so the last few days have been somewhat quiet actually, interspersed with the occasional moment of chaos, of course.
organized travis' truck monday, and while it's not completely finished, it's not half bad. went up to the school yesterday and helped pepe and wilson continue work on renee's new office. stopped by hands and feet to drop off donations from the team, including a brand new guitar that they had brought for the kids. it was perfect, too, because they have a keyboard for the kids, but no guitar yet, and some of them had been asking about one. glad to see it will be put to good use. :)
headed back to militone for a while, played some soccer with nahomie and romy and aj, and watched the ocean for a while. it was literally washing right up to the beach perimeter wall - not really high or anything, but the highest tide line was right at the bottom of the steps. crazy! no church because it was raining(ish), so back to kai militone for movie night with Kera. we watched August Rush [great movie, by the way], and then not more than 10 minutes after, just as i was going to sleep, Kera comes running out of the bathroom in the dorms, literally unable to make complete sentences. all i got was 'spider' and 'bigger than my face'... translation: there was a tarantula on the floor next to the toilet in the first stall. after much hyperventilating (mostly on kera's part ;) and general freaking out, we woke up marieyve, who came to our rescue. she initially wanted to kill it with a sandal, until we showed her that it was way too big for that. her plan of attack then was to chase it out of the guesthouse with a broom, and then to throw rocks at it until 'fini'. however, upon inspection this morning, no dead tarantula was actually found out on the rocks, so this episode might have a sequel in the future... let's hope not, though. :)
today thus far has been spent fixing renee's broken printer (which works now!) and working some on the new office again. however, today it was just me and a few of the kids, so "working" mainly translated into kid management and keeping small children away from power tools. headed back over there this afternoon to attempt to get a little more work done today, now that the rain has stopped and hopefully the kids are calmer...
to Him be the Glory!
8.24.2011
8.21.2011
21 August 2011
thoughts from the last few days, in no particular order:
this trip has been great for a few reasons. i feel like i've been able to be a little more independent, mainly in small ways, like driving travis' truck to the hardware store to pick up more nails or paint for a project, or being able to communicate [somewhat] better with people. just little things that make me feel much more efficient and useful here, rather than waiting on someone else to go to the store and get supplies for me, or waiting for a driver to come get us, or whatever the case may be. don't get me wrong, it's wonderful how everyone at mission of hope takes great care of us, and i absolutely love that. however, it's nice to feel 'familiar' here [as kelley put it], and to feel like i can help get things done without being as reliant on other people or circumstances. obviously, i'm still very reliant on others in some ways, because that's how the body of Christ is designed to work, but it's nice to see how i can function well here in this capacity, how i do feel like i'm fitting a role and a need and it's working well.
on the other side, it's also been really good to be reminded of how life can be simple and laid back. our American mindset so often is "i have to get these 23 things done in the next 10 minutes", rather than "we're going to do this, then after that, we'll do whatever the next thing is." things get done when they get done, and while sometimes that requires a little more patience, in the end it is good. i have a tendency [subconsciously or otherwise] to value productivity above other much more important things, such as relationships with people or even my walk with Christ. without even realizing it sometimes, i slide into the mindset of measuring my current state of satisfaction by my level of productivity, by tangible ways i can see things moving forward in one way or another. however, it is most often the intangible things that we as Christ followers should value above everything else, whether that's spending time resting in the Lord, or having a conversation with the village kids at the gate, or listening to someone share about their life experiences. these empirically immeasurable things are what will impact our lives the most in the end, not whether or not we finished painting a wall or hanging a door, or whatever other project we happened to be doing that day. don't get me wrong, i love seeing the progress of projects being finished and necessary things being built or improved upon, and the impact that those projects can have on people's lives. however, as kelley said this week, i'm going to choose to love the child more than the building.
to Him be the Glory.
this trip has been great for a few reasons. i feel like i've been able to be a little more independent, mainly in small ways, like driving travis' truck to the hardware store to pick up more nails or paint for a project, or being able to communicate [somewhat] better with people. just little things that make me feel much more efficient and useful here, rather than waiting on someone else to go to the store and get supplies for me, or waiting for a driver to come get us, or whatever the case may be. don't get me wrong, it's wonderful how everyone at mission of hope takes great care of us, and i absolutely love that. however, it's nice to feel 'familiar' here [as kelley put it], and to feel like i can help get things done without being as reliant on other people or circumstances. obviously, i'm still very reliant on others in some ways, because that's how the body of Christ is designed to work, but it's nice to see how i can function well here in this capacity, how i do feel like i'm fitting a role and a need and it's working well.
on the other side, it's also been really good to be reminded of how life can be simple and laid back. our American mindset so often is "i have to get these 23 things done in the next 10 minutes", rather than "we're going to do this, then after that, we'll do whatever the next thing is." things get done when they get done, and while sometimes that requires a little more patience, in the end it is good. i have a tendency [subconsciously or otherwise] to value productivity above other much more important things, such as relationships with people or even my walk with Christ. without even realizing it sometimes, i slide into the mindset of measuring my current state of satisfaction by my level of productivity, by tangible ways i can see things moving forward in one way or another. however, it is most often the intangible things that we as Christ followers should value above everything else, whether that's spending time resting in the Lord, or having a conversation with the village kids at the gate, or listening to someone share about their life experiences. these empirically immeasurable things are what will impact our lives the most in the end, not whether or not we finished painting a wall or hanging a door, or whatever other project we happened to be doing that day. don't get me wrong, i love seeing the progress of projects being finished and necessary things being built or improved upon, and the impact that those projects can have on people's lives. however, as kelley said this week, i'm going to choose to love the child more than the building.
to Him be the Glory.
8.19.2011
19 August 2011
Bonjou from Haiti, where we have projects aplenty!
the last few days have been good ones here in Grand Goave. we finished painting the school/church building up at St. Etienne on Tuesday [Lex posted pictures on Facebook], and have spent the last three days [Wednesday, Thursday, and today] at the main MOHI school/church compound, working on Renee's new office there [adjacent to the church pavilion, with windows facing the school construction], and finishing painting the depot building. the guys have been hard at work putting in windows and a ceiling in the office - which is not as easy as it sounds, because of course, this is Haiti, and nothing is exactly square or straight. pretty close, but not quite. the electricians were working on installing light fixtures yesterday as well. we have some insulation for the top edges where the walls meet the roof [above the ceiling], but not enough for all the walls, so once that is figured out, we'll hopefully be able to work on hanging the plywood [instead of drywall] for the interior walls. While some were working on the office, the rest of the team was out in the hot sun finishing painting the yellow on the depot building and touching up all of the dark brown trim too. the yellow and brown on the depot was finished yesterday, and today we painted the outside of the new office [yellow and brown of course, to match everything else], as well as starting to paint the depot doors and window bars white. the boys have gotten quite a bit more done on the office too, although it's been a little bit of a slow process. the electricians were working in there today too, but i'm not sure exactly where things stand currently. i do know, however, that they cut out about 20 feet of wire that ran from everything up front to the sound booth in the back of the church, so the outlets up front [and most likely the lights and sounds equipment and such] don't have power. whoops. i'm sure that situation will get solved one way or another here soon.
seth organized a soccer game with some of the village kids from Militone [the area near the beach property] for tonight, so we're headed back now for that. the goal for tomorrow is to try to get the projects at the school finished as much as possible before the team leaves early sunday morning.
that's the nuts and bolts of what we've been up to this week. another post to come soon about non-construction related thoughts...
to Him be the Glory!
the last few days have been good ones here in Grand Goave. we finished painting the school/church building up at St. Etienne on Tuesday [Lex posted pictures on Facebook], and have spent the last three days [Wednesday, Thursday, and today] at the main MOHI school/church compound, working on Renee's new office there [adjacent to the church pavilion, with windows facing the school construction], and finishing painting the depot building. the guys have been hard at work putting in windows and a ceiling in the office - which is not as easy as it sounds, because of course, this is Haiti, and nothing is exactly square or straight. pretty close, but not quite. the electricians were working on installing light fixtures yesterday as well. we have some insulation for the top edges where the walls meet the roof [above the ceiling], but not enough for all the walls, so once that is figured out, we'll hopefully be able to work on hanging the plywood [instead of drywall] for the interior walls. While some were working on the office, the rest of the team was out in the hot sun finishing painting the yellow on the depot building and touching up all of the dark brown trim too. the yellow and brown on the depot was finished yesterday, and today we painted the outside of the new office [yellow and brown of course, to match everything else], as well as starting to paint the depot doors and window bars white. the boys have gotten quite a bit more done on the office too, although it's been a little bit of a slow process. the electricians were working in there today too, but i'm not sure exactly where things stand currently. i do know, however, that they cut out about 20 feet of wire that ran from everything up front to the sound booth in the back of the church, so the outlets up front [and most likely the lights and sounds equipment and such] don't have power. whoops. i'm sure that situation will get solved one way or another here soon.
seth organized a soccer game with some of the village kids from Militone [the area near the beach property] for tonight, so we're headed back now for that. the goal for tomorrow is to try to get the projects at the school finished as much as possible before the team leaves early sunday morning.
that's the nuts and bolts of what we've been up to this week. another post to come soon about non-construction related thoughts...
to Him be the Glory!
8.16.2011
16 August 2011
paint and mountains and thunderstorms and joy.
those are the highlights of today. :) We've spent the last two days painting the inside of the new church building up at the St. Etienne site of MOHI. it's similar to the tin roof/pavilion structure of the church in Grand Goave, except it has plywood walls with high screen windows all around. and let me tell you, this team is awesome - they are all such hard workers and just went to town. Now that we finished that project, tomorrow will be working on Renee's new office at the church/school property. right now, it's just a basic frame with plywood walls and cutouts for two windows and a door. not sure exactly what the vision is for it yet, but we'll find out tomorrow, since that's our project for the next day or two at least. we're also planning to finish painting the walls of the depot building [which the may team started our last few days here].
unexpected great experience of the day: walking to the office to get picked up for church, no vehicle there, so we decided to just walk to the school quickly before it started to rain. we got just past the hardware store [about two blocks] before the downpour started. but hey, this is haiti, so what else are you going to do besides keep walking? so we walked the rest of the way to the church [about another ten minutes or so], and find all the kids there, super excited to see all of us, drenched as we were from the walk in the rain. so in lieu of a church service [since no one comes to church when it's raining], we all just hung out. there was guitar playing and hair braiding and hand-slap-game playing and general chaos, but it was chaos exploding with joy, as only Haiti can do. one of my favorite parts of the evening was braiding Brittany's hair with a woman named Jodi, who helps take care of the kids at the orphanage. It was the first time that my Creole has been good enough to actually carry on a conversation more than "Hi, how are you?". granted it was slow and involved lots of patience on Jodi's part, but it was the first time I've actually felt like I could communicate well with someone here who knows very little English. A glimpse of a future of more conversations in Creole, which I am beyond excited about. :)
tomorrow will be spent working on Renee's office, painting the depot, and playing with the kids some more, i'm sure. also going to drive Travis' truck up to the school, since he has so many useful tools and such for us to use. easier than making ten trips back to the beach to get things and ending up with half the truck tools at the school anyway. haha :)
love you all! thanks for all your prayers for this trip and this team. it's been a great week so far, with more great experiences to come, i'm sure.
to Him be the Glory!
those are the highlights of today. :) We've spent the last two days painting the inside of the new church building up at the St. Etienne site of MOHI. it's similar to the tin roof/pavilion structure of the church in Grand Goave, except it has plywood walls with high screen windows all around. and let me tell you, this team is awesome - they are all such hard workers and just went to town. Now that we finished that project, tomorrow will be working on Renee's new office at the church/school property. right now, it's just a basic frame with plywood walls and cutouts for two windows and a door. not sure exactly what the vision is for it yet, but we'll find out tomorrow, since that's our project for the next day or two at least. we're also planning to finish painting the walls of the depot building [which the may team started our last few days here].
unexpected great experience of the day: walking to the office to get picked up for church, no vehicle there, so we decided to just walk to the school quickly before it started to rain. we got just past the hardware store [about two blocks] before the downpour started. but hey, this is haiti, so what else are you going to do besides keep walking? so we walked the rest of the way to the church [about another ten minutes or so], and find all the kids there, super excited to see all of us, drenched as we were from the walk in the rain. so in lieu of a church service [since no one comes to church when it's raining], we all just hung out. there was guitar playing and hair braiding and hand-slap-game playing and general chaos, but it was chaos exploding with joy, as only Haiti can do. one of my favorite parts of the evening was braiding Brittany's hair with a woman named Jodi, who helps take care of the kids at the orphanage. It was the first time that my Creole has been good enough to actually carry on a conversation more than "Hi, how are you?". granted it was slow and involved lots of patience on Jodi's part, but it was the first time I've actually felt like I could communicate well with someone here who knows very little English. A glimpse of a future of more conversations in Creole, which I am beyond excited about. :)
tomorrow will be spent working on Renee's office, painting the depot, and playing with the kids some more, i'm sure. also going to drive Travis' truck up to the school, since he has so many useful tools and such for us to use. easier than making ten trips back to the beach to get things and ending up with half the truck tools at the school anyway. haha :)
love you all! thanks for all your prayers for this trip and this team. it's been a great week so far, with more great experiences to come, i'm sure.
to Him be the Glory!
8.13.2011
another adventure begins....
I can't believe that it's already the middle of August! I'm leaving today for two weeks, hosting a team from Stow Alliance Church at Mission of Hope. The team is led by Stow Alliance's Youth Pastor, Seth Bisheimer, his wife Sara, and Kelley Parker [who has been on two previous trips with me]. So excited for all the life changing experiences that this team will undoubtedly have this next week, and especially to see everyone at MOHI again! We're leaving Stow at noon today, and flying out of Detroit at 735pm tonight, overnight in Fort Lauderdale, and then into Port Au Prince first thing Sunday morning.
Wish I could post more right now, but I may or may not have finished packing yet.... and by that, I mean I definitely haven't. haha. More details to come from long travel times ahead!
Love you all.
To Him be the Glory!
Wish I could post more right now, but I may or may not have finished packing yet.... and by that, I mean I definitely haven't. haha. More details to come from long travel times ahead!
Love you all.
To Him be the Glory!
7.20.2011
hot enough in Ohio that it [almost] feels like Haiti...
hi friends!
it's been hot in ohio these last few days.... not quite as hot as haiti, but pretty close! still less dirt, less palm trees, and it still smells like america though, so i haven't gotten too confused yet. :) haha.
just wanted to post a quick update about fun adventures ahead. next up: i get to host a team from Stow Alliance church at Mission of Hope from August 13-21! the team is officially led by Seth Bisheimer [the Stow Alliance youth pastor], his wife Sara, and Kelley Parker, who has been on a few of the previous trips with us. turns out that almost half of the team is guys who are also involved with Campus Focus, so there's some familiar faces mixed into this new team.
my role will be slightly different this time around than it has been on previous trips, because i will be functioning as the 'team host' for Mission of Hope, rather than as the official group leader. i'm anticipating that i will mainly be traveling with the team, and coordinating logistics of work projects and beach property living - pretty much helping with whatever the team needs to be effective during their time with Mission of Hope, and helping things run as smoothly as possible. originally, the entire Edme family was going to be in the states the entire time, but now, the plan is that Lex will be in Grand Goave the whole week, and Renee, Alexis, and AJay will be returning from the states on the 18th. this is a relief to me, because inevitably something or other will come up that Lex will need to handle himself, so this way the pressure's off a little bit. :)
Glad to be able to serve Mission of Hope in this way, because hosting a team can divert a lot of Renee and Lex's time and energy from other tasks that need to get done, that only they can do. and honestly, i love this stuff. logistics, puzzles, transportation, love it. :)
Another difference of this trip is that I'll be sticking around Haiti for another week after the team heads home - my ticket back isn't until the 27th. excited to see how God chooses to use that time, and what direction it might point for the future.
love you all!
to Him be the Glory!
it's been hot in ohio these last few days.... not quite as hot as haiti, but pretty close! still less dirt, less palm trees, and it still smells like america though, so i haven't gotten too confused yet. :) haha.
just wanted to post a quick update about fun adventures ahead. next up: i get to host a team from Stow Alliance church at Mission of Hope from August 13-21! the team is officially led by Seth Bisheimer [the Stow Alliance youth pastor], his wife Sara, and Kelley Parker, who has been on a few of the previous trips with us. turns out that almost half of the team is guys who are also involved with Campus Focus, so there's some familiar faces mixed into this new team.
my role will be slightly different this time around than it has been on previous trips, because i will be functioning as the 'team host' for Mission of Hope, rather than as the official group leader. i'm anticipating that i will mainly be traveling with the team, and coordinating logistics of work projects and beach property living - pretty much helping with whatever the team needs to be effective during their time with Mission of Hope, and helping things run as smoothly as possible. originally, the entire Edme family was going to be in the states the entire time, but now, the plan is that Lex will be in Grand Goave the whole week, and Renee, Alexis, and AJay will be returning from the states on the 18th. this is a relief to me, because inevitably something or other will come up that Lex will need to handle himself, so this way the pressure's off a little bit. :)
Glad to be able to serve Mission of Hope in this way, because hosting a team can divert a lot of Renee and Lex's time and energy from other tasks that need to get done, that only they can do. and honestly, i love this stuff. logistics, puzzles, transportation, love it. :)
Another difference of this trip is that I'll be sticking around Haiti for another week after the team heads home - my ticket back isn't until the 27th. excited to see how God chooses to use that time, and what direction it might point for the future.
love you all!
to Him be the Glory!
6.06.2011
(almost) one week later...
had a cookout/bonfire last night at Matt Moore's house, sort of a mini-reunion for everyone who has just come back. it was great to hear stories from the first week team [including the saga for the six of them trying to find my jeep in the big blue parking deck at the detroit airport...] and of how perspectives have been changed since coming home. lots of dissatisfaction [in a good way] with the consumer-driven American lifestyle that pursues comfort and excess. worlds definitely shifting for the better.
we also decided to plan some sort of hangout later this summer for everyone from akron who has been to haiti with mission of hope - i think the count is around 40 by now! exciting how the kingdom is expanding. :)
next haiti trip is planned for mid-august... as details come into focus, i'll be sure to share!
thank you again to everyone who has been so supportive of me and our team. i sincerely am grateful for your prayers, conversations, and financial support. i wouldn't be able to do any of this without the help of the body of Christ - and that's exactly how it's supposed to be. Praise God for the ways He provides through His church!
to Him be the Glory!
we also decided to plan some sort of hangout later this summer for everyone from akron who has been to haiti with mission of hope - i think the count is around 40 by now! exciting how the kingdom is expanding. :)
next haiti trip is planned for mid-august... as details come into focus, i'll be sure to share!
thank you again to everyone who has been so supportive of me and our team. i sincerely am grateful for your prayers, conversations, and financial support. i wouldn't be able to do any of this without the help of the body of Christ - and that's exactly how it's supposed to be. Praise God for the ways He provides through His church!
to Him be the Glory!
5.28.2011
28 May 2011 Saturday
got to talk quite a bit with drex and jo stuart last night, and they shared stories of some of their haiti flying adventures. a few crazy things, but yet very encouraging. the more i think about it, the more i can't wait to see what God has in store for the future. whatever it is, it's going to be GOOD!
no work today since it's saturday, so instead half of our team went on a hike up in the mountains near St. Etienne (where our team built a few houses last June). the trails up there remind me of Hawaii so much. got to play in a waterfall - great way to wash the dreads! ;) lunch at the beach, a little jigsaw puzzle action, and now watching the barcelona - manchester united soccer(football) game at the office. all in all, another great day. :)
to Him be the Glory!
no work today since it's saturday, so instead half of our team went on a hike up in the mountains near St. Etienne (where our team built a few houses last June). the trails up there remind me of Hawaii so much. got to play in a waterfall - great way to wash the dreads! ;) lunch at the beach, a little jigsaw puzzle action, and now watching the barcelona - manchester united soccer(football) game at the office. all in all, another great day. :)
to Him be the Glory!
5.27.2011
27 May 2011 Friday
Bonswa!
it's been another productive day here in Grand Goave! the majority of our Akron team has been helping Drex Stuart with construction at the new Hands and Feet orphanage site for the last few days. the new land is about half a mile down the highway from the MOH school/church site, where the kids live now. all of the kids staying at the MOH orphanage now will be moving into the new Hands and Feet orphanage in Grand Goave as soon as it's ready. The goal is to have semi-temporary housing on the new property ready for the kids to move in as of June 20. so far, we've dug (fairly shallow) foundations for the semi-temporary houses at the new orphanage site, and also poured concrete and set almost the full perimeter of concrete block for the bathroom building. the site is also ready for the concrete to be poured for the boys' house, and the majority of the septic and plumbing has been dug as well. all of the buildings will be made from the Samaritan's Purse shelters, just like the ones our previous teams have built, except substituting plywood for the blue tarps. they'll be putting four 12x12 houses together for the 24 boys, and two houses together for the 7 girls. there will also be a bathroom, with separate boys and girls sides, as well as a kitchen, a pavilion area with tables for meals, activities, homework, etc., the last building will be an apartment for andrew and angie sutton and their baby, faith, who are currently living at the Hands and Feet site down in Jacmel, but will be moving up to oversee the Grand Goave site as of June 20. [side note: andrew is also a pilot and an A&P mechanic, so there's potential for two pilots in Grand Goave... ;) ]
it really has been a great trip so far. [and i'm not just saying that because that's what you're supposed to say]. it's been great to work alongside the people i've been working with, to see the kids at the orphanage again, and to improve my creole. some of the pieces are starting to [slowly] fall into place, and although i still probably sound like a four-year-old with a terrible american accent, i can actually form some complete sentences now! Mwen renmen lunette sole. I like sunglasses.
Eske ou ede mwe? Can you help me? and so on. :)
the more time i spend here, the more confirmation i feel that this really is where i'm supposed to be. while things aren't always super efficient, and there's definitely lots of dirt and bugs and sweat, life is good here. it's not good because it's easy, but it's good because it's purposeful. it's good because we were made to work, and care for people, and laugh, and rest. we were meant to share life with people we care about, and reflect Christ through what we do and how we live, and i see that so clearly here in this place.
love you all.
to Him be the Glory!
it's been another productive day here in Grand Goave! the majority of our Akron team has been helping Drex Stuart with construction at the new Hands and Feet orphanage site for the last few days. the new land is about half a mile down the highway from the MOH school/church site, where the kids live now. all of the kids staying at the MOH orphanage now will be moving into the new Hands and Feet orphanage in Grand Goave as soon as it's ready. The goal is to have semi-temporary housing on the new property ready for the kids to move in as of June 20. so far, we've dug (fairly shallow) foundations for the semi-temporary houses at the new orphanage site, and also poured concrete and set almost the full perimeter of concrete block for the bathroom building. the site is also ready for the concrete to be poured for the boys' house, and the majority of the septic and plumbing has been dug as well. all of the buildings will be made from the Samaritan's Purse shelters, just like the ones our previous teams have built, except substituting plywood for the blue tarps. they'll be putting four 12x12 houses together for the 24 boys, and two houses together for the 7 girls. there will also be a bathroom, with separate boys and girls sides, as well as a kitchen, a pavilion area with tables for meals, activities, homework, etc., the last building will be an apartment for andrew and angie sutton and their baby, faith, who are currently living at the Hands and Feet site down in Jacmel, but will be moving up to oversee the Grand Goave site as of June 20. [side note: andrew is also a pilot and an A&P mechanic, so there's potential for two pilots in Grand Goave... ;) ]
it really has been a great trip so far. [and i'm not just saying that because that's what you're supposed to say]. it's been great to work alongside the people i've been working with, to see the kids at the orphanage again, and to improve my creole. some of the pieces are starting to [slowly] fall into place, and although i still probably sound like a four-year-old with a terrible american accent, i can actually form some complete sentences now! Mwen renmen lunette sole. I like sunglasses.
Eske ou ede mwe? Can you help me? and so on. :)
the more time i spend here, the more confirmation i feel that this really is where i'm supposed to be. while things aren't always super efficient, and there's definitely lots of dirt and bugs and sweat, life is good here. it's not good because it's easy, but it's good because it's purposeful. it's good because we were made to work, and care for people, and laugh, and rest. we were meant to share life with people we care about, and reflect Christ through what we do and how we live, and i see that so clearly here in this place.
love you all.
to Him be the Glory!
5.25.2011
25 May 2011 Wednesday
Hi friends!
sorry for the lack of posting - we've been busy!
Becca, Abby, and I arrived safely and uneventfully on Monday, even seeing the six team members that were leaving long enough to hand over jeep keys and gas money, so that they could get back to Akron from Detroit. there are lots of projects going on simultaneously here - Be Like Brit [http://www.belikebrit.org] and Hands and Feet Project [http://www.handsandfeetproject.org], plus Mission of Hope projects as well.
so far over the last two days, we've organized the depot / storage area / garage area at MOHI [including building shelves], finished an office for Len at the BLB site, almost finished putting up a substantial chain-link fence at the HAF site, and dug a LOT of holes.
it really has been a great trip so far. good to be covered in dirt and sweat and general grime again. :)
love you all!! thanks for all of your support!
to Him be the Glory!
sorry for the lack of posting - we've been busy!
Becca, Abby, and I arrived safely and uneventfully on Monday, even seeing the six team members that were leaving long enough to hand over jeep keys and gas money, so that they could get back to Akron from Detroit. there are lots of projects going on simultaneously here - Be Like Brit [http://www.belikebrit.org] and Hands and Feet Project [http://www.handsandfeetproject.org], plus Mission of Hope projects as well.
so far over the last two days, we've organized the depot / storage area / garage area at MOHI [including building shelves], finished an office for Len at the BLB site, almost finished putting up a substantial chain-link fence at the HAF site, and dug a LOT of holes.
it really has been a great trip so far. good to be covered in dirt and sweat and general grime again. :)
love you all!! thanks for all of your support!
to Him be the Glory!
5.23.2011
thoughts from Miami...
i find these days that i seem to do a lot of thinking in the miami airport. haha. it's probably just the many hours spent here in the midst of traveling to and from.
this trip so far has been slightly different, with only becca lamb, abby scheetz, and myself traveling together instead of the customary group of 11-14 that i feel responsible for. i have a habit of counting people camp-counselor style, always aware of where people have wandered away to. it's been interesting how i can see myself relax a little more with each trip, good bad, or otherwise. i think mostly it's a good thing, because people are less annoyed with my control issues that way, and it's a lower stress way of life. i definitely do still feel responsible for people, however, and it's been quite the adjustment this week to know that there has been a whole week of work and team building and life changing experiences that i haven't been there to witness. but... then i remember that that's how it's supposed to be. that all of this is in no way about me, but about what God is doing through the team, whether or not i'm a part of it. it's good to work myself out of a job, in a sense (although i wouldn't consider this a job anyway), to have teams continue to go and serve and experience now and in the future.
all that to say, i'm really looking forward to being back in haiti later today. haha. excited to see all the work that has been done on all the various projects, between the Hands and Feet orphanage in Grand Goave, the Be Like Brit orphanage, and the Mission of Hope school project. check out Renee's blog at http://mohintl.org/blog for more specific news on all the projects going on! it will be great to see everyone again. in some ways it seems like i was just there, and in other ways it seems like it's been forever.
also, one of the big things this week has been trying to track down a new transmission for the big red truck. it's a 1998 Chevy K3500 4WD 1-ton pickup, with the 6.7L V8 diesel engine. the original stock transmission (electronically controlled) has been replaced with an older vacuum [hydramatic] controlled Turbo 400 3-speed automatic transmission. Travis Knipple has a work truck currently in Johnstown, PA, that his brother and dad will be driving to Miami today/tomorrow to ship down to Haiti. the catch is that a new transmission for the other truck needs to be shipped to Haiti in Travis's truck. [more info at http://www.f1engineering.org/blog ] i know this sounds really confusing, but the short story is that we need to track down a transmission that fits the specs above somewhere between PA and Miami as quickly as possible, so let me know if you can help or have any great ideas!
two quick experiences of this trip so far:
- learning that they let you take a soft sided cooler and blue ice packs through security, no problem. good to know.
- i brought the biggest, most neon green watch imaginable in MIA last night. realized how annoying it was to not have one last time, so i sprung for the $12.99 to get one to be my 'haiti watch'. it's pretty great. :)
thank you so much to everyone who has been so supportive, through your prayers and generosity and love. it is so encouraging to me to have so many of you standing behind me and walking with me through this exciting piece of the journey. i love you all dearly!
to Him be the glory!
this trip so far has been slightly different, with only becca lamb, abby scheetz, and myself traveling together instead of the customary group of 11-14 that i feel responsible for. i have a habit of counting people camp-counselor style, always aware of where people have wandered away to. it's been interesting how i can see myself relax a little more with each trip, good bad, or otherwise. i think mostly it's a good thing, because people are less annoyed with my control issues that way, and it's a lower stress way of life. i definitely do still feel responsible for people, however, and it's been quite the adjustment this week to know that there has been a whole week of work and team building and life changing experiences that i haven't been there to witness. but... then i remember that that's how it's supposed to be. that all of this is in no way about me, but about what God is doing through the team, whether or not i'm a part of it. it's good to work myself out of a job, in a sense (although i wouldn't consider this a job anyway), to have teams continue to go and serve and experience now and in the future.
all that to say, i'm really looking forward to being back in haiti later today. haha. excited to see all the work that has been done on all the various projects, between the Hands and Feet orphanage in Grand Goave, the Be Like Brit orphanage, and the Mission of Hope school project. check out Renee's blog at http://mohintl.org/blog for more specific news on all the projects going on! it will be great to see everyone again. in some ways it seems like i was just there, and in other ways it seems like it's been forever.
also, one of the big things this week has been trying to track down a new transmission for the big red truck. it's a 1998 Chevy K3500 4WD 1-ton pickup, with the 6.7L V8 diesel engine. the original stock transmission (electronically controlled) has been replaced with an older vacuum [hydramatic] controlled Turbo 400 3-speed automatic transmission. Travis Knipple has a work truck currently in Johnstown, PA, that his brother and dad will be driving to Miami today/tomorrow to ship down to Haiti. the catch is that a new transmission for the other truck needs to be shipped to Haiti in Travis's truck. [more info at http://www.f1engineering.org/blog ] i know this sounds really confusing, but the short story is that we need to track down a transmission that fits the specs above somewhere between PA and Miami as quickly as possible, so let me know if you can help or have any great ideas!
two quick experiences of this trip so far:
- learning that they let you take a soft sided cooler and blue ice packs through security, no problem. good to know.
- i brought the biggest, most neon green watch imaginable in MIA last night. realized how annoying it was to not have one last time, so i sprung for the $12.99 to get one to be my 'haiti watch'. it's pretty great. :)
thank you so much to everyone who has been so supportive, through your prayers and generosity and love. it is so encouraging to me to have so many of you standing behind me and walking with me through this exciting piece of the journey. i love you all dearly!
to Him be the glory!
5.08.2011
and so 'Akron month' begins....
Renee decided to call May 'Akron month' at Mission of Hope. :) Stephanie, Matthew, and Cathi [another friend of Stephanie's] arrived at MOHI today to kick off the next few weeks. The next group, led by Sarah Conner and Maggie Gannon, will be packing up this Thursday, and then will fly down on the 15th. In true Campus Focus form, Ashley Day decided just this week to join the May 15th crew. She can't wait to go back after the spring break trip.
Still two weeks to go until I head down on the 22nd. Hopefully they fly by! Can't wait to be back in Haiti. I'm sure you all are really surprised by that, haha.
more thoughtful update to come soon. promise.
to Him be the glory.
Still two weeks to go until I head down on the 22nd. Hopefully they fly by! Can't wait to be back in Haiti. I'm sure you all are really surprised by that, haha.
more thoughtful update to come soon. promise.
to Him be the glory.
4.28.2011
it's almost may already?!?!!
wow, hard to believe that it's almost may!! this is a very good thing, because it means hopefully seeing a little more sunshine here in Akron, but also because that means it's almost time to go back to Haiti on trip #4! plane tickets are purchased, passports are on the way - just a few short weeks away now!
Sarah Conner and Maggie Gannon will be leading a group down May 15-23, then a few more of us will be flying down May 23 to meet up with those from the first week that are staying for week two, while the rest of the week one team returns to Ohio. we'll work for that week, and all of us will return together on May 31st. all of us except Stephanie Kline, actually, who will be going for the entire month of May (May 6th- June 12th, actually), and Matthew Moore (from the last spring break team), who will be going with Stephanie on the 6th, and returning with the rest of us on the 31st.
complicated enough for you? haha.
while I wish that I could be returning to Haiti for more than nine days, part of the school situation right now is that I actually go to class, so unfortunately I can only go for week two on this round. never fear, there's already another trip in the works for August as well! :)
It will be great to have Sarah and Maggie leading the charge for the first week of this trip. I've had the privilege of seeing each of them grow in big ways over the last couple of years, and I'm confident they will lead this team well!
more details soon, but just wanted to give everyone a heads up on the goings-on.
love you all!
to Him be the Glory.
Sarah Conner and Maggie Gannon will be leading a group down May 15-23, then a few more of us will be flying down May 23 to meet up with those from the first week that are staying for week two, while the rest of the week one team returns to Ohio. we'll work for that week, and all of us will return together on May 31st. all of us except Stephanie Kline, actually, who will be going for the entire month of May (May 6th- June 12th, actually), and Matthew Moore (from the last spring break team), who will be going with Stephanie on the 6th, and returning with the rest of us on the 31st.
complicated enough for you? haha.
while I wish that I could be returning to Haiti for more than nine days, part of the school situation right now is that I actually go to class, so unfortunately I can only go for week two on this round. never fear, there's already another trip in the works for August as well! :)
It will be great to have Sarah and Maggie leading the charge for the first week of this trip. I've had the privilege of seeing each of them grow in big ways over the last couple of years, and I'm confident they will lead this team well!
more details soon, but just wanted to give everyone a heads up on the goings-on.
love you all!
to Him be the Glory.
4.10.2011
pictures!
figured it's about time to post some pictures of the goings-on in grand goave. here's a few of the Mission of Hope construction projects that our team has been a part of. great to see the progress! They have also just received a grant that will help fund construction of a new three-story school building on the back half of the church/school/orphanage compound! Construction is scheduled to start May 1, so I anticipate that our next two teams (mid-to-late May) will be helping with that project.
[this is only a few of the many, many pictures that various team members have taken, so check out facebook for more!]
the new sign out front of the church/school/orphanage compound! March 2011
the view of the church/school/orphanage yard, including the tarp roof under which church and school met for the first six months following the earthquake. Building on the right is where the kids live - two rooms for the boys, and one for the girls.
approx. May 2010
construction of the new roof/pavilion for church and school! June 2010
Sunday morning church under the pavilion. Summer 2010
beginning to dig the foundation for the new choukoun (pavilion) at the beach property. March 2010
choukoun progress... all the stone pillars are hand-chiseled by haitian laborers. amazing! June 2010
the finished choukoun! finishing touch will be a mosaic stone floor on top of the concrete.. still a work in progress. March 2011
more pictures to come!
[this is only a few of the many, many pictures that various team members have taken, so check out facebook for more!]
the new sign out front of the church/school/orphanage compound! March 2011
the view of the church/school/orphanage yard, including the tarp roof under which church and school met for the first six months following the earthquake. Building on the right is where the kids live - two rooms for the boys, and one for the girls.
approx. May 2010
construction of the new roof/pavilion for church and school! June 2010
Sunday morning church under the pavilion. Summer 2010
beginning to dig the foundation for the new choukoun (pavilion) at the beach property. March 2010
choukoun progress... all the stone pillars are hand-chiseled by haitian laborers. amazing! June 2010
the finished choukoun! finishing touch will be a mosaic stone floor on top of the concrete.. still a work in progress. March 2011
more pictures to come!
3.26.2011
team highlights
so we just got back (well, almost a week ago now) from haiti trip #3, spring break 2011. i didn't post much in the short week we were there, but hopefully this makes up for it. :)
one of my most favorite aspects of this trip was getting to see six of our team members (ashley, becca, ben, casey, jenn, and matt) experience haiti for the first time. there were life-changing experiences, wonderful conversations, so many ways that God showed up this week. a few highlights that people have shared as being specifically important to them:
-tuesday night church. the power went out part way through the service, but haitian church doesn't skip a beat. people kept singing, the drummer kept playing (even after a cymbal fell off of the stand), everyone continued to worship God. by american standards, this would have been a crisis, but in haiti, the important part was that people were worshiping God, no matter the circumstance. microphones and lights weren't necessary for God to hear us.
-conversations with patrick and ricardo, two haitian guys. patrick lives near the beach property, and a few people from the team got to talk with him out on the beach Monday night. they invited him to church with us the following day, and he came. it was great to see how energized the team was from connecting with him, despite the language barrier. also a few team members really connected throughout the week with ricardo, one of the drivers for Mission of Hope. solid conversations, true friendships established - that's really what it's about.
-getting to connect with the kids at the orphanage. we had the chance to give each of them a childrens' bible (written in creole, donated by ashley), as well as a treat bag of goodies, and each of the girls received a blanket as well, all handmade by a girl scout troop from ben's church. it was great to see their faces light up not only when they received their bibles, but each time we drove into the orphanage yard. suddenly there's a flood of haitian children yelling "steph-an-ie!" and "keem! keem!" (how they say our names :) there is so much joy in each of their faces... something that never gets old.
everyone on this team was wonderful. they each did such a great job of really intentionally connecting with the people we encountered, whether it was the families from the community that we got to build homes for, the kids at the orphanage, or the people with MOH that we saw everyday. God was very clearly present in each of their smiles and laughter and conversations in broken creole. there has already been much talk about the next trip, which we're planning for mid to late may! more details to come very soon ;)
thank you again for all of your support of our trip! we truly could not have done this without your prayers and generosity. we love you all!
to Him be the Glory!
one of my most favorite aspects of this trip was getting to see six of our team members (ashley, becca, ben, casey, jenn, and matt) experience haiti for the first time. there were life-changing experiences, wonderful conversations, so many ways that God showed up this week. a few highlights that people have shared as being specifically important to them:
-tuesday night church. the power went out part way through the service, but haitian church doesn't skip a beat. people kept singing, the drummer kept playing (even after a cymbal fell off of the stand), everyone continued to worship God. by american standards, this would have been a crisis, but in haiti, the important part was that people were worshiping God, no matter the circumstance. microphones and lights weren't necessary for God to hear us.
-conversations with patrick and ricardo, two haitian guys. patrick lives near the beach property, and a few people from the team got to talk with him out on the beach Monday night. they invited him to church with us the following day, and he came. it was great to see how energized the team was from connecting with him, despite the language barrier. also a few team members really connected throughout the week with ricardo, one of the drivers for Mission of Hope. solid conversations, true friendships established - that's really what it's about.
-getting to connect with the kids at the orphanage. we had the chance to give each of them a childrens' bible (written in creole, donated by ashley), as well as a treat bag of goodies, and each of the girls received a blanket as well, all handmade by a girl scout troop from ben's church. it was great to see their faces light up not only when they received their bibles, but each time we drove into the orphanage yard. suddenly there's a flood of haitian children yelling "steph-an-ie!" and "keem! keem!" (how they say our names :) there is so much joy in each of their faces... something that never gets old.
everyone on this team was wonderful. they each did such a great job of really intentionally connecting with the people we encountered, whether it was the families from the community that we got to build homes for, the kids at the orphanage, or the people with MOH that we saw everyday. God was very clearly present in each of their smiles and laughter and conversations in broken creole. there has already been much talk about the next trip, which we're planning for mid to late may! more details to come very soon ;)
thank you again for all of your support of our trip! we truly could not have done this without your prayers and generosity. we love you all!
to Him be the Glory!
3.23.2011
home?
got back to the U.S. Sunday afternoon, back in Akron Sunday night, back to school Monday morning. and while Ohio is home, Haiti felt just as much like home. already looking at plane tickets to go back, most likely late May / early June. I'll post more reflections on the week soon, promise. love you all!
to Him be the glory.
to Him be the glory.
3.19.2011
18 Mar 2011
sorry it's been a few days since the last update. because our work sites have been close to the beach, it's been more difficult to update as frequently as the last trip. i plan on writing a more thoughtful, reflective post on the flight home, so stay tuned for that. :)
everything has been going really well all week. monday and tuesday we worked at the beach property, collecting and organizing rocks from the beach to make a new tone floor for the choukoun (which is now otherwise finished, with a roof and everything!)
wednesday, thursday, and today we built 11 Samaritan's Purse transitional houses, at a site just up the road from the beach property where we are staying. it has been wonderful watching the team interact with the people at the worksites - dancing, holding babies, learning new vocabulary words in three different languages (english, creole, spanish, courtesy of miss jennifer), ya know, just a normal day of work. :) today was especially good. we finished up the rest of the houses that we had supplies for, then walked back to the beach property with a bunch of the kids from the village and went for a swim.
this team has been fantastic. it's been really great to see another group get to experience Haiti for the first time. lots of great conversations of big life-changing things going on in people's hearts and minds. also great to see those who have been here before reconnecting with people here. seeing the look on kids' faces when they see a familiar blan (white) face that's back to see them again... so much joy.
wish i didn't have to leave tomorrow. can't i just stay for another week (or three)?
love you all!
to Him be the Glory!
everything has been going really well all week. monday and tuesday we worked at the beach property, collecting and organizing rocks from the beach to make a new tone floor for the choukoun (which is now otherwise finished, with a roof and everything!)
wednesday, thursday, and today we built 11 Samaritan's Purse transitional houses, at a site just up the road from the beach property where we are staying. it has been wonderful watching the team interact with the people at the worksites - dancing, holding babies, learning new vocabulary words in three different languages (english, creole, spanish, courtesy of miss jennifer), ya know, just a normal day of work. :) today was especially good. we finished up the rest of the houses that we had supplies for, then walked back to the beach property with a bunch of the kids from the village and went for a swim.
this team has been fantastic. it's been really great to see another group get to experience Haiti for the first time. lots of great conversations of big life-changing things going on in people's hearts and minds. also great to see those who have been here before reconnecting with people here. seeing the look on kids' faces when they see a familiar blan (white) face that's back to see them again... so much joy.
wish i didn't have to leave tomorrow. can't i just stay for another week (or three)?
love you all!
to Him be the Glory!
3.13.2011
Sunday in Grand Goave
I love Sundays in Grand Goave. Sabbath is done well here. Church this morning, then relaxing back at the beach property this afternoon, barbecue chicken for lunch, and eventually church again this evening.
backing up to yesterday, the rest of our trip was fairly uneventful, which in Haiti is a good thing. Our flight got in a few minutes early (which never happens), we collected all of our bags from baggage claim (which is SO much calmer and more organized than it was on previous trips), and made our way to the parking lot where Cheribin came and picked us up. No fighting through crowds with people trying to grab your bags and 'help' so you will tip them. An actual paved parking lot with a shaded waiting area. So different, but good different for sure. We rode to Grand Goave in the big red truck, and it was really interesting to see how so much has changed since June, but yet, how some things are still exactly how they were. Some of the roads are cleaner, many are not, some buildings are being rebuilt, a few still haven't been touched. So much work has been done at the beach property - the new guesthouse and choukoun are wonderful! We'll bring many many pictures back to share. :)
More later, but just wanted to let you all know that we got here safely, are having a great trip so far, and can't wait to get started on projects first thing tomorrow! Thank you for all of your prayers for us.
to Him be the Glory!
backing up to yesterday, the rest of our trip was fairly uneventful, which in Haiti is a good thing. Our flight got in a few minutes early (which never happens), we collected all of our bags from baggage claim (which is SO much calmer and more organized than it was on previous trips), and made our way to the parking lot where Cheribin came and picked us up. No fighting through crowds with people trying to grab your bags and 'help' so you will tip them. An actual paved parking lot with a shaded waiting area. So different, but good different for sure. We rode to Grand Goave in the big red truck, and it was really interesting to see how so much has changed since June, but yet, how some things are still exactly how they were. Some of the roads are cleaner, many are not, some buildings are being rebuilt, a few still haven't been touched. So much work has been done at the beach property - the new guesthouse and choukoun are wonderful! We'll bring many many pictures back to share. :)
More later, but just wanted to let you all know that we got here safely, are having a great trip so far, and can't wait to get started on projects first thing tomorrow! Thank you for all of your prayers for us.
to Him be the Glory!
3.12.2011
Miami!
quick update...
we're at MIA, getting ready to get on the plane to PAP. all is going really well so far. picked up two donated charge controllers for Travis and his solar panel projects from Sun Electronics here in Miami. John Kimball, the owner of Sun Electronics, was so generous, and offered that we could stay at his downtown condo instead of camping out the terminal, so we took him up on the offer. After some really great cheeseburgers from the restaurant downstairs, we all got a few hours of sleep before heading back to the airport at 4:30am for our early flight to PAP.
more soon!
to Him be the Glory!
we're at MIA, getting ready to get on the plane to PAP. all is going really well so far. picked up two donated charge controllers for Travis and his solar panel projects from Sun Electronics here in Miami. John Kimball, the owner of Sun Electronics, was so generous, and offered that we could stay at his downtown condo instead of camping out the terminal, so we took him up on the offer. After some really great cheeseburgers from the restaurant downstairs, we all got a few hours of sleep before heading back to the airport at 4:30am for our early flight to PAP.
more soon!
to Him be the Glory!
3.09.2011
packing day!
[don't think i'm crazy, but...]
i love packing.
love.
it.
i think it's because:
A) it's like a giant puzzle. Trying to be as efficient as possible with space, keeping things organized, and making sure each bag is just under the magic 50 pound mark.
B) it means we're going on an adventure. new experiences, new people, new stories to return home with of all the ways we saw God at work.
C) it's such a tangible picture of the generosity of our community. it's especially fun packing up all the supplies and tools and clothes and books that everyone on the team has collected from so many generous people, knowing that everything will be put to good use in Haiti when it all gets unpacked on the other end. good stuff. :)
stay tuned for more updates soon!
to Him be the Glory!
i love packing.
love.
it.
i think it's because:
A) it's like a giant puzzle. Trying to be as efficient as possible with space, keeping things organized, and making sure each bag is just under the magic 50 pound mark.
B) it means we're going on an adventure. new experiences, new people, new stories to return home with of all the ways we saw God at work.
C) it's such a tangible picture of the generosity of our community. it's especially fun packing up all the supplies and tools and clothes and books that everyone on the team has collected from so many generous people, knowing that everything will be put to good use in Haiti when it all gets unpacked on the other end. good stuff. :)
stay tuned for more updates soon!
to Him be the Glory!
a few details...
for those of you keeping track at home, here are a few logistical details:
- the team is:
myself
Ashley Day
Becca Lamb
Ben DiMarco
Casey Shaffer
Ethan Schenck
Jenn McAninch
Kelley Parker
Matthew Moore
Stephanie Kline
- our general itinerary:
departing Akron [The Chapel] Friday morning [March 11] 830-9am
flight leaves DTW [Detroit] Friday afternoon 3pm
overnight layover in MIA [Miami]
arrive in PAP [Port Au Prince] 10am Saturday morning [March 12]
drive to Grand Goave
work, etc. for the next 7 days
drive to PAP Saturday [March 19]
depart PAP Saturday afternoon 4pm
arrive DTW Sunday afternoon 230pm
arrive Akron 630pm[ish] Sunday evening [March 20]
- communication:
we will have VERY limited internet access while in Haiti. I will post on here and facebook as soon as possible after we arrive in Grand Goave on Saturday, and a couple times throughout the week as I'm able to. also, american cell phones don't work in Haiti, so you will hear our wonderful voices when we get to share all our stories with you after we get back. :)
- anything else:
we are working with Mission of Hope, located in Grand Goave, Haiti. the MoH website [ http://mohintl.org/ ] has any additional information you may need.
thanks for all of your love and support! please be praying for the people we will encounter in Haiti - both new friends and old - that our team would be a strong example of Christ and His love for His people. pray that this trip would not be about of a bunch of college kids from ohio (and pennsylvania) going somewhere sunny and taking zillions of pictures with some cute kids, but rather, that it would be about us coming alongside of people, helping them to restore what has been destroyed, piece by piece advancing the kingdom.
to Him be the Glory!
- the team is:
myself
Ashley Day
Becca Lamb
Ben DiMarco
Casey Shaffer
Ethan Schenck
Jenn McAninch
Kelley Parker
Matthew Moore
Stephanie Kline
- our general itinerary:
departing Akron [The Chapel] Friday morning [March 11] 830-9am
flight leaves DTW [Detroit] Friday afternoon 3pm
overnight layover in MIA [Miami]
arrive in PAP [Port Au Prince] 10am Saturday morning [March 12]
drive to Grand Goave
work, etc. for the next 7 days
drive to PAP Saturday [March 19]
depart PAP Saturday afternoon 4pm
arrive DTW Sunday afternoon 230pm
arrive Akron 630pm[ish] Sunday evening [March 20]
- communication:
we will have VERY limited internet access while in Haiti. I will post on here and facebook as soon as possible after we arrive in Grand Goave on Saturday, and a couple times throughout the week as I'm able to. also, american cell phones don't work in Haiti, so you will hear our wonderful voices when we get to share all our stories with you after we get back. :)
- anything else:
we are working with Mission of Hope, located in Grand Goave, Haiti. the MoH website [ http://mohintl.org/ ] has any additional information you may need.
thanks for all of your love and support! please be praying for the people we will encounter in Haiti - both new friends and old - that our team would be a strong example of Christ and His love for His people. pray that this trip would not be about of a bunch of college kids from ohio (and pennsylvania) going somewhere sunny and taking zillions of pictures with some cute kids, but rather, that it would be about us coming alongside of people, helping them to restore what has been destroyed, piece by piece advancing the kingdom.
to Him be the Glory!
2.27.2011
encouragement.
so this weekend I had the opportunity to go to Reno, NV for the annual Women in Aviation conference. It was wonderful to be able to reconnect with a few friends from Purdue that I hadn't seen in a long time, and very encouraging to hear about how they've each found their niche within the world of aviation. It was great to be affirmed in what I'm currently doing, and the goal I'm working towards. For those of you who don't know, I'm in school right now working on my A&P mechanic's license, so that I can be as effective as possible as an aviator in the mission field, by being able to work on my own airplane when it breaks in a third world country somewhere. The specific details of exactly how the aviation piece is going to fit with the mission piece is still a little fuzzy, but I'm trusting that God knows what He's doing. My heart is definitely in Haiti, and I would love to just move there as soon as I'm done with school in December. However, I know God has nothing less than His best in store for me, and I can't wait to see how the plan unfolds in the months to come.
so in the meantime, I'm very, very excited to be going back to Haiti in less than two weeks (even if it's only for a week). The latest update from Renee is that we'll be helping build more transitional shelters - just like the June trip - and also helping with the finishing touches on the choukoun (the big open-air pavilion at the beach property that we dug the foundation for last March). As always, things are subject to change, but that's the current plan. Everyone on the team has been awesome about gathering donations, so we should have a pretty good amount of donated things and supplies to take down with us as well.
that's the short version of everything going on right now... stay tuned for updates as the trip dates approach once again!
to Him be the Glory.
so in the meantime, I'm very, very excited to be going back to Haiti in less than two weeks (even if it's only for a week). The latest update from Renee is that we'll be helping build more transitional shelters - just like the June trip - and also helping with the finishing touches on the choukoun (the big open-air pavilion at the beach property that we dug the foundation for last March). As always, things are subject to change, but that's the current plan. Everyone on the team has been awesome about gathering donations, so we should have a pretty good amount of donated things and supplies to take down with us as well.
that's the short version of everything going on right now... stay tuned for updates as the trip dates approach once again!
to Him be the Glory.
2.20.2011
UPCOMING TRIP!
hi friends,
sorry for the lack of updates recently. things have been pretty crazy here stateside, with school and work and all those 'normal life' sorts of things. BUT... here's the scoop. we were (praise God!!) able to get a full refund from American Airlines for our tickets for the December trip that we had to postpone at the last minute. what that means is that we've been able to reschedule our trip, with a majority of the same crew, for UAkron's spring break week, March 11-20. I can't tell you how excited I am to be finally going back in three weeks!
I'll write another post soon, with more details on the current projects in Grand Goave (there are quite a few underway!) as well as the current situation in Haiti as a whole.
For now, continue praying for the people of Haiti, and for our team as we finalize preparations yet again for our upcoming trip.
To Him be the Glory!
sorry for the lack of updates recently. things have been pretty crazy here stateside, with school and work and all those 'normal life' sorts of things. BUT... here's the scoop. we were (praise God!!) able to get a full refund from American Airlines for our tickets for the December trip that we had to postpone at the last minute. what that means is that we've been able to reschedule our trip, with a majority of the same crew, for UAkron's spring break week, March 11-20. I can't tell you how excited I am to be finally going back in three weeks!
I'll write another post soon, with more details on the current projects in Grand Goave (there are quite a few underway!) as well as the current situation in Haiti as a whole.
For now, continue praying for the people of Haiti, and for our team as we finalize preparations yet again for our upcoming trip.
To Him be the Glory!
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