Recently, more than ever, I have been appreciating our US soldiers, I see over and over again prayers are offered up for my friends’ children who have been stationed overseas. The sacrifices they make are far reaching, as is the pain felt when one falls. These men and women have kept America free. They’ve also opened a door for missionaries to go out into the whole world to share Good News and do the things that our Father in Heaven asks of us. Our prayers, along with our gratitude, are with the families who have lost loved ones in the armed services. Thank you.
This week, Boston architect Paul Fallon, who designed the new MOHI School, came to Haiti to work for a few days with Be Like Brit and MOHI. He worked very hard for two days straight. The end result being that we now have stakes in the ground for the new school and he collected the information necessary for the engineers to do drawings for the foundation details. Len Gengel, Brit’s dad, was here, also and shared from his experience as a home builder for the past 30 years.
Politically, the area has really calmed down. Weather wise, however, it is suddenly VERY hot in Haiti. I don’t know how our school kids handle it. June is the last month of school. Four of our classes are heading to national exams before the next school year begins. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.
Our visitors from Akron have been on loan to the Hands and Feet Project and Be Like Brit. We are so blessed to be able to share and it has been a great experience for these young people.
On the HAF site, they’ve helped to finish installing a chain link fence around the BLB site. They have dug a shallow foundation and some plumbing ditches. Hopefully tomorrow will put together some transitional shelters so that the kids can move in next month.
At the BLB site, they have been helping to get the new office finished up. An air conditioning unit has been purchased and should be installed early in the week.
While at MOHI they built some bunk beds and spent plenty of time playing with our kids. I’m not sure whether that was more fun for the Akron folk or the kids. I think it was just fun all the way around. 🙂 A few of the team members spent some time with Alexis and A. Jay last week, working on math and language arts, respectively. It was a huge help! I’m praying more help is on the way!!!!
Things continue to be busy at the Mission House. We have Drex and Jo Stuart, from the Hands and Feet Project, staying there full time for about two month. Patrick Kalagher, from Be Like Brit, is also full time for about two months. He was just joined by Ross Pentland and PJ Tyska, who will be here for an additional two months. Gama, Angela and Nathan Parayson are really full time, with a two year commitment, at this point. In addition to the Akron teams, Andrew, Angela and baby Faith have been staying with us for a couple of days each week, as they prepare to move to Grand-Goâve near the end of June. Travis Knipple, from F1 Engineering, has been doing what Travis does best. Going from Port-au-Prince to Jacmel to les Cayes to Grand-Goâve, helping different organizations with technical, and sometimes not so technical, difficulties. Yesterday a HAF team arrived. Woo Hoo!
Gama, Angela and Nathan are adjusting to being in Haiti and things are looking up. Gama works full time at BLB. Nathan works full time at learning to be a two+ year old. Angela is stepping into a hostess role at the guest house, as well as gift distribution and nursing at the school. What a tremendous help she will be to MOHI! Thank you, Angela!
This week we will work on digging out, by hand, an additional 5 feet or so in the back corner of the foundation hole for the school. Then, it’s on to bending lots and lots of reinforcing steel for the footings.
Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers, as we build this school for the families of Grand-Goâve. Please seriously consider, as well, coming to Haiti for a week or two to help build it. God bless you!