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Gonaives, Haiti 2015
Welcome to our Gonaives, Haiti 2015 trip update page. This year's trip will be finishing up the Sonlight Christian Mission multi-purpose building to be used by the school and the church. We are also starting the Gonaives Christian Mission youth building to be used for both school and Sunday school.
Nancy Mays will be posting updates here regularly. Stay tuned!!!
January 22, 2015: An excellent day of travel! I was really beginning to wonder what kind of day it was going to be when we received the call that Cory was extremely sick with the stomach bug and could not come with us as planned. It took this group of 6 traveling together down to 5. It was so good to see Joe Luka's smiling face at the Atlanta Airport and I know Scottie, Dennis & Rodney couldn't have been happier he was joining us! Melio and Sainsurian picked us up at the Port a Prince airport and got us safely to Sainsurians house by 6:00 p.m. The only glitch in the whole day was the electricity going out promptly within 10 minutes of our arrival. None the less, we started the generator and started unpacking and settling in for the night. The men got the tools ready and batteries charging to start the work day tomorrow and I organized our food supply and washed dishes and of course, got to visit a little with Mary. Seeing the familiar Haitian people and the beauty of this Island felt a little like "coming home". I'm excited to see what God has in store for the next couple of weeks, not just for the work to be done here, but for the work He's doing in all of us!
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Jan. 23, 2015: After a much needed good nights rest, we got started right away pulling out the crane, scaffolding and jigs. We put the winches on the crane and got all the parts lubed. We gathered more tools from the gang box and hauled all these things to the Son light Christian Mission job site. The jigs are now set up and ready for the work to begin. Some of us went downtown with Sainsurian and took care of the many logistical needs we have - buying water, ice and fuel etc.....
One of the highlights of the day was getting to go with Joe Luka to visit the Kay George Church and getting to experience with him the "walk through" of the finished building for the first time! He met the minister there "Pastor Mark", and learned that this Church is growing! Around 100 in attendance now with 3 baptisms last year! Hallelujah! The two of them talked for a bit and Pastor Mark showed Joe where the new two room addition will be and the new outside bathroom facility that the Antioch Christian Church is building for them. We ended our day with a family style supper and a good time of devotions and discussion.
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January 24, 2015: It was somewhat of a slow start today with no angle iron and rebar to work with. However, we did manage to get some just before noon and several things done today. Some of our group went over to the Gonaives Christian Church to lay out and square up the new building in the school yard
and over at the Sonlight job site all of the 52 pieces of rebar got straightened and cut and bent in the jigs to be used for the trusses. Scottie was well pleased to get the first truss completed and is quite anxious to get the rest of them put together and welded. We prepared the walls of the building for the top flat bar and built two wooden ladders. We were visited by some of the children who go to this church and they were excited to come see us. They were full of energy and very well mannered children who we all agreed was a beautiful blessing to our day. We are all looking forward to worshipping tomorrow with our brothers and sisters in Christ here in Haiti.
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January
25, 2015: Today, I am amazed! When The Lord said in Matthew 28 to go unto all
the world and preach the gospel, I am pretty sure he meant places such as
Grande eau Haiti where babies are scared of white people because they have
never seen them before. (Yes, I scared a little girl so bad she cried every
time I looked at her today.) I find it SO amazing that we can travel across the ocean
in an airplane, drive up the coast of Haiti in a van, then drive Sainsurians 4
wheel drive Mitsubishi two hours up the mountain, crossing a river
(through the water) 8 times one
way, on a road that I am quite sure was not made for motorized vehicles. In the
middle of absolute no where we find a Christian Church, numbering between 80 and
100 fellow believers worshipping just as we do on the first day of the week raising hands and singing hymns like At Calvary, Come thou fount, Power in the blood, and I surrender all. Memorizing scripture, praying
and listening to a Holy Spirit inspired message.
Sainsurians father started this church in 1990 and Sainsurian preached there
many years until he found a replacement. He built their 30x60 structure in
2002. He oversees the church now, visiting often to make sure everything is ok. One other interesting fact,
approximately 200 children attend school there each day, and I stand UTTERLY
AMAZED!
Not
all of us could fit in Sainsurians car, so Joe and Rodney went to worship with
the Kay George Christian church here in Gonaives. Joe described a feeling of
amazement himself as he stood up and was able to thank Pastor Mark for preaching there and
Pastor Sainsurian for all the help he gave in completing this building. He was
able to share with the congregation two reasons he comes to Haiti. 1) To see to
it that the gospel is able to be preached and 2) So the lost will come to know
Jesus as their personal Saviour.
Just
after lunch they were able to visit the Jesus loves me Orphanage. He said it
was so nice to visit with Prospeir and Clotide, and to see the new commercial
size freezer in use that was just purchased. He finished his day at the Raboteau Christian Church Revival.
We are all extremely tired tonight but looking forward to another work day
tomorrow. Please continue to pray for our team, God bless you all!
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January 26, 2015: A very productive day! We started our work day with a group prayer, then headed over to the Son light Christian Mission job site. We were blessed by all the children gathered at the flag pole to sing their national anthem and say the pledge, but first they sang "To God be the glory" and then they had prayer. I can't think of a better way to start the school day myself!
19 out of the 26 trusses were completed today, (welded, drilled and painted). We got the truss braces up on the building and we got the crane put together for the setting of the trusses in a couple of days. Group number two arrived safely (and on time) at the Port a Prince airport and they made it to Sainsurians house by 6:00 p.m. Everybody was pretty wiped out from a long day of traveling so we had some dinner and unpacked the luggage. After a short devotion on the importance of letting God handle our problems we prayed and everybody settled in for the night.
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January 27, 2015: It's been a busy day for CMF. Two groups at two different work sites. After getting approximately three inches of rain overnight, the digging of the footer at the Gonaives Christian Church seemed a little easier than we thought it would be. We actually got a rough grade of the whole perimeter complete. 98 % of the foundation excavation is done in the first day! (not bad for a bunch of hand tools and some determined hard working missionaries)! Over at the Sonlight Christian Mission, the welding of the trusses resumed bright and early this morning getting them all completed. One truss is fabricated and ready to hang tomorrow. The flat bar was welded to the top of the bond beam, and the wooden scaffolding was built. Joe Luka was the children's entertainment at recess with the silly game of ring around the rosie. Wood was ordered for delivery tomorrow morning and most everybody will be going there to start the roof construction. A few will stay with the foundation work to dig the poles for the plymasters. Even with jet-lag, the team worked really hard today and much was accomplished.
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January 28, 2015: Something comes over me every time I watch the roof going on one of these CMF buildings. An overwhelming sense of being so proud of this work team, and immense satisfaction fills my heart to be part of something so grand! From the crew on the ground running the crane, to the "monkey like" roof crew, the welders and wood cutters - all working together like busy bees in a bee hive. In a few short hours I look up and I see all 26 trusses welded in place and all the wooden perlins screwed on and ready for the tin, and I am filled with awe of what can happen when we say "yes" to God's plan! We took the crane and jigs apart when we were finished and took some of them back to Sainsurians house. We have ordered the tin for the roof and as soon as it's in, we will get it on and the job will be finished. A few of us went over to watch the kids do their flag raising this morning, and much to our surprise and enjoyment, they serenaded us with the sweetest song! "Welcome the visitors, welcome the visitors, we are happy you are here" is what they sang. How sweet!
The weather has threatened rain with intermittent sprinkles all day today, and I have to admit it was nice having the cloud cover for the work crew. It seems like we get a lot more done when it's not quite so hot. It is extremely strange weather for this time of year, I'm sure we have never seen it rain like this before in January, for it is raining again tonight!
However,THIS is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!
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January 29, 2015: Another busy day for CMF work teams. The roof crew headed over to Sonlight bright and early today. They were able to trim all the wooden perlins on the gables of the roof. Tin roofing was in short supply today, so they were only able to put up 15 sheets but was glad to at least get it started. All of the steel doors were set and welded, so Scottie was glad the welding was done, (at least for this week). The other CMF team members stayed here at the Gonaives Christian Mission site and was able to finish digging the footer and pilaster holes. River rock, gravel, sand and rebar was delivered today, and we were able to fill the footer with rock. Being so close to the school yard, any breaks we have are spent playing with and "trying" to communicate with all the children. This proves to be the highlight of our days! All in all, we felt like we had another successful work day in the kingdom of God!
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January 30, 2015: Some of the woman went to the market today which can be a brow raising experience, fun, but a little unnerving with so much traffic,people and chaos. We needed a few supplies from the grocery store and CMF bought electrical supplies for the Sonlight building. Mean while, back at the worksite of the Gonaives Christian Mission, the team started putting together the pilasters (columns) and moving lots of rock! 16 of the 20 columns were made and set in concrete and a lot of rock fill was placed for the foundation. The children were there with us again today, they were extremely enthusiastic about helping us carry rock. At one time they even started their own assembly line! The hunt for the sheet metal roofing continues, but should be resolved tomorrow. We are more than anxious to finish the Sonlight building and move forward with our other project. Please continue to pray for our team, we are working very hard and need strength, wisdom, and perseverance to see this through.
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January 31, 2015: Well, the sheet metal was finally found and delivered to the Sonlight building site this morning and our roof crew got the job done around 12:30 p.m. What a great feeling to look at this building where just last year at this time was a banana grove! We're giving God ALL the glory and feeling extremely humble to be a part of His plan! Melio walked back and forth inside the building saying "hallelujah, hallelujah," with the biggest smile on his face! There was definitely a feeling of accomplishment shared by all of us! The building site at Gonaives Christian Mission moved forward today. A lot of rock was moved and concrete was mixed and poured to complete 3 side walls of the foundation. The other 4 columns were welded and set as well. We are looking forward to a good nights rest and to a day of worship with our fellow Christians here in Haiti tomorrow.
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February 1, 2015: No physical labor today, just worshipping with the church in Haiti! Sainsurian had to visit the church in Gorse-Mone (pronounced Gohrmon) this morning. It is one of the 5 churches he is responsible for. This made me very happy because he let us go with him and it was the only church I had not seen before. It was a 90 minute drive on a VERY rough road through the mountain range. It was a long ride, (especially for the men in the back of a truck) but well worth the trip! This Christian Church was very friendly and very enthusiastic in their worship which gladdened our souls. The view of the mountains and country side was absolutely breath taking! After getting back to the house, we quickly changed clothes and got a bite to eat and headed for a visit to Achin for the afternoon. The people in the village (especially the children) were very happy to see us! We were pleasantly surprised to see so many of them remembered our names! We took a look at the church, then decided to take a walk through the village and visited the old well there. Some of us took a small hike up the mountain while a couple of the men helped some women crush millet in a hollowed out stump. Apparently they didn't do it quite right and the women and children got a good laugh. It was so much fun getting to visit our friends at Achin! We had to get back though for sunday night service at Gonaives Christian Church. We ended the day with the traditional round table discussion with the team members who are leaving tomorrow, telling us "what the trip meant to them." This is always such a special time for us all, kind of sad for some of them leaving, but exceptionally touching to hear their thoughts. Joe Luka summed it up with these words, "We always seem to think so small, but God moves SO big!"
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February 2, 2015: We just never know what a day will hold! Travel plans for our team members leaving Haiti this morning quickly changed as we found out the road was blocked to Port-a-Prince. Seems demonstrators blocked the roads (nation wide) in protest of extremely high gas prices. 1 gallon of gas is $5.00 (U.S. currency) and the average working wage for a days work is only around $12.00 (U.S.) I can see why they are upset, I just wish they had a better way of resolving this problem. It was very stressful trying to take care of the group coming in from the United States, but we managed to have a couple of very reliable young men (thanks to Daniel Jean-Claude) pick them up at the airport and get them safely to a good hotel we had booked for them. We have had our excellent travel agent Becky Luka working all day canceling and changes flights for us, and we still aren't sure we will get them to the airport tomorrow in time to catch their flight. It's been an interesting day to say the least, but so very encouraging to see our team putting their trust in our Big God, faithfully quoting scripture and coming before Him in prayer. Please join us in prayer to get this resolved soon.
A lot of us continued the work here at the Gonaives Christian Church job site. Rebar was bent for the trusses and 2 of the trusses were welded together to take care of some needed adjustments. The rest of the foundation walls were finished and a LOT of rock was carried today for the fill that is needed for the floor foundation. It was a hard day here with all the stress and the return of the hot weather and hard work, but we chose to be thankful for all the Lord has done for us. We are so very thankful (and humbled) He allows us to be His kingdom workers.
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February 3, 2015: Work continued on the building at the Gonaives Christian Mission building. We moved a lot of rock for the floor foundation and it is almost ready for the framing. All of the steel was cut for the trusses and we got 5 trusses built. Our main objective for today was to get the team here in Gonaives to Port-a-Prince to catch their rescheduled flight, and to get the other group that came in yesterday to Gonaives. This was only made possible by the road block demonstrations dissipating. When we found out the strike was over, we quickly packed up the bus with people and luggage and left for the airport. While in Port-a-Prince, we gathered some electrical supplies and picked up the other group and they arrived here at Sainsurian's house around 6:00 p.m.. As we all gathered around the table for supper and devotions this evening, you could feel the relief of this long journey to get here ending, and the anticipation of what God has in store for us this week. Most everybody enjoyed some time on the roof to soak up the moon light and just marvel at the blessings God has given us today!
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February 4, 2015: Well, we moved a lot of rock today. (Seems like I write the same thing everyday) However, it does take a lot of rock to fill the foundation in a 40x60 building! We completed the fill for the foundation floor today and got the batter boards up. All the rebar was laid and tied and is now ready for the concrete to start tomorrow. Bill Koas went over to Sonlight Mission to install the electricity for the building there and has a little while longer to finish it. 16 of the 26 trusses were welded and ready for drilling as well. It was really hot working in the sun today and we felt the exhaustion but finished this day getting much accomplished. Playing with the kids in the school yard is always the highlight of our days and we thank God for these sweet moments we have with them.
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February 5, 2015: A long hard day of mixing, spreading and leveling concrete paid off when we were able to get 3/4 of the floor done today. It was a constant mixing concrete (by hand), wheel barreling and using the trials and hand float that made it all possible. The sun was hot, and muscles are getting sore, but God gave us the strength to put in a good day. The welding of the trusses is now complete which made the welding crew extremely happy! A small group went to the Achin Christian Church building to make some preparations for the stucco. Some who went had never been there before and it did not take too long for them to fall in love with this little village that has captured the hearts of CMF since the first day we met them. Big wide smiles, bright eyes and the enthusiastic love they have for us is really hard to resist!
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February 6, 2015: The concrete floor, the porch and steps are all finished at the Gonaives Christian Church site! Our group completed all of this just before noon today. After a celebration lunch that included cheesecake and birthday candles for Andrew, we had some odd jobs that needed done in various places, so our team was somewhat scattered. Some did laundry, some went to Sonlight and some put together food packets individuals purchased to give to some of our friends at Achin on Sunday. We ended our day with devotions and long discussions around the table. My heart is full tonight, loving this experience God has allowed me to participate in.
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February 7, 2015: Today was another day of wrapping things up here in Gonaives Haiti. The Haitian crew started laying block this morning which makes the project look a lot more like a building. It's a beautiful site to see the foundation completed where just two weeks ago stood an empty lot. The project at Sonlight Christian Mission is just as impressive with the roof completed, the gables laid up in block, the bathroom walls finished and electricity ran. The 2 men from Virginia that's been with us all week was here to help Melio and the mission. They helped us a whole lot too with pouring the concrete at Gonaives Christian Church, and was also able to buy the supplies to weld 2 soccer nets for Sonlight. It was great watching the kids play soccer there tonight when we went over there for a dedication service to the building. It was a very nice service with Melio telling us all how much he appreciated all that CMF has done for him and especially how God has worked in all of this since he was a little boy. The CMF team members each had chosen a scripture for the dedication and read them aloud. Kenny Lovelace from Sonlight said a few words of appreciation and then we all sang together, "To God be the glory". I was especially touched by the sound of the haitian voices singing the song beside me in creole as we sang in english. Sonlight Christian Mission prepared a wonderful meal for all of us to show their gratitude for the hard work we put in this building. It was delicious and so nice to sit down all together at one very long table and enjoy the food and fellowship. I'm not sure how it got started, but we started singing songs together, (a cappella of course) and it was so much fun! Tomorrow we will go to church service at Achin and come back here for lunch. We need to be packed and ready to leave because we have to go to Port a Prince tomorrow and spend the night because they are expecting the road to be closed again on Monday. This has been an absolutely wonderful trip and I don't think any of us is ready for it to end. Haiti is an interesting and lovable country that burrows down deep in your heart and changes you forever...(or should I say God changes you forever!) Thank you God!
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February 8, 2015: We attended the Achin Christian Church this morning and wow, what a blessing! Traveling in the back of the truck to get there is one of the most unique experiences some of us have ever had. I'm sure not many of us have ever rode in the back of a pick-up truck to get to church before, but we loved every minute of it! Soaking in the mountains and the cooler morning air is just the way we wanted to start our day! Services were enthusiastic to say the least. These sweet people come together and worship whole heartedly and with such energy! Offering time is as upbeat and lively as I have ever seen. Extreme poverty is prevalent in the village of Achin, and yet they are so cheerful in their giving! The song leader is constantly engaging the people and leading them in shouting "Hallelujah!, thank you Jesus!" (It's easy to want their kind of faithfulness). We were able to witness an new minister named David, preach for the first time there in the church. When Sainsurian introduced the CMF team we all gathered up front and much to Nancy Moore's surprise, the whole congregation sang "happy birthday" to her. We offered up a song of praise, "I have decided to follow Jesus" and felt good about contributing to the service. When the service was over, we passed out a few toys , some dresses to little girls and some food packets we had made up. Leaving there was hard again as we just love this community so much! We left Gonaives around 2:00 this afternoon and made it to Port-a-Prince safely to a hotel. We will be going early to the airport and hopefully will be able to get through the streets before the demonstrations get too bad.
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CMF 2015 Traveling Mission Team updated 1/13/15
Group 1 January 22 - February 9
1. Rodney Hoskins
2. Scott Mays
3. Nancy Mays
Group 5 January 22 - February 2
1. Dennis Forsythe
2. Joe Luka (meeting us in Atlanta)
3. Cory Bess
Group 2 January 26 - February 9
1. Sue Eldridge
2. John Hendrix
3. Cheryl Jennings
4. Sue Johnson
5. Bill Kohus
6. Sharon Shelton
7. Joe Moore
8. Nancy Moore
Group 3 January 26 - February 2
1. Stephen Bauer
2. Kevin Gosche
3. Lisa St. Clair
4. Mark St. Clair
5. Sarah Gosche
Group 4 February 2 - February 9
1. Andrew Glancy
2. Elizabeth Glancy
3. Jessica Glancy
4. Melissa Hendrix
5. Daniel Hopkins
6. Don Kirk
7. Norman Schipull (meeting us in Atlanta)
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