Day 14 | Bill Morlan

Last full day and the packing and cleaning begins. The day started with the dedication which was awesome. I can’t write the words to describe what you feel giving someone a house who deserves it. The emotions that run through me is indescribable. You feel proud to be a part of something that changes lives, humbled by the fact that God allowed you to do it, awestruck by the work of our team and the Haitian workers and finally you feel the love between brothers and sisters in Christ. There are more than that but that gives you an idea what is being felt. To listen to our group sing praises to God beside the house was fantastic. Tyler’s prayer was one for the books, you could feel the love of God flowing through his words. To then hear the Haitians sing was just another blessing. Then it was my turn to give the message for then new house. Talk about being humbled. Like usual, my emotions got the best of me when you think about what the house means to the family. Then the husband spoke and then the wife. For the first time the new homeowners presented us with certificates with our names on them. It is so nice to work for someone who not only deserves it but appreciates it. This family has blown me away with their love for our group. As we were leaving the dad came to me and gave me his name, address and phone number and told me that when we come back to call him and he wants to be a part of our next work project. WOW! That’s never happened before either. Our group took up a collection and gave it to the family to help them build their outhouse. We were allowed to give up to $100 which is 1,060 gourds in their money. Then it was back to the compound. As soon as we got there it was time to meet our sponsor children. My family sponsors 2 boys and one of them showed up. He is 7 now and is a cute as I remember. His name is Evans and he is in the second grade. We learned that his mom died last year and so the dad now stays home to take care of him. We gave Evans some gifts and then went to the ark to play. My boys played soccer with him and frisbee as well as play on the ark. It was great. Then out of nowhere, about 70 kids from two summer camps came and filled the ark. For everyone who worked on the ark, you would of been proud. At one time there were 13 kids climbing up the cargo net and the slide was filled up. This site made me realize just how important this playground is to this area. Laughter and screams of joy filled the air. We sat there for about 2 hours watching and listening. Then it was time for lunch at the Mountain Maid and then to barter. Lunch was great, yes I got another banana split and shared it with Bronlynn. Then to watch the kids barter was funny. They were fierce in their negotiations and got some good deals if you ask them. Tonight will be our closing Bible study and then pack and clean. As I think about this Bible study, it will be the last one here for at least a couple of years. That got me thinking about the phrase “one last time.” I look around the room and I see my boys, Russell and Logan Gibson. These 5 young people have been with me for over 10 years and have been all over the world with me. This just might be the last time I have them all together on a mission trip. Like always, that brought a tear to my eyes. Then I look around and see the new 5 that are ready to take their place and that makes me smile. I believe the torch has been passed to the new generation of warriors for Christ and that excites me. This has been a great 2 weeks and I have seen God work through them and in them. I believe the future is bright. We leave the compound at 7am and then the journey home begins. Keep us in your prayers as we begin to come home. This has been another trip for the books. Love you boys and my girls