update via barber shop

We all hope this update finds you well! We are ALL doing great! The plan was to update you all daily, but please remember, we are in Haiti, and plans, well here they change all the time. We have not been able to connect to the internet, so now I am sitting in the back of a barber shop in down town Port Au Prince that doubles as an internet cafe! At least it is airconditioned.
I am not really sure how to even begin describing the sights, smells, and sounds that make up this place. Let me begin with our first day here.
The desperation of this country became clear immediately upon exiting the airport; we were greeted by children, men and women begging as we loaded our vehicle - not the bus we expected, but an open bread truck that had previously doubled as an ambulance in the weeks following the earthquake. This has been our main mode of transportation ever since! After we got settled in the guest house, we went on a tour of Port Au Prince. Without doubt, the word we would all use to describe this city is hopeless. It was overwhelming and we were all shell-shocked by the living conditions both in and out of the tent cities.
Most of our prayers that night were ones of trying to understand if there is any hope for Haiti. Our hearts were broken.
Then we went to the orphanage. Yes, it is difficult there. Yes, the kids have much less than any of our children. Yes, it is still in desperate need of repair. However, what is at the orphanage that was lacking outside was HOPE.
When we got there on Sunday night, the kids were celebrating (of all things) Mothers Day. They sang and danced and had a wonderful celebration for at least 100 people......most of them from the neighboring community. What a difference! These kids have so much joy and love and it is contagious.
Also, the boys dorm is completely built! And after our first full day there on Monday it was completely primed and ready for the paint. At the end of today, the outside of the dorm is almost all painted; we should finish painting tomorrow. The boys and young men have been living in their tents for a year and a half and are thrilled at the prospect of moving in; it has been a labor of love serving BESIDE them - they are so happy to help and have done a lot of the painting with us.
The younger kids are simply loving being loved on. We can't even get out of the bread truck before they surround us for hugs and ask to be picked up. Mrs.
Hawkins had a wonderful tiime teaching and discipling some of the older girls and our first VBS lesson on love this morning was a big hit. The kids are also really enjoying playing soccer and learning how to throw a frisbee, and the little girls can't get enough of jump rope! The time in the orphanage is the most joyful part of each day, and though there is much left to accomplish, it is wonderful and exciting to see progress. We can't wait to share our pictures with you (we've already taken 1,000)!
Last night Robert asked us all to share something that made us joyful that day and something we were thankful for. The responses were beautiful. Our students shared that the hugs from the kids, hearing their stories, and playing with them filled their hearts with joy. For many of the adults, seeing the body of Christ work as a body was truly joyful. And all of us have MUCH to be thankful
for: our families, our homes, clean water, electricity, and mosquito nets! We are also so thankful for your prayer support; we feel the covering and ask that you would continue to pray for this team. Some specific prayer requests:
Stamina to work in the heat (we have had relatively mild weather, but it is still much hotter and sticker than most of us have been in before); continued health (so far we are all healthy!); some relief from the mosquitos (several team members clearly have tastier blood than others!); and continued filling of the Holy Spirit to lead us to do His work and share His love everyday!
That's all for now. There are so many stories to tell already that will just be better told in person. We are all well and loving that the Lord has allowed us to be in this place at this time. We love and miss you all!
The TCCS Hope for Haiti team, better known now as:
The 4 Medranos
The 3 Warners
The 4 Rodarmels (oops, make that 5 - Joshua did join us Sunday and we always forget to count him) The 2 Pitmans The 2 Leschers The Fab 5 (Tori, Drew, Amy, Elyse, Chan-Young) Mrs. Hawkins Nick and Robert

Hope for the Hopeless

Haiti is the most densely populated nation in the western hemisphere. Plagued by disease and malnutrition more than three quarters of the population live in extreme poverty.

On January 12, 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earth quake struck the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. Over 250,000 died and hundreds of thousands homeless. The earth quake is a tremendous blow to this poor nation, from which it will take years to recover.
Our team of volunteers will help to reduce the suffering of Haitian children by assisting with the construction permanent homes for over 50 orphans who were left homeless by the quake.