On A Hot Tin Roof

As it turns out tin roofs can get quite hot in the Caribbean sun. When we arrived at the work site today the two local workers that we are helping had a good start on the roof supports so some of us jumped right up in the rafters with them while others worked on the walls and the floor or the chicken coop.

After the support beams were all in place it was time to put on the tin roof and I think our team surprised the locals with their abilities. The team that came down after some dropped out was two men and 6 women (boy I hope I got that count correct). But these are New England women and they can do whatever they put their mind to do. So into the rafters the women climbed and kept up with the local workers to complete their half of the tin roof.


While the roof was being worked on so was some of the wall and the floor. The walls are cinder block was and so the team set to the task of masonry. This included helping to hand mix concrete on the ground with a shovel, hauling it 30 feet or so to the work site, and they laying the blocks, making sure they were level and in line with the others. And just to be perfectly clear that uneven bit of wall in the picture was done by the local worker, not by us.

The floor work meant a lot of leveling and filling the wheel barrow with gravel to give the floor a base on which concrete was poured. Again, the concrete work is all done by hand and carried to the work site using buckets.


While it was a lot of hard work the end result is starting to look quite nice, but by the looks of it there is a lot more concrete work to complete tomorrow as Bly about 1/4 of the floor is poured. And rumor has it along with completing the floor tomorrow we will start putting the chicken wire around the outside as well.

Arriving in Port au Prince, January 12, 2013

Arrived in Port au Prince, Haiti on Saturday, January 12 on the third anniversary of the earthquake that opened the eyes of the world on this desolate place.

My introduction to Haiti involved a bombardment of men trying to assist with luggage not taking " no" for an answer.

The drive to the guest house was wild - an assault on the eyes, a shock to all senses, a challenge to the soul.  Sights and sounds that overwhelm.  Here to help what appears to be the impossible.  Where is the good?  Where to begin while grappling with the intrusion of fear - fear of safety, fear of potential violence, fear of disease, fear of not being able to make a difference.

Perhaps this is where God steps in to numb the senses, embrace my heart and safeguard my soul.  For here is the place in my being where room is made; to neutralize and to level the person I am; to make room for the person I am about to become.

We Were Framed

Today we started framing the chicken coop. Some have nicked named it the "Yellow Flower Chicken Club", but I am not sure it will stick. It was quite an experience helping in the framing process as it was done in the traditional Haitian way, which is not always the same way you might do it in the US. But, as you can see we have support posts, cross beams, and the beginning of a roof line.

Our jobs today consisted of digging a lot of post holes, carrying cement, and some cutting of lumber. We were not expected to climb the 2x4 that they rested against the structure as a incline because there was no ladder.

Cement mixing in Haiti is still a very manual process. It is mixed on the ground by shovel by and individual who uses their experience to created the right mixture and consistency. Then the result is hand carried by buckets down to the work site. It is a very labor intensive process.


After the work day, showers and dinner we headed to the orphanage to spend some time with the kids and play some indoor games. Unfortunately the orphanage, much to our surprise, were not aware that we were coming. But, no worries, the we found our way inside and broke out some bead to make bracelets, a board game, twister, and the Polaroid camera.


It was a wonderful time of hugs and fun and I recognized a few faces from years past, most notably Edna. I believe I have mentioned Edna in my blog from past years and it was really good to see her again, but also a bit sad she is still not able to live with her parents as they, as I recall, do not have the funds to support her. Edna was special to me because her smile and the way she giggled is exactly how my middle daughter Emily smiles and giggles. If I could she would be coming home on the plane with me to join our family (guess I should have discussed that with the wife first, but as it is not possible I guess there is no harm done). The first picture above is Edna today. The second is Edna a few years ago.

A long but rewarding day. It will be interested to see what tomorrow holds.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

"WAITING IN THE LIGHT OF GOD"

Mission trips have been a lesson in letting go and letting God from the very beginning of my leading them over a decade ago.
Fortunately this group is really awesome!!!!!
Because when we arrived on Saturday we sat down to BEGIN to plan with the leadership here for our intended project--building chicken coops to feed and support the orphanage.
There were a lot of good reasons - the church with which we work has been having disgruntled neighbors vandalizing church property and the pastor's house - the pastor has been to the US some AND of course the Christmas Holidays!
Then also, they wanted to work WITH us to plan because our starting places were somewhat different.
We waded through some of that for a LONG time on a very tired Saturday - and then waited through a lovely but long Sunday at worship in the AM (including a song "Do All You Can" our group sang that the congregation really seemed to like), and visited at the orphanage that is only about a block and a half from our "Guest House" (a lovely visit with bubbles, soccer balls, stickers, slinkys and songs).
Some of the group was leaning toward the belief that we would have a great trip but there was no way the chicken coops were really going to happen...  Some of us were trusting in the process - harder to do when involving different cultures as well as different priorities of life.  It was a hard balancing act.

Monday morning our local leaders were late and things seemed off to an awkward start... We stood at our doorway singing "We are waiting in the light of God" in pretty good spirits.  But then we were off - we arrived at the site - were shown were the coops would go - and the pastor and helpers went off to buy the materials, leaving us to clear the debris from the very rocky and littered little piece of land.  At the end of a day of VERY hard work and lot's of waiting ... the site was cleared, lines were measured and the trenches for the concrete footings were dug!
Pretty good day...

Whew, It Was Only A Short Service

Today is Sunday and that means it was off to church in the morning. For those of you in the US that start to get uncomfortable when the service runs over by 10 or 15 minutes, then I recommend you don't attend a Haitian service. Today's was about 3 and 1/2 hours.

Now don't get me wrong, that does not mean that it was boring and we were all falling asleep. There were some great choirs including a group of young men that sang two songs about faith. The sermon was given by Pastor Ronel and spoke to how with God's grace we can live the right life even if we have made mistakes in the past. At the end of the service Pastor Ronel asked people to come up that we're ready to ask for forgiveness and strive to live right. About 30 to 40 mostly young people came up on their knees and were prayed over. Very powerful and moving.


Outside the Church, actually before the service, we spent some time meeting the local community. One of our group brought a Polaroid camera which was a great idea. She was able to take photos of the kids and some adults and then give the photos to them. It was great seeing their expressions when they first saw their image appear. There are not a lot of mirrors in Haiti and many of these kids, while they have seen digital images or themselves, have not had a photograph of themselves. Polaroid camera ... again, what a great idea.


After lunch, a delicious mixture of peanut butter and jelly along with chips and cookies, we walked to the near by orphanage for a quick visit. We brought balls, frisbees, and bubbles, but I think what most captivated the children was the singing and guitar playing. Even with the language barriers the kids were able to join in on the chorus.


Not only were the kids that were crowded around the guitar singing and dancing, but so were the kids playing the other games. As they were throwing things they would stop every now and again and sing and dance where they were. It was a good end for the day and I am very grateful for the singing talent in this group, of which I have none.

We will see what tomorrow brings as we start the day with a trip to the supply store to shop for chicken farm supplies. How hard can it be to build a box around a bird ....

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

Getting to Know You

The Port-au-Prince airport is much improved since I was here last (March 2012). They now have their gangways working and you know longer have to take the shuttle bus from the airplane to the terminal. I was pleasantly surprised.

The rest of the airport is pretty much the same. I was able to find the rest of the group quite easily, or rather they found me. And once I realized I was at the wrong baggage carousel and got to the correct one, I was able to find my bag without a problem. (btw, all the tools and odd shapes in my checked bag caught the interest of the TSA and they went through the bag and then put it back together). But the good news is that everything was there and nothing went missing.

We did a quick meet and greet at the airport, purchased a SIM card for the phone, and then were off to run the gauntlet of people trying to "help" you with your bags all with the expectation of a tip at the end. There was a lot of shouting "no mesi" and I think we made it through with only two hanger ons. (I believe "mesi" is the correct spelling in Haitian Creole.

We packed the cars and heads for the guest house. It is quite a nice quest house and there were a few other groups including a "strength" group, which go around breaking and bending things as well as preaching the gospel. I saw a video of them once visiting a school, but I can't find it fit now.

We also had a very nice dinner and some group time to help us get to know each other. The group from the right coast brought a guitar along with talent so we had some good music tonight and were able to practice for our song during the church service tomorrow, during which I will be mouthing "watermelon". We were also lucky to hear some other tunes include one of from Bob Marley's.

Tried to clean up a bit tonight, but there was no water. It was unclear if that is because they ran out or because a lack of power somewhere. There is no central water system in PaP. No worries, it is what it is and if nothing else there are wet wipes to deal with it in the morning.

Well, it is time for bed, so please forgive any mistakes as I am too tired to deal with it.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

On our way

On the plane bound for Haiti waiting for take off. Time for a much needed nap!