day 4

Day 4 - Saturday the 13th

A few of us were up early trying to figure out how to make coffee with electricity.   We didn’t want to fire up the generator and wake everybody up.   It didn’t take us long to figure it out (by boiling water and pouring it over the filter).   Speaking of boiling water, we haven’t figured out a good solution for water yet.  We are using a hand pump system that is labor intensive.  I know, cause it took me a few hours to filter enough water for the group.   We need lots of water, because we decided to host a dinner tonight in our new home.   Seriously.   We moved in yesterday, didn’t have all the food and utensils we needed and had boxes, suitcases and random stuff strewn around the house.   Are we crazy?  Absolutely.   But we wanted to invite our neighbors from Christianville (American’s and Haitian’s) and some other Haitian friends who have been helping us along the way to thank them and to help us dedicate this house to the Lord.   We hired a cook (a sweet and godly pastor’s wife named Rosita), the ladies found a store open (remember that many stores are closed because of the days of prayer) and bought most of what we needed (there was no flour to be found, so Rosita went home and brought us hers to use – yes we paid her).   It came right down to the wire, but the house was clean, a table for 27 people was set and a beautiful dinner was ready to be served right on time.  

Our tech specialist, Denny, was able to get most of our equipment set up so that when our internet arrives we will be fully functional.   This didn’t take him too long, so he ventured off to help our driver, Miguel, set up his Shelter box (remember the 10 man hurricane and earthquake resistant tents with stove, tools, water filtration, etc.?).   It took him hours and when he came back he was a pile of sweat.  Our group has been able to distribute 50 shelter boxes and has helped set many up (a long and tendious process).   The pastors that are receiving the tents are helping especially widows, single moms with kids from the church and community.  Others have gone to orphanages.    

The time with the missionaries and Haitian leaders of Christianville was delightful.   Christianville, our neighbors, have a quality medical clinic, a French and English K-12 school and a church.   Almost everyone who joined us went through the earthquake.   We spread out and heard their survivor stories.   The most dramatic was probably Jim and Peggy, husband and wife doctors, who were on the top story of their house when the quake hit.  The walls were caving in, and the 2^nd story of the house was dropping, as ran out of the building.   So they ended up running straight out onto the ground level.   The directors of Christianville, Ed and Pat have only been here for 7 months.   They, and all of their people have been great neighbors.   They have been helping us out find good workers to hire, helping us figure out how to pay them, and storing things for us.   It was great to sit, talk, laugh and eat (to candlelight, no less).   The chocolate chip cookies they brought for dessert were pretty great as well.  

After our neighbors left, we felt our first strong aftershock as we did dishes.  We were all so exhausted at the end of this day. It was another late night before we showered and crashed in bed.   What a great day for team building and getting so many things in order here at future HQ for ministry here in the PaP area.   Each day we spend together, the more we appreciate how amazing this team is.   Each one has special gifts.  Everyone has been positive and have a lot of fun together.   There were several tremors in the middle of the night as well.   Linda and I were sleeping under mosquito nets in the open air on our flat roof.  

Thank you Lord for this day!

Mike