February 7

It is a hot Saturday in Haiti, with just a little breeze. Anna is going to lead everyone up the mountain to see the beautiful view from the top. I went up with Anna yesterday – took several pictures, but the camera cannot capture the beauty of God’s creation. I had to stop several times to catch my breath and wait for my heart to stop pounding, but eventually we made it to the top. 2 little boys followed us up. When Anna asked why they were following us, they told her they were coming along so I would take their picture. Of course I took a couple of pictures of them from the top. They literally ran down the steep parts on the trip back down; both to have fun and to show us what they could do. Anna ran down too, and then would come back to walk with me. She reminds me so much of my granddaughters.Unlike Anna – I will not be making the climb two days in a row.
Earlier in the week a few of us were varnishing furniture on the cement patio behind our house. A couple of little boys were standing in the bushes just outside the compound. They asked our names and tried to visit with us for a little while, then they started singing in Creole, “I Love you with the Love of the Lord.” After they finished, I sang it back to them in English. That made them laugh, then they sang it to us in English too. A few days later when I was cleaning a sink outside, one of those same little boys came up to talk. I didn’t recognize him as one of our new friends, so after a couple of minutes he started singing that same song to me in English so I would realize that I knew him already.
Since Chris and Kathleen have gone to work in PAP, I have become a “plumber’s helper.” I found that I am qualified to have that new title. I can measure, write, hold pipe, and go for parts. Most of my time is spent running back and forth from the shop to the clinic. I don’t really mind, since Bill is repeatedly getting up and down off of the cement floor. He is really doing a good job.
The Haitians dug a trench about 2 ft deep and 150 feet long from a pipe bringing water down from our cistern to the clinic. We laid PVC pipe in it and glued it altogether. Then we cut into the original pipe, put a T in it and hooked the whole thing up to the clinic. We have 3 different shut-off valves in place, so we can stop the flow. Otherwise, if there was a leak, we would have a serious problem. The first time we turned on the water, Bill and I were watching for leaks at the 4 sinks that we hooked up. For the most part it was uneventful, however when Bill turned on one of the sinks, the water pressure blew one of their fittings apart, and water was hitting Bill in the legs. As Cory ran up the hill to turn the water off, Bill got down and reconnected the elbow. Of course he got totally sprayed in the process. I was in another room, and missed all the fun. They realized that somehow that elbow had never gotten glued onto the pipe – that makes a big difference in the plumbing with PVC business! Of course that mistake happened before Bill got his new “plumbers helper.”!!!!!!
We are getting ready for the team of 6 to arrive on Wednesday. Gene and Larry have made beautiful cupboards for the people to put their clothes in. There is even an area to hang clothes. They also built a new set of bunk beds so there is room for everyone to sleep. Next week we will get the beds all made up. They have projects and painting to do at the clinic, to keep everyone busy for the 2 weeks the Warsaw team will be here.
There is more to write, but I have to get this blog posted. Keep praying for these people who have a deep love for Jesus that they will be witnesses of His love to those who are lost spiritually.