Sundays

Wednesdays

Also, be on the lookout for small groups starting up soon!

Pictured above: (Top, L to R) Daria McCoy, Tyler Thames, Corrinne Allen, Kelcie Howard, Allison Volk, Jordan Langworthy. (Bottom, L to R) Jenna Correll, Jennifer Mitchell, Marianna Fountain, Dee Gentry, Kelley Beth [...]]]> Congratulations to the 23 college graduates who were recognized last Sunday, April 28, in the Crossroads service!

Pictured above: (Top, L to R) Daria McCoy, Tyler Thames, Corrinne Allen, Kelcie Howard, Allison Volk, Jordan Langworthy. (Bottom, L to R) Jenna Correll, Jennifer Mitchell, Marianna Fountain, Dee Gentry, Kelley Beth Brashier

Auditions will be Tuesday, April 23 from 8:30 p.m.-10:00.

Apply here!

Come prepared to

Not ready to showcase? Come join us for the excitement! We’ll be collecting children’s size flip flops to go to New Life [...]]]> If you’ve got skills, we’re ready to see them! Join us for Open Mic Night and show us what you’ve got! Sign up with Jared tonight to perform next Wednesday April 25!

Not ready to showcase? Come join us for the excitement! We’ll be collecting children’s size flip flops to go to New Life Children’s Home in Haiti!

So grab your instrument (guitar, accordion, kazoo, etc.), your friends, and a pair of flip-flops and we’ll see you there!

Hailey Elder, a freshman at Mississippi College from Tomball, Texas, shares her experience.

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“Truly I tell [...]]]> This Spring Break, Kaleo College ministry took a team of eleven college students and four adults to New Life Children’s home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Hailey Elder, a freshman at Mississippi College from Tomball, Texas, shares her experience.

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“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40

God completely broke my heart this past spring break and I know and that the pieces will never fit together as they did before. He opened my eyes to a whole new way of life that is only 700 miles from our coastline. He showed our team examples of beauty in the ashes and what it means to have His power made perfect in our weaknesses. He moved in radical ways.

View from the tap-tap

As our plane flew over Haiti you could see the poverty and devastation radiating from the land. So many thoughts and emotions flooded my head as I wondered what the next seven days would bring. After we landed, a “Tap-Tap” (a modern covered wagon used for public transportation) drove our team through the capital city of Port-au-Prince, and culture shock began to seep in as the smells, sounds, and sights became our reality. There was trash, rubble, people, cars, and shacks everywhere. We passed girls carrying huge loads on top of their heads and people gathering water out of the sewage drains. Just as our minds began to process this world, we encountered a completely different one upon our arrival to New Life Children’s Home. It was like an oasis in the middle of a desert; the buildings were all brightly painted, and it was the first grass and trees that we seen. We dropped off our baggage into our simple rooms, threw away our American way of thinking, and then quickly found ourselves walking towards the orphanage. We were anxious and excited to meet the kids that would all find ways to wiggle into our arms and hearts over the next week. Within a few moments, we stumbled upon about 15 kids in wheelchairs and my heart leapt with excitement. You see, I have two younger siblings with special needs and my father is the director of Camp Blessing, a Christian camp for children/young adults with physical and mental disabilities. Living life around people who are “different” in the eyes of the world has created a desire inside of me to share the news that those who are “different” are not broken, but are more complete than we will ever be. Like the blind man mentioned in John chapter 9, they too are created “so that the works of God might be displayed in [them]”. These beautiful children, bound by the metal of their chairs, are not mistakes; for God is incapable of making a mistake. They are not lacking perfection for they are created with purpose. I continue to find comfort in reading 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” This makes me ridiculously excited about the day in Heaven when they will be the ones to scoop me up and twirl me around in their arms. The day when they will totally beat me in a race down the streets paved with gold. The day when we will all have the glorious bodies that Paul talks about in Philippians and the ability and desire to praise our Savior with everything inside of us as citizens of high heaven.

It was love at first sight with one particular little girl named Isabella. She is around 6 years old and has Cerebral Palsy

Hailey and Isabella

that has led to the paralysis of all four of her limbs. This doesn’t mean for a second that she is deprived of happiness; in fact I have never seen anyone smile a bigger smile and be more excited about the simple things in life. All you had to do was look into those beautiful brown eyes or hold her tiny hands, and she would burst into laughter. She was definitely my daily dose of much needed joy.

One of my biggest struggles while we were there was comparison. I came from a camp perspective where each camper has their own counselor, the activities are accessible to all, and we do everything to make sure that this is the best week of their lives to let them know that we love them. I had to realize that New Life is not a camp, the kids there aren’t going home after a week, and they don’t have mommies and daddies that are going to come and pick them up and cry tears of joy at the end of the week. New Life is home. They don’t have one specific person there to love and care for them alone, maybe one for every 20 kids. Those who were handicapped didn’t have properly fitting wheelchairs, they didn’t have much social interaction, they didn’t have educational programs they could attend, and they did not have the medical interventions to stop their scoliosis from completely twisting their spines. Most were abandoned when they were young because any deformity or abnormality is seen as a curse to the family in a culture of Voodoo.  Many of the other children have recovered from severe malnutrition and other diseases caused by lack of protein and clean water. Despite all of this, they are completely content sitting under the mango tree day after day. They are happy being quiet observers of the craziness going on around them. I’m so thankful that even while looking at all of this so called sorrow through my “American eyes”, God allowed us to see with His eyes. We were given one week to love them. One week to believe in them. One week to hold them whenever possible. One week to provide hands to hold, laps to sit on, and shoulders to fall asleep on. One week to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Guerly

It rained almost every night we were there and it was beautiful to watch and listen to, but it also humbling to think about all of those without a roof over their heads and all of the people who needed this storm as their sole source of clean water for the next day. At church we were reminded of the fact that God is definitely not limited to English as we experienced the beauty of worshipping in two languages simultaneously. Their pastor was trying to teach the children what it means and looks like to worship from the heart. He encouraged them to raise their arms and close their eyes.  I raised one of mine and kept the other hand intertwined with Guerly, a handsome twelve year old boy whose scoliosis has taken away his ability to hear and speak, as well as a lot of his muscle movement which has his confined to a wheelchair. One might think that for him, sitting through that church service was pointless because he can’t possibly know what is going on around him, but this is not the case. As the pastor continued to teach in Creole and the music continued to play, Guerly released his grip from my fingers and pushed my arm up, forcing me to worship wholly and unashamed. It was such a humbling and beautiful reminder of what praising God should be like, a room full of children surrendering it all.

Throughout the rest of the week God taught us so much as we simply lived life Haitian style. Our sins becoming “white as snow” took on a whole new meaning as we learned how to tediously wash clothes by hand. Simple joy became very real as we painted with water for hours on end. Victory in Christ became new and exciting all over again as we performed the epic story of David and Goliath for kids who acted as though they had just watched the real thing. We learned an immeasurable amount of patience while feeding never ending bowls of “pea soup”. Praising God in all circumstances was displayed as we accompanied the children on their first bus ride ever, sitting at least 6 per seat, sweating profusely with 70 lb “human blankets” on our laps. We never actually got to get off because plans fell through, but we sang praise and worship songs throughout the entire drive. Fruits of our labor were evident and welcomed with the appreciative smile of the nannies after we helped bathe and feed the handicapped children. The power of unity was experienced as we all contributed to the painting/tiling/grouting of a room for a new pastor. Time became a concept of little importance which forced us to be flexible about the ever-possible potential plan for every hour of the day; we learned to live in the moment. We felt the power of worship and prayers overflow and give us much needed supernatural energy, joy, and peace.  We got a snapshot of what it looks like to rest in the arms of Christ as we held sleeping children on our laps for hours on end. I learned humility through the gradual letting go of a “Martha spirit” and allowing myself time to rest, depend, and be served by the amazing people on our team. They were beautiful examples of what it means to have a “Mary spirit”, reminding me that it is okay not to constantly be working with your hands, but sometimes more beneficial solely from the heart. Getting to wash the feet of EVERY child was an amazing experience and such a tangible picture of our servant Savior washing the nasty dirty feet of the people he treasured most in his earthly life. We got hit in the face with life perspective as we listened to a young girl thank God for the air she gets to breathe as she sleeps on a concrete floor, is without parents, without running water, and without many of the things in life we deem “essential”. Undignified became an outfit of choice as we sang an immeasurable number of David Crowder’s “La la la la HEYs!” and literally danced and sang to be mad for our King, with nothing hindering us, for there was indeed passion in our souls.

These are just a few of the infinite number of amazing things God did to us and through us as he showed us what it sounds like to have a heart that beats to the rhythm of his own. I’ve heard it said that we were born with a “defective” heart, and that it must be broken before it can be put back together right so that the blood of the lamb is flowing through us. I want this heart of mine to beat with purpose, knowing that God has me right HERE right NOW for a reason. No matter how much our whole team would rather be in Haiti, we can rest in the truth of Revelation 21:4-5 “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” It is amazing to know we will see them again!

Haiti 2012 Team

Apply online here.

Talk to Tim or Drew for [...]]]> Interested in serving on the leadership team for fall 2012?  Here are the basic requirements:

• Join Morrison Heights
• Attend the Path and midweek worship
• Attend student leader retreats (September 1-2, 2012) and weekly meetings (Sundays at 4:30)
• Lead a weekly small group or other ministry

Apply online here.

Talk to Tim or Drew for more details.

Easter Wednesday Celebration Wednesday, April 4 at 6 PM

Kaleo Wednesday, April 4 at 7:05

Maundy Thursday Service Thursday, April 5 at 7 PM

Secret Church Friday, April 6 at 6 PM

Easter Sunday Services Sunday, April 8 at 9 & 10:45 [...]]]> Here’s what Morrison Heights has coming up for Easter:

Easter Wednesday Celebration
Wednesday, April 4 at 6 PM

Kaleo
Wednesday, April 4 at 7:05

Maundy Thursday Service
Thursday, April 5 at 7 PM

Secret Church
Friday, April 6 at 6 PM

Easter Sunday Services
Sunday, April 8 at 9 & 10:45 AM