Off and Running

Three AM seems like forever ago. The flights were relatively on time (for which I was thankful). Baggage claim in Port-au-Prince had been upgraded slightly -- there is now a baggage carousel. It still took quite a while to track down our eight bags, four of which were stuffed with beanie babies. After connecting with Dan and a few of the other missionaries and loading our baggage into the truck, we all piled in and headed to the supplier to look at potential houses. We learned that the preferred design was not available for a couple more weeks so it was on to plan B. Off to the guest house for lunch and to connect again with Joy, Carl, Maya and the girls. Much of the afternoon was spent with Dan in a brainstorming session to settle on a design for Judain's house. The outcome is a plan to build a 16' x 24' structure with a pitched roof; the sides consist of 8' x 8' panels that will be assembled on site. Since there is no security for materials stored in an open field, we'll fabricate the panels in the courtyard of the guest house. When the panels are ready, they'll be taken to the site and put together. The construction will be primarily pressure treated 2x4s with 2x6 rafters and steel sheet roofing panels.

I also had the opportunity to consult with Dan & Joy about their need to upgrade their financial accounting procedures. We'll most likely explore this in more detail and maybe even set up a process that will meet the needs.

True to form, plans get refined as time moves along, but it's encouraging to know that everything we do here is a significant contribution to meeting real needs.