Sorry for the lack of updates lately.  We’ve been spread pretty thin for the past few days.  God has continued to open up new doors for us and we’re trying our best to keep up.  Over the past week or so I’ve had several amazing conversations with people that have gotten me even more excited about what we’re doing here at Bedouins.  The main theme of those conversations has been that people are starting to look outward.  It seems that everywhere you look people are starting to get involved with things in other countries…and it’s becoming increasingly popular to reach out to the nations that are in need.  A friend put it perfectly at lunch today when he said to me, “Even in the main stream it’s become the trendy thing to do, getting out there and helping in other countries, and that is such a great thing.”

I couldn’t agree more.  In a country that is SO overly trend-addicted it’s great to see a trend happening that’s making a difference in the world.  So where do we fit in to the new trend?  That’s what’s been on my mind…with everyone starting to move in a global direction, where does Bedouins fit in?  Well, I can tell you where we’ve been and where we are right now…but as to where we’re going, I have no clue!  But, you can rest assured that God knows…and that’s enough for me.  We’re in this because we have a tremendous heart for the nations.  We’re in this because we have a great sense of urgency in the gospel making it to every tribe, tongue and Nation.  We’re in this because we have the skills to help make that happen in the world today, and mostly we’re in this because that’s where God has us right now.  As far as where we’ll go, I can only hope for a great surprise…every step thus far has been one!

For now I can tell you this:  We’ll be here in Birmingham for a while, working on the Haiti project and starting several new projects with ministries around the U.S. who are doing amazing things in their communities and in other nations.  We have done a small restructuring of how we function in that we are now taking on paying jobs in order to help finance the free ones.  It’s a move that we and our board feel is going to open up a lot of doors and help us continue to push full speed ahead with this.  I’ll update you guys as we move forward with new projects.  As always, please keep us in your prayers as we continue to wade our way though this thing that we call Bedouins.

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading…

-Stephen

I know that this has been getting a little play on the web lately so I thought that I’d post it up here for all of you avid Bedouins followers to check out. Our good friend Biscuet came over the other day on his way to China and popped into our office for a quick interview with me about our recent trips and Bedouins in general. Check it out. Also, go pay Biscuet a visit. Thanks for all of your help and support Biscuet! Good luck in China!

-Stephen

Interview with Bedouins International from Jonathan Smyth on Vimeo.

Processing. That’s the best description of the past few days. And I believe that it’ll stay that way for quite some time. Our trip to Haiti was AMAZING. Right now, that’s the best I can do. But as I continue to process I’m sure that God will widen my vocabulary for the trip. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts (way back), I’m a photographer. It’s just part of me. God made me that way, and the best I can do is grab hold of it and run with it in whatever direction God sends me. I bring this up because my posts will tend to be photo heavy. At least compared to the others in Bedouins who are contributing to this blog. I guess it’s just part of how I think…so…in sticking with that, here’s a photo that I just got back (the film arrived while I was in Haiti) from our day at En Fuego. We mentioned it before, but for those of you not familiar, En Fuego is a huge christian festival that is free. Yup. Free. Unfortunately the remnants of one of the hurricanes was hitting us right as it happened. But anyways…here’s Jessi at our booth, boasting our brand new Banner! I’ll be back soon with tons more photos from Haiti and many many stories…just as soon as my mind can wrap itself around it all. For now…thanks for keeping up with us! Cheers!

-Stephen

We arrived back in Birmingham, AL around 8:15 pm last night. I can’t describe everyone’s feelings from the trip, although I can certainly describe mine. Haiti is an absolutely gorgeous country filled with secret beaches, endless green mountains, and undiscovered French architecture. The cities are in ruins due to poor education, but Haiti has so much more to offer. The world likes to point at Haiti as a disaster, especially after the hurricanes; yet Haiti has some of the most beautiful countryside I have ever encountered. Anyway, I am going to follow-up my latest blog.
First I want to state this- none of us are good people. Certainly some of the characters may rub off as bad guys or good guys. But that’s just this story. I can think of about 3 stories that I am the bad guy in. So I don’t write to provide judgment, I simply state the facts and provide the reader some substance. We all need a lot of progress toward seeking true righteousness, that’s for sure.

Characters:

Landon: An ambitious pastor from Birmingham, AL seeking holiness as if he were searching for the Holy Grail. He is willing to go anywhere to find the taste of true righteousness. The Haitian salesmen sought him as an easy target with his laid-back approachability. He is new to poverty, but Haiti etched it right into his skin. He seems to have a weak colon, due to his frequent sickliness; maybe he’s just lovesick due to lengthy separation from his fiance. Landon is Landon.

Phil: Some may coin him a con artist. Certain Haitians describe him as a gangster pastor. Basically, the story is that he is a Haitian American who helped start a school with Anne; well at least he provided the land to start the school.  As far as help exists after that- taking profit from the teachers, selling medical supplies and school buses for profit, as well as trying to hide all of this through unintelligent deception pretty much describes all the help he had to offer Anne. He would not be described as a talented con man, but rather a very poor one. Just stating the facts.

Shamus: One word describes Shamus- ELUSIVE. He could be a secret agent or possibly a drug lord. No one knows exactly who he is or what he does for sure. He’s a very clean cut and smooth New Zealander. He has that perfect accent. He loved to ask questions; he especially wondered about the ritual of Voodoo. As far as his secret life goes, one can only wonder.

Awkward Canadian-Haitian Journalist: He has crooked eyes but seem to be a sweet guy. He always has a comment about everything; he doesn’t mind stepping in other people’s business. But I guess that makes him a quality journalist. For 48 years he has lived in Haiti, he isn’t for sure if it’s better or worse. Lastly, he believes that Shamus is a Drug Lord. But who really knows?

Druggie Bracelet Man: Troublemaker. He is always waiting to sell bracelets to everyone. Like almost all the other Haitians he is poor. He is known as the local druggie. He made Stephen wet his pants in an adventurous scene called the “Airport Fiasco”. See this link for details: Adventure
Drunk Lady from the Village: Always asks for food, yet when offered some she says she doesn’t want that food. She also performs erotic dance moves around unwell people. (me)

Necklace Lady: She knows 3 English key phrases: “3 for 5 dollars!”-“Don’t forget about me.”-“Blue light special!”… That’s all she needs considering she follows everyone around town and almost demands the sale be made. She eventually picked off every single American by the end of the journey. Well done.

So that’s about all I can think of right now. I have a very poor memory very similar to a fish.  I hope you’ve enjoyed some of the characters from the trip. We can’t wait to start editing and get this amazing material out. It’s good to be back home, I guess, into all this materialism. Ugh. That’s a whole different subject.

Peace,
Roger

So it’s my turn… I am slightly intimidated. I am here to tell of my delicate thoughts so far on this journey in Haiti. But “I” get in the way of myself often. Let me begin by stating the title of this blog- “Characters”. Okay, I said it. Now in your mind you are probably thinking of Joey from Dawson’s Creek, Jonas from the novel The Giver, or Mariner from the post apocalyptic film “Waterworld.” In actuality, as unique as those characters may seem, the characters in the adventure we are on are equally peculiar. I will name a few of the main characters and follow by a brief description:

Bedouins: Soft, city folk who are love-stricken by cheeseburgers, streetlights, and air-conditioning, they seem to believe that the world revolves completely around their comfort and pleasure. They find themselves utterly distraught that nothing works out as planned in the new culture, and miss their mommies a lot. (I love you mom.) Yet they are searching after the will of God in their journey through Haiti.

Anne and Stephanie: The mother and daughter duo that asked Bedouins to join them on a mission to move Haiti in the right direction by providing the centerpiece to transformation- education. Anne is eccentric and appears to be excited about almost everything. She is eager and refuses to give up on the beautiful Haitian people despite MUCH opposition. She often uses phrases such as “Are you kidding me?!” and “WOW!” to name a few. Stephanie is the daughter Anne dreamed of having; she is narcoleptic and very well educated, but most importantly- her heart is wrapped around the idea of a Haitian economic revolution. Anne and Stephanie are so genuine, which draws others to them. Although they find themselves very frustrated they never surrender.

Alan: Often called “Superman” because of his ability to be at the right place at the right time. He is a lifetime Haitian with a knack for leadership. Although the Americans make fools of themselves amongst the Haitians he never lets the Haitians bully or bad-mouth them. He has a beautiful heart. He is the caretaker for the uneducated, and gives all he can give. He is found either exerting every bit of energy he has for the good of others or feeling utterly exhausted; sometimes a combination of both. He is the bright beginning to a challenging but hopeful future for Haiti.

Ok so if you haven’t noticed, these all seem like the good guys. Well it just so happens that I don’t have time to tell you about the bad guys yet. I will tell you about them next time… possibly. But I need to tell you what we did yesterday before I close.

Lets see. We went to a clinic that Anne and Stephanie support. Stephen, Paul, and Jessi watched a young boy from the newly discovered village we were telling you about in previous posts have his arm cut open for the infection to drain out. Yuck. I can’t watch that stuff. It kills me. The boy was brave and didn’t shed a tear. I know I would have. Soon after we took the boy and his mother back to the village, which is a two hour drive there and two hours back. So that pretty much encompasses our day. WAIT, something extremely important happened- Stephen was baptized in the Caribbean! Yep, our dear friend Landon led the ceremony. So congratulations Stephen! Anyway, I’ll finish the whole character thing soon. The bad guys I would say are a lot more peculiar. I think I will consider this post a teaser.

-Roger