Do work!

This week we were working on building a group of houses for eight widows, who not only care for their own children but also took in other children that needed a home. CCH doesn't just give them a home and walk away but is working with the families the whole time, they help the parents find jobs, find ways to give back to the community, and make sure that they have basic necessities. So far they have finished two of the houses, and we got to be a part of the beautiful dedication ceremonies. And we began working on two more houses!

Waiting for a batch of cement

In the morning we would do construction work before it got too hot. We'd leave the Isaiah house around 8, head over to the worksite ready to get dirty because we were pouring concrete-Haitian style. They had a small cement mixer, where the Haitians would throw in a couple shovels of dirt, sand, concrete mix, rocks, and buckets of water. Then this was poured into a shallow hole in the ground, then scooped into buckets and passed down the line till its poured in the right place. The bucket brigade! It was hard work, but a lot of fun. We did a lot of work, and it felt good to see our work in a concrete way! (Pun intended!)

Pouring the floor

We were able to pour the floor for one house, and the foundation of the second house in three days! We also did some other work in between; hanging curtains, sweeping, getting dirt for the garden, clearing the space for the garden and a few other small tasks here and there.

Bucket Brigade

One cool thing about these houses is the way they are built. In Haiti, most of the houses are built around pillars with cinder blocks in between. There is no crosswise rebar to hold up the walls which make them very unsteady. This is why so many houses and buildings crumbled in the earthquake. So these houses are made with crosswise rebar to make them more stable, in case another earthquake were to happen these houses should still stand!

Returning with dirt for the garden

At the dedication ceremony Dave remind us that these homes are temporary, that God is preparing a place for us in heaven. A mansion that will last forever! What we were doing in Haiti is still only a temporary solution, only God can provide the ultimate home and it is far better than anything we can ever make or even dream of! And that makes me excited, not only for my Haitian brothers and sisters but for me too!

Tough girls!

*Joy of the day: Proving to the boys that the girls can do the same work on the site that they can!