As you can tell by the photos, we worked on the bathrooms today. We now have shower curtains, shower mats, and rugs in the bathrooms. That sounds like it wouldn’t take very long, but it took all morning. You don’t just hang shower rods here, you make them. For each one, you cut a piece of PVC, then cut pieces of wood and drill a 1-inch hole in each one, and then mount them with concrete anchors. The problem with two of the bathrooms is that the window is where the rod should be, so I had to extend a 2×4 from the ceiling down to the area where the rod should go–a little Haitian engineering. This gives the mission house a hint of Haiti, and keeps it from being so American. Of course, it has a lot of Haiti in it now–concrete floors, unpainted walls, no kitchen cabinets, shelves, or appliances. We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.
We need to build about 30 bunk beds, paint inside and outside the building, knock out openings and install three bathroom windows, knock out openings for two window A/C units, build cabinets in the kitchen, buy stove and refrigerator (propane), build shelves in kitchen pantry, put in drop ceilings, build front porch, tile floors, install toilets, sinks, and showers in two bathrooms, install three more ceiling fans, finish all electrical, and have an electric pump installed in the well. These are just a few things I can think of; I’m sure there are more, so if you would like to help us with these projects, you can send a gift for one of these items, or you can send yourself. We would love to have you. We’re thinking about having a small work team this summer–if you are interested, please contact me.
We need to purchase a stove, refrigerator, tile, paint, concrete and tin for porch, lumber for beds (will be made of 2x4s and plywood, each with 4-inch mattress), a submersible pump, lumber for kitchen cabinets, and shelving for pantry. If you would like estimates on any of these items, please email me at truthm@cox.net, or call me at 850-582-1458.
We left Z’Orange about 1:30 and came to Port to buy more groceries for the team. We had to buy the ham, turkey, hot dogs, and bread so that they would be fresh. Simon got to go home early, and I made it to Dottie’s by 4:00, so I should have a good rest tonight.
Tomorrow, part of the team is coming in at 8:30 a.m., then the other part at 3:00 p.m., which is spread out, but we have plenty to do in between. The first group is the Will Tiller group. Will’s son, Nathan, is coming on this trip, and he is some kind of excited! Don’t worry Kristy (mom)–he will be fine. Then there is his oldest daughter, Brittany, who has been many times, and his mom, Betty Summer, who has worked on many medical teams. Also in this group is Pastor Philip McNeal from First Baptist Church of Batesburg/Leesville, SC, who has made several trips. He will be teaching at the Pastors’ Conference.
The 3:00 group consists of Pastor Sean from Wright Baptist Church, Lane Thompson from Wright Baptist Church, and Pastor Ken Loubriel from Pensacola. All these men will be coming back to Haiti to teach at the Pastors’ Conference. The Haitian pastors look forward to seeing these men who take time out of their busy schedules to come and teach.
