Father with SIX sons

The team left the Christ Covenant Church in Knoxville, TN Tuesday morning, July 21, at 4:30 am and finally arrived at the dorm, where they will stay for ten days, around 8:15 pm. Luggage was unloaded off the top of the 2 rented vans and a long awaited supper was ready. It was lights out by 10:30 pm to try to sleep in the stillness of the HOT Haiti summer night.

Personal devotion time followed by breakfast was the start of the first full day in Haiti. One of the main features for the day was helping pour a concrete floor in a house chosen by Haitian Pastor Clebert. MH construction coordinator Burns Cesaire had made arrangements for workers and materials and the team joined in. After kind of a slow start…the main ‘boss’ that had been hired to lead the workers walked off the job. He was demanding more pay than what had been agreed upon the day before. After a short time, God’s provision was evident when we were in full swing with a new ‘boss’. Great teamwork!

Pictured here...the father, 2 of the 4 big brothers and the twins.

The home owner is a man who lost his wife due to illness about 1 year ago. He is left to raise 6 boys which includes twin boys less than 2 years old. The older brothers show a beautiful commitment to helping love and nurture the baby brothers. When so many Haitian households are made of mothers and grandmothers raising so many children without a male figure in the house, this is such an uncommon Haitian household…7 males in the house with no female presence.

The beautiful art of mixing concrete

The father worked alongside the team

All the big brothers also worked on the project

The father is obviously feeling overwhelmed at his responsibility to love and provide for his family, alone. The whole family worked hard on the concrete floor right alongside the team and the Haitian ‘boss’ and workers. The walls of the house are in desperate need of repair. Burns will figure what budget would be needed to see if there could be funds available to strengthen the structure with Krepi, a smooth cement finish layer, inside and out.

The work was done and everyone gathered for prayer asking God to bless this family! The boss is pictured on the far left in the pink shirt. The family is also on the left. 4 big brothers, the father and the twin babies, Burns is pictured in front in the white and black stripe polo with our translator, Devnel, just to the right.

After a big Haitian meal of rice, sauce, chicken legs, coleslaw, fried plantains, fresh Passion fruit juice, and a cold Coka Cola, the whole team was off to another project. Many Hands for Haiti is developing a piece of land in the nearby community of Sylvain.

A trench had been dug and PVC piping for a water line had been put in place. The team worked in the HOT summer sun to fill dirt back into the trench. Shovels, rakes, machetes and lots of neighborhood kids helped get the job done.