Team making difference at Orphanage

following is a report from the team this summer... thank you for making a difference... Alexa, Andrea and team...

We were relieved to be greeted by Wisner and friends right in the airport. They helped us with our bags and they had the vehicles waiting for us inside the airport fence. It was a very smooth process! Driving through Port-Au-Prince we could see that there had been some improvements since last year but it was still a city in trouble. Outside of the city, we were all blown away by the beautiful mountainside drive to Jacmel. The mission house in Jacmel was equipped with bunk beds so we could all stay together. We were welcomed with warm hospitality. We knew our trip would go fast so we got right down to business in planning out our week  that first evening. The biggest project we wanted to make happen was to build a playground on the orphanage grounds. Christ the King church in Shaunavon, SK graciously donated the funds to have it built with leftover monies going towards the finishing of the fence. Both the fence and the playground will help to keep the children safe and within the view of their caregivers. We did a number of painting projects at the orphanage including a banner for outside created partially by our Canadian students and partially by the orphans. We also painted a large mural upstairs in the children's area as well as the bedroom doors. The kids were very intrigued by the paint so they were each able to make their own creation using small canvasses we had brought with us from Canada. It was their first painting experience! We took a some time away from the orphanage to go to Basin Bleu. It was one of the most beautiful places we had ever seen. Our guides were extremely helpful in our hike and descent to the main basin. We enjoyed a swim and a jump off a waterfall into its crisp, blue waters. Our free hours were spent playing with and caring for the children. They all seemed much happier and healthier than year before thanks to some great caregivers. The playground was being finished in our last minutes at the orphanage. Although it was a frustrating project at times, due to the language barrier and lack of playgrounds for examples in Jacmel, it was so worthwhile to see the children so happy to play on it. It was a beautiful sight to see! Thank you Christ the King!!!