Meet our interpreter. Edril. He grew up here in Haiti-in Port de Paix. He has worked for NWCHM for several years. He does a great job, is honest, trustworthy and we couldn’t function without him! He lets us fumble through some conversations so we can practice our Creole, but always is there to make sure we get the right point across-especially when it’s something that is very important.  It was actually his birthday June 4^th, but he didn’t tell anyone! He mentioned it about a week ago, and as soon as I had a working kitchen I wanted to make him a fun dinner and birthday cake. So, with the help of Barb (a new nwhcm staff member working state side) we made dinner and a huge cake too! He was so embarrassed-it was great!

We had our first official meeting with a potential ministry/church today. God ordained our meeting, that is for sure! There is a restaurant/hotel across the street that all the teams eat at when they are staying in pdp. Brandon was down there talking to the owner, Jerry, and ran into two white ladies. (We have come to realize how rare it is to see white people around-so much so that we usually stop to talk with them and find out what they are doing here.) They told us they are here to help a pastor up the hill to feed his congregation. Brandon was speechless. He then tells her what OTB is doing and why we are here, and the women break down crying. (When Bran came back to tell me, I of course cried too, thanking the Lord for His perfect timing. And, it was such an encouragement when it seems we face so many obstacles every single day! ) The women we met have been praying, asking the Lord to show them how to feed all these people! They started with 83 and in one week are up to 230! As of now they go the markets and buy food to pass out to the church. They also said that at this church, and in that small community, they have found people who are severely mal nourished. They fit a lot of the signs and symptoms for not eating enough food.  We then scheduled a time for the four of us to meet on Monday.  Well, at the last minute, Brandon had to go to PAP to pick up groups flying into the country-which left me to meet with them all by myself. Of course, I was very nervous about this! Brandon is more articulate than I in real life-while I am usually better on paper. But, I asked the Lord to go before me, to give me His words and not mine. He did. We met and talked about OTB and what we are doing, and I was able to give them a tour of our kitchen. They were so excited to see the pots and realize the potential to feed a lot of people! It was so encouraging, so refreshing, and so exiting to see the Lord orchestrate all the events that had to fall into place to find them. Oh, He is so good.

Extreme Makeover!

Our team has been working hard on helping in the kitchen! . They have assembled racks, pulled electrical wire, and painted the entire storeroom with three coats of paint-all in one day! They are working non-stop to help get this kitchen beautiful and ready to feed.

The NWHCM team has been working on dismantling a gigantic playground to move it out to an orphanage out west.  It has taken a team of a dozen guys chipping away at cement blocks to loosen the gigantic playground… hot, sweaty, back breaking work! And the girls are painting the girls dorm a nice cream color. It looks so much better with a few coats of paint. And screens went up so no more midnight blood sucking friends for them!