Haiti Day 3 by Louis Chalmers

We began day 3 riding across Port Au Prince after breakfast to the hillside village of Penea. This drive took us past the US Embassy, the UN and many other relief compounds. Haiti is a nation that has depended on hand outs from the world for survival for more than a generation.

Once we drove outside the city into the countryside you begin to appreciate the beauty of this tropical island.

We walked up the hillside to the church site we will be working on for the rest of the week. We were greeted by curious children who marched up the hill side with us.

This congregation of 300 lost their church building in the earthquake. Building demolition was completed by another volunteer group a month ago. Our task is to dig foundations for the enlarged building so they can be poured by weeks end.

The unique pleasure of this effort is that we are working side by side with our Haitian brothers and sisters to rebuild their building- something unique for my volunteer experience. The hope and joy of these people in the midst of loss continues to inspire us.

The work is hard and hot - the ground full of rocks. Progress is measured in inches with a pick ax and shovel. One challenge today was removing a fallen concrete pier from the site for the new pier. This took a couple of hours to uncover, tunnel under, break up, and remove the old pier. We will all rest well this evening.

The children of Haiti are bright, joyous, and beautiful. They hovered about us today full of curiosity and questions. After lunch the children broke out their kites as the cooling breeze blew up. Several of our ladies spent most of the afternoon reading to the children about God's love for them.

We returned to the compound weary but thankful for a good day well spent encouraging a congregation and planting seeds of hope for a community.

Pray for our stamina as the week wears on - the mind is willing but the body grows weary.
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