Church under the Mango Trees

Last Monday, the church here was tore down so that a new one could be built on the same site. One that would be straighter and sturdier. It will also have a plywood floor and will be a bit larger. So the benches were moved to under the mango trees for tomorrow. They provide great shade. Wade is preaching on Matthew 5-7 which is a sermon that Jesus preached outside as well.

This photo was taken from our balcony. We have a beautiful view from here.

Children Everywhere

We walk to most places we go to here and there will always be children run up to touch us, ask for 'one dolla', hold our hands. They really like to have their photo taken and then see it on the camera. Half of the population of Haiti is under the age of 18. The most current population figure is 10 million. That's alot of young people!

One thing that we get to do with teams is to go out in the area and visit families. We usually take hygiene bags and goodies for the kids. One home we stopped at was a family of 8 children. Mom said that she lost her husband and mother in the earthquake. She and her family have a very difficult time finding enough money for food. She seemed as though she needed to talk about it all. We spent quite a while with her listening and praying. In the end, the small items we left with her seemed to insignificant compared to her needs, but they put a smile on their faces.

Workin' Hard

This is the team (minus 1) along with some of the ever so faithful Haitian workers and Marc.

They anticipate that they will finish the wall while they are here. This week, the church here at Haiti Arise has been tore down and a new sturdier, straighter one is being erected. It will be a bit larger and will have a plywood floor instead of a dirt floor, but will still be the post and tin roof style of building. We'll post some pictures of it soon.

Guerline

For those of you following our blog, you may remember the story of the 22 year old woman who came to the clinic when the medical team was here. She had a badly infected sore on her leg - so severe that it has damaged her heart. She weighs 88 lbs. and her family kicked her out when she became too sickly to be of any help at home. This picture is of Lisa helping to hook up Guerline's iv. The first day that she came, she had walked by herself to see a doctor and was very scared and quiet. After coming everyday for a while, she became much more at ease and would give us a beautiful smile. She was also very hungry, so we would give her something to eat each time she came. This is such a moving story and a reminder of how much we have to be thankful for and just how easy our lives are on these levels - so many things that are huge struggles for people like Guerline here in Haiti, we take for granted.

Photographing Kids

We get to do a great variety of tasks here and we never know from one day to the next what's coming. Today, I had to go to school and take pictures of 20 children who are available for sponsorship through Haiti Arise website. Some of them were from the three year old preschool class. They are so tiny and cute, but so scared. They've likely never had their picture taken before by a white, freckled lady! This little guy was the only one who was eager to smile - he is so cute.

We had a team arrive today to do construction work. There are seven of them, 2 from Moose Jaw, 4 from Halifax and 1 from Labrador. Three of them have not been here before so they are feeling somewhat overwhelmed but looking forward to a great time.

Wade went to the airport today and security let him in. Last time he went to get the medical team, the guards wouldn't let him in for a while, then eventually they did, but told him where to sit. You never know what the procedure will be at the Port au Prince airport from one time to the next.

Jacmel

On Thursday we visited Jacmel. It is an historic city of 60,000 south of Grand Goave that used to be an active port city and was used as one again after the earthquake to get supplies into Haiti quickly. We went with the family that has been here this past week and our driver, Yvon. The drive through the mountains was spectacular. The road was switchbacks most of the way - up and down. Only one of the three children was car sick! Wade and I were dropped off in the historic French Colonial centre of the city near the ocean. We stopped for a coke in this old restaurant (photo above) in a hotel called, Hotel Florita, - it was a beautiful old spot. The other photo above is the street that the hotel is located on. And of course, we had to add a photo of the awesome scenery. This view is from another hotel where we went for lunch called, Hotel Cyvadier -- situated high above a cove. We went swimming at the beach there, down a long staircase. We tried a Club sandwich and fries. Much like what we have in Canada, except their fries are hand cut and more flavorful! .... and of course a restaurant meal wouldn't be complete without a Coke.

It was a great day.

In the Office

For the next two weeks, Geanne, who works in the business office is on vacation, so I am her 'fill in.' This has created another learning curve! This is day three and I am starting to get a handle on handing out cash. The main detail is that money has to be converted 2 or 3 times depending on what currency you are dealing with. Actual Haitian money is called the goude, but for mathematical purposes it is converted into Haitian dollars and if needed, to US currency. I have many pages of notes!

Wade is teaching in the Bible school this afternoon.

Our Dr.'s and family leave Friday and then we prepare for a construction team to arrive Monday for two weeks.

Until next time...........