Open Arms     Sept 14

The first organization we are going to feed is Open Arms Ministry.  It is run by Eric Beil. He feeds 50 children right now. God has given him a heart for the people on the “other side of twa rivieres” Kind of like the ‘other side of the tracks’ I guess you could say. It’s only about 20 minutes from downtown pdp, but it’s a whole different country out there. It is actually in the country, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Which also means away from access to water, food, jobs, etc. What I love most is how he has found the kids that are a part of the feeding program. He walks around the community and talks with families. He finds out their story. He sees where they live, how they live, with whom the children live with-and then decides if he thinks they need to be a part of the feeding program.

It’s a mere hop, skip and jump away. Okay, more like a drive, boat ride, and walk away.  We drove from our kitchen to the river, but the river was too full to cross (there is no bridge) so, we got in a small dingy boat with a “pusher” and a bailer (a small kid quickly scooping out water since all the boats have leaks) and rode to the other side. We then walked about twenty minutes to his building. I do enjoy walking, even though it’s so hot and dusty.  It gives us a chance to see things at a slow pace, up close and personal. There is a lot you can’t see from a truck… including the chance to stop and talk to women riding back on donkeys saddled up with food and water from pdp. I mean really, how great is it that we can walk and chat with women on donkeys, watch boys corralling cows in the street, buy sugar cane from women on the side of the road, and even though we arrive at our destination coverd in sweat and dirt, it’s a good feeling.

Sorry to leave you all hanging!! Just as we are getting things rolling with the kitchen, the internet has officially died! We talked to the Access Haiti guys, and the internet hasn’t been working for over three weeks. They are working on it, but  said it will be at least another three until they fix the main problem.

In the meantime, we are driving to St. Louis about once a week to get internet. So, for now, we will be posting a lot at one time. Sorry!! We’ll be writing things in Word and them posting them when we get here to use the internet. Thanks for your continuing commitment to be a part of what we are doing!

Woooohooo! The generator works! Jeremy (OTB staff stateside) came to help Brandon get the generator hooked up, plugged in, and fired up. And they did!! There were a few tense moments when they got it all situated and pressed the button when nothing happened. Then they would mess with some more things (well, I don’t really know what they were doing) and they would try again. The third time, she was purrrrring away! Music to our ears!!