Friday Oct 29.
We are up @ 3:45am(2:45 our time) to start our journey home. Leaving Haiti Arise @ 4:45 we experience the start of a new day in Haiti. As we approach PAP the sun comes up, the traffic and people get heavier and busier to the point that we are just crawling along a few feet at a time. The sounds, smells and sights heighten our senses as we make our way to the airport. We finally arrive at the airport at 7:30 and say our final good byes for this trip to Streling and Lucianna.
Struggling through the crowd and porters we get in and through the first step of security and check in for our flights. At some point through this process I have misplaced my cell phone or was relieved of it. We cleared the rest of the security and board the plane for the first flight on our way home. Flying through Ft. Lauderdale, Dallas and arriving in Calgary at 10pm. then home to Red Deer and bed around 1:30am. Sat.
As I sit here typing and reflecting, I shiver and realise that I am not sweating, its 10am and my shirt still dry. I also can't believe that I was up at 7am. I'm sure I will need to rest today.
Thank you so much to our families, friends and prayer warriors for your prayers, support and encouragement while while we where on this mission.
May God continue to lead and guide us all as we re-enter our routines here at home. I pray that we take what we have experienced in Haiti and apply it to our lives here at home and BOLDLY move forward and trust in the God.
Thank you Richard, Venta, Simon, Darlene, Pat, Katrina, Mike, Kendra, Lenic and Nelda for being on this journey with me. There is more for us to experience!
Blessings to all.
Keith
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Arise the new creation
This post is for Thurs. Oct28.
As I Arise this morning in the Dark (whats with this?? Its 8:30 in Haiti) I realised that we missed posting, so I will try to fill the gaps.
We start our day with devotion(2 Cor 5:16-6:2) and prayer and are so blessed the God meets us where we are and through him we are Christ's ambassadors.
This is our last day here as tomorrow we will leave for the airport @ 4:30am. We find ourselves pulled in different directions as we put finishing touches on projects that we started and some won't be completed. We have spent time working on panels for the walls of the medical center, play ground, Dentistry, relationships, electrical, plumbing, painting, teaching and playing with the children, and the wall for the adjacent property. The play ground equipment is a huge hit with the children(young and old). There is so much joy in their faces and so much excitement. The sounds of little children playing is a blessing. There has been so many teaching moments with all of these projects, that we feel that we are the ones being blessed. Our day is filled with opportunities to share and we take each one as it comes. I find Simon tying rebar then he heads to the make shift office to pull teeth. We have been very diverse.
At 3pm we head to the church for a special baptism service. We listen to the testimonies from the Haitian people, then our Katrina goes forward and shares her desire to be baptised as well. Then with songs in our hearts we walk through the community sing and praising God for the joy and favor he is showing and bringing us. As we approach the oceans edge we look up and see the most beautiful rainbow and the sun clears the clouds. When we reach the water Lenic asks if he can confirm his sprinkling baptism by submersion? Pastor Marc welcomed Lenic to share then we proceed with the baptisms. We shared in glory and joy as over 25 people were baptised. This truly was a God moment. With songs of praise we made our way back to the Haiti Arise campus for the 5:00 praise and worship service.
This glorious day is drawn to a closed with supper, good-byes, and tears as we pack and clean in preparation for our departure.
We are so encouraged and humbled to be apart of this mission trip as each of us has experienced Gods presence and favor.
Our prayers are that God will continue to build relationships and show his presence in Haiti.
Praise to Marc and Lisa, Haiti Arise for this chapter in HIS story.
Not one of us has been sick, thank you God for our health.
As I Arise this morning in the Dark (whats with this?? Its 8:30 in Haiti) I realised that we missed posting, so I will try to fill the gaps.
We start our day with devotion(2 Cor 5:16-6:2) and prayer and are so blessed the God meets us where we are and through him we are Christ's ambassadors.
This is our last day here as tomorrow we will leave for the airport @ 4:30am. We find ourselves pulled in different directions as we put finishing touches on projects that we started and some won't be completed. We have spent time working on panels for the walls of the medical center, play ground, Dentistry, relationships, electrical, plumbing, painting, teaching and playing with the children, and the wall for the adjacent property. The play ground equipment is a huge hit with the children(young and old). There is so much joy in their faces and so much excitement. The sounds of little children playing is a blessing. There has been so many teaching moments with all of these projects, that we feel that we are the ones being blessed. Our day is filled with opportunities to share and we take each one as it comes. I find Simon tying rebar then he heads to the make shift office to pull teeth. We have been very diverse.
At 3pm we head to the church for a special baptism service. We listen to the testimonies from the Haitian people, then our Katrina goes forward and shares her desire to be baptised as well. Then with songs in our hearts we walk through the community sing and praising God for the joy and favor he is showing and bringing us. As we approach the oceans edge we look up and see the most beautiful rainbow and the sun clears the clouds. When we reach the water Lenic asks if he can confirm his sprinkling baptism by submersion? Pastor Marc welcomed Lenic to share then we proceed with the baptisms. We shared in glory and joy as over 25 people were baptised. This truly was a God moment. With songs of praise we made our way back to the Haiti Arise campus for the 5:00 praise and worship service.
This glorious day is drawn to a closed with supper, good-byes, and tears as we pack and clean in preparation for our departure.
We are so encouraged and humbled to be apart of this mission trip as each of us has experienced Gods presence and favor.
Our prayers are that God will continue to build relationships and show his presence in Haiti.
Praise to Marc and Lisa, Haiti Arise for this chapter in HIS story.
Not one of us has been sick, thank you God for our health.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Can we see the blessings???
It Rained very hard last night along with thunder and lighting. What a light show and as I type tonight it is raining again, it has been very dry here.
The rain appears to have caused some issues with the internet, so I will post this when I can.
Today was very busy and HOT as we worked on the playground, painting, pouring concrete, assisting with the fence and helping with the children, while still taking time to arrange for material and parts to keep the projects on the go.
Once again I'm reminded of the difficulties of securing material. We went to the gravel pit to arrange for a load (5 cubic M) of sand and when we get there we first have to negotiate a price again. Then we have to find a truck to haul it, then when the truck gets there the loader is broke down, so the truck leaves and goes to a different job........... It takes 7.5 hrs to get a load of sand and the workers are ready to go home. Tomorrow we will mix concrete.
The important thing is the relationships that we are building as we interact with the translators. Marc Eddie is one of these translators and has a beautiful heart and a passion for God that is contagious. It is a joy to be with him. The other relationships that we continue to expand are within our team and the Nowochin's as we work on these projects together.
Through all of the challenges we see Gods presents everywhere and are extremely blessed to be apart of HIS story!!
(sent on Thursday due to internet problems)
The rain appears to have caused some issues with the internet, so I will post this when I can.
Today was very busy and HOT as we worked on the playground, painting, pouring concrete, assisting with the fence and helping with the children, while still taking time to arrange for material and parts to keep the projects on the go.
Once again I'm reminded of the difficulties of securing material. We went to the gravel pit to arrange for a load (5 cubic M) of sand and when we get there we first have to negotiate a price again. Then we have to find a truck to haul it, then when the truck gets there the loader is broke down, so the truck leaves and goes to a different job........... It takes 7.5 hrs to get a load of sand and the workers are ready to go home. Tomorrow we will mix concrete.
The important thing is the relationships that we are building as we interact with the translators. Marc Eddie is one of these translators and has a beautiful heart and a passion for God that is contagious. It is a joy to be with him. The other relationships that we continue to expand are within our team and the Nowochin's as we work on these projects together.
Through all of the challenges we see Gods presents everywhere and are extremely blessed to be apart of HIS story!!
(sent on Thursday due to internet problems)
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Hi from Haiti
Most days in Haiti are filled with God moments. Today was no exception. Keith went to PAP with Mark again to get the sea can out of hoc. It did not happen again but he came back safe and that is a God moment. He showed up to the Tapion Church with Richard at just the right time to help with the rice distribution (I’ll come back to that).
This morning I walked with the Nowochin family to Marc and Lisa’s house so the kids could all do their school together. It was good to walk and talk with Charles (father) and hear his heart for God and his family. I took great pleasure hearing the wisdom he has in child rearing, being a family leader and a man. I can only imagine the blessing that will be poured out on that family for stepping out in obedience and coming to Haiti as a family for 5 weeks.
In the afternoon we took rice to the Tapion Church. Our goal was to help clean up the area and work side by side the Haitian people to restore that beautiful location. I personally had a lot of worries about doing a rice distribution out in the open without the safety of the security guards at the HAM campus. We prayed and went with the hope that God would keep us safe and we would be able to bless the people in that area. When we got there we had to go in two groups and those of us in the first group forgot to bring an interpreter. That was a fun hour waiting for an interpreter to show and explain to these people why we had 35 – 50 lbs bags of rice. It was a mixture of emotions as the people living in the area came and begged for rice from us. Anyway once Lisa showed up and tried to explain to somewhere around 200 people what we wanted to accomplish. Things seemed to calm down. However the people “living” in the tents did not want to take them down for fear that if houses were to be built for them because they were living in these tents they would miss out. So the community clean up did not take place. However Mike got up a spoke to the parents of the children and told them that we wanted to bless their children with the rice. The actual distribution went as smooth as it possibly could. Now for the best God moment of that little adventure, we gave some rice to Ivan (one of the Haitian’s who helped us with moving all the rice up and down the mountain 4 times) and he could see we were running out of rice and still had people to serve he dumped his rice back in the bin.
We ended the day with a prayer service which was great. Richard shared with the church and Chris (another missionary staying here as well) both were fantastic. It was a great day. Thanks for your prayers they are felt, we love you.
This morning I walked with the Nowochin family to Marc and Lisa’s house so the kids could all do their school together. It was good to walk and talk with Charles (father) and hear his heart for God and his family. I took great pleasure hearing the wisdom he has in child rearing, being a family leader and a man. I can only imagine the blessing that will be poured out on that family for stepping out in obedience and coming to Haiti as a family for 5 weeks.
In the afternoon we took rice to the Tapion Church. Our goal was to help clean up the area and work side by side the Haitian people to restore that beautiful location. I personally had a lot of worries about doing a rice distribution out in the open without the safety of the security guards at the HAM campus. We prayed and went with the hope that God would keep us safe and we would be able to bless the people in that area. When we got there we had to go in two groups and those of us in the first group forgot to bring an interpreter. That was a fun hour waiting for an interpreter to show and explain to these people why we had 35 – 50 lbs bags of rice. It was a mixture of emotions as the people living in the area came and begged for rice from us. Anyway once Lisa showed up and tried to explain to somewhere around 200 people what we wanted to accomplish. Things seemed to calm down. However the people “living” in the tents did not want to take them down for fear that if houses were to be built for them because they were living in these tents they would miss out. So the community clean up did not take place. However Mike got up a spoke to the parents of the children and told them that we wanted to bless their children with the rice. The actual distribution went as smooth as it possibly could. Now for the best God moment of that little adventure, we gave some rice to Ivan (one of the Haitian’s who helped us with moving all the rice up and down the mountain 4 times) and he could see we were running out of rice and still had people to serve he dumped his rice back in the bin.
We ended the day with a prayer service which was great. Richard shared with the church and Chris (another missionary staying here as well) both were fantastic. It was a great day. Thanks for your prayers they are felt, we love you.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sweat before work
At Haiti Arise we have had our days full with activity that regularly surprises us.
Today the temperature was close to 35c and almost 100% humidity, in a beautiful country where almost any tropical plant will flourish.
Part of the challenge is that the people in Haiti are so used to burning allot of wood that there are areas that have been deforested. Most of the places we go, all along the way there is smoke from the outdoor kitchens and the smell of burning and rotting garbage. The side roads are in rough shape because everywhere the people have dumped piles of broken house rubble, since the earthquake.
The traffic is what might be called a free for all, because if there is room to pass or get by (even into oncoming traffic), all vehicles take the space. (horn blaring) As Pat says "The only difference on the highway is that everything is the same only way faster".
It seems that most of the serving people in Haiti feel like we are superior and that is something that is very far from the truth.
The people that are less educated, live in a sort of fear driven response to how they do life.
We have also felt some spiritual oppression as we are in the community, and that can feel very dark.
Probably is because of the acts of voodoo, not sure
We are very far away from the out break of cholera and protected but it is still a concern.
As I am blogging we just had a very small shudder of aftershock, the crickets stop completely then what sounds like a very big subway train underneath and the ground shook...gives me shivers.
We really appreciate the coverage of prayer because that has, and will continue to give us freedom as we build on these relationships.
Only a few more days but wow what a trip of change and growth.
c-ya
Richard
Today the temperature was close to 35c and almost 100% humidity, in a beautiful country where almost any tropical plant will flourish.
Part of the challenge is that the people in Haiti are so used to burning allot of wood that there are areas that have been deforested. Most of the places we go, all along the way there is smoke from the outdoor kitchens and the smell of burning and rotting garbage. The side roads are in rough shape because everywhere the people have dumped piles of broken house rubble, since the earthquake.
The traffic is what might be called a free for all, because if there is room to pass or get by (even into oncoming traffic), all vehicles take the space. (horn blaring) As Pat says "The only difference on the highway is that everything is the same only way faster".
It seems that most of the serving people in Haiti feel like we are superior and that is something that is very far from the truth.
The people that are less educated, live in a sort of fear driven response to how they do life.
We have also felt some spiritual oppression as we are in the community, and that can feel very dark.
Probably is because of the acts of voodoo, not sure
We are very far away from the out break of cholera and protected but it is still a concern.
As I am blogging we just had a very small shudder of aftershock, the crickets stop completely then what sounds like a very big subway train underneath and the ground shook...gives me shivers.
We really appreciate the coverage of prayer because that has, and will continue to give us freedom as we build on these relationships.
Only a few more days but wow what a trip of change and growth.
c-ya
Richard
Sunday, October 24, 2010
A message from Lenic
Today the weather was pretty nice, I went to church this morning and I shared my testimony! I felt God was with me when I was saying it, because usually when I get in frin of people, I get nervous and the words don't come out clearly. I felt His presence, like He was right beside me, it was hard to comprehand was I was feeling at that moment! In the afternoon we went to the Tapion church...that's a childrens church. That church is pretty huge at times there can be over 200 kids there, today there were just over 100. *Right after the earthquake the church had many adults in it but as the pastors taught on specific spirtual issues, a lot of the adults did not want to change their lifestyles and stopped coming to church...BUT the kids wanted to still come, so the directors of the church said lets devote this church to the kids. It started out at 30-40 and just got bigger from there!
While I listened to the kids recite scripture from the Bible and sing songs...it went into my spirit. There is one lady who has been led to shepard these children..what a mighty task she has taken on, I felt as I was praying that God would find someone to help her, to share the load.
I enjoyed Darlene's testimony and how Keith has really felt God's power today..we all did, but Keith said he saw God today! Amen!
Each person in the group has God moments. Everything from how smooth thing went today to spending time with the children...they like to touch and hold hands...what a blessing they are!
God bless you all!
xoxox
Lenic
While I listened to the kids recite scripture from the Bible and sing songs...it went into my spirit. There is one lady who has been led to shepard these children..what a mighty task she has taken on, I felt as I was praying that God would find someone to help her, to share the load.
I enjoyed Darlene's testimony and how Keith has really felt God's power today..we all did, but Keith said he saw God today! Amen!
Each person in the group has God moments. Everything from how smooth thing went today to spending time with the children...they like to touch and hold hands...what a blessing they are!
God bless you all!
xoxox
Lenic
We had sunday church this morning. It was great! Great worship, great preaching and wonderful people. Time is not a big issue here so people were arriving from 8:30 right until 10:30 probably. Something that Im not used to. We live in such a schedule driven culture and this is so opposite. It is nice though. I like it lots. The Haitian people put on their very best to come to church. Big change again where at home we dress casual for the most part. They love to adorn themselves here with colorful ribbons scarves etc. Especially the little girls.
Marc and Lisa addressed the church concerning the cholera outbreak. They warned of its seriousness and how to prevent it. Since most of the community dont live in sanitary conditions or even have running water it was important for them to hear. Lots of hand sanitizer.
Yesterday I met a little boy who plays with Marc and Lisa's kids. He is 5 years old and only speaks creole. But we were able to communicate a bit through and kids. Both is mom and dad were killed in the earthquake. He now lives with his gramma. He spent the day with us and came to the ocean with us. I helped him in the water because he didnt know how to swim but he was as daring and any other 5 year old boy. Then at supper he brought his plate to the table and it was totally full of food. Twice as much as I had Im sure. He ate so much and of course when it came to the green peppers he picked them out with his fingers and put them on my plate. I guess he figured i should eat them. Kinda cute I thought.
Its starting to sink in that people are so devasted here. So much loss! They are so strong to be able to withstand all of it. We in Canada are so blessed and think its rough when little things dont go right. We have no idea how much these people have lost. Anyways, thank you everybody for your prayers. love you all
Marc and Lisa addressed the church concerning the cholera outbreak. They warned of its seriousness and how to prevent it. Since most of the community dont live in sanitary conditions or even have running water it was important for them to hear. Lots of hand sanitizer.
Yesterday I met a little boy who plays with Marc and Lisa's kids. He is 5 years old and only speaks creole. But we were able to communicate a bit through and kids. Both is mom and dad were killed in the earthquake. He now lives with his gramma. He spent the day with us and came to the ocean with us. I helped him in the water because he didnt know how to swim but he was as daring and any other 5 year old boy. Then at supper he brought his plate to the table and it was totally full of food. Twice as much as I had Im sure. He ate so much and of course when it came to the green peppers he picked them out with his fingers and put them on my plate. I guess he figured i should eat them. Kinda cute I thought.
Its starting to sink in that people are so devasted here. So much loss! They are so strong to be able to withstand all of it. We in Canada are so blessed and think its rough when little things dont go right. We have no idea how much these people have lost. Anyways, thank you everybody for your prayers. love you all
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Lenic's Post
hi this lenic am doing great.am glad i came to haiti.the lord has ban showing new things. Im finding that the Lord is teaching me to be patient and to wait on Him and to be myself. The more I see how the people live the more Im reminded how I used to live. It brings tears to my eyes. Just like in Psalm 40 says I feel like God has rescued me from death. Because I feel like I would have died if I hadnt been taken from Haiti and adopted into a canadian home. now He put a new song in my heart. because of His grace which I didnt deserve.
On to other things, I went swimming in the ocean and the weather was awesome. We went to the market and saw how the people would sell their produce. While i was in the market some on the Haitian people tried to talk to me in creole. It was pretty hard for me to respond because I have lost the language. I helped with building some cement walls. I untangled a goat that was stuck too. I bought some of the workers coke to drink and gave them some snacks. They were pretty happy about that.
Tomorrow I will be sharing my testimony and going to childrens church in the afternoon. Im looking forward to it.
im enjoying this trip so far and God has been working in my heart. The challenge will be how to apply what i have learned here into everyday life. Hopefully something will happen beyond my understanding. God bless you all.
On to other things, I went swimming in the ocean and the weather was awesome. We went to the market and saw how the people would sell their produce. While i was in the market some on the Haitian people tried to talk to me in creole. It was pretty hard for me to respond because I have lost the language. I helped with building some cement walls. I untangled a goat that was stuck too. I bought some of the workers coke to drink and gave them some snacks. They were pretty happy about that.
Tomorrow I will be sharing my testimony and going to childrens church in the afternoon. Im looking forward to it.
im enjoying this trip so far and God has been working in my heart. The challenge will be how to apply what i have learned here into everyday life. Hopefully something will happen beyond my understanding. God bless you all.
Eye Opener
Its been an exciting day all around, several of us went into Petite Goave today and had the market experience. You could find just about anything there, from super soakers, to discmans to fish and motoroil all under the same roof. I have been trying to get the Haitian money around in my brain. They have Gourdes aka Gooda's and also Haitian dollars, but they will also take American dollars. We did a little business with the folks at the market, a couple of wooden spoons and hair bobbles were bought. along with the food supplies for the week. Yes, I did sit on a bag of potatos (?) in the back of the truck on the way back....how many people CAN you cram on a truck?
There were protestors in town, and the UN and the police. I felt save though. I can feel the power of prayer. We are very blessed to have a team of people praying for us!
Kendra, Nelda and I started painting the school this afternoon. A nice coat of primer in the principal's office :)
I have had the opportunity to massage the kitchen ladies here. It's so incredubly rewarding to get their hugs and merci's !
The food has been delicious and the sleeps have been good (especially since I moved from the top bunk to the bottom!)
I have seen barely any creepy crawlies...a cockroach and a couple of geckos and half a lizard, which I think the cat brought in.
Well, I smell supper so its time to jet!!
There were protestors in town, and the UN and the police. I felt save though. I can feel the power of prayer. We are very blessed to have a team of people praying for us!
Kendra, Nelda and I started painting the school this afternoon. A nice coat of primer in the principal's office :)
I have had the opportunity to massage the kitchen ladies here. It's so incredubly rewarding to get their hugs and merci's !
The food has been delicious and the sleeps have been good (especially since I moved from the top bunk to the bottom!)
I have seen barely any creepy crawlies...a cockroach and a couple of geckos and half a lizard, which I think the cat brought in.
Well, I smell supper so its time to jet!!
We are having problems uploading pictures, so here is the picture for fridays blog. I'm not sure who had more fun, kids or team??????????
We are starting our day @ 6am with 2 Cor 2:5-11 Devotion.
Excited to visit the market in Petit Goave later today.
More to come later as our day proceeds.
Many thanks for your prayers and blessing to all at home.
Keith
Friday, October 22, 2010
Marc and I went to PAP early this morning to see if we could get a container out of customs, but it appears that the paper work on this end is going to be the hold up now. Not all was a waste we were also able to pickup some material to build some play ground equipment for the elementary school. Our plan is to start painting the school tomorrow as well start building the play ground. Also included is a trip to the market as it is Saturday.
Some of the other highlights of today were Lenic, Venta, Richard and Simon were busy laying out and tying rebar for the wall panel molds and helping with the posts for the medical clinic while adding in a trip with Pat to the local Haitian hardware store (Canadian tire ha ha!!).
Mike, Pat, Kendra, Katrina, and Rebecca took pictures of all the elementary school kids, what an experience. The children were so excited it was hard to keep them focused.
this busy day was topped off with a walk through the community ending up at the beach for swim in the ocean.
Some of the other highlights of today were Lenic, Venta, Richard and Simon were busy laying out and tying rebar for the wall panel molds and helping with the posts for the medical clinic while adding in a trip with Pat to the local Haitian hardware store (Canadian tire ha ha!!).
Mike, Pat, Kendra, Katrina, and Rebecca took pictures of all the elementary school kids, what an experience. The children were so excited it was hard to keep them focused.
this busy day was topped off with a walk through the community ending up at the beach for swim in the ocean.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Around Town
Yesterday was an adventure and what seemed like exercise in futility.
The people and country of Haiti have had alot of cash goods and personell poured int the country.
We have noticed that the expectation of many here is that rebuilding will be done for them. What is so great and amazing is what Haiti Arise is doing by showing and teaching people how to do it themselves. This empowers not only the student but any of the teachers.
It is also apparent that the Haitian people are very resilient, and can continue to do comerce in the face of strife.
God has come close to each of us as team members and streached us to a place that we may not return to. I am speaking about the same comfort we knew as people before going on a short term outreach.
Thank-you all for praying for us.
As I sit here typing (pick and peck) sticky because the humidity is close to 100%, I am reminded that we are all being watched over by an amazing loving Father.
May all of you reading this find encouragement in something around you in your life today.
c-ya
The day started at about 6:30 am with some group devotions and then breakfast shortly after. The plan today, and I say plan loosley, is to do a dental clinic. Simon is the dentist in our group. Katrina and Nelda are nurses so they are assisting with blood pressures etc. Kendra and I are trying to help with it but there is only so much we can do. So here I am to report back home.
The staff here at Haiti Arise are the first to be seen by Doctor Simon. They get a check up and possible extractions if necessary. Our supplies are limited so Im not sure what there is for medication and anesthesia. But the Haitians are being very brave about it.
As for the rest of us, Mike is helping in the clinic, Richard is taking video, Lenic, Pat and Keith are doing some manual labour. The manual labour consists of mixing concrete and making wall panels. And our course there is the trade school that also needs to be rebuilt. The ground was dug up and staked out to begin the foundation. But according the blue prints the digging was done all wrong. So we start from the beginning. The plan is yet to be made with an architect and engineer from alberta. The will be working on this today. So lots to be done!
And by the way its about 9:20 am and probably 30 degrees with major humidity. Everybody is in a constant sweat. But the day is going to be great! Have a great day everybody! love ya
The staff here at Haiti Arise are the first to be seen by Doctor Simon. They get a check up and possible extractions if necessary. Our supplies are limited so Im not sure what there is for medication and anesthesia. But the Haitians are being very brave about it.
As for the rest of us, Mike is helping in the clinic, Richard is taking video, Lenic, Pat and Keith are doing some manual labour. The manual labour consists of mixing concrete and making wall panels. And our course there is the trade school that also needs to be rebuilt. The ground was dug up and staked out to begin the foundation. But according the blue prints the digging was done all wrong. So we start from the beginning. The plan is yet to be made with an architect and engineer from alberta. The will be working on this today. So lots to be done!
And by the way its about 9:20 am and probably 30 degrees with major humidity. Everybody is in a constant sweat. But the day is going to be great! Have a great day everybody! love ya
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Mobbed!!
What a day! We got to meet the kids at the school here at Haiti Arise. One of the best parts of the day was walking into the playground and having all the school kids rush to hold your hand. The kids had so much enthusiasm and joy while we played. I have never seen so many kids on a teeter totter! I was honored to join them and the laughter got harder...the smiles of the children was such a highlight, can't wait for recess tomorrow!!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Well there is lots to say but I will try to keep it brief. We arrived into Port au Prince at approx 9am. The heat was so intense even at that time of day. Getting our luggage and loading it into vehicles was a major undertaking. Once we were loaded we were on our way. The first plan of attack was to try to find tires for one of the vehicles. So we drove around Port Au Prince trying to find a tire shop with the tires we needed. After making a few unsuccessful stops we decided to go to the Haiti Arise compound. The trip through the city was overwhelming in so many ways. First the heat, then the smells and then the sights of ruin and destrution. But not only to the buildings. The people are living in such unimaginable poverty and overwhelming circumstances. Within the first few minutes off of the plane we saw young people with amupated limbs and they were calling to us for help. Its something you dont ever think that you will see.
The drive through the city took us about 3 hours. And then another hour or two to the compound. It was such a relief to get here and be able to rest a little. Since we got here we had church in the yard here. It was really awesome even though we couldnt understand much of what they were saying. But Lisa was a great translator.
A quick note on the heat. Its so hot that our clothes were saturated with sweat for most of the day. Not something that we are used to in Canada. Looking forward to a good night sleep tonite. There is so much I could say but I will let others tell some stories too. Goodnite everybody back home.
The drive through the city took us about 3 hours. And then another hour or two to the compound. It was such a relief to get here and be able to rest a little. Since we got here we had church in the yard here. It was really awesome even though we couldnt understand much of what they were saying. But Lisa was a great translator.
A quick note on the heat. Its so hot that our clothes were saturated with sweat for most of the day. Not something that we are used to in Canada. Looking forward to a good night sleep tonite. There is so much I could say but I will let others tell some stories too. Goodnite everybody back home.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
6 Sleeps and counting
Its hard to believe that it is almost 1 year ago that we were packing to go to Haiti. Please join our team on Friday Oct 15 @ 6 pm at Crossroads Church for Pack and Prayer. We depart for the airport at 415am on Monday Oct 18 and arrive in Haiti, 8am Tuesday Oct19. The excitment is building and we request that you keep us in your prayers.
Pray for safe travels, good health and spritual protection.
Keith
Pray for safe travels, good health and spritual protection.
Keith
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