I've been looking forward to Dumay 2017 for some special reasons - a team made up of lots of home folks! Part of the team was from Forrest, the other part from Mediapolis and Bloomfield, Iowa, and then Matt who has been in Dumay each year we've come!
The annual Mickey Mouse pancake making with Matt.
The kids spent lots of time at the guest house, doing projects, "helping" make meals, going back and forth to the toolshed, and playing with other kids outside.
Getting started on the work...loading all the pieces onto the truck.
And everything organized in the kubota...
Out on the job site.
We were trying to figure out what this was....party decorations??
Our roofing crew. I don't think you can see in the pic, but David still had his rings of keys on his belt....I had to make fun of him a little bit....I mean he may need them 120 miles from the hospital....
Making do with tools once in a while when we had lots of people working on one house :)
David walking to the guest house with Tutu, who is our all around helper man, gets water and ice, knows where stuff is, and is the keeper of the multitude of keys.
Orrin even got in on a day of painting...here he's in a chicken coop working hard :)
Futile efforts trying to hang clothes back on the line...
Jessica playing with Cassia
Cheese!
Orrin playing on the big truck
And under the big truck :)
Lots of fun with the kids
Playing with a shoe...just good 'ole fun.
So much fun during the day, they slept so good at night....even sleeping on bare hard concrete (he moved there during the night by himself - this is not a mean mom picture!!)
Cass got her hair done lots and lots and loved it.
Enjoying lots of yummy mealtimes together.
An after lunch electronics moment - what better place than on the island?
A relaxing spa in the mountains...soothe away all your stresses!
The week we were there was "Conference" week where some of our ministers and Elders have topics in the church with Haitian pastors from all over the country. Several evenings in a row we had church services, and so it didn't leave many free evenings. We did have one night to go out and sing together with those who gathered outside.
Sunday is a big day and the last day of the conference. After church, we usually have some pastors and their families in to eat with us. Orrin ate with the little kids.
In the afternoon, some went on a hike up the mountain.
Some did. We did not.
We went for a Kubota ride instead :D
We set out to deliver some food to a poor lady we knew, and stopped at a roadside stand to pick up a few more things we wanted to get for her.
We soon picked up a crowd.
Wow, the view was incredible. It probably would have been worth the hike, but this was a really nice way to see the view at least part-way up. I couldn't stop taking pictures :)
The kids kept up with us on the way down, too. They were having a lot of fun and making lots of noise (too much in Orrin's opinion, I guess).
After the houses are complete, we stop by and give the owner the key and talk to them a little.
This woman had lost her home in the earthquake in 2010. She's been living with someone else since then and now she has her own home!
Vania taking the kids back to the guest house as they got tired of our socializing.
Another project that was done this year was turning part of an old shed into a "nursing home." It is very basic, but hopefully will help out those who need it.
The last afternoon - picking up and organizing. Even the kids got in on the action.
She knows how to carry stuff too...
The last evening, we were served authentic Haitian cuisine. Yum, yum, although it was really nice to get some good 'ol American cooking in for a week!
We had a really good week with everyone, renewing old relationships, and making some new ones. We were so very thankful and excited to be able to witness two of the young men on the team give their lives to the Lord the last day of the trip. It was an answer to many prayers and the most special part of our time together! We praise God for His blessings and faithfulness!
