Well, it had to happen; the sustained levels of activity have about consumed us from a physical perspective. Today is the last day with the group from Seattle with them leaving at noon for PAP; they are quite unaccustomed to the heat here and the Lord has sustained their efforts up until the day they must return to the States. Jane and I have shared each evening on what a wonderful answer to prayer these three have been for our project; without them I fear we would not have accomplished nearly the interior/exterior work that has been completed.
It has been an adventure; we have managed the entire exterior of the hospital; we have managed a coat of paint on the main building interior – and all in a “working” hospital. Jane pointed out several nights ago that the rooms we needed to access went “empty” for the exact amount of time we needed to complete them.
It is now 5PM; work has stopped for the day and the review is pretty amazing. We have painted the entire exterior security wall; exteriors of six separate buildings; the main hospital ward (both inside and outside); the ICU and Surgery rooms; the Pediatric ward; a guard shack and a feeble looking dog that fell asleep against the wall shortly after it had been painted – she is still green on one side. Human possibility aside, this has been an amazing accomplishment and God has answered our every need. Tomorrow we’ll finish up a second coat of paint on the nurse’s station and some trim work in the Surgery Prep area before my local guys move on to the Maternity building for a fresh coat of interior paint; after that are roughly three dozen metal chairs; two or three dozen hospital beds and who knows what else.
Jane has been working feverishly at sorting and filing many thousands of records – too many thousands to even attempt to count – 240 boxes of them to be exact. I really do not know how she has done it but her work is commendable and cannot be denied.
Jane has committed to returning in August; I am out of vacation for the most part having used up several months worth between here and South Africa last November. Anyone interested in joining her? We could use an electrician, a plumber and a carpenter – licenses are optional. There remains much to do and the work is reasonable but tiring in the heat of the Caribbean summer.
The house project is moving forward; slowly, as is the custom here in Haiti. The land has been identified; believe it or not, surveys are required here – simply unbelievable in a country where “possession is nine tenths of the law”.
Materials for the house will be obtained locally for the most part with the sand coming from the river; the gravel coming from huge boulders that have been hammered into pieces roughly 1.5-3.0 inches in shape. Blocks will come from PAP or perhaps the facility in Gonaives up the road – I tried to buy that business once just after the flood in Gonaives in 2005 – obviously, I failed to persuade the owner even though they still have it running at about 15% of capacity.
The Haitians have a proverb “Deye mon, gen mon” which translated says “Behind the mountains, there are mountains” or “If its not one thing, its another” – having spent the month here in the mountains it carries a larger meaning.
Bondye Bon (God is Good)
Randy
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