At 3 AM, the team house was fully awake and figures were moving this way and that, doing final packing, lining up suitcases, grabbing a quick breakfast, applying the last sprays of DEET. The Washingtonian contingent and Kester arose with us to say goodby. At 4 AM Bruce was at the door, and we loaded everything, plus two cases of MREs and a couple of tarps, for rain protetion. We took off quickly. Bruce stopped at Pastor Chrisbon's house to pick up some mail, and we received the news that Gonaive was half-flooded. Bruce took off like a scalded cat! Well, we got up to 20 MPH, anyway. In four-wheel drive, we bounced over the ruts, eased over rocks, and ocassionally travelled sideways through slick mud. At about 5 AM, the sun came up, and the puddles in the road mirrored the blue and pink of the sky and the clouds so perfectly that it looked like we were travelling on a thin crust of earth, with heaven above and below us.
We got to the river to find it was not too badly flooded to cross. We jumped out of the truck and, with luggage in hand, took off for the boats. Deborah and Sarah were carried into the first boat and all others got aboard safely. While they were in transit, a large truck headed toward our side of the river. The water was up over the engine, but the truck kept up speed, and to the cheers of crowds on both sides of the river, made it across, preceeded by a great bow wave, which caused us to scurry up the bank. The boat came back for the rest of us. Delores was supported as she went down to the boat, then it was my turn. I hit a slick spot in the mud and shot down the bank on my side and elbow -- no harm done, though. Jym followed me down, but I could not focus on him, as I was still picking my way along the dryer parts of the boat. Our trip across was uneventful. We hopped out of the boat, except one man decided to carry Jym ashore. As he lifted, he staggered sideways and we thought both would be in the river, but he recovered, and there was no further problem. Then for the half-mile hike to the airport. Made it! Deborah and Bruce handled the ticket transactions and to make a long story short, we caught the first plane out of Port de Paix -- sometimes the only plane to go. God truly blessed our trip. More to follow.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Day 8 - June 23 - Wednesday
I have put in much of the blog today. I am carefully monitoring Battery voltage, Amps in, Amps out, and bandwidth usage - God has blessed me with an abundance of these today, although Julie, one of the French "agrinomes" just came down to check the internet status. Their bandwidth requirements are heavy and their job is more important than this work.
The team is off to Foisson, except for Kester, Adam and Jordan, who left early this morning to do a cement pour on an 8-foot box culvert. I have loaded all the empty bottles I could find with water and put them in the refrigerator. They will be exhausted and burning up from that dry, dusty work. The others will be tired and thirsty, too. I am awaiting emails from people who know about radios and computers.
I think we will be adding more to the earlier blog entries, so please check back periodically. I know Deborah has written a lot, and we will try to post one picture from Sunday this evening, when we can find it.
That's all for today until the team returns. I have passed all that has shown up on the prayer chain to the team. We are keeping Carl, Liz, Dovie, the Manosos and others in our prayers.
It was a typical day on the work site. In Deborah's words, "As far as other events at the worksite at Foisson, we mostly did the same things each day. We continued to crush gravel, tie rebar, move dirt, dig in the holes, move boulders down from the hill. It was truly exciting to see the progress on the foundation. I was amazed at how hard the work was for the Haitians and our young adults who did the 'heavy lifting' work of digging out holes, rolling boulders, shoveling gravel, moving dirt, etc. The young adults really worked hard, as did the older adults. We all had our strengths and in the jobs we did, we all pitched in to help and support one another."
I managed to get in touch with the amateur radio operators in Kentucky who gave Bruce this radio, and thanked them for it. Conditions were not too good, with this tropical wave sitting over us. Later in the evening we tried to make contact on another frequency band, but the propagation was not there. The radio seemed to work really well, though. I will have to set up my dormant radio station when I return, but not in the month of July.
Today's subject is Mason, "ambassador to the world" as Bruce called him. Mason sang, played the guitar, translated and talked with everyone he met. He also showed his strength as he moved dirt, shoveled out the hole and moved boulders. Mason was our spirit of joy, friendliness and adventure. Mason is developing a deep spiritual side, too. His prayers are well-developed and a joy to hear. Thank God for Mason.
The team is off to Foisson, except for Kester, Adam and Jordan, who left early this morning to do a cement pour on an 8-foot box culvert. I have loaded all the empty bottles I could find with water and put them in the refrigerator. They will be exhausted and burning up from that dry, dusty work. The others will be tired and thirsty, too. I am awaiting emails from people who know about radios and computers.
I think we will be adding more to the earlier blog entries, so please check back periodically. I know Deborah has written a lot, and we will try to post one picture from Sunday this evening, when we can find it.
That's all for today until the team returns. I have passed all that has shown up on the prayer chain to the team. We are keeping Carl, Liz, Dovie, the Manosos and others in our prayers.
It was a typical day on the work site. In Deborah's words, "As far as other events at the worksite at Foisson, we mostly did the same things each day. We continued to crush gravel, tie rebar, move dirt, dig in the holes, move boulders down from the hill. It was truly exciting to see the progress on the foundation. I was amazed at how hard the work was for the Haitians and our young adults who did the 'heavy lifting' work of digging out holes, rolling boulders, shoveling gravel, moving dirt, etc. The young adults really worked hard, as did the older adults. We all had our strengths and in the jobs we did, we all pitched in to help and support one another."
I managed to get in touch with the amateur radio operators in Kentucky who gave Bruce this radio, and thanked them for it. Conditions were not too good, with this tropical wave sitting over us. Later in the evening we tried to make contact on another frequency band, but the propagation was not there. The radio seemed to work really well, though. I will have to set up my dormant radio station when I return, but not in the month of July.
Today's subject is Mason, "ambassador to the world" as Bruce called him. Mason sang, played the guitar, translated and talked with everyone he met. He also showed his strength as he moved dirt, shoveled out the hole and moved boulders. Mason was our spirit of joy, friendliness and adventure. Mason is developing a deep spiritual side, too. His prayers are well-developed and a joy to hear. Thank God for Mason.
Day 7 - June 22 - Tuesday
More work at Foison, moving dirt, cracking gravel, rolling rocks, tying rebar. There is not much to show for all this labor, it seems, but we know it is important. All this drudgery will contribute to the sturdiness of the final school building. Even the small pebbles we are making may save the life of a child if the column does not collapse because of its increased strength. Short day today.
Sarah, Delores, Deborah and Deb Robinson went to pray with Madam Vernix, the wife of one of the pastors as she was overdue in her pregnancy and would soon be traveling to Port de Paix to deliver her child. It was a special moment of praying for a first-time mother. I prayed in English, then Deb Robinson prayed in Creole.
Later most of the team stopped to sing and pray with a worker who had a fever. It seemed to bring him joy!
Bruce takes most of the team to view various projects. Back at the team house, we all eat lunch and do various tasks, mostly related to packing the tents back up. Rob and Dan assemble a basketball goal. About 3 PM it rains! It rains enough for Bruce to come pick us up for dinner in the truck. It is a light, refreshing and nourishing rain for the parched land -- enough to keep it green a while longer, enough to provide a little more food for humans and animals. We are a bit inconvenienced, for the humidity skyrockets after the rain, but who are we to complain about that? Praise God for life-giving rain!
Here is Deb Robinson's report on the day.
"The gang went to see projects today, will find out tonight where all that
was, guess they aren't tired yet of bouncing up and down on the roads! Bill
has been a huge help and stayed behind the past 2 days working on the ham
radio set up and antennae and computer work. P Chrisbon's computer is about
dead and we have a new laptop that was donated in March but I didn't feel
techy enough to transfer all the data from one to another and so Bill has
been doing that, some of it is rather complex. This job is almost complete
and I think he has some work on the radios. Mason has been playing the
'team' guitar and the kids have really enjoyed this at Foison.
"With all the computer work the past 2 days the team house exceeded the
allotted band width for the internet with needed downloads for P Chrisbon's
computer and survey work the interns are doing. You then have to wait 24
hours for it to be up to speed again, it will run but extremely slow and
thus difficult for lots of email. This computer work and the work the
office men do is really important and we are sorry there has not been an
ability for each one to communicate lots of info, please apologize for us.
This is just how it is here with our technology abilities.
"Thanks for prayers. Everyone has really enjoyed the mangos and the market
experience was good and educational yesterday for all. I was able to get
some grenadia or in English they are called passion fruit and made a nice
juice last night and that was our appetizer there were lots of oohhhs and
ahhs did you hear them?"
Today I am going to write about Sarah. We knew she had a helping and giving spirit from her work at the fund raisers. Here, she reminded me a lot of Maria King, although they are very different people: hard-working, easy going, full of love for the kids and with the love of God in her heart. Deborah summed it up with better words than I have. "Sarah was our heart. Sweet Sarah. Never complaining, always ready to do what needed to be done, showing love especially to the children. She was our comforter." Thank God for Sarah.
I will add Jym to today also, for I am running out of days. Jym had shopped for most of our provisions, to help us get ready. He prepared our breakfasts and our lunches, and masterminded the special meal for the Robinsons on Sunday. He organized us at the team house and kept us “watered” at the work site. He was also often our sense of humor, breaking tension and helping us laugh at ourselves. He was a great contributor to team cohesion. Jym came to Haiti 18 years ago. This place gets into your blood, into your soul. He, like others of us, had to come back. Thank God for Jym.
Sarah, Delores, Deborah and Deb Robinson went to pray with Madam Vernix, the wife of one of the pastors as she was overdue in her pregnancy and would soon be traveling to Port de Paix to deliver her child. It was a special moment of praying for a first-time mother. I prayed in English, then Deb Robinson prayed in Creole.
Later most of the team stopped to sing and pray with a worker who had a fever. It seemed to bring him joy!
Bruce takes most of the team to view various projects. Back at the team house, we all eat lunch and do various tasks, mostly related to packing the tents back up. Rob and Dan assemble a basketball goal. About 3 PM it rains! It rains enough for Bruce to come pick us up for dinner in the truck. It is a light, refreshing and nourishing rain for the parched land -- enough to keep it green a while longer, enough to provide a little more food for humans and animals. We are a bit inconvenienced, for the humidity skyrockets after the rain, but who are we to complain about that? Praise God for life-giving rain!
Here is Deb Robinson's report on the day.
"The gang went to see projects today, will find out tonight where all that
was, guess they aren't tired yet of bouncing up and down on the roads! Bill
has been a huge help and stayed behind the past 2 days working on the ham
radio set up and antennae and computer work. P Chrisbon's computer is about
dead and we have a new laptop that was donated in March but I didn't feel
techy enough to transfer all the data from one to another and so Bill has
been doing that, some of it is rather complex. This job is almost complete
and I think he has some work on the radios. Mason has been playing the
'team' guitar and the kids have really enjoyed this at Foison.
"With all the computer work the past 2 days the team house exceeded the
allotted band width for the internet with needed downloads for P Chrisbon's
computer and survey work the interns are doing. You then have to wait 24
hours for it to be up to speed again, it will run but extremely slow and
thus difficult for lots of email. This computer work and the work the
office men do is really important and we are sorry there has not been an
ability for each one to communicate lots of info, please apologize for us.
This is just how it is here with our technology abilities.
"Thanks for prayers. Everyone has really enjoyed the mangos and the market
experience was good and educational yesterday for all. I was able to get
some grenadia or in English they are called passion fruit and made a nice
juice last night and that was our appetizer there were lots of oohhhs and
ahhs did you hear them?"
Today I am going to write about Sarah. We knew she had a helping and giving spirit from her work at the fund raisers. Here, she reminded me a lot of Maria King, although they are very different people: hard-working, easy going, full of love for the kids and with the love of God in her heart. Deborah summed it up with better words than I have. "Sarah was our heart. Sweet Sarah. Never complaining, always ready to do what needed to be done, showing love especially to the children. She was our comforter." Thank God for Sarah.
I will add Jym to today also, for I am running out of days. Jym had shopped for most of our provisions, to help us get ready. He prepared our breakfasts and our lunches, and masterminded the special meal for the Robinsons on Sunday. He organized us at the team house and kept us “watered” at the work site. He was also often our sense of humor, breaking tension and helping us laugh at ourselves. He was a great contributor to team cohesion. Jym came to Haiti 18 years ago. This place gets into your blood, into your soul. He, like others of us, had to come back. Thank God for Jym.
Day 6 - June 21 - Monday
This morning we started by going to market. More beggars than last time, it seemed. There was a lot more food than last trip, but not many buying, it seemed. Then we walked up to the bakery.
Off to more work at Foison, moving dirt, cracking gravel, rolling rocks, tying rebar. There is not much to show for all this labor, it seems, but we know it is important. All this drudgery will contribute to the sturdiness of the final school building. Even the small pebbles we are making may save the life of a child if the column does not collapse because of its increased strength.
I stayed behind today to work on Pastor Chrisbon's new laptop. Somehow, with computers, nothing is simple. Fix a problem, find another, fiddle with it, fix it. Later in the afternoon, I started putting up a 133-foot long antenna. When Kester got back, he helped me by organizing teams to go up on the roof to work, and organized the Haitians to chop branches out of the trees to let the antenna be pulled up to its full height.
Jane Martin, your devotional booklet is an awesome labor of love, we are all reading it and we thank you for that. Sandi and Iris, our days do not seem to be synchronized, but that does not seem to detract from the power of your devotionals. We had daily devotions, most of the time near breakfast, but later if we were rushed. At each of these Deborah had assigned one of the young adults to prepare a devotional: scripture, prayer, a lesson, and sometimes music, and always the reading of the letters from home prepared by Sandi and Iris. This was always a beautiful and tender time.
Some other thoughts... Sandi, we have a powerful spiritual team down here, but we miss your presence deeply. The work you have done to support us is phenomenal, and words cannot express our gratitude.
Deborah notes, "I especially enjoyed our team 'family time' in the evenings. It was so much fun to play bananagrams, scrabble and cards. It was a joy to sing together and share our daily devotions. I was so impressed with each of our young adults who did our daily devotions."
I have not said this before, and I probably should have. We miss you all, and we send our love to family and friends. Sorry -- this is all very time compressed.
Off to more work at Foison, moving dirt, cracking gravel, rolling rocks, tying rebar. There is not much to show for all this labor, it seems, but we know it is important. All this drudgery will contribute to the sturdiness of the final school building. Even the small pebbles we are making may save the life of a child if the column does not collapse because of its increased strength.
I stayed behind today to work on Pastor Chrisbon's new laptop. Somehow, with computers, nothing is simple. Fix a problem, find another, fiddle with it, fix it. Later in the afternoon, I started putting up a 133-foot long antenna. When Kester got back, he helped me by organizing teams to go up on the roof to work, and organized the Haitians to chop branches out of the trees to let the antenna be pulled up to its full height.
Jane Martin, your devotional booklet is an awesome labor of love, we are all reading it and we thank you for that. Sandi and Iris, our days do not seem to be synchronized, but that does not seem to detract from the power of your devotionals. We had daily devotions, most of the time near breakfast, but later if we were rushed. At each of these Deborah had assigned one of the young adults to prepare a devotional: scripture, prayer, a lesson, and sometimes music, and always the reading of the letters from home prepared by Sandi and Iris. This was always a beautiful and tender time.
Some other thoughts... Sandi, we have a powerful spiritual team down here, but we miss your presence deeply. The work you have done to support us is phenomenal, and words cannot express our gratitude.
Deborah notes, "I especially enjoyed our team 'family time' in the evenings. It was so much fun to play bananagrams, scrabble and cards. It was a joy to sing together and share our daily devotions. I was so impressed with each of our young adults who did our daily devotions."
I have not said this before, and I probably should have. We miss you all, and we send our love to family and friends. Sorry -- this is all very time compressed.
Day 5 - June 20 - Sunday
Maybe God gave me yesterday to see the beauty of His day, as we worshipped in the church at Foison, where we are building the school. The house was SRO. The pastor held up a roll of the communion cups we brought, and noted they needed to get busy and bring in enough church members to use all of those cups! Scripture readings, prayer, some congregational hymns, duets & solo singing, and Bruce introduced us. We sang "How Great is Our God" robustly to Mason's guitar accompaniment. I said a few words based on Genesis 2 about the importance of names, in the sense of being called and responding. Deborah gave a beautiful and touching personal testimony. Pastor translated the cultural differences out of that and wrapped up the sermonizing deftly. His words were short but full. Then a young lady with a voice transfixing in its beauty sang, as did a very young boy who sang to guitar accompaniment. I felt privileged to experience this tender and inspiring worship. Thanks to God for his grace and his evident presence.
After handshakes and a few pictures, we went to Pastor Chrisbon's house for lunch. As before, it was a feast! Madam Chrisbon is amazing! I am not describing the food this time. You will have to come and experience it yourselves.
In the evening, Jym Newton, with the help of others, had concocted a meal and entertainment for Bruce and Deb, but we held back the entertainment because of the solemnity of the day, as you will read below. Jym did a delicious chicken pasta dish, and gave Deb a break from her cooking, but not from eating well!
Boss Aristide died today. He worked with the DPC team for a while two years ago, and with Kester some last year. Bruce, Kester, Adam and Jordan went to the wake right after dinner -- back late. He was a good man: young, kind and hard working, and his loss is deeply felt throughout the community. There is a good bit of joy that he is with the Lord -- the tears are for ourselves. His wife passed away earlier, and that may have been the beginning of the end for him.
Day 4 - June 19 - Saturday
Someone else will have to report the events of this day. I can only focus on the rocks. I am still too human, too critical, too limited. My soul is crushed today. Lead me out of this Lord. Smash the rocks -- it is all I can do.
Day 3 - June 18 - Friday
We are working in earnest today. Three of us are whacking river rocks with small sledges to make better gravel for the cement in the columns, some are moving dirt so that alignment cords can be strung, yet others are tying rebar. Great Haitian meal from the Foison church again!
Today our return was marked by more tent configuration. I think it was on this day we finally got the first intermediate section set up. We synthesized about 100 opinions about directions and ropes and sides and even which tent went with which frame elements.
On this day we had a little time left, and the kids wanted us to go down to the river that did an oxbow behind the shed, about 500 feet lower. So a bunch of us headed off. The path along the ridge was paved with many small rocks. Deborah and I looked at each other and one of us said, "Do you know what I am thinking?" The response, "Yes! Which of these rocks would be the best for cracking?" Correct! The work sort of grows on you.
We followed a steep path down through scrub, through belts of rocks, through yam and bean fields, the kids holding our hands, and finally got to the river where most clothes came off (of the kids) and they splashed and frolicked in the water. they were so full of delight as they swam and rolled around in the water. What pure joy! I succumbed to the gurgle of the rushing water, and sat on the bank, took my socks and shoes off and eased my feet into the soothing water. Immediately my feet were surrounded by little kids staring and touching and pinching and scrubbing. I think the last time my feet were exposed to the sun is when I was 12, so they were very white! The kids were just amazed. Then one little girl found my feet were ticklish and I had to retreat.
Soon we started up the steep trail, some of the kids got piggy-back rides on our young men's backs. The smallest asked if I would carry him, so he mounted up and we trudged and cantered up the hill-side, until the older boys saw him riding. They were mortified that I would be treated with such disrespect and chewed the poor little kid out. Being Kester's father had imbued me with a great deal of honor, evidently. We pulled each other up over the steepest parts, and the younger folks decided to go down another hill to another dam, where Sandi had observed the nude swimming last trip. Since some of us had slipped badly on this trail during that trip, several of us headed back to the house to get ready for supper. Kester said he was just going to watch them go down the hill, but he felt some responsibility for watching them, so he went down to the dam with them.
I have not written about anyone specifically yet, so I will start with Dan, who was so quiet last time. This time he has a good bit to say, because he has been reading first aid books backwards and forwards for months. He is our expert on heat exhaustion and sunstroke, and he is the only one of us who can come close to keeping up with the Haitians in doing the heavy work. Calm, quiet, kind, quick with a smile, and deep in the devotion he led for us, he has grown a lot in many ways over the past two years. I am thankful to know him.
Today our return was marked by more tent configuration. I think it was on this day we finally got the first intermediate section set up. We synthesized about 100 opinions about directions and ropes and sides and even which tent went with which frame elements.
On this day we had a little time left, and the kids wanted us to go down to the river that did an oxbow behind the shed, about 500 feet lower. So a bunch of us headed off. The path along the ridge was paved with many small rocks. Deborah and I looked at each other and one of us said, "Do you know what I am thinking?" The response, "Yes! Which of these rocks would be the best for cracking?" Correct! The work sort of grows on you.
We followed a steep path down through scrub, through belts of rocks, through yam and bean fields, the kids holding our hands, and finally got to the river where most clothes came off (of the kids) and they splashed and frolicked in the water. they were so full of delight as they swam and rolled around in the water. What pure joy! I succumbed to the gurgle of the rushing water, and sat on the bank, took my socks and shoes off and eased my feet into the soothing water. Immediately my feet were surrounded by little kids staring and touching and pinching and scrubbing. I think the last time my feet were exposed to the sun is when I was 12, so they were very white! The kids were just amazed. Then one little girl found my feet were ticklish and I had to retreat.
Soon we started up the steep trail, some of the kids got piggy-back rides on our young men's backs. The smallest asked if I would carry him, so he mounted up and we trudged and cantered up the hill-side, until the older boys saw him riding. They were mortified that I would be treated with such disrespect and chewed the poor little kid out. Being Kester's father had imbued me with a great deal of honor, evidently. We pulled each other up over the steepest parts, and the younger folks decided to go down another hill to another dam, where Sandi had observed the nude swimming last trip. Since some of us had slipped badly on this trail during that trip, several of us headed back to the house to get ready for supper. Kester said he was just going to watch them go down the hill, but he felt some responsibility for watching them, so he went down to the dam with them.
I have not written about anyone specifically yet, so I will start with Dan, who was so quiet last time. This time he has a good bit to say, because he has been reading first aid books backwards and forwards for months. He is our expert on heat exhaustion and sunstroke, and he is the only one of us who can come close to keeping up with the Haitians in doing the heavy work. Calm, quiet, kind, quick with a smile, and deep in the devotion he led for us, he has grown a lot in many ways over the past two years. I am thankful to know him.
Day 2 - June 17 - Thursday
We are exhausted and we have not yet started. We go to the school at Foison, dig out some dirt to get to stable soil, and roll some large rocks down the hill to the building site. Who would ever guess rolling things DOWN a hill would take so much energy? The church ladies at Foison had prepared us a lunch meal: beans and rice, smushed bananas, fried yams, and a little bit of goat, with a citron-based drink. I found the yams particularly interesting. I am not a lover of sweet potatoes, but these had a very delicate flavor. It was all quite delicious.
After lunch, we returned to the team house. Bruce was still tired, since yesterday he drove all the way from Port au Prince, where he was working on a large building for the seminary, to meet us Wednesday evening. He pointed at two large crates and said that there were some tents and other things in there. "See if you can figure that out." So we opened the crates and through much discussion and experimentation, we had a section set up by the time Bruce returned that evening. Aspects of this tent project occupied much of our late afternoons, especially for Delores.
Dinner at the Robinson's at 6:30. Good! Sleep. Thank God for a good day.
After lunch, we returned to the team house. Bruce was still tired, since yesterday he drove all the way from Port au Prince, where he was working on a large building for the seminary, to meet us Wednesday evening. He pointed at two large crates and said that there were some tents and other things in there. "See if you can figure that out." So we opened the crates and through much discussion and experimentation, we had a section set up by the time Bruce returned that evening. Aspects of this tent project occupied much of our late afternoons, especially for Delores.
Dinner at the Robinson's at 6:30. Good! Sleep. Thank God for a good day.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Day 1 - June 16 - Wednesday
4:30 AM found us pouring down the stairs to catch the shuttle to the airport. Lots of waiting today. Waiting, fly two hours to Port au Prince - smooth flight. Chase down our luggage in a huge warehouse. Met up with Adam and Jordan - two engineering interns. Satellite connection going down -try later.
---
It's later... Wednesday I think, and this trip has flown by. It is very lonely here as I work without the team I have grown to love so much. I would rather be tying rebar with them than unravelling these computer problems by myself. Taking a moment to finish Day 1's report.
---
It was hot and humid and the grime in the air stirred up by thousands of feet stuck to our skins as we searched for our baggage. Pieces of our luggage seemed to appear and disappear, but eventually we got it all together and proceeded through Customs. Theodore led us out about 50 feet, then we saw Frer Lamour, who got us loaded on the truck. Kester's language skills were very valuable, as he argued manning and prices with the baggage handlers. Violence swirled around us, as workers and would-be workers slapped and kicked and threatened with swinging water bottles in the broiling street. A young man said something to one of the women in our party, and was slapped silly by a nearby policeman. The man staggered back, and the turmoil faded into the crowd of people as we drove to the Tortug'Air side of the airport.
Frer Lamour helped us get our tickets and check in our luggage -- overage charges shocked us! We should have done the math earlier. The two interns were on an 11 AM flight, which left about 1 PM, and we were scheduled for the 3 PM flight. Waiting, waiting... trying to doze on suitcases until they were checked in, then on the floor, trying to stay out of the way. An hour before our flight time some seats opened up, and some got to sleep more soundly.
I have to comment on an incident there. A friendly lady a little older than I spoke briefly and kindly with me (I run out of Creole quickly). She was awaiting a flight and wondered around the airport. A bit later, paramedics began to converge on a man I had not noticed, but who was passed out in a chair. They worked on him for over half an hour, then faded away. The lady I spoke of earlier drifted over to the man, who was clearly feeling very sick, and spoke with him briefly. He did not look quite as miserable when she left. Christ is all around us here.
Finally it was time to board, and we loaded up. Ooops! Mason and a lady from New Jersey had no seats. No mind - let's go!! No, we have to do things right. A couple of workers appeared with a double seat unit, which was bolted in behind the last row, and then we were off. Ride was a bit bumpy, with convection currents from the hills which had been strenghtening as the day wore on and the air heated more and more. A 45 minute flight, a sharp left bank and level up and we are rolling down the gravel strip at Port de Paix. Thank God for blessing our travel. We are not done yet. Pastor Wilfred takes a truckload of us across the river, while the rest hike half a mile to take a boat across the river, and then load into Pastor Chrisbon's truck. It seems like hours that we jolt and sway across roads much worse than I remember. On the way, I noticed the soccer goals that Kester and John built last year for Eric Thompson's tournament, gleaming PVC white in the early twilight. We take a refreshing stop at Pastor Chrisbon's house in Post Metier, then it's on to Bruce's. We arrive late (and without our bags), so Bruce and Deb feed us and get us bedded down in the team house. Sweet, blessed sleep! Thus endeth the reading for day 1.
---
It's later... Wednesday I think, and this trip has flown by. It is very lonely here as I work without the team I have grown to love so much. I would rather be tying rebar with them than unravelling these computer problems by myself. Taking a moment to finish Day 1's report.
---
It was hot and humid and the grime in the air stirred up by thousands of feet stuck to our skins as we searched for our baggage. Pieces of our luggage seemed to appear and disappear, but eventually we got it all together and proceeded through Customs. Theodore led us out about 50 feet, then we saw Frer Lamour, who got us loaded on the truck. Kester's language skills were very valuable, as he argued manning and prices with the baggage handlers. Violence swirled around us, as workers and would-be workers slapped and kicked and threatened with swinging water bottles in the broiling street. A young man said something to one of the women in our party, and was slapped silly by a nearby policeman. The man staggered back, and the turmoil faded into the crowd of people as we drove to the Tortug'Air side of the airport.
Frer Lamour helped us get our tickets and check in our luggage -- overage charges shocked us! We should have done the math earlier. The two interns were on an 11 AM flight, which left about 1 PM, and we were scheduled for the 3 PM flight. Waiting, waiting... trying to doze on suitcases until they were checked in, then on the floor, trying to stay out of the way. An hour before our flight time some seats opened up, and some got to sleep more soundly.
I have to comment on an incident there. A friendly lady a little older than I spoke briefly and kindly with me (I run out of Creole quickly). She was awaiting a flight and wondered around the airport. A bit later, paramedics began to converge on a man I had not noticed, but who was passed out in a chair. They worked on him for over half an hour, then faded away. The lady I spoke of earlier drifted over to the man, who was clearly feeling very sick, and spoke with him briefly. He did not look quite as miserable when she left. Christ is all around us here.
Finally it was time to board, and we loaded up. Ooops! Mason and a lady from New Jersey had no seats. No mind - let's go!! No, we have to do things right. A couple of workers appeared with a double seat unit, which was bolted in behind the last row, and then we were off. Ride was a bit bumpy, with convection currents from the hills which had been strenghtening as the day wore on and the air heated more and more. A 45 minute flight, a sharp left bank and level up and we are rolling down the gravel strip at Port de Paix. Thank God for blessing our travel. We are not done yet. Pastor Wilfred takes a truckload of us across the river, while the rest hike half a mile to take a boat across the river, and then load into Pastor Chrisbon's truck. It seems like hours that we jolt and sway across roads much worse than I remember. On the way, I noticed the soccer goals that Kester and John built last year for Eric Thompson's tournament, gleaming PVC white in the early twilight. We take a refreshing stop at Pastor Chrisbon's house in Post Metier, then it's on to Bruce's. We arrive late (and without our bags), so Bruce and Deb feed us and get us bedded down in the team house. Sweet, blessed sleep! Thus endeth the reading for day 1.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Day zero - June 15 - Tuesday
Sorry for the delay folks. There have been some technical difficulties and I am several days behind I will tell right up front that we are all well and working hard. God's mercy is very evident here. I am posting this now in case we should lose it. Please do not worry about us -- bad news will arrive swiftly! No pictures are likely until we return.
Day zero report
We spent about 2-hours this year loading tools and food and getting all of the bags under 50 pounds. The Prime Timers pinned us all with Guardian Angels and the Nation/World Ministries team gave us LED lights - very handy. We took a few minutes to celebrate Mason's 22nd birthday with Texas sheet cake and four kinds of ice cream. We all sang "Be Strong in the Lord" and then we were off to the Norfolk airport.
Check in and the flight to Miami were uneventful. We arrived safely and checked in with "Mama Sandi." After waiting the better part of an hour for our luggage, we found it had been checked through to Port au Prince. So we were off to the Sleep Inn -- wonderful accommodations - wonderful service! The team then walked to IHOP for a much-needed meal and back to the hotel for a much-needed nap. Thus endeth the reading for day zero.
Day zero report
We spent about 2-hours this year loading tools and food and getting all of the bags under 50 pounds. The Prime Timers pinned us all with Guardian Angels and the Nation/World Ministries team gave us LED lights - very handy. We took a few minutes to celebrate Mason's 22nd birthday with Texas sheet cake and four kinds of ice cream. We all sang "Be Strong in the Lord" and then we were off to the Norfolk airport.
Check in and the flight to Miami were uneventful. We arrived safely and checked in with "Mama Sandi." After waiting the better part of an hour for our luggage, we found it had been checked through to Port au Prince. So we were off to the Sleep Inn -- wonderful accommodations - wonderful service! The team then walked to IHOP for a much-needed meal and back to the hotel for a much-needed nap. Thus endeth the reading for day zero.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
2010 Team Members
Rev. Deborah Dail  God has blessed me with the opportunity to serve alongside eight awesome team members in Haiti. I look forward to seeing where our church’s missionaries serve and the unique challenges they face. I hope to be helpful in any ministry projects the team is assigned, to provide encouragement for the team and to encourage Bruce and Deb. I hope to come back with my worldview enlarged, my eyes opened to the needs of God’s children in Haiti and my spirit renewed as I continue to support and challenge our congregation in our ministries to God’s children close to home and far away. --- | Kester McCullough  I have felt called by the LORD to Haiti for the past few years, and I am so excited to be returning with the church for their second trip! I felt God's power and work on both my previous trips there, and I look forward to seeing him change lives (the Haitians' and my own) once again. I have wonderful friends I've made in Haiti, and I would like to thank every single person who contributed for their gifts. The job is not done however, so please keep us in your prayers! --- |
Mason Murawski  As we have prepared to go to Haiti this year, I have worked to ask God to keep my mind and heart open to His purpose for our mission there. I strongly hope to rekindle relationships and involve myself in the community thoroughly for those ten days that we are down in Haiti. The amazing sense of the importance of emotional well-being, family and community is something that we as Americans could certainly learn from and grow in. I also look forward to watching the various team members use their gamut of God-given gifts and talents to spread His word and love.--- | Sarah Sheffield  I'm a rising junior at Old Dominion University, majoring in Art Education. This past year God has really worked in my life by opening my eyes to new things around me and giving me a great campus community/family in Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, and then this amazing opportunity to go with the missions team from your church to Haiti was presented to me. I feel like this trip is part of the journey, giving me a chance to serve with an open heart and mind and also to learn from the Haitian people, as well as the other members of the mission team. --- |
Delores Fleming  Ever since the first mission team went to Haiti two years ago, I have felt a call to go. When I was let go from my previous job in December 2009, I realized I now had the opportunity and prayed for God's guidance. As the current mission team came together, I knew that the Lord wanted me to be part of the team. I pray that our team will serve God with humility and grace. I look forward to seeing the face of God in the Haitian people and in spreading God's love to them. Additionally, I want to encourage Bruce and Deb who are on the forefront of our mission work and support them in whatever endeavors they have for the team. --- | Jym Newton
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Dan Little  My name is Daniel Little. The first trip to Haiti was an awesome experience and when I was blessed with the chance to go again I couldn't turn it down.--- | Rob Seals  The Lord started making me aware of His presence in the world outside of the U.S. at the Urbana '09 Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. God broadened my perspective of His power and sovereignty through the testimonies of several missionaries who had been called to different places all over the world. By the end of this conference, I felt God was showing me that there was so much of Him that I had yet to see and that His love reached the ends of the earth. I made a commitment to go on a short term mission trip to serve other people, to follow where the Spirit led me, and to pursue the Lord with all my heart. I am very grateful for this opportunity to be a servant in Haiti and I am appreciative for all of the support that has been provided along the way. Thank you. --- |
Bill McCullough  For my return to Haiti, I was called to help set up Bruce's amateur radio station, to write the team blog and to work in the mission field with a little more understanding this time. I consider myself blessed to be involved in these servant activities again. --- |
 Teamwork! |
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