Independence Day Pictures

(from a few days ago) school girls flocking to see

 some family photos on PB's phone

L-R: Megan, Jamie, and Ed at the beach

with coconuts and sugar cane

This is God's country

This market and community at The Pier is one of the poorest sections of P-au-P.

They have lived in these shanties since long before the quake. 

Ed's dance moves up on the roof

Ed's groupies on the other rooftop (They're purportedly all named Ed).

Wild horses grazing by the road to the beach

An especially bright tap-tap with a friendly passenger. 

Very common sight in the Port.

Haiti Day 7

Joyeux Jour d'Independence!  (Happy 4th of July).

We enjoyed a wonderful day of worship, rest, and hospitality today.  We went to church at 7am.  It is Pastor Leon's church and it meets in the temporary school. Perhaps it was mentioned earlier that the new school we're working on will be used for Sunday services as well, until a separate new church can be built.  We had a wonderful time.  Dinecia earned her stripes translating a PB sermon, Megan read Psalm 121 in French and then sang it in English.  The prayer was passionate, all the congregational singing was beautiful to listen to, and PB even did a good job. :)  His text was Elijah and the prophets of Baal--if you don't know the story, read 1 Kings 18:16-chapter 19.  Powerful stuff.

After the service, we headed to the beach for some R&R on this lovely (hot) Sabbath day.  Ed's watch thermometer registered that the Caribbean was 86F.  Still refreshing. Dinecia surprised us with a home-cooked meal made by her mom, who joined us for swimming afterward.  We had beans and rice, pikliz, fried plantains, and goat meat. For dessert we each got a coconut, which Dinecia's mom (Adeline) awesomely prepped with a kitchen machete, and sugar cane.  We were so spoiled!  It was, for us, an unusual 4th of July picnic, but an unforgettable one.

In the evening after we returned to our compound, we made another feast of fresh watermelon, mango, pineapple, quenapes, and homemade guacamole (made of the infamous avocados of yesterday's market experience).  We are blessed, we are humbled, we are filled with joy at having the privilege to do the Lord's work here, to live in a free country where others join us in our work here at "the ends of the earth," and to thoroughly enjoy this Sabbath and holiday.  May you be blessed by the same Lord as you participate in this mission with us through prayer and all your support.
Love from P-au-P,
Team Haiti

P.S. Almost forgot one very joyful thing: We ran into Ghaiti, whom some of you may remember from having met him as he traveled in the States with the Munoses last summer.  The meeting was quite unexpected--he lives a block away from where we are staying, but did not know we were here!  He seems well, and was happy to see us.  God truly is a God of surprises.  Glory be unto his name.

Haiti Day 6

Q: How many Americans does it take to buy avocados?
A: Ask Ed. (Seriously. He took 15 minutes at the market...)

Today was a short work day and a hot one--101 F! Yes, it feels very hot, but we've acclimated to the extent that it was surprising to hear that figure.  You get used to swimming in your own clothes fairly quickly here.  In fact, one team member observed, Haiti is the only place in which she has ever prayed for cold shower water! (Little on the warm side today--no good).

Anyway, as you may be aware, the World Cup is going on and it couldn't be bigger in Haiti.  It always is, but this year a more than ever welcomed diversion.  People fly and sell Brazillian and Argentinian flags all over the streets, wear jerseys, even spray paint their vehicles(!) to show their loyalties.  Living in tent cities is apparently no obstacle to procuring the necessary technology to follow the games, as evidenced by the surround-sound wail we heard yesterday at our site when Brazil lost, and the 2 solid minutes of joyous shouting and dancing in the streets today when Germany beat Argentina!  (Those dancing were Brazil fans).  There is a tent home merely 8 feet from the temporary school in which is smaller than my bedroom closet, but has a jerry-rigged antenna and either TV or radio inside that the kids would flock to in between lessons to get the latest.

After work we were taken on a 3 hour tour (cue Gilligan music) for "sightseeing" around P-au-P and up the mountain to where we could see the entire city from high above.  All 2 million people.  In P-au-P alone. We have not uploaded our photos from today, but you have seen samples of the damage--piles of rubble in the streets, pancaked buildings, half-crumbled buildings with rebar hanging like spaghetti.  But what you really can't take your eyes off is the people.  You watch them and you see, in ways that the front page can never capture, life continuing.  You see children who point and yell, "Look, Mommy--white people!  Hi, people!" You see people selling mangoes, and pregnant women in sundresses shopping for mangoes.  You see people driving their taped up windowed/busted windshield trucks, working as ever.  You see groups of school kids in their uniforms laughing together on the corner waiting to cross the street.  Life is here. Therefore, God is here. And by the way, remember that cross we saw etched into the hillside the other day? Guess where it is? Right behind the smooshed president's palace.  We also saw the National Cathedral, once a magnificent building, now ruined beyond repair; half crumbled, the rose windows shattered, and yet we got the chills as we noticed that the 3/4 sized crucifix statue that is in the churchyard still stands, virtually unmarred.  Christ is here!  And we get to be his witnesses to you of the reality that there is a certain and real hope for Haiti. We could not be more privileged to play even a small part in it.  Glory to God!

still more photos

Our fearless leader with several of our sweet little buddies 

(yeah, they're probly supposed to be paying attention to the teacher ;)

PB and ED fixing the sagging chalkboards

Craig and Chris putting in newly welded (welt?) window

L-R; Chris, Abila (lead Haitian mason or 'boss;' Carol, and Ed

Mary the Riveter and Craig welding windows

View from our rooftop

L-R: Dinecia, Dot, and Sr. Lou;

our "ladies in painting"

Roselina, a student, with PB

Arm wrestling, though wildly amusing for the students, 

was not as amusing to the teachers. ha.

Haiti Day 5

Wow. 5 days has slipped by too quickly.  We have accomplished much on the school project, but moreover, we have grown as a unified team and as a vessel for God's work (work for others; work within ourselves).  You've been praying that this experience will be life-changing.  It already has.  This is the whole team speaking.

Physically, PB is feeling better today, but we had a few more bite the dust today. Carol and Laura were under Sister Lou's good care at the compound today after *symptoms* at the work site became overwhelming. :(  Lou also made each member of the team a wonderful popsicle with plastic cups and spoons and lemonade  mix!  A very thoughtful and special treat. Lou is the best nurse.
Must share anecdote here that happened before transportation of the invalids off the site--

Megan: How is Carol?
Dinecia: Well she has the dry leaves.
Megan: Oh.... some kind of herbal remedy?
Carol: That's HEAVES...Dry heaves.
:)
Thankfully, Carol and Laura and also Kevin, who braved it out at the site all day but was sick as a dog all the while, are recuperating and tomorrow is a shorter work day. We end at noon instead of 2pm.  Then we plan to hit the beach!  Lord willing or "si Dieu veut" in Creole.  That is a saying that many use in Haiti!

We taught the school kids a new song (new to them), God is So Good.  They pick up on song so fast.  They just love it. Their teacher also led them in one in French, which they sang for us.
The gist is this: [Knock knock knock--who's there? Jesus. May I come in? Yes, yes, yes, you may come in. My heart is open to you.  Knock knock knock--who's there? The devil. May I come in? No, no, no, you may not come in. My heart is closed to you.]

For lunch, Sister Jonas from the mission brought us a home cooked meal again.  It was more fried plantains, pikliz, which is a very spicy slaw made of onions, hot peppers, veggies and mangoes. Mmmmm. (Except if the hot pepper gets in your eye instead of your mouth. Oops.  Also she brought what looked like steak fries and tasted like Arby's curly fries and were made from malanga root. The food was called akra.  Verrry tasty.

As usual, we sat up on the roof to eat our heater meals, and again Ed had gathered a crowd on a nearby rooftop for certain *special* dance moves and more "Hey you! My name's Ed" exchanges.  But this time it was several kids AND several adults!  They sang "Allelu/Praise ye the Lord" for us, much to our surprise, and when we asked where they learned it, they replied gleefully, "From the other white people!"  (Apparently a previous mission team).

Since Megan is flying back to the US Monday, she had to make her goodbyes to the school children today. They all asked "When are you coming back?"  She explained how expensive it was and their little eyes bugged out.  But many of our team, Megan included, have  found a special place in our hearts for this country and do indeed wish to return as soon as possible.

In conclusion for today, it must be said that his trip has not been so much about tools and re-bar as it has been about people--God's precious people, coming together from different places, talking to one another, encouraging and praying for one another, and sharing as much of His love as possible with as many others as possible.  This can be done ANYWHERE, ANYTIME.  So we invite you to join us in this very same work right where you are.  Looky there--now you're on Team Haiti too! (but without the humidity and cockroaches).  Give thanks!

More pictures

Gets dusty, debris-y and buggy in ye old pickup

a common scene along Port roads--piles of uncleared rubble and garbage (with goats)

Yes. There were tongue marks on the inside of the truck window.

Kevin and Jamie finishing the perls (sp?) for the roof

The temporary school practically on top of our work site

--no door, no floor, and a skinny stray dog comes daily

 to look for discarded snacks.

Haiti Day 4

A hot workday, with much progress on the school and laughter and lovin on kiddos.  Today it was PB's turn to succumb to heat, but he is recovering from his symptoms--Yes, he did call Linda--and he's been good about drinking his Gatorade and laying low this afternoon and evening.

For Mary, this is smoke free day #4--WOO HOO!  Megan learned to weld. (Mary did that yesterday and did fabulous)  Chris got oogled by several giggly tweens who asked how old he was and if he were married.
Jamie got some great videos of PB's driving--kudos to PB for his excellent maneuvering though in discomfort and fatigue.  Craig did not drop anything on anyone's foot.  Ed was a rooftop celebrity, teaching the kids on a neighboring rooftop goofy songs and refined English phrases such as "Foget about it" and "Bada bing Bada boom."  He also taught them YMCA and they joined right in with our humming the Macarena--there's video of that too--make sure you see it when it is made available.  Arguably though, the cutest exchange went thus: (Ed) Hey you! (kids) Hey YOU! (Ed) My name's Ed! (Kids) My name's Ed!  Dinecia and Megan noticed a tap-tap with the following phrase inscribed in bright paint across it: La Belle POULPITA, which, literally means "The beautiful chicken later"....... Interpretations welcome.

As we interact more and more with the Haitian people, hearing their stories and sensing their deep hurts, our emotions and perspectives undulate like roller coasters. (Undulate is a neat word--look it up.  :)  We take turns having those hurts become real to us and sink in.  But we must share this image of hope, witnessed from the back of our truck as we bounced along in the insane rush hour highway traffic.  On a green mountainside in the distance there was a bald patch, crudely but distinctly formed, apparently naturally, in the shape of a giant cross. The symbol of Christ's love for his people etched into their very earth for all to see.  It was a wonderful reminder for us that He is here, even in distress, sadness, brokenness, and memories of trauma.  Jesus Christ is here and he ain't leavin.

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills.  Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth." Psalm 121:1