Today dawned hot and cloudless. After a hearty breakfast, we headed to Croix des Mission Church worksite. The streets were full of pedestrians, motorbikes, vendors, and old cars or "buses" called Tap-Taps which is what you do (tap tap on the metal separation between the driver and riders) to signal "GO, we are all aboard!" Of course, we were in our comfortable Methodist Van.
Arriving about 9 am at the worksite, we were greeted by children and young men. The workers were already busy filling foundation trenches with rock and cement--all hauled by hand or in buckets. The cement is mixed on the ground by tireless young men. I helped pass cement-filled buckets for about 20 minutes and had to quit from wrist pain. They had been kind to me and only put two shovelfuls of cement in each bucket. As soon as I left the line, they put four shovelfuls in! I think they were glad that I quit so they could get more done!
Gary and Bob helped a few strong men move BIG rocks in a wheelbarrow. Some were as heavy as 100 pounds! These rocks were then placed in the trenches and surrounded by cement until the trenches were 4 feet above the ground! This was nearly complete before we left at 3pm. These paid workmen are skinny men with amazing stamina. Remember, the heat index is near 105 degrees!
Today and yesterday, my big donation to this effort has been picking up trash. Marilyn and I and several children have cleaned up the site. It appeared that in the year and a half that we have been gone, some squatters made the area home especially after the cement block fences crumbled and metal gate derailed during the earthquake.
Marilyn and I also made friends with the children by taking their pictures and then showing the result on our digital cameras. This pleases them very much. They are very photogenic! Unfortunately, uploading the pictures to this blog has proved very difficult. Perhaps we can try again tonight.
Again we paid the church women to prepare a meal for everyone. They fed about 80 folks today. The vast majority do some work to earn the meal...even the children and women carry rocks. Today Bob arranged for everyone to have a Coca Cola after the meal. This created lots of excitement!
Marilyn was thrilled to be reunited with "Pah Poosh", one of her favorite young men from a year and a half ago. He truly is a charmer! He is 26 and trying to attend a trade school but he said he has no money and has lost his mother.
I was fascinated by two young men who arrived with a chair and proceeded to set up a barber shop! They were very skilled at "shaving" the heads of young boys. They used a comb with a razor blade attached to it by a metal clip!
The other notable happening today was soccer. We brought one soccer ball to the worksite which created a lot of excitement among the young boys, but our Haitian American Michelle, a pastor in Boston, told the children that they had to work before they could play. So they carried rocks for a couple of hours and just before lunch the soccer ball was released. After lunch, a Croix des Mission church member arrived. He was dressed in the shiny shirt and pants of a soccor coach which was exactly what he was! He was terrific with the kids as he gave them instruction and skill practice. Then the game began! These little boys were amazing in their flipflops or bare feet!
The Rev. Marco, the District Superintendent of the Croix des Mission, visited our site. He confirmed that the Methodist Church of Haiti was going to follow the earthquake guidelines for construction. Thus, the reinforcement of our foundation. I am disappointed that the roof cannot go on this year, but I fully understand the importance of safety-first! We will all feel better for having done it right.
Marilyn received the name "Mere Blanc" which means "white mother" from the kids as she caught and tossed medium sized rocks in the rock brigade.
After a refreshing swim in our Guest House swimming pool and a tasty supper, we will have our first "choir practice" with Stevenson Theodore so that we can serenade the Croix des Mission congregation on Sunday. Sadly, Gary and I cannot sing. That leaves a heavy burden on Marilyn, Michelle, and Bob. The other guests here at the Guest house have been invited to join us but most are leaviing Saturday.
Tomorrow we visit Grace Children's Hospital and deliver those adorable comfort dolls from the ladies of New Hampshire!
No comments:
Post a Comment