Saturday in Grand Goave

It has been an eventful day. We worked to get rooms ready for school to start on Monday. We cleaned trash, moved benches, hauled concrete bags and helped weld the windows and doors. We are lucky to have a group with various mechanical skills. I am not referring to myself :).

A few of us have learned patience. Trash is a big problem here. It gets burned or thrown in the river. While cleaning it up today, I struggled with why some problems can't be more easily solved. Mike and Brenda are patient with all our questions and help us understand the culture. We met a man that is starting a recycling center. This is great news to us!

We met other people today volunteering in Haiti. There are over 15,000 NGO's in this country. So many agencies trying to rebuild. We met a group building rubble houses. Really incredible process. Pictures are attached. We got multiple tours of houses in different stages. Along the way, we met a group of kids that yelled "Photo photo!" We quickly picked up the kids and they warmed up to big blanco John.

Please keep Jenny in your prayers. She hit her head when we were driving through town. She is the resident nurse for CBF. She is fine after some stitches at the local Cuban hospital.

A New Game

Friday evening the guys decided to create a baseball with duct tape and found a stick for a bat. I guess they didn't want to get beat again in soccer. So they started teaching Sam and quickly he smiled and laughed. Soon lots of other kids came to learn and play. Sports can bridge a communication gap quickly.

In the mornings and late evenings you can find our team on the house roof. I will send pics of our house later so you can see where we have been living. At night the sky is clear and full of stars. On Sat morning, a game of toss started with some neighbor children with us from the roof. You should be able to see the tent city behind them.

We are learning a few Creole words. The kids and adults alike are quick to teach us and correct our pronunciation. They love to ask our names.

Our team gets along so well. I could not have asked for a better group. You should be proud of them. To see 12 people live in one house and actually enjoy it is a miracle in itself. I am a better person for being around them this week. I would consider it a privilege.

We did have to face the reality today as we have grown closer to Sam that we can't just fix his life. It is heartbreaking to think that we won't see him again when we leave. The only way for me to reconcile is to think of Phillippians 4:8. I have to think on the things that are lovely and true and praiseworthy, or I will not be able to get past the sadness of the circumstances. I have to be thankful that we have these moments to share joy with him and that he got to eat a good meal since he worked with us. They are trying to avoid handouts here as they strive to teach principles for being self sufficient. When we have so much it is a hard pill to swallow. At least Sam gets to go to school on scholarship. That is praiseworthy.

Friday Update, Day 3

The boy that helped us yesterday that we mentioned came back and has worked with us all day. His name is Sam. He won't let us take his picture but I snapped one of him painting a chalkboard today when he wasn't looking. He gets to eat today. He saw us on the roof and figured out how to get there. He has decided it's a nice napping spot. Sam is warming up to us. Occasionally the girls can get him to smile. He has stolen our hearts.

The guys had some hard work shoveling sand and rock for the roof. It was interesting to watch how they build roofs. It took a few minutes for the Haitians to let them help, then in no time they were communicating as best they could. We were thankful for clouds that provided shade all morning.

We have glass bottle coke to drink here. No diet version, so Jeff would have a hard time in these conditions. Ken brought Starbucks ice coffee mix. He gets the superstar award today. We also award an idiot award daily. We share a lot of laughs!

We finished all the benches that were planned early! Mike G. has been cutting away and now our students can build them themselves. They love powertools. Mike H., our resident coordinator, asked if we wanted to do more. He sent them to the local hardware store and I quickly agreed we could afford to get materials to make more benches. Luke and Cole got to venture with our translator to purchase materials and enjoyed more soccer with a little girl not old enough to talk.

Today has been a great day of progress. Everyone is healthy so far. Your prayers are felt.

One Day of Work and a Game

We had a productive day on Thurs. We built enough school benches for a classroom which holds 53 students and is half the size of my daughter's class. We taught the Haitian workers and students how to use power tools. Only a couple speak English. They were eager to learn. We also taught them to put the benches together. It was a great experience.
We took a picture of the shower and bathroom facilities. The toilet is in the shower space. The tanks on top filter the water.

A group of kids came in the afternoon. They were eager for us to take their picture. The girls started grabbing our ponytails and braiding our hair. It was kind of painful but they were having fun. Then they started arguing with each other and Pam said "wow-a mom knows sassy in any language."

A sweet boy who has no father and is the oldest child in his family frequents the site. Brooke taught him how to use a wrench. He worked so hard all afternoon putting bolts on the benches. No English. He worked for food but he was proud to learn a new skill.

At the end of the day the guys picked up a game of soccer in the street with local kids. It was fun watching the kids beat them. Lots of laughter and some funny moves.

More later but best of luck to the Aggies today! 4 alums on this trip and 1 is a former Aggie football player. We all tivo'd the game so please refrain from telling us. Enjoy your day! We are off to work...

Group Picture

Day 1 Wrap Up

We are all settled in Grand Goave and ready for rest. The school job site is very interesting and impressive considering what we saw in the capital. Our job here is to serve along side the church here in Haiti. It's not a handout or us trying to change people. We are guests in their country and they have remarkable pride. It's difficult to grasp for us because it seems so desolate compared to our way of life back home.

They are very faithful people. When it seemed hard to see God amongst the extreme poverty, we can see it now in this area as they slowly rebuild this school which provides work for local people.

Many people lived in tents before the earthquake. We heard an estimate of 80%. Our house is surrounded by two tent cities that did emerge after the quake. It sounds like a tailgate party with live chickens. We had a pig family right outside our gate.

With all the anxiety of coming on this trip, we felt such a sense of peace today. We know your prayers were an important part of that.

Please pray for:
Rest and safety on the job site as we do construction projects.

That there be no barriers between us and the local workers as we try to understand each other.

Since the roosters crow at 4am, we are heading to bed early. Good night!

We are Here

We safely made it to Haiti. We felt a little under dressed on the plane from Miami to Haiti and I was starting to think it must not be so bad in Haiti. Then reality hit as we just drove from the airport through Port-au-Prince. 2 hrs to get through town as I write while riding in the cab of an open air truck. Can't wait to share the pic of our ride and luggage.

Points for today...

The people seem very pleasant and dressed very nicely considering their conditions.

We feel safe.

The destruction is unbelievable. The tents seem unimaginable yet children still smile and play.

The ocean is breathtaking, yet it's hard to see it beyond the poverty.

There are cows roaming behind tent cities. Animals freely roam the streets.

It's easy for me to have hope. Not sure how I would feel if I was born into these circumstances.

Don't travel with sub floor glue. TSA does not allow it and you may miss your flight. Who would have known.

When our flight was landing in Miami they announced connecting gates. Nassau Bay, Antigua, San Juan. We all laughed about how nice a tropical vacation would be. Now that we are here I can't imagine not being in Haiti right now with our team. I am not sure how you solve complex problems like poverty. I only know we serve a God that commands us to not ignore it.

John brought a flip video and we have cameras. Hopefully we can update with them when we return. Love to our families at home and thank you all for your prayers and support. More to come!