Cuba! Haiti! Oh My!

What better way to spend the season of Lent than serving with two of THE BEST mission organizations ~ Solar Under The Sun and Living Waters for the World!

Wednesday, February 27 I will board a small plane and head to the island of Cuba! This will be my first trip to Cuba! Traveling with just one other person, we will leave Miami late morning and land in Havana by noon. Living Waters for the World In-Country Coordinator Moraima Gonzalez will meet us at the airport and serve as our host and tour guide for the day. We had originally thought the next day we would board a bus and travel all the way to the eastern edge of the island to Holguin. Thankfully, Moraima worked out a plan for us to take a small plane over! This made my stomach very happy. In Holguin, we will meet with the Superintendent, Clerk and representatives from Cuba Yearly Meeting. We are hopeful to come away with a signed covenant agreement to partner and install clean water systems in the Holguin area. What a true blessing it will be to work with my Quaker Friends and the mission organization I love.

The Cuba trip will come to an end on March 5. With just a quick turn around, I will take off for Haiti on March 14-30. This will be an exciting trip serving first with my favorite team from Herndon, VA. After their solar-powered water installation in Cazale, I will take a few days for R&R and then meet my new, rookie team from Las Vegas, NV. They will be installing a solar-powered clean water system in Philadelphia, near Gonaives. This will be such an exciting trip, as I will travel much to meet with current partners for follow up evaluation of their systems, and we will meet with potential new partners and future installations.

For all of this traveling with Solar Under the Sun and Living Waters for the World, and for our mission to succeed, we cannot go without YOU!  While my packing has not yet begun, I know one thing I will not leave home without! PRAYER PARTNERS!  Would you be interested in praying for me and the team one day during our trip? We will also lift you in prayer that day.

Will partner with us? Below is the list of dates:

February 27 - Barbara Shaffer
February 28 - Sean Devolites
March 1 - Becky Memmelaar
March 2 - Mary Kate Barnett
March 3 - Dana Jo Abraham Monk
March 4 - Carla Barnard
March 5 - Sam Medvene

March 14 - Leslie Toth
March 15 - Bill Reed
March 16 - Allison Fleig
March 17 - Jay Horstman
March 18 - Kendall Cox
March 19 - Meredith Gerhardt
March 20 - Diana Grace
March 21 - Stephanie Lada
March 22 - Shane Gray
March 23 - Carrie Delisio
March 24 - Claire Sparks
March 25 - Karen Cook
March 26 - Susan Rose
March 27 - Kathy Hogan & Fam
March 28 - Chuck Arnold
March 29 - Everludis Lopez
March 30 -Tim Myrick

Thank you, friends, and may the peace of Christ surround you with love and joy.

Haiti Trip, January 11, 2013

Prayer Partners of the Day: Josh Hagstrom & Jay Horstman

By the grace of God, even though Bob had given me the wrong departure date, I was able to change my flight to today. Last night, I set my alarm for zero-dark-thirty and set it to play "God Gave Me You" by Blake Shelton as my wake up song. I must have fallen asleep with my iPod in...and at 11:00pm, "God Gave Me You" played, and my body woke me up, and I hopped in the shower...only to discover it was 11:00pm! 

I reset the alarm, and this time was up at 4:15am to pack up and leave by 5:00am. Olizard woke to greet us, and we met Ancy and Hans on the road! Hans is so precious in his school uniform. He fell asleep, with Arnie Armadillo in his grasp and cuddled up beside me. 

We were at the airport just before 7:00am! We made incredible time really good time considering the highly unpredictable traffic of Port Au Prince. I hugged Bob, Jim & Peggy, as they were on the flight ahead of me to Fort Lauderdale, and thankfully had a peaceful, quiet time to check in with family while enjoying a cup of joe. It was a good trip. It was a successful trip. For the first time in a while, I am not ready to leave, despite being here longer than a week. The Spirit was alive and active in each person and in each site we visited. Talk about home? This is it. 

Peace, my friends, until the next adventure!

Haiti Trip, January 10, 2013

Prayer Partner of the Day: Sean Devolites

Clean Water + Clean Hands = Healthy Bodies

It was another early, early morning, as we went off to Jacmel again. The ride was a little smoother, as we did not have as many people in the Kia. The rosary is now a standard part of our passage over the mountains before the sun rises. We greeted Sister Eno and after breakfast, Peggy and I created the new banner, and the Sister and a couple of fellows enjoyed coloring with us! Peggy assisted me with the community training. We occasionally have a more difficult time getting people to attend as was the case here. In the end, I simply sat with Sister Eno for a long while and gave her all of the information she needed. She especially loved the "Sevi Ak Dlo Sa-a" song! 

Bob with Sister Eno

The rest of the afternoon was fairly uneventful. I sat with Bob, Bertone, and Sister Eno to discuss the covenant, and loaded Ashley's Home Depot back into the Kia. We were eagerly awaiting the electricity to kick on so we could test the pump and run the system. Noon came and went, and it finally came on at 2:30pm. Thankfully the pump worked correctly, and we began filling the tank. We still had to shock the system, and Bertone had at least 2 hours of training to do, which meant driving on the mountain road in the dark. We didn’t get as lucky on this system and had 2 leaks to deal with. One required quite a bit of rebuilding, and we were running very short on parts, but in the end with ingenuity and creativity, we made it. Bertone did his training; we signed the board and turned it over to the Sisters. 

The first drink of clean water!

As we were about to pull out of the property, a woman from the community came through the gate and sister proudly said to her, “Come over here, I have some water I want to sell you”. The drive home proved as treacherous as we had feared, but by God’s Grace we made it. After unloading the boxes in the dark at the warehouse, Prestige beer never tasted so good. Now it's time to pack...but first a quick peak on the roof at the stars. Wow, God is certainly good. 

Haiti Trip, January 9, 2013

Time with Joseph made this day complete!

Prayer Partner of the Day: Stephanie Lada

Who has the teflon tape?

Today was a bittersweet day. First we had prayers and eggs, and then we packed up Meg and Bill. They have a 4:30pm flight home, and Ancy will retrieve them at noon to go to Port Au Prince. 

After a quick stop at the warehouse, which was amazingly clean and newly painted, we stopped at the intersection and dropped boxes off to Valdes. Then we made a second stop to pay the PVC parts man on the side of the road...since we forgot to stop by last night. 

Painting the banner

At St. Andrew's, the boys changed out the leaky trash filter head while Meg and I started the community health and hygiene class. We had a room of 100 children plus a few of their teachers. It was precious. We did a few activities, including having participants come up to taste different types of water and lining up to rate objects with germs, and then the hand-painting for the banner began! It was beautiful, organized chaos!

Meg mastered the art of
paint distribution

The boys had some small details to still fix, but by noon we were ready to begin the 3 hour operators training that Bertone does so well. Unfortunately at noon, we also left to take Meg and Bill into Leogane to meet Ancy, who looked incredibly rested and clean! I was so sad to see them go, but so thankful for the time with them. What a great team they are! We had a great ice cream lunch, and we also took Jim & Peggy back to the orphanage, as Jim does not sit and relax well! On the way back to the site, we stopped by Bertone's brother's house! It was a beautiful, out in the middle of nowhere, cottage with a newly dug well. 


Bertone began training at St. Andrews, and Bob and I sat for a good, old-fashioned heart-to-heart. After Bertone finished, we gathered as a group for the board signing ceremony, where we all signed the board and turned over the first 5 gallon bottle of water to Pere Bleu. He was so excited and proud of the system because he now has a way to be sure the water distributed within the community is really clean. It was an incredible feeling of confidence that he conveys to us. 

After picking up Jim & Peggy at the orphanage, I was able to finally to have some time with Sonie, my dear Haitian sister! I love her so! 

And God said, it is good. 

Haiti Trip, January 8, 2013

Father Blue's Rectory in Dufort

Prayer Partner of the Day: Leslie Toth 

Meg drills concrete!

After the beauty of yesterday, I awakened early again to catch the sunrise. 

Dufort, the site of our second installation, is only 20 minutes away, so we thankfully did not leave until right after breakfast. This install was a close replicate to yesterday’s; a board, two tanks, well pump and electrical. After the first day, the team had gotten so used to working together, this installation went in even smoother. In fact, I informed Bob as we arrived the girls would take over the inside assembly! Meg and Peggy did a wonderful job. 

Submersible pump goes in!

But wait! I have missed an important part of the morning's story! On the drive to St. Andrew’s, Bertone took us on a back route and at one point it was so narrow the right side of the truck got so close to a tree that Bob accidentally took off the right rear view mirror. Bill was in the back seat, got out and picked up the pieces. Apparently, when he jumped out of the Kia, his iPhone jumped out of his pocket! Once we arrived on site, he discovered it was missing, and after much encouragement, he and Bertone set off in the Kia to see if they could find it. ...But in Haiti what are the chances of a) finding the spot and b) it still being there with all the people around.

Bob offered up a quick prayer that God would keep the phone from others eyes if that was where it was. Bill and Bertone took the truck and backtracked. Praise God I got a text from Bill 30 min later...from HIS PHONE! WOW! They had found it right where we thought it was. 

Tank crew rocks!

By then, the girls were in full swing on the board assembly, and by noon the boys had the pump dropped in well. With the board assembly nearly complete, I joined a couple of fellas on the second story and plumbed the tanks from the ceiling down to the board. Being the first time I had been part of the tank crew, I was stoked!



We went back to the monastery for lunch and then in the afternoon finished the tanks, tested the electrical and began pumping water. In July, during the rainy season, a test on this well had been made, and within 30 minutes it had delivered almost 450 gallons of water and not stopped. Now, within 5 minutes we had no water. Through some trial and error we found we could pump for 5 min, rest 10 and do it again. For the teams out there reading, this is how drastically the dry season can affect your water table! Once we had enough water to test the system we did so, and Praise God, not one leak! This was clearly a first. We dropped chlorine into the tank, ran it into the system to kill all bacteria and left it overnight.

Keegan Joseph! 

As everyone was cleaning up, I wandered over by the church and met the cutest little boy. While I gathered his last name was Joseph, it sounded as though Keegan was his first name. He was wearing the cutest Harry Potter PJ's you've ever seen, and we immediately became friends. 

That night at dinner we celebrated Douyan’s 42nd birthday. Douyan is one of the brothers whose duty is the kitchen, serving and food purchase. He is quiet, unassuming and always there serving. He is a true man of God. We got the brothers to all sing in English and had a great time together before finishing up our LEGO party from the night before. 

LEGOS: Star Wars and The Hobbit Meet!

Haiti Trip, January 7, 2013

Is there anything more beautiful than a Carolina Blue sky in Haiti?

Prayer Partner of the Day: Carrie Delisio

The alarm went off at 4:30am. Yes, there were roosters crowing. Yes, there were goats baa-ing. Yes, I should be used to it by now. But anytime the alarm goes off that early, it is just unnatural! 

Thankfully, God had a surprise in store. I walked out onto the rooftop balcony while it was still pitch-dark. The stars were the brightest and the most magnificent I have ever seen in my life. Within minutes, the stars began to fade, and the sun slowly crept up over the mountains. The beauty was overwhelming and awe-inspiring. It only seemed natural to say the rosary while driving to Jacmel. 

Meg & Sister Eno are beasts!

The ride to Jacmel goes from the north shore of Haiti to the south shore over mountains which are incredibly beautiful. Seeing the sun come up at 3400 feet made the day that much more special. The trip takes about 90 minutes and we showed up at the Spiritian Sisters just in time for breakfast. We had a board to put up, two tanks to mount on the roof, electrical to attach and a well pump to drop, so the day was full. As Bob said, this is really the time you find out how well the team is going to work together and we could not have been blessed with a better group. 

With so many hands on deck, organization of parts was especially needed. I sat with the boxes on the porch and opened up a "shop"! Of course, when it came time to drill concrete, I was first in line! We had a roof crew, a building crew, and the shop, and all worked flawlessly. The only hitch was that there was no generator on site as there had been when Bob did the site visit back in July. The good news was they now had city power, but the bad news was it did not come on until noon. This didn’t matter as we didn’t need the electricity until late in the afternoon. By 4pm we were ready to begin testing, turned the well pump on and water began to flow. Five minutes later, however, it stopped. Same thing happened again. Turns out, we had packed the wrong pump - a 240V instead of a 120V. Yikes! Rewiring will be first on the list the next day. 

And he calls me the 5-year old!

Sister Eno was pleased with the first day's progress. Our intent was to come back the next day and finish, but we only had Bill and Meg one and a half more days and so we decided to do the DuFort install while we had the most people power. This was God’s plan all along because when Bob spoke to Sister Eno, she then told him Thursday was better for her because she worked Tuesday and Wednesday. Because Haitians are so polite, she would not have told us that unless Bob had asked her directly. 

Check out that amazing board!

Now, we just had to get back to the monastery before dark. Driving in Haiti is scary enough; driving in Haiti in the dark is downright dangerous. We made it safely, and after a quick dinner, Bill, Meg and I had a LEGO party! This started with dear Intern Sean years ago, and at Solar Schools and Haiti trips since, LEGOs are the perfect way to unwind and reflect on the day. Well, LEGOs and Prestige! 

After a bit of star gazing on the roof, it was time for bed. God is indeed good. Carrie Delisio, Dutch, your prayers made this day complete. Y yooo!

We saw the sunrise and the sunset today. God is a beautiful painter!

Haiti Trip, January 6, 2013

Prayer Partner of the Day: Emily Ronis

Sundays are a wonderful day in Haiti. Usually we rise early and go to a beautiful worship service. Today, however, we awakened in Port Au Prince! Bill and Chris came banging on my door early, as they had read the airplane itinerary wrong, and we needed to be at the airport much earlier than anticipated! Never a dull moment in Haiti...!

After saying goodbye to Chris, we eagerly awaited Meg's arrival. To pass time, we had a bit of fun!

It was a lazy day in the Kia for the most part. We jumped up and down to greet Meg, stopped for the clean restrooms, and enjoyed the company of Ancy. Once we arrived at the monastery, and saw that Bob and co were out with Surpris in Port Au Prince, we decided to take an outing to Jacmel. Bill and Meg had never been, and Ancy, Daniel, and I were eager for R&R. At Hotel Lamandu, we had our fruit punch and enjoyed the luxury of wireless internet to connect with the world.

The ocean was so blue, only to be matched by the gorgeous sky. Arnie was in heaven, clearly!!

Tonight, when we arrived back at the monastery, I was more thankful than ever for Bob. Bill and his daughter Meg were on one side, and Jim and his daughter Peggy were on the other. Bob truly became my father, as he has so many times. How lucky I am to be surrounded by such loving and caring  individuals! God has truly blessed me not only with this mission, not only with a Haitian family, but with kindhearted people to work and serve alongside! Peace, my friends!

Haiti Trip, January 5, 2013

3rd Annual Operators Conference, 2013, Palmiste A Vin

Prayer Partner of the Day: Brenda Phillips

With 92 people staying in one place, the noise levels went on into the wee hours and the began earlier than expected. Apparently, a virus went rampant through the conference, as well. Was it the chicken?

We had placed a banner outside for the participants to paint with their handprints, and everyone seemed to enjoy getting their hands dirty! Following breakfast, we had our annual group picture. It warms my heart to see how the group grows and grows every year. (See posts from 2012 and 2011.)

The first two operators conferences held in Montrouis, Haiti.

For the last two years, we promised to give out awards for the "best" systems. Following the evaluation trip in October, we were able to decide on five different categories. And the winners are...

Most Gallons Sold: St. Charles Clinic, Palmiste A Vin & Jela School, Limbe

Best Record Keeping: Arcahaie

Best Operator: Marie Michelle, Chatuley

Best Overall System: Blanket 

Best Overall System: Balan

The participants were so excited and proud of their work. As the conference came to a close, we said our goodbyes to friends and family. The paperwork and reimbursement went smoother than ever, and we recorded our recommendations for the next year.

Chris scheduled an early morning flight tomorrow, and Bill's daughter, Meg, is coming in. To keep things fun and interesting, I hopped in the Kia and ventured with them to Port Au Prince for the night. We lodged at Walls Guest House, and young Gerald stopped by to see us. He simply loves Chris like a father. With all the craziness of the last couple of days, bedtime is NOW! Good night, and many thanks for the uplifting prayers of encouragement and love.

Haiti Trip, January 4, 2013

We had seats for 60... 92 showed up!!

Prayer Partner of the Day: Diana Grace

Once again, the brothers were up at 5:30 to worship, and I was down at the green table for quiet reflection. There really is no better way than to start the day with God in quiet peace. 

Bob, Olizard, me, Surpris & Bill ~ The "A" Team

After breakfast and a meeting with Chris, Bill, and Surpris, we had a bit of down time to prepare for the conference. We took a walk up to the distillery and enjoyed the amazing view of the mountain and the ocean. By the time we walked back to the dining area, the participants began to arrive!

This was the first day of the 3rd annual LWW (Living Waters for the World) Operators conference where the operators from all over Haiti come together for fellowship and further education about the clean water systems. It’s an overnight affair starting at noon and going to noon the next day. We had contracted with Brother Olizard to house 60 people, and while we had heard 82 responded they would come, we never expected they would! Weren't we surprised with 92 showed up!  

I immediately went into panic mode! Chris and Surpris began the conference at noon, while Bill and I worked on finding everyone a place to sleep. After a couple of hours, we finally had a plan. We arranged for Ancy and Ronald to shuttle everyone who lived in Leogane back to their homes following the last meeting of the night and pick them up the next morning. 

Valdes can preach!

When I say it was a family reunion, it truly was. Nearly every Living Waters and Solar Under The Sun system was represented at the conference. So many of my old friends - Kerby from Gonaives, Michel Paul from Limbe, Pastor Evens from Blanket, and all of the Episcopal Priests - were in attendance. Hugs were aplenty, and laughter and joy abounded. 

Chris, Surpris, Ancy, Bertone and Valdes led most of the conference, while Bill and I recorded the discussions and Bob filled in with business plans and models. This is all part of the sustainability education we continue to impart on our Haitian brothers and sisters. We even had the head engineer of DINEPA, Emmanuel Moliere, in attendance. DINEPA is the Haitian organization responsible for potable water and sewage in Haiti. He was there to speak briefly to the group and then would leave.
As it turned out, the water systems we had prebuilt were sitting against the wall in the dining room, so Bob grabbed Bertone to give Engineer Moliere a short lecture on how the system works. He was very impressed and later told the group that the work LWW is doing with these water systems supporting small communities of 2000-3000 is exactly what Haiti needs. With that endorsement, I felt we had made great headway into unofficially staying on the good side of the Haitian government. 

The Duct Tape "T" still works!

In other news, Jake Sangster from Coreluv did bring a water sample from Gonaives! Bill got to work rebuilding the sand filter with a new non-leaking bucket, new river sand, and clean gravel. As an extra filter, I sacrificed a corner of my bedsheet to also run the water through a cloth. Would you believe the filter brought the water levels (TDS & hardness) down to LWW treatable standards? We did a little happy dance!

All in all, even with the ups and downs, finding corners and floors for people to crash for an evening, and hearing the news of my dad being hospitalized back at home, God gave us an Spirit-filled day, and to Him the glory is given. 

Haiti Trip, January 3, 2013

My big green table

Prayer Partner of the Day: Becky Memmelaar

The first morning as the brothers begin chanting at 5:30am is always a beautiful awakening. I took my Bible and headed down to the big green table under the cover of so many trees, and the words to "Spirit of the Living God...fall afresh on me" came to my heart. I hummed the words over and over and a wonderful sense of peace engulfed and prepared me for the day!

The two boards looked mighty fine!

As has been our practice with Bob the past couple of years, we pre-built the two water systems on the 4'x8' plywood sheets at the monastery. Bob had shipped the boxes to Haiti weeks ago, and after a quick run for supplies at the warehouse, Bertone, Bill, and I got to work. Yes, Bob left me in charge! This was a great idea, and while I am fully capable, when you put Bertone, Bill and I together, we end up being a little more silly and a little less cognizant of what we are doing. Thus, the two ozone churns I built were crooked messes, and come to find out later, we put two filter heads on backwards.

Please no comments on the churns!

Thankfully, we took a break for lunch to regroup, and by that time, Bob returned to oversee the rest of the work! I gathered the "boys" - Ancy, Valdes, and Bertone - for a staff meeting. I am more and more amazed with the leadership they are taking and the ownership they are taking for the projects and systems. Valdes continues to impress me with his ingenuity and creativity.

Before dark, we piled in the Kia to retrieve Peggy, a young gal from Huntsville, from the Notre Dame orphanage. Though I say it so often, it was again a family reunion of seeing the kids, playing crazy games, and simply sharing love. And yet another reason to pile into the Kia for a late afternoon drive... Ice Cream at the Total Station!

When we returned, Bill and I began work on building a mini-barrel sand filter. We have been working with Coreluv, a mission organization out of Houston with an orphanage near Gonaives, to solve the problem of their nearly untreatable untreatable water, and Jake, one of their missionaries, is planning to bring a 5-gallon bottle tomorrow for us to test. On the way back up the mountain, Bill & Bertone "shopped" for a 5-gallon bucket, sand and gravel. (Easier said than done!) While I won't bore you will all of the details, building a sand filter in the dark is quite a challenge! First there is hole drilling, followed by cross building. Since Bill had forgotten to bring a PVC "T", I made one out of duct tape! Impressive, huh? Once we got the gravel washed and built the layers on top of the "T", we were so excited to run water through and see what how it worked! Unfortunately, come to find out, we had a bucket with a leak and sand that turned out to be limestone! Thankfully, we had so much fun and shared many laughs.


And so ends another wonderful day in Haiti! Tomorrow the Operators Conference will begin! We are expecting 60+ folks!

By the way, Chris arrived tonight! We have the entire team together. It's a very good, Spirit-filled day!