Blog Archives - Page 4 of 19 - Aid for Haiti

2013 In Review

As we reflect on the Lord’s goodness in the past year here at Aid For Haiti (AFH), we want to say thank you. We are grateful for your partnership with us in the work of the gospel. We also want to give you an update of what’s been going on in the past year and what we have planned in 2014.

In January we purchased three acres in an area in the Grand Valley south of Petit-Goave (you can read more at www.aidforhaiti.org/a-home-for-aid-for-haiti ). It was obtained to serve as a place for staff to live, a reliable depository for medications, a safe place to leave supplies and will be used in future endeavors. I’m pleased to report that we’re making great progress on making the land useable. We have a well drilled and operational, a driveway cleared, the land secured with a very respectable fence, and have started a house for staff.

The year also included our standard medical and surgical trips. In addition to seeing hundreds of patients, we were able to repair hernias and do other corrective surgeries on 50 people free of charge. We appreciate volunteers who make these trips possible – nurses, CNAs, pharmacists, surgeons, physicians and untrained people who want to help. In May, I went with a team near the eastern border and am always amazed at how God brings us the patients we can help, either with medicine or with the gospel.

In 2013, we continued our Christian leader training (SLE) events for pastors, elders and men who are leaders in some of the local churches in Haiti. In Fond Douze during August, we had our biggest seminar week yet with over 80 men from all over the southern portion of Haiti in attendance. Each of the men who complete the course, receive a special certificate and photo of participants. What a special time to be with brothers in Christ as we studied His Word together and learned about New Testament principles (you can read more at www.aidforhaiti.org/causes/pastortraining)

So, that was 2013. Let’s look forward to 2014

We have four medical trips planned as well as two surgical trips in the coming year. With each trip we have needs. Most obvious is the need for people to go and work in the mobile clinics as we seek to help our brothers and sisters in remote areas of Haiti. Less obvious may be the need for funds to pay for the medicines which we give out for free and the supplies we take. Did you know that for about $100, you can pay for an entire operation in Haiti?

We have an urgent need to finish the building on the land. We’ve got a couple of building trips planned in February and March to complete the house as our borrowed space is quickly coming to an end. If you have time and desire to help, just let us know.

We will continue our Christian leader training seminars in 2014; the first one is scheduled on the north end of the island, January 18-22, in Jean Rebel. These trips continue to be a blessing as we see men grow in their walk with the Lord. We plan to help these brothers in the coming year share the gospel with their own people during our medical teams.

One new thing we are planning for 2014 is community health evangelism programs in the area of our base. Once the house is complete, Virginia Rudolph will be leading an effort to teach local women about basic health, while providing the message which brings spiritual health – the gospel.

Another thing we want to accomplish in 2014 is better communication with you! Plan on getting more regular updates and/or prayer requests. We want you to be a part of what God is doing in Haiti through AFH.

Finally, we realize some of you choose to give financially at the end of the year. We are grateful for any gift you chose to give and desire to be good stewards of all contributions (you can give online at www.aidforhaiti.org/donate or mail a donation to the address on the website). We would ask that if you don’t give financially, that you would do the most important work – pray. Ask God to work in His people in Haiti and to glorify His name through us at AFH. We realize it is AFH – All For Him!

For the board,

Caleb Trent, MD

AFH Chair

Fencing Team – My Family!

On November 13, my family and I and my friend Breanna, who is staying with us right now, went to Haiti to put up the fence around the property. We had a wonderful time working together with Michael, and by the grace of God we got the fence totally hung before we had to leave. Just in time though, and the last 2 days we had to work in the rain! Thankfully it only poured off and on, so we were able to finish up.

I am going to post a lot of pictures, and hopefully by them and the captions for them, you will be able to get a good overall picture of the project. Enjoy! If you have any specific questions, please leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer them.

The crew of us! The fence is all done.

We had so much luggage space with all of us going, so we took down most of the things we need to outfit the kitchen. But it did make for a lot of suitcases to deal with.

Waiting in the Haitian airport while the luggage came in.

At Leogane, before heading up the mountain… we were so happy to be there as a family!

Ready to roll…

At my cousins Don’s place in the mountains, they were so gracious to loan us their new house for the week.

We had lots of chadeck on our place, in made some lovely juice.

We had lots of chadeck on our place, and it made some lovely juice.

Trying out the new juicer

Two gallons of juice every day… umm it was so good!

Getting started on the fence, we had to level out the ground along the first stretch.

Some posts were too tall and had to be trimmed off

Then a load of block came and had to be unloaded.

Brace bands, tension bands and rail cups had to be put on the end posts before anything else.

Meanwhile, Michael was making a porta john…

There it goes

Nicely camouflaged, not?

The first length of fence – we rolled it all out in one place, and carried it to where it needed to go.

Time for lunch

Rice and sauce for lunches… Wilmon is a good cook.

Rolling out the next fence section

Stretching the fabric with ratchet straps worked really well.

Putting up the fence on the wall at the back corner of the land was a difficult job. Where we had to walk was terribly rough and the rocks were slippery, but we got it done with everyone working together!

“Hang on tight till they get it stretched and fastened”

Time for supper, back up at Don’s house.

I was glad we had figured out all the meals and made sure we had the ingredients before we got there.

Heading down to Granfon for another day; the 4-wheelers were so fun! (And we HAD to use them as transportation) 🙂

Figuring out the first bias cut; Michael and Papa got it down to a pretty good science!

There are tons of biting ants all over our land. It was awful if you stepped in them, and the bites itched worse than mosquito bites.

We got bit so many times that we decided to try to get rid of the biggest hills. Used diesel and a bit of paper and a match… that ought to help the problem. It did a little, but we ran out of diesel before the ants were gone.

Closing the gap in the longest stretch of fence, down the right side.

This small section was on a hard slant, it took quite a bit of work to get it right; and we had to work on top of a sharply sloping wall!

See the “ti moun yo” (children) above the wall? We often had people watching from the road above, and once a young man came walking by and stood with his mouth open, staring for 10-15 min. Then he went on his way, never said a word. I really wonder what he was thinking!

Jackson (in the purple shirt) and Wilmon were excellent help. They both work for Michael, and they were easy to work with even with the culture/language barrier.

Fastening the fence to the post where it was hard slant took a while.

Lovely pure water from the well. We drank it without filtering it and never got sick. We are very grateful to God for giving us good water in the well.

A beautiful Sunday morning! Not too many times you have view like that while you get ready for church!

My Mama… 🙂

Waiting for Sunday dinner, and cold cokes!

Making bars, à la degaje.
Meaning- we didn’t have everything we needed, so you add a bit of this and that and hope it turns out!

They did turn out, and were almost better than the original recipe!

Juice for the next day. That juicer is worth the cost. If you know someone in Haiti that makes a lot of juice, this would be a wonderful present for them! It saves hours of time. Literally.

Christina is making the juice for the next day. That juicer is worth the cost. If you know someone in Haiti that makes a lot of juice, this would be a wonderful present for them! It saves hours of time. Literally.

Rebekah kept a fairly thorough journal during the trip. I’m glad she enjoys it. I like to try, but it normally takes too much time, in my opinion, so I never can keep it up. 🙂

Tripping over a stump is never fun, so when this one caught several people by surprise, it was time to do something about it.

Ready to go for another day…

… but first you have to wipe the clouds off of the windshield. Cool your head with a damp hat – this is a two for one deal!

As we pulled up, you can't see what has been done, but we know that we are half finished.

As we pulled up, you can’t see what has been done, but progress has been good so far.

Laying out the bottom tension wire…

… and stretching it tight. Ratchet straps are great tools.

Duck under and around… we looked like a caterpillar walking.

The back line

Weaving together two fabric pieces… it was so easy and looked perfectly seamless when finished.

Dressing the fence. You had to space out, grab it firmly and shake hard while Michael tightened the ratchet straps.

This line had a slope at one end, she is holding down the tension wire so they don't tie it off too tightly.

This line of fence had a slope at one end, she is ready to hold down the tension wire so they don’t tie it off too tightly.

Fastening down the wire so we don’t trip over it as we carry the fabric across the line.

Screw this cap fast, it wants to pop off the top of the post!

#1 Rule – Don’t step on the neighbor’s cabbages growing 6″ from the fence line! (I think we managed it, but it was tough.)

That slope at the end of the section of fence was hard to deal with. We had to hold the fence down while fastening it with wires to the top bar.

Time to quit for the day, but let’s mark out the lines for the walls of the house before we head up to Don’s.

Nathaniel and Jackson had so much fun catching and playing with lizards. Jackson caught them, Nathaniel played with them.

I don’t exactly want to put it on my ear, Jared, but the hat works just as well and doesn’t have blood! (Those lizards have a hard bite!)

Bananas from our banana grove. They ripen evenly in the basement.

They were so good! Right, Susanna?

See the face looking up?

A clear view of the valley looking from Don’s land. This is the last nice sunset we saw up there, it started raining the next day.

Oh Yay! We got to see a tarantula! Unfortunately it was a baby one.

Rebekah does most of our laundry at home, but not this way! “It was fun for something different…”

“… but it doesn’t get the clothes as dry as spinning them out.”

Within 30 minutes of hanging it all up, it started to rain. So rig up a line in the basement. (The clothes never did dry till we got to Port. It rained the rest of the time we were in the mountains.)

Let’s keep going, a little water won’t hurt us.

But a lot of water might! “Take cover till it slacks off.”

Cute little frog! I really like those critters.

Living in the clouds… This is Don’s house where we stayed. It wasn’t always cloudy, but it could be sunny, then a thick fog within 15 min.

It was so much fun to be together as a family!

We were glad to have running water, even if it was in an unconventional way.

Anybody home??? This sight always made me grin.

Uh oh. Black veilings and rain… it stained her dress! But thankfully boiling water did the trick to clean it up.

Don’s son came up to stay with us for two days. It poured rain, so he and Nathaniel played all kinds of games, and talked mostly nonstop. 🙂

So damp and cold. Anyone want some coffee?

Ahhh… perfect! (Who cares if it was made in a kettle instead of a coffee pot? It was SO good, just don’t drink the last swallow unless you like grounds.)

Waiting for the rain to stop… should we just go and get wet? Finish your coffee, then we will decide.

Dig out the raincoats and let’s just do it! “Let me get a picture, you all look hilarious!”

It was just across the front that needed done…

… can we finish it? We will do our best despite the…

… rain…

… and curious school children and adults…

… and a little sunshine coming through the clouds helps make the wet, cold feeling seem not too bad! Right, Breanna? Actually, we all enjoyed the challenge of working in the rain.

“Hold me up someone! This is slick!” (This particular piece didn’t get the bias cut quite right, and we had to wrestle it a bit to get it hooked up. I guess that is what happens when you have to work under a tarp in the pouring rain.)

The last stretch to be done!

Let’s go!

“Shake it!” We were so excited to be almost done.

Tightening the last screws... What is he using? We put the drill in a bag to keep it from getting wet. it worked beautifully!

Tightening the last nuts… What is he using? We put the drill in a bag to keep it from getting wet. it worked beautifully!

The next day it cleared off and we had a nice day for the trip to Port. This is the finished job! Of course there is still some things to do, hang the gate, string the wire around the top, and put on all the fasteners we didn’t get done. But the fence is all hung!

Looking towards the back line from the end of the driveway

This is what it looks like from the road above. I think it looks nice, not too conspicuous, but definitely doing it’s job.

And that, my friends, concludes this post. I hope you enjoyed the pictures, and I would love to hear your comments. I’m sorry it took so long to get them on here, but we have been very busy and going through the 1000+ pictures that my sisters took is no small job!

Have a Merry Christmas! God bless us, everyone!

Foundation Done!

A week and a half ago, my Dad, my brother Timothy and Glen Yoder came back from a strenuous week in Haiti. They left on the 14th, spent Sunday with Pastor Bruce, and arrived in the mountains that evening. The purpose of the trip was to get as much of the foundation of the house laid as was possible. God really blessed them and prospered the work, and by Thursday night, they had accomplished all that Papa thought they could get done in the week. So they were able to do a little more than what they thought was possible! I have a lot of pictures to share; thanks to Papa and Timothy. If you want to see the pictures bigger, just click on them.

One of the first jobs was to cut done a dead palm that was messing up the view.

One of the first jobs was to cut down a dead palm that was messing up the view.

Foundation walls going up, and Michael clearing the space for the basement floor.

Looking from the front of the building – see where the basement door will be on the back left?

One of the inner basement walls done.

The floor leveled and graveled.

Laying up the other two inner basement walls.

Almost ready to pour the basement floor.

Looking in the basement door… Timothy is finishing the concrete.

Straight in the basement door - you can see the septic lid, they took it out and Michael was able to go in and take out the forms from pouring that cap.

Straight in the basement door – you can see the septic lid, they lifted it out and Michael was able to go in to take apart the forms from pouring that cap.

The block windows in the basement for ventilation; Papa laid those in with re-bar and plenty of cement. They are pretty fragile blocks.

The end of the house closest to the fence.

Pouring the foundation walls full of concrete…

The foundation walls done, and the basement door installed.

Filling in between the walls…

The foundation is done!

Glen, Timothy, and the Haitian crew. Papa took the picture, and I don’t know where Michael was at the time. Those men worked really hard, and did a great job!

Of course, you have to date it!

From the road above…

You can see the back of the house, but not the front. That makes me happy!

At the end of the week, Papa found Michael’s tarantula that had gone missing from his room earlier in the week… in his carry-on. Thinking back, Papa realized that was what he had brushed off his arm one night, it had been too dark to see…

Michael with his pet… the critters eat roaches. Don’t YOU want one?

Timothy wanted to hold it, do you see it waving Hi with its leg? (Friendly little thing.)

Glen decided to brave his natural dislike of spiders and have a go at it too. He was fine till it started crawling around his neck, then Michael was obliged to take it back again. 🙂

That is all the news for now, folks! Thanks for checking in and being interested in the work. Papa plans on going down the 19th to help Michael pour the floor. If you do concrete work, or want to help with that, please let us know. It is a blessing to have others pitch in and help with all the work that is to be done. God bless you, and please keep praying for us and the work God has called us to do. Pray that through our lives many Haitians would come to know and serve our great God.

Flora and Fauna, and Friends

I love the variety of plants that we have on our land. There are quite a few things that we don’t have, but those we will try to transplant over time. First of all, we have a whole patch/bunch of bananas. These are not plantains, but real bananas. Michael got quite a few hangers this year. It takes around three years for a plant to grow and bear, then you chop down the stalk and little plants push up from the root.

We also have grenadia vines which is a yellow passion fruit. They make the most delicious juice, and I have made jelly out of it. It is the strongest flavored jelly I’ve ever eaten, and I am looking forward to making more jelly and juice combinations with them.

Here are some pictures of other fruits and edible plants that are currently growing on the land.

Pumpkins

Abriko – it has a firm orange flesh and tastes slightly like an apricot/peach (but still is very different), the tree is very tall

Malanga – the root is edible. The best way to eat it is to grate it up and add a few things and then deep fry it. I think it is far better than hush-puppies!

Chadeck - a type of grapefruit like citrus. It is most commonly used for making juice.

Chadek – a type of grapefruit like citrus. It is most commonly used for making juice.

Coffee!

This is an avocado tree I planted before the land was bought. I got the seed from a huge, delicious yellow/green avocado, and I hope it produces the exact same kind!

This is a coconut that makes good coconut water for drinking. If you let them on the tree long enough, they will make coconut too. Michael sprouted about ten of them in a dirt plie, and we had to transplant one while I was there. Those 3 holes at the top of a coconut? That is where the roots and sprout come out.

I was so happy when I saw there was a big stand of bamboo right in the middle of the land. It is HUGE! It is so pretty too!

That is it, sticking way up above the other trees.

The shoots come up as big around as the stalk will be.

Average size

A slight comparison

A few other pretty things.

Four o’clocks

The driveway. It is so pretty and shady. It the center in the back, you can see the abriko tree.

The driveway. It is so pretty and shady. In the center in the back, you can see the abriko tree.

Wilmon’s house out by the road

Our view out back

Two of our neighbors down the hill, Shana and little Cherie. Everybody loves those two!

This little one is a special child. Her parents story has a rough beginning, but she is a special gift from God to them. I had to add her here because she is so cute!

This little one is a special child. Her parent’s story has a rough beginning, and she is a special gift from God to them. I had to add her here because she is so cute!

Then there are the critters of every shape and form. Take a look at this…

Two gigantic pigs going to town on the back of motos! The one pig’s nose was only inches above the ground, the other pig was getting singed on the muffler. The driver stopped to readjust it, and was lifting it by it’s tail making it squeal! I felt sorry for the pigs, but it was a funny sight!
Some more…

A blind snake we found in the dirt pile. It had no eyes, but a mouth and scales.

The ever present cockroackes... UGH. Except they are normally alive. These met their death by bug spray when I had to help some friends clean out a storage place. No exaggeration, there were thousands on them! This isn't anything compared to what there were.

The ever present cockroaches… UGH. Except they are normally alive. These met their death by bug spray when I had to help some friends clean out a storage place. No exaggeration, there were thousands of them. This isn’t anything compared to what there were!

That, my friends, concludes the updates from my past trip. My dad and older brother are going down next week to lay the foundations of the house. Please keep them in your prayers. If you are a block layer, and would like to help for a week sometime, please let us know!

A bonus picture for you…

One of the many views coming up the trail

One of the many breathtaking views along the road to Ti Goave

Work on the Footers etc.

After the conference was over, Michael, Papa and I went up to Allegue and worked on the property for a few days. Papa preached on Sunday, and I got caught up with some friends over the weekend. Then Monday and Tuesday we poured footers. Here are some pictures. The red lines are generally over the footers, the yellow lines are over the septic, and the purple line is where the fence is. Michael broke a couple of ribs when they were drilling the wells up there just before Pastor’s Conf., so he was the boss of the job while others did the heavy lifting and such. Papa did the actual concrete work, and I was his go-fer. 🙂

Putting in the stakes for the footer height

Wilmon mixing cement, and others hired to carry it

Papa making the footers

Michael cutting re-bar

Clean up

After Papa left later in the week, Michael and I had some other things to do. Then we worked on the property some more. We set the gate posts, formed up and poured the cap on the front fence wall, and did other various jobs that needed done.

Looking at plans and measurements

Cleaning out the post holes

Getting ready to set the posts in

This next picture is from outside of the left fence line on the land. The rig there is the well driller. The black barrel in front of the rig is where our well was drilled, and to the right of that is where the driveway comes down from the road.

Finishing the low wall in front of Wilmon’s house. The fence will be on it.

This wall is capped! It takes a lot longer to do it in Haiti than it would in the States. :(

This wall is capped! It takes a lot longer to do things in Haiti than it does in the States. But it is a job well done thanks to Michael!

The First Girl’s Class in Haiti

The girl’s class I taught in Haiti two weeks ago went very well by the grace of God! Monday morning we had a more girls show up than what I thought would, and before I knew it the limit of 15 had been reached. We limited it to that because it was the first time and we weren’t sure how things would go. That was all the girls that showed up first thing Monday morning too. We had a couple others show up late or on Tuesday, but I had to tell them to come back another year.

First of all we did registration; took their names, where they were from, who their Pastor was, how old they were and their phone number. Then we had a song and prayer, and jumped right into the lessons. I didn’t have time to stop and think about how to teach, I just talked because I knew we were running tight on time and I had no time to be nervous! It went way better than I thought it would, and the girls were very attentive. Deb Vital was my translator, and she did a wonderful job! I could have handed the lessons to her and she would have done excellently. But she preferred to have me teach in English and then translate it, as opposed to her trying to read the notes in English and then talking in Creole. (So I couldn’t cop out – not that I really wanted to!) It was a huge blessing and help to me to have her enthusiasm and support and energy right there every step of the way. I enjoyed teaching, if that is what I did- I still don’t know! All I know for sure is that I talked, Deb translated, and the girls listened and asked some questions. The first day flew by, and it was done before I could think much about it.

Tuesday did not go well for me. Deb thought it went fine, but I had a very hard time keeping my train of thought and even finding words to explain what I was thinking. I honestly think God gave me a bad day so that I would rely totally on Him for the strength to finish the week. If it had all gone as well as Monday, I probably would have felt like “I can do this.” Tuesday showed me very clearly that I can ONLY do this through the strength and grace of God. The rest of the days went well, and I know it was only because of God. Wednesday we had a lesson on hygiene.

I was able to get some Glo Germ, which is a lotion that glows under a black light. We had the girls put on the lotion then look at their hands. Some of them wiped their hands on a dry rag. Some washed with water, some with soap and water, and some with soap and water and brush. Then we had them look at their hands to see which way got them the cleanest. It was interesting! Some of the girls got their hands perfectly clean with just soap and water! I rigged the black light up inside the box.

After class we made hand-washing jugs that help you use a minimal amount of water. It was a bit hectic making the things, you have to soften/melt the base of the handle and pinch it together to seal it. Well, it is a tricky process to not melt a hole, yet get it hot enough to seal. I only had one big pliers to pinch them with, and at times there were four girls trying to give me their jugs! Getting the strings to hang them by was not an easy job, but we eventually got them done. I hope that the girls will use them to wash their hands more frequently at home.

Rachel is a friend of Deb’s (and now mine too!), and she came along to the classes. It is because of her that I have pictures to share with you! It was good to see the girls accept her as one of them, she was a ‘blan’, but yet she was a student. I think it was very good that she was there, and she was a big help if we needed an extra hand! The girls loved her!

The girls loved illustrations. The Haitians think in pictures, and I find that is becoming more and more true of myself. So we used as many pictures as we could to illustrate verses, and to have other illustrations for other concepts. The subjects of modesty and purity were towards the end of the week, and I was surprised to see how well the girls listened. With some of them I could see an immediate change, as if they were wondering and found the answer. Others didn’t really seem to care. But the truth was presented, and now it is God’s to work in the hearts.

Deb taught the last class alone; it was on relating to young men, and I thought it might be better if she just taught it. I would do it if I had to, but with her being a married woman, and older than me, I thought she would have a lot more clout and respect in that subject.

Before Deb’s lesson on Friday morning, we took our class down and sat in on a class being taught to the pastors. It was on “A Woman’s Role in the Church”. We had had one of the girls ask us about that specifically, so it was a perfect answer to the question.

God was so good in blessing the teaching, and I had one of the girls write me two letters. Here they are, translated as best I could.

Vijinya, (I love the way they spell my name!)

Good morning. How are you my friend. I’m writing this letter in the name of God who has all power, and to tell you thank you for what you do for me and for what you are continuing to do for me. I always love you, and I always hold to the information you are teaching people.
I am praying for you, for God to bless you and your mama and your papa. Always continue working, I am thinking of you.
I am happy for the things you taught us.

Thank you. Christela

My Friend, I am sad that you are going. Because I don’t know when you are coming back. I wish for the passing of a year. Always hold the feet of God, one day God will bless you. I am praying for God to give you more vision and more intelligence.
I don’t know how much thanks to give you, but God will thank you more.
(in English she wrote) I love you my friend. Jesus loves you.

Good work.
Another time.

I am thankful for the blessing of God. Some of the girl’s lives will be changed, some will not. It is all in God’s hands. I hope that He gives me many more opportunities to share His love and truth in this way. Thank you all so much for your prayers! I could tell that you were praying and that it was God working. May He get all the glory!

Church Leadership Seminar in Fond Duiex (August 12-16)

Please pray again for the work in Haiti. As the Lord permits, I’ll join two brothers in teaching again this next week at our AFH Christian Leader Seminar. These series of meetings are held twice a year in two different cities. Lord willing, Haitian men will gather Monday through Friday of this next week for two meals, singing/fellowship, prayer, and Bible teaching from 830am to 430pm. Please pray for the men who will be gathered in Fond Duiex, a small town west of Petite Goave. We had about 70 guys in January and hope for the same number this next week. We’ll be teaching New Testament principles during the seminar and have an opportunity to preach in the evening at one of the local churches. Please pray the Lord will use this endeavor for His glory and the building up of His Body in Haiti.

It’s all for Him,
Caleb

Please Pray

I am leaving tomorrow for Haiti to teach the girl’s class. It starts Monday and goes through Friday. Please Pray that God will give me strength to do it. I can’t on my own.

I’ll be staying till the 28th of August then to help Micheal for a couple weeks.

Thank you for your prayers!

More Pictures of the Fence Project

Down the driveway from the road. We purposely put a crook in it so you can't see everything from the road.

The driveway and Wilmon’s house.

Along the front, from the right hand corner to the driveway… They are getting ready to cap the stone work with concrete after the posts are set.

This is beyond where the red ATV was in the last picture… from the driveway to the left hand corner.

The back right hand corner. Michael did a nice job with the posts!

This is from the road above, looking on the land from the back. Beautiful view! I love the mountains of Haiti for scenery!

Fence Progress

It has been a while since I posted. Sorry. Life has been busy, but just normal things like garden and working on the classes for girls and family life. But today I got some pictures from Michael, and thought I’d share the excitement of having the fence looking like it is really going to be there in a bit! First, I’ll share some pictures a friend took for me the other week.

Panoramic view of the lower half of the land

Our Bobcat – it has been a big blessing!

Michael hiring and “bossing” men to put in posts

Down the right side

Across the back

Down the left side

Isn’t it exciting? I think so anyway. It is some progress that is very noticeable. As far as I understand, there are two men going down the beginning of August to help Michael put the chain-link up.

As far as the girl’s classes are going, I am done with the lessons and the power points. Breanna was a big help with them, and I hope that for the first class ever it isn’t too bad a job. 🙂 I need to gather supplies yet, and the time is coming up fast. I leave on the 10th of August with my dad who is having a Pastor’s Conference at the same time. It has ended up that I will be doing all the teaching myself with a translator this first time around, so I need your prayers. I would need them anyway, but even more so now! After that week, I am planning on staying in Haiti with Michael till the 28th. There is a shipping container we need to clean out, and I will have a chance to see all my friends in Allegue too.

Thank you for your interest and prayers!