In His Hands

About 2 years ago one of the elderly men in the village came to David and I and asked if we would help with a water project. We immediately knew what he really meant. They needed money. Dinero. Moula.

We went and looked at the past water system they had. It was long. I was all broken up. The villagers explained to us how an organization helped them build it in the 80's and then the hurricane in 2008 destroyed it.

Then I asked the big question...

"Where do you all get water now?"

And then we headed off to follow the women and kids carrying their empty buckets and jugs.

When we got there I was hot, sweaty and heartbroken. We had walked for 40 minutes just to get to the water source. 

When we started talking to the people we had followed, they explained to us that there were people that lived even further away up the mountain who came down to the same water source. And they filled up their 5 gallon buckets, put them on their heads and started the trek back home.

I sat down, exhausted, and waited for David to go back and get the truck to bring it closer so I didn't have to walk all the way back. Lazy white lady...I know...but it was HOT!

Long story short...Invest Hope did not have the funds to help with this project. So we encouraged the people to pray and I cringed everytime I passed someone walking past me with an empty OR full bucket.

Earlier this year, Hungry for Life, had a donor who wanted to do a water project outside Jacmel, Haiti and David remembered this project and asked me to write up a proposal to them. I did and guess what????

They accepted!

So that brings us to today...

Invest Hope is partnering with Hungry for Life and the villagers in Peredo, Haiti to redo a spring water capture system to bring clean spring water to thousands of people!

And yes, it is literally a partnership with the community of Peredo also. They are providing the labor of digging cisterns and ditches free of charge. Invest Hope believes in helping people help themselves. And since they will be the beneficiaries of this project, they are putting in the sweat equity.

And to my delight, they are doing a wonderful job!

 The project materials are trucked up the mountain and then volunteers (including the children!) carry it in by hand. This include cement blocks, sacks of cement, sand to mix into the cement, rebar and piping.

Helping these people get water is something that was only a wish of mine...

But the Lord had a bigger plan when he sent an 80 something year old Haitian man to talk with a 30 something year old American woman. 

He sent a non-profit Canadian organization to provide the funds.

It IS a small world!

And I'm so glad it's in His hands!

Sheree visits

 Board member, Sheree Tata visited Haiti last week! 

She brought some cool cake decorating supplies and taught Chantal and Odessa some skills. 

There was lots of giggling and chocolate eating that day.

Sheree and her sister in law collected suitcases of school supplies for a school in Peredo. Sheree even carried a globe onto multiple planes to get it delivered here safely. They also brought a donated brand new lap top, a filing cabinet bought here, classroom decorations in French and books in French.

This smiles sums it up...

the kids were happy to get drawstring bags with school supplies inside.

Thanks Sheree and Sue for your collecting and distributing. Most of all for encouraging this struggling Haitian school!

And thanks to all the donors who sent supplies and funds with them!