Day 5,6: Over the Mountains and to the Orphanage

Now, we've been without internet and returned to civilization,  but here is the telling of those busy days.

After the ceremony at Love and Hope Community School we were all charged up.  Everyone loved the people of Grand Bouche and were excited to make an impact in the lives of more Haitians.   However,  that took some travel....  "Over the mountain" was how it was described to us, and as legendary as it sounded - it measured up.  No road grading, leveling,  buses with broken axles, a huge sidewall blow-out, Joe knocking his head like a base drum on the window as the truck lurched ...

And the orphanage.  The heart and soul of what we came to do.  And it was one of those moments when everything made sense.  Jesus said:  ‘whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  And here they were.


Our final blog video:  http://www.vimeo.com/27153605

Day 3: Celebrate

Take that dusty cinder block building, paint it bright white,  and then fill it with the villagers dressed in their Sunday best.   And it's even better if they surprise you,  and suddenly you're saying a few short words in front of all them and being applauded.   You get kind of nervous and step on the translators words.  So thanks to Jean Delcy, Grand Bouche, Todd Moffatt and John Delcy for the opportunity.

The video is slightly unpolished but motivating!

http://www.vimeo.com/26854904

Day 2: Paint

20 gallons of paint doesn't go too far on stucco walls!  Well,  unless you consider 'bright and beautiful' too far!   So, with the help of 20 gallons of white paint we tackled the new schoolhouse at the Love and Hope Community School of Grand Bouche Haiti.  John Delcy,  who works with Camp Elim Orphanage is building to enlarge the school for several more grades and making a family and marriage counseling center.   The crazy fun was riding to the school on the back of the pick-up,   Haiti style!  In a way,  Haiti is like the Outback Steakhouse.  No rules, just fun.  But,  on a more serious note,  you look at all the tents tarps and shelters with USAID printed on the sides, and all the people living with absolutely nothing, and you realize that there is a true need for us and there is much we can share.

Take a look at our video log!    http://www.vimeo.com/26793554

Day 1: Baggage

Here's our report from Day 1.  33 bags. We lugged, dragged and counted bags for the full day.  Watch the video to join the fun!  Again,  thanks for all your support and even though it was a long day,  we're glad we could represent everyone here in Haiti.  

Check out the video at:  http://www.vimeo.com/26787165

Camp Elim - Background and History

    Camp Elim ministries has been in operation for 17 years. The school, pre-kindergarten through 6th grade, currently has about 225 students, with 10 teachers. Summer camps also draw many young people each year, with an average of 120 campers each week. There have been as many as 192 young people attending at one time.
    Camp Elim is situated on 16 acres on the southwest coast of Haiti. It is only about 120 miles west of the capital city of Port-au-Prince, but due to bad roads, the trip takes about 5-6 hours by truck.
The compound includes a school with 8 classrooms, a dining hall, an open pavilion for church services, and sleeping accommodations for 140 campers in the summer. There is also a large guesthouse, a parsonage, a workshop and storage building. We are presently remodeling an old chicken house and a bakery to be able to accommodate 30 more summer campers.
     Due to the large proportion of young people in this country, we were challenged to build another camp 65 miles north of Camp Elim near Jeremie. Fort Grand A’nse includes two schools, one in the mountains and another at a nearby church. We have hired 13 teachers for these two schools. There are also summer camps with nearly 130 coming each week.
    The facilities at Fort Grand A’nse include a meeting room for 200, which also doubles as a dining hall, four cabins, and an administration building (which also can sleep 14 campers if necessary).