Pella Area Trip – Final Day

This blog shares the daily happenings of a multi-church group from Pella, Iowa, currently serving on a short-term mission trip.

The following are final thoughts written by each of the Vanderhoff kids participating in this trip.

Today was the last full day! To start off with, we poured a cement floor in the morning. It only took about one hour with a line of about six people to pour the floor in the four small room home. Three people in each line passed the full buckets down to the Haitian crewmen who then poured the cement on the floor then passed the empty bucket to the other three people. They used a lot of rocks with the cement. They had a big pile of cement and rocks that was mixed with shovel little by little. These rocks are broken into smaller pieces by people who live in Pignon, it is a common job in the country of Haiti. –Abbi Vanderhoff

It was fun helping other people to put in the cement in their house. Before this the home just had a dirt floor which can have bugs in it and can make people sick. When it rains the dirt floors get muddy and if they sleep on it, it is hard to keep clean. The concrete will make it easier to keep clean. We hope that they will see this as a blessing from the Lord. –Carl Vanderhoff

The group works hard to build concrete floors for families

This week we had the chance to meet some moms and their babies from the Sylvain area. It was a blessing to see how little things we do put a big smile on people’s faces. As part of serving at the Thrive ministry (a ministry for ages 0-3) we handed out meals to the moms and children, we played with the kids giving the mom’s a break for a little while, they also have a time of praise and worship prior to the meal. As part of the program, they check the babies to make sure they are growing and help them with things like fevers and coughs. I feel like this program is important and helpful because it is a time to reach up to God and let everyone know that God provides. –Roselande Vanderhoff

Health checks are an important part of assisting the community

Today was a good day. We got to ride in the back of the pick-up truck with seven goats, which was both fun and not fun! These were hungry goats, nearly all the leaves and grasses we picked for them they ate. It was sad giving the goats away, because each of us picked a goat that we pretended was ours. However it was fun to see the families smile because they were getting a goat that would soon have a baby or two. It was a lot of fun petting them while we road with them in the back of the truck. –Andrew Vanderhoff

Goats help provide food, milk, nutrition, and a source of income for families

Today we were able to give seven goats to families that needed them. All the goats were pregnant. When the goats give birth (hopefully they have two kids), they give back one goat to the program. This way the program continues to grow and more goats can be given. We talked to each family and then prayed for them to let them know that God provides for their needs. –Silas Vanderhoff

 

Giving goats is joyful for everyone involved

This trip to Haiti was a really good experience. It is one thing to think about going somewhere but it is a new thing to get to actually do it. It brings us closer to God, because there are times that we really need Him and this trip helped me to go to Him more. Going on this trip showed us how much we take for granted. People here are so happy with the little that they have. Meeting new people and learning about their families, their struggles and their prayer requests was a blessing from the Lord. –Roselande Vanderhoff

Pastor Anert shares his message Sunday morning during worship. In church, guests are often given seats of honor in the front. Pastor Anert in front of Countryside Church Point Virgule Restaurant serves amazing meals for just $2