Friday Afternoon

Lunch came. It really helped to eat and rest a little sitting at the table. The temperature was 93, but the humidity made it feel like it was over 100.

We got back to the Mercy Home around 1:30, and we were back at it by 1:45. But, right before we started, a really neat thing happened. In fact, this was one of the best highlights of the trip…

Pastor Poyis, brought many of the Secondary School boys and girls over from the Regency Home to help us for a little while. There were about 20 of them in total. He separated them and had the girls clean up some blocks and had the boys carry the trusses from the staging area by the dorms to where we were building, about 200 yards away. He was so good with them and patient with them. He lead the boys as they carried this large truss together across the dirt lot to our building area. All of the kids were happy to help us. Poyis told us later they were excited to see the beginning of their new school.

You see, these kids are 14-17 years old and share schoolrooms at the current elementary school. You can imagine the excitement for them to see something being  built from the ground up that was for them. Wood structures simply are not built in Haiti, so watching this, I imagine they thought it was pretty cool.

After they finished their job, they lined up near us and watched us work for about 30 minutes before Poyis had them go back across the street to the Regency Home. I must say that for our team, this really lifted our spirits. Their energy helped us get into a rhythm and flow putting the trusses up. Before we knew it, we had put up 10 trusses, and the afternoon seemed to go by quickly. At lunch time, I thought we would be working past sunset, but we worked at such a good pace we were finished by 5:30. 

It was an incredible experience to be a part of. Each of us on the team knew that we weren’t just building a school, but we were building a future for students to get an enhanced Christian education. The secondary school allows for these children, once restaveks, to advance their education so they can be used by God in a culture that is full of hardship and struggle. These kids will help break the backbone of slavery, one by one, by pursuing a career where they can provide for their future families. They won’t have to lose heir children to slavery, as they once were themselves. 

Poyis dropped by as we were finishing dinner to thank us. He shared that come the following Monday, John Fritz and a small team would put the tin sheets on the tresses.

He also told us that the School was gaining a strong reputation in the neighborhood and was now considered the best school in the area. He has approximately 50 extra students from the area, and he said that more and more want to register for both the elementary and secondary schools. He said that what the leaders of the school are giving is a Christian education and that every family is invited to the church and many come. This is really a good model. Only God takes something out of darkness and makes light.

Fast forward to today, April 2021, 7 months later. If you were to visit the Mercy Home during school hours, you’ll find the first 20 students of our Secondary School using the building. We are all so thankful.

Thank you for following along in our series of the Secondary School Construction. If you missed a part of the story, visit here to find out more about our amazing volunteers.

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.