Tuesday

We got to the Mercy Home site around 8 and each of us had a task. The biggest worry continued to be the muddy field. Poyis had brought in some trucks full of loads of dirt and this helped a little. But there wasn’t enough time or dirt to cover the whole area. His guys dug all day and were making progress. The challenge was that water would seep back into a hole that they dug and create a mess. Troy and Chuck cut boards to size for our tresses. Allan, Adam, Dr J, John  Fritz (Haitian) and I hammered nails into the gussets (little pieces placed on the joints of a tress for the purpose of providing strength). We worked all day on this, only resting to get water.  

At the very end of the day, Chuck and Troy began to lay out the corners for the corner posts. The concern was that it was going to rain, as it clouded up and the storm moved in our direction. It was nice later in the afternoon as it cooled off a little and made it easier to work. I have never pounded so many nails in my life. I had many memories of my late father doing projects around the house, and I am so thankful he taught me the basics of construction. 

Wednesday

We knew we wanted to complete this project, but this morning, we weren’t sure how it would pan out. The rain last night couldn’t have helped the soggy field and without the ability to dig holes, our project was going to be delayed.

After lunch we went back to the job site and had an amazing afternoon. Dr. J, Adam, John Fritz, and I finished the tresses while Chuck, Troy, and Allan continued to lay posts. We worked a little later just to finish, but 16 of the posts were laid and Poyis and the Haitians did a great job pouring the cement to set up the posts. This set us up to have a good day Thursday. Chuck was both encouraged, amazed and was very appreciative to the team for the work that was put in.

At dinner we talked about how the Lord is working in each of us and using each of our own skills and gifts to accomplish His purpose. We have a great balance on this team.

Check back next week to see how the construction of the secondary school continues to unfold.

Wiley Kennedy serves as Director of International Ministries with Connect 2 Ministries. To learn more about Wiley, visit Who We Are, and to learn how you can make a difference, visit Join the Impact.