Journals, Baskets, Jewelry and more

JOURNALS: We are thrilled with the Journals that are being made right in the middle of Jubilee. Mr. Benson, the owner of the business, is working toward having ten full time employees. That’s HUGE! They produce each journal by hand…cutting and sewing the pages, gluing the seams and making the covers. He has saved up enough money to begin building his own workshop in his family ‘s compound, which he desperately needs.

BASKETS: We recently had our first Basket Making Class. We have fifteen students and Mr Samuel, a local artisan, is our teacher. We gathered in the gazebo with a nice breeze to begin learning the basics of cutting the plant material and the initial weaving process. I love the look on the women’s faces as they begin to see the possibilities! Mr. Samuel makes really beautiful baskets…ones that are hard to find here. We are SO thankful he is willing to teach for us. We may very well see a basket co-op soon.

JEWELRY: “bijou “Jewelry classes are going strong. We are blessed to have Jade Jacobs here helping to teach for a few weeks. These ladies are creating some amazing earrings using wire, handmade paper beads and tumbled glass. We also have some beautiful necklaces and Christmas Ornaments coming.  A HUGE thanks to Wake Up Coffee Shop on St Simons Isle and Lei Lei’s in Brunswick for carrying these goods produced in the heart of Jubilee.

Solar Lights

We have seen ads for some effective solar lights. We are presently researching the costs and best products to use here. It’d be wonderful to be able to provide light in the darkness, and maybe allow the self-appointed guards at night to get some rest!

Addison Addressed the Crowd

We recently had a “town hall” gathering in the gazebo to introduce the new guys: Josh, Isaac, Kara, Chris, and Ben. It was so moving to hear our Haitian brother, Addison, address the crowd. He talked about the day when everyone in the community felt shame and were hopeless for change. He recounted the day Emory and Mary showed up, and the time when Brian joined them. He talked about how all of Gonaives now knows that though everyone else may have forgotten Jubilee, God never did. He burst with belief that God is making something for all to marvel at here.

The crowd cheered every time he spoke the name of Jesus. It was so very moving. So very real.  Addison said that for those of us who know Christ, if we die, we die. It is no problem to die. So he does security every night around the houses. We all laughed with him when he explained that is why he has to sleep in the mornings!

Creating New Homes

We now have four “lakou’s — neighborhoods of eight houses each completed and the rest well on their way. It is an outrageously happy day when families get to move into these new homes and a colorful sign that God sees and cares!

Progress from the Past

“In every conversation I have felt the heavy presence of God’s hand, opening doors and allowing trust to be built at supernatural speeds. I have been exposed to things and ideas and stories that I could never have imagined. One of the most beautiful things has been catching myself, in the middle of hearing about Jubilee and Gonaives history, wondering if we were still talking about the same place. I love that some of the horrors of the past seem unimaginable because of how much progress has been made.” – Kara Morrissey

Development versus Relief

Our posture here is to see through a lens of Asset Based Community Development. Basically what that means is that we begin with the questions, “What gifts, talents and resources are already here, and what is good here and working well?” Rather than to ask, “What do you need, or what is wrong?” Both are good questions, but to move in the way of Development versus Relief mode it seems a far better approach. We also find that finding the solutions and gifting’s within the community affirms people’s dignity and ownership of the process. With this is mind, we are working closely with the community leaders, artisans and present health care providers.

Exciting Report on our Well Water in Jubilee

Some gentleman from a water project here in Haiti came out to visit and take water samples from the well we dug in Jubilee that serves the school and community.  Amazing results (read a few of their comments below)!

This is a very fortuitous circumstance but it may be a fragile gift if over pumped or tapped without protections. The artesian nature is very encouraging in that there is a constant positive pressure outward from the aquifer that will flush periodic saltwater intrusions. The report goes on to conclude that it would be a good idea to get someone in to do an in depth study of the aquifer to determine how strong it is and if we can use it to put in more wells near the new houses . This may be a study that could get funding from an international aid entity. There is a possibility that this aquifer has a large capacity of flow and if that is the case, it could transform Jubilee. I am not sure of the interest level but given the dire conditions of the residents, this could be something people get excited about. I was very impressed with growing crops on that plain within earshot of the ocean.

We are thrilled with this report !!! “There is river whose streams make glad the city of our God” (psalm 46). Chris Greene is leading a team of young men, our present interns, to begin using this water to reclaim soil and enable things to grow here.  We are so thankful that God has brought these guys here for such a time as this. We are presently in need of purchasing a gasoline powered pump for the other wells we dug with the farmers in the area. They grow huge gardens now during the rainy season, but they long to grow year round. Last year through generous donations, we were able to help them put in two wells , now they need a pump to move the water out for irrigation. We can buy these pumps here, in Port for $ 400 each.

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The water quality, results are pretty good – which is not expected given the location of being out on the salt flats of Gonaives. pH – 7.8 su (meter), 8.7 su (test strips) – The water is a little basic (higher pH) but not bad – A high pH beyond what you have causes a bitter taste, scale on water pipes and a depression of the effectiveness of the disinfection of chlorine.

Hardness – 285 ppm (test strip) – This would classify as very hard (>180ppm). Hard water is essentially an indicator of high concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions but there are no recognized heath issues. It’s more a matter of taste and problems when using it as process water. Conductivity – 780 us/cm . This is in the category of fresh water and is somewhat elevated but well within the “good quality” range.

TDS – 516 mg/l (or ppm) (computed from conductivity and temperature). Same as above and well below the WHO standards for drinking water of 1,000 mg/l. Most wells within a km of the ocean in Haiti have TDS well in excess of 3,000. The ocean has a TDS of 49,000 mg/l Nitrates – 3-5 ppm (test strips). The WHO standard for children and pregnant women is 10 ppm. Your water is well within that standard.

Presence/absence test for bacteria – Negative. The field test for bacteria should not be relied on as a definitive test but it does show water that is likely not contaminated with human and animal waste. The explanation for the good water is that there is a confined aquifer at 120’ which gets its recharge inland and is protected from the overlying brackish aquifer by a natural clay aquitard.

Hope and Help through Art

We are taking it step by step, forming friendships, and beginning to collaborate with other artisan groups through the marketable arts at Trade School Haiti. The ApParent Project in PAP let us “borrow” one of their interns to give new perspective and ideas to the jewelry portion of the trade school. It was both an affirmation of progress already made and a boost to help the ladies’ refine their craft. We are so thankful. God is allowing us to build toward healthy, life giving businesses that give families options, hope, and the ability to feed and educate their children!

New Adobe Dwelling in Jubiless

Chris Greene, Josh and Ben Rustin, and Isaac Gardener broke ground on the construction of their “adobe” dwelling in Jubilee. We drove down to Leogane, Haiti to investigate these super-adobe houses built after the earthquake and learn from what those builders accomplished. What we found were inexpensive, relatively easily constructed, houses that were strong, efficient, and drastically cooler than the outside temperature. Right now, the guys are temporarily living in one of the new poured concrete houses in the Jubilee neighborhood. This alone is creating new depths of relationships in Jubilee. The community is so happy to have them there. They “protect” these guys and give them lots of motherly advice! They will move into their adobe house as soon as possible, and we will report the progress.

Blessed to get dirt

The “Greening of Jubilee” was blessed to get several loads of good dirt brought in, and we are about ready to plant the raised bed. We have two wonderful gardeners working with us: Moise and Jackyby.