Winding Down, and how to start a Nissan that won't start

Our time in Haiti is winding down which is sad as we know that soon we will leave the pleasent but uncomfortable heat and beautiful green country side for the cold snow of Canada. Our days have been full of fun and hard work! As we ended Sunday night we said we were headed to Jacmel. Well we did, however it wasn't without incident. As we headed up and over the winding mountain road, we were a third of the way up when our driver tried to pass another vehicle when the van we were traveling in stalled. No big deal, this happens in a standard from time to time and on a hill. However this time was different. The van decided not to start. So Ronald, our driver, tried to roll start reversing down the hill around a corner. Nope, that did not work. So he pulled over while going backwards down the hill. We all piled out and some locals came to help us figure out whats wrong. At first they thought it overheated but later thought that no it was the battery. So after a 20 min pow wow Haitian style, and a pee break, one of the locals decided to try and start it by rolling backwards down the hill and wa la! It started! Then we all prayed he would pull over as he drove by us as we stood by the side of the road. He did and off to Jacmel we went! As we continued our trip our Kathleen revealed the real reason we stalled. She confessed to praying for a stop at a bathroom and then the vehicle stalled. Guess what was beside the road? Yep, an outhouse! She told Wade before the van restarted that she knew that God would help us get on our way again. We just shook our heads. The rest of the trip was uneventful, which was good and we never had anymore trouble with the van and got to see some amazing sites and people around the city. We walked through a hotel that has been there since 1888. Henry Ford stayed there often enough that he had a mailbox there! Among a few other famous people. It was a nice relaxing day after much hard work. If you are ever in Haiti, I highly recommend a trip to Jacmel. The Hotel-Restaurant Cyvadier Plage is nestled above a beautiful cove, and the food is reasonably priced, and quite delicious!

Today we started back to the work on the homes. We were able to finish up the second house and start the long haul of carrying the bricks and rock up the side of the mountain. This is grueling work and Kim and Cam are leaving the rest of us in the dust. I think they are hauling the majority of the materials! We all are putting in our best effort, even the 3 boys are hauling a load as they are able. The heat today was unreal, and the hill has no shade, just hot beating sun. Tomorrow is the final day here, and we hope to get a really good start on the last house. If we haul the materials up, the Haitian crew will be that much farther ahead. They were leveling the building site this afternoon, and should be ready to pour the foundation in the morning. One slight wrench in that plan is a nice cooling rain that is coming down right now. That could make the hill into a slip'n'slide! The hill is too steep for the Hino dump truck to climb, to give you an idea of how steep it is. So we are praying that the rain lets up and the hill sucks up all the water! Haiti is quite dry right now, so they desperately need the rain, but we desperately need a good footing as we climb! We also hope to do a prayer walk tomorrow, and pray for the families that are receiving the houses, and any others that would like prayer.

It has been an exciting 2 weeks (almost) in Haiti, and it has been so good to interact with the building crews and the families that live in the community. The Haitian kids come running every morning, yelling "Jack! Jack!", and toddlers come to Kathleen and Diana to cuddle. Despite the vast language barrier, we have made friends with many of those we are working with and around.

Anyway, we are beat from a hard days work in the 30+ degree heat, so are headed to bed. See you all soon, we will have lots of stories to share.