tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39225402991234853502024-03-07T19:09:38.190-08:00Ends of the EarthCurrent info and updates on Trevor Bruce's ministry focus as Missions Coordinator for Living Waters Church of Medford.Trevor and Kate Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271922800519606602noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3922540299123485350.post-32652751224641062402012-02-16T23:02:00.000-08:002012-02-17T16:03:20.773-08:00Going<br />
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<span style="color: #003300; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It was hot and it was humid when our team
arrived in Haiti on Wednesday, January 18, 2012. But we were ready to go and willing to do
anything that was asked of us. Members
of our team included Trevor, Dale, Fern and Jasmin. Our group from Medford, Oregon was so glad to
have been able to spend the week with Thomas and Stephen, two gentlemen from our
home church who will be staying there for an extended period of time. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Our first day in Haiti was spent being introduced to
two orphanages. Not far from base camp in
an area known as Torcell, is the building site for an orphanage where teams
have been working alongside Haitians to help bring it back on schedule for its
completion. There are a group of girls
that are temporarily staying at the church compound as the orphanage is being
built, while the boys are staying with Pastor Bellande in a house not far from
where the new orphanage will be. He
pastors a church in that area and took these children in after the earthquake
claimed the lives of their parents. Back
at base camp and the church in Port-au-Prince, our team spent the rest of the
first afternoon playing jump rope and laughing with the girls. We had so much fun loving all of the children
and learning about the various sustainable projects happening in Haiti, such as
agriculture, tilapia ponds, chickens, hydroponics, building plans, ministry and
business training, education and relationship building. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The following day, our team divided up and
the guys worked on the orphanage in Torcell, while the ladies visited a girls’
orphanage located in Sarthe. All of
those guys worked so hard that day. Tremendous
progress was made on the orphanage, having two additional guys from our Medford
team to help the rest of those who had been working for several days
already. The ladies joined forces with a
few members of the other team as well and set off for Sarthe. It was there that each young girl received a
dress, a pair of shorts and a shirt. It
was also very rewarding to have left the pastors there with a variety of
donated clothing for men, women and children.
We sang songs and even taught sign language to “Jesus Loves Me”. The girls and some children from the local
community painted, made creative creatures with craft materials and learned to
make friendship bracelets. Later on that
day, the president of Foursquare Missions visited and spoke in Port-au-Prince
that evening. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One day, two of us from the Medford Team
spent some time at the boys’ orphanage.
We made a small craft and passed out candy and laughed a lot! The guys just kept on working so diligently
and so incredibly hard on the orphanage!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On another day, our team spent an afternoon
visiting a tent community near the church in Port-au-Prince. We were invited to hand out and help set up a
few tarps for some families in need. We
were also asked to pray for several families, including a young woman who was
having difficulties in her pregnancy and was very ill. Candy and tracts were given out to anyone and
everyone that we met with. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The rest of our time in Haiti was spent visiting with the children at
the church compound and with the girls in Sarthe. Later on in the week, a medical team from New
Jersey visited the Sarthe orphanage and each young girl received a medical
examination as well as treatment for varying conditions. It was emotionally challenging learning of
each child’s diagnosis, but we used the opportunity to cover them in prayer and
to be filled with hope and healing. Our
last days in Haiti were spent organizing, cleaning and taking inventory of
supplies and materials at base camp and at the church. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It seems as if it is always difficult to
say “goodbye” when leaving such an embracing culture and people in Haiti. Every single one of us has experienced a
greater measure of hope, promise, faith and love in believing for a more
abundant Haiti. It is from this
adventure of serving the precious people of Haiti that we can see once again
God’s provision. It is absolutely
amazing to see the Lord’s work in refreshing, restoring and releasing God’s people. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Go Team</span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Living Waters </span></div>
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<span style="color: #003300; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Medford, OR </span></div>Trevor and Kate Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271922800519606602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3922540299123485350.post-52395190067180145542012-01-09T11:42:00.000-08:002012-01-09T11:57:37.419-08:00Next Haiti Relief Trip: January 17th-24th!Hi Everybody!<br /><br />Trev's taking off January 17th for Port Au Prince with some devoted team members: Dale Southmayd, Fern Helle and Jasmin Williams. We are so excited for this team. Their ministry this trip will be a shift for now from our latest building projects in Les Cayes towards support of orphanages and tent cities in the direct area of Port Au Prince, so they will be staying at the Foursquare Base Camp. This is a God ordained assignment for this team as all the members are deeply plugged into children's ministry at Living Waters and specialize in providing support for children who are facing tough life situations. The team has plans to provide some special craft projects, transport much-needed supplies and do some sharing, teaching and lots of loving :-). I will be holding the fort here in Medford, OR and Trev will send me updates so I should be able to post fresh info on this blog as I hear from the team during the trip. Please join me and the Living Waters support team ("SEND") team as we pray Holy Spirit guidance, presence, protection and multiplication of blessing after spiritual blessing on this team.<br /><br />Thanks so much for your continued support. If you wish to give financially, scroll down to the bottom of the page for details!<br /><br />God Bless!<br /><br />Kate BruceTrevor and Kate Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271922800519606602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3922540299123485350.post-57605448489953031012011-03-14T19:48:00.000-07:002011-03-20T16:00:45.253-07:00February 2011 Haiti Relief Trip ReportHi Friends!<br /><br />We apologize for the delay in getting this update to you all. Trev returned from Haiti to dive into a busy week of work with our business and then had surprise surgery to have his appendix taken out. Our past week has been spent in the hospital and getting lots of rest at home.<br /><br />As we continue on in our growing relationship and support of Haiti, we are pleased to share that the February trip went amazingly well. Working with Foursquare Missions International and Living Waters Church, Trev led a team of 10 awesome workers to Les Cayes, a coastal village five hours (by taxi) out of Port Au Prince. The team worked on several projects including sorting and putting together seed packets for family gardens, fencing a large area, building bunk beds, preparing soil and spreading gravel on driveways. They accomplished everything they set out to do and then some.<br /><br />We spent several months before this trip building relationship as a team, and interceding together for the Haitians and for our impact to be maximum--we love to go with our hearts prepared for whatever God has in store! The prayer covering from all those of you supporting the team was also greatly felt. The out-going trip went smoothly and when some problems came up on the way home the team worked through them really well. They had lots of time to hang out with the people of Les Cayes and just love on everyone there. The children especially really loved the games the team put together and all the hugs. Of course, all the ladies on the team had their hair done; the kids always love to get their hands on our Caucasian hair and it's hard to escape Haiti without at least a few braids!<br /><br />Our LW Team loved worshiping with Les Cayes. The village is full of dynamic people and they sing and dance their hearts out for the Lord. During one of the chapels, a 90 year old woman led worship with a spontaneous song from the Holy Spirit. The words were simple and amazing. She was singing, "we say yes, Lord, we say yes" as she danced in the chapel. Towards the end of the trip, during a church meeting, the team had the opportunity to pray for about 30 Haitians for both physical healing and emotional and spiritual needs. The bonding with the village was really precious and everyone on the team came home saying they had a hard time leaving and want to go back sometime soon.<br /><br />Thanks again to everyone who supported this trip financially and in prayer! It was a phenomenal trip and so much was accomplished in every way!Trevor and Kate Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271922800519606602noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3922540299123485350.post-76892250223896544292010-10-04T09:40:00.000-07:002010-10-13T15:47:17.251-07:00A Good Report from Haiti, September 2010The journey started early. Neither Trev or I can remember when we last got up at 3:30 but sacrificing some sleep turned out to be completely worthwhile. Trevor finished some last minute packing while I got ready to drive him to Living Waters. From the church the Anthem team would be heading up to Portland to catch their first flight towards Haiti.<br /><br />We were incredibly blessed that morning by the hearts of the team and some other friends who had walked over from the Anthem apartments to say goodbye. We sat on the sofas for a while--some of us sporting our PJ's--and just talked and laughed. When things were all loaded up in the "burb" and the van, we circled up for some prayer time. As we gathered just hanging out and talking at a time when most of us are usually fast asleep, the love these people have for Jesus and for each other was so evident. They were all there to pour themselves out and believe God for divine anointing--more of God personally, more for Haiti and more for the world.<br /><br />Once the team hit Foursquare base camp in Port-au-Prince, they quickly became aware that this trip would prove a unique challenge. They had planned primarily on working hard to build a new base camp setting for Las Cahobas, a mountain village a drive and 2 mile (vertical) hike from Port-au-Prince. When they arrived, they discovered the village did not actually own the land, so plans changed. The team ended up simply hanging out with the Haitians in the village for the whole of their stay. Some of the team members shared that it was difficult to rest and lay aside the desire to "make something happen that would make things physically better for the people". Instead, God was asking them to connect in a different way that would end up ministering deeply to the Haitians and Medford team alike.<br /><br />For four days the Anthem team "lived Acts" with the people. They ate together, colored together, popped balloons together and when it was time to sleep the villagers put mats on the floor of the chapel and slept close by the team. No one wanted to go home. Though the language barrier was definitely real, the Holy Spirit used this for His glory. The connection the team experienced with the village went beyond words to hearts and spirits. Age also proved to be no hindrance in Las Cahobas. Young and older people alike jumped into every activity the team provided and everyone had a blast. Undaunted by rainy days, they all rocked a lively progression of mud football games. The Anthem girls were some of the toughest players out on the muddy, rock-littered field. Way to go ladies!<br /><br />Gale force rain and wind couldn't keep the village from having a blast, or Trevor and Anthem from sharing Jesus' love with the Haitians. Even in the sometimes hectic rhythm of waiting out the weather and reorganizing the camp, there was plenty of time for singing, praying, sharing testimonies and getting into the Word. The team enjoyed the help of a couple of interpreters who helped them plan some of the activities (on Haitian time :) and got the message through whenever they stood up to speak in front of the village. The people were very welcoming and excited to hear about the Lord and invite Him to work in their lives. Many were added to the Kingdom of God, and many grew stronger in faith and were deeply encouraged. The Haitians told the team that they were an answer to prayer, that they had been "praying for someone to come." God is good--they got a whole bunch of someones--during one of the final meetings the team had with Las Cahobas, they were able to lay hands on everyone and pray for healing--around 30 people!<br /><br />Real life in Las Cahobas touched the team in amazing ways, and last Wednesday night they stood at Living Waters and shared all they ways they were transformed. They learned how to use a stone slab (with a hole) as a toilet, showered in a water fall (right near a main path--don't worry--they covered for each other) and slept in rain drenched tents with multiple roosters crowing and strutting around their heads. They got little sleep and ate their fill of delicious Haitian chicken, rice and beans. The mealtime highlight of the trip involved an honorary chicken killing by one of the women in the village. Holding the chicken up ceremoniously for all to see, she plucked a feather out and sliced it's throat, letting the bird bleed to death before roasting it up for supper.<br /><br />Through all the laughs and times of stretching, God's hand on this village and on Haiti was incredibly evident to everyone. As Trev and I get more and more honed into His life calling of hopping back and forth between Medford and Haiti, we know the Lord will do above and beyond our dreams. He will do His. For now, Haiti is already becoming home away from home.Trevor and Kate Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271922800519606602noreply@blogger.com0