Written by Fran of Calvary Christian Reformed Church of Pella, Iowa

We did sleep in ( or pretended to be sleeping) a little later this morning. A good breakfast of pancakes, eggs and fresh pineapple gave us a good start to the day. We headed off to Sylvan to the new MH4H property to help clear the land. Pastor Sheldon led the group (team, staff and some volunteer neighbors) in devotions. The Lord blessed our first hour with clouds to help keep us cooler. We cleared plants and made piles for burnable and compostable material. The land looked much cleaner when done. We kept at it until a bit after 11, with repeated breaks being taken to play with the kids and fly kites.

Dusty and dirty, we returned to the dorm, and after some futile attempts at cleaning up and a quick lunch, some of us went to the market to find shoes for someone on the team who will remain nameless, (but his tittle begins with ‘Pastor’ ), and some rice and oil to be given out later in the afternoon.

Back at the ranch (dorm) we gathered the whole team and left for the farm to pick up 20 boxes of ‘Meals From The Heartland’ for the drop off. Next we continued south on the ”highway” at 10-15 mph to the Deaf School. There we delivered the 20 boxes of MFTH meals and rice, vegetable oil, beans and bouillon cubes. Some of the team entertained the kids with bubbles, chalk and gave away some wooden cars. The Deaf School has about 20 kids and has started a new classroom to accommodate more in the future.

Have you ever heard a silent song?  We were treated to a few from the deaf kids, using sign language and actions. It gave us a glimpse into their world.

From there we split up with most going back to the dorm to do some painting, and five of us went to visit Jean Robert and Pastor Lumanes who is a member of the Haitian board for MH4H. After an encouraging meeting and a visit to Jean Robert’s new house under construction, we returned to home-base.  Shortly thereafter the dinner bell rang and the rice and beans were ready. I’m getting used to these, and they are pretty good  (as long as you add some pepper and hot sauce).

Cold showers to remove the grime are becoming a welcome end to the day. Evening time is occupied by planning for tomorrow’s adventure to the Citadel 

Our devotions on the Easter story are heart wrenching and impactful. Last night’s session included an illustration about a GPS. Are you telling God what your destination has to be, and asking God to tell you how to get there? Or are you letting Him choose your goals, and you just listen to Him tell you to ‘turn here’, ‘go there’, ‘do this’, trusting Him for the best journey possible? It was definitely a challenging thought. How about you?

Aurevior, Fran

Written by Lori of Calvary Christian Reformed Church of Pella, Iowa

Another remarkable day in Haiti! Beatrice and Evenie made a delicious breakfast of hard boiled eggs and pancakes.  Then we left for the MH4H land. Sheldon lead us in devotions and Ebens translated for the neighborhood Haitians who joined us. After that we started in our morning work, clearing the property of congo beans. It was a beautiful thing to see our team working with the local people to get this place ready for service.  Ellie, Jocelyn and Calise played Duck, Duck, Goose with the kids. Visions of things to come for this place.

This afternoon we took the well traveled National Route#3(not your typical highway) to see the children at the deaf school.  It was quite different from our other experiences with children. While they still had smiles on their faces, their voices were quiet in contrast. This was a heart wrenching experience for me.  Life is already hard here, but these children face yet another disadvantage. They sang their songs in sign language for us and signed “I love you” to us. We enjoyed giving them gifts of bubbles, chalk and Frisbees and seeing the smiles on their faces.

After our evening meal, I was having devotions and read from Isaiah 33:2. “O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in times of distress.” This is my prayer for the people here and especially for those who struggle with more than the poverty.

We continue to follow up with Chalissa
and her family, and we pray for God’s providence and healing.