October 7-13, 2010 - Haiti

Friday, October 8, 2010

The team has arrived in Haiti.  We had a good plane ride and saw some interesting sights on the truck/van ride to Mission Possible's Mission Center.  There are many, many tent & tarp villages where earthquake refugees have lived the last 9 months.  The local poverty is obvious and everywhere.

The weather is warm.  The high is projected to be in the 90's all week with humidity.  Last night we experienced a good rain storm.  Several people got a little *drip-drip* in their bunks but nobody is complaining.

Today's projects include emptying and sorting two shipping containers that have recently arrived.  The contents will be used to complete the vocational school and construct a medical clinic.

Everybody is enjoying good health.

Thanks for praying for us.

Saturday, October 9, 2010 – morning report

Thanks to all who are praying for the team.

We had a great day yesterday.  The morning was spent unpacking the supplies we brought and morning devotions.  Then we visited Mission Possible's largest school and spent an hour or so greeting some of the elementary classes that sang for us.  Giving "high-five's" and interacting with the little kids was a highlight.

In the afternoon we emptied one of the 40' shipping containers into the warehouse and sorted all the supplies.  There were many pallets of donated water bottles and enough construction supplies to complete the vocational school and build and outfit a medical clinic.

The food has been good.  A few of us are gaining weight so far.  Of course we're also sweating off lots of water.  It is very hot.  Some have had slight dehydration symptoms but nothing serious.  TJ broke his big toe but he's toughing it out and not complaining.  Overall we're in good health.

Today's plan is to build some school benches for the new 12th grade class and install chalkboards, put some windows, drop ceiling and insulation in the vocational school, and demo a ceiling and old electrical wire to prepare for the medical clinic.

The team is bonding well and I have yet to hear a complaint.

Saturday, October 9, 2010 – evening report

Today was another good day.  Everybody is healthy.  We made good progress on our work projects and hopefully we'll complete most of our jobs on Monday and Tuesday.  One of the problems here is, things are just not available.  If you need a little tool or part, you first scrounge around in the shop area.  If you can't find it, you drive down the road to a tiny place that sells a few hardware items.  They probably don't have it.  So, you either drive an hour away to a larger hardware store or else you improvise another way around the problem.  We've been doing a lot of that.

I believe all of us are touched by the conditions of the country and yet we see good things happening.

Pastor Herve Pierre gave his testimony.  As a young boy, Herve was rejected by his family, had to eat the table scraps but could not eat at the table, was not allowed to go to school, was told he would never amount to anything.  Even though he had no father, God was his father and has worked mightily in his life.  Today, Herve shepherds thousands of students and pours his life into young leaders.  All of us were touched by God's redemption of the poor boy.

Tomorrow we will attend church with Pastor Herve.  Church starts at 8 and ends around 11.  That is 3 hours on a wooden bench.  Because the Haitian people worship with passion, the 3 hours will fly by.

Everybody is doing well and I haven't heard any complaints yet.  This is a great team.

Sunday, October 10, 2010 – evening report

Today was another great day.  Today is the Lord's Day in Haiti too, so it was a day of rest, but a very full day.

Chuck and Gloria prepared another spectacular breakfast for us.  At 8:00am church started.  It ended about 10:30.  That seemed like about an hour.

The energy level and devotion of the Haitian people during worship is hard to describe (I will let your loved one do that for you).  The team contributed to the service with the drama and it was very moving.  David Rath preached and received much positive feedback.  I believe the congregation appreciated his words.

After church we took a tour of St. Marc, a town designed for 50,000 which now has 350,000 people.  We drove past the court, the town park, the hospital, and the prison.  An interesting fact about prison in Haiti--if you are arrested, innocent or guilty, your first appearance before the judge might be in 3-4 years.  During that time, the prison does not feed you or take care of any of your needs.  Your family has to visit you daily for that.  The prisons here are notorious for human rights violations.

After the tour, we stopped at the only "fast food" place in St. Marc.

After about half an hour we were served what looked like good food.

Unfortunately most of the hamburger meat had not been cooked AT ALL.  So far nobody has any stomach problems.  But the night is still young...

After some free time and ocean swimming we played our drama for a gathering of youth and youth workers who work with Mission Possible schools and churches.  Today was the 3rd day of David Rath's summit with the young people.  Pastor Herve asked David to bring some messages on topics that affect leaders here--sexual promiscuity, love of money, voodoo, etc.  I know Herve is very pleased with David's messages and the responses by the attendees.  I estimate over 150 in attendance today.  The place was standing room only and very very hot inside.

Tomorrow we're splitting the team.  Half will go to visit one of the mountain schools and meet some local people.  The other half will get an early start at the school work site.  We need to finish a chalkboard install and the benches for the 12th graders that start school tomorrow at 1:00.  We also need to get a rhythm for installing windows in the block walls at the vocational school.

You should be proud of your team.  Thanks again for your prayers.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 – morning report

Yesterday (Monday) was another great day.  I tell you, this has been a really good team experience for me and I trust for everyone involved.

After breakfast the team split into two groups.  One group went with Herve up to a mountain school.  The idea was to visit a poor area (now there's a relative term!) and spend some time with the villagers and learn about their lives.  They spent some time praying with a rail-thin man who lived with 12 other people in a house about 10'x20'.  Tom Jones was the "rock star" of the day as he got down on his knees, surrounded with the little kids, and took their pictures and showed them their pictures on the camera.  The team was presented to the teachers of the school and sang a song for the students who sang for our group too.

The other half of the team got to work at the vocational school and got four windows installed in concrete (versus one on Saturday).  So, it was a great day for progress there.  The school benches were finished and the classroom prepared for the 12th graders.  Rachel Powell and I were present later in the day when Mission Possible's very first class of 12th graders (about 24 students) entered their classroom for the very first time.  They gathered in a circle and dedicated the room to God as a group, with their school principal and superintendent and Herve.  This is our first year for 12th graders and that will be our first class to graduate.

During the afternoon one group painted a huge security fence at the Mission Center while the other group continued with the construction.

Some of the guys tore down the ceiling at the medical clinic and they came home so dirty they had to jump in the ocean before we would let them get in the shower.  I mean, it was BAD.

Dave Thomas is putting together a plan to improve the plumbing at the Mission Center.  That will be a real blessing and provide better pressure and some hot water too.

In the evening we spent a few minutes at the Bible School.  About 40 students were at that session, watching their video curriculum which is produced in the US but simultaneously translated into French so the students can follow.  This is an oral culture.  You don't see many books, and most of the people cannot read or write.  Many of the pastors and lay leaders we are training are not educated.  So, a video curriculum is perfect.

After that an artist set up his paintings, wood carvings, necklaces, etc. and the team had some time to bargain with him and consider some souvenirs.

Today is our last day in Haiti.  Today we'll get through as much of the project list as we can.

View some of the team pictures on Facebook. Show me the album.