A Project Day

Today, the team was totally immersed in projects at Village of Hope School.  We completely cleaned and painted three super-large classrooms - an art room, 6th grade room, and 2nd grade room.  As is common with the team, we separated into teams - those who removed furniture, those who wiped down dust and grime, those who cut in, and those who did the rolling and we alternated as we went from room to room.  Everyone had the chance to experience the whole project.  In addition, we had another team, Paul, Scott, and Ken, put in 12 new "guts" of a toilet.  They used supplies we brought with us from VA.  It was a beautiful day out at the school.  The sun was shining and there was a nice breeze.  It was a great day to be doing a service project.  From every vantage point, we could see the beauty of Haiti - the lake, the mountains, and the countryside.

While at the school, Rob gave us a tour of the new computer room.  What an exciting addition to the school.  Envision a clean, cool computer room in dusty, hot Haiti.  They've done a good job converting one of the administration rooms.  They've installed windows, an air conditioner, and electrical power to run the server and the 24 independent computer stations.  The electricity is all powered from solar power.  It's very exciting to see the Village of Hope moving into the 20th century.  The room is not quite done.  They are still in need of about $30,000 to finish the project.  So if you're interested in donating, let us know.  

There has been a few firsts associated with this trip.  The first, as we've mentioned, was VBS.  The second, was, this was the first time any of us have traveled in Haiti at night.  We left the school later than expected and saw the beautiful sunset as we drove home.  Not all drivers believe in, or have, lights.  The dust creates a nice haze across the roads as people, animals, and motorcycles dart through traffic.  

By the time we returned to Hope House, we were dusty, grimy, and colored in paint - white and Caribbean Blue.  Luckily it's acrylic this time - not oil!  We shared a lot of really good fellowship and had some great sing-along opportunities.  

Tomorrow we will be going to Lucien's church which is always an interesting experience to attend a Haitian church.  We have known Lucien for years and he is currently the driver for VoH.  After that, we will have lunch at Hope House and then head up the coast to see a different part of Haiti.  At some point when we return, there are about 8,000 medicines to be packaged.