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Feb. 10, 214: Today we all went to the Sonlight mission site again. We got the rest of the columns set and half of the above ground foundation was completed. The building is coming along nicely and much more has been accomplished than we had expected. This building site is in the compound of the church and the school. We really enjoyed watching the children, especially at recess. Kevin Gosche couldn't resist taking a few minutes to play a little soccer with the boys and showed them a few tricks or two. This proved to be a little difficult in his work boots, but there was much laughter and lots of fun to be had and Kevin came away with a big,big smile and a heart full of gladness. I often wonder what God thinks when he looks down on us. I am sure He enjoys us loving each other and taking time out of our busy schedules to touch someone else's life with "His" love. Many times I have heard CMF pray for God to use us and allow us to be His hands and feet. I have see how God has honored that prayer by the many people we have met this trip, and the opportunities He has given us to build and completed our projects. All glory, honor and power belongs to Him, and ONLY Him! Thank you God!
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Feb. 9, 2014: Another dedication in another finished building! Today we went to worship service at the Ennery Christian Church. You could hear the singing as soon as we got out of the van, and it warmed my heart to hear the praise hymns coming from the new building. The style of worship was typical of Haiti, loud voices, lots of clapping and dancing and joyful giving to the Lord. Sincere hearts and lots of praying and communion served as well. After the 3 hour service we all gathered in our prayer circle with the congregation and prayed for this new building and gave thanks to God for His provisions for it. We ended with all singing "to God be the glory", some in english, some in creole, and it was beautiful! All the people came over to us and hugged and kissed and thanked us for coming to build their church building and all I could think was, how I wanted to thank them and especially thank God for "letting us" be a part of what He is doing here in this country. Much to our surprise, some women of the church had cooked a delicious meal for us. We were humbled at the thought of this kind jester, knowing how hard it is for them to have enough food to eat for themselves. It was very nice sharing in this meal with them and visiting with them before we had to leave. Most of us relaxed this afternoon and then went to the Gonaives Christian Church to end this beautiful Lord's day. There is only a few days left and we pray we will finish our mission strong. Praying most of all that we would accomplish everything God has for us to do and somehow make a difference in the lives we have touched in these few short weeks.
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Feb. 8, 2014: 1 John 4:19 "We love because He first loved us." Being here in Haiti the last couple of weeks, this scripture has certainly rang true in my aching heart. Why do we love? Because HE first loved us! We have had a very productive day today, with the whole group and several haitian church members getting the foundation almost complete to the ground level and assembling and setting 13 of the 21 pilasters (columns). We moved big rocks, shoveled sand & rock and mixed concrete all day! The 40x60 building sits right in the middle of a banana grove and it is very wet as well. This proves to make things very interesting at times, none the less, we have all put in a good days work with tired backs, sore muscles and full hearts. God is So good! When I look at this CMF group working so diligently, I see God, using ordinary people to do extraordinary things, and I am blessed!
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Feb. 7, 2014: The CMF team went 3 different places today. Some went to the Sonlight mission site to start digging the foundation, some stayed here at the house to bend rebar for the pilasters (columns) & some went to Achin to get the porch roof on and put on the ridge cap for the building roof. The group at Achin visited with the people at the church and played with the children and when all the work was done saw the biggest most beautiful rainbow in the sky! We all agreed how this reminded us of God's promises and were comforted by His presence. Some of us have caught colds and are not feeling too well, please pray for us as we still need to work a few more days.
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Feb. 6, 2014: Today was a busy day for CMF here in Haiti. The roof crew went up to Ennery and they finished the roof, including the ridge cap! The people gathered there were so happy to see the finished building. The preacher Nathan and his wife has been extremely hospitable to us and they told us if we were staying any longer and needed to eat, they would buy a beef and slaughter it and cook it for us. Wow! I have never quite had that offer before but it was wonderful! They sent us off with the fresh baked bread again, sugar cane, banana's and coconuts! The smile on their faces was priceless and I cannot wait to join them in worship of our awesome God on Sunday. The view of the mountains on the road to Ennery is just so beautiful, and the majestic "prayer mountain" was full of worshippers this morning. Every time I see them my heart longs to go and climb that mountain to join them in prayer and fasting. It was a beautiful day here, clear skies and warm air which allowed us to get a really good start on the building we are building at Melio's Church. His mission is called, "Sonlight mission". The 40'x60' footer was dug today and we will start the pilaster's after we pick up the cement tomorrow. A group will be going back out to Achin Christian Church to put the ridge cap on the roof as well tomorrow. This will be the last thing needed for the building. It will be good to see the enthusiastic people of Achin again. We are REALLY looking forward to it! We have been so encouraged seeing all these things coming together on this trip and seeing God's provision's for us daily. Please continue to pray for us, especially for wisdom, courage and safety as we strive daily to do God's will.
Finished building at Ennery
Prayer mountain
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Feb. 5, 2014: We left the house at 6:00 a.m. again today. The sunrise over the mountains was of course, breathtaking to say the least. The men got up on the roof immediately on arrival of the church site. Again, the preacher's wife greeted us with fresh baked bread, fruit and pop. We got the last truss up and the crane taken apart by 10:00. The roof crew got the rest of the perlins on and started putting on the tin sheeting. 60% of the sheeting is complete and we should get the rest on tomorrow. The pew frames for 30 pews are getting welded and a man from the church has been planing the 12 ft. long bench boards with a hand plane. This is amazing to watch for most of us, no big deal to him however. An interesting site from yesterday was a large group of students walking through the city chanting some complaint about the government not paying the teachers and the teachers being on strike. The students are mad about this and they WANT to go to school! It is so encouraging to see they take their education so seriously.
(smart kids!) After 2 days of traveling the group that left yesterday has made it home safely. We are thankful for that. Tomorrow morning some of us are going to Ennery, and some are going to Melio's church to start the new building there. We are trusting in God's faithfulness and feeling extremely blessed with all that has been accomplished so far.
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Feb. 4, 2014: Seven cmf members left today, and four new ones came in. The crew coming from Ohio had an uneventful flight and are here safe and sound, but the crew going to Ohio had a cancelled flight and have to spend the night in Miami. The work crew in Ennery was greeted by the very hospitable church members with fresh baked bread, fresh fruit and ice cold cokes. Wow, what a greeting! Eleven trusses have been welded on and perlins are in place as well. Four more to go and the trusses will be done. Church members were there again to lend a helping hand. Much was accomplished with such a small crew today and we are looking forward to the "fresh hands" to start tomorrow.
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Feb. 3, 2014: The day started out extremely slow, as the truck that was going to take all the trusses and other supplies to Ennery was late, VERY late. We waited from 8:30 to 12:00 and finally it arrived and we loaded it up. Ed and John was uptown taking care of some very important business so things can flow a little easier for us. Ennery is a 1 hour drive up the mountains. Although it is a beautiful drive, it is a little long. We got the whole truck unloaded and everyone went to work. We got the flat bar welded down to the top of the bond beam ready for the trusses and cut off some rebar from the top of the wall. The church people were there and were anxious to help us as much as they could. Some of the women in the cmf group got to talk to a young man church member that spoke english very well. He was more than happy to share with us how hard it is for the church to meet in the old building because it is so hot! The preacher (Nathan) has passed out before while preaching because of the heat. This young man also told us how happy he was that we were there to help them build the church building. He said they have been praying for someone to come and help them build a new building for 10 years, and here we are! Our response to him was, "we have been praying also for God to allow us to be his servants and to be used by Him in some way." This statement took this young man by surprise, but made him very happy. We are looking forward to working up there in the mountains this week, and cannot wait to see how God works all of this to His glory!
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Feb. 2, 2014:The first service of worship at Achin Christian Church and we were there! No electricity is available so we sang acapella, lots of old hymns, lots of clapping & dancing and making a joyful noise to the Lord! My hopes and prayers are that it was a sweet aroma rising up to our Holy God! There was several "specials"shared including none other that our very own Ben Parker. He borrowed a guitar (which probably could have used a little tuning) and he sang "How great is our God." I had forgotten what a beutiful voice he has, and he could not have chosen a more appropriate song! As I sat there taking it all in, I couldn't help but think about how many people it takes to build these church buildings. The group of us here is just a small portion of willing servants who give year round to make all this happen. Our worship service lasted 3 hours today with Hannum Taylor preaching the message, translated by Sainsurin. As we gathered around the Lords table to partake communion, I am sure that was my favorite part. Just a bunch of God's children breaking bread and communing with our Heavenly Father. 15 people stood up at the end of the service to give their lives to Jesus Christ. They will be baptized at a later date. After some group pictures were taken and lots of hand shaking and hugging, we all gathered in a large prayer circle. Several CMF members prayed while Sainsurin translated again, then he ended us with a powerful creole prayer. Before we headed back home, we all took a walk through the village (including most of the church members with us). Everybody is very friendly in Achin and it was good to see where everybody lives. Not too much physical work today , but really important meetings and preparations were made to start to work tomorrow in Ennery. We ended this Lord's day at the Gonaives Christian Church where Ben had agreed to sing again. We didn't know however, they had a special singing group come and the church was packed! Only about 500 people were there tonight. Ben kept his promise and he played guitar and sang "Oh how he loves us." All I can say is "wow!" He did a great job and all of us was very proud! God bless you all as we work together to accomplish our mission. I need to say "thank you" to all who have given so much, financially, emotionally, and spiritually. together we can do great things for the Lord,
(at least we are giving it our best shot!)
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Feb. 1, 2014: Just another ordinary day? My Goodness!!!!! God has absolutely showed us His glory today! The morning was "typical" for CMF. Wake up call was nice and early, 5:00 a.m.. Breakfast, prayer, loading the truck and laundry started. The "precious" washing machine broke halfway through our first load we had started. Some of the men took it apart twice, and decided the pump was broken. We went to the hardware store and they didn't have a replacement pump. We decided we would all pitch in again and buy a new one. The only problem with that was there was none to be found in all of Gonaives. A group of us went to Melio's property to lay out the new building there when all of a sudden a large group of people came in dressed in white. We were told to go watch them because there was going to be a baptismal service. 20 Haitian people gave their lives to Jesus Christ just then. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life! They prayed, read scripture and sang old hymns (in creole of course) and the presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong, I wanted to fall on my knees and praise and thank the Great Creator who allowed "me" to witness such majesty! Just when I thought my heart could not hold any more beauty, we went to Achin and finished putting the tin on the roof. As the men worked above us we sang and danced the hokey pokey, the chicken dance and london bridge right there in the sanctuary. When everything was done, we loaded the truck with all our belongings and then it happened. . . We brought the wooden pulpit in and I had the most amazing feeling of accomplishment I've ever had! In that moment the preacher's wife, Charleston threw up her hands and danced before the Lord, worshipping her loving faithful God who heard her prayers and answered in such an extravagant way! Out of pure instinct of course, I threw up MY hands and danced with her! I cried a little as we pulled away, not sure why, because we are going to worship with them in the new building in the morning.
When we got back to the house, Nancy Moore greeted us with the biggest smile on her face! She couldn't wait to tell us, "the washing machine was working!!!!" The pump is fine and all is well! Praise the Lord! Just another ordinary day? I think not! Or maybe for God, it was!!!!
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January 31, 2014: Another productive day here in Gonaives Haiti. The roof crew got 3/4 of the tin on today. Apparently after running out of tin, there wasn't anymore available in this city, so we have ordered some to come in the morning from Port a Prince and it will be delivered first thing in the morning. Scottie finished welding the trusses today for the church in Ennery. All the holes were drilled and they have been painted as well. Since there was a short day today, there was a little time to play with the kids and take a walk through the village. The crane and the boom was moved from the site and is ready for the next roof in Ennery. One outstanding characteristic of the Achin people is the pure joy they have. Everywhere we look, the joy of the Lord is present. God is so good to allow us this experience and we are so humbled to be His servant. Please continue to pray for us, God bless you all!
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January 30, 2014: We started the day at the end of the driveway in a circle of prayer. Everyone went to the job-site at Achin eager to start the day. I stayed behind to get some laundry done and post some pictures on my facebook page. We are having some trouble getting pictures on here, so I put some on there in hopes some can see them. We will get this little bug worked out soon, so keep watching here for pictures. Getting my thoughts in order, I can't help but say, "the beauty of this day has taken my breath away!" The men got a lot done today with finishing setting the trusses and all perlins are in place. The roof is now ready for the tin sheeting tomorrow. The many children who gathered at the church today were so excited and full of life. Nancy Moore brought two jump ropes to play with the kids. You would have thought she gave them a thousand dollars. They giggled, squealed and laughed for the longest time, and then they started dancing around and chanting, "Nou Kontan gen Misyone" which means "We love the missionaries."The love that welled up in my heart touched me to the very depths of my soul. We took a walk at the end of the day, to the old well we visited last year. Not too many people use that well since the new one was dug at the church. It was so good to see all the people coming to use the well, filling water jugs and using an old bottle with the bottom cut out of it for a funnel and stopping it up at the other end to use it as a cup to drink out of. They have sweetly nicknamed the well, "Jacob's well"
All thirty pews were assembled today so it looks like all that's left to do is put the tin sheeting on tomorrow. We all agreed today, Achin Christian Church is very near and dear to CMF's heart. We have seen this project come together from an empty field last year to this 40x60 beautiful building that people can come and comfortably worship God in. Praise His holy name, praise Him.
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January 29, 2014: We finally got to go back to Achin today! It's been a long year waiting for this day. When we left last Feb. the building was sitting there without a roof on it. Today all that changed. We arrived bright and early (as with CMF fashion) and worked to get the trusses together to set on the walls. We first drilled an anchor at the top of the wall to weld the trusses to. We assembled the scaffolding and the crane. Women started cutting 2x4's for the perlins and cut them all day long. It was a steady flow of assembling trusses and getting them set. 8 out of the 13 are set in place. Many Achin church members greeted us this morning and most stayed all day to inspire us in our efforts. Some of our team stayed in Gonaives to finish drilling holes for trusses in Ennery. We have seemed to settle in nicely and everybody is working really hard. We ended our day with devotions as usual and looking forward to a good night's sleep!
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January 28, 2014: A beautiful clear day here in Gonaives Haiti. (Sorry about that "Antarctica" Ohio). Many jobs were accomplished today! As soon as it was daylight, Scottie started welding the trusses. He has 21 finished and several have been painted and holes drilled. Donna and I counted 460 holes we drilled in the steel trusses today ourselves. Quite an accomplishment for someone like me who doesn't ever drill anything! Many more need to be drilled and we are happy we will have help tomorrow. The 2nd team of 14 arrived safely after a minor mechanical problem with the brakes on the bus. We are thankful to the Lord for watching over them. Many items we take to Achin to Start work tomorrow, the boards and frames for the pews, the base an the boom for the crane, scaffolding, ladders and the tin for the roof, and as they were delivered, the members of the church was more than eager to help unload them. Mary and Sainsurian have been more than gracious hosts as usual. They are constantly looking after our needs and seem so happy to do so. We hope to get a good night's sleep so we can start welding trusses on the roof at Achin tomorrow. Please continue to pray for us, we really need it and appreciate it so much!
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1-27-14: Our third day in, and we finally have internet! As most of you all know, we made it here safely. It wasn't an easy journey with the flight delays, broken airplanes, sitting on the tarmac, lost luggage and an unexpected stay overnight in Port a prince, but we made it here safely nonetheless. God is so good to see us through our struggles, and His presence is so obvious every time we come here.
We have worked really hard the last few days getting the jigs put together and "finding" all of our supplies and tools we need to get started. 56 pieces of rebar has been cut and bent and is now ready for the assembly of the trusses. Scottie has had an exceptionally slow start but is now welding on his 3rd truss. Ed has the crane put together (minus the crank at the moment) and they are painting the boom as well as the trusses Scottie has done. A trip was made to Ennery & Achin yesterday to take some measurements and prepare for the construction to begin when the others get here tomorrow. The five of us that are here now, have all agreed how humbled and honored we are to be here serving our great God and King and we cannot wait to accomplish many things in His name in the next few weeks!
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January 28, 2014: A beautiful clear day here in Gonaives Haiti. (Sorry about that "Antarctica" Ohio). Many jobs were accomplished today! As soon as it was daylight, Scottie started welding the trusses. He has 21 finished and several have been painted and holes drilled. Donna and I counted 460 holes we drilled in the steel trusses today ourselves. Quite an accomplishment for someone like me who doesn't ever drill anything! Many more need to be drilled and we are happy we will have help tomorrow. The 2nd team of 14 arrived safely after a minor mechanical problem with the brakes on the bus. We are thankful to the Lord for watching over them. Many items we take to Achin to Start work tomorrow, the boards and frames for the pews, the base an the boom for the crane, scaffolding, ladders and the tin for the roof, and as they were delivered, the members of the church was more than eager to help unload them. Mary and Sainsurian have been more than gracious hosts as usual. They are constantly looking after our needs and seem so happy to do so. We hope to get a good night's sleep so we can start welding trusses on the roof at Achin tomorrow. Please continue to pray for us, we really need it and appreciate it so much!
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The goal of the 2014 trip will be to finish putting a roof on the Achin church building that CMF built last year and to also put a roof on the church in Ennery. We will also be building pews.
There are 3 groups going. The preliminary group will go in on January 24th. The first group will go in on January 28th and the second group will go in on February 4th. All are schedule to return home on February 12th. We ask that all pray for our safety and that God will bless this mission for HIS glory.
We will be posting updates for you on this page once the trip commences as time and internet access in Haiti permits!
Our 2014 CMF work team is:
Dennis Forsythe - Bethlehem Church of Christ
Ben Parker - Bethlehem Church of Christ
Caleb McDowell - Countryside Church of Christ
Hannum Taylor - Countryside Church of Christ
Mike Layman - Georgetown Church of Christ
Susan Eldridge - Macon Church of Christ
Lloyd Dunn - Mt. Orab Church of Christ
Kevin Gosche - Mt. Orab Church of Christ
Rodney Hoskins - Mt. Orab Church of Christ
Joe Moore - Mt. Orab Church of Christ
Nancy Moore - Mt. Orab Church of Christ
Jessica Spires - Mt. Orab Church of Christ
Cheryl Jennings - Mowrystown Church of Christ
Mark St.Clair - Mowrystown Church of Christ
Lisa St.Clair - Mowrystown Church of Christ
Ed Lykins - Peebles Church of Christ
Scott Mays - Sardinia Church of Christ
Nancy Mays - Sardinia Church of Christ
Donna Young - Sardinia Church of Christ
Bill Kohus - Union Church of Christ
Cory Bess - West Union Church of Christ
John Hendrix - West Union Church of Christ
Melissa Hendrix - West Union Church of Christ
