life in Haiti.

Let me start with this…there is no such thing as a “typical day” in Haiti. Every day holds something unexpected. Plans can be in place the night before…where we are taking teams, times we are leaving, what we are doing, etc…and by the morning plans are completely different. As challenging as that is, especially for the planner in me, it is also a huge reminder that God is in control and not us.

I’m in shock that it is March already. Time takes on a whole new speed here especially when working with teams. It seems we are always welcoming new teams in and saying good-bye to others. Days are filled with construction projects and village outreaches. It is fun getting to know teams from all over and seeing the various strengths they bring as they serve with us for a week or two. One of my favorite parts of working with teams is getting to know the kids and their families in the villages we visit. Leveque especially is one of my favorite places (this is where Mission of Hope is building 500 homes). I’ve posted about two little girls that live there in previous posts, Mia and Francis (the little girl that had the burn on her leg). These two girls and their families have made a huge impact on my heart and I am excited to see our relationships continue to grow. Mia’s mom especially has become someone I love to spend time with. Her name is Maria but I mostly call her Mama. I know I will talk about these two families a lot over this year so be expecting many updates on them, especially as my Creole increases. I can’t wait for the day they move into their new permanent houses that Mission of Hope is building. I guarantee there will be laughter and tears and tons of pictures.

Two weeks ago, we had a big appreciation event…or goat roast as we called it…for all the men who are building the houses at Leveque. John, who is one of the North American Mission of Hope staff members, organized the event. We called it a goat roast because goat was served along with rice and beans.  Luckson, who is the “boss man” or supervisor of all the men on site, paraded the goat around the whole day before. He walked it right to me with a huge grin on his face and it was the funniest thing. The event was amazing. A few people spoke, encouraging them, sharing Christ with them and thanking them for all their hard work. For those wondering, we have 70 paid builders for the site these are the men who are building the homes and then we also have men that put in the door, plant the cactus (which is kind of like a fence showing where the property line is), etc. The event was for all these men. It was a beautiful time as teams served these men food and showed them the love of Christ.

I have been taking pictures along the way. Here are just a few of them from the past two months…

Francis and Mia! 

Goat Roast

My first day at Leveque before houses were built.

Two weeks ago at Leveque (same view as previous picture).
There are now a total of 32 houses built. We are hoping to start moving families in soon!

Samaritans Purse houses at Leveque. All temporary houses constructed after the earthquake. The houses are supposed to last one year. Homes are wood frames with trap wrapped around them and a tin roof. Almost all the families living in these homes will move into one of the new permanent homes. 

Mia and two of her sisters.