We are so sorry for the delayed update, we are having difficulty getting internet to update you all. However, we have some now so Praise the Lord! We arrived in Haiti yesterday afternoon safe and sound. We met up with our other group with whom we are serving this week as well as our PPM staffers. It was so wonderful to finally meet the people that we'll be serving with for the upcoming week. So as of now we are resting quietly at Life is Hope B, the second home that Pastor Jean has for the many orphans involved in Life is Hope. There are currently 85 children living under this roof as well as all 27 of us Americans! What a week it will be. We look forward to updating with pictures when the internet is stronger, until then keep us in your prayers!

We started the morning off with a Haitian breakfast of boiled eggs, bananas and Haitian hot chocolate. Yum! After we filled our stomachs, we headed out to church to fill our spirits. We joined in with the church on the property of the future orphanage in Croix-de-Boquets. This is where we will be working this week as well. It was so wonderful to be a part of a Haitian church service and get our first real listen to Haitian Creole being spoken. Eric shared his testimony, we had music and Jude led a quick message on being ready for the harvest; the soil is being planted as we speak! Thanks to Pastor Christof for hosting us in his church.

After church, a wonderful lunch and a little time to rest, we headed out to Life is Hope A. We were so excited to meet the 75+ children and spend an afternoon playing and getting to know them. They sang for us their welcome song as the gates opened, it was truly beautiful. We love these children! Smiles all around!

We ended the night with worship on the balcony and an extended prayer service over the week. We also spent special time in prayer for Mike, our friend who could not make the trip. Our hearts and prayers are with you! Our hearts are already feeling at home here in this beautiful country. We ask for prayers of strength and safety as we begin working on the construction of the wall tomorrow. Thank you all!

We woke up this morning to a beautiful sunrise and full Haitian breakfast hot on the table. Since the kids are not in school yet, we are starting off the morning with School Ministry. Today we sang songs in Creole and English, made bracelets and taught the Gospel story. The kids sang so beautifully and loud! Oh, how the singing of a child can bless your soul. We are falling in love with these children and the staff here at Life is Hope B.

After school ministry at the orphanage, we headed to the New Life is Hope Property. There we passed buckets of concrete to help build the wall surrounding the orphanage property. Children from the community saw us working and came to assist us.

When we had a break from work we took the children to play Soccer in the fields nearby. Those who preferred not to play, came up with many other games including Ninja, Hot Potato, and Follow the Leader (which quickly became a favorite!).

On the new property and the orphanage grounds, we taught the story of Joshua. To help the children visualize the Battle of Jericho, we gave each of them a Kazoo and told them to blow it as loud and as hard as they could as they circled around the Jericho wall (us adults). They walked, ran, jumped, and skipped around us, blowing their Kazoos loudly! And after the 7th time. They stood together and made as much noise as they could! The wall then fell to the ground. The children really enjoyed being a part of that story!

To start off our days we teach the kids here at Life is Hope B about the Gospel. Today we talked about how Christ came to forgive our sins and all we need to do is ask Him for forgiveness and He will wash us white as snow. 12 children came and drew "sin" on the board, then one girl erased it all. The kids loved the illustration and sang so loud!

Once at the worksite, we were needed to help move a large pile of rocks. We all pitched in and completed the entire pile in about 30 minutes. Wow, they were heavy! After that we moved quickly along helping the Haitian workers with whatever they needed. Next we mixed cement, passed it down to the other end of the wall and poured columns. It was hard work, but well worth it. Once at the worksite, we were needed to help move a large pile of rocks. We all pitched in and completed the entire pile in about 30 minutes. Wow, they were heavy! After that we moved quickly along helping the Haitian workers with whatever they needed. Next we mixed cement, passed it down to the other end of the wall and poured columns. It was hard work, but well worth it.

After lunch we split up into two groups with some continuing with construction, while others went into the community planting trees. We planted a total of 10 trees and spent a wonderful afternoon with the people of Croix-de-Boquets getting to know them and praying for their future. It was a blessed time of ministry. After tree ministry, we finished up construction and headed to Life is Hope A for another time of play. The kids were so sad when we arrived because they thought the rain would stop us from coming. We assured them nothing will stop us from coming the next two days! We finished out the night with a large meal of Calalou and Cabrite (goat) and fresh Cherry juice. After some beautiful worship, we head to bed with a great day of work behind us and with great expectations for tomorrow. We appreciate your prayers and sweet comments, they mean so much!

Today we continued with our normal routine of school ministry, construction, tree ministry and orphanage ministry. The most special part of the day was buying fruit for all of the children at both Life is Hope sites. Each child received a slice of watermelon and mango as well as sugar cane. They were so excited so get so many sweet things at once, many of them wanted to save it for later. We spent time singing with all the kids and taught them the lesson of David and Goliath. They loved hitting Goliath (Kevin from the NOEFC team) in the head with a ball. We are enjoying the rain and wind as a storm is rolling in tonight. Thank the Lord for the cool breeze and the happiness we shared with the children today. Everything is for Your glory!

We love Futbol!

We headed out for recreation today and got to see the impact of a little rain on the community.The roads were filled with water and empty of people. Erisias explained how people stay inside on most days when it comes a big storm. Thank you all for your prayers and concern but we are doing wonderful! The majority of the storm missed us, we are just enjoying the cool winds and rain that it brought in. We even danced with the kids in the rain!

Evidence of a hard days work in the mud!

Singing with the children at the worksite.

Today we spent a little time in recreation and went to the Sugar Cane Museum. We learned all about the history of Haiti and about the sugar cane industry. We learned so much and even though it was cold and wet, we had so much fun! When we get home, don't forget to ask us how to eat sugar cane!

Our last day with the children from Life is Hope A was today. How hard it was to say goodbye to the children, but we know the Lord is with them and they are in good hands. Thank You Lord for the opportunity to spend time with Your children.

Wow, what a week we've spent here in Haiti. We are utterly speechless at how the Lord work in and through us this week. We have a new American family from the Ohio team, a new Praying Pelican family from the staff and a new Haitian family with all of the children and people we met this week. We wrapped up our night tonight in a praise and prayer meeting, lasting over 2 hours. It was a beautiful night of God's love and unity. We spent time washing the feet of those who served us; the cooks, our PPM staff and all the extra helpers. It was such a humbling experience to be a part of. Thank You Lord!

After packing up and cleaning up, we sang with the children one last time. It was a bittersweet moment and many tears were shed for our new relationships we've formed. We are so thankful for the time spent with them and will hold their smiles in our hearts forever.