When I was dreaming of moving to Haiti, I always thought after each day my feet would be dirty, my hair would be messy and my eyes would be sparkling.  This is a quote I read by Shanti that depicted the perfect life for me in Haiti.  And it’s been true so far, yet those adjectives of messy and dirty take on a new meaning in Camp Marie.  My eyes are always sparkling.

I have my own work space in the office, yet couldn’t imagine what I would possibly be doing to keep me there all day.  I want to be covered in paint or installing filters and meeting recipients out on deliveries.  Until Chris said hey…  I have a project for you.

And now I am, well simply all in.  GRANTS.  My first one was tough, and admittedly a mountain to climb.  The day we submitted the final was filled with thoughts of pending rejection and failure.  None of which is true of course. It was my first grant after all and I allowed those feelings in for a moment.  Until we received the notice we’d been advanced to the next phase in preparation for a final decision.

And there you have it!  Beginners luck? Maybe.

There are four other grants in the works, and another one in second phase which includes a meeting in Port-au-Prince.  I won’t say anymore.

My time at the desk is not exactly what I planned, but surprisingly rewarding.  It’s not entirely the same as seeing first-hand the sparkling eyes of our filter recipients, yet I will trade not going on deliveries all the time to do the work that creates the sparkle.

It’s been four months since my adventure in water and sand began. Seems just yesterday and then maybe forever that I have been here in Camp Marie. We provide sustainable, safe water drinking solutions. But there is much more to it than that.

We recently shared that four new employees joined us, so I am not the newbie anymore! Gustav, a long time worker with Clean Water for Haiti was in an accident a couple years ago, and his leg was amputated a few months back. He came to work again in January. I am in awe of Gustav. Each day, his strength grows. He gets around really well on his crutches, almost the same as if he had two legs. I enjoy seeing him take on new tasks, like caring for the garden and watering the trees. This is in addition to preparing the trucks for deliveries by painting filters and filling sand bags. He joyfully works, he is steady and thorough. Sometimes, I hear him singing in the yard, but don’t tell him I know otherwise he may stop. Hearing Gustav sing while he works confirms that this is good; it’s really good here.

Because of water, three more men from Camp Marie have a job this month. There is a bounce in these guys’ step as they come to work each morning. We begin at the crack of dawn, it’s still dark outside and they arrive early. Eager to learn, proud to work and committed to providing clean water in their community and beyond.

I had the thrill of preparing their first paycheck. Each had only worked a day or two and the cash was little, but the pride and sense of dignity I shared with them in handing out those envelopes with their name on it was what we aim to do every day. Empowerment.

Because of water, men are rising up to take care of their families, plan for their future and provide a lesson to their children that poverty is not permanent. That poor is only in the wallet. We are sharing and learning and growing to be the best we can be together. Holding each other accountable to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly. I keep seeing this verse from Micah 6:8, that has such deep meaning and direction for everyone. Keep your sense of right and wrong. Love completely. Remain humble.

As a result of clean water, we are making Haiti stronger.

Do you have those days where you think there’s no possible way that all of the things you want to get done can be accomplished? I’m pretty sure we all do. We actually have those days quite often here in Haiti, and Haiti itself likes to throw wrenches in the wheel, so to speak.

We recently had one of “those” crazy days where we went did that just happen?!?! when it was all over. I need to back up though…

Back in mid-January our XTerra broke down. What we hoped was a small overheating problem ended up being a big the motor just blew problem. Our Santa Fe has gotten to the point where we can’t take it out of the local area, so we’re essentially down to a single vehicle that we can’t do much with. On the same day that the XTerra went down, the white truck broke down and needed about a week of down time for repairs. Yeah, we like to do things big around here.

We talked about all options for the XTerra, and realized that unless we were going to completely replace the motor in it, there wasn’t much sense in putting money into it. We couldn’t get a motor in Haiti that we would trust, so we moved on to plan B, which was looking at shipping in a new to us car. Please know that this wasn’t something we just pulled out of our hats, we had actually already been planning on doing this to replace the Santa Fe so we could have two reliable cars and had been working on it with a board member in Florida, who would have bought the car and dropped it off at the shipping company for us.

It just so happened that the following week we were already schedule to fly to Florida for our annual Board Retreat. The wheels started turning and a plan started hatching. And then Plan B, and Plan C. Then there was Plan D, just as another option. Yes, we were wondering if we could actually manage to land, buy a car, and deliver it to the shipping company in the same 5 day period that we were supposed to be across the state at our Board Retreat…

Chris did some research with Drew, our Florida board member that was helping us. They found some good options for another XTerra. Chris had print offs and addresses. In the course of looking at car listings on Craigslist he found a listing for motors with low milage that were in perfect condition, but had been shipped from Japan where they have stringent laws on emissions and motors and all that stuff. He quickly realized that we COULD replace the motor in the XTerra here in Haiti, for less than $1000, if we could just get it here. If only we had something we could ship it in… ;)

Were we totally crazy for attempting all of this? Probably. Was just thinking about all of it stressful? Um, yes. But, if you don’t try you won’t know if you can make it work, so we tried.

On the last Thursday of January Alexandre sent his driver out from Port au Prince at 3:30 in the morning so he could be here early to pick us up to go to the airport. Since we didn’t have a reliable passenger vehicle this was the only option. We left the mission at 6 am after getting the work day started (yeah, that’s early, but that’s what we do here). We got to Port and went to pick up Alexandre at his house, then headed to the airport. We checked in, passed through Immigration, got something to eat, then boarded our flight for Fort Lauderdale. While we were in the boarding line Chris was on the phone to the US talking to the guy with the motors, and then to the various owners of the cars for sale to see where we should start when we landed.

Two hours later we landed and hit the Immigration lines. We had no idea what to expect because this was Alexandre’s first time going through this process. He’d travelled to the US before, but it was always for police training and on military planes. We knew we just needed to be flexible and wait where we needed to. Chris and I assumed we would go through the speedy line but I ended up getting flagged for some reason, so we all ended up going through the special lines together, and Alexandre only ended up taking a couple extra minutes. With that out of the way we headed out to the rental car shuttle.

We arrived at the rental car place, did all the paperwork, got our car, loaded up our bags, plugged the address for the first and best option on our short list of cars, and hit GO! We arrived at the dealership selling the car and while Chris took it for a test drive I walked across the street and got us some lunch. Before our food was ready Chris was back from his test drive and had made a deal. We gulped down our lunch, then headed to the bank to get the cash for the car. Back at the dealership I sat down to start working on paperwork and Chris hopped in the car with one of the guys from the dealership and a dealer plate to drive over to the business selling the motors. Two hours later Chris was back with not only the new to us car, but a motor for the broken down one in the back, all wrapped and ready for shipping to Haiti.

We left the car there, and hopped in the rental, set the address for our Board Retreat, then hit the road. About 3 hours later we arrived in Cape Coral, and found a place for a late supper before heading to the house.

We spent the weekend with our Board of Directors and had a great time working through things that needed attention and setting goals for 2018. The weekend wrapped up and Monday we packed up, then got back in our rental car to head back to Fort Lauderdale. We had the car, we had the motor, but we still needed to get it to the shipping company. Again, we had a few ideas, but needed to wait until we got back to the dealership to make any firm decisions.

When we arrived the best plan worked out really fast, and within about 30 minutes a flatbed tow truck showed up. Jason loaded the car, tied it down, then we caravanned over to the shipping company, about an hour and a half away.

We arrived, Jason unloaded the car, parked it, waved good-bye and we started on the paperwork. We had been told to expect the process to take a couple of hours, but we were done in about 45 minutes and on our way.

Let’s just say it was a CRAZY 5 days, but we did it! We have a car, we have a motor, and hopefully in about 5-6 weeks we’ll have two reliable vehicles again!

~Leslie

I must admit there were a few nerves here; the Board Retreat had been on the calendar for months. I knew Chris and Leslie were leaving. They left me in charge, not quite as official as it sounds… alongside our foreman Evens. We keep moving to ensure we are providing clean water, because the communities depend on us.

It was quite a big deal because they hadn’t done this in years. If Chris and Leslie had to leave the country, they’d shut down the facility.  It was a great feeling to know that I could contribute, nervousness aside. Only three months on the job and they felt confident they could leave (for 6 days! yikes!) and keep the doors open. If all goes well, this means peace of mind for the Rollings and continuous employment for the workers. We are building trust and confidence, on all fronts.

The goals are clear; therefore there weren’t any problems. The guys know the facility and the expectations. They worked as if Chris was sitting in the office and that made me happy.

It was so fun to coordinate what the guys needed, from preparing for installation day to icing the water coolers. Sometimes they asked… maybe thinking I hadn’t done it… and I had!! They laughed! Good job and more ice!!

We begin our day with prayer. Each morning I shared a verse from a few of my favorites, which felt applicable to our day and our mission.   The guys thought so too. I loved seeing their smiles light up the early morning skies as I waved goodbye while the big white truck left the yard, wishing them a good day and 30 installations!!

Grateful for Miss Naomi, who was here to stay in the house and watch the kids. Because we think alike and she can cook! We supported each other, shared the chores and took decisions together to ensure life here continues as it should. And Naomi gets bonus points for giving Anna her medicine. I’m still not a fan of dogs.

The girls (some teachers from Canaan) came in for the weekend like a breath of fresh air, full of witty comments, great dance moves and a spirit that can keep you in awe of their courage and zest for life. They filled my soul and made me laugh, often. I am feeling so encouraged for our world’s future with these young women at the helm. They can do anything, and they will!

It wasn’t all about the installation forms, tracking receipts or mixing cement. It’s about a group of people, who believe in a cause greater than ourselves. People who smile when the sun shines, work for the glory of God and find a way to make each other laugh, encourage one another and as my Dad always said build each other up.

So, the books are balanced, filters are delivered, the grass is mowed and the kids survived 6 days without their parents. We claim success.

Jesus expects us to take care of one another. He looks after the least of these and I believe we should too.

At Clean Water for Haiti, we find joy in partnering with our donors. We collaborate together to serve the communities in our region by providing clean water and could do nothing without your generosity and financial support.

We’ve been called the hands and feet in Haiti. Living here with a heart for service and a love for the Haitians. No matter our story or background, we must take care of one another, just as Jesus asks of us.

We all understand that the least of these are indeed the poor. Most Haitians live in poverty, lacking adequate shelter, food and clean water. They are missing the basic necessities of life, which defines them as poor. Poor, yet not in spirit or faithfulness and from this comes their joy.

There are many reasons why Haiti is a difficult country, challenging circumstances, lack of resources and so many hard things to face each day. Amidst these difficulties, the Haitians still find joy in life. I find their faith stronger than mine. Though they may be classified as poor, they are rich in faith. When I witness or experience their faith is when I become the least of these. There is so much to learn from them. And so, they now they take care of me by sharing their hearts. Jesus expects us to take care of one another.

We are here to help the poor, yet we are here together. The Haitians and the foreigners both serving together from a place of love and grace. And this brings joy for all of us.

We wish you a beautiful holiday season and hope you find your joy in the most surprising places!