PHOTO GALLERY
RWANDA
Kigali, Rwanda May 2009
Two playground were installed outside the capital city way off the beaten track in the hill country. The locals had never seen a playground, much less a small army of white folks. We hit the 'cool' season for them, which was perfect weather for us!
It was beside a church plant and so we were honoured to share the precious hope Jesus brings.
One night while in Rwanda, Coco dreamt of a man in the hospital and woke up knowing she had to find him. Maurice was miraculously revived from a coma after hands were laid on him and the prayer of restoration was spoken. This is Maurice the day he was restored from a head injury which had caused "irreversible" brain damage! Praise God!
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HAITI
Haiti March 2010 - 3 months after the devastating earthquake many local businesses donated construction materials and/or finances to help rebuild some of the structures at an orphanage in Grande Goave - south of the capital city of Port o Prince.
Here Coco helps 'babysit' one of the kitchen worker's children as the team works in the hot sun.
The Hart to Heart Orphanage is also home to a school for over 400 students. Although the building was almost completely destroyed during the earthquake, classes continued within a few months in the playground area. Providing lunch for the students proved equally challenging as the kitchen was lost so meals were prepared over an open fire.
The team made a boat trip to a remote part of the island and found an isolated community where we not only welcomed by the children and their families, but we got to spend some quality time in the water!
The boys were afraid to have their picture taken, having been told by their elders that white folks eat black boys.
The team was there to put up two enormous tents - one for a dining hall so the children could eat under shelter in the coming rainy season, and the other to house the many teams that were scheduled to begin arriving to help rebuild the dorms, kitchen and dining halls as well as the school structure. To date all the work has been completed.
Haiti - a country of unbelievably shocking poverty and stunning beauty at the same time.
The Haitian people are generally warm and delightful and showed us gratitude at every turn. We did, however employ an armed police escort whenever the team ventured too far from the compound as there is a long history of violence.
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MEXICO
Peurto Vallarta May 2011
A team of firefighters and police officers from the Calgary area of Alberta joined forces to install a playground in one of the pour neighborhoods of the town.
It was done in memory of a fallen comrad and it was an honor to have his wife, brother and sister in law as part of the team.
The locals were very excited and we were fortunate to have a local vet that spoke perfect english. It is always our custom to hire locals to not only help with the work, but allow them to earn a few days wages. The residents were respectful and the local 'mayor' hired off duty police officers to sit at the site 24 hours a day so ensure no equipment went missing.
Dedication day is always a festival, but it was particularly touching on this trip as we watched big burly firemen stand with tears rolling down their cheeks as over a hundred children swarmed over the playground like locusts.
All the locals showed up with a mountain of food for a potluck which we sure enjoyed!
