Home.

Hello all,

Well, we've made it. It's hard to believe that our journey has come to an end. We had a long day yesterday and were happy to sleep in the comfort of our own bed last night.

I guess that we'd like to thank everyone one last time for thinking of us and praying for us over the last five weeks. We had an amazing time and will always remember this precious journey that we took as a family. It will take some time for us to get settled back into our home and also to digest everything that occurred while we were in Haiti. We are so happy that we stepped out in faith and took this trip; God certainly had his hand upon us.

So, signing off for the last time:

Chad, Kelly, and Dublin O'Neill.

Safe in Montreal.

Hello all,

Well, after a rather tearful goodbye to the friends we have made in Haiti we headed into Port Au Prince yesterday. We made our flight in excellent time and actually had a couple of hours to wait once we'd checked in and gone through security. Our check-in went really smoothly which we actually weren't expecting. We thought we'd be waiting in the heat for at least an hour, but it only took us about 20 minutes to get through. We were very thankful!

Our flight went well. Dublin slept for most of it so that was a real blessing for us. We landed quite late last night but got through customs rather quickly. We got to the hotel at around 2:00am. We're all a little tired this morning. We're going to go out and find some breakfast and enjoy a bit of the day before heading to the airport for the last leg of our journey.

Anyway, looking forward to getting home this evening. Thanks for your continued prayers.

Chad, Kelly, and Dublin.

Heading home...

Hello,

Well, it’s so difficult to believe that our time in Haiti has almost come to an end. The last few days have been somewhat stressful as Dublin has been a little bit ill and Chad and I have also been fighting colds. We haven’t slept very well. Today, Chad took Dublin to the doctor and was able to get a couple of prescriptions. We’re praying that he sleeps well tonight and that our flight
to Montreal tomorrow goes smoothly.

Despite the fact that he hasn’t slept very much, Chad has been working with Gord on getting a section of the wall up. Finally, today they finished the first section. It looks great! I cannot begin to describe how difficult it has been for Chad to get the wall started. It seems as though there has been constant interruption. However, now that first section is up the excitement level seems to have gone up and today several Haitians were hired to help poor concrete slabs – they poured 40! So, hopefully, the progress with the wall will continue after we leave…slowly but surely.
I’ve not been too busy in the last few days. Robin and I spent some time yesterday morning sorting through the many items that the team that left behind this earlier week – school supplies, medical supplies, bedding, clothing, towels, etc. We actually were not able to finish sorting everything but I’m sure everything will get put in its proper spot sooner or later.
This morning, Robin and I went into Petit Goave with Lisa, Mark Ettie, and Rebecca (who’s here for a year with her husband Chris) to look for material for the school uniforms for the children who will be attending the elementary school here on the compound. Our search was successful and we were able to purchase a large amount of material. We then spent some time wandering around the market.

Tonight we went for our last neighbourhood walk. It has been a lovely afternoon and evening with the Caribbean breeze providing some reprieve from the heat. As we walked I tried to take in every person, every palm tree, every little Haitian home, every animal – everything. As I’ve mentioned before, although Chad and I will be happy to be home in Canada, we will miss Haiti, and the friends that we have made here, very much.

So, our adventure in Haiti is coming to an end. Our flight out of Port Au Prince is at around 6:00 tomorrow evening. Please be praying for us that our trip goes smoothly. We are a little bit nervous about travelling with Dublin when he’s not feeling all that well.

Sending lots of love home,

Chad, Kelly, & Dublin.

Ps) I wrote the above blog a couple of nights ago but wasn’t able to post it.

Happy Birthday Dublin & Grandma Webber!

Well, this has been a trip of firsts for Dublin. This is his first international trip to help people in need, while we’ve been here he had his first minor head wound, he took his first few steps, he received his first kiss from a young lady (who is actually 6 months older – way to go son!), and today he had his first birthday! Of course he didn’t realize the significance of the day but I was determined to have a cake to celebrate the occasion. We made one this afternoon and it turned our pretty well. It was great to hear the team from Nelson, several employees from Haiti Arise, and of course, mommy and daddy, sing happy birthday! We were able to catch it on video and Gord took a bunch of pictures so don’t worry family members – we will be sure to show you guys when we get home.

Also, happy birthday to my mom! I love you mom and I hope that you have had a great day today! Looking forward to seeing you soon. Dublin say’s hello and he can’t wait to have lots of hugs and kisses from his grandma!

Today was a rather typical Sunday morning around the compound – very restful. We spent time chatting with our buddies Gord and Robin, and this afternoon took a long walk through the community. Chad and I never grow weary of the enthusiasm and joy of the people that we meet along the way. It is overwhelming and humbling to see such joy in the midst of such poverty. Today we visited the home of an elderly couple. It was no more than an 8 x 10 thatch hut with a dirt floor but still they were thankful.

As I sit here tonight and type this blog the team from Nelson (and Chad) is busy bagging rice for the food distribution that is going to take place tomorrow morning. It is expected that many, many people will come for the rice that will be handed out. I will admit that I have mixed feelings about rice distributions...but I won't get into it here. I pray that there is enough to feed everyone. It is heartbreaking to see people turned away.

Anyway, signing off once again. Sending much love home as usual. Thank you to everyone who has kept us in their prayers.

Chad, Kelly, and Dublin.

Port Au Prince + Kia Dealership = stress.

Hello :)

Before I say anything else I must wish my brother-in-law Chris a Happy belated birthday! I had started a blog on the 12th and was going to wish you happy birthday in it but never did manage to get it posted (I know what you’re saying…excuses, excuses…). I hope that you had a great day!

So, the team that arrived on Tuesday has settled in and had a busy week. They’ve been working on playground equipment for the elementary school and did a children’s program on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoon. Gord has been instrumental in helping get the swing-set for the elementary school together (with his lovely assistant Chad) and Robin has been instrumental in getting the children’s program set up and running.

This week has been kind of weird for me. Leading up to the team’s arrival we were doing so much to prepare for their visit. When they finally did arrive, everything sort of came to a standstill for me. Lisa has given me different tasks to do and I’ve tried to make myself available to help the team out.

Today I went with the team up to the market. It was a great experience – but so HOT! This afternoon we were able to go to the beach for a few hours and enjoy the warm water and beautiful Haitian scenery.

Chad and Gord went into Port Au Prince today. They needed to find some parts for the bobcat which seems to be on the fritz right now. They were also looking for some parts for one of the Haiti Arise vehicles. They left at 6:00 this morning and arrived home while we were out at the beach. I understand that it was a little overwhelming trying to locate the parts that were needed but they were successful in the end. Chad and Gord say “don’t ask about the Kia dealership experience” (I’m thinking it was a “growing” experience).

I’m sure that this evening will be an early evening. Everyone is rather tired and some are a tad sun-burnt. Tomorrow we have church, and I believe a rice distribution is planned either for tomorrow or Monday.

Anyway, we will keep you posted as to our activities in our last few days of our trip. Sending lots of love.

Chad, Kelly, and Dublin.

Odds and Ends.

Hello all,

The team has arrived….and they brought M&M’s!!! Woot Woot!!! Probably not what I should be snacking on prior to sleeping but whatever! We are so happy to have Robin and Gord here with us! We’ll take good care of them Christine!

So, there’s really not too much that’s all that exciting to blog about this evening (other than the team arriving) so I thought that we would write all the things that we’ve meant to tell you about before but have forgotten.

First, Chad forgotten to mention in his blog about his day with Christoph and his family that in the middle of the day he was offered a shower (a bucket with a bar of soap). The whole family participated…don’t worry, not at the same time! Everyone’s dignity was protected :) Chad said it was one of the highlights of an awesome day. I would have been nervous about peepers…but not Chad, nothing like a shower in the great outdoors!

Second, we forgot to tell you about the goat and the cement mixer. Chad was out with some of the guys watching them while they were trying to get the cement mixer up and running. Apparently the cement mixer has a pull cord like what you’d see on a lawn mower. Unfortunately the pull cord was missing and the guys were in need of some type of rope. Thankfully, there happened to be a goat, attached to a rope nearby. The boys went and fetched the rope…AND the goat, and attached them to the cement mixer. One can only imagine the whiplash that the poor goat endured as the rope was pulled to start the cement mixer. By the third tug, I’m sure the goat was in need of some intense message therapy! Anyway, the cement mixer is still not working. Hopefully while Gord is here he can get it up and running.

I think that’s it for forgotten “stuff.”

Now that I think of it, there was a rather interesting event this evening. Tonight was church. Chad went while I stayed back in our room and played with Dublin. We’ve found that it’s easier if we take turns going to service. Dublin is far too wiggly to hold for an entire service. While Dublin and I were playing we had an incident – we’re both safe and neither of us are injured, and I know that it is because people are praying.

What happened - The city power came on and the generator turned off meaning that I had to restart our air conditioner. As I was putting it to the correct setting I was suddenly surrounded by sparks – our air conditioner is now out of commission. The reason that this whole incident was rather scary is that we have a re-bar shelving unit that is sitting right next to the air-conditioner. It was an exposed wire from the air-conditioner that touched the re-bar and caused the unit to blow. Had Dublin been playing by the shelving unit, or touching it he might have been electrocuted. He also may have been hit by flying sparks. So, we thank you again for your prayers.

Anyway, I think I’ll sign off. We’re going to head off to bed in the next few minutes. Dublin and Chad both seem to be fighting colds so please remember to pray for them.

Lots of love.

Kelly.

I can't think of a title...again.

Hello all,

Another great weekend has come and gone. On Saturday while Chad was off at Christoph’s I went with the ladies into Petit Goave to help do a gigantic shop for the team that will be arriving tomorrow. It took hours! It’s not like home, where you can walk into the local grocery store and get everything in one place. I love going to the market and seeing all the different items that vendors are selling and hearing all the calling back and forth. It’s quite an experience.

Yesterday Chad and I both had an opportunity to share in church. We both talked about how God has worked in our lives. As per tradition I started crying. It’s still not easy sharing about a much loved nephew who went to be with God at a very young age and a sister and brother-in-law who have had so much faith in the will of God. I know that God can use this small child’s life, and the example of my family to bring people closer to himself.

Chad talked about his life and challenged the people in the church to watch how they are acting and what they are saying when with friends or in the workplace. People are watching their behaviour. Unfortunately Christians often don’t present the best example – we don’t live out our beliefs (Chad and I are as guilty as anyone of this). As one individual put it, “The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Christ with their lips, and then walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle” (Brennan Manning). Surprisingly Chad didn’t cry which was rather interesting as we both tend to be big crybabies.

Today the compound has been in a flurry of activity as everyone has been running around preparing for the team that will be arriving tomorrow. Chad and I are feeling really blessed that our friends, Gord and Robin Houghton will be arriving with the team. We are thrilled that they will be here for our last week….is it our last week already? I get emotional thinking about it! My heart is very much with the Haitian people. I can speak for Chad when I say that his heart is also with the Haitian people. While we miss home and will be happy to see everyone, this is like a second home. Haiti will always be a part of our lives.

Chad has been working on “the wall” with his helper Edsa. It’s been an incredibly slow process, and a little frustrating at times but he seems to be making progress. The posts that he poured a couple of days ago turned out great and I think he’s trying to get them into the ground either today or tomorrow.

It’s been really hot today. I think it’s one of the hottest days that we’ve had since we arrived. Dublin has a bit of heat rash – more than he’s had so far. It doesn’t seem to be bothering him or affecting his mood. He’s his usually happy self. We gave him a bath to cool him down and he had a lovely time. I think his heat rash may be bothering Chad and I more than it is bothering Dublin!

Anyway, we’ll post a new update soon. Missing everyone back home. Much love to you all.
Thank you for your continued prayers. Please pray that we’ll remain healthy and finish the last days of our trip well.

Chad, Kelly, & Dublin.

PS) SAC – We NEED to get a team down here in November! There is much to be done!