Team Bio: Matt Brizendine

Why Haiti?
That’s the same question I asked God when he put this little country on my heart earlier this year.  Of all the places in the world he could have called me, why Haiti? Sure I had heard of Haiti, knew about the earthquake, but what could I do?

I decided to follow God’s instruction (always a good idea) and went to Haiti in May of 2010. While I was there I came to full realization why God has put this country on my heart.   It is a country that has been devastated by civil war, natural disasters, and the spiritual grip of voodoo for many years.  A country rife with a poverty that I had never before experienced and a people that seemed resigned that life had simply dealt them a bad hand. It is also a country that is in desperate need of the hope and love that only God can provide and a people that are searching for just that. 

He is calling me to go there again and show that there is more, that God has not forgotten them.  My prayer is that when 8 strangers from America show up to build a house for two families we don’t even know that we will be asked “why”.  Then we can tell them that God sent us to show them that He loves and cares for them and that even though their situation looks impossible - nothing is impossible for God.

The scripture that God has put on my heart for the Haitian people is Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  I would appreciate your prayers for me and my team as we travel to Haiti to show them there is hope and that God has a plan for each and every one of them.

Team Bio: Cary Hearn

Why I chose to serve God in Haiti:

For a long time now I have felt the call of God to serve Him on the international mission field. Throughout my youth I have had the fortunate ability to visit over 32 countries and with each trip I realized that not only had I learned about a new culture, but that I had learned more about myself in the process. There is something special about immersing yourself in a culture and a people and learning more about their customs and traditions that help solidify your knowledge of self and the call that God has placed on your life. While many of these trips were for vacation, and not for mission work, there was still an introspective quality to the journey.

 

As my wife will tell you, any time I see the images of a developing nation such as Haiti, my heart breaks for a people who have experienced such destruction, yet are filled with resilience, searching for something and clinging to the hope that is found deep inside of us as creations of our maker. I pray that this trip to Haiti will not only offer an opportunity to serve the people of Haiti by constructing homes and providing continuity of life for a people who desperately need it, but also offer an opportunity to increase my understanding of what God meant as he called us to serve the nations.

 

I thank you for your prayers and your support for myself, my family and my fellow teammates who are on this journey.

 

Cary

The Haiti Team

 

Back Row: (left to right) Cary Hearn, Aaron Webster, Israel Snider, Glen McGill.
Front Row: (left to right) Matt Brizendine, Cheakita Webster, Alison Snider, Shay McGill

Team biographies coming soon!

Introduction

At the beginning of the new year, January 8th, 2011, an 8 member team from New Life Church will be joining together to serve Haiti.  The team's main objective is to share God's love in a tangible way, by meeting a very physical need of permanent shelter for two Haitian families.  We will be partnering with an orginization called Youth with a Mission (YWAM), which has a base in Haiti.  YWAM has a program called Homes for Hope, which enables earthquate displaced familes to move from their tents into a more permanent structure.  Please take 2 minutes to view a short online video that explains more about the homes we will be building.