A Job Well Done

A team of 6 persons from 4 churches in Penn-Jersey spent 2 weeks (Sept. 5-20) in Haiti serving on the island of La Gonave.  Prior to our leaving home there were 2 projects of possible focus for our work --- repairs to the Wesleyan school at the church in Anse-a-Galets, and work on the new La Gonave Ministry Center to prepare it for the rapidly approaching dedication of the new hospital. Once again it was evident that God had assembled the right number of folks with the right complement of skills and had prepared our minds and hearts for this time of ministry. (I’m not sure the bodies were properly prepared for the tasks, but they remained mostly functional throughout our stay.)

Upon our arrival it quickly became obvious that our focus needed to be on getting the new Ministry Center ready for the celebration that would take place one week after our return home.  For the last 2 ½ years work teams from North America and the UK joined with local laborers to erect a ministry center that would accommodate 44 overnight guests, provide food service for them and provide meeting space. (By comparison the old guest house could accommodate 18 overnight guests.)

Remaining work included: spackling, caulking and painting (multiple coats) half of the sleeping rooms, hallway, outer corridor, an office and a public restroom; ceiling panels and battens in two public restrooms; missing battens in other rooms; screens to be made and installed on 24 windows; a doorway to be framed; several doors to be hung or trimmed to fit; towel bars and tissue holders to be installed; bathroom and entry door locksets to be installed; security locks to be installed on the 12 exterior gates.

We used: 50 gallons of paint, 5 gallons of primer, 2 buckets of lightweight spackling, 1 bucket of drywall joint compound, 96 tubes of caulk, 250 board feet of lumber, 7 sheets of 4x8 Masonite, 4 pounds of nails, 2 ½ rolls of insect screen, and 50 gallons of gas for the generator.  We are thankful for the churches and individuals that supported us for this trip by contributing $7500 for materials and supplies in additions to funding our travel and living expenses.  Their support enabled us to also provide funds for the purchase of 2 paint sprayers, 2 doors, 5 locksets, 3 grinding wheels, welding rods/wire, 10 ft. PVC for downspouts, 5 bags of cement plus sand for the laundromat area, 50 bags of cement plus sand for the 2690 sq. ft. of ceramic tile for 5 bedrooms, office, public bathrooms, hallway and outer corridor; and we covered the labor costs for the local tradesmen that were hired for the laundromat and ceramic tile work.  Funds were also provided for the purchase of guest house furnishings: 4 toilets for public restrooms, 2 sinks for public restrooms, 10 beds, 10 mattresses, 10 pillows, 10 fans, and 5 mirrors.

Although we did not have the opportunity to work at the Wesleyan school, we did purchase 2 buckets of white reflective roof coating and paid for local laborers to apply it.

In the second week of our trip we were joined by a team from central Pennsylvania led by Justin Charles of Lenape Solar.  Justin has spearheaded the effort to provide a solar system for the hospital and mission station that will eliminate the dependency on diesel fueled generators for electricity.  During their week and a half stay they installed all the mountings for the solar panels on the hospital roof, the inverters, the batteries, and the control systems.  Had the solar panels themselves not been held up in customs, the entire hospital / mission station complex (including the new Ministry Center) would have been running completely on solar power by the time they returned home.  Unfortunately, customs processing delayed the solar panels release for another week.  However, according to posts on FaceBook received today, the panels were released by customs on Wednesday and transported to La Gonave yesterday and today.  Justin had instructed the missionaries on solar panel installation so within a day or so the sun will be providing all the electricity for the La Gonave Wesleyan Hospital / Ministry Center complex!

The hospital dedication took place on September 28.  It was attended by more than 200 dignitaries and guests.  The new La Gonave Ministry Center provided overnight accommodation for 44 guests and served meals to 70 persons in the dining hall.

Words cannot adequately capture the significant beneficial impact that will be realized by the people of La Gonave because of the ministries that have been enhanced and enabled by these new buildings.  It was a blessing beyond description to have been part of this adventure.  To God be the glory!