Monday June 7

We're here!! Our flight landed in Port-Au-Prince yesterday (Sunday, 6 June 2010), only about an hour and a half delayed - not too bad. luckily Jeff and Miguel decided to wait for us! The whole baggage claim/customs/walk out the gate was WAY less hectic than before. There was actually a small conveyor belt set up in the baggage claim hangar now, and so it was MUCH easier and less overwhelming to collect our 27 bags, which included a guitar and two shovels and a sledgehammer wrapped in some garbage bags and duct tape. [We roll in style, what can I say?!] They also set up a secondary fence outside of the main airport fence, so there was less shoving through crowds of people. Big was there to meet us, like before. Forward in Health (a medical missions group that was here recently) had a bus, probably twice the size of the little yellow one, that Mission of Hope is currently using. it's pretty much luxurious! The drive to Grand Goave was uneventful, especially since it was getting dark, and most of us were so tired. We arrived at the beach compound where we are staying around 8:30, and Mary Yve had dinner ready and waiting for us. The other team (a group of 10 from Adventures in Mission's World Race) returned from church soon after that, and we met each other briefly before crashing out for the evening.

Today was an early morning - up at 5am for breakfast before meeting with Renee and some of the Haitian workers at the orphanage around 6. SInce we had already adjusted to 'Haitian time', we rolled in promptly around 6:45. After a quick meeting to discuss the Samaritan's Purse transitional houses that we'll be building, we got right to work. With 24 of us, between the two teams, plus two more girls that are here from Germany, we had plenty of hands to work! There were 12 housing kits that had been partially started already, and we finished all of those, plus in the afternoon, we started a 13th house which will be finished tomorrow (Tuesday).

Today was a lot of watching and learning how these houses go together; since they're from Samaritan's Purse, there are specific instructions on how to build them - what pieces go where, in what order, etc. [I'll explain the houses in more detail in a future post, since it seems that's what a majority of us will be spending most of our time working on.]

After spending a long, hot day working on the houses, we came back to the beach for some much needed downtime. Most of us showered, and we finally unpacked and organized those 27 bags we brought with us. We sorted through everything, and came up with 3 suitcases of supplies for the team (clif bars, gatorade packets, miscellaneous tools, antibacterial soap refills, etc.) and about 16 of donated supplies (clothes, school supplies, toys for the kids, soccer balls, and other donated things).

We had delicious Chicken Pot Pie made by the wonderful Mary Yve, and then talked about our first impressions of Haiti. Lots of good thoughts and wheels turning... God is transforming some worldviews on this trip. After dinner was worship songs around the table, led by Caleb, and then it was time for bed! As I'm writing this (9:57pm Monday), pretty much everyone in the whole camp is already asleep. Early to bed, early to rise... that's how they do it here.

So the short version: we're here safe, going to be building some houses, God is good. More to come tomorrow!

to Him be the glory!