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!
5.28.2011
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.
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