Fantastic Work Team

This fantastic work team is hardworking and positive. They'll do anything - paint, carry, move suitcases, scan letters, resize photos, take care of kids, do plumbing, dig holes, move poles, etc etc. But it seems they just won't blog! So here I am again (Liette) to do the blog for tonight because I know there are families and friends anxiously awaiting news of our adventures.

Today, being Saturday, was a bit more relaxed in terms of heavy labour. Well, maybe not for Jan who painted and carried all the donated items in suitcases from one depot to another. Nor for Roger nor Barry who worked through their TO DO list which miraculously gets longer every day, not shorter. It's like the loaves and the fishes. This morning we discovered that the cold water tap didn't work in the shower upstairs, the main floor bathroom doorknob is always locked (not great when the wind blows the door closed) and the new tap is broken at the school.

Our day started at 4 am when the rice mill started up next door. What a racket! Carol says that she is pretty sure sleeping in hell is a lot like trying to sleep in Haiti - noise, heat, and smells. You're exhausted but you just can't sleep. First thing this morning we took a tap-tap to Verrettes market to experience a true Haitian market. Everyone enjoyed the experience and Josiah even got new dress shoes.

Our jobs today included painting the main floor bathroom in the main house, cleaning brushes and rollers, scanning sponsor student letters in preparation to send to sponsors, updating email address lists for sponsors, fixing plumbing, moving clotheslines, moving boxes and suitcases, and of course taking care of kids.

Today I'd like to introduce two more members of our team.

Carol, from Calgary, is an active member of many volunteer groups in Calgary. Since coming to Haiti, Carol has spent time with many of the children, but has taken extra care with Tifi who loves the attention. Today, Carol helped Tifi walk along the canal with the group, holding her hand the whole time so she wouldn't fall. Carol surprised herself on this trip by doing an excellent job of painting and by resizing photos on the computer - two tasks she didn't think she knew how to do!

Jan, Carol and kids on the canal

 

Carol resizing student photos

 

Nichole is our token American. She joined us in Port-au-Prince on our first day after spending a week in Carrefour with another mission. She loves to laugh and is Ti Luc's special friend. He just adores her, even naming his giant puppet after her. Nichole has two young children in Haiti who she's missing alot, making up for their absence with tons of hugs and kisses from the children here. She enjoys asking us what our strange Canadian words mean and insisting we all say "eh". Nichole has been tirelessly painting for most of her time here, taking a break from painting today to work with Penny on scanning student letters and updating email lists.

Nichole painting

 

I'm also including some photos of the new and improved children's home! It looks fantastic inside - bright and clean.

Newly painted girls' room

Newly painted kitchen

 

Finally, we finished our day today with a birthday celebration for JJ and Moyiz. They were thrilled to be the centre of attention, to have birthday cake, singing, prayers and a backpack each full of great stuff. They are growing up to be great young boys who are full of spunk and affection.

JJ and Moyiz at their birthday party

 

Judel thrilled to have chocolate cake

 

That's it for now. Everyone else is gone to bed and most of us are going hiking at 6 am so I must get some sleep.