Click on a date below to see the photos from that day. Click on any thumbnail to see a larger view of a photo.

• 10/28/2011 - The team gathers at 5am at the Indian Run UMC parking lot for a send-off from family and church friends. At the airport the team finds a quiet gate for a mantling service. The flights to Port-au-Prince go as scheduled, and the team is picked up by one of the Haiti VIM drivers to be taken to the Methodist Guest House in Petionville for the evening.
• 10/29/2011 - We are taken by Methodist Guest House staff from Petionville to our project site, Mellier. Since we arrive before 10am, we have the opportunity to work for a couple hours with the local Haitian workers, before getting our sleeping areas set up. The two hour work introduction to Haiti weather clearly points out that we will need to hydrate very well next week. In the late afternoon, our interpreter, Carine, takes us for a brief walk through the community. Everyone is wowed tonight by Dina’s dinner. Is it possible that she could be even better than last December?
• 10/30/2011 - It is a blessing by itself to just see the Haitians coming to church in their finest. Why did we ever stop that in America? We feel like treasured guests as one of the church elders arranges for an oscillating fan to be placed near us during the worship service. The inspirational singing is only matched by the inspirational testimony of a Mellier church member who declares that “Nothing is impossible for Jesus!” because Jesus recently saved her newborn when the doctors came up short. … In the afternoon Carine arranges for a tap-tap to take us to New Palm Beach for some lunch and relaxation.
• 10/31/2011 - Today is our first full day of service. The foundation walls of the new church in Mellier are complete, but it must all be filled in with rocks and dirt and tamped along the way. This is a much larger task than it seems, because the foundation will be about four feet above ground level. Many teams have worked on this before us, and this will be our main focus for the week. Three of us were in Mellier last December, so we renew friendships with the local Haitian workers and introduce them to the rest of our team. It is hard but rewarding work. Michelle and Terry also get an opportunity to do a craft with the children in two school classrooms. Tonight we shared a DVD from last year’s team in Mellier. Dina and her assistants point and laugh with each other as well as sing with the background music which came from the Mellier church last year – it is awesome to watch their reactions.
• 11/1/2011 - We learn that school is closed today and tomorrow because of the Fete Ghede. Our Haitian Christian friends just see it as a public holiday, but the minority who practice vodou see it as a great day of celebration. For us, it means we will not be with the school children for crafts today or tomorrow. We continue our foundation fill and by mid-afternoon, we have completely moved the 48 cubic yards delivered yesterday. Carine and two of the assistant cooks take us for a longer walk along the river and back through the Mellier community. We come across three different vodou celebrations which embarrass our hosts who scurry us back to our work site. Several team members play soccer with local children while the remainder head to the showers. At 8:15pm tonight, we hear a lot of shouting and yelling seeming to approach our site. When we go to the road, we see some people carrying torches beyond a sugar cane field and later starting a bon fire. We assume that it is another vodou celebration – to us, it is just a bunch of people enjoying a late night out. No one ever bothers us.
• 11/2/2011 - Today seems to be the hottest day we have had. With more dirt and rocks delivered, we continue moving that into foundation wall cavities. We also form a bucket line to do the concrete pour for the cistern walls. … Some time in recent weeks, a set of tin sheets were erected to serve as a privacy wall between the church work area and the temporary classrooms where we eat and sleep. This wall has been an impediment in building relationships, and no one seems to know who wanted it put up. We have struggled mightily to get children and adults to visit us past this wall. This evening we are finally successful and have a number of young adults from the community join us.
• 11/3/2011 - The children return to school today, so Michelle and Terry are able to resume crafts in the classrooms. Again, more dirt and rocks are delivered, and more is moved into the foundation areas. The only remaining areas to complete are one about 8x20 and one about 8x10 that are only partially filled. We use some of our extra time cleaning out the rebar areas atop the foundation walls, so that they will be ready to tie in rebar for the foundation floor soon. It is awesome to see the progress!! Realizing that we are leaving the next morning, the Haitians each come around to us to thank us personally for coming to Haiti to help rebuild their church. Many have even learned how to say “God bless you” in English – we are humbled indeed!
• 11/4/2011 - Today we pack for our return, say our last goodbyes to the beautiful people of Mellier, return to Petionville, get a short tour to the Baptist Mission, have lunch at the Epidor in Petionville and debrief back at the Guest House. It is also the day to say goodbye to Carine, our lovely, charming interpreter. She made a huge difference in our mission – thanks is simply not enough.
• 11/5/2011 - We are transported to the airport for our return flights to Columbus, Ohio. Bondye bon! Tout tan! Tout tan! Bondye bon!

Read what our team members had to say about this mission:

Team Leader Howard Baulch: “I was very surprised by the progress in Haiti last week. I guess weekly improvements don't make the news, but seeing the changes from December 2010 to now was astounding. I saw the number of transitional homes for former tent families in the Mellier community grow from a half-dozen to probably 150 or more. I saw an entire tent community next to the river in Mellier totally gone, moved into these transitional homes. I saw a vacant, thinly sketched area for a replacement church foundation enlarged and now standing almost four feet tall - a foundation for a church which will become a beacon to the community.”

Larry Hutchison: “It was encouraging to see positive improvements to roads, removal of debris, and the Mellier community. I was impressed with the amount of work done on the new Mellier church. It is apparent the Haitians see hope.”

John Strand: “I will never again take for granted the little things in my everyday life such as ice and running water. They seemed so minor until I did not have them. It was comforting to see the workers of Mellier making progress on building their church. The pace at which they are moving seems slow to us, but it is, nevertheless, progress. I look forward to going back next year to see how far they have come in a year and to going back repeatedly over the years to be a part of building their church and school.”

Scott Wolfanger: “My experience surpassed all my expectations (physical, emotional & mental). The improvements I saw from the pictures shared by last year’s team to what we left, gave me and the Mellier community encouragement and hope. I’m excited to have put my footprint on the church foundation that will change the lives of the Mellier people, as it has mine.”

Michelle Liening: “The Haiti Mission was absolutely amazing. The scenery is pure beauty cluttered by devastation, and it is heartbreaking to see the two together. I know God called me to do this mission, and I know that I came home with lessons learned and a growth in my faith. I grew to love these people in the short amount of time I got to spend with them. Their gratitude for people coming to help them shows in so many ways. It hurts me to see them with so many needs and I can't wait to return. It was life changing.”

Ron Magee: “Observing the devastation and substandard living conditions of many inhabitants made me realize that we as Americans take many of our amenities for granted. Amidst the devastation, the people of Mellier resonated hope and love and it was truly inspiring. Being a member of this mission team was a blessing and opened my heart toward the people of Haiti.”

Chad Weinman: “The Haiti mission brought our team many unforgettable experiences and moments of reflection. One which continually stays with me day to day is that of hope. Through these incredible people's faith, they are looking forward. The church we are helping build is more than a place of worship; it is also a symbol of that hope and faith. When you sign up to serve on a mission team, you're prepared to help change the lives of the ones you serve. What you don't anticipate is that the ones you serve will also equally change your life.”

Terry Elifritz: “Although I was initially appalled at the devastation everywhere I looked, I came to realize over the week that Haiti is a place filled with faith and hope! The people are full of smiles and hope that they will be able to rebuild their country. I feel our being there helped renew their hope that the world hasn't forgotten them.”

God is good! All the time! ... All the Time! God is good!

Return to Mission Experiences list

JAlbum 7.4