Thursday, February 23rd

Hellllloooo from Haiti in the Northwest territory!

Things are progressing very, very well here in Haiti and all the work we are doing. We are certainly have felt and appreciated your much needed prayers. The work at first seems awfully heavy, especially with the hot sun, but the work is very light thanks to our most gracious Lord.

The work at the La Bouse church has been wrapped up. Jerry has finished up the ground work for all the toilets and showers in the pastors house that overlooks the church. The church\school is fully painted inside and out, and is very stylish and something to be proud of, and 8 new benches have been assembled for the shcool. More benches equal more Haitian children that can be taught and taught the Word! Amen! Church services will be very bright and cheery for Sunday.

Pat has been doing our morning devotions and have made us and helped us think throughout the day of what we are doing here and who we are doing this for! Also to praise God for all the work he is doing thru us and helping the Haitian people here.

Kristin has fallen in love with Haitian and the kids the surround her. She especially loves the clinic and helping Ann-Marie and her 6 adopted kids. They are very cute and have been abandon by their parents and Ann-Marie and Rob have been gracious to adopt them.

Bob had a slight fall from walking home from Bruce and Deb's, but he was a real trooper and after some rest, got up the next day and started painting or whatever else needed to be done. Please pray for God to strengthen his knees while we wrap up this trip.

Joy has been watching over Kristin, painting, doing breakfast and lunch everyday along with Krsitin and Pat. They have been a great blessing for us guys so we can just go to work with Bruce and get the gear ready for the day.

Friday, Feb. 24th

Rob and Ann-Marie had a container come from Holland today. Bruce had an engine come on this container that was much needed for a tractor that had just died. Just in time.
Jerry again was putting in another plumbing in another pastors house. These people are not going to know what to do with all these bathrooms Jerry is putting in!

The Poste Metier church is not having a retreat for the kids due to another death in the community. Enel, one of Bruce's workers,his sister passed. The whole community reaches out and helps the family. But there is another retreat going on with a different church down the road, so pray for them instead. They sing great, we hear them every morning and night.

Sat. Feb. 25

We hit the Beach today! This will be the big selling point for this trip for trips to come. This is a 4 star beach, private on the Carribbean and the shelling is awesome as well as the view. What a strange island, first class beach stuck in the 2006 B.C. ! We have pictures.

On the way back, we stopped at Poste Metier to install, you guess it, more toilets! Oh yes! This pastor will have one well equipped Haitian house. As much as we take it for granted, it is much needed and gratful. Jerry is very much needed here and appreciated.

Seems like we just got here, but now it's time to come home. See y'all soon.

Steve Wiersum.

Haiti Mission Trip Team Members

Bob Dahms
Kristin Holzermer
John Lucas
Pat Kelly
Jerry McColgan
Joy Rhodes
Steve Wiersum

First briefing

This is Steve Wiersum. I'll give you an update so far.

Getting here on Saturday went well, just took along time waiting once we got into Port Au Prince. Kristin was so happy just to finally get her first stamp in her new passport. She is very fun to be around, full of life and coureosity, like a little kid.

Flying over Haiti in the little interisland plane was a great way to see the countryside of Haiti with all the little huts and how far apart all the villages are.

The truck ride to Bruce and Debs was an experience to say the least. I went on my first rollercoaster ride in September, this ride was my second rollercoaster ride. Haiti's interstate is far from being developed, especially when the donkey's get in the way along with the huge ruts in the road. After getting settled in at the team house, everyone was ready to hit the sack and get to church on Sunday.

Sunday, was a great time of devotions and fellowship around the breakfast table and then on to Poste Metier for church services with Pastor Chrisbon. The service was very moving especially since many were gone due to a death of the asst. pastors sister along with the rain from that morning. The pastor first had Sunday school with everyone in the in the Church itself and then took an offering, put on a suit coat and then started the worship service. The praise and worship couldn't have been any better and rivaled that of Jason's worship songs and praise. Their singing is so sweet and beautiful even though we could understand very little of the words. The
pastors message was on living a christian life even after you have become one. It was very pointed and direct. After church we were! all tre ated to a huge Haitian meal cooked all night by Madame Chrisbon. Very excellent fried plantain, fried arrowroot, the best spaghetti on the earth, cheesy potates and marinated beef. Sooooooooooooooooooooooo Good. Everyone was filled to overflowing, while we listened to Bruce tell his stories about Haiti, the people here and the work that is being done. Bruce then went back to the airport to pickup the rest of bags, all of which we recieved and along with changing our reservations from leaving Tuesday to leaving Monday. God has been so good at all the provisions He has made since the very start of this trip. We had prayed all the bags would make it and that there would be no trouble with the intercoastal plane in changing our reservations. God is soooooo good to us here.

Monday, 5 of us loaded up and went to LaBousse to help paint and gutter a church/school along with Jerry doing plumbing on the pastors house that is under construction. We all put a bit of Boca into the church by painting it what we call "Boca Blue". It's beautiful and the Haitians all chiped in or should say took over doing the painting. It's wonderful to see us all working together to bring a little beauty in such a poor, dingy place. It gave the Haitians such a boost! The gutter system on the roof of the church runs into a cistern to provide much needed water to the Haitians there, so finishing the gutter will give it 25% more water! So much we take for granted, like water and were it may come from. We all got to play with the children, especially Kristin, she's become a camera maniac. Of course
the kids just love here. So, we all get a kick out of seeing how the Haitians react to us and the way we react to them. There's alot of laughing going on, but not sure what they are laughing at!

Kristin and Joy went to observe a clinic run by Ann-Marie. She is also with Crossworlds. They saw alot of interesting maladies from hernias, (very common) to H! IV, and tumors. They even witnessed the removal of that tumor, which was under the persons tongue, and a hernia on another patient. Very rewarding time for Kristin and Joy. They also witnessed first hand the malnutrion that is in this country from seeing a women with her 7th child, who's twin had died at birth and she cannot produce any milk to feed the new born child. This country is so sad in that it cannot even take care of it's own and is so satanic in their beliefs. On the good, bright side the mother of the child is a born again Christian! So, you see there is beautiful things happening in this almost hopeless country!

Tuesday, we all went back to LaBousse to finish painting the inside of the church and continue plumbing. The day started very early this time bacause Bruce had to go have a meeting with The World Bank and discuss what things were going on here in Haiti. We all managed to be on the way by 7:15 to start the work, which did take most of the day. We painted the inside a light creme color. Can you imagine the difference from concrete grey! What a lift that gave everyone. Also, at the request of our interior decorator, John Lucas, we painted a "accent" wall on the inside entrance to the church and the back wall. It did "accent" very well and we should all be proud of John's insight and new found gift! What a guy! Jerry has been working and sweating his heart out on top of a hill overlooking that beautiful church, in the very hot Haitian sun. We all got a little touch of the sun that day. But the bathrooms and showers are progressing and one day will be operational once construction moves further along. It is a priviledge to have a flushing toilet inside of a house here. It's not a neccesity! That is something not to forget!
We became worried when all of work was done and Bruce had not yet returned for us! I didn't sign up for survivor, but almost felt like it. We interacted as much as we could with t! he kids there, cleaned up our messes while we all waited. But, Bruce did make it and was thrilled with the way the school looked. So fancy for this part of the country. Sunday may even rival Boca's reopening! We can't wait for everyone to come and see.

Wednesday, 5 went again to LaBousse to build benches for the kids there, and of course continue on the plumbing. Myself and Kristin went back to the clinic to observe and give Ann-Marie more supplies that we had brought with us. Again more minor maladies, hernias and possible TB possibly from HIV. One couple came in for an abortion, would be her 8th child. Of course that was not an option. Ann-Marie, bless her heart was very upset with the man and tried to convince him otherwise. I finally told the man, since I felt he might recieve it better from a man, that this is not what Christ what's for us as followers of Christ. They were very disappointed and went away, and will most likely find another way to do what they want. So, have them in your prayers.

Every night we are with Deb and Bruce to have dinner and spend some devotions with them. They are such dear people and need our support so. The work that they do here is unending and so very important for this community and to advance God's kingdom. Please pray for an upcoming retreat for the kids in this area during the Mardi Gras, which is so evil. The kids are out of school and have to pay to come to this event, which is at Poste Metier church. They usually have over 100 kids come. Pray for their safety, salvation and the money in which for them to come. This is a great thing for this community.

To be continued..................