Wrap Up

The team in the "Blue Room" for one last picture

Well it's 6:30 in the morning, and it's already hot. Today, we head out for our final tour of the campus and some more pictures. I thought I would just have everybody say a little something about the trip, something they would remember:

• Becca (Cleaning, Bathroom fixer) "The people came to church cause they really wanted to."
  
• Cecil (Painting Master) "The folks in church weren't paying attention to what they didn't have."
• Darrel (Plumbing, Block Laying, shower stall) "How similar Haiti was to Africa. It reminded me of my commitment to be an advocate for Child Development."
• David (Dutch Boy Painter) "I was touched by the abounding love the folks had, and how they came out to visit and greet the Stargels."
  
• Jon (Plumbing, Block Laying, Shower stalls) "It was beautiful to see how people were content with what they had."
  
• Linda S (Visitation and cleaning) "The beauty of Haiti is in the strength of the people."
  
• Linda W (Cleaning and Painting) "I couldn't imagine kids getting excited about a tarantula hunt, but they did!"
• Matt (Electrical, Painting, crawler-into-small places) "All for Jesus."
  
• Nick (Yard Rubble Clearing, Taking care of Bungo) "The little kids working hard on Friday, while we were taking the day off."
• Peggy (Painting, Cleaning, Supervising) "Children were so quiet and well behaved."
  
• Scott (Electrical) "I can just picture the female students enjoying this dorm."
• Theresa (Cook) "I'll never forget the lady bathing her baby in the ditch."
  
• Tim (Painting) "Playing with Dixon, the little boy, was a blessing."

We gathered in a circle to dedicate Mustang Alley

Mustang Alley, Almost Done

The sitting area known as Mustang Alley is paved. Before school opens in the fall, there will be a new bench and some potted plants to liven it up. Scott is going to commission a sign to be installed, too. The team joined hands and dedicated the space to God and the future ministers who will use it.

What's wrong with the light, Matt?

"Well it worked yesterday."

Riding in style

After walking up the hill all week, we were glad to take Curt up on the offer to drive us up for pictures. Even if it did mean nine of them had to ride in the back of the pickup. I rode up front, of course.

Bungo and the bouwet

In Haiti, everything is done by physical labor. On our way to the beach today, we saw these LARGE, wooden hauling wagons, called Bouwets. They were carrying all kinds of heavy things.

This evening during devotions, Curt told us that sometimes these guys are carrying such a heavy load, that they have a hard time making a turn or going up a hill. Spontaneously, people will just step off the curb and come behind them with a push. Just a little help to get them over the hump.

He said that's what we did while we were here: we gave an extra little push to the Bible College. Then he gave each one of us a little statue of the Bouwet Puller, to remember our trip.

Cool.

A Boat Ride

Today was our rest day, so we headed to the beach. We rented the Wipipit for the day today. It's a handcrafted, brightly painted boat. The cap'n had snorkel gear and took the team out to some reefs. One group got to tour a NICE seaside mansion as a bonus. Notice the crystal clear caribbean water. LOOOOOOVE it.

A Tar Heel in Haiti

This Machand (someone who sells merchandise) was proudly wearing a UNC shirt. I'm not going to tell which team I pull for, but since I'm not in the picture you know it's not the heels.

David Secures the Door

Our vehicle of the day was the long bed truck, complete with cage. The problem was, the back door had to be tended to make sure it didn't fly open and swing out. David was a real trooper, and took care of it for us. Oh by the way, remind me NEVER to let Curt drive again! Everybody said he did a GREAT job in Haiti traffic, but I had to stay hidden in my bag most of the trip. Man that traffic was scary!

A Ghost of a Friend

Nick continued his hunting skills and caught a ghost crab at Wahoo Bay today. I have to say, this little crab wasn't as scary as the big tarantula, but he still ticked as he posed for the picture.

Video Game? or Curt's Driving?

I'm not sure why everyone was making fun of Curt's driving. I thought he did a great job. It's just like a video game, you zig and you zag and you try not to hit anyone while at the same time try not to get hit.

Haulin' Grass (and other stuff)

A big part of this project has been cleaning up years of overgrowth and built up trash. The building and especially the side of the building had been used to dump trash. It was very overgrown too. Some of the team members as well as some new friends and helpers cleared it away. The organic material went to a compost heap that Curt was nurturing, while the other stuff was used as fill for some holes in the ground.

More Monkeys!

My favorite tree on campus when I was just a little monkey was the "Club Tree." My friends Nick and Jason used to climb it all the time. Well, Samson, Benji, Becca and Nick all decided it looked like fun and joined me!

The Tools Make the Man

For some reason, we did not have all the latest tools to work with. Hmmmm.

Jon, The Stucco Man

Darrel had to go into town to look or parts and supplies. He left Jon in charge of finishing the stucco in the back bedroom. Wow, he's a hard worker. I didn't even need to supervise him!

Dama

Nick and Becca were half the size they are now when Mme. Edouard (a/k/a "Dama") last saw them. She was our housekeeper and babysitter the whole time we were in Haiti! A dear friend, she was all smiles when she came up the hill to see the kids for the first time in four years!

Jon, The OTHER Flower Child

I think Jon wins the flower-behind-the-ear beauty contest. Very nice.

Just Call Me Electrician Bungo

*Sigh* How does this group get anything done without me. I've had to teach them to paint. To shovel dirt. To clean the floors. Today Scott was stuck on why one of the lights in the bathroom wouldn't work, so I had to lend a hand. And PRESTO, it worked. Most of the wiring got done today, but not all of it. The team is a little disappointed, but an ape can only be in one place at a time, right?

Linda the wash lady

Linda has been doing a lot of cleaning lately. She has also been doing a lot of running around, taking Nick and Becca to see friends, and all kinds of other stuff. Lots of dust and cleaning. In fact, I think she cleaned that same room three times today!

Reach for it

Out of all the jobs we had to do, Painting was the biggest one. It took several coats and lots of patients, but everyone stuck to it, and the place really started shaping up nicely.

UP the hill

Every day it's a TREK up the hill to the work site. Some take the "shortcut" through the green hills of the campus. But most, including PT and Cecil, go up the paved road. I usually ride in Nick's backpack.

Hillside Hike

We are staying at the WW Center, which is located "In the valley" of the campus. It's actually on the side of a pretty steep hill. Here's a picture of the guys going down to check out the gardens and the shop.

Internet Clumsiness

Just to let everyone know that our internet connection is rather spotty here. So, I put up several new pictures from previous days. Make sure you scroll through to see if you might have missed something.

Smell the Flowers

I really like Elyse, the housekeeper. She works here at the WW center. She helps clean and cook. And sometimes she sings for us. She is a wonderful Christian lady, and she prays for the team several times a day.

And she also loves flowers, just like me! She brought in Orchids or the table and made a nice arrangement using tupperware for a vase! BEAUTIFUL!

Breakfast smiles x3

Linda made Elyse a special breakfast treat. Elyse sure deserved it. She was always smiling, and praying for the team at the same time.

MORE friends? Well sort of...

Scott told the kids that NO ONE could ever catch one of these lizards. They are large (bigger than me, btw) about the size of your fore arm.

Well Nick was helping clear out the rubble and trash around the wall, and came across this guy. The chase was on.

He didn't give up until he caught him! I named him, "Lizardy."

Becca Puts the Finishing Touches on the Half Bath

There is a small half bathroom in the main hallway of the dorm. It has all new fixtures, but was missing a place to hang TP. So Becca, installed the new holder, but I think it is MUCH better as a Mini Monkey Bar for me. Oh well, after I leave, I GUESS they can use it for the TP.

Great job, Becca.

Mustang Alley, Ready for concrete

The special garden for Mary Thomas (a/k/a Mustang Alley) is ready for a concrete floor tomorrow! It's rally looking good!

The Native Is Restless

What is it with the fashion statements this week? Cecil told me the story behind this picture, but it's late and I can't remember. I'll have to add it later.

Mahma Ven

In Haiti, the one who takes care of many bellies is called Manma Vent (prounouced Mama Vahnt). That REALLY describes Theresa. Her and her helpers have fed us like kings the whole time we've been here. I told her I could live on leaves and berries, but she has been cooking great stuff for every meal. I'm glad she came. She's awesome.

Tim's Newest Look

I'm not sure if this is an improvement or not, Pastor Tim. But I HAVE been watching you, and you sure are a hard worker. So if you want to wear your hair like that, well then you just go right ahead. It matches your shirt, I guess.

Another new friend

Tonight, Mezar took Nick, Becca, and Scott out hunting tarantulas. They found a really BIG one. Boy, you should have heard Matt scream like a girl! Everyone laughed at him, but only Jon was willing to pet the new friend. Scott wouldn't let him. Drat.

I decided to get over my fear of spiders, so I sat down for some quality time with her. I thought the tarantula was really nice. We hung out for a while (outside of course). She gave me a scalp massage.

Before we let her go, we needed to name her. Becca thought "Friend Two" was a good name. Nick thought we should name her Patrice. What do you think?

She was kind of cute, and I thought about seeing if she wanted to elope and run off to Burlington with me. But, Scott wouldn't let us (of course). He's just no fun at all.

Matt vs The Tarantulla

Matt didn't care for the tarantula very much.

Rook Masters

Evenings at the WW center were mostly about eating dinner, having devotions, and then going to bed. However, there was a little time for a little Rook. Jon claims he hadn't played in years, but I think he was just hustling the rest of them.

Back to School

I went with Nick and Becca back to Quisqueya Christian School today. They got to see some old friends and some of their teachers, including Mrs. deBlej, their pre-K teacher.

I was kind of scared, because the last time I was here, someone threw me up on THAT roof. I thought I was going to get left, but Linda rescued me.

Painting and MORE Painting

If anyone asks us what we did this week, the answer would be "PAINT AND MORE PAINT." Well, I supervised mostly, and there were lots of other things, but everyone did a lot of painting, including Cecil in the small hallway bathroom.

David Grounded Again

It seems like every time we see David he's either on his knees painting or fixing something, or up on a ladder painting the ceiling. So on his knees or hands lifted it up, he's doing a great job! Thank God for servants like him.

Digging Deeper

Some folks on the team were claiming that I was doing a little too much supervising and not enough real work. *Ahem* Supervising IS work, people. But just to show that I'm not afraid of physical labor, I picked up a shovel and helped prepare the garden area for the new bushes.

Now, I have to go fix a problem with the wiring in the hall bathroom. A supervisor's work is never done.

And it rained, and it rained, and it rained...

It has rained every day since we arrived in Haiti. Today, though it came down in buckets. Cecil got soaked walking back to the WW Center. And the valley where several gardens are growing turned into a river! YIKES!

Matt and the Balloon

CLICK TO PLAY
Matt decided blew up a rubber glove nd tauht some kids how to play "Bounce the blown up glove." I didn't understand the rules, but that's okay. It looks like Matt didn't either.

Bungo's Boys

Man are they cool or what. The WW Center is on the side of the hill and our worksite is UP the hill. I'm glad I don't have to walk it myself!

How many Nazarenes does it take to change a flat tire?

Eight.

Haitian lessons

Elyse was the wonderful lady who helped cook our meals and keep the dorm clean. She was a hard working lady, and I don't think I ever saw her sit down! During the big rain, she decided to teach Cecil some Haitian (also known as Creole, the language spoken in Haiti).

My how things grow

It's amazing how quickly things grow. Here's Becca beside a tree we planted in 2004, the year Becca started first grade. Fast forward to 2009 and both the tree and Becca have grown really tall.

Bright Blue Bookshelves

When you walk in the new dorm, there is a large main hall. Just of to the left is the new Living Room. It has a wall of bookshelves, and it will be a place for the students to study and relax (it even has a window unit air conditioning!). This morning, Nick, Peggy, and Linda Whitlow started painting the shelves blue. And boy-oh-boy was it a bright blue. I'm told that people in Haiti really like bright colors. If that's true, they are REALLY going to like those bookshelves!

First a Window, Then a Hole, Now a Wall

Yesterday I watched as the guys took out three large windows from the large back room. That left three large holes (with the generator room just outside). This morning Darrel and Jon started putting up blocks where the window was. Eventually this room will be the main sleeping quarters for the ladies. Just to the right, they are putting in a new replacement window! and below that will be a new garden area.

Moving in the Blocks

One of our big jobs was to block up the holes where the windows were in the back room. All the guys helped bring the blocks down the hallway. I took a couple of pictures, but the room was really dusty, or are they just THAT dirty? You can see Darrell, Jon, and one of our hosts, Bill.

They have a saying here in Haiti, "Anpil men, chay pa lou." which means "With many hands, the load is not heavy." That's cool.

Another garden is born (well sort of)

The side of the building had been used for trash and who knows what else, and it looks like it had been that way for a long time! I supervised the clean up, so Curt and Garry could fill in with some good dirt from Mustang Alley! This is before. I hope to have an "after" picture tomorrow!

Breakfast with Theresa

Well, it's Tuesday, and the work day begins in just a few minutes. Theresa made sure we had a good breakfast to start with before we left the Work and Witness Center. Notice how the door is open, and there is lots of natural light. LOTS of light. I guess that's why we were all up at 5:00 every morning.

And where did Theresa find a DR PEPPER in Haiti? Oh right, she brought them WITH her. That's okay. Scott brought Diet Coke, and Cecil brought Pepsis!

Just Call Me Painter Bungo

Everyone was accusing me of not doing my share of the work. I think i was a fine supervisor, but just to show them, I grabbed a paintbrush and helped Becca paint the wall of the main entrance way.

Man, I'm awesome.