Your Dirt is in My Hole

Today was the first full day of construction for us at the worksite in Haiti. And while construction was taking place, we were in charge or removing ruble that was once a building. This involved loading wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of ruble and taking it about 100 feet or so and dumping it in the street; where it is supposed to be cleaned up by the city at a later date.

We were working in and around existing classrooms and I can only imagine that the construction effort was a bit of a distraction. Especially as one class was being held under a tarp right next to the construction work. We did, however, get to see lots of little smiling faces in their uniforms which can lift your spirits when you think you have lifted the last pound of dirt you could.

After we had worked for the day, or rather when we had no more energy to work, we attended the "Easy English Club" meeting. This is a club held at the church to help the local high school and above members learn to Speak English. The leader of the group, 20 years old, was quite good and uses the scripture to help teach. Today's verse was John 14:6. It was the highlight of my day to participate in the club which was a little bit bible study, a little bit conversation, and a very funny role play scenario between two members.

And while they day was not all ups, they outweighed the downs and I think we accomplished quite a lot.

Four Sermons, Five Songs, and a Prayer

Ok, maybe it wasn't five sermons, but for those of you who have never attended a church service in this part of the world it is a bit different than what you get on a Sunday morning in New England. It was, however, a wonderful service, full of joy, music, and praise.

This is our first full day in Haiti and there is still so much ahead. The travel to Haiti went extremely well with little to no issues. They opened a few of our bags at customs but with 24 bags they were not about to go through them all. The baggage men waiting outside the airport were a bit aggressive, but a "no, mesi"'and most backed away.

The smells of Haiti hit me much stronger this trip. I don't remember the smells from last year, perhaps because I was so busy taking in the visuals. This year the smells will definitely be a top memory.

After church this morning (9am to about noon) we were able to look at the school construction site where we will be working this week. They have started a little of the work and there is a big pile of rock and dirt out front which we will have to move to the back where construction will take place. Rumor has it that we are meant to crush the rock for concrete.


After church we were treated to a great lunch by the women of church including Shrimp and rice, goat, and veg; followed by a beautiful cake. And while we were waiting for lunch, Beth made some friends.

This afternoon we are doing some sorting of medical supplies for the clinic and cloths. It will be a slow afternoon, which will give us more time to get in the feel of Haiti.

And a bit of a happy surprise at where we are staying. There was a wedding near by yesterday and the newlyweds came into the compound in their finest.

Ticketed

Sitting at Fitchburg State waiting for W to finish with scout merit badge camp for the day and think ing a lot about the mission trip today.

While W was at camp I spent the morning running around to various stores attempting to discover the best way to provide power to my iPhone while in Haiti. We have been told that power will be iffy while in Haiti and I can't remember from last year if that was the case or not. I do remember the fans going off in the dorms at about 11pm when the batteries for the facility ran dry and it was to late to run the generator which can be noisy.

Power is more important to me this year because I plan to take more video and want to be able to update friends and family back home via Facebook. And yes, we have been told that we will have access to wifi, but I am not sure if that is via wifi at the dorm or via a cafe. In either case power will be important.

I continue to find that I miss Haiti and I suppose that sounds strange, but it is how I have felt since leaving it last year. Looking forward is the wrong way to express how I feel; perhaps returning to where I am meant to be to take the next small step to complete a job and help a people that will take many years.

Location:Highland Ave,Fitchburg,United States