Thursday, June 22, 2017

Last day :-(

Today was our last day of working in Onaville. We got so much done. The foundation is FINISHED and they are just about ready to lay the cement. All of the trusses are up, and ready to put the roof on! God is SO good and he blessed us with so much this week. We finished the book shelf that we started yesterday which will hold 3 shelves of books for the children!

We also took the time to visit church #6, which was at one of the high points in Onaville. The view was incredible, and showed God’s beauty in this truly beautiful place. 

Our third and final day of vacation bible school was today. We had pre-glued crosses made from popsicle sticks put together, and we gave them each a crayon to color their cross. It was so cool to see their creative minds take control and to see the master pieces they came up with. 

Goodbyes are always hard. When these kids get beyond excited to see you every single day and you get to know them all individually, it makes the goodbye even more difficult. These children never fail to put a smile on your face even as we drove away from the church today. The love of Christ truly shines through each and everyone of these children and adults and that is just one of the things that makes this place so special. 












Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Day 4! Only one more day of work!

Today was an awesome day of working! We continued as a team working the foundation as we got 2 more loads of dirt/rock. In addition to that, we got the trusses up on the and continued working to get the roof up.

We also started putting together a book shelf so the church has a place to store the books for the school that they have going on. Another full day of vacation bible school - today we made bracelets out of pipe cleaners and added 4 beads each and one bell, the kids absolutely loved it. As they finished their own, the would shake their wrist to make the bell jingle and say "Jésus" as they were thankful! They loved it.

Hard work pays off! The foundation is just about filled in with rocks and dirt, ready for the cement to be mixed and placed.


Colleen and Katie measuring and leveling the pieces to put the bookshelf together! We will finish cutting and assembling tomorrow!

The first thing we did today was carry the trusses down from the church to be put up on the roof! We needed help from the "strong" guys (and Shel) to lift it

            More measuring and cutting of pieces for the bookshelf!
 

One of the loads is dropped in a pile and our team pulls and spreads the dirt so we are able to level it out eventually!

Some of the guys working on the building to place the trusses on!

The "upstairs crew"

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Day Three :-)


DAY THREE:  Newsflash: It is still hot in Haiti! But the heat didn't stop this team of crusaders from helping move the project in Onaville another step forward. And it wasn't just work....there was a good amount of fun to accompany! Today was the first day of Christian Bible School with the children of Onaville, all dressed in there fabulous new uniforms. 

Christian bible school was an opportunity to tell the children about God and His love. We played games outside as a way to welcome, engage and get to know the children. After the games finished, we led all the children from the neighbor into the church to join the small children who were at school already to sing songs. Our lesson was about David and Goliath. Encouraging the children to trust in God and know that all things are possible with him. The children were very engaged and excited while watching the portrayal of this classic bible story by the Thompson Family who is working with us. After, we had a craft of making visors, which all the kids loved. Every child left with a happy face and a heart that was able to hear about our God. Shelly shared her testimony of God's grace and how faithful He has been to her. It helps for children to hear how our faith and Lord has impacted us.

More updates on construction tomorrow....my hands are too sore from shoveling rock to elaborate any further today :) 

Katie Pena and MK Diderrich
















Here is the link for the recap video from work day 1!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154461762772260&id=638987259

Monday, June 19, 2017

HAITI DAY TWO

Greetings from Haiti!  Today was an incredible day of community, connecting and constructing!  The RG team started the day in Onaville, Haiti, where we were greeted and inspired by Pastor Noel, a man who truly lives to serve and be the hands and feet of Jesus! He shared with the team the history of the Haitian people and the deep rooting in voodoo and satanic practice that is prevalent in this country .  On the very foundation on which we stood and worked, a  man who had been possessed by satan converted to Jesus Christ and cast out his demons.  Pastor Noel reminded all of us that Jesus is the Lord and Savior and there is NO ROOM for satan in His house.

We later toured the mountainside and visited and prayed with the Onaville natives. It was incredibly moving to see the Holy Spirit working through them.....and the smiles and hugs were fabulous gifts as well!

The brunt of the day was spent building roof trusses and moving thousands of pounds of gravel and rock to build the foundation of what will be a food depot in the near days to come.  The work was incredibly challenging, but that only made it more rewarding.  As a team, we made significant headway on the project and look forward to tomorrow's progress.

Written by Mary Kay Diderrich



Houses throughout the town of Onaville
We did a prayer walk today - walking around Onaville talking to and praying with the families that lived in houses just like the one above

A few children playing soccer as we were doing our prayer walk



Some helpers as we were moving and shoveling dirt 

Saturday, June 17, 2017

We made it!


It was a long day of flights today but we finally arrived in Port Au Prince around 6:30. Everyone is tired but very excited to be here. More stories to come tomorrow!


We were all greeted right away from the dogs that live in New Life Children's Home - Lucy

We made it!

Chicago O'Hare


There's a saying in Haiti, when things get difficult "moun yon moun" - mountains beyond mountains
Our first team prayer in Port Au Prince

City central

Welcome center in the airport


Thursday, June 15, 2017

T-Minus 34 hours until take off!

Hello! Welcome to our blog for our 2017 Haiti trip. We have a team of approximately fifteen, leaving on Saturday the 17th for Port Au Prince, Haiti! We will be staying at New Life Children's Home and we will be there for a week. We could use your prayers in the following areas: safety while traveling and throughout the week, relationships between our team and the children/staff, the new church plant and that we would build quickly and efficiently, for the new life staff team, and for a healthy and fulfilling week! We appreciate every thought and prayer sent. Keep checking back for daily updates throughout the week!
 Part of our team!
New Life Children's Home where we will be staying!