Cornerstone Team Blog
Hello from Haiti! It's already our second day here at Haiti Arise, and time is passing by quickly. The trip here went well, and we all arrived safely.
Travelling from the airport to Haiti Arise is definitely a real eye-opener. When you're used to living in Canada, you're used to having certain amenities and living conditions. In Haiti, a lot of people don't have these, and live extremely different lives from us. This was evident as we traveled from the airport to the Haiti Arise compound. The difference is vast, and it is difficult to see and comprehend. What we as Canadians see as big problems don't even compare to what people face here.
Day 1 had us arriving close to supper time, so the rest of the day was just us settling in, and preparing for the next 9 days. It was nice to be able to orient ourselves within the Haiti Arise compound, and to be able to prepare our hearts and minds for what is ahead.
Day 2 started with us touring the Haiti Arise compound, and the various sites that they own and manage. They've got a lot of amazing facilities, from schools (including a technical school), family housing, to things like a medical clinic, and a goat farm! We got to see a lot of the people that work with Haiti Arise, as well as people around the area.
In the afternoon, we started helping out with the various projects and tasks that are being worked on here at Haiti Arise. A few of us helped out with the foundation for a new family housing complex (a lot more work to be done on this one), several people helped paint the computer lab within the technical school, and several other tasks were started on. There is a lot more painting to do, pews to build (as the church here has outgrown the number of pews they currently have), as well as several other projects that Haiti Arise is working on.
Coming to Haiti Arise, I (Justin) expected to be here to serve and minister to the people here in Haiti, not expecting anything in return. However, one of the first things that the staff here at Haiti said was to allow God to work in us and that we were all here for God to minister to us. That made me think differently about the days to come. While I want to see God use our team to minister to the people here in Haiti, this is also about God working in us as well. God wants all of us to continue growing in Him, and this is just another step in our journey.
The last thing to note is that I should never complain about Saskatchewan drivers again. Driving in Haiti is an experience in itself, and is hard to explain, except to say that it's CRAZY!
Please continue to pray for us as we continue to experience what God has for us here in Haiti. Pray for our continued good health, and that we'll continue to trust in God as the days go on.
With blessing,
Justin Thomas on behalf of the Cornerstone Team