Haiti 2014

September 3, 2014

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

​I thank God for giving me the opportunity to travel to Haiti.  All that God allowed me to do in Haiti is due to the blessing of your support; either through financing, volunteering, donating, or prayer.  I write this letter in an attempt to tell you about the strong people I have grown to love in a fourth world country.  I can’t begin to tell you about their faith in our Lord, or, in some cases, lack of.  I know that this letter will not do our Lord justice in telling of all His works in Haiti, but I will try.

During my recent trip in Haiti, I was given the opportunity to see more closely into the lives of the people.  It is easy for one to watch a circumstance from afar and feel disconnected.  I was blessed to become further connected to the hard lives that these children of God have.

Marie, Kim and I sponsor children and their families, in Vania’s house.

Marie Nash, Kim Rausch and I spent the first week of our trip in Port-au-Prince with our sponsor children.  We were welcomed into a cement block, two room house by Vania, the mother of two sponsor children, Stephanie and Joane.  This house, which few Americans would live in, had eight people staying in it when we visited.  It was tucked between other houses with maybe 3 feet between them.  We walked down a bumpy, crowded, dirt alley to get to the house.  Vania does her cooking and laundry in the small area between her house and the next.  God has blessed Vania’s family with a home and all children have sponsorship to be in school.  Yet, while with them, we saw needs that were not filled.  One can see the sun shining through their roof.  Vania has high blood pressure and few resources to help her.  The girls needed simple things like bras and food!  While meeting Samuel, another sponsor child, I saw his need for a dentist and shoes.  Samuel had great pain in his mouth and was wearing girl shoes that were too small for him.

I give you these examples to help you understand how many Haitians just live without many of their needs.  Some live without a proper home, without clothes, without food, without school, or without parents.  Yet many believe God has blessed them with hope and they are thankful for what they do have, life in Him.

The second week of our journey was spent in Ti-Goave with the addition of two more people to our team, Jake Houck and Tiffany Holder.  This is the same village that I have been at the past two years.  We were able to have a teacher in-service with 48 teachers and directors from the area.  We were seeing some of these individuals for the third year in a row and others we were meeting for the first time.  We educated the teachers on the different functions of the left and right side of the brain.  We also gave them ideas for how they can rejuvenate students who are hungry and fatigued.  The activities we gave them used both sides of the brain causing the two circumferences to work together.

We visited Jean and his family while traveling the mountains.  He does not yet call himself Christian, but was still happy to have us come.  We shared the Gospel with him, prayed over him and his family, and sang praise to God.  He wished for a Bible before we left him.

My desire since 2010 has been to hike to the tallest point of the mountains in the Ti-Goave area.  Well, I was finally blessed to make this difficult trek up to that part of Ti-Goave and all over the area’s mountains.  Our team traveled to several schools in the area.  We looked at the conditions that they were teaching in, with hopes of having a better handle on the conditions they teach in and how we may serve them in the future.  We also traveled to some of the teachers houses and prayed with their families.  The teachers, directors, and families need to know that we care about them.  They work hard and make due in rough conditions.  I met a teacher and a student that hike 60-80 minutes a day to get to school.  They do not complain, they are happy for the opportunity.  There are no water fountains along the way or paved walk ways.  They simply have our Lord and the determination to keep their job or receive an education.

Many people have asked me if I noticed progress while in Haiti.  I noticed some paved roads that were not constructed in 2013. There are less people living among rubble and more people living in a simple shack or tent. 

However, the progress that I see most is in the relationships that are being built.  I see youth that have grown over the last 3 years into men that take care of me as I climb mountains.  I see their character developing as they come to youth group or help those younger than they are.

I see my sponsor children and the children of others growing with the knowledge that someone cares enough to make sure they receive an education.  Those of you who have a sponsor child, I wish you could see their parents eyes when they thank you.  One feels undeserving of the gratitude that God has allowed you to receive from their family.  Please remember that only 30% of Haitians graduate from high school, even less go to college, and there is slim to no free public education offered in Haiti.

Jon

One of the most profound examples of relationships helping God’s people flourish, is a young boy/man named Jon.  Jon was found wandering in the mountains with no place to call home.  His parents are dead, his siblings are nowhere to be found, and his elderly grandparents have no claim to him.  Jon is deaf.  Before Jon came in contact with me, he slept on the side of the road, in a bush, wherever he thought was best.  Jon’s age, how he was fed, how he has survived are all a mystery.  Meaningful mission has taken Jon in.  They have given him a place to sleep, food to eat, attempted to share the Gospel with him, and we love him.  Jon is one of the happiest people I have ever seen.  He loves to participate in daily routines like putting his cot away, brushing his teeth, and helping clean up after meals.   He understands almost everything you tell him through actions.  He looks out for those around him and has instinct to care for those that are younger than he. Jon wants to learn and sucks up every bit of information he observes.  How God will use Jon in the future is a mystery to me, but He has already taught me what a blessing it is to reach out and love the unloved.

Thank you for allowing me to go and love the unloved.  Your support means more than you will ever know.  God grant you thankfulness for your blessings and continued use of them.

 

In Christ,

Michael 

 

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Phil. 4:13

Visiting our sponsor kids

Today was a day of family! Thank you lord for answered prayers! It was a great blessing to meet vania, Stephanie and Joanne's mom. We even got to meet their old sister, Valanta. Tania and dania are Samuel's mom and little sister. Vania is a caring momma that gave us honest answers to our questions, smiled at us during our conversations, tease me and was firm guide to her children. She either coaxed Stephanie to fan me with a lid or did it herself. Valanta was introduced to us after marie, kim and I covered Joanne in hugs. They surprise us by walking into our hotel room. Valanta seems calm and her and Joanne look at each other marie and kim do. They giggled together and it made me wonder what sisterly inside joke they had. Joanne had the same kind smile and sincere hugs. She was wearing the same shirt as last year. Stephanie is taller and reserved around her mama. She sat by me for a long time and would fan me or play with my hair. Vania said that Stephanie and Joanne were social in school, which sometimes gets in the way of their studies. She also said they don't always understand the easiest. Still, Joanne passed the government test. Stephanie and jerry took theirs this year. Samuel seems so fragile & innocent. He says what his mama, vania,  plus all the other older girls and jerry tell him too. He said his favorite color is green. He like cars and reading. He stutter, despite me making fun of him. He walked up to me and I lifted him like a feather and hugged his little body. He sat on someone's lap almost the entire time we visited. Samuel's mom name is Tania. She seems very young, but has lots of responsibility. She used to live in port-au-prince but moved three hours away where it is less expensive to live. She seems very willing to let vania guide her children. She is even leaving Dania her sweet daughter with vania for an unset amount of time. She did all that because she can't afford to take care of her. 

Dania seems shy at first, but by the end of our time together, she was being scolded for asking to keep my Haiti necklace. She would mutter to me or anyone else that was holding her. 

Our time in vania he was pleasant as it could be. We learned about each other. We talked about our experiences with each other and she send us our way with a prayer.

Michael V. Reynold

Being grateful

We are all in control of our emotions whether they are positive or negative. Every situation we encounter through life can conjure up a host of emotions some of which at first appear to require negative thoughts. 

For example, let's say that you really are sick and tired of what you do for a living, and, your boss is a complete jerk showing no appreciation whatsoever for your hard and dedicated work. 

Obviously, when you think about this work environment your emotional language says negative. The strong message you should be receiving, then, is that it's time for you to make a change. But, this emotion doesn't mean quitting instantly. What it means is that you should change your negative to a positive by looking at your dissatisfaction as the fuel to propel you to search for a new job. 

So how does this dissatisfaction with work have to do with being grateful? First, you should be giving thanks that you have a job. The old saying is true - it's easier to find a new job when you already have one. Be grateful that you have the ability and confidence to search for a new job or career. Be thankful that you have the ability to move beyond moaning and complaining to one of action. Be grateful that you can see a future much rosier rather than most who seem to be content with suffering as if it is something to be proud of. 

Being grateful puts your energy to good use rather than letting negative energy occupy your thoughts, your leisure time, and hating the dreaded Monday morning and the return to a job you despise. Let gratefulness move you to look forward with excited expectation that Monday morning gives you another opportunity to direct your energy to look forward to finding a new and more satisfying opportunity. Be grateful that you've seen the light to move beyond self-pity that strangles countless individuals condemning them to a life of misery. 

Without failure, there is no success. Without gratefulness there is no energy left to move forward. Moaning and complaining attracts more moaning and complaining. Release yourself from this vicious circle by being thankful that you can direct your energy to greater things. 

To be thankful also means that you are willing to share your thoughts, feelings, good times, bad times, and energy with all those who have need of your caring, kindness and affection. To have the opportunity to give also means that over time you will also receive. 

The emotional energy that it takes to be negative is also the same energy that it takes to be positive. You choose everyday how you will react to events that cross your path just like those frustrations that you allow yourself to react to. 

The most important point to consider is that there are no events that happen that are emotionally charged – the events do not have power, will, or influence unless you give power to them. You are always in control of your complete being – it is not given to anyone, or anything unless you give it. 

There are many, many things in life to be grateful for and one of those most prized possessions is your own ability to cast your own net, to sail where you want to, to set a destination that will provide you with all those attributes that contribute to the well-being of your own soul and that of others. You have the total power to be anything, to provide for life, to help others when they are down, to influence a person who in turn can influence another and start a snowball effect of good. 

Michael V. Reynold. 

Moving forward

“Even your worst times have value and can become, in retrospect, your best times.”

- Andy Andrews, The Noticer

I remember a year ago, the pounding, the darkness, the pain that I was feeling. I felt like I was about to rupture. I had it all locked up tight within me, the feelings, the stubbornness, pride, ego, humility; my truth.

I got to a point when it felt like my heart was beating and pumping outside of my chest. The stress and anxiety were taking a toll on me physically, all stemming from my emotional baggage.

The pain was damaging not only myself, but the relationships and connections around me. I thought the longer I could hold it off and keep pushing it down the more likely it would go away. As I suppressed it only festered.

 

This point in my life was the lowest and I knew I had to do something about it. I knew slowly but surely I had to crack the exterior of my being to be able to fix what was brewing inside.

How?

How would be the journey of intentional self growth. It was a commitment I made, to me, to take care of myself first. I was the priority. I realized that if I am not my best self, I can’t give my best self to others, to those that need me most;

I committed to the process.

Though, I couldn’t tell you the process in detail, but I think it’s a level of intent with a mixture of deep desire to want to change that sheds light on the opportunities to take action on. The most important, though, is taking action.

I knew I wasn’t going to be given this key to turn and all of a sudden I would change. I knew it was going to take work, discipline and trust in the process; the journey.

This combination began to shape the lens in which I saw things; the opportunities. An opportunity presented itself when reading a book and listening to a podcast that would forever change my perspective and mindset I had on the source of all of this darkness.

It was discovering the in-between moments, slowing down and embracing the mundane.

See, up until that point I was in constant motion. I was always working and rushing towards the next big thing without noticing that my life was essentially becoming a blur.

I discovered how this very moment is a narrative to my story; my life. And at that point I realized how out of tune I was with both myself and the present moment. I realized how I was simply going through the motions.

This was ultimately the discovery that would open the door and nudge me towards self growth.

The transformation in which occurred had simply changed my life. The lens in which I saw things had shifted.

I now see the external circumstances, the failures and mistakes, that were causing such pain and stress differently. I am grateful for them. Without them I wouldn’t have had this opportunity to change, to reinvent. In fact, those exact circumstances are still in my life today, the only change, however, is how I choose to see them.

Part of this journey is instilling intentional actions that support self growth. Actions that act as a spring board in becoming a better version of yourself than you were the day before.

Committing to this journey I was slowly able to crack open the vulnerability vault; to dust off the deep and dark pockets of who I was. The things that have been suppressed and festering for so many years.

I began to quietly expose those things, through self reflection, journal writing and meditating. As this part of the journey unfolded, seeing my failures differently, being vulnerable, focusing on the present moment, the weight was gradually lifting off of my shoulders.

The more I exposed my vulnerabilities, the more pockets I began to discover within me, the freer I felt.

The pain in my chest has subsided. The stress I was used to carrying has vanished. It’s all because of the way I chose to view things. It’s all because I tossed my ego aside and started owning my mistakes and accepting my flaws.

It’s all because of the in-between moments, the present moment, the moments that are ultimately defining our lives. The very moments that are writing our story.

Committing to a journey of intentional self growth is trusting in the process and God.  It’s trusting that the pain you expose will lead you to growth; to a better version of yourself than you were the day before.

It’s trusting that the work you put in on your best days, will be your compass for your worst days. It’s understanding that this is a journey, a journey that travels through both mountaintops and low valley’s.

Take care of yourself first; spiritually, emotionally and physically.

Choose, and want, to connect with yourself on a daily and consistent basis; through reading, reflection, writing. It comes from within, from the soul, from the heart.

Take care of yourself first so you can truly give to others later, the best way you can and know how. To make a difference in, and be part of, something much

larger than yourself.

Looking back at your life, is there a failure or mistake that has changed because you now see.? 

Expectations from others..

Michael Vilien Reynold

June 1st 2014.

“When one’s expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have.” – Stephen Hawking

I used to live in a world crowded with expectation.

I had expectations of others, expectations of society, and expectations of myself. Then there were also the expectations others had of me.

Gone are those days! Well almost… let’s just say things have changed drastically.

 

I describe myself as an optimistic person. I like to be happy, I like to see others happy and I always strive to focus on the brighter side of life. Some might describe that as being a bit of an idealist, but personally I don’t see the point of going through life focusing on the doom and gloom.

So when people share good news with me, I am always happy for them and I always visually or verbally express that happiness for them.

If someone is having a rough time, I’ll always do my best to be empathetic. I’ll look for some practical solutions to help them with their challenges and do my best to cheer them up.

This is my default way of operating in life and so for years I expected other people to be the same. If I achieved something, I expected friends and family to congratulate me. When I was excited about a new opportunity, I expected those closest to me to be excited for me. If I was feeling low, I would expect people in my life to offer me support and empathy. However, as I have grown older, I’ve realised that life doesn’t work that way and that not everyone acts the same way I do.

For years I would feel let down, disappointed and sometimes hurt when someone close to me did not share the joy of my achievements. People I thought would be happy for me expressed little or no reaction to accomplishments that I was proud of. I just didn’t get it. I would think, if the shoe was on the other foot, I would be ecstatic for you, so why do you not feel the same for me?

One day it dawned on me, people have the right to feel and react anyway they choose. If I don’t like it or it upsets me, I too have a choice. I can choose who I share my achievements with. I can choose who I spend my time with and I can choose how I react to their response. In fact, their response is probably not even personal to me.

I have learned that people don’t disappoint you, your expectations of people do.

When you expect something and you don’t get it, of course you are going to feel let down. Expectations set you up for disappointment; however it is human nature to have them. The trick is to avoid becoming attached to your desired outcome.

I now accept that not everyone reacts or behaves in the same way as I do. Instead of investing my energy into working out why they do not appear happy for me, I focus on maintaining my own positive and optimistic outlook on life. Don’t get me wrong, it would still be great if all the people in my life are happy for me when I achieve a meaningful goal, however I no longer expect it of them.

I also recognise how important it is to surround yourself with positive, supportive people. I used to believe those people would be my family and friends, by default, but I now know that is not necessarily the case. Don’t get me wrong, I do have some supportive and encouraging people in my life; however I also had some that were not.

I realise that it is best not to expect a reaction from a person, which is different to their default. Instead, I find that it is better for me to spend more time with people who instinctively express joy for others.

Changing my expectations of others means I can truly enjoy my achievements as I no longer fear a negative response from others.

What expectations do you have that are having a negative effect on your life?

The devastating news..

On a Saturday night, my father called and left a message for me.  It was late, so I decided to call him the next day.  I listened to the message and he sounded better than he had in months, having battling radiation and chemo for such a long time. 

Fast forward to Sunday morning.  I was asleep when I heard the phone ring.  It was my mother and she was frantic.  “Your father is dying. I’m on my way to the hospital.” My father had been taken by ambulance to the hospital.  It was Memorial Day weekend and I was two and a half hours away in another city.  My brain shut down for a few seconds, unable to truly comprehend what was going on.  I repeated my mother’s words to my friends and went into a panic.  “Just go,” he said.  “I’ll be right behind you in ten minutes.”  I threw on some clothes, grabbed my car keys and sped down the highway. About twenty minutes later, my mom called again.  “Daddy died.  They tried working on him for an hour but they couldn’t save him.”

When your father passes away, there is a tremendous amount of sadness that is associated with his death.  It is indescribable.  As a little boy, I always imagined my father playing soccer with me,  the idea that my father would not be to play with me was overwhelming. It was a thought that I had never before contemplated.

Death is a part of life but nothing prepares you for the death of a parent.  You are suddenly planning a funeral, writing an obituary, and existing in a space between living and remembering that seems so foreign.  It took me a month before I truly grieved for my father and to grasp the fact that he was no longer here.  It was sparked by me trying to call him.  I scrolled through my cell phone for his number.  I had forgotten that he was gone.

My grandma was amazing during the entire grieving process.  Funerals are so similar to weddings because everyone comes out to celebrate a new life…without their loved one.  My grandma was there for me, and my entire family.  On Memorial Day, after spending two full days around my family, my aunt whispered in my ear, “He’s watching you" 

How your significant other supports you through a tragedy is extremely telling.  It is something that you cannot test out before it happens.  But my grandma made sure that she supported me in the way that I needed and my family was there to support me as well.  She acted without being asked. "the loss of my father was terrible, but my aunt was right, he is watching and I will never never forget how much I miss him."

A Life Story (With a Moral) June 20, 2014 | Michael V. Reynold

A Life Story (With a Moral)

June 20, 2014 | Michael V. Reynold

It’s funny how people sitting next to you on airplanes sometimes open up and like to talk. This happened to me last week with a gentleman who looked at me and decided I was a good person to talk to, or maybe I’m just a good listener.

He told me his whole financial life history. Don’t ask me why. I didn’t know him, and he didn’t know me, but I listened.

Identity stolen twice, divorced twice, both times expensive, and just remarried at age 66 to a somewhat younger woman who has significant debt.

Life’s twists and turns sometimes takes us in directions we would rather not go in, but still have to deal with.

His career has been varied. Fireman, CPA, boat captain, electrical engineer and now talking about retirement. He will be going from a high-income earner to a low-income retiree.

During our one sided conversation, one thing became very clear. He had been dealt some financial hurdles and had worked very hard to correct these issues, but these experiences had left him financially apprehensive.

Here are his concerns. Can he afford to retire? Can he manage on a substantially reduced income? Should he continue to work? Will his employer allow him to work, and if so, for how long? Should he become a consultant to permit supplementing his income? Will he need to sell his house? Will he need to sell his boat, which, next to his wife, he loves dearly?

Many questions with perhaps not the answers he wants to hear. Life’s twists and turns sometimes takes us in directions we would rather not go in, but still have to deal with.

The moral of the story is to plan for the future, protect your assets and work with skilled financial advisors. Life happens, so be prepared.