B.J. Goes It Alone

After the team left June 12, Bill continued to work mostly in Raket overseeing and helping with the house and cistern with progress being made.  But getting the school in Janou going this fall is a priority and B.J. decided to return to Haiti on July 8 bringing school supplies with him!  

B.J. has come to Haiti every year for over a decade to serve with JUST MERCY.  This is his third trip this year!!  His love for God and the people of Haiti is obvious each time he comes. We are so grateful for his support for us and the people of Haiti!  B.J. tells his story.

As another adventure begins, it seems there are always obstacles you have to go through when you’re headed to Haiti. Most usually the same things, people being upset because the American is being treated better, a lot of arguments and such things, but it was pretty much smooth sailing until we were on the little plane to Les Cayes when we lost an engine! 

We had to turn back to Port au Prince.  The rest of the flight and landing was exciting to say the least! I was able to get a flight on a smaller plane, without my luggage, and made it to Les Cayes. I stayed there with some Haitian friends that night.  What a blessing! We got my bag the next day and I finally made it to the island!

The next day (Tuesday) we prepared all the school supplies I had brought in my luggage for the new church/school in Janou.  We went to Raket to check on the work going on there with the house/cistern. It’s coming along great!! Back to the base for some rest! 

School supplies!!

Bill wasn’t feeling well and felt it was wisdom to sit out this trip to Janou. Wise choice, very hot!!! So on Wednesday, our Haitian friends and I headed across the water to Baiu de Mesle to get the truck and head to the trail head. 

Heading to the mainland to go to Janou. The girls are under the tarp.

Of course, another obstacle! The truck was completely dead!  But with a lot of manpower, we got it pushed out and finally started! Estane went on in to Les Cayes to buy us some food and came on up the mountain a little later.

The others and I headed to the trailhead. It was my first time navigating all this on my own without Bill! From then on it was smooth sailing….except for the rough roads, a lot of people, and a treacherous hike!!! 

Upon arriving at Janou, the people were so excited to see us! We rested awhile till Estane made it there with some food they then prepared. We ate supper and afterwards met with the pastor and committee. I talked with them about the school supplies we had brought and explained what some of them were for. 

Explaining the school supplies

The meeting went great! My Creole is not so good but it was definitely a great experience for me! We also brought some money for them to buy beans as they had lost their last crop in the drought and had nothing to replace it with.  We are so thankful for generous people back home who help fund things like this!! The people were so appreciative for the help! 

The people brought us some foam mats to sleep on in the church but had forgotten to bring any kind of cover or a pillow of sorts!  We started fixing somewhere for the girls to sleep and then the wind and rain came with a vengeance!!! They were scared!! 

It finally eased up a bit and we were able to lay down, I was on the concrete with a little thin mat.  I didn’t get much sleep but I didn’t die!!! I gave the girls the foam mats to sleep on. So appreciative for all the help they give us!!! 

The next morning it was still raining a bit. We waited a little while to start back down the mountain.  It was a little muddy but doable. (You need to see the trail to appreciate it!)  Finally got down to the truck and headed back to get on the boat to go to the island. Definitely ready for some rest at this time!  Grateful for a great night’s sleep!!! 

This afternoon, Friday, we are preparing things to leave this afternoon. We’ve had no service on the phone for 2 days now. We’re going over to Raket to get some things lined out on the house for while we are gone.  We are leaving later this afternoon to get over to Les Cayes to fly out in the morning. 

The things we do are temporary! They will fall apart at some point!!! But the people we meet and the relationships we build will last forever!!! It’s so hard to leave them! Some are like sisters to me now, some like brothers, some like sons, some like daughters!!!  Some you just want to take home!!!

I’m always ready to get home to my family but will miss the people here as well! God will always show up up in your ministry if you allow it!!! His love is greater than anything!  If we can share that love in whatever we do, it will affect others!!!

Bill and B.J. started their journey home on Friday, sailing to Les Cayes to spend the night to catch the early morning flight to Port au Prince. Unfortunately, the flight to Miami was delayed for 20 HOURS!!  They were able to find a hotel to stay in. When they finally got to Miami, there were storms which delayed flights out of there.  Bill missed his connecting flight in Dallas and had to spend the night there, finally getting home at 10 pm Monday night, the end of the four day journey!  

We would like to thank HOPE SEEDS (www.hopeseeds.org) who donated funds to help buy the seeds for Janou!  They are a wonderful ministry, providing seeds for needy people around the world!!

Just Mercy operates solely on donations from generous folks like yourself.  God takes those gifts and multiplies them in order to serve the multitude.  As cost of living continues to rise in all of our worlds, we don’t take your gift for granted and want you to know the people in Haiti are shown the love of Jesus and His gracious gifts of provision are from people who have been blessed and choose to bless others. Thank you in advance for all you do to keep the work of Just Mercy continuing in these villages of Haiti.   

Progress in Raket!