Today marked our only full day in Petit Goave. We began with another delicious breakfast at the Dorcelay guest house, then hit the road for Barette, a town within Petit Goave (or "Tigwav" as the locals call is). But first, we went to the local CHE office, where the bookcase we built earlier this week […]
After breakfast Wednesday morning, we eagerly started out for Petit Goave. We split into two groups. Men in one truck; women in another. We drove up the mountain towards the top of Port-au-Prince. There were several shanty towns, all black due to the charcoal. The ride involved several stomach rolling twists and turns, so we […]
What an amazing day! Our morning started with another delicious breakfast, where we said goodbye to mission groups from Minnesota and Sugar Land, TX, who also stayed at the Methodist Guest House. The Minnesota group is headed home today. Safe travels to our new friends! We were then excited and anxious to go to the […]
The team is still at the Methodist Guest House in Petionville. So, we were very excited to get out and see the town. We took a ride to the big Americanized grocery store to buy some uniquely Haitian items (despite the jars of Jiffy we saw!). What we also saw was an unexpected friend: Olaf […]
Sunday: Day Two in Haiti The team had a great second day settling in and spending time with each other and our new friends in Haiti. Following our first Haitian breakfast, we walked across the compound and attended a beautiful church service. Though we couldn't understand the words to the songs and some of the […]
The November Haiti team is ready to go! We're looking forward to meeting our Haitian partners and interacting with families while working on various projects throughout the week. Our team has some veteran members who have provided great context and support, as well as eager first-timers. After reviewing the state of Haiti this week amidst […]
This is our last and final day in this lovely land. Our trip has been amazing and a whirlwind of experiences and mind-changing events. Following breakfast, Gavin took us to another settlement to feed the children and to visit the minister in charge. This place was amazing in that it is located right next to […]
Sunday morning church to start the day! After church, we then went to the Rhino & African Animal Park which is a drive-through park with many of the animals indigenous to Africa as well as some from Southeast Asia. It was a fun day with lots of pictures, laughs and fun. We were able to […]
Today was the first of our cultural days, led by Gavin, with Mom’s Taxi. We toured Soweto (South West Township), a major informal settlement near Johannesburg with a population in excess of 2,000,000. From a historical perspective, in SoWeTo are several historical items and events. It is the only place in the world where two […]
Our day started at Westview Church with a trip debrief and meeting with Ian, Senior Minister at Westview. Ian shared some of the challenges in South Africa since it became democratic following apartheid. We also heard from Heidi who is in charge of the Ithemba (Zulu word for Hope) Counseling Center which specializes in bringing […]
This morning, we visited a site on the edge of Ditshego that is undeveloped. The school and Westview Methodist are trying to raise funds to purchase and develop the land. Currently, the land has two homes and several outbuildings. This site would be utilized for additional schooling for the children as well as offices for […]
Our day started with a meeting with African leaders and bishops of the Methodist Church. We met Bishop Zipho D Siwa, Rev. Dr. Kenaleone Ketshabile (shortened to KK), Bishop Themba Mntanbo and Bongin Kosi (Praise the Lord). They described the 11 countries they oversee as well as the challenges dealing with the political, social and […]
