Titans Cheerleader Finds Mission Trip to Haiti Rewarding

Titans cheerleader Ashley found her recent mission trip to Haiti rewarding after working to help underprivileged children.
By Danielle Bertiger
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Recently, our very own Ashley A. traveled to Haiti with the organization i’mME, whose mission is to empower orphans to find their true identity with the cultivation of families, orphan care, and stewardship.
More than 78 percent of Haitians live on less than $2 per day and 60 percent of Haitian children under 14 are orphans. The work that this organization does is incredible, as seen through our interview with Ashley about her journey.
What sparked your interest to go? I traveled to Kenya in 2007, which was my first encounter with third world poverty, and ever since that humbling and inspiring experience I have felt called to serve children in impoverished nations. I went to Kenya as a young woman forming her identity, and I returned to America forever changed.
After living in Africa’s largest slum for a month, my eyes were opened to true darkness and devastation, yet amidst this chaos and despair, I saw such joy, sincere faith and selflessness in the people I met. They were barely surviving and hardly owned a single material possession, yet were full of The Lord’s Spirit. Since then, I have felt an urgency to be among that kind of community once more, but for seven years I patiently waited upon the Lord to open that door again.
I was introduced to i’mME through Preserve the Light, a Christian organization for professional cheerleaders, because they had established a friendship with David Nelson, former wide receiver for the NY Jets. PTL offered an invitation to apply for a trip to Haiti as guests and volunteers of i’mME. I was overjoyed at the mere mention of this opportunity and quickly sent in my application!
What is your most treasured memory of the trip? My team and I arrived only a few days after the i’mME house had welcomed seven new children from a nearby orphanage that did not have the financial means to care for all the children. David, Patrick, and Lauren from i’mME, brought those who were the most severely malnourished into our home to provide emergency care. These children ranged from eight months to five years old and were on the verge of death due to illness and starvation. Since we lived with them, we nurtured and cared for them day and night as if they were our own.
One specific moment that will forever be in my heart was when we brought an orphan named Prosper to the i'mME house from the orphanage. I was overcome and in awe of God’s grace and abundant love. That entire ride home tears of joy relentlessly streamed down my face as I watched Prosper in the front seat filled with excitement and assurance knowing that he would now live; for the first time he felt safe and loved. The parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 became so real to me as I witnessed this child be found and brought home just as the son was found and welcomed home by his father with rejoicing and feasting.
It was such an honor to be a part of this beautiful moment as Christ gave new life to this child of His. I will forever hold in my heart the memories of seeing the children eat pizza for the first time, sing "Jesus loves me" before meals, dance to Michael Jackson in the evenings, hold their arms up to be held, or giggle when putting on some cool sunglasses and a new outfit. Although we cared for them tremendously, it was apparent they equally cared for us. I am forever grateful for the second family I gained that day.
Are you planning any future trips such as this? I now sponsor Robensley, a child who I fell in love with from the i’mME house in Haiti, so while I continue to support his growth, happiness, and health from Tennessee, I also hope to visit again within the year to hold him again. I am invested in those friendships and wish to remain involved with their mission. It is such a blessing to be a part of this family. I can testify that their presence in Haiti is creating significant transformation.
What is your advice for those wanting to go on mission trips?
Christ calls us to, “go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all of creation,” (Mark 16:15). He doesn’t say you have to go to Kenya or Haiti, only that you must “go.” There is poverty near and far; people who are poor in spirit and/or poor financially exist in every place.
This is my advice.
(1) Pray and seek wisdom for the Lord to direct your steps.
(2) Research organizations or church groups before committing to join their team, so that you know if your vision aligns with theirs. Different groups have different approaches and you want to feel safe and at peace being in such an unfamiliar place.
(3) Prepare yourself to be comfortable being uncomfortable. I was covered in sweat, dirt, and tears the entire time. Vaccinate yourselves before going, pack appropriately in regards to clothing, medicines, and bug spray, familiarize yourselves with the customs and culture of your destination, and submit to your vulnerability. There’s beauty in giving it all up for His glory and immersing yourself to identify with those you are seeking out.
(4) Trust Him. He is all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful. The Lord will guard and protect you on your travels.
http://www.titansonline.com/cheerleaders/article-1/Titans-Cheerleader-Finds-Mission-Trip-to-Haiti-Rewarding/aa9dbf47-ebe5-443c-885f-caead885cd3e

The Haiti trip

FRIDAY, 17 AUGUST 2012 23:37 WRITTEN BY SHELLY ANDERSON We spent some time this evening talking to members of a group that just got back from a mission trip to Haiti. From hearing about how Penguins winger Matt Cooke's 19-year-old daughter, Gabby, cried from emotion the final night as everyone sat around and talked about their trip, to tales of sadness, endurance and great spirit, it was enlightening. If their experience doesn't get to you on some kind of emotional level, you're not paying attention. We did a similar story two years ago that you might remember when then-Penguins Max Talbot and Mike Rupp went to that country. You can go back and read that here. As for this week's trip, here is a preview of the story that will appear in the Saturday Post-Gazette: Getting to Cap-Haitien, Haiti, was the easy part. Esmark donated a private jet for a group with Penguins and Pittsburgh ties. Then reality hit.

"Nothing prepares you for what you witness," Penguins center Joe Vitale said Friday, a day after their three-day mission. "Traveling from the airport, we were in the back of a truck. We were very quiet. The filth, kids running around, sewage, the trash in the ocean..." "You've seen pictures, but when you're smelling it, seeing it, that's when it's real," said Michelle Cooke, wife of Penguins winger Matt Cooke. Then another abrupt shift when the group arrived at EBAC, an orphanage run for decades by Western Pennsylvania natives Alice Wise and Kathy Gouker. "All that matters to those little kids is that they hold your hand and get affection that they don't really get from adults," Matt Cooke said. The visiting group also included former Penguins center Jordan Staal and his wife, Heather; trip organizer Brad Henderson, Penguins and Pirates chaplain and president of Pittsburgh Kids Foundation; Ian Rosenberger, CEO of Pittsburgh-based Thread Corp.; and Gabby Cooke, 19. With the heat and humidity of a Caribbean island and sporadic power and running water, it wasn't exactly a trip that would seem to appeal to all women. "It's not about perfect makeup and perfect hair," Matt Cooke said. "We went because we want to help, be hands-on," Michelle Cooke said. Besides, Vitale said, it would be difficult to complain about anything after visiting those children and playing sports with them, thanks to donated soccer equipment from Wilson, and donated street hockey gear and T-shirts – many of them Jordan Staal No. 11s, which became available after he was traded to Carolina in June – from the Penguins and Reebok. "I'd call what we played dirt hockey because it was on fields with rocks the size of your fist and shards of glass, and they're running around barefoot, laughing," said Vitale, whose wife, Brianna, stayed home because she is expecting their second child, a son. "Kids were getting bonked in the head, rocks flying everywhere. Their overall toughness was incredible." And, at times, heartbreaking. Vitale asked one boy about his family. The boy said he once had a sister. "What happened?" Vitale asked. "She died," the boy said. "How?" "I don't know."

Vitale was shaken. "Death down there is an everyday occurrence," he said. "Pain, they tolerate it so well -- which was really kind of hard for me to hear." Vitale has plans to start a charitable foundation to help the Haitians. Cooke's family has a foundation and wants to do the same. The visitors also spent time at a newer, smaller orphanage that got finished in part because of money raised through charitable work done by former Penguins winger Max Talbot, who along with former Penguins winger Mike Rupp made a trip with Henderson two years ago. Staal was supposed to make the trip in 2010 but a foot infection nixed that. Henderson said Staal quietly has raised money to help feed the Haitian orphans for four years. "For all these guys, I think they see it as a life-changing trip," Henderson said. "Unless you've really experienced that kind of poverty and seen it first hand, you really can't comprehend it. It leaves a lasting impression." The visitors hope to help raise funds to add another floor to the newer orphanage, which is home to babies and very young children, two of whom had a story that touched Matt Cooke. "They were brought in because they were so far gone that they thought they were going to pass, and they thought it would be better if it happened in someone's arms," he said. "But they made it." The group also got to help out at Cap-Haitien's first recycling center, which opened a week ago and is expected to help in many ways. The center was created by Pittsburgh Kids Foundation, Thread and Executives Without Borders. The city, roughly the size of Pittsburgh, has no refuse collection or management, so this gets recyclables off the street. The plant provides some much-needed jobs. And anyone can collect and redeem items – it takes about 25 bottles to fetch one Haitian dollar. Until a processing plant can be added, Rosenberger and Thread will ship the recycled material to Pittsburgh, use it to make fabric and eventually return goods made of that fabric to Haiti. "It's going to be a huge success," Matt Cooke said. http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/pro-sports/penguins-plus/117672-the-haiti-trip

Suitcase mission to Haiti

By LORRAINE THOMPSON Special to The Record Members of United Methodist Church of Palm Coast packed their bags and headed for a week in Haiti on July 17. The bags, however, were not stuffed with vacation clothing. The five members of the church youth group, ages 16 to 18, and seven adults ranging in age from 28 to over 70, organized a mission trip under the coordination of Young Life Expeditions. Their extra baggage contained jump ropes, books, soccer balls, paper and art equipment and other items that most young children enjoy. Young Life has been operating in Haiti for more than 10 years. The ministry is completely Haitian-led, with about eight local staff and more than 100 volunteers who serve in 17 communities throughout the country, with the majority based in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Much of the church group’s time in Haiti was spent at the Children of Hope Orphanage. Most of the children there are called “poverty orphans,” children of impoverished parents who cannot afford food and housing. Although there were an estimated 500,000 Haitian orphans before the devastating earthquake of Jan. 12, 2010, another large number of young children became orphaned or were abandoned by their parents after the quake. The group also visited the Apparent Project which seeks to help mothers and fathers build a business with the goal of ultimately reuniting families. The project has grown from an original group of six artisans to more than 250. Visited tent cities The Palm Coast group also spent time playing and interacting with children in some of the tent cities that sprang up after the earthquake. There they taught dances, played children’s games, read books, and led arts and crafts activities. An estimated 600,000 still live in tents. Some religious services are also held in tents. Makeshift churches have sprung up on mountain tops, in fields, anywhere there are large populations of Haitians. The mission was led by Mike Legaspi, youth director of the United Methodist Church of Palm Coast. Gretchen Espinetti, who holds a Ph.D. in multi-cultural education and is a former ESL specialist, P-16 educator and cross-cultural trainer, helped prepare the volunteer team through cultural training about Haiti and the area in which they would be working. “It is the poorest of the poor areas,” she stressed. The volunteers stayed at Walls Guest House in Delmas, Port au Prince. Walls, which suffered severe hurricane damage, is still in a rebuilding stage. “The view of the mountains, skyline and city lights from the rooftop was breathtaking, said Espinetti. However, their living conditions were not so spectacular. “It was in the upper 90’s much of the time. There was no air conditioning, hot water, we shared bathrooms and slept on mattresses on the floor.” Dr. Espinetti marveled at the spirit of the Haitian people and the suffering. “The people of Haiti are hopeful, joyful and have a patient endurance. As they rebuild their country, their main priorities are education, clean water, and restoring their infrastructure. This mission trip impacted the team so much. We hope to return next year,” Dr. Espinetti said. http://staugustine.com/living/religion/2012-08-16/suitcase-mission-haiti#.UC34R6nN92E