A couple essential parts and Back to School

The realization that there were two essential parts left out of the overview of the construction zone in Sylvain has prompted this update.   SO...given we are working on new development in the countryside in a third world country one must realize there are no restaurants to get a quick lunch in the middle of a workday and get right back to work.  Food preparation here takes a long time. There are no packages of pre-made food to open and heat.

Food is prepared for the construction crew each workday by a hard working woman from the neighborhood in this 'kitchen'.  The woman is Rosita who was mentioned previously that asked Jesus to be Lord of her life.  Some family members have been helping Rosita with the cooking. Today we were captivated by the sight of Rosita's granddaughter, probably 7 years old...carrying a large wash tub on her head as well as a big shovel with two empty 5 gallon buckets latched on by the wire  handles!

Also...think about a construction site in the undeveloped countryside...what else would be an essential part of the daily routine with a construction crew of around 20 men?

Yep!  A Haitian Port-a-potty.  

Another side note...It is interesting to observe nearly all of the workers...

wearing flipflops on the job.

School starts here in the Central Plateau of Haiti on Monday, September 7th.  We hosted a back-to-school party for some of our friends who have helped Many Hands for Haiti throughout the summer.

       Pictured left to right...Craig, Kenedy, Christi, Roodson, Woodson, Heidi, Fransley, Richelin

What's a party without some snacks and drinks?  We had bread with Haitian Mamba (peanut butter), Cheecos (like Cheetos), Craig's famous popcorn, and ice cold 'Koka' in glass bottles.  As we began to enjoy the food, Woodson said. "oh no, we forgot to pray before we ate."  So we gave thanks for the food and the KOKA!  We finished the evening with a few hands of 'En'
(pronounced eh) which is 'one' in Creole... which is 'Uno" in Spanish.  In other words we played the Creole version of Uno.

Back to school also means a distribution of 'Meals from the Heartland' which are pouches of rice and beans along with a flavor and vitamin enrichment packet all packed in boxes.  MH4H distributes boxes to 10 schools and a handful of other designated recipients.  One school, located in La Belle Mar, sent representatives, all women, with a total of six donkeys and horses to transport their 28 boxes back to the school.

     The 28 boxes weighing an estimated 850 pounds are quite a load for these 'beasts of burden'.

It was an amazing sight... these women working together as a team, skillfully tying the heavy load securely, and guiding their caravan, maybe while singing..."Through the river and over the mountain to La Belle Mar we go".  Or maybe not!  (Oh wait..that is "Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go")


Even as much of a privilege as it is to be able to attend school, Back-to-School time brings economic hardships as families are trying to pay school tuition fees and pay for school shoes and school uniforms to be sewn and buy the needed books and school supplies.  We can sense a heightened desperation all around.  We have been fielding an increased number of pleas for help in a wide range of situations. One way MH4H has been able to ease the burden just a bit is by sharing back packs that have been brought by Mission teams over that past several months.  We had intentionally held on to them to be shared at this optimal time.

One morning this past week the staff devotion time was focused on the Word of God from
1 Peter 1:3-9...   A Living Hope:  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith--being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  We also turned to Hebrews 13:5b  Because Jesus said: I will never leave you, I will never forsake you."   As a group we repeated the verse out loud numerous times... 
"Paske Bondye te di: Mwen p'ap janm vire do ba ou, mwen p'ap janm lage ou."  

In times of hardship, God's word brings HOPE to a potentially hopeless setting.

Recently we met Wikenson, a 4 year old with similar problems seen in Elinise, the 3 year old that MH has been providing the means for physical therapy and doctor appointments.

Such situations just shout "The Least of These".  We are constantly trying to discern the right situations for MH to get involved.

Wikenson is actually the third such child in need that we have met.

The following picture shows John Kerry Cadet, 20 months, who came to us a few weeks ago.  His father walked from Bohoc which is a good 4-5 miles from the dorm.  He has been bringing John Kerry by foot into Pignon multiple times a week for physical therapy sessions hoping to see improvement in his son's condition.

We are praying for God to show a way to ease the burden for the families of children with these special needs.

Hebrews 13:5b  Because Jesus said: I will never leave you, I will never forsake you."   

"Paske Bondye te di: Mwen p'ap janm vire do ba ou, mwen p'ap janm lage ou."  

This thankful family has been blessed to have a one room concrete block house provided by MH along with partnership from Christ Covenant Church in Knoxville, TN.  Veronique George lives in Sylvain with her 3 children.  Her husband passed away and she has been doing her best to be the head of the household.  Hebrews 13:5b  Because Jesus said: I will never leave you, I will never forsake you."   

"Paske Bondye te di: Mwen p'ap janm vire do ba ou, mwen p'ap janm lage ou."  

Another house build project by MH is down the road from the dorm.  This house is being built in the same 'lakou', yard, as another existing house where 16 family members are residing together. The man standing in the doorway had put up the stick walls and had started gathering wood to be used for the roof.  MH is supplying the materials and labor for the roof and doors.  The materials to 'Krepi' the walls and pour a concrete floor will also be provided by MH.  The labor will be done by this man and his brother who have concrete pouring skills.

Hebrews 13:5b  Because Jesus said: I will never leave you, I will never forsake you."   

"Paske Bondye te di: Mwen p'ap janm vire do ba ou, mwen p'ap janm lage ou."  

Saturday is Market day in Pignon.  MH purchased some goats to begin a breeding program.  A young man seemed to be observing as we were adding to the number one by one.  He came close saying he was 'grangou', hungry, and needed money for food.  It is such a hard thing to handle as it is not the best thing to just stand and hand out money.  We were looking ahead to the task of getting the goats from Pignon out to their new home in Sylvain.  Rather than giving a handout, we asked if the young man would help walk the goats in exchange for 20 Haitian dollars (about $2.00 US).  He agreed.  He used part of the money on the spot to get some food to eat before the 1 1/2 mile walk to Sylvain.  He got a meal, we benefitted from his help, and we became friends.

You can't have a goat breeding program without the other half of the mating process.
Here we have...

a stud.  :)

Blessed be the LORD forever. Amen and Amen. Psalm 89:52

We have pondered the concept that we are with MH4H here in Haiti not necessarily serving 

the Haitian people but specifically serving God.   

                               "Blessed be the LORD forever.  Amen and Amen.   Psalm 89:52"

The progress being realized on the MH4H Sylvain Campus is such encouragement from the Lord.  

We think Proverbs 16:3 is where it's at!   

       "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."

Read fast...tomorrow these photos might be OLD NEWS.  We hope so!

The gazebo, in Creole: cazibo, has been a blessing since the first day it was in use.  Each weekday morning at 7:00 AM the MH staff and a handful of other friends and neighbors come together for a time of worship through song, scripture with group discussion, and prayer.  Yesterday morning after the discussion time the wife of a nearby witch doctor responded by wanting to have Jesus be Lord of her life.  The MH Haitian staff approached the moment with confidence by speaking to her to be sure she understood what that would mean on her part.  One staff member boldly stated that as she would become a Christian she could face persecution starting right then.  The woman wants to be a Child of God.  "Blessed be the LORD forever.  Amen and Amen.   Psalm 89:52"

Today the "Well House/Prayer Hut" has the first layer of Krepi, the smooth cement finish on the walls.

The pump for the well will be secure and the back side, a prayer area, 

is a place to give thanks for such things as simple yet as essential as water.  

"Blessed be the LORD forever.  Amen and Amen.   Psalm 89:52"

The current BIG project is the "Equipping Center".  The Haitian work crew is led by contractor/project manager, Jim.  They are working hard each day in the hot sun but making great progress.  Some evenings we receive a progress report on the days work such as this:

• Half of the perimeter columns were poured yesterday. The remainder will be poured today.
• The bond beam on the block will be poured Thursday
• The well house was rough plastered and forms and steel were placed for the bench.
• We will form and pour the center columns tomorrow.

     Not much for automated equipment here.  See the small cement mixer in the background to the left.            Concrete block, rock, gravel, sand, water are the recipe for most construction projects in Haiti.
         Day by day, wheelbarrows and buckets and shovels and hard work will get the project done.

The Equipping Center will be the location of the Thrive program.  

A daily, weekday meal will be served.  See the serving counter to the right.  Supply room on the left. 

Serving counter

Outdoor kitchen 

Equipping Center storage rooms on the opposite side of the outdoor kitchen and serving counter

The Equipping Center will not only be used for the Thrive program.  This facility will allow MH4H to host conferences, seminars, community meetings, as well as events with a worship setting.  All this to develop and grow Spiritual Leaders for Christ.

Next week there will be American missionaries coming to work with MH4H to help with the roof.

Ephesians 4:11-13  The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, 

to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.  

This structure is labeled the Agronomy Training Center.  Two shipping containers were carefully placed  with construction of a roof to complete the facility.  It's first use however will be to host the Thrive program until the Equipping Center is ready for use.

Today an introductory Thrive meeting was held to help parents understand what the program offers. "Blessed be the LORD forever.  Amen and Amen.   Psalm 89:52"

2015 Thrive Program group

             Moms, Dads, babies getting the feel for the program and MH staff share what it is all about.

Included in the report from Jim, the contractor:  All of the bench lumber has been cut and router-ed. They will be sanding them tomorrow.   This is being done at Jim's warehouse about a mile away.
Another update from Jim included:  I stopped by the welding shop today to drop off steel for the tack plates on the columns and I see they are hard at welding on the benches.  I also had him make hurricane straps for the container roof.

Seedlings ready to be transplanted into the Sylvain model garden that will teach and train community members on how to have a more productive garden.

Colossians 3:23  Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward: 

you serve the Lord Christ.

Following Elinise

Since March 2015, MH4H has had the opportunity to build a relationship with a little girl named Elinise that lives down the dirt road from the dorm where we live.  Elinise is 3 years old and has had physical and mental disabilities since she was sick at age 2 months.  She was pictured in a previous blog after we first met her in March.  Because of generous support of devoted donors, MH4H has been able to offer opportunities that otherwise would not have been possible.

The current situation is that Elinise has had tests done by a specialist in Port au Prince and has been diagnosed with a form of epilepsy.  Medication has been prescribed, she will go to Port for monthly check ups for the next several months, she will receive baby formula and a weekly food allowance. She will continue to have physical therapy sessions provided by a local Haitian physical therapist.

Please read on and discover the story of Elinise as MH4H has experienced.

One of the March team members named Katelyn and others 

have been praying for Elinise since the day we met her.

We began to learn more about the reason for her condition when two MH4H teams overlapped 

on a rainy night.  Elinise and her mother visited the dorm late in the afternoon in June.  

Nicole, who has experience in childhood disabilities, was a member of a team that was leaving 

the very next morning.  She could determine by sight from her professional 

experience and training that Elinise was suffering from severe brain damage.  

A member of the overlapping team that had just arrived that day, Shelly, is in the profession 

of physical therapy.  After dark the late day rain had stopped. Many of the team members 

wanted to share in the visit with Elinise to show support and offer prayer for the family 

so we walked the 1/2 mile to her house trying to stay out of the mud.  After weaving 

and hopping and dodging mud puddles we just surrendered and waded through to finally 

arrive at our destination.  Shelly quietly began to assess the condition of this sweet girl 

by flashlight. After the short visit and prayer, the group 'swam' back to the dorm.  

With the next day came another walk to the house for Shelly (Pictured on the left) 

to do some preliminary physical therapy 

to determine more clearly what Elinise's condition seemed to be.

Over the weeks as teams have packed some cans of baby formula to bring as a gift, 

we have been able to offer this source of high nutrition.  

It seems otherwise she is able to eat plain rice with baking soda mixed in.  

We wonder if the baking soda starts the process of breaking down the starch of the rice.  ??

Pictured with Elinise is Kenzie who spent the month of June with us.  

She also visited Elinise many times.  Some specially designated donations have been given 

to cover medical costs as well as to help provide 

nutritional foods for Elinise so her body can start to grow and become strong.  

    Unable to sit without help, Elinise is snuggled in this chair with layers of clothes and blankets,

The family was chosen to receive a concrete floor which the next team helped pour,  

A concrete floor project is a win all around...there are local men that get to work, 

dollars are put into the economy because all the materials are purchased locally, 

the family gains a health benefit by not sleeping on a dirt floor, and a short-term mission team 

has the opportunity to interact and work alongside the workers and the family.

This is Elinise's father.  He himself has some construction skills.  

MH4H had purchased a few more bags of cement to be used by the father 

to 'krepi' the walls, giving it a smooth strong finish that will last for years to come.

We were made aware of the availability of a trained physical therapist who agreed 

to come and help determine what could be offered to help Elinise.  

It seems as though her brain doesn't send the proper signals to move her limbs.  

This has created the condition of tightness in her muscles and very short tendons.  

Edner, the local PT, has made the commitment to visit Elinise at her house two time each day 

for PT sessions with the goal of a gradual stretch for her muscles and tendons.  

  Here a lip balm container was just the thing to work on loosening the grip and exercising the hands

Edner is using various methods to achieve results for Elinise.  Here he is using casts to keep 

the legs straight for a longer period of time for the gradual stretching benefit.

Edner uses a PT table that was custom built by two MH team members

 More attempts at varying the PT approach.  Notice the lip balm container in the left hand again.  :)

Another casting method

And another

Edner, Elinise's mother, and a team member Karen help while an "Icy Hot" ointment 

is used to relax the joints and muscles during a session

In a months time Edner has seen improvement in range of motion

Edner helped coordinate an appointment for Elinise to see an orthopedist that makes 

occasional visits to work in the Pignon Hospital.  The orthopedist referred Elinise 

to be seen by a specialist in Port au Prince.  On July 17, Elinise had her first appointment in Port.  Edner accompanied Elinise and her mother.  Of all the challenges...the mother suffered from motion sickness the entire trip. In all so far they have made 4 trips to Port au Prince
with the next one scheduled for August 27.
Edner has faithfully been going to the home of Elinise 2 times a day, 5 days a week
and will continue and begin to teach Mom and Grandma when they are ready.

Edner ordered the appropriate sized chair to benefit Elinise so she can sit in a better position.  

The local chair maker included a special safety feature to keep Elinise from falling out of the chair.  The charge for crafting this custom chair....150 gourdes....equivalent to $2.71 US 

at the current exchange rate of 55.25 Haitian gourdes to one US dollar.  

We paid him for his work and included a tip for taking care to make the chair safe for Elinise.

Hopefully the physical limitations that appear to be caused by brain damage that occurred at age 2 months can be assessed by the scan being done next week.  At that time we hope there can be educated decisions made as to how to handle treatment for the long-term. 

Nicole, who originally helped assess Elinise's condition, has a “stroller size” form for us to complete and try to determine a correct model of stroller to bring to Elinise for ease of caring for her and improve her condition by proper positioning.

Our desire is that the family sees improvement in Elinise’s physical condition with Edner's commitment to the PT.  At a point, the idea is that mother and a grandmother who lives nearby, will feel the value in continuing with PT which Edner can teach and train.  We feel the family members first need to realize for themselves that it is worth the effort.  We do not foresee Elinise being able to walk or live independently due to the assumed brain damage but God is a God of miracles.  

Your prayers for Elinise will be heard. 

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling - if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked.  For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.  So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord - for we walk by faith, not by sight.  Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.  For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.

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.  

               Look who is working in the background...

                                     The kids joined right in with the hard work.                         

With breaks for water and shade, it was the Sylvain kids that just kept going!

                                              What a satisfying day.  God is good, all the time.