Mikala Lanferman and Abby Te Grotenhuis with the Pella Christian team, share what a day looks like while “bursting at the seams”.

Bonjou! It was a bèl (beautiful) day here in Haiti!

This morning our group of 15 divided into two teams, Team A and Team B. After a delicious breakfast prepared by our two amazing cooks, Beatris and Evenie, Team A headed to pour a concrete floor for a local family while Team B planted banana trees in yards around Sylvain.

Team A piled into the back of a pickup truck and set out to the house waiting for a concrete floor. Forming a “bucket brigade”, we passed buckets of concrete to the back of the house and worked our way to the front. While the cement was being mixed and we slowly ran out of standing room in the house, a few of us went to the backyard and played with the neighborhood kids.

Many Hands make light work Hands and feet

We took out bubbles and a small bouncy ball, watching the kids slowly approach and smile shyly up at us. Quickly, a game of mini soccer broke out while Kenzi, a 21 year old Haitian, taught us how to play a hand clapping game called Pepsi Cola. With joyful hearts we listened to the lighthearted laughs and shouts of the playing kids.

Hand clapping games New friends and bubbles

While Team A went to pour concrete, Team B headed into the banana grove next to the Many Hands for Haiti compound. There we cut down 15 banana tree offshoots to transplant. Filling up the three wheeler with mulch and tools, we headed out to 3 homes in Sylvain. In each yard, we dug 5 holes with our shovels and pick axes to transplant the trees. The holes were quickly filled with mulch, mixing in dirt as we went. Lastly, small banana tree offshoots were transplanted into the waiting soil and watered.

Great morning digging Planting Mara planting plantian trees Plantain Trees

After lunch, Team A braved the rocky, mountainous hills of Haiti to deliver and bless two men with PET carts. The first man was an 80 year old with a heart of gold and a best friend named Jesus, and the second was a determined young man willing to try anything to make the cart work for him.

Meanwhile, Team B cruised through the orange groves, picking the fruit from the moving vehicle along the way. They were given the opportunity to bless a 13 year old twin boy with a PET cart and watched while a crowd of friends and neighbors followed and cheered him on.

Overall, this first full day in Haiti was one bursting at the seams with laughter, hard work, and blessings, leaving us feeling like we’ve found a home so far from our own in America. We couldn’t be happier to be here serving Christ and building His kingdom in the beautiful nation of Haiti.

Thanks from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers and support. We love you. Our hearts are full.

“You make beautiful things out of the dust. You make beautiful things out of us.”

Bondye beni ou (God bless you)!

(P.S. This has been a birthday full of laughter, surprise cakes, and love and because of that I can say with certainty that it’s my absolute favorite in all of my now 17 years. – Mikala Lanferman)

Birthday girls

2 Cakes for the birthday girls