Sunday, continued

It’s not often that we get a rainstorm during the day, but we continued our Sunday in a pleasant tropical shower. I led some of the team on a tour of the Vocational Training Center, which is still in the works. Getting the lay of the land really communicates the ministry’s vision: the facility includes centers for sewing, woodworking, automotive repair, tiling, computer access, and culinary arts (with an amazing kitchen), all designed to equip our students for future life and work. I look forward to seeing this area used in the next couple of years, both by the older children and for the surrounding community.

We continued to have pleasant conversations as the team got to know each other over lunch, and a little later we loaded the van for a drive to Pastor Michelet’s church. It took about half-an-hour to get there (even though it was only a few miles away) because of the rough dirt roads. Poyis left before us in the box truck, full of lumber, with Pastor Michelet and a couple of men from his church. About a block from the compound, Moto high-centered our van on a big pile of dirt (probably due to our team’s combined weight), and we had to pile out and push for ten minutes to get it free. Back on the road and almost to the church, we saw Poyis and his guys using a pick-axe to get the truck unstuck. By the time both cars were operational again, we’d drawn quite a crowd of interested onlookers.

At Pastor Michelet’s church, we were immediately met by people from the church who couldn’t wait to help unload lumber. It was amazing to see how excited his people were. We surveyed the land, decided where to lay the posts, and began digging holes. One lady in particular got down in a hole with a shovel, and was digging out rock from the beginning to the end of our time there. We probably spent an hour-and-a-half at the site, assessing the project and letting some of our team members discuss how best to begin the construction.

It’s hard to put into words what it meant to these people that their church was being built. They had been waiting patiently for at least eighteen months, due to some unrest in the country, and later, COVID; to know that the time had arrived and this team would build the long-awaited church was exciting.

It was a good day. Tomorrow starts early.

If you’re interested in joining a trip to Haiti, visit connect2ministries.org/go-serve.

Wiley Kennedy serves as Director of International Ministries with Connect 2 Ministries. To learn more about Wiley, visit Who We Are, and to learn more about how you can pray for the ministry, visit Pray.