Arrived at Home

Up at 6:15 am; on the road at 6:35 am; in the air from Port-au-Prince at 10:35 am; on the ground in Philadelphia at 5:25 pm; in the house at 6:40 pm.  The trip was relatively uneventful.  The arrivals area in the Port-au-Prince airport has been substantially renovated; it looks more like a typical airport - great sign of progress.

It was an extremely productive and beneficial trip; I'll try (again) to post a recap in a few days.

Thanks for all your interest, support, and prayers.

Headed Home

First my apologies for not getting a post out last night.  Yesterday my fuel tank hit empty; thankfully it was just for the one day, and I was the only one affected so the work continued.

Yesterday was a long work day, but the results were well worth it.  Our goal was to make all the rooms on the north side of the guest house functional.  All the windows have screens on them.  All the rooms, bathrooms and hallways have been caulked and painted;  towel bars and toilet paper holders have been hung.   All the doors have been trimmed to size and hung, and locksets have been installed.  All the mounting brackets for the exterior gate locks have been welded to the gates. The local tradesmen will most likely have all the tile laid by the time we get home.

About 8:30 this morning we left the Wesleyan dock on La Gonave for the journey back across the St. Marc channel.  While not quite as calm as the trip over, this trip was among the smoothest we've had.  It's good to slow down, take a nap, do some snorkeling, catch some rays (there are plenty to be had), and repack for the trip home.

A few more photos have been posted.

One More Work Day

We have only one more work day before we begin our trek homeward.  Today was another very productive day. More screens made and installed; of course more painting; progress on the security locks for the exterior gates.  It has been a very good trip.

A Good Day at Work

I've been told by a team member who ought to know that the caulking is all done; that's good because we also have used up all the caulk available.  Painting continues - will it ever end? Quite a few frames were made for window screens.

The tile workers are making good progress, and the solar installation team arrived today and went straight to work.

Check out the pictures on FaceBook.

Worship, Rest, and Relaxation

This morning we joined the resident missionaries for an English language worship service followed by the noon meal and a time of visiting. This afternoon a few of the folks went swimming (this time with the snorkling gear).  Others watched portions of the Chargers vs. Eagles football game -- how's that for primitive life in Haiti!

Tomorrow it's back to work full speed ahead.  We have 3 work days left; there is still plenty to keep us busy.  Pray with us for a strong finish.

Time to Recharge

It has been an intense, full and focused week.  But even the hardiest of bodies need to be recharged once in a while.

This morning after breakfast we headed up the mountain to Fontina, the site of our work last September; the trip wasn't any quicker than it was last year.  Some parts of the road had sections of concrete tire tracks poured so the ride there was quite smooth (as long as the truck stayed on the concrete pads - it did).  However, other portions of the road had been eroded by water flow and were in worse shape than last year.  Nevertheless, we had a good visit.  Many of the folks recognized us and were happy to see us.  The church building is still not being used for services.  Compassion has funded the construction of a new school building adjacent to the church.  That work is complete and ready for use in the school year to begin in October.  Folks were clearing the rubble from the demolition of one of the old buildings that had been used for school.

This afternoon we rested; for a couple hours the entire team had taken a nap.  It was needed.

Floor tile for the guest house was delivered yesterday, and today the tile bos and his helpers were busy with the installation.  Also, delivery of the components for the hospital solar system began arriving at the mission station.

More Work

Work continues with full engagnement.  More than half of our time is behind us.  The progress is noticable.  We have expended all the excess energy that we might have brought with us, but each morning we're ready to go at it again.  We are however thankful for the weekend.  Check out the photos on FaceBook.

Market Day

We worked just for a few hours this morning --- more painting and more door installations.  Just before noon we walked through town to the market --- nothing like Acme or Super Fresh.  All kinds of wares spread out on  tables or laid on cloths on the ground.  We chose not to buy here.  Some of us went to the sandbar for snorkling, but without masks and breathing tubes it's difficult to see under water.  So they settled for  some treadding water and sun bathing.  Some took a stroll through the saline - the flat land next to the water where folks who have no other place to live make whatever shelter they can.  Even in these circumstances folks greet us with a smile, and the little children come near to get a closer look at us blancs.

Work Day Four

Progress continues.  It's  more of the same --- caulking, painting, mounting doors.  The temperature is not cooling down (we didn't expect it to).

We had a very good visit with Dan Irvine as he shared some of the work that remains to be done and the various opportunities for ministry teams.

Work Day Three

Another good day of work is over.  Ceiling panels in restrooms complete. One room with a second coat of paint. Much caulking applied.

One of the pictures I posted today shows a room with two coats of paint applied.  This is the same room that Brian and I worked on last March.  The photos from the March trip show this room without ceiling panels and with the ceiling panels and battens.  Now we have a picture of this room with two coats of paint applied.

To borrow a quote from Smokey and the Bandit: "We've a long way to go and a short time to get there."  However, our objective is much more noble than theirs.

As always, we are being fed very well.  We are grateful that none of us have had any health issues.  Continued prayers are appreciated for our wisdom, health and strength.

Work Day Two

'Twas another good day of work.  The ceiling panels and battens in one of the two public restrooms was completed; caulking continues; spray painting of one of the rooms was begun.

After the heavy rain storm Saturday evening, the weather has been a little more tolerable with an occasional breeze.  It helps that most of our work is under cover and some of it is in rooms that have very good air flow.

Photos on FaceBook show the folks "plying their trades."

A Day Off

The recent schedule will certainly not be repeated; after only one day of work we get to take a day off.

Two volunteer chefs and a local stash of cooked lobster combined to provide lobster omelets and hash browns for breakfast along with cinnamon buns the cooks had prepared yesterday.

We participated in the English language morning worship service held on the mission station for the resident missionaries and shared the noon meal together.  The rest of the day was unstructured time for visiting, sight seeing, resting, checking email, ... .

Tomorrow it's back to work; it should be an interesting week.

The Work Has Begun

In order to beat the heat, we have decided to start work at 6:00 am, and get in an hour so before breakfast.  So as the sun was just breaking the horizon we headed to the new guest house.  Several of the team began patching gaps between concrete and wood and caulking the hundreds of seams between ceiling panels and the batten strips that cover the joints.  A couple others put up batten strips in rooms that prior teams had not completed and began installing ceiling panels in other rooms.  Another team member began templating the fixtures for attaching locks to the exterior gates of the guest house.  By 3:30 pm we declared that day one of working was over.  We look forward to relaxing tomorrow then jumping into a full week of work on Monday.

I've added a few more pictures to my FaceBook album.

On the Island

We had a very pleasant (hot and calm) voyage across the channel to La Gonave; the water was as calm as I've ever experienced.  After lunch Greg took us on a tour of the guest house and identified the remaining tasks.  There is plenty of work to keep us busy.  After dinner Julian gave us a guided tour of the hospital; words are inadequate to describe the outstanding work that he has directed.

I hope to occasionally post a few photos on my FaceBook page.

Tomorrow we start to work.

We're Here

Up at 3:30 am; at the airport by 4:30 am; in the air by 6:30 am; on the ground in Port-au-Prince before noon; pretty much as advertised.  In Miami we were joined by a lady going to La Gonave to teach ESL (English as a Second Language).  The Port-au-Prince arrivals area had been substantially renovated earlier this year.  We made it through immigration, baggage claim and customs without any difficulties.  Judain was waiting for us in the Canter.  We made a stop at DeliMart so Nancy could get some groceries before heading to the island.  For many of us it was the first experience in a supermarket in Port-au-Prince.  The inventory was quite large, but I would not want to buy the fish or meat on display.  We arrived at the Ortlip Ministry Center about 2:40 pm where we were greeted by Dan & Joy Irvine; it was great to see them again and to bask in the drenching sweat caused by 95 degree temperatures.

Tomorrow we head to La Gonave and have the opportunity to see first hand the progress on the hospital and new guest house (now know as the La Gonave Ministry Center).  We've heard that good progress is being made, but there is still much to be done before the September 28 dedication ceremonies.

We are all looking forward to a couple weeks of productive investment in our ministry in Haiti.

In the Skys Again

Tomorrow morning six of us from the Penn-Jersey District of The Wesleyan Church should be headed to Haiti for two weeks of ministry in the form of manual labor.  We expect to spend our time at the mission station on the island of La Gonave, which is currently a beehive of activity.

A brand new hospital has been under construction for the last 18 months, and the dedication celebration is scheduled for September 28. At the same time, a new La Gonave Ministry Center is being constructed to provide better living accommodations for teams that come to share their skills and for local church leaders to meet for training.  There is a strong desire to have the Ministry Center completed for the hospital dedication.

We may also have the opportunity to do some repair and refurbishing of school facilities at the Wesleyan Church in town.

As in the past, I plan to periodically update this blog providing the Internet is accessible and I'm reasonably coherent.  Your prayers for wisdom, strength and safety are always welcome.