25 Feb (Friday)

My truck said it was 18 below zero when I was dropped off at the airport in Helena at 04:45 this morning.  Upon arrival in Miami this afternoon, it was 82 F.  That's an increase of exactly 100 degress!  Schweeeet!
Tomorrow, at 09:45 EST we will depart Miami on our way to Port-au-Prince.  There, we'll discover whether or not all of our luggage full of tools arrived with us.   We have over $500 of tools to dismantle and then reconstruct a church in La Tremblay.  At least that's the plan today.  In Haiti, actually anywhere on a mission trip, one must be prepared for radical changes in plans.  And having a smile ready for these changes will go a long way in making it a fruitful mission trip.

Day 1 – Helena Contingent Departs

It was -15 degrees early this morning as the Helena team members made their way to the airport for our departure to Miami., where we'll overnight before we meet up with the rest of our team for the flight to Port-au-Prince, Haiti tomorrow. All our team gear, including tools, bedding and medical supplies, eventually made it into our checked luggage and will hopefully arrive at our destination.

Work Assignment Update

The following is an update from Beth Guy, Assistant Volunteer Management Coordinator, UMVIM Haiti:

We've hit a small speed bump. It seems that La Tremblay School might not be ready to host your team by Sunday. We're still hopeful that they might be able to arrange things in time, but it's looking more and more like that might not be the case.

If your team cannot stay there, then more than likely, you will be staying at the Guest House in Petionville all week and commute each day to La Tremblay. Another possibility would be to change your work site all together and have you stay on site at the new place, but we know that your team has been preparing for time at La Tremblay for a while and would probably prefer to work there if possible.

I'm sorry that things did not progress in the timing that we had hoped and planned for. I'm sure that God will be with your team regardless of what the housing situation is.

St. Paul's Team Members Commissioned

At a service this morning, the St. Paul's United Methodist Church congregation commissioned those going on the Haiti Mission Trip. The team members, while wearing their mission t-shirts, confirmed their commitment to the goals of the mission. Senior Pastor Marianne Niesen presented the team members with a carved wooden cross she found in Assisi, Italy.

Updated 3/19/2010

The crosses are known as a ‘Franciscan’ or ‘Tau’ cross. The unusual shape is meant to symbolize service…an image of a servant, arms outstretched and Jesus, arms outstretched in return. Pastor Niesen likes to think of these crosses as a symbol of both hospitality and service.

The doves, as well as the leaves, on the cross symbolize peace.

The three knots in the necks string represent faith, hope and charity – all virtues needed for a mission trip!

The fact that the crosses come from Assisi is especially important to Pastor Niesen since Francis was the ultimate ‘servant of the Lord’ who gave his life to serve the poor and to respond that way to God’s love. Assisi is known as a city of peace.

Work Assignment Update

The following is a quick update from Beth Guy, Assistant Volunteer Management Coordinator, UMVIM Haiti:

I went to La Tremblay again today and spoke with the engineer for the site. He actually thinks your team will mostly be doing demolition of the church building and maybe starting the very early stages of reconstruction. Also, it's possible that your team will help reconstructing the security wall around the school.

Also, I spoke with Marco DePestre, Secretary of EMH and the Circuit Superintendent for the Port-au-Prince circuit and he thinks it would be awesome for you and the nurse on your team to talk to the different classes at the school about disease prevention. He thinks that would be extremely helpful and definitely something the community would appreciate/benefit from.

Pictures of Our Mission Worksite

Our team is scheduled to go to La Tremblay Church, where we will work on structural repairs, leveling the floor, clearing out rubble, etc. La Tremblay (see map) is a small community very near Croix des Bouquets and not too far from Port-au-Prince. Our $3,500 and matching grant will all go to this project (mostly, if not completely, for labor and materials), although we may not see all of it used throughout the week. Our funds not only support the work done during our work week, but also the week before and after we're there.

We will be staying on site at La Tremblay School - right across the street from the church. We will be the first team to stay on site here so it will be an exciting, new opportunity for the community to host us! There, we will be sleeping on cots. Security, cooks, and interpreters will be provided.

I found a Rebuilding Haiti Now website with Google that shows (among other things) exactly where we'll be (La Tremblay) and there are even photos of the La Tremblay School where we'll be sleeping! Go to http://site.rebuildinghaitinow.org/projects.html and in the section of the website regarding the La Tremblay School, you can click on the line "Click here for more photos", and the link will show additional photos of "our school".

Wednesday Night Dinner Supports Haiti Mission Team

This evening's Wednesday Night Dinner was well-attended and helped raise funds to support the Haiti Mission Team. Thanks to everyone that cooked, set up, served, cleaned up and/or attended the delicious dinner. It was a huge success.