Greetings from Port-au-Prince, Haiti! We are pleased to let you know that our group arrived safely and on time last evening. While all of us have served in Haiti before, we are in unfamiliar surroundings this trip, so we left Columbus knowing we had many new adventures ahead. While still at the Columbus airport, we learned we had someone on our flights who was also heading to Haiti, what a small world! Imagine our continued delight when we discovered our new acquaintance was not only going to Haiti, but that he would be traveling to the same guesthouse and staying with us for the week!!! His name is Chris and this is his 4th trip this year alone, with SIF (the organization we are serving with). It was as if God looked down on us and actually said, "Do not worry, you are in good hands!"  

Our friends from SIF were there to welcome our group after we retrieved our luggage. One of our hosts, Greg was there to greet us and even in the cool darkness of the evening, it was easy to feel the warmth of his heart. We had an uneventful ride (thank you Fan Fan!) and were happy to arrive at the guesthouse to meet our other host for the week, Greg's wife Cathy. We hadn't eaten since our departure lunch in Columbus so we were very grateful that a wonderful meal was waiting for us too. We got our rooms, enjoyed a nice visit, and were ready to turn in for the night. Then.................Greg mentioned the Ohio State game. He was streaming it on-line and we spent the next hour and a half watching the rest of the 2nd half. What an unexpected treat and a wonderful way to begin our trip! And the win was icing on the cake, Go Bucks! :)

Attending church in Haiti is a joy that really cannot be explained to those who haven't experienced it first hand, and as a group we were genuinely looking to sharing a service today with our Haitian brothers and sisters. However, as it turns out, today is Election Day in Haiti which, without getting into the specifics of the political process, means it is not safe for us to leave the guesthouse. We learned all roads, churches, and many gathering places in all of Haiti are closed today to prevent protests and violence. While this is hugely disappointing, we are basking in the opportunity to get to know our hosts, their other guests (missionaries from the other side of the island, Steve and Faith, and Betsy) and to prepare our minds, bodies, and souls for the upcoming week. It is also a much needed and well deserved break for Greg, Cathy, Steve, and Faith from the demands of serving everyday here in Haiti. It's a bit of a challenge because we are all sooooo excited to get to work, but we are trying to focus on knowing that mission work isn't just about the "work" but about the relationships you build along the way.  

Speaking of our work, our goal for this week as we understand it now, is to build one house each day. Stay tuned to find out how it goes as its sure to be an adventure. Please pray for our hosts, for those we will be serving in Haiti, and for us that we might fulfill God's vision for us during the coming days, whatever that turns out to be. We have already experienced great blessings in the short time we have been here and we know there is more to come! 

In His name,

Dave, Elizabeth, Jenny, and Melissa