One Brick Left

I wasn't able to writ last night because, well, last night was just different. The first difference was that a new group came into the guest house so my room went from a single to a full house. The second difference was that for dinner we went to Pastor Renol's house, more on that later. The last difference was that when we got back to the guest house after dinner my roomies had the lights out and had gone to sleep as they had an early start. They also must have figured that I wasn't coming home as they covered my bunk with someone's stuff and took my pillow. I got my bunk back by carefully moving the stuff, with permission, and then finding a pillow on the one empty bunk.


The good news is that we completed the chicken coop on Friday. It has been renamed the "Lay All You Can" chicken coop which when translated to Creole becomes something like "push down more you can" chicken coop. While there is a sign with the name in both English and Creole I don't think it matters much to the illiterate chickens. And after all the work we ended up with only a single unused cinder block, so the estimates were pretty much right on.


As we finished a bit early we were able to head up to the apartment of the missionary with which we have been working. She lives high up in the hills which gave us a beautiful view if the city. It was a nice time to sit and relax a bit.

Dinner at the Pastor's house was great and we had some traditional Haitian food including an eggplant appetizer followed by chicken is very good sauce mixed with peas, all over rice. I suppose the dessert of pudding was not pudding cups was not traditional, but still good.


The dinner was proceeded by a few beautiful songs from the Pastor's daughters and after dinner those of us with musical talent repaid with songs of our own. It was a fun evening, but it was clear the evening was over when one of our guides ad-libbed the last line of one of the songs with the words "it's late, it's late, it's time to go home."

It was another long but worth while day. And while we were not able to see a chicken take up residency in the coop, they soon will. A lot was accomplished and it laid the ground work for other mission teams to extend the work either through financial support (more chickens) or by extending the working area or capabilities of the chicken farm.

Location:Port-au-Prince Airport

Floored

The floor is complete and we had just enough cement to finish it. We also covered the frame with chicken wire to keep the unfriendly critters out. The chickens themselves will go it pre-built cages that will be installed tomorrow and the hope is that the chickens we purchased will be ready to take up residence before we leave the worksite.

It has been a week of fun and a lot of hard work, but seeing the project come together has been quite satisfying.

After dinner tonight we went and visited the orphanage again. It was good to see the kids again and a bit sad because it might be the last time we see them this trip. We drew pictures, played games, and I think I saw some dancing happening. They are really great kids and I wish more could be done for them. While their place in Haiti is much better than others, no child should have to live without the constant love of a parent.


As the week winds down it is also important to remember and thanks those local workers with whom none of this would have happened. We had two primary workers Alex and Victo (short for Victory). Alex managed the framing and roof while Victo managed the block work. Victo, in particular was a non-stop working machine. So much so that his back started to hurt today form mixing and lifting all the cement and concrete. In the pictures Alex is in the blue shirt, Victo is in the red, and the third helper was Tally, who was with us just today.


Thanks guys, couldn't have done it with out you.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

On A Hot Tin Roof

As it turns out tin roofs can get quite hot in the Caribbean sun. When we arrived at the work site today the two local workers that we are helping had a good start on the roof supports so some of us jumped right up in the rafters with them while others worked on the walls and the floor or the chicken coop.

After the support beams were all in place it was time to put on the tin roof and I think our team surprised the locals with their abilities. The team that came down after some dropped out was two men and 6 women (boy I hope I got that count correct). But these are New England women and they can do whatever they put their mind to do. So into the rafters the women climbed and kept up with the local workers to complete their half of the tin roof.


While the roof was being worked on so was some of the wall and the floor. The walls are cinder block was and so the team set to the task of masonry. This included helping to hand mix concrete on the ground with a shovel, hauling it 30 feet or so to the work site, and they laying the blocks, making sure they were level and in line with the others. And just to be perfectly clear that uneven bit of wall in the picture was done by the local worker, not by us.

The floor work meant a lot of leveling and filling the wheel barrow with gravel to give the floor a base on which concrete was poured. Again, the concrete work is all done by hand and carried to the work site using buckets.


While it was a lot of hard work the end result is starting to look quite nice, but by the looks of it there is a lot more concrete work to complete tomorrow as Bly about 1/4 of the floor is poured. And rumor has it along with completing the floor tomorrow we will start putting the chicken wire around the outside as well.

We Were Framed

Today we started framing the chicken coop. Some have nicked named it the "Yellow Flower Chicken Club", but I am not sure it will stick. It was quite an experience helping in the framing process as it was done in the traditional Haitian way, which is not always the same way you might do it in the US. But, as you can see we have support posts, cross beams, and the beginning of a roof line.

Our jobs today consisted of digging a lot of post holes, carrying cement, and some cutting of lumber. We were not expected to climb the 2x4 that they rested against the structure as a incline because there was no ladder.

Cement mixing in Haiti is still a very manual process. It is mixed on the ground by shovel by and individual who uses their experience to created the right mixture and consistency. Then the result is hand carried by buckets down to the work site. It is a very labor intensive process.


After the work day, showers and dinner we headed to the orphanage to spend some time with the kids and play some indoor games. Unfortunately the orphanage, much to our surprise, were not aware that we were coming. But, no worries, the we found our way inside and broke out some bead to make bracelets, a board game, twister, and the Polaroid camera.


It was a wonderful time of hugs and fun and I recognized a few faces from years past, most notably Edna. I believe I have mentioned Edna in my blog from past years and it was really good to see her again, but also a bit sad she is still not able to live with her parents as they, as I recall, do not have the funds to support her. Edna was special to me because her smile and the way she giggled is exactly how my middle daughter Emily smiles and giggles. If I could she would be coming home on the plane with me to join our family (guess I should have discussed that with the wife first, but as it is not possible I guess there is no harm done). The first picture above is Edna today. The second is Edna a few years ago.

A long but rewarding day. It will be interested to see what tomorrow holds.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

Off To Work We Go

Today was the first full work day. It started off with a drive to the work site, which was about 20 minutes away. It was not quite what I expected, it was a compound that was being used by a Pastor who runs a school and who took over her husband's church when he was killed in the earthquake.
We were shown an area in the corner of the compound that was covered in brush and trash and our first task was to clear the area. This would have been a little easier if we had tools for every worker and the proper tools, but neither of those wants were available.




Sometime after we started clearing the area the trucks started to come. These trucks always bring bad news as it always requires heavy lifting. The first truck contained cinder blocks which were first offloaded and then moved 25 feet or so to their temporary destination. Soon after that the lumber truck came and that had to be offloaded as well.




By the end of the day we were all very tired and dirty, but we had made a lot of progress, including clearing the area, and digging a one foot trench around the area. To dig the trench we had to first use a pick to break the ground and break the roots. This was followed by using shovels to dig out the rubble.
The area is about 20x20 feet and is meant to be able to hold enough hens to produce about 500 eggs a day.




There was one hen and chicks in the yard. I guess they will soon have a lot of friends. All in all it was a good work day and we accomplished quite a lot, although there is much more to complete tomorrow.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

Whew, It Was Only A Short Service

Today is Sunday and that means it was off to church in the morning. For those of you in the US that start to get uncomfortable when the service runs over by 10 or 15 minutes, then I recommend you don't attend a Haitian service. Today's was about 3 and 1/2 hours.

Now don't get me wrong, that does not mean that it was boring and we were all falling asleep. There were some great choirs including a group of young men that sang two songs about faith. The sermon was given by Pastor Ronel and spoke to how with God's grace we can live the right life even if we have made mistakes in the past. At the end of the service Pastor Ronel asked people to come up that we're ready to ask for forgiveness and strive to live right. About 30 to 40 mostly young people came up on their knees and were prayed over. Very powerful and moving.


Outside the Church, actually before the service, we spent some time meeting the local community. One of our group brought a Polaroid camera which was a great idea. She was able to take photos of the kids and some adults and then give the photos to them. It was great seeing their expressions when they first saw their image appear. There are not a lot of mirrors in Haiti and many of these kids, while they have seen digital images or themselves, have not had a photograph of themselves. Polaroid camera ... again, what a great idea.


After lunch, a delicious mixture of peanut butter and jelly along with chips and cookies, we walked to the near by orphanage for a quick visit. We brought balls, frisbees, and bubbles, but I think what most captivated the children was the singing and guitar playing. Even with the language barriers the kids were able to join in on the chorus.


Not only were the kids that were crowded around the guitar singing and dancing, but so were the kids playing the other games. As they were throwing things they would stop every now and again and sing and dance where they were. It was a good end for the day and I am very grateful for the singing talent in this group, of which I have none.

We will see what tomorrow brings as we start the day with a trip to the supply store to shop for chicken farm supplies. How hard can it be to build a box around a bird ....

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

Getting to Know You

The Port-au-Prince airport is much improved since I was here last (March 2012). They now have their gangways working and you know longer have to take the shuttle bus from the airplane to the terminal. I was pleasantly surprised.

The rest of the airport is pretty much the same. I was able to find the rest of the group quite easily, or rather they found me. And once I realized I was at the wrong baggage carousel and got to the correct one, I was able to find my bag without a problem. (btw, all the tools and odd shapes in my checked bag caught the interest of the TSA and they went through the bag and then put it back together). But the good news is that everything was there and nothing went missing.

We did a quick meet and greet at the airport, purchased a SIM card for the phone, and then were off to run the gauntlet of people trying to "help" you with your bags all with the expectation of a tip at the end. There was a lot of shouting "no mesi" and I think we made it through with only two hanger ons. (I believe "mesi" is the correct spelling in Haitian Creole.

We packed the cars and heads for the guest house. It is quite a nice quest house and there were a few other groups including a "strength" group, which go around breaking and bending things as well as preaching the gospel. I saw a video of them once visiting a school, but I can't find it fit now.

We also had a very nice dinner and some group time to help us get to know each other. The group from the right coast brought a guitar along with talent so we had some good music tonight and were able to practice for our song during the church service tomorrow, during which I will be mouthing "watermelon". We were also lucky to hear some other tunes include one of from Bob Marley's.

Tried to clean up a bit tonight, but there was no water. It was unclear if that is because they ran out or because a lack of power somewhere. There is no central water system in PaP. No worries, it is what it is and if nothing else there are wet wipes to deal with it in the morning.

Well, it is time for bed, so please forgive any mistakes as I am too tired to deal with it.

Location:Ruelle P. Savain,Port-au-Prince,Haiti

Travel Day

Don't let anyone ever tell you it is easy to get from San Jose, California to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Well, I guess it is easy, it just takes a long time, particularly when you are attempting to time your arrival time with people coming from other locations.

I am at the airport now, doing a lot of what I will be doing over the next 18 hours or so, waiting. I fly from San Jose, CA to Los Angeles, CA. Wait. Then to New York. Wait. Then to PaP to arrive tomorrow at about 2 in the afternoon local time. So the leg from LAX to JFK is a red eye.

It doesn't feel like I have had as much time to sit and contemplate this years trip as I have in the past. Perhaps that is the purpose God has put this waiting in my path. It gives me time to sit and get in the right frame of mind.

This year we will be visiting and working at the orphanage that we have come along side of the past two years to help construct a chicken farm. The chickens will bring the children needed food as well as allow the orphanage to sell any extra to help support its needs.

I miss my family already, but am looking forward to seeing friends in PaP as well as meeting the rest of the team. Safe travels to the rest of the team and see you tomorrow in PaP ... save me a seat on the back of the truck.

Location:Airport Blvd,San Jose,United States