For our last day, we built two shelters side by side for a family of nine. The location was across the street from where we were staying. When we got there, there was a lot of garbage and animal waste. The weather was extremely hot and we worked at a slightly slower pace. We finished most of the 1st shelter and decided to have lunch. Before we left for lunch, I had the opportunity to chat with one of the young men that will be living in the shelter. His name is Robenson and he has such a light and hunger for God. He told me that God has called him to be an evangelist, but looking at his current situation he is not sure how that will be accomplished. He said that he holds on to the story of Abraham and how God led him into a new land and fulfilled promises to him. I was so blessed by Robenson and thanked God for his life.

After lunch we completed the two shelters and rested for the rest of the evening. The next day, before departing for the airport we visited one of many tent cities in Port-au-Prince tent city. There is so much need in Haiti. There are about 13 thousand people still living in tents in that area alone. The land on which they reside does not belong to them. That means that if the person who owns the land decides to use the land for other purposes then those 13 thousand people would have to relocate. There is still hope in Haiti. There are many more families that need shelter. We completed 8 shelters and 8 families are sleeping better than when they were in a tent. Thanks be to God for all He has done. Please continue to pray for Haiti and consider going to help.

We started the day with building one house at a location near the trash revene where we preciously built a house. This location was covered in animal feces and trash, but we knew that God had His hand on us and would help us to build the house. The owner of the home, worked along side of us and many local men also stopped buy to help. This was the fastest house we built; we completed the house in 2 hours and 45 mins. As we were finishing up the netting and working on the door, we began to sing. As we started to sing `Tell That Mountain to Move Away`the local people who could speak Spanish began to translate the song into creole and the song began to minister to them. There are many mountains that need to me moved in Haiti but if at least one person has the faith the size of a mustard seed, God will move the mountains. As we prayed with the family we were ecstatic that we had just completed house number six.

After we completed the home, we took a tour of Port-au-Prince. What we saw was devestaion and potential. There were so many people living in tents. The Presidental Palace, also known as the `White House`, once a well known landmark in the world was crumbled. Across the street were rows and rows of tents, too many to count. I can`t imagine what life was like before the earthquake, but I know that in Christ, life after the eartquake can and will be paradise. After touring the various areas of the city, many of the team members felt more of an urge to pray for the people of Haiti. Please continue to keep Haiti in your prayers, they need the light of God to make it through.

Today was an awesome day! Our goal was to build two houses and God helped us to reach that goal! It`s mind-blowing what God can do. We are a little sore and beat up from the work but every morning we wake up, we are encouraged. The first location was the worst we have seen since we got here. The tents were surrounded by trash and pigs enjoying themselves in it. We had to jump over a ravene filled with waste and trash to get to the building site. But once we got there, it was a wide open space, perfect for building; it was actually the best ground we have built on. We completed the house on-time and united! We prayed with the family and handed them some literature about the Lord. As we departed, the man whom we built the house for shook our hands and said to each of us, `I will never forget you`. We were broken. Who are we that God would choose us to be His hands and feet? To be partakers of the work He is doing? We were totally humbled. This is what it is all about. Showing God`s love!

The second site was rather interesting. It looked like an island paradise.There were palm trees shading the area and lots of greenery. Most of the places we have been to are totally overrun with rubble, but this place was different. The home was for a young woman who lost her husband to cholera after the earthquake; she is now a single mother. She worked with us to complete her home.  Her smile was amazing and the joy she exuded was heart warming. We are blessed that we are able to be in this place blessing others.

The Lord says that He waters those that water and we are receiving living water and pouring it out.

-Natalie

Today`s goal was to build 2 houses. The first location looked impossible. There was no level ground, lots of rocks and the weather was extremely hot. Many team member fell, bruised their bodies and were cut. Nonetheless we were determined to build 1 house before noon. We worked faster than the day before; we felt confident that we would complete the house. We had an hour and a half to level he house and construct the roof. Because the ground was sloped it was impossible to level the house. Noon came too quickly and the roof had not been constructed. We left the site once again with an incomplete house. We returned to the house for lunch and regrouped. Our leader decided to split the teams. We were a little apprehensive at first but decided to trust his judgment. Three team members went back to the original site, while four team members went to the new site. Both teams worked without knowing what the other team was doing. At the first location, the team got to work. There was one female member of the team working on the roof. Some of the local women came to watch and marveled that a woman would be working on a roof. They couldn`t understand why and how she was building a roof. Not knowing any creole she said, “Dieu“ and simply pointed to the sky and flexed her muscles, signifying that God is the one who helps and strengthens her to complete her task. Meanwhile at the other site, the other team began to construct the home. The new owner of the home was there and offered his help. There were three young men who also wanted to help. They helped to unload the truck and helped us to get started. We built the frame of the house in less than 2 hours. This was the fastest time we had constructed a home. What made it more special was that we worked along side some local people to complete the work. It`s amazing how God puts us together. You assume that when you go on a missions trip that you are there to help, but you quickly discover that the very people that you are there to help are the same people that will help you.

In a few minutes the team from the first house came. They had completed their house with only a few minor problems that will be solved tomorrow. We all got back to work in a race to finish the house before the sun set. It took one hour to complete the roof and netting. We all worked together, unified with one goal. To provide a home of a family that had been through so much. Two houses in one day! What a blessing. God`s word says that where there is unity He commands His blessing. He fulfilled His promise to us! We prayed for the ability to build two homes and we did just that. God is so good and faithful to His word.

We prayed with the owner of the home and departed to our house. After we ate dinner, we planned to cut two more houses. Unfortunately, the shed was locked and our host had left for the evening. I guess this was God`s way of giving us rest. We ­decided to have a group discussion and reflect on the day. We realized that God`s hand was in everything that we did. Even in not building the first home by noon. If we had build the first home by noon, the local women would not have encountered one of our female team members. Her act of serving God was an opportunity to witness to those around her. As Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times ,and when necessary, use words.“ That was what our team experienced today. It`s not about what you say, or how skilled or intelligent you are, its all about serving God and serving people. It`s about living your life as Christ lived when He was on earth. We saw God today and we were amazed by Him.

We began the day with devotions. We worshiped and prayed and began to mentally prepare for building our 1^st house. We loaded up the truck with the wood we cut the night before and headed out to the site. When we got there our guide Andre told us about the family that would receive the home. There was a husband and wife with two children, one of which had a respiratory problem and sclerosis. They were a beautiful family and we were humbled that God would use us to bless them with a new home made of wood instead of the tent they were living in. We unloaded the truck and got to work. Although the weather conditions were rather hot, we worked diligently. The little girl who was going to be living in the house came to watch us work. She wore a cute, frilly white dress and walked around to see what we were doing. By lunch time we had all four walls up. We left for lunch feeling slightly defeated because we were tired and had not completed the house before noon. We ate and regrouped; determined to finish the house for the family that was waiting for us, we hurried back to the site. We wasted no time getting to work. We added the roof, netting to prevent mosquitoes from entering, the door and a pipe for drainage when it rains. As we stepped back, we marvelled to see what God had done through us. The woman who would be living in the house, came through the door to her new home, looked around, then looked at us and said, “Merci.”

We prayed with the family and asked God to bless their home. We gathered our tools, handed out some toys and candy to some of the local children, then jumped into our truck to head home. We left that site humbled and excited to build more homes. Tonight we cut two more homes and measured wood for an additional home. Our goal is to build two homes tomorrow. We pray that God will help us and keep us unified.

On Sunday morning, we went to a service at Pastor Wilson’s church. Although some of us could not understand the service we were glad to be in church.  After church we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed to the house to prep for the first house. We worked with a gentleman by the name of Samuel. He taught us how to measure and cut the wood for the houses. It`s hard to imagine that a couple of beams could provide shelter for a family. That night we cut two homes. We worked diligently and in unity. It actually seemed easy. Many of us had not worked in construction but God`s grace was all we needed and we got it done. Tomorrow, we will build our 1^st house.

As we walked off the plane, we were greeted with music and singing. There was a sense of happiness in the air, as if all was perfect and right in the world. Along with the music were smiles; lovely smiles and the warmest of greetings. Welcome to Haiti. We jumped into our truck; some members of the team rode in the truck while others opted to ride in the back. We commenced our voyage to where we would be staying for the next 7 days. Along the extremely bumpy road, we noticed that the Haitian people were living life as usual. They were buying and selling, chatting with friends and the children played games. Life was being lived…even amongst the rubble, life was being lived. You could tell that Port-au-Prince was a beautiful place. Some homes have remained while others are literally a pile of bricks. It is our hope that we will turn some of those piles of bricks into shelter for Haitian families.

Once we reached our home, we rested a bit from our journey. We ate and chatted with the On Call team that traveled with us. God so mercifully brought us here safely to do the work of His kingdom. Some came to heal and some came to build, all for His glory. Our Brick Think team is excited to be here, and we can’t wait to get started on our task. We have a goal of 10 shelters to build. We are eager to see what God will do through us.