Monday: Sifting Through Concrete and Recess

After breakfast and morning devotionals, we spent the morning sifing through concrete and other dust material, cleaning out areas around the facility. The school kids were let out of class for a lunch/recess time, so we took the time to eat lunch and hang out with the kids. One of the artist vendors, Pierre, has been extremely kind and talkative with the group. He is the brother of the group's translator, Jean Claude. After time with the children and other locals, the group relaxed for the afternoon in various ways.

While some, like Rhodes and Sean, played soccer with some of the local school boys, others, like Dan, spent time playing cards with the church pastor. He eventually went out for the evening to another worship service. The school and church of this area had collapsed, and the worship space was little more than what we in America might call a shack. But fifty people joined in spirit-led worship for the evening before Dan returned to the group and all settled in for the evening.

One of our group noted this time to be a time of spiritual growth both for the local community and our Haiti 10.

Rhodes and Sean participating in a little football.

Long days and pleasant nights.

Sunday: Worship and the Beach

Ahhhh! After several days of hard work and pleasant interaction with some in the local community, we were honored to get a sneak peak into their Sunday worship experience. Worship took place over three and a half hours, all of which was a great time. The wooden benches brought out the discipline in us all, and the choir brought full and melodic music.

"House of God"

After, the local pastor treated us to an afternoon on the beach, with the bluest waters some of us have ever seen. We enjoyed relaxing, playing soccer, searching for shell hunting and our toes in the water and sand! We're hitting the middle of our trip and appreciate all your thoughts and prayers for us so far along the way, as well as the rest of this week.

Saturday was filled with bucket-full fun!

Church meeting-- They seem to like sitting next to each other, different than our usual need to have space!

Alter

Today we spent much of our time clearing out old concrete and debris, assembly-line style. It's hard work, but easier when we work as a team. There are many street sellers, with everything from jewelry to art. It is enjoyable to walk about the area near our site and interact with the artists and look at their beautiful work.

It is hot, but we're making it work. We often have a little time to rest in the afternoon, which we try to take advantage of. As you Texans know, heat is rough stuff, but humid heat can take the wind from your sails. All that said, the sun is shining and we've had clear weather overall. Our contact with the mainland (Texas) is extremely limited, so we do look forward to telling you more about our adventures upon our return! Stay posted though-- we will update you when we can!

Friday and Football!

We arrived in Haiti Friday morning, around 7:30 AM (CST). From the airport we traveled to the UMC guest house (about 45 minutes away), cleaned up and enjoyed quite a feast of food. We met our translators and drove out to Thor, about an hour away from Port-au-Prince. We've enjoyed getting to know a handful of the people we will work closely this week, namely our translators and cook! They will prove quite handy we're sure!

Some of our group even participated in a soccer game with neighborhood kids before eating dinner. The community seems tight-knit and welcoming. We closed the night with devotionals, prepping for the work that will come tomorrow.

Our Sunset.

And away we go!

So we are off to a slow running start, but better safe and sound, right? Our 7:00 AM flight yesterday was delayed until 10:00 AM. This affected our connecting flights. We arrived this morning in Haiti, about the same time as the early morning sun. It's been a few nights of short sleep, but we're excited to get to our Haiti home base!

The good news is we're heading straight out to our site in Thor after a short orientation, so we're running right on time. The few hours we lost were primarily those we would have spent at the Methodist guest house. 

Check back daily for updates and pictures!!

Meet a Missionary Monday!

Tom Rioux joins us from Westlake UMC. He and Margery have worked together before in mission, and he has traveled to Haiti before. 

Born in El Campo, Tom has lived in Austin almost exclusively for the last 45 years. He married Ann twelve years ago and has two grown sons, age 20 and 40. Tom's background is in Civil Engineering, where he completed his BS, MS, and PhD at University of Texas (Austin) before teaching there. He has since retired and works on his own as a consultant in all things computer software.

As for missions, Tom is elbows deep as the saying goes. His first mission trip to Haiti was in 2010 and next year he will lead another UMVIM group back again. In addition to his work in Haiti, he served as the Westlake UMC Mission Committee as chairperson. Between Haiti trips, Tom spends every Friday and Saturday volunteering his time with Habitat for Humanity. With the UMC at large, Tom has experience as a delegate for Annual Conference. 

We happily welcome him to the group and can't wait to enjoy the journey with him!

Hope Is Here in Haiti...

Check out a most recent article on the hope that is still alive and well in Haiti-- from experts, humanitarians, and missionaries on the ground in Haiti!