UP and UP !!!!!

   The walls are going up. The plumbing pipes are  in place with a few adjustments here & there. The septic pit was hand dug, poured the floor, laid up the block on the sides, and the top was poured with 2 heavy lids. The generator/ shower room is also getting laid up. The Haitians made a bond beam around the house below the windows for stability. It's amazing how much can happen in a few days. Especially, when we leave for Creole classes and come back 3 hrs. later.
   The Creole lessons are very challenging for us. We're picking up a few more words to add to our vocabile. Our teacher Stanley is very patient but does pray that we can learn quicker.
 Philip's brother Thomas came down for 10 days. What a blessing! He helped with the block laying and making sure it was kept straight. Philip had to leave  for supplies and he couldn't keep track of everything. Charisier the architect is still doing a good job. He couldn't understand the metal stud walls , Philip wanted to put in, in some parts of the downstairs. That was quite an extended conversation for quite a while throughout the day. Philip thought he finally understood! :) Then we arrived one day and the blocks were being laid up where Philip had showed them it would be metal stud walls. Such is Life! The Cam team stopped in one day and we enjoyed some familiar faces.
 We enjoyed a church conference at Bric over Haiti's Mardi Gras. One of our church friends, Simeon & Melanie Shanksters are on the staff at Bric. They invited one of our ministers from IN down to help with the preaching. Also a Bric board member, who is a minister came down to and helped with the preaching. Very good messages were preached. The interpreter Bootler is so fast he about takes the words right out of the minsters mouths.
 Our little garden is really struggling. The collard were about ready and the next day they all disappeared / maybe chickens????? We enjoyed one cucumber, the rest are staying the same size and turning yellow. Wrong kind for here ???? Lots of blooms on things and lots of insects eating the plants..
 Philip & I grated a fresh coconut sprinkled it with powdered sugar then toasted the coconut. Yum! Great on granola and just good to eat. Enjoying fresh orange, grapefruit and passion fruit juice.
  The neighbor girl, Wiztgard has been cooking a lot for us at noon. One day she grabbed the soda bottle of oil and  poured it the pan, here it was the gasoline to start the fire. OOPS! It just went up in a vapor. Thankful it wasn't  a huge fire, she would've went up in flames. Her eyes got huge, she quickly looked out to see if her Mom was watching! :) We've had some good laughs over this, she is so fun. She is 20 years old and going to nursing school. One uniform that gets washed every night.
  We got our water tested and it is very safe to drink and very good too. There wasn't many Haitians getting water at first, but now the pump is very busy, the word is out its good water. The neighbors thought we should charge a goud a 5 gallon bucket. That's about 2 1/2 cents. Madam has been collecting the money, she's outside a lot and can see who comes and goes. She has to settle some water debates once in while. I'm glad its her, I don't think they would respect me for charging. Was glad it was all the neighbors idea.  Some were getting paid for hauling water to a building site is one reason they thought we should charge. Also the pumps do break and the money is for the repair work.
  The thieves tried to break in Oolies house one night. They pried their back door open, which is their bedroom and started shooting. We don't know if they thought Oolies had money or a key to our container. Needless to say it was a sleepless night for the family. Wiquens the 11 year old was crying the next morning so Philip prayed with him. He spent the night with us that night.  Philip welded more fasteners on their metal door.
  Madam Oolie grabbed  a big aloe leave one day, slit it opened and started giving it to her baby chicks. She would pick up the chicks  and hold them and put a little aloe gel in their beaks. She said it was so they didn't go to sleep, meaning die. She also got a chicken feather, washed it and dried it. then she started to twirl it in her ear ? cleaning it or itching a tickle ???? I learn new things all the time.
  Enjoyed Stan Boyd, Jim Boyd & Calvin Wolf  for a big weekend. We had a communion service at CAM and they came for that. Jim has cancer and this is something he wanted to do. They helped Philip and just lifted our spirits up.  Thank you again for your encouragement!
   One day we walked  out of Creole class and there stood our daughter Ashley. Our mouths dropped open and we couldn't believe it. WHAT A SPECIAL SURPRISE!!! Jared, our son was to be there too, but had had an accident the week before. So Sorry! He was on a crane job and a 2000lb beam fell on his left foot. I think it will be ok but the surgeon, did have to amputate the 2nd and 3rd toe ( next to the big toe) to the first joint. The big toe was so crushed they couldn't pin it. Hoping to save all of them. He has to be careful for 6 weeks. Back to Ashley we enjoyed her for 5 days and she helped me get organized for several families that were arriving in a few days to help Philip. I still can't believe she was here, it was very special. Thank all of you and especially Daddy Jack for  taking care of the children.  We decided to take off Creole lessons for a week. So busy couldn't even study.

tieing the rebar on top floor

the jacks and boards on the bottom floor

A Cement Bucket Brigade

On top Jason & Ethan troweling

Cement Buckets the workers brought to the job !!!

The lunch being prepared

  Well our company arrived. Stephen Rapp, Ethan & Lynnae Wagoner, Jason, Janelle, Lexi & Kaelynn Miller, Corrie Miller, and Tyler Flory extended his ticket as long as he could. Clint, Brenda & Ava Bower came on Thurs. & Friday too.  Philip told Charisier 2 weeks ago, that  we needed to have the top floor ready to pour by last Monday. No problem he said and thought he understood how soon that would be. Well Charisier said about Wed. Philip problems I don't think we'll be ready till next week..... hum...Philip said that's what the boys came for and they leave on Saturday. Lo and behold it happened Wed. the stilts and boards went up,Thurs. rebar finished and ready to pour on Friday. The Hatians found out the blans could tie rebar etc. Philip said the rebar is so sturdy and over the top maybe we didn't need to pour a slab after all. SMILE! Amazing how quick things happened. Our neighbor Alexus had been shopping for food for Friday lunch. The custom is you feed all the workers like we would at home. They said plan to feed about 50 but we probably fed 40. I went to Bric and borrowed 3 big 25 qt. pans. Madam Oolie was fixing the food.  Well, Friday arrived !! Breakfast happened  here at 4;00 a.m. The boys all left. I loaded up a few things and left at 8:00 and Brenda brought the girls around 9:30. WOW! Our house looked like an ant hill. The cement mixer was humming and a cement bucket brigade was going up on the top. Men stand on a ladder and hoist buckets up one after another as fast as they can to the top. They slide 2 buckets at a time down a rope to refill. Someone was running back and forth to Madam's to keep her posted on the lunch schedule. She had several helpers, Madam Charisier, Madam Vince. Two big pans outside full of rice & beans being cooked.  I set up my table to cut on, of course only me using it and the ladies watching me do my thing. We did use it when we filled up Styrofoam trays with the lunch. They finished pouring at 11:00  and Stephen, Jason & Ethan finished troweling at 3:00 p.m. It was very exciting! Thank You Jesus and everyone, what a big support group we have.  Madam OOlie was very tired, I don't know what time she was up. We all went to CAM at Keith Brubakers for supper. Ethan's , Jason's fly home on Sat. so they spent the night at Cam  and Clayton Brubaker will take them to the airport . Stephen spent the night at CAM and will help us for awhile and hang out in Haiti. Clint's and us came back to our abode for the night. Brenda stayed here today and Clint ran up to Soliettle to check on his new goat pen. So we are here by our selves tonight what a change. We've had a busy month of company, what a blessing, everyone has been. Thank you again for your prayers and support, - until then, Bethany