Day 14 | Darren

God is amazing, God is true to his word always. I appreciate all that has happened over the last week, but today is truly a blessing. We got to meet Smiley. He is a 3 year old that we the Hunter family have the privilege to sponsor here in Haiti. He was a bit timid at first, but quickly began to warm up. Tiara and Holden got to play for about an hour with him on the ark. The light in his face was priceless. It is so apparent after a week here the needs are great. There is so much we don’t and cannot understand from a distance. You don’t always know what is and is not truth here when you are talking to someone, but, truth or not, I guarantee there is a need. I’m thankful he saw fit for me to be here this week with my family alongside me. I pray for our safety as we return and the changes God has done in us. Praise Him!

Day 13 | Darren

Today was another awesome devotional to start the morning. Many locals are coming out every day to start the day worshiping with us. I know I will be called a liar, but Mark’s sermon today was done in under 10 minutes! He had a really good interpreter, Johnny a local who will be a HS senior. After devotion, we headed for the market. It was crowded and like nothing you can imagine on all the sights and the way food is handled. You have no idea how spoiled we are just to have a supermarket to go get things. Seeing motorcycles carrying entire families or 6-8 goats to the market is not what we picture. From the market, we took a ride in the dumptruck. Haiti has a beautiful landscape, but the ride today shows how truly harsh that conditions are. I still can’t grasp how the basic necessities are a huge effort every day for these people. Water, food, and shelter are sometimes beyond their reach. We saw houses without roofs. It is usually several miles to the nearest water (there are no wells). And the market, well…words don’t do justice. Our final stop was at a mountain top bakery. Wood fired oven, hand crank started generator other primitive equipment, but the bread was good. Back at the camp, we were putting the final touches on the ark. We were swarmed by so many kids playing as things were opened up. Tomorrow morning will be the dedication service for the ark. I pray that God uses this tool for so much of an opportunity to expose the local people to another part of his greatness with the story of Noah. Praise Him for everything he is doing both here and inside us!

Day 12 | Darren

Another work filled day coming to a close. The ark is almost complete! The crowd at devotional this morning was great. Probably about 50-60 total. Shane and I finally worked our way out of the front corner of the ark. We thought we were in trouble having to spend so much time there. The drop down deck with your choice of curly slide or straight slide is great. A lot of head scratching went into that! I was blessed again today as I looked up to see Shawn sitting with a young Haitian teen witnessing and reading the Bible together on the sidewalk. After the workday was over, Shawn and I were the last to leave the playground area. Several locals were there playing and having a ball. It is so cool to see their faces as they have something new here. To many of them, they have never seen anything like it.

Day 11 | Darren

Woke up early this morning to get ready for church. We got there at 6:30 (started at 6:00 am) during prayer. There were people who just kept coming throughout most of the service, but no one left until the end. Everyone was so friendly and the whole service was very open to praising the Lord. GBC needs to learn from others in this area. Our day continued with a brunch before our hike down the and back began. Haiti has a beautiful landscape. It is so hard to believe people are walking to the streams daily. We are staying at about 4300’ in elevation (Snowshoe WV is 4800). The highest elevations here are around 6800’, and it rises very fast from the valley floor. We met so many Haitians along the way. Some can speak some English. We met a pastor on his way to the other side of the valley after his church service. What a blessing the people are. Kids will walk with you holding your hand and smiling from ear to ear. Kids playing in the stream just below the waterfall we stopped at. Definitely worth a little sweat and blood to go on this hike. Some great people around me meeting great people along the way. The sights and beauty along the way were a once in a lifetime experience. Praise be to God for creating everything we see and take in!

Day 10 | Darren

Couldn’t even sing during devotional this morning. Lots of Haitians joining in for that. The singing and love for God is so easily seen. There is more and more interest from the locals on what is happening and when it will be done. The hard work today was a tremendous blessing in so many ways to me. I’m overwhelmed at the number of people stopping be to take a look and even some pics. Funny, most Haitians carry cell phones. Their smiles are truly a light and I look forward to what God has in store for us tomorrow at church. I am blessed to be part of such a thing for God. To all those here during the first week, thank you for laying the groundwork. Many blessings will be realized by others and people who follow.

Day 9 | Darren

The morning started out as such a blessing. We were met with several smiling faces for our morning devotional. After the devotional, we got to take a tour of the camp and hospital. It is so eye opening to see how things are done in this country. Local people are friendly and hard working, but simple tools to do it with. We saw the progress the local masonry crew did on the terraced campfire/sitting area. What beautiful craftsmanship (all by hand). The hospital tour was amazing with the different wards, men’s, women’s and family ward. They are just big multi bed rooms. It’s like a step back in time 100 years on so many things we take for granted. Our group is working great together and I look forward to so much more. There are kids ready for us to get out of the way for them to play! God is so good to all of us, don’t take today for granted.

Day 8 | Darren

The group 2 trip down to Haiti has been pretty comfortable. Our MFI flight was grounded so we had to fly a commercial flight. Our group has been great to travel with so far, with no hiccups in getting into the country. The bus ride through the city and up the mountain begins the realization of what this country is and the poverty it suffers from. The sights are unspeakable and the experience of just a ride through Port Au Prince is humbling. I’m very anxious to get started and looking forward to the faces that will be engrained into my memories forever. I pray that God’s blessings flow and completely transform us all.