After a good night’s sleep in the air conditioning…and can I just say, whoever invented air conditioning (does anyone know?  Please comment and let us know) holds a special place in our hearts.  Never again will we take this amazing modern invention for granted.  It was wonderful to sleep in cool air.

Pastor Pierre and Aaron

Our first task after breakfast was to sort through all the supplies that we brought, plus a whole bunch of other supplies that previous teams had brought.  9:00 AM and everyone was sweating.  One personal highlight was Gary trying on random 4X clothes that I am pretty sure will not fit any Haitian.  Pierre said that the people will tear them open and use them as blankets.  Haitians certainly are industrious.  We loaded up the newly sorted supplies into the bus and off we went.

Gary sorting clothes

There was one slight incident on the way to Chambrun.  Aaron was our trusty driver…he was awesome in March.  July however didn’t start so great…during a right turn, he learned the valuable lesson of always driving with the door closed.  The team in the back were asking for air conditioning…Aaron delivered with a newly blown out window.  It sounded a bit like an explosion when the glass blew out.  We are pretty sure a red car is missing their driver’s side mirror.

The damage

We arrived in Chambrun and it was hard to recognize the campus if you were here just four months ago.  There are so many new buildings (3 tents, dining hall and kitchen, new bathrooms and showers), and other ones under construction (2 children’s homes, a warehouse, a hospital).  The kids were in school, there were 60 campus crusade kids, and a Dutch group that were all on campus.  We spent the better part of our day in two groups.  One group helped run the medical clinic and sort/organize the pharmacy.  The other group went to hang a front door on a newly built house in Chambrun.

Thumbs up

At our team meeting this evening, Pierre asked the group how many people can fit on the back of a tap tap.  A tap tap is a small pick-up truck that is used as a taxi.  You tap on the roof when you want to get out.  Some of our teenagers rode in the back of Pastor Pierre’s pick-up truck and became very aware of what many Haitians go through as the attempted to keep a door, a door frame, two soccer balls, 5 adults, and half-way through the trip a Haitian, all in the back of their own pick-up truck. American’s have so much personal space, and like it.  This is not a privilege that most Haitians enjoy.  After the group was stumped for a few moments, Shelli chimed in with the right answer…“always one more.”

After lunch

One last note.  One of the guys (Ted) went into the hardware store with Pierre to purchase the door.  It was interesting to observe that these men sit around all day hoping to sell a door, and Pierre shows up and is very willing to buy a door.  And yet, they didn’t jump up and ask to help them.  Almost the opposite actually, it was almost as if it was a bother that they came in the store.  Contrasting this experience was one later in the day where he interacted with a group of young boys from the school.  They were so engaging, one of them Ted is convinced will be an excellent salesman someday.  He shared with the group, and we all affirmed, that the youth in Haiti are so much the hope for this country.  Pierre and Nehemiah Vision Ministries are doing some amazing work, and it starts with the hope in the next generation of kids here in Haiti.

Hope for the future of Haiti

IDP Camp

Food under tent

Bricks