The work we do...

Sorry it has taken us so long to get the blog up and going.  There are good reasons for this: 1) when we have time to post - we don't have electricity.  We found out that the government turns off the electricity in the entire city if enough people haven't paid their taxes.  We do have generator for these times but during the day they don't always run it because there is enough light to do work.  Being on the computer is not considered work.  2) In the evenings, when there is no electricity but the generator is going and we have down time - we are so exhausted from the day's work we all go to bed.  Seriously, we are in bed by 8PM. 

That gets us to what we are doing in Haiti.  First the "Us" - Us is Campus Compassion, a group of Barton College Students that are dedicated to service locally and globally.  The Us is also - 12 students and 3 non students.  They include:
Kasey Byzewsky
Kathy Shaner
Leah Farmer
Ashley Denton
Rachel Moore
Kelli Williams
Zoe Taylor
Chelsea Hassell
George Negron
Eric LaRoque
Jacob Cobb
Kevin Toth
Heather Brewer
Bill Moore
Hollie Woodruff

We are working with Conscience Internations and Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.  I sould say, they all work together to make Haiti Rubble Houses - an organization that utilizes the rubble from the 2010 earthquake.  We are working side by side with the Haitians to help them build houses.  So far, they have built 160 + homes.  We are working on two this week. 

There are two other groups here - one from New York and one from Canada.  Our day usually consists of getting up around 6AM, eating breakfast around 6:30, off to work at 7:30.  We come back for lunch around noon and head back out to work from 1:30-4:00.  It's hard work - but we take lots of breaks and have many laughs in between.  After work, we take showers, eat dinner, debrief about out day and head to bed! 

Words and pictures can't capture the beauty of Haiti. There is poverty here -but one cannot focus on what Haitians don't have but what they do.  Most have what they need.  The young go to school.  They have food to eat.  There is a roof over their head.  Their standard of living is not what we are used to but they are happy.  It's time for me to go.... signing off.... -  Hollie Woodruff, Chaplain.

Here are some pics so far....  

How to build a roof in Haiti:



Jacob passes time by working on his carpentry skills:


Kasey learns how to do masonry work while Kathy cheers her on!