Orphanage-in-a-Box!

Our final two days in Haiti involved a relatively un-interesting mix of sitting around, being hot, going to a lovely beach (I DO wish more people knew about the faded beauties of resorts that dot the road between Port au Prince and St. Marc...absolutely lovely with the mountains dropping into the clear Caribbean Sea the way they do!), buying some Haitian art alongside the Delmas 33, and spending two hours in the beautifully remodeled and air-conditioned American Airlines waiting area. We all got stuck in NYC on the way back due to high winds, and spent the night with a generous friend. Abby was blessed the most: she got a direct flight to Seattle and a day in NY with her best friend out of the deal!

It's been a month or so since I returned already. I've been busy working on a plan to help Pastor Val rebuild the orphanage living quarters. Another pastor in the US is rebuilding the church building and we are working with some other non-profits to get the other building done. This will include dormitories for girls, boys and staff, a large kitchen and pantry, a large common area, covered outdoor areas and storage. I call it an "orphanage-in-a-box" because the genius of this design is that it is EVERYTHING pre-fabbed in the US an loaded onto shipping containers. All this can be accomplished in less than a month. Once it makes it out of customs in Haiti, it's another month or less to construct the building with the components.

Our friend John Hudson, of 100 Fold Studio is the brilliant architect behind this idea. They have already assembled the components for a similar project in the Dominican Republic. The walls and roofing materials are in manageable panels, and all the sinks, toilets, furniture, kitchen items, etc. - everything you would need to house 80 people is included. Jobs will be created in Haiti by the site work that must be done: concrete slab for the foundation, septic system installation, electrical connections, etc.

We're excited to be embarking on this project. Many others have expressed an interest in working with us, and God is piecing together a diverse team of leaders and servants. Men, women, teens and children from all walks of life are scheming about fund raising ideas, making donations, planning events, and sending boxes of supplies. For three days straight, I received a box each day full of dental and medical supplies. They came from the same address in Minonck, IL, from someone I have never heard of. Thank you, whoever you are!

A trip is in the planning stages to travel to Haiti one more time this summer to make final arrangements with the tradesmen and Pastor Val to begin the site work. My husband, Kirk and I, our son, Jon, and our architect, John Hudson will be going just for a quick weekend trip.

I'm looking forward to church more than anything. So much fun.

(If you have any interest in contributing to the building project, please contact me at kelleemetty@gmail.com for more information.)