Danielle - Malieka - Beyonce - Sanja

These names, among many more belong to beautiful Haitian children that we were able to love on today.  We started our day with VBS expecting a traditional Saddle Ridge Ranch type theme with a brief opening ceremony and the typical stations.  However, we quickly realized that VBS here is very different.  The "brief" opening ceremony lasted about an hour with chanting, dancing, screaming, and games.  The groups in which we joined were formed based on which child clung to us the most (and with the hardest grip!).  We went with our groups to several different stations, one of which included a hygiene lesson on teeth brushing.  Other stations focused on anything from agriculture to bible stories.  At one point, 80 children were packed into a classroom (which was the size of a medium-sized bathroom in America) in order to make a craft. VBS also included a snack time with a common Haitian meal consisting of rice and beans.  The kids were anxious for a snack and often emptied a plate full of food in under 5 minutes.  Mark watched as one girl ate every single grain of rice on her plate.  Small bags of water and juice were provided as drink for the children.  One child showed selflessness by pouring his juice into his sister's cup.

Fortunately, we didn't have bugs for lunch this time.

After lunch, we traveled back to Leveque for our work project.  We were able to be apart of something amazing - providing improved and strong homes for displaced families that currently live in tents.  These houses have one larger room and two smaller rooms typically used for bedrooms.  The approximate size of one of the concrete homes is 14 x 14 and can house a family of up to 8 people.  We unfortunately were assigned painting time during the extreme heat of the day with little breeze or shade.  We painted two houses a beautiful sunshine yellow in about 2 hours. We were also able to hang out with and talk with several of the children who live in the Leveque village.  It was truly a humbling sight to see children with no clothes watching us paint their future homes.  

We ended the long and tiring day with a spontaneous dance session to Cupid Shuffle. (this only includes the Blogettes)

Sincerely, the Blogettes    

We caught Mark Hollar dancing with the children!

Craft time at VBS!

Team member teaching the kids how to brush their teeth.

Snack time at VBS.

A sweet brother giving his juice to his sister.

Trim work crew.

Today was Susan's birthday!

These two houses now complete plus one more yellow one!

We will forever be marked with the sunshine yellow paint!