Team Adoration!

Team Adoration is back together again!  Randy, Karen, Maia and Kim are all back in Haiti and enjoying the wonderful hot weather! 
In addition, we have a team here from Manitoba (Winnipeg and Carmen areas).  We are thankful they arrived safely this morning WITH all their luggage (always a bonus when they are bringing us tools, school supplies etc.)
Here the team is standing in front of the kitchen and the house where the property supervisors will live.

Below are the new classrooms as well as where the church will meet.

The office and the classrooms.

  These pictures are the new BEFORE pictures and I'll be sure to upload more pictures as the progress unfolds.

Sales Pitch: "When Helping Hurts"

Over the last few weeks and months we as an organization have decided to read a book entitled When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. Our hope is that we will be able to take the ideas presented in this book and apply them to our work in Haiti.
I HIGHLY recommend this book to EVERYONE.  Regardless of whether you are personally involved with missions overseas or in your own community, you will walk away from this book with a lot to think about.  The book addresses how we define poverty and how we seek to alleviate it.  Too often we start with the best of intentions but end up doing more harm than good.  The book addresses broken relationships as a result of sin, avoiding paternalism, effective short term missions and business as mission.
It is not a long book, and it does not claim to be all-encompassing.  It's an easy read, covering the basics without going into a lot of detail.
In addition to the book, the Chalmers Center has webinars that you can download for free from their website.  There is a power point presentation along with audio; going over the main points of the book.  There are even webinars relating specifically to Haiti and the relief effort that is taking place post earthquake.    Here's the link if you're interested
http://www.chalmers.org/when-helping-hurts/webinar/schedule.php

Unexplainable...

Sorry for the silence...
I know that I promised pictures of the finished work of the team, I unfortunately don't have any but if you haven't yet checked out Randy and Karen's blog, I highly recommend it as they have some more recent pictures of the site.http://randyandkarenlodder.blogspot.com/
As for the silence, sometimes life in Haiti is unexplainable so rather than trying to explain it, I choose to keep silent.  When North Americans visit Haiti they usually comment on the obvious joys and difficulties of life in Haiti; large nice houses, warm weather, beaches in driving distance, beautiful mountains, overwhelming poverty, rough roads, HOT weather, unending delays the list is endless...
Although all this is true, there are many more joys and difficulties that cannot be easily explained or seen and only someone who has lived in Haiti for any length of time could ever begin to understand.  The last few weeks have been difficult for me, for a variety of reasons, all of which seem trivial and insignificant when written in black and white but are real and significant to me. 
Please pray for unending patience and a renewed sense of peace.  More importantly pray that through my weaknesses His strength will be revealed.
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."  II Corinthains 12:9

On a happy note, we have another team arriving soon from Manitoba.  They will continue to work on the new property and we hope that the school will be able to re-open sometime in May.  Myself, the teachers and the students eagerly look forward to that day!!

Long weekend

I'm sorry I never published the finished work of the team yet! I've been by the site two times, but didn't remember the keys either time so I couldn't get in.  I promise I will go and take pictures for the blog.
Easter weekend has come and gone.  I appreciate a designated time to specifically focus on Christ's death and resurrection, although we should remember His sacrifice all year long.   
It was a very relaxing weekend for me, I great time to slow down and relax. It is wonderful to have teams here, but it is also very busy.  This weekend was a chance to catch up.  I was able to connect with a friend from Toronto, meet another friend's children who live here in Haiti, do a little cleaning/organizing, visit with friends who just returned to Haiti, attend two English church services and even squeeze in a trip to the beach.  Overall, a great weekend.  As well, it's been wonderful having Karen here, I'm sad she's leaving Tuesday already!  I can't wait for her and Maia to come back permanently!