 thousand dollars a person you could feed a person in Haiti for over 30 years at a dollar a day. But instead that money went to making movies or credits for energy efficient appliances or hurricane disaster relief for Americans. Not that that is a bad thing, but I don't get why we are touting this as a bank bailout when a huge portion of it isn't doing what we are saying it is doing. Some people might think well this is what we need to get a bill passed. That is a bunch of a malarky, you don't need 100 billion dollars in extra spending for a bill to be passed.

Just think about the whole 30 years thing if nothing else. Haiti is on the brink of famine and we are worried about our nice cars, our houses. People can't even eat there. 30 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My gosh people.

Haiti!

Hi Everybody!

 

You may already know all this but Alicia and I are excited to let you know that we will be returning to Haiti, leaving on October 31st and returning November 10th.  Alicia and I will be leading a team of 8 people (10 including us) from our church to the same place we have gone the previous 2 times.  We have purchased our tickets and are so eager to get there.  There is so much going on there right now, the country is on the brink of famine.  This crisis has received little attention in the news compared to the economic crisis in our country, the people are literally starving there.  There is a desperation beyond there beyond our imagination.  In America if there is a natural disaster the government normally responds and other aid agencies come alongside them.  Haiti really doesn't have an infrastructure like this.  The government does little to help and aid agencies aren't prepared or don't have enough funding to help get the people out of the situation.  If you want to read more, go to: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=haiti

 

There is only so much 10 of us can do for 10 days, but we hope to help build up the ministry that is there in whatever way we can so they can continue to do the work down there in new and exciting ways. 

 

We will also be arriving on a Voodoo holiday in Haiti and are planning to just pray and worship with the kids that first day. 

 

We have quite a list of projects, more than we probably can accomplish:

1. Prayer
2. Garden
3. Painting/Organizing/Fixing-Up New Guest House
4. Medical Clinics
5. Bible teaching for the kids
6. Dance
7. Computer Lab & Guest House computer repairs/upgrades
8. Arts and crafts
9. Baking
10. Picnic benches
11. Village Outreach
12. Photo/Video
13. Visiting

 

We are so excited to share this experience with you!  We will be sending e-mail updates and updating our blog which can be found at www.khchaititeams.blogspot.com

 

We also have a couple of events coming up which you can support our team at.  If you want to help with either, please do let us know:

 

Lomita Art Fair - Oct. 11 - 9am to 3pm.  We will have a booth set up selling plants and donated art.  It will be in front of Lomita City Hall. 

 

Haiti Hunger Dinner - Oct. 19 - 6:00pm - Experience a taste of the economic divide between one country to the next. We are having a hunger dinner!! Come and support the work God is doing in Haiti through the Manasseros at Maison de Lumiere and the team that will be traveling there while you participate in a community centered event that will raise your awareness about poverty in our world today. A $10.00 donation is requested.

 

There is still so much to be done before we leave, but we are confident God will work out all the details.  Please be praying for us.

 

Thanks!

Lucas and Alicia

 

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Here is our support letter for those of you have not received it:

                                                                                                                                                                                                Dear Friends and Family,

Haiti is on our near horizon!  Lucas and I will be leading a team of 8 from our church Kings Harbor.  October 31 – November 10.  We are in great need of your prayers on our behalf.  This will be our first time in a leadership role of this proportion.  Last October Lucas and I had the opportunity to lead a trip to Mexico.  This was an amazing experience for us.  We learned most of all what a great responsibility you carry as leaders for the direction, encouragement, and safety of your team. 

Please pray for:

Haiti.  Hurricanes Gustov and Hellen, have killed 200 people.  40,000 are in shelters.  Many towns are still under 10ft. of water.  And Ike is storming through Haiti as I type this now.  Please pray for God's mercy.  Pray that the people would turn to Jesus in their time of need.  Pray that He would rescue them.   Pray for the food crisis.  The WFP has delivered water.  Pray that efforts like this will continue.  Pray for Maison de Lumiere and God's protection of the children, staff, and missionaries. 

Team unity and unity between Lucas and I is our essential need.  It is crucial that we each are fine tuned to one another and firstly to Christ.  In the heat, the insecurity, the spiritual battle ground of Haiti, our team and our leadership will be quite tested, and your prayers for us in this regard will aid us to fulfill the work God has called us to do.

Team and trip development.  As we are getting to know our team, talking with them and serving with them, each individual team member's gifts and qualities are coming to the surface.  Pray that our team will be able to put our talents and gifts to work meeting the needs at Masion de Lumiere.  Pray that we would be able to use our team's multiple gifts of: gardening, painting, art, service, organization, leadership, prayer, computers, photography, and dance.

Learning the language makes such a profound difference when ministering to the Haitian people.  It impacts them in an unspeakable way showing them a intimate care for their nation.  Pray for God to give us the gift of the Haitian tongue!

The developing relationships with the kids and staff at Maison de Lumiere and with other Haitian people we meet.  We hope to be a part of the healing process these kids are going though.  We want to be the hands and feet of Jesus, not only to help on a practical level, but also on the emotional and spiritual.  Pray that those we touch would feel Jesus' love streaming through us – that we would be empty vessels of His everlasting love.  Pray for lasting relationships, ones that remain past our 10 day trip into eternity.

Provision for each of our team members to reach their support raising goals.  The first goal for each member is to raise $575 by Sept 18^th to cover airfare.  The second goal will be the remainder of the trip costs including our projects, food, and lodging.  We are estimating that this will be an additional $625 for each member.  Anything above the need that we raise will go straight to the ministry of Maison de Lumiere wherever they have the most need.  Lucas and I will be partially financially supported by our church.  Any you give to us over what we need will go to our other team members.

To support our team: 

Send your check made out to Kings Harbor Church with Haiti Oct Trip – Simmons in the memo to:

Lucas and Alicia Simmons

24369 ½ Pennsylvania Ave.

Lomita, CA 90717

 

Please keep updated with our team via our blog: www.khchaititeams.blogspot.com

 

Thank you in advance for all of your support and time praying for us!!

 

Lucas and Alicia Simmons