Wednesday and Thursday we got more time to play with the kids, and more work to do! Thursday was an especially busy day for the team, as we divided into 4 teams to get all the jobs accomplished. Jim worked on welding
Then they began to work on the roof for the covered area. This is going to serve multiple purposes for Fenel's vision. #1 will be a covered work area where they can continue to work on smaller projects even if it's raining. #2 will be a covered area to park like a 'garage' to keep his truck and work with the older kids on mechanic skills. That's one thing I really love about the plans Fenel has. He isn't just providing a home and security for these kids till they are 18. He is planning for their future. He's thinking ahead, to helping them have skills and trades to provide for themselves when they are older. It is so exciting to hear about all he has planned and wants to do.
They finished the roof on the two rooms, that when we got there were merely walls. Success!
Here's my hubby passing a roof panel up to the guys (and squirrel girl, as she's affectionately come to be known, but that's another story for another day).
Here's Betty, Drew, and I painting the frames for the solar panels. That's just another one of Fenel's visions. He wants to be totally off the grid eventually, because city power is unreliable, so He uses a generator for power now. Because it's sunny year round in Haiti, solar power is a great option for them. What a vision!
A job well done! Here's Fenel holding the makeshift ladder steady for Heather to come down.
Even though we had planned to work on installing a water filtration system, it hadn't yet made it to Haiti or through customs yet, so we had to be flexible! We were there to do whatever Fenel needed. He needed the roof work done, and it just so happened we had some guys with just those skills! In the words of Fenel, "Brother, God knows!" He shared with us over our debriefing one night, about more plans he had, and we were talking about what his next plans were and how he saw things happening, and how would he accomplish those things, and he just smiled and said, "Brother, God knows." It became an ongoing all too true joke the rest of the week. Whenever we didn't know something, my husband or I, we would reply to each other, " Brother, God knows." I also heard Fenel and other team members say it more as well.
See, that's one of my big takeaways from this trip. We never can see what's down the road, and even if we feel God leading us to do something, we have no clue usually how He plans to provide for that or fulfill it. But He knows! If I didn't learn anything else for the last 6 months, it's that you can trust God. What may seem like hurdles, obstacles, or complications to us, is just a way for God to prove Himself capable for all to see.
It was also neat to see the project come to completion. Something from nothing. We, as a church body, all have gifts. We all have a reason for being a part of the body, and are all needed in one area or another. I had no construction skills whatsoever, and it would have been easy to let the enemy trick me into feeling pretty worthless. Just when I would start to feel like I wasn't helping at all, the kids would come running out of their two room school house for a break, or I would walk over to the HOA porch and play with the kids or sit by the teachers.
One of the teachers I feel like I connected with was Claudette. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a barrier at all, not speaking the language of everyone around me. I did learn to count (though I'm sure not as well as the preschoolers there!) in Creole, and I learned a few phrases. I did learn a few words also; Richardson, who is 12, was a big help because he spoke a little English and I could ask him "how do you say....". It's too bad they didn't speak Spanish, because then I could speak a little more of the language, ha! But anyways, I would see the teachers and the other ladies on the porch and I so wanted to talk to them. It was frustrating. But on Thursday, I saw Claudette on the porch reading her Bible-in Haitian Creole, of course- and my heart welled with joy. She was a sister in Christ! We had a connection, and I asked Fenel how to say 'favorite' and he said something that sounded like 'fah-vou-ree'. So I flipped to her table of contents and found Philippians and went to 4:13. I have no idea if it would have been the same word for word, or if the idea was close enough, but that's one of my favorite verses. It says "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."
I was able to show and tell her one of my favorite scriptures, and she understood. She smiled and nodded her head, and read it. She continued to nod, and say "Bien, bien" (same in Spanish and Creole apparently :) and added it to her list of scriptures she had written down. It was an emotional moment for me, because just what I want for all my sisters in Christ is to get in the word and read more of it. Understand more about God and grow in Him, and I realized, she's just like me. It sounds silly perhaps, but when there is a language barrier, sometimes you have to find those universal things to connect you. Later on, I showed her pictures of my kids at home, and told her their names. The next day when we came back, she had remembered them. That made me smile! I hope to go back to Haiti next year and not just see the kids again, but the adults too.
See, because Fenel is not just investing in those children's lives, but the adults as well. He's giving them a job, a place to learn about Christ and also teach about Him. Because of those who financially support Fenel and his ministry, the kids are provided for, and adults can earn a living! In fact, one of the workers, Stephenson, has come to accept Christ after working for Fenel. Blessings abound!
He spoke one night, of how right now, before than can do all the future stuff, they are really trying to get all the kids fully sponsored. This helps provide their food, housing costs, pay teachers, cooks, etc. to care for the 13 kids at House of Abraham. I would love it if you would prayerfully consider sponsoring a child. It is only $25 a month, but the goal is to have 10 sponsors per child and unfortunately, they aren't even close to that now. Eventually, if each child is fully sponsored, Fenel will be able to save money each money for a college education or training if they want it when they are old enough. You can check out the website for House of Abraham and his ministry (Go Out Ministries is based off Matthew 28:19) here. http://gomhaiti.org/sponsor-a-child/
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