Just a quick note to let you know that a much-needed rainstorm rolled through Jeremie Friday night and knocked out our satellite Internet connection. We're back up now, and I am pushing through the blogs that everybody has typed up on my laptop each night. Enjoy.

I can't believe we have been here a week. How can this week be gone? It's cliché, but time flies when you're having fun.....and working hard!

Today is Sunday, which means we got to go to church in Marfranc. Let me back up. Before we headed out for the bumpy forty-five minute ride to Marfranc, Steve made us a wonderful breakfast! Scrambled eggs with cheese and crumbled bacon mixed right in. That's right. I got bacon in Haiti!!

We loaded up the truck and headed to Marfranc. We arrived tap tapping, with spilled water, which we had taken to drink, and a forgotten electric cord, but that really didn't matter in the scheme of things. Today's service was slightly different than a typical Sunday, as it was the end of Bible School. The church was packed. You should have seen the children! All week I have been a bit crazy because the guys got to wear shorts and we women had to wear hot skirts, but today I took it all back because we got to wear skirts and sandals that were quite cool in relation to the guy's ties as well as long pants, shoes and socks.

Singing. Oh my. You have not experienced singing until you have heard the singing in a Haitian church! Everybody sings loudly, enthusiastically and with great joy. We blancs muddled along. We did sing two familiar songs - When We All Get to Heaven which had words we could follow, but the other song we just knew the tune and hummed along. Of course we were drowned out!

Pastor's sermon was an exhortation to all, but especially to the children, about obedience and respect for their parents as well as obedience to God; and an encouragement to walk in light and not in darkness.

The church was unbelievably hot - rivers of sweat running down your back hot, and of course none of us had fans. Brian came to the rescue with several very old Lifespring bulletins! They sure could use some of those good old fashioned fans that used to be in the pews of every church in the days before air-conditioning. Yes, I am old enough to remember that!

The kids were patient and so responsive. To say nothing of cute! Laurie kept trying to take a baby or two and smuggle them home in her luggage. Especially Ubin! We got to hear them recite the Bible verses they learned, and we got to hear them summarize the stories they had been told this week in their own words. And then they got awards - marbles and jacks, as well as a certificate for their accomplishments. No one was left out, even if they didn't get a reward, they still received M&M's, hard candy and bubbles. Some came back for a second round before we “caught them”.

This service was an amazing three hours of songs and praising God. Yep - you heard me right - three hours. And I thought Pastor Mike got long winded at times! Afterwards we shook hands with everybody - and I mean everybody and then walked over to Pastor Plaisir's house for lunch. On the menu? Goat, fried plantains, abricot, and wonderful rice. As well as ice cold Cokes that Joline and Mark bought a couple house over and brought back to pastor's. After lunch we were able to meet the ladies who made the amazing meal, and meet the pastor's wife.

I can't tell you how wonderful Haitian food is. I wish you could smell it cooking through this computer screen! I'd come back to Haiti just for the food!

No, wait, the food and the beach! After lunch we headed back to Jeremie and Joline took us to the beach. I got to do my first tap tap ride, and it was wonderful. Challenging at times, but the view was awesome. They say difficulty results in appreciation - and the “road” we had to walk down to get to the beach was kind of difficult. But the beach..... it was beyond beautiful. The waves were kinda rough, so I gave up trying to ride them and sat on the sand in the surf and just enjoyed God's creation. The beauty, the sound of the waves, the smell of the ocean. Mark was a joy to watch - he reminded me of either a little child encountering something for the first time, or an otter, playful and totally enjoying his moment. Several of us walked along the beach, and after a jelly fish sting, two cuts, and a pound of sand in our suits we headed back up the trail. At which time Cindy was promptly head butted by a steer. (Actually she wants me to say gored by a steer because it sounds better....) No harm, no foul, but it startled her....and it was pretty funny! Just around the corner from this cow, and the beautiful view back down across the cove, we came across a soldier with a gun just leaning against a crumbling building. That to me is so out of context and a bit disconcerting. A peaceful cow, a fun moment, a soldier with a gun....

I sit here writing this now listening to the hum of the generator, the laughter and conversation in the kitchen, the children playing next door, and the call of the Haitian crows. Which sound totally different then our crows....do crows have dialects???

Haiti has been a wonderful experience, a hurry-up-and-wait, patience building time. Despite all the things that didn't go exactly as we planned, it went as God planned. From worksite to Bible School, from church to the beach - Haiti has been a wonderful experience. Haiti is a beautiful country. The poverty breaks my heart. But the smile on the faces of the children is a wonderful thing to see. There is so much need, so much to do, and so many to love. Kim and I are already brainstorming ways we can help Steve and Joline as they live and minister in this country.

P.S. Dinner is over now - and I just had to add this note. This wonderful day has been capped off by an amazingly black sky blanketed with stars too many to number.

A benediction.

Amen.

Got up this morning (Thank God), had an awesome breakfast: pancakes, fruit juice, and more really great Haitian coffee. We sat around, hemmed and hawed, whether we were going to go to Marfranc to work because it was still raining (great rain storm last night, thunder, lightning, the whole show). Well, I got to thinking we have this great pavilion to work under with a very even floor. So why not go? We did and started to work where we normally did and it turned out to be a really nice day, not too hot. While finishing working on the panel we left, Kim, Cindy, and Leslie cut the steel (they did a great job!). But, the cutting saw jammed up and broke. That did not stop the team though, they figured out they could put a cutting disc on the Skil saw, and voila, Brian cut the 45 degree cut of the day. We continued to complete 2 1/2 panels. Pastor Plaisir stopped by, always good to see him, and he said, “Good job!”. Well, we left the job Mackinson, Cindy, and I rode tap tap while Kim, Brian, and Leslie rode in the front. Leaving the job unfinished wasn't a really good feeling, but degaje. Well, we'll be back to see some of the people at church tomorrow. The ride back was great. Went to the market with Joline, to check it out, experience it. Third world countries! (what does it mean?) It sure was like another world. But you know all the time I was there I never felt threatened, nervous, or uncomfortable. Got some really great pictures and videos, thanks to Cindy, another computer-saavy person. Videos of the market, girls carrying buckets on their head, the mass of people on a truck (Buses) from Jeremie to Marfranc and back, and whatever else I could video. Anyway, going out to dinner at the hotel with everyone was really great. The food was pretty darn good. The pineapple and passion fruit juice were the bomb. What a great bunch of people to share all of this with. Then coming back to the house and sitting on the front porch with everyone, playing guitar, with the full moon coming up really doesn't get much better. But as I say, “It gets better every day.”

Despite our minor set backs of earlier in the trip today ran rather smoothly. We were awakened with our usual cheerful 6am wake up call from Joline, and though it was a little harder to get up this morning, it proven to be well worth it at breakfast. Joline had woken up extra early to make us her famous (even if only to us) baked oatmeal! It was wonderful!

After having one of the two generators break yesterday Steve decided that we would take the big one from the house. And though this was a great idea, it proved to be challenging when the key for the lock on it could not be found! But have no fear, a saw was located and cut that puppy free for us. We piled in the truck and were on our way!

Once we arrive at the work sight we unload the depot and set the man folk (and Leslie) up for a hard days work. Joline, Cindy, Karen, and I decided that we would walk to the church today to do our craft with the children. And if you know anything about me, I'm not much of a walker, though after today I decided that perhaps it's something that I should really take up. We had to walk up the side of a mountain, on a very uneven path, that winded and winded. However, once we got to the top it was beautiful. Among the trees was a little community of people that lived up there. I have never seen such clean dirt yards before in my life. And the dirt itself was this amazing shade of red, it was gorgeous. The walk really wasn't that bad, and it didn’t take all that long, however in the heat of the morning it seemed to go on forever. When we got to the church the children were clearly excited to see us. We had a picture frame that we had glued a verse to the night before. The front of the frame had adhesive on it once we peeled off the paper and we called the children up in groups of about 14 and let them decorate the front with squares of tissue paper. When they were finished Cindy took their pictures in the groups and as I write this she and Leslie are printing off enough copies of each picture to be able to give each child a picture of themselves. It was really a lot of fun, so much so that even the adult leaders wanted to make some!

Back at the work sight Mark continued to weld with Brian's assistance. Kim and Leslie continued to cut the metal for the windows. When the rest of us got back we started to paint the finished windows with rust proof paint. At the end of the day when all was said and done 3 windows have been completely finished with a coat of paint. One more is about half welded together. And I believe that Kim and Leslie have at least one more completely cut out. Oh and lets not forget, the grill was made for our dinner tonight.

We had to start cleaning up after a bit of a cool front came in and it started to sprinkle. Cindy, Leslie, and I volunteered to sit in the back of the truck on the way back because lets face it, after working and sweating and being the sun all day a little rain feels good! Note I said a little. I should mention that upon volunteering Steve said that the rain wouldn't last that long anyway so it wouldn't really be that big of a deal. Well it did last! The whole ride home! After about 5 minutes we were soaked and laughing at really just making the most out of it. I mean not everyone can say that they rode in the back of a truck in the rain in Haiti! I wish that I could explain to you the sight of us. Cindy was standing against the back window, on the spare tire, sprawled out on the roof with one hand in each side window hanging on! Leslie and I were sitting hanging on with our sunglasses on trying to shield our eyes from the rain, which was coming down harder than when we left the work sight. In the end though, it really did feel good. When we got back to the house the three of us were rewarded by being given rites to shower first!

After everyone showered it was time to get ready for dinner. I did my part by taking a nap on and awesome Haitian recliner chair with my favorite Haitian kitten Two-Tone. Cindy and Leslie started the long painstaking task of printing pictures, and I believe that everyone else helped with dinner. What was for dinner you ask? Steak and potatoes baby! That’s right, we have not only earned the right to say that we were the first group to get soaked in the back of the truck, but we are also the first group to bring steak to the wonderful Moore family. I suppose I shouldn’t say that like I had anything to do with it at all. It was really Brian and Leslie and boy to do we all owe them. Along with steak and potatoes, which should really be enough, we had macaroni salad and guacamole made by Joline. Tonight we ate like kings. Which really is kind of the perfect ending to today. As I sit here on the porch of the Haiti house on a rocker it is a beautiful night. The bugs are being kept at bay by the bug spray and because of the rain it is a cool night. I think this is the first time that I have been able to take a shower and feel refreshed for more than five minutes afterwards.

I am so blessed to be here and for everything that I have. And though I know that at home, it helps to be reminded that and to be humbled every once in awhile. Praise Jesus and everything He has done for me and everyone else. Please pray that we continue to do His work down here and that we all remain safe. And as we prepare to end our time here, pray that God keeps a hand on us and our travels! Thanks and God Bless!

Well everyone from the team is here at Jeremie and all the bins and luggage have arrived. Today we went to the worksite and began constructing the iron lattice for the windows at the new house. We arrived at about 8 AM after a 45 minutes journey along the bouncy Haitian roads.

We are cutting and welding 3/4 inch metal that is hollow in the middle to make the lattice for the openings in the house that is being built in Marfrank. We were anxious to get to work but the work went slowly as we had to “get a system” that would be most effective for making these lattice panels. Mark was doing the welding, Brian was assisting, and I was doing the cutting of the pieces. The ladies helped us, but then they had to take the truck and go to do a craft for Bible School.

Haitian children are not used to doing crafts. They do not have opportunities to cut, paste, color, and follow instructions. The women adapted the crafts with these things in mind and the activity was a great success. They started with about 60 children and ended up with 150. On the way back to the worksite they had a flat tire which delayed their arrival. They are going to do another activity tomorrow.

While we were working on the metal lattice panels a crew of about 25 - 30 Haitians were working on pouring the concrete roof for the house. They mix the concrete by hand on the ground and when it is mixed they put the concrete into plastic buckets. There are about 6 guys on the ladder and they hand the concrete up the ladder “bucket brigade” style. The guys on the roof pour and spread the concrete.

The water for the process came from a hand pump about 100 yards from the place where it was being mixed. Three Haitian women carried a multitude of 5 gallon buckets loads from the pump to the mixing site.

We came back to Steve and Joline's house and enjoyed a wonderful Haitian meal and Steve, Brian, Cindy, and Mark went to the Tortug' office here in Jeremie and picked up the final bin. This marks the end to the journey from Chicago to Jeremie for all the materials that we are bringing for Steve and Joline and the ministry here.

It was great to get to work and watch the Haitians and meet several of them on the job site. Working is part of our mission here being here goes way beyond that. It is hard not to fall in love with the people as they go about their daily tasks; getting food and water, traveling around, and surviving.

Please pray for the Haitians, our team, and Joline and Steve.

Well, our day started really early...the man who has been driving us around Port was due to pick us up at the hotel at 6:15 in the hopes that we'd be able to make it on to one of the flights to Jeremie today. The first flight was scheduled for 7:30 and when we arrived at the small airport there were already a lot of people waiting. I don't know if I can give you a good vision of how things work here, but when you go into the small airport and go to the ticket counter, there's not really an orderly line and quite frequently people are jockeying for position with the hopes of getting a seat. Luckily, Nader our driver has a lot of experience with this and made sure Brian was positioned well. We were told that there was a person in front of us on the standby list and then us seven...but keep in mind that the plane only seats seventeen, so we weren't overly optimistic that we'd all get on. We were incredibly blessed as three of our team members made it on to the flight, Mark, Kim, and Karen. The bad news was that there was only one other flight on Tortug' Air, which was scheduled for 3:00. It appeared that the remaining four of us in Port were in for a long day at the airport. Brian talked to the people at MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) as soon as they opened, but they were booked for the day. The good news was that when the three went on the Tortug' flight they were able to take all of their luggage and four of the bins we had, which left us with two bags and two bins in Port. Brian and Nader went back and forth trying to find a way to get us to Jeremie, but nothing was panning out and time was very slowly passing as we waited for the next Tortug' flight. All of a sudden, at a little before noon, the guy from MAF came up to Brian and asked him if we were still interested in going to Jeremie because they had a plane and a pilot available! That's when the scramble started because we had to figure out everything with our luggage, get back in touch with Nader to tell him we were leaving, and talk to Joline about us coming in and also about our getting back to Port on Monday. Brian went to the Tortug' office to buy one-way tickets back on Monday while Laurie, Cindy, and I got weighed and had our luggage weighed because this is a much smaller plane and they had to be careful about our weight allowance. Turns out, all of our luggage combined with our weights and the plane's weight put us 69 pounds over our limit. We ended up taking the two bins out, unsure of the contents, and started trying to arrange with Tortug' for them to fly it to Jeremie. Ultimately we ended up shipping one and taking one, and unfortunately the one that was left behind had all of my clothes and half the kids' crafts in it. Luckily, the crafts that did arrive are plentiful enough for tomorrow's bible school activity! We arrived in Jeremie in the middle of the afternoon, had Steve and Kim waiting for us, and were able to come back to the house and enjoy the afternoon here together. Cindy assured us this morning that we'd all be in Jeremie this afternoon...I can honestly say I was a little skeptical and started to wonder if Brian and I would make it to Jeremie at all this trip, but I was really pleased that God gave us the strength and patience to weather the travel bumps we've had so far this trip. I have to admit, and anyone who was with me the last time I came won't be at all surprised to hear this, the small plane, 6 seat Cessna we were on today, was a horribly scary experience for me. I wasn't reassured when the pilot talked about it being pretty bumpy on our way up, and he was right. I did find it really refreshing to have a pilot pray with you before the flight; that was pretty cool, and I did find myself in a situation again where I had to just give it all to God, which has never been and still isn't an easy thing for me, but something that I find much easier when I'm here and have no control over anything. I'll leave you with this final thought, and hopefully it'll give you the chuckle it gave me at the time, as I was praying to God, telling him that I was just trusting in Him and knew His will would be done, a brief thought crossed my mind as my heart was racing, I thought, “Great, I'm giving it to God, hoping he'll keep me safe, and then my body will end up revolting against me and giving me a heart attack on the plane.” It lightened my mood at that moment and made the beautiful flight to Jeremie easy...guess God was just waiting for me to let it go so he could calm me.

Day 1 was spent going from Chicago to Miami. In Miami, our porter, Joe, was Haitian and was the same gentleman who helped Fran and crew two weeks ago. He commented on Fran's creole and was curious why so many of us were going to Marfranc.

Day 2 was an experience in travel gone awry. There is currently a box embargo going into Haiti from Miami, ie. our 6 bins were not allowed. Thankfully, Brian is a detailed trip leader and had great notes on who he spoke to and we were allowed to bring the bins on board. American Airlines was late, as normal, and once we got on board, your typical Florida thunderstorm rolled in. After many hours sitting on the plane, having the plane inspected for damage from lightning, we were able to leave. But, due to all the delays, we missed the connecting flight (notice a trend here) and are suffering badly in the lodge. We are hoping for some good luck tomorrow to get on a flight(s) to Jeremie. The weather here is beautiful, the pool is the perfect temperature, dinner was good, a bit un-hurried, and the Prestige was cold. All is well and in God's hands, where he leads we will follow, although very much hoping that we are in Jeremie tomorrow. Pray for good luck for us.

Well, we (Laurie Trent, Mark Matich, Kim and Karen Gerber, Cindy Lopezalles, and Leslie and I) made it to Miami without a hitch. The seven of us were able to check all 11 of our large bags, which included six bins packed mostly with items to bring to Steve and Joline and also to use in the kids' Bible school. We were a little concerned when two of the bins were opened after being X-rayed at O'Hare--I guess the welding rods and large quantities of D-cell batteries raised an eyebrow. Not to worry, we gave TSA eight extra cable ties to re-secure the bin lids after their inspection and we were on our way to Gate H8. A quick meal from the food court and one gate change later, and we were onboard our plane to Miami.

You may have noticed that we schedule our teams to take two days to get to Jeremie, flying to Miami on the first day, and then to Port-au-Prince and Jeremie the next day. I'm told that we do this because we need to allow enough time to make the connection in Port-au-Prince to minimize the risk of being stranded there. I have often questioned this, wishing that we could instead just make the whole in one day, starting with a really early flight to Miami. This thought was bolstered in my head when we landed ten minutes early in Miami. However, fifty minutes later, when we were still sitting in the plane on the tarmac, I realized the wisdom of taking two days to get to Haiti.

Anyway, that's about it for today. Leslie tells me that she thinks I should have everybody take turns writing blogs. I'm thinking it would be nice if everybody wrote something, however small, each day. We'll see where it all ends up going.

We've got a good group of people. We've had a lot of fun with our travels so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing what work we end up doing for the Lord in Haiti.

-Brian