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CWO’s first missionary, Karen Pasquariello, continues with this post from her journal writings from July 1980.

This month marks my first year in Haiti.  When I reflect on this last year, I realize two of the major lessons I have learned are reliance on God and the importance of having a positive attitude.

During the last few months I have experienced physical tiredness as never before.  Living in a rather primitive culture, it is impossible to accomplish much by phone or letter as in the states, therefore, my days are often spent going from place to place and person to person. Going alone may mean several hours a day in the Jeep, driving on rugged roads or hiking over the mountains to visit our Haitian youth in their primitive homes.

I have experienced the truth of Isaiah 40:31 “yet, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  They will mount up with wings of Eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” I am thankful to the Lord for His strength.

Living in a culture that is surrounded by disease, poverty, despair, it is easy to feel hopeless and to sink into a complaining trap.  Then one day I realized the more I complained, the easier it was to find more to complain about, which led to a negative attitude. Luke 7:45b says, “whatever is in the heart overflows into speech.”  That truth helped me to tackle one problem, one day at a time, changing my attitude.

I am grateful to the Lord for the life lessons He teaches me.

Read Part 2 of the Hoover’s blog post about the Big and Little Nephews in Zambia that they care for with open hearts!

We described how we met the “call boys” or our “nephews” (ages 25-35 years old) in the last blog post. People often wonder how we then came to have our large group of “Little Nephews” (ages 8-24 years old).

In 2005, after two years of working with the “nephews,” we expressed to them our desire to increase the number of the guys in attendance. They were adamant that we not invite other bus station call boys, but announced that they would bring us other boys. We said, “Ok, please bring them in two weeks.”

Bring they did. The nephews marched many dozen young boys into outreach and stoically stood behind the young boys to say, “You need to hear this. Listen to what they are teaching.” They themselves were silent. They wouldn’t share their hearts or lives openly in front of younger boys.

A decision had to be made. We told them that the outreach wasn’t working if they were not a part of the activities and conversations. We called for a vote to see if everyone was in favor of splitting them into “Big Nephews” on Fridays and “Little Nephews” on Wednesdays. They were evenly divided in their decision, but one of the CWO staff broke the tie in favor of them splitting.

Thus, the “Little Nephews” were formed. While speaking with them we learned that they were not in school and they idolized the “Big Nephews” because they didn’t go to school, didn’t answer to anyone and were totally independent. We counseled them and soon a wave of peer pressure swept through the group to the point all of them wanted to return to school.

Over the past 12 years we have seen the blessing of meeting these “Little Nephews” at a young age. The Lord allowed us to meet them before it was too late for them to return to school, as it was for the “Big Nephews.” The school fee assistance brought about the need for tutoring and then we expanded into discipleship on Mondays, English classes on Tuesdays, Outreach on Wednesday, Bible study on Thursdays and activity days on Fridays. Soon health care assistance, dental assistance, nutritional assistance and the ability to bathe and wash clothing were clear needs in their lives. We now touch every aspect of the boy’s lives: physical, emotional, nutritional, and spiritual.

These “Nephews”, Big and Little, are our beloved family who allow us into their lives in very real ways. We are grateful to be a part of their lives and to have them be such a big part of ours!

Bill & Marci Hoover have lived in Zambia as CWO missionaries since 2002. We are honored to publish their two-part blog post about their family of Big & Little Nephews and how God is working through them. Watch for part two in July!

We had no doubt we were called to Zambia in 2002. God could not have been more clear. We arrived with the intention of teaching HIV education and prevention, but the Lord had another plan too.

We rented a flat that had a mini-bus station right in front of it. As we’d go out to catch the bus, we got acquainted with the young men who are called “call boys” because they take it upon themselves to “call” people to the buses. These men are typically drunk and don’t hesitate to fight each other for any tips thrown out by the bus conductors. Their goal is to obtain the equivalent of $1 each day so they can have one meal.

It seemed to us that these men wished to share their hearts with us, but not in front of each other. We decided to invite all of them to our CWO office for a barbeque so they would know where to find us if they wished to talk. We asked for all of their names so invites could be printed up and they were very excited! They asked about their invite daily until they were received! No invite, no admission was our policy.

The day arrived and all 25 young men walked through the gate freshly bathed with invite in hand…outside of one. We had a joyous time together playing games, eating, and watching the Jesus Film in their local language. At 4 p.m., when their bus station was busiest, we thanked them for coming and said, “Now you know where to find us! You are welcome here anytime!” The guys didn’t budge.

We asked our translator why they weren’t leaving and she didn’t know. Marci felt compelled to ask them, “If CWO could do anything for you, what would it be?” The translator was very hesitant to ask the question believing they would ask for money. Marci felt even more compelled and insisted the question be asked.

It turns out that each bus station is its own gang. You don’t mix the guys of different stations together. The leader of this station was Big George at that time. Big George stood up and said, “Ok, #1. We don’t know how to read so we don’t know what the Bible says. We know that the way we are living isn’t pleasing to God, but if you could teach us what the Bible says, we’d be grateful.” Marci said, “We can do that.” He continued, “#2, our families and society talk down to us and criticize us all the time. If you could encourage us, we’d be grateful for that.” Marci again said, “We can do that too.” Lastly he stated, “#3, if you could get us a new job, we’d be very grateful. Our jobs are so demeaning that we get drunk just to do the job. If you could get us new jobs, we’d be grateful. BUT, please don’t give us the job first. Teach us the Word of God, encourage us to change, and then when you’ve seen us change, give us a new job. If you give us the job first, our alcoholism will ruin it.” Then Big George sat down. We committed to helping with those three things in their lives.

Before leaving, one of them yelled, “When are we doing this again?!” We quickly calculated the cost of the lunch and activities – having thought this was a one-time thing – and suggested they come in two weeks. They agreed with cheers as they ran out the door.

That was in January of 2003. We have met with the same group of men (minus the 15 we have buried) every other Friday since then. We have added some men through the years and some have shifted to other towns, but we are still a tight knit family who loves each other through the sorrows, the challenges, and the joys of life. Most importantly, they have experienced (and tested!) the unconditional love of Christ at CWO and found freedom in His love. We call these men our “nephews” because we are called their “Auntie and Uncle”. It only seems appropriate…and makes it clear we are a family.

We cannot think of a more rewarding “job” to be given than this. Each day we get to love those who feel unlovable, and in the process, help their eyes be opened to the truth and love of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

As I travel back home from a trip to Zimbabwe I cannot help but think about short-term team members returning home from mission trips.  The question that should be on the minds of all short-term team members is, “What’s next?”  How have I changed?  Where do I go from here?  What do I do with this experience?

I mentioned in blog #2 that the CWO team application asks the question, “How do you plan to use this experience when you return home?”  I am not sure most team members really know how to answer this question, but hopefully it makes each person begin thinking about the next step after returning home even before they leave on their trip.

To me the most important part of team training is about returning home.  Not that preparing is less important, but I think we all expect to have some culture shock when going to another country because in some way we know it will be different than our daily lives at home.  We go prepared to experience different foods, language, lifestyles and to see that not everyone has everything they want or need.

I do not think we expect to have culture shock when we return home.  We do not think about the change that has happened to us.  We do not think about our world view being changed and how that will affect our return home.  We do not always realize that we have changed during our short-term trip, but we have.  We expect to go back to something familiar but that is the time when we come to the realization that we have changed through our experience.

Preparing for our return home by understanding we have changed and thinking about what we will do with this experience will make the transition back home much easier.  It will help in setting our expectations for ourselves and for others as we return to our homes, our work or school, and our family and friends as a changed person.

We try to help CWO team members by setting their expectations of what it will be like to return home.  Returning team members should expect to deal with some level of adjustment and they should give themselves some time to process all they have experienced.  Each team member needs to remember that they are the one who had this experience so they should not expect others to understand the change or get frustrated when people no longer want to hear about their trip or look at all the pictures they took.

What you need to do is be honest in how you feel but have patience with others as you try to explain the change in you.  It is always helpful to stay in contact with other team members because they will understand what you have experienced and will know how to pray for you during this adjustment.

What’s next?  It will be different for each of us as we process the experience we have had serving on a short-term team.  Some will take this experience and be better stewards of what God has given them.  Some will use this experience to advocate for those who are in need.  Some will serve as volunteers or become staff members for the organization they served with during their trip.  And just maybe some will become long-term missionaries.

So, as you consider being a part of a short-term team, begin preparing now.  Go to God first, check your motivation, research organizations, set your expectations, and get ready for God to change your life.

If you are interested in joining a CWO short-term trip or have a group that is interested in serving. Contact us at information@cwomissions.org. We’re here to help!

It is Valentine’s Day, 1980.

I am so happy to have my own little apt in Petionville, Haiti.  There is no A/C and it is hot, but I can open the windows.  Sometimes I have running water, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I have electricity, sometimes I don’t. The chameleons get inside, so do the cockroaches.  That’s life in Haiti.

CWO now has a beautiful office.  It took 6 months to get this office.  Things move slowly in Haiti.

LeRoy Dick arrived to start CWOs literacy program.  Five young, Haitian adults were trained in teaching literacy, now that Leroy has returned to the states, I will follow up.

How do I describe what it is like to watch a 14 young old girl with a baby, no home, no education, no job – learn to read and write?  She starts to put the sounds together, then those sounds become words, and then she associates those words with the things of life.  Wow! One of our literacy students passed a piece of paper to me, on it was written Mathude Usma.  It was the first time she had written her name.  I will never forget that name, nor the pride on her face. This will abundantly improve their lives.  She can get a job. Her children will learn to read and write. She will be able to read her Bible. I love this!

In Phys Ed class, one of my students, Kathleen, told me the following story:  Her father died a year ago and they attribute his death to a voodoo curse. He was visiting in the states and someone from Haiti mailed him a voodoo symbol.  A week later he died.  I was able to share with her that through Christ there is power over Satan.  She wanted to know what it meant to be a Christian and I had the opportunity to share with her.

Haiti is saturated with the evil and power of voodoo, it permeates the culture.  There is Mardi Gras, a voodoo emblem hanging from a tree to scare away evil from a garden, the fear of death, the sounds of the voodoo drums… But the power of the Gospel breaks those chains of evil.

I have been here for six months (May 1980). It hasn’t been easy. There have been several times when God and I have had a conversation where I have said, “it is a good thing I know You sent me here or I would leave.”  Of course, God didn’t say it would be easy, but He promised He would be with me as I go through my daily life here.

I wonder if friends and family know how encouraging it is when I receive mail. Do my financial and prayer supporters know how much I appreciate them? I travel back to the US for Christmas. I am so excited to visit family and friends. The last 6 months have changed me. How do I explain what it is like?

The precious faces of the children, I will miss seeing them.

It is Jan 6 and tomorrow I fly back to Haiti. It has been wonderful to be home in PA.  When my sister, Sharon visited me in Haiti, she wrote a poem, I would like to share it with you.

Love is a Bridge
by Sharon Pasquariello

Staring black faces
That question our presence.
Where did we come from?
Why are we here?
They stop in their footsteps
And intensely look on
Hoping to find out
Just what’s going on.
Their sparkling eyes
That continuously ask why
See an answer forthcoming
In a person’s soft smile.
Their faces start forming
A hesitant smile
That’s pleading for love
And a heart that will care.
Language is a barrier
That’s hard to cross over
But love is a bridge
That can overcome all.

Staring black faces
Lining the streets
With heavy loads mounted
On top of their heads.
Their bodies move gracefully
Flowing along
Over mountains of feelings
Through rivers of needs
Across deserts of heartaches
And valleys of fears.
And over the barrier of language
That’s hard to cross over.
Yes, love is a bridge
That can overcome all,
The questions, the heartaches,
The staring black faces
Will understand love
God’s language of all.