Hope Reformed Church – Working Together

Two days filled with service and experiencing the raw beauty of Haiti as God created it.  Click here to read yesterday’s blog post. Hello everyone. We have had two busy days to share about! For some of us, yesterday had a very early start. At 5:30, those who wanted to, got to hike the mountain. The climb up was exhausting, but in the end, it all paid off. The view from the top was incredible. It was awesome to see just how great God’s creation is. Thankfully, the hike down was much easier. Although a couple people took a few falls, we successfully completed the descent.

Mountain hikers After those who hiked returned to the compound, we headed over to UCI (United Christians International, Jean Jean, and Kristie Mompremier), a ministry that works in secondary and higher-education. It was extra special because yesterday was the official thirteen year anniversary of Jean Jean and Kristi’s ministry. As we arrived, all of the kids were at recess and as they saw us, they latched onto all of our hands and walked with us. It was amazing to see and hear about how their program has grown over the years and how many lives they have had the chance to impact. Kristie Mompremier was telling us a little about their ministry and they currently have over one thousand kids enrolled in their schools. It was incredible to see just how much God has done there.

School kids at UCI After our visit was done, some of the team members headed back to the compound and some went to Bassin Zim, a waterfall. Those who came back to the compound worked on many projects and were able to get a lot done. As we arrived at the waterfall, we ate a quick lunch and were surrounded by a lot of Haitians wanting to help us. Haitians guides grabbed our hands and led us up to some caves near the falls. Next, we walked back down to the shore. The water was a beautiful light blue and some of us even took a dip in the water. Seeing part of God’s beautiful creation reminds us of his presence everywhere in Haiti. The trip was quite dusty but we had some fun stories to share when we returned to the compound.

The group heading down to the waterfall

The waterfalls were beautiful! Today was a full day of work. Kurt reminded us tonight in our devotions that when we all work together we are able to accomplish far more than we would alone. Nothing but this was true today when we reflect on all of the progress that was made. Today was spent mainly working around the compound. Some of the various jobs were, painting bedrooms and bathrooms, finishing the gazebo structure, varnishing wood, serving lunch at the first thousand-day program, making diapers, and cleaning up different areas around the compound. All of these jobs were accomplished because we were working together. This gave us a day to finish many tasks as well as grow closer together as a team.

Bulding rafters on Iren’es Place Yours Truly, Carli, Brenna, Kiersten, and Caitlyn