Over Half-Way through!

It’s my turn to blog tonight.  My name is Nathan Waggoner and I am the team leader.

We are a little past the half-way point of our missions trip to Haiti, and our team is closer than ever.  We have shared a lot of experiences and have laughed a lot.  We also seemed to hit our stride today at the worksite with everyone staying busy.  We were so productive in fact that we had to quit a little early when we ran out of materials!  The  south  side of the roof is basically finished, so tomorrow we begin adding the tin to the north side.  Each piece seems to go up more smoothly, so hopefully we can make some real progress tomorrow.  The pictures today were mainly taken by Maria, so she is not in any of them.  I can testify that she worked though!

You may not be aware that this is the first of up to 40 houses that WGM is sending teams to build, so we have been involved with what will in many ways be the ‘model’ home!  It is a scary thought that our methodology may be copied many times in the coming months and years.  Thankfully Bill from WGM Headquarters has been here helping walk us through.  Bill has been working on getting this Adopt-a-Home project off the ground for more than a year since right after the Haiti earthquake last January.  The homes for the first four families have been sponsored and teams have been scheduled throughout this spring and summer.  We know we aren’t building the Taj Mahal, but for a family living in a tent or temporary apartment, this is the starter home they have prayed for.  If you or your church would be interested in sponsoring a house and sending a team, contact Bill at Bill.Bucher@wgm.org

Ben meant this to be a 'super hero' mask, but we think he looks more like a hostage!

Bill’s wife Sandy came along on this trip.  Bill brags that he has finally followed through on his promise to take her on a Caribbean vacation. Krista has also been a part of our team after staying on after the OCU team.  She is an IWU grad and friend of Bill and Sandy’s.  It has been fun having her on our team! Tomorrow is our last day with Bill, Sandy, and Krista since they will be flying out on Friday.  We will be sad to see them go. 

Bill makes sure the 2x4 is straight before using it as a cross-support.

Krista help Chris remove some nails.

Sandy talks with Gents (our translator) while trying to help Bill keep track of the project and team finances!

As two guys that won't back down, Bill and Ben have had a mostly friendly rivalry during this trip, but a mutual respect has grown.

We hope to get an early start tomorrow.  Haitian time doesn’t always allow our task oriented schedule, but we can always try.  :-)