We had great progress in February on the latrines in Mexico. This couple, Luis and Marta Jimenez, have been without proper toilet facilities for months since an earthquake wrecked their home. The latrine built with resources from Give Me Shelter Ministries has given them great comfort. Marta is blind, so the privacy of a latrine is truly a blessing to her.
Dec 1-3
Wow! How the wheels can move incredibly slow. There is a lot going on here and there are also many things to be aware of. Seems everyone is taking advantage of the situation. By that I mean that the local construction stores have made sure they are doing their part by increasing the prices.
We have relentlessly tried to find a block maker to no success. We did find some block molds. We can save over half the cost for blocks by making them. We have secured only 3 bathrooms to be built but it’s a start.
I’m hoping for a quick return trip to be more involved with the process but that will require a longer stay which I am totally for. I think we can put a dent in the community with more time and also build a better local team.
As always we ran into a few snags along the way but we were able to diffuse the issues. Sometimes you gotta be tough to stay on task. With flight delays and travel time from Oaxaca to Ixtaltepec I thought things went fairly well. I can only pray we can gain more support for the latrine/ bathroom project.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Kenny
November 30
We woke up early and as always hit the ground running. We meet with the Pastor and some of the people to discuss a possible plan. Our thoughts were accepted.
We are still looking for a brick machine but we are having some difficulty. Seems people are buying them up. One of the issues in this area is that the mayor of this small community has bought a large machine and has inflated the price per block, taking full advantage of the situation. Sounds familiar for when the hurricanes hit our area Home Depot and Lowe’s jump on the exploitation bandwagon.
The government here has given most people paid credit cards to start the rebuild process. The problem is it’s not enough to complete the home. I see many different country agencies doing many different things. As I surveyed the small town, I see many homes being repaired or rebuilt but the one thing I was not seeing were latrines or bathrooms.
I talked to the pastor about this and he confirmed that this is a huge problem. This is how many other issues can get started so we decided for the health of the people, we will build some latrines. This will include a toilet and a bathing area. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Kenny
We are returning June 4th to provide metal roofing materials for 16 roofs! Please pray that we have a very successful trip and that we raise more money to put a roof on every home in this tiny Haitian village.
Also make sure you follow us on Facebook to keep up with reports from this upcoming trip.
Thank you and God Bless!
Kenny Phillips
Director / Founder
Give Me Shelter Ministries
Still the 28th
We went to a local hardware depot and picked up all the material for each house. This included metal zinc sheets, fasteners, cement and some lumber. We dropped off the material on the road and it was up to the locals at this point to get it up the mountain. Each house was represented for the pick up of material and it was so cool seeing the community pitch in to help. Tomorrow we will start construction and we will scout out the rest of the village and start assessment for the next homes to restore. I hear there is about 70 homes up there. We have also heard there is a local pastor. We will seek him out and have a conversation with him. So far things have gone as planned. Please keep us lifted up, this ha the potential to be a hard place for many reasons. Praise Hod from whom all blessings flow.
Kenny
CI/GMSM
Haiti mission 1/26-2/2 2017
1/26-27
Conscience International (CI) and Give Me Shelter Ministries (GMSM) once again are partnering together to continue the relief effort for damaged homes from Hurricane Mathew in late September of 2016. Our vision is to restore homes in in reached areas where no relief effort is going on. We want to help redevelop existing communities. Task at hand is get to Port au Prince and rent a 4×4 and head south. My Haitian partner Harry had done a recon mission for us and found an area in the Aniquet region located between Les Ceyes and Port Salut. We saw this area last trip but was unable to check it out at the time. Once we get the vehicle I will stay at Harrys house and we will head out early to go south and west. They team is Harry, Finder and myself. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Kenny
CI/GMSM
Oct. 31- Nov. 2
Spent the last couple of days at Harry’s house with his family. It was great to just catch up on things with him. We were so busy the last 3 weeks and never had time to really talk about our lives and family. I also was able to spend two nights in his home. This was a first for me. He has done a lot of work on his house and I am very proud of him. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Kenny
Oct 30
Today was a day of rest before heading back to Port. Alex bolted with the vehicle so we were on our own for the entire day. We made good use of our time though. Harry haggled with a fisher man and scored some great fish and huge crabs. The cookers grilled the fish and boiled the crabs and we had a feast for all to enjoy. The trip is winding down and I am ready. I’m going back to Port in the morning to Harrys family for a day or so. I am hoping to see my good friend Sem. He runs a great guest house and I’ve stayed there at least a dozen trips. Great place and reasonable. This has been a very interesting trip to say the least. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Kenny
Oct 28-29
We left early for Port Salut. We passed by the beach project and was very pleased with the progress. From there we went south down the coast. When we arrived at Port Salut the devastation was incredible. This was a booming coastal town frequented by the French and Europeans. Also a hangout for the Haitians. The town and economy is totally gone. Cholera is now coming back with vengeance only to add the catastrophe. It was getting late so we wanted to get back to Cayes before dark. Small villages are getting tired of seeing all the aid trucks pass them by with out offering any help. So they help themselves by barricading the roads with big rocks to block cars and then robbing them. Desperate people do desperate things. We stayed the night again in Camp Perrin. The rain has showed up again which will hinder any future trips down south. Things are winding down anyway. On the way back we stopped in Cance to see how Madame Augustave was coming along on the house. We had to 4 wheel it in because of the rain and mud. She lives well off the beaten track. She too now has a dry place to live. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Kenny
Oct. 27
After our meeting with David Harding and his wife Mary they asked if they could check out our work. I was like, heck yeah we will take you first thing in the morning. David is the Relief Coordinator for CBF. Although they are here for other reasons they were very interested in what God has allowed us to accomplish. We spent the day showing them all the job sites. They loved our approach and seemed very excited by the accomplishments on such a small budget. We had such a good time. Really good people. I think we will talk further once I return to the states. They have partnered with Conscience International in the past. Wow what a fun day. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Kenny
