Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Praises, Thanks, and Prayers (last blog)
When I first arrived in Haiti, I wrote about the attempt (which was the 2nd one at the time) to get the orange truck from Cap Haitien back to the Haitian Queen. Well I guess the 3rd time is the charm because during my last week in Haiti Charles and the 3 mechanics went back to Cap Haitien to install a manual transmission in the truck and finally delivered it back to the Haitian Queen. PRAISE THE LORD!! Also praise the Lord for Charles as he has been such a servant and blessing to our ministry.
Also, Praise the Lord for a quicker than expected recovery as Kevin may be discharged from the hospital today. I talked to him yesterday and discussed that it was such a blessing this happened while being in Pennsylvania instead of Haiti. Continue to pray for complete healing and regaining strength and endurance.
As many of you know, I returned from Haiti last Tuesday the 15th. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all the support. The trip would not have been possible without your financial and prayer support as both were very much needed. Praise the Lord for safety, health, and the wonderful experience I had during my stay in Haiti. The people of Haiti hold a special place in my heart and I hope to return at some point for at least a visit or whatever else the Lord may have in store.
Continued Prayer Requests:
• The Holy Spirit would continue to move the hearts of the Haitians.
• That their renewed hope would be in Christ.
• The Lord would sustain and uphold the young staff.
• The Lord would continue to provide long term missionaries.
• Direction for a future return and what that looks like.
Also, Praise the Lord for a quicker than expected recovery as Kevin may be discharged from the hospital today. I talked to him yesterday and discussed that it was such a blessing this happened while being in Pennsylvania instead of Haiti. Continue to pray for complete healing and regaining strength and endurance.
As many of you know, I returned from Haiti last Tuesday the 15th. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all the support. The trip would not have been possible without your financial and prayer support as both were very much needed. Praise the Lord for safety, health, and the wonderful experience I had during my stay in Haiti. The people of Haiti hold a special place in my heart and I hope to return at some point for at least a visit or whatever else the Lord may have in store.
Continued Prayer Requests:
• The Holy Spirit would continue to move the hearts of the Haitians.
• That their renewed hope would be in Christ.
• The Lord would sustain and uphold the young staff.
• The Lord would continue to provide long term missionaries.
• Direction for a future return and what that looks like.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Hey guys! So I’ll give you all an update of what I’ve been doing since our trip to Cap Haitien. I spent a few days helping with an orphanage we are partnering with just about a mile up the road from the Haitian Queen. With no machinary, we had to level the ground and dig the footers the old fashion way. Thankfully, I was only on this project about 2 days because it is HARD work! The orphanage is called Shepherd's House and will also be a future school. Here are some before and after photos of the land.
I've also been doing work and overseeing some of the volunteers with continuous projects here at the Haitian Queen. The 2nd floor of our home was destroyed in the earthquake so a lot of work has been put into completely re-doing it. A few of the projects involved securing the tin roof, fastening the solar panels, hanging wire mesh on the exterior walls for added support, constructing forms to pour the concrete floor, framing out doors amongst the concrete walls, and fastening the conduit as well as the electrical outlets and switch boxes to the walls. The 2nd floor will act as the living quarters for staff in the years to come Lord willing.
For the past 4 days we have been constructing what they call, "transitional shelters" in a village just a couple minute drive down the road. One of our staff members made a connection with Samaritan's Purse where they are giving us basically as many transitional shelters as we can construct up to a 1,000. Samaritan's Purse has a staging ground near our home where they are mass producing these 12'x12' shelters. They come somewhat pre-fabricated with 4 walls, tin to construct the roof, platforms to construct beds and shelves, a gutter with a rain barrel, and a tarp for the sides of the walls. These shelters are designed to last approximately 3-5 years until the families are able to get back into their homes. And, they are definitely an upgrade to their current conditions. However, I wouldn't be surprised if they become more like 20 year housing options with the present conditions. The families have to go through an applicaion process and also have to clear a "level" spot of land for the shelter. Along with the help of the Haitians in the community, we have put up about 12 of these homes thus far.
The whole process has been one of the highlights of my trip. It has been so fun going into the same village everyday and as we pull up hear a bunch of the little kids calling out "Jon" with their Creole accents. I look forward to seeing their beautiful smiles each day and made a bunch of little friends. I'm really gonna miss these little guys when I leave. Daily they have been teaching me a little Creole as we point to different things and they say it in Creole and I say it in English:) These little girls are 2 of my favorites!
As we finish a house, we have the family sign the application, and then we pray with them and for them with the help of our interpreter. This has been a neat process as I pray that you too will pray for these families that they will know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and will be a blessing to one another and their community. It also has been a humbling experience as one of these families I prayed with will have 8 people living in this 12'x12' "home" which is smaller than my bedroom in Pennsylvania. Makes you count your blessings.
For the past 4 days we have been constructing what they call, "transitional shelters" in a village just a couple minute drive down the road. One of our staff members made a connection with Samaritan's Purse where they are giving us basically as many transitional shelters as we can construct up to a 1,000. Samaritan's Purse has a staging ground near our home where they are mass producing these 12'x12' shelters. They come somewhat pre-fabricated with 4 walls, tin to construct the roof, platforms to construct beds and shelves, a gutter with a rain barrel, and a tarp for the sides of the walls. These shelters are designed to last approximately 3-5 years until the families are able to get back into their homes. And, they are definitely an upgrade to their current conditions. However, I wouldn't be surprised if they become more like 20 year housing options with the present conditions. The families have to go through an applicaion process and also have to clear a "level" spot of land for the shelter. Along with the help of the Haitians in the community, we have put up about 12 of these homes thus far.
I love her, she was always trying to hold my hand whenever I was down on the ground.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Prayer Requests
As I walk around The Haitian Queen, I'm always comforted as there are several verses hanging on the walls that former staff have laminated and made into posters. It is good to continuously be reminded of God's promises. The verse above hits home when thinking of the mountains literally having been shaken here. Yet, God promises that His love for us will never fail or be shaken.
Prayer Requests:
I've also heard of another nearby church having 900 people in attendance compared to 500 before the quake.
This past Sunday we were able to attend a nearby church service at a local ministry called Christianville. It was AWESOME to hear God being praised in another language. Philippians 2:11 "and EVERY TONGUE CONFESS that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Prayer Requests:
- Restful nights.
- Continued strength and energy for myself and the team.
- Continued unity as our team consistently changes and evolves as new staff and volunteers come and go. (Psalm 133:1)
- Continued strength, vision, and direction for the leaders of this ministry (particularly Mark Lewis and Kevin Watterson) as they have been traveling back and forth for days to weeks at a time away from their families.
- That our actions reflect Christ's love as there is often a verbal communication barrier.
- Peace for Charles' family and himself as they continue to live in a tent out of fear for concrete buildings.
- The Holy Spirit would continue to work on the hearts of the Haitian people as churches have been doubling in attendance as a result of the earthquake.
I've also heard of another nearby church having 900 people in attendance compared to 500 before the quake.
This past Sunday we were able to attend a nearby church service at a local ministry called Christianville. It was AWESOME to hear God being praised in another language. Philippians 2:11 "and EVERY TONGUE CONFESS that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Just another Night at the Haitian Queen
As I settle in for the night, I make sure my mosquito net is tucked in correctly so that no mosquitoes can make their way into my domain while I'm asleep. After checking the net, I proceed to spray OFF (the bug repellent) around the perimeter of my net to deter any hovering mosquitoes. It is finally time to duck under the netting and make my way up to the 2nd bunk. It's about 11:00 PM.
As I climb up to the top bunk, I turn to make sure the last bit of netting is tucked behind me. Someone on staff starts to snore, but I won't mention any names ;) I lay down and cover up with my sheet, not because I'm hot, but as one more added layer for those little blood-sucking insects. I try not to move in hopes of staying as cool as possible. I fall asleep as the dog starts barking. I look at my clock it's 12:20 AM. The dog continues to bark until 2:00. I fall asleep again only to wake up to the rooster crowing about 4:00 AM. I also notice I'm in a pull of sweat as I lay there. This has become the norm. I fall back to sleep until 6:00.
I could continue to try and sleep in but think twice as I decided to get up and drink some water. Never thought you could become dehydrated from a night's sleep. But anything's possible in Haiti! Just another night at the Haitian Queen.
As I climb up to the top bunk, I turn to make sure the last bit of netting is tucked behind me. Someone on staff starts to snore, but I won't mention any names ;) I lay down and cover up with my sheet, not because I'm hot, but as one more added layer for those little blood-sucking insects. I try not to move in hopes of staying as cool as possible. I fall asleep as the dog starts barking. I look at my clock it's 12:20 AM. The dog continues to bark until 2:00. I fall asleep again only to wake up to the rooster crowing about 4:00 AM. I also notice I'm in a pull of sweat as I lay there. This has become the norm. I fall back to sleep until 6:00.
I could continue to try and sleep in but think twice as I decided to get up and drink some water. Never thought you could become dehydrated from a night's sleep. But anything's possible in Haiti! Just another night at the Haitian Queen.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Why?
It’s such a simple question, but yet can be so complex. I’ve been thinking about that question this past week starting with the Friday before I left for Haiti. It is a one word question that my 2 year old niece literally asked me 20-25 times during the 2 hours I saw her the day before leaving for Haiti.
Here are some of my “Why” questions during my first week in Haiti:
• Why did the Lord allow me the opportunity to come to Haiti?
• Why are there so many mosquitoes here and what purpose do they serve besides feasting on my ankles?
• Why and how can a Haitian police officer be so joyful even though he and his family have been living in a tent for nearly the past 5 months halfway on the street out of fear that their home will collapse?
• Why am I blessed beyond belief and take things for granted such as clean water, electricity, air conditioning, etc?
• Why do the roosters start crowing at 11 PM and dogs start barking at 12:20 AM?
• Why does our country have a city such as Las Vegas with so much wasted money when it could go to help so many people around the world?
• Why did I not grow up in a row home of tin shacks on the median of a busy road but others have had to?
• Why do I get to take a warm or cool shower at home with clean water when others have to stand in the road-side ditches and use the muddy water?
• Why do I get impatient at a stoplight in the U.S. when there are very few in Haiti often creating mass chaos?
• Why are the spiders (including tarantulas) so HUGE in Haiti?
• Why?
Here are some of my “Why” questions during my first week in Haiti:
• Why did the Lord allow me the opportunity to come to Haiti?
• Why are there so many mosquitoes here and what purpose do they serve besides feasting on my ankles?
• Why and how can a Haitian police officer be so joyful even though he and his family have been living in a tent for nearly the past 5 months halfway on the street out of fear that their home will collapse?
• Why am I blessed beyond belief and take things for granted such as clean water, electricity, air conditioning, etc?
• Why do the roosters start crowing at 11 PM and dogs start barking at 12:20 AM?
• Why does our country have a city such as Las Vegas with so much wasted money when it could go to help so many people around the world?
• Why did I not grow up in a row home of tin shacks on the median of a busy road but others have had to?
• Why do I get to take a warm or cool shower at home with clean water when others have to stand in the road-side ditches and use the muddy water?
• Why do I get impatient at a stoplight in the U.S. when there are very few in Haiti often creating mass chaos?
• Why are the spiders (including tarantulas) so HUGE in Haiti?
• Why?
Friday, June 4, 2010
The Journey
On Monday, May 31st, our day began with Miguel driving Kevin, Jim Esson (he and his wife Karen have been here several times since the earthquake) and myself to the airport in Port-au-Prince in order to catch a flight to Cap Haitien. Cap Haitien is a port about 170 miles above PaP on the northern shoreline of Haiti where EFCA has been getting their large shipments of equipment such as vehicles and generators. We were going there to attempt to drive a vehicle for the ministry that had already previously died in the mountains along the journey from Cap Haitien back to PaP.
Our flight there was great as we flew just above the mountains and landed quickly and safely in Cap Haitien just 25 minutes after take-off. After we landed, we met up with Charles who has become what I like to call EFCA’s guardian angel in Haiti. Charles is a high-ranking Haitian police officer who also happens to be a believer and loves the Lord! (He previously helped protect some of the ministry’s leaders when their truck full of supplies broke down in the middle of PaP.) Charles drove a day or so ahead of us in order to take 3 mechanics from PaP up to Cap in order to fix our truck. One was an older gentleman and the other 2, Junior and Orlando, were both 22.
By late Monday afternoon we finally had the orange truck full of supplies and we were on our way to stay overnight at a local pastor’s house because you’re not supposed to drive in Haiti after dark and we had an 8 hour drive over the mountains ahead of us. The next morning Charles went to pick up the mechanics that had been staying in another house nearby. Kevin, Jim, and I ate breakfast while we waited for them to return. As we were eating, Jim turned and said to me, “We’re about to go over a treacherous mountain with crappy vehicles and crappy roads. You better make peace with your maker!” Then he proceeded to ask Kevin in reference to our journey ahead, “Do we have a BIG hammer because we may need to fix stuff.” Little did I know how true those words would turn out to be.
Charles returned with the mechanics and we drove into the city to pick up a pull-behind generator that had just made it through customs. By mid morning we finally had everything packed and the generator hitched up to the truck. We were on our way! But, as we soon found out, we wouldn’t make it too far.
About 10 miles into our trip across the rugged roads, our transmission died and left a trail of transmission oil over 100 feet long on the road. The pic below shows the trail of transmission oil.
After Kevin stopped the vehicle, we looked underneath to see that the oil was spewing all over the ground. NOT GOOD!! So here we are with 7 guys, down to 1 truck, and no AAA to call in Haiti. There was a period of disbelief and debate over what to do next. We started by unhitching the generator and pushing the orange truck off to the side of the road in order for our mechanics to take a look at it. We needed a new transmission; however, this would take days. As we sat along the road, we tried to count our blessings knowing that no one had gotten hurt and it wasn’t raining at all.
It was decided that we would use the white pick-up truck to tow the orange truck with the generator hitched to it to a church/orphanage/school just down the road. The pic below is our pic of our train of vehicles and generator being towed.
Our flight there was great as we flew just above the mountains and landed quickly and safely in Cap Haitien just 25 minutes after take-off. After we landed, we met up with Charles who has become what I like to call EFCA’s guardian angel in Haiti. Charles is a high-ranking Haitian police officer who also happens to be a believer and loves the Lord! (He previously helped protect some of the ministry’s leaders when their truck full of supplies broke down in the middle of PaP.) Charles drove a day or so ahead of us in order to take 3 mechanics from PaP up to Cap in order to fix our truck. One was an older gentleman and the other 2, Junior and Orlando, were both 22.
By late Monday afternoon we finally had the orange truck full of supplies and we were on our way to stay overnight at a local pastor’s house because you’re not supposed to drive in Haiti after dark and we had an 8 hour drive over the mountains ahead of us. The next morning Charles went to pick up the mechanics that had been staying in another house nearby. Kevin, Jim, and I ate breakfast while we waited for them to return. As we were eating, Jim turned and said to me, “We’re about to go over a treacherous mountain with crappy vehicles and crappy roads. You better make peace with your maker!” Then he proceeded to ask Kevin in reference to our journey ahead, “Do we have a BIG hammer because we may need to fix stuff.” Little did I know how true those words would turn out to be.
Charles returned with the mechanics and we drove into the city to pick up a pull-behind generator that had just made it through customs. By mid morning we finally had everything packed and the generator hitched up to the truck. We were on our way! But, as we soon found out, we wouldn’t make it too far.
About 10 miles into our trip across the rugged roads, our transmission died and left a trail of transmission oil over 100 feet long on the road. The pic below shows the trail of transmission oil.
It was decided that we would use the white pick-up truck to tow the orange truck with the generator hitched to it to a church/orphanage/school just down the road. The pic below is our pic of our train of vehicles and generator being towed.
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