Our crew made it home on December 15th at 11:01a.m. after making a run for it on Monday night! Yes, we were caught in the rioting, and housed between the president's house and the UN's hotel. Not the best place to be, but God kept us safe! There were burnings, gunshots etc., but through it all, we felt safe in Him. The children were amazing and we spent a lot of quality time with them. I think every crew member's life was touched in some way through this experience. :) They got 132 feet of a 5 foot by 16 inch wall built in only two days of work, so the boys were very happy despite their disappointment in not being able to work as much as planned. God had a different plan for these young men, and you could see it as each day progressed. They came together as friends and brother's in Christ to encourage when times got rough and support when they needed it most. Without one of those men, I don't know if we would have made it home. They spent time mentoring some of the older boys in the orphanage, which not only touched their lives, but it changed the boys' perspectives as well. To grow up without a supportive, male role model in your life is tough, and they were so grateful for the time they spent with our crew members.
On the second day of being stuck, we were up on the roof discussing my hopes for future work at the orphanage. As we kept talking, things/connections began to fall together, and we realized that we could really make a difference with the guys we had come to Haiti with. I didn't put this crew together, it just kind of fell into place, so to see these men filling the exact roles I had prayed for was moving. We had Alfred (Chile) the architect, Chad (Policia) the planner with connections, Charles (Charlie) the high tech dude, Jeremy (Jerry) the EMT with a new found heart for missions and a church to back him, and Joe (Skinny) with a new found heart for Haiti and helpful connections as well. So, while sitting on the roof of the orphanage, watching the rioting that was going on just down the street, we laid out plans for a new non-profit organization called, Haiti N.O.W.! (New Orphanage & Wall). This organization is designated to the construction/maintenance of the new HCRM Village (consisting of a new orphanage, school, church, med clinic, volunteer housing, adoptive family housing and director's house) and 'Kinderville' (a school in Carrfour). Our ultimate goal is to create a safe haven for orphans and students looking to further their education. We hope to be the education resource center for Haiti someday, hooking students there up with resources our students here have complete access to, and finding ways to help them with online courses and/or foreign exchange programs here in America by connecting their 'University' with our colleges. That is in Haiti N.O.W.!'s future-future, but it doesn't hurt to plan ahead. We're hoping to have the organization up and running by mid-January and we are praying for your support. :) Details on the organization, plan etc. will be released with our website around mid-January as well, so stay tuned!
Again, thank you for all your prayers and support! Our team greatly appreciates each of you and we are so blessed to be home here in America with our families for Christmas!
May He guide and guard you wherever His calling takes you!
Merry Christmas!
~Clay~
HCRM Orphange
Here are a couple of the boys from HCRM! (left: Jeff, right: Jean Jieve)
