First day with the Witchita team

So, this seems like a pretty good team to be working with this week. They jump right in and handle responsibilities in the Haitian Queen (our team base house). They came prepared with fun activities to do and supplies to distribute.

I dropped them off at OLTCH (Greg & Jasmine's orphanage), and spend the rest of the day on a trek into Port au Prince. A run into PaP should be about 25 minutes there and back. Reality dictates that we set aside an entire day if we're going to the airport or on a materials-buying trip. Today our goal was to buy all the materials for the schoolroom we'll be building starting Monday. That means I needed a bunch of 2x4's, 11 sheets of plywood, some tin roof tiles, and some screws. After leaving at 8am and returning at 4pm, we returned only with most of the 2x4's and the plywood. We also bought about 70 gallons of paint for OLTCH.

Rats...foiled again. I'll have to do another run somewhere on Monday, so the team can keep working.

Travelling with me today was Miguel (driving) and Donna Tente. I had an amazing day of conversation with her in the truck during the whole day. Let me tell you a few pieces of the story. Donna arrived in Haiti for the first time about a week after I left 2 years ago. God put her in place to carry on with those few contacts I made in 2 weeks. She instantly bonded with Jasmine and Greg, and said, "this orphanage needs help IMMEDIATELY" She told Jasmine, "I don't know what kind of help I can promise, but I will be back here."

That first visit turned into as of now, about 14 trips back and forth to Haiti. Through her contacts in the Rotary and many churches, Donna has done amazing things. She has raised huge amounts of money and raised up 100's of people to come help in Haiti. Two years ago, we started by building one lone building for Jasmine. Donna has involved people in giving and working to build a school, a kitchen/dining hall, boys and girls dormitories, staff living quarters, and walkways throughout the compound. These are all temporary, because their stay on the land is temporary. There's a lot more that I can't even begin to tell.

Donna is just a volunteer - giving of her time and money to work in Haiti about every 6-8 weeks. She is a gifted networker and fundraiser. Her passion is contageous, and again, I am humbled.

I'm more humbled by how God orchestrated all of us in unique ways so that we arrived on the scene in Haiti at just the right time carrying with us just the right skill set needed at the time. When you open up to say, "God, use me - in any way you choose"...He will!

Tomorrow we'll be taking everyone to Jesus in Haiti ministies for church and visiting.
 
Blessings...here's a few pictures from the day.


Starting the day at OLTCH - Lucas is one of the team leaders for the Witchita team. Jasmine in the middle and Jasmine's daughter Evie. These are a couple wheelchairs the team brought. The one on the right is an all-terrain, hand driven design by some guy marketing them on the internet.

Evie just woke up!

Playing, cuddling, and reading

Tim, Miguel, and Donna return after a day of purchasing in Port au Prince

this one's for you Majorins boys!





Random picture from earlier in the day - Boxes of paint (1 gallon cans) on the left, wood for the school building. I'm driving this truck across PaP to Jesus in Haiti ministries tomorow with the team in front and back.