PROJECT: 4,000-SQUARE-FEET ROOF
GONAIVES, HAITI / Jan. 31, 2009 to Feb. 14, 2009
 A team of 18 men and women added a 4,000-square-feet roof to a church, pictured right, extensively damaged by the hurricanes that devastated Gonaives and the surrounding area in September 2008. The group, with the exception of its leaders, was split into two teams: The first team departed for Haiti in Jan. 31 and was replaced Feb. 7 when the second team arrived. The missionaries completed the roof with ample time remaining to tour the countryside, revisit former project sites, and identify potential projects. E-mail updates sent while in country were used to create the Gonaives 2009 Project Diary. |
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Upon arriving in Gonaives, the missionaries were greeted by a sign made by church members. The team stayed in the church's guest house, which is used exclusively by visiting missionary teams. |
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The effort to build a 106-feet by 42-feet roof was divided into two parts: The first part required the team to construct the trusses that would be support the church roof. Because of space limitations, the trusses were built in two parts. A total of 44, 22-feet trusses and purloins were built and installed in six days. |
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One of the biggest challenges before the group was how to raise the trusses after they had been constructed; at its peak, each truss was 27 feet from the ground. Ultimately, the team raised the truss halves and stationed a welder on makeshift scaffolding to fuse the halves together and add the purloins. The scaffolding was erected on top of the existing roof. |
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In order to secure the east end of the roof, the team erected a second set of scaffolding in the area that will become the youth room, which is adjacent to the sanctuary. |
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Missionaries Terry Parker, Dennis Forsythe, and Mark St. Clair squared the end of the purloins to ensure the roof was started correctly. Once completed, five team members lined one half of the the roof to work as efficiently and expediently as possible. |
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Incredibly, after nine days of work, the new roof was completed. In the next few months, the old roof will be removed, which will balconies to be built, creating additional seating for the 400-plus member congregation.
For more pictures, please take a moment to view the completed project pictoral (click here). |
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| To learn more about the efforts to fund the project, visit the Haiti 2009 Project Prep web page. |
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