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Praise the Lord and Pass the Paint! 

 We started the day with devotions with the Many Hands staff. They gather each weekday morning, for prayer, Scripture and to wish each other blessings for a good day! How cool would it be to work where the first thing you and your co-workers do each day, is to pray for and encourage each other! You can’t help but have a good day! 

 With liters and brushes in hand, we worked on painting the trim on the new elementary school. We had Long, Tall, Clayton on the big ladder to reach the top of the walls! We had Calista and Christina painting the straight lines! Everybody lent a hand, as we painted walls, pillars, fascia, and windows. We had Christian music playing, and “Many Hands made light work!”   

After lunch, we had a short class on the history of Haiti. We heard a lot of the circumstances and reasons why Haiti is in the economic crisis that it is. Their story has not always been a happy one, but their future has the potential to be brighter. One success story we heard was from a Haitian man who had been hired by Many Hands to help with the concrete floors. With the money he made, he said he had been able to buy a house! Others had started their own business! Praise the Lord!

Next, part of the team went back to paint, and the rest went on a tour of the Agronomy Department and to visit the goat farm. So exciting to see the growth in both of these areas!

Just as we were getting ready to pray before supper, the heavens opened up, and it has been pouring rain for about an hour. The downpour on the metal roof made it next to impossible to hear Cedric give the blessing, but we trusted in his words, and all said amen! This much rain, coming down so hard and fast, makes the roads almost impossible to navigate. Some of the Many Hands staff can’t get home until it stops. A lady selling charcoal walked miles to get here, with her infant in her arms, and is now waiting on the porch, hoping the rain stops.

It was a hot and sweaty day. We worked hard, and we’re tired. But we had a delicious supper of rice and beans and goat stew, and we’ve all showered. We’re listening to the rain and reflecting on our day, and we’re thankful. Thankful for the opportunities to learn more about Haiti and Many Hands. Thankful for the work we were able to do, and the progress we’re seeing. Thankful for the music and the fun we shared today. Thankful for the family groups represented on the team, and for the new friendships we’ve forged.

And we’re thankful for our friends and family who we know are praying for and with us.