"Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading." -Oswald Chambers

It is hard to believe that it is over. We are not even really sure how to end something like this. I suppose that is because an adventure like this never really ends. It will always be with us. We spent most of the first day we were home so torn. We tried to explain bitter/sweet to the Haitians before we left...it was really funny and not really effective. We know Haiti is just a stepping stone for us in what the Lord has. We are excited to see what is to come. Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement. This trip really would have been impossible without it. God is good and many times, writing this blog, I found myself saying the words of John, "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written" -John 21:25. We cannot wait to see all of you and hear about your stories from the Summer. See you Wednesday.

All our love,

Brian & Lorey

Brian and Ken working on top of one of the shelters. We hiked out to where this shelter was in the mountains and hills and it was beautiful.

One day before we left we took a trip into Port-au-Prince and this was one of my favorite pictures. This is a huge pile of trash on the side of the road. The beach is directly behind it.

Me, Ken, Michille and Brian our last day of work.

Brian and I standing in front of one of the completed shelters.

Some of the Haitians came and said bye to Brian and me the night before we left. We all prayed in unison and it was beautiful hearing English and Creole all lifting up the name of Jesus. It was really sad to leave these guys.

This is the staff of the house. We were so sad to leave them...they quickly became our family. From bottom to top: Brian, Wes, Me, Christine and Johanna. Please continue to pray for them. Wes and Christine will be there for a year.

Coming through the revolving doors at the airport...we saw our whole family!

We really loved this sign..."I Haitied that you were gone"...clever Lyle.

Our first stop, of course, was Chickfila!

And it was awesome!!

"We must meet the uncertainties of this world with the certainty of the world to come." -A.W. Tozer

God is good. This week has been a very sweet one where we have seen the favor of the Lord. The house was closed to teams this week so Brian and I got to spend a lot of time working together. We put up 44 roofs and were able to pray with 42 families. We cannot believe that this is coming to end so soon. Part of us feels like we just got here. Anyways, here are a couple highlights from the week...1. We went to visit Ray Cooper, a friend from back home who was down here, at his hotel for July 4th. We got to swim in a pool and eat an awesome hamburger and pizza! 2. We went to Miguel's, our driver, church last week and the Spirit was moving. It is in the community where we build the shelters so it was really sweet to see so many of the people we prayed with after putting up the roofs at church. 3. Again, I just have to say how grateful the Haitians are. We shake each family members hand after we pray and they are so excited. We love it and have come to love inexpressibly the ones we have become so close with. That last one is obviously not a story but just a thought based on hundreds of stories.

Brian and I come home next week and we are going to spend a couple days alone and a couple days with Jim and Karen (the people who run Side by Side and who are building the orphanage here) debriefing the trip. We will be home from all of this July 21. I will do one more blog next Saturday with our final pictures and thoughts. We can't wait to see all of you and share with you the many other stories of God's work here and to hear about your Summer as well. We are so appreciative for your words of encouragement and prayer that we do not have words to express it. We love you so very much.

Brian and I on July 4th sitting by the pool. I sported my red and blue, of course!

I love this picture because it says exactly what we have been doing in Haiti. This is the rubble of a house after the earthquake and the new one, that we built, behind it. God is our restorer. He brings life to death, joy to pain, happiness to sorrow, love to hurt, shelter where there was none.

This is the crew we work with about everyday. From left to right Joe, probably has the most gentle heart I have ever seen, Frankie, who has a smile that will make anyone happy, Brian, me, Michille, who you already know and Ken, who is like a brother to us now.

This is Brian and Joe lifting up the metal for the roofs. It is surprisingly heavy.

I am making sure the roof is square.

Brian and I after doing only 2 roofs. We sweat so much! Here is an added note for humor for all you Elf watchers: everyone agrees I look exactly like the woman elf who works in the toy factory in this picture minus the gross sweat and 115 degree weather...obviously not the North Pole...if only Will Ferrell was here.

This is Joe and I showing our sweet boots (that everyone is jealous of).

This is Joe and his precious son.

This is awesome...we have to give a shout out to Melodee from Chaco who sent me a new pair of Chacos (Free!) after hearing mine got taken! God even cares about the small things.

"Sympathy is no substitute for action" -David Livingston

This week was probably the most challenging but yet the most fruitful week thus far. It is amazing how those two, challenges and fruit, usually coincide. We had a group of 11 come in from Stanwich Church in Connecticut. Brian took a team to the orphanage and to work at a clinic and I took a team to build roofs on the shelters in Bethel Village. The Lord was really moving in each group and we saw amazing things happen. I am not even sure where to begin...so I will just tell you a few things from this week. 1. The Haitians never complain but instead are so grateful. When we finish praying after we build the roofs, they often look at their 12' by 12' shelter in amazement, grab my hand and say, "Thank you for this beautiful home" or something like that which immediately brings tears to my eyes. 2. My team was awesome this week! We put on 50 roofs and by the end of the week had a crowd of Haitians following and helping us. The night before the team left, two Haitian men, Joe and Ken, came to say goodbye to the team. They sat with us for a while and just said thank you so many times. Joe said that every break he has, he goes to his new home just to sit inside and thank Jesus for us and it. Everyone was crying by the time they left. 3. When Brian was almost finished with the second building at the orphanage, he said the kids were lined up outside with their things, waiting to move in to their new home. They were so grateful and excited. There were so many more things that happened that are far too long to share. God is so good. Please keep praying for us. We love you and miss you all so very much.

This is our team from Stanwich Church

Brian got to do a mobile clinic with 5 nurses. They would go into a village and treat the people. This is part of the line...

These are some kids from an orphanage (there is an explanation for the little boy who looks like he is crying...see below)

Rosita made chicken feet for Brian...gross.

This is the second building Brian and his team built at the orphanage on the start of the first day.

They finished it by the end of the week.

And they moved things immediately into it! It will be the girls dormitory.

The orphans love Brian and playing with him.

So one of the days I was at the orphanage, this little boy got hurt and I picked him up and start making a kissing noise. They loved it and thought it was the funniest thing. Every time I go now, they run up and make crying noises so I will chase them and make kissing noises. I love it!

This might have been one the sweetest things I have ever seen. Josue, one of the Haitian workers who is helping to finish the upstairs of the house, saw Brian washing his clothes, came up to him and started laughing and said, "Brian! No no no." He then took a clothing item and showed him how to wash it. Then he helped to wash the rest of the clothes with Brian.

"What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step." - C.S. Lewis

We have had a very crazy week full of joy and work. On the way back from church last week, we were discussing how quickly time is going...we are almost half way through and will surely miss this place. After this past week, the orphanage funding ceased and the fundraiser/owner of the orphanage has malaria, pneumonia and is in the hospital back in the states. Please pray we finish strong and for the work/money at the orphanage. The rest of the time we are here we will be building the Samaritan Purse Shelters, working with Jasmine's orphanage, finishing the upstairs and running the home. God is sovereign and we are excited about what he is doing here. We are building deeper and deeper relationships with the Haitians and growing to love them more and more. The pictures will give you an idea of what we have been up to this past week. We love you guys and miss you so much!

Anika, from our home church, came to visit her dad who has been here on and off since the earthquake with Operation Mobilization. She spent the night with us! It was great to see a familiar face.

The Haitian girls love my hair because it is so long. There was a missionary family from Costa Rica who came this past week and their daughter is on the right of me. She turned ten on Wednesday and I can't explain the joy it was to have someone I had so much in common with...favorite Jonas Brother, favorite High School Musical movie, Mac-n-cheese...it was awesome!

I got to do the roofs on the Samaritans Purse Shelters at Bethel Village this week. It was so much fun! I usually can only go to this village because it is close and I have to comeback to feed the Haitian workers at home for lunch. The volunteers always want to be on my team because it ensures them a shaded lunch break back at the house.

This is a school that meets close to Bethel Village. All the students wear uniforms and they always look so nice and clean.

Brian spent the week finishing Jasmine's all purpose room at the orphanage. This is him looking at a job well done.

Every break he took, the children were climbing allover him.

This is one of the most precious little girls from the orphanage.

I got to go over the last day and helped roof. We are standing on top.

It has rained every day this week and one day we decided to keep working in it...a dangerous mistake...tin roofs with rain...not a good idea. We had at least 2 inches of height because if the mud on our shoes. Sad note: I put my chacos in the back of the truck cause they were so muddy and they got stolen.

This is Charles. One of the coolest things we have seen in Haiti is how the Lord orchestrates relationships. Charles is the chief of police and loves the Lord very much. He does everything for us. While I am thinking about it...we were telling Charles someone took my sandals and he said we need a gun...Also, Michille told us the other day that when there is a thief or someone that hurts people in a village, they just kill them..."what Michille?!" Isn't that crazy?! That's normal Haitian culture...if you do bad things, we don't have time to correct you so we just kill you. Anyways, Charles is the man and also has probably the greatest earthquake story. You want me to tell it. Okay. He was working in a city about 2 hours from his home when the earthquake hit. He then walked home, while it was still happening, to make sure his wife and kids were okay. The walk took him all day and in response to that he said, "That is what you do when you love someone, you do anything for them. Just like Jesus does for us." Try to read that last part with a Haitian accent...it will sound a lot better.

We took a team to the beach on Friday. It was really fun and very pretty.

Yes, this will be framed and go in our home when we get back...any of you other Wetmillers that want it, just say the word and I will send a copy.

"I live in a tent right outside my home"

"'Though the mountains be shaken and the hills fall to pieces, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, my covenant commitment of peace won't fall apart.' Says the Lord who has compassion on you." -Isaiah 54:10

I love this verse and its perfection for Haiti. We have heard so many "quake" stories from the Haitians and all of them are equally heart wrenching. In my previous post, I introduced you to Michille and his family. Michille might be the sweetest, most joyous, follower of Jesus I have ever met. Let me give you some examples: He is our translator but can often be found on the rafters of a shelter, going above and beyond (literally) helping our volunteers nail in roofs. I was sick the past couple days and one morning this week, when I was sitting on the porch, he said, "Loiuy (this is how my name sounds in there accent), are you feeling better?" I said I was and he replied, " you know God is our healer and I prayed that he would make you better."

A few of us took Michille home today. We parked about 300 yards from where he actually lives. I jump out of the back (yes, I know, awesome) and we went over this ghetto bridge with a creek under it. We start walking on this path and to the left was a community of tarps and tents (around 300ish). And to the right, another path which we took. We walked a ways and then came to his house. His wife and kids were sitting outside in a chair. He has a son, Jon, who is 3 and a daughter, Oneida, who is 2 months.

A little background before I continue, just since Brian and I have been here, there have been 2 aftershocks, one of which lasted about 3 seconds and shook everything. Almost all the Haitians, even if their homes have no damage, are sleeping in tents because they are too scared to move back inside.

Back to the story, Michille, took us into his house...in every corner the walls were cracked all the way down and in some parts the roof was also. If a hard enough aftershock happened, the house would buckle, which explains why he and his family are living in a tent outside their house. I could not help but start crying as I saw this. It seemed like some horrible tease to have a pretty house that cannot be lived in. Michille, walked us back to the truck and apologized the whole way that he did not have anything to offer us at his house.

Last night, it stormed and stormed. Brian and I are sleeping under a tin roof in our little out house so it was extremely loud. I layed there thinking that I am not going to get any sleep because of this noise and then immediately thought that 95% of Haitians are living in tents, getting soaked, afraid of the rumbling and noise...With all of this said, I have been thinking about this statement a lot lately, "I live in a tent right outside my house." I am sure this has spiritual implications and meaning but can't quite figure out how it can be paralleled to Jesus...so I am putting it out there. Do you have any insight?

This is the house next door to ours. It was completely destroyed.

Brian took this picture in February when he was down here. It is of a church. Everything fell but the cross at the alter.

They started building a shelter at Jasmine's orphanage for the kids because they are all still sleeping in tents and hurricane season is beginning. The girl in the orange shirt name is Amma. I am trying to get her to smile more because she is very solemn. At this orphange they have a worship service on sunday mornings and she plays the drums for it. She is awesome at them. Clapping games along with songs never gets old to them.

This is the floor of it on the second day.

This is it by the end of the second day.

Shelters and Containers

We sat listening to the lady of New Horizons Orphanage and was amazed at her heart. She has so many orphans that need a home that she has to turn away many because she does not have enough shelter and food. The team, this week, built a Samaritans Purse Shelter (pictured below) for the orphanage. Samaritans purse has created these pre-built shelters. All volunteers have to do is nail them together, put a tin roof on them and then put the wrap around the home. They have been building about 3 a day! Which means 3 new families, each day, have a roof over their heads. As the shelter was being built, we played with the kids. When we finished, they sang us songs and said, "thank you." A few of us decided to walk home instead of drive. It was the most beautiful walk...I wish I had taken a picture for you. The sun was setting...we had to cross a small river...we walked through the mountains...everything was so green...we felt a little bit like we were on LOST which made it even better. As we neared home, it began to rain and then pour. It was the perfect ending to a great day. One of our friends recently took a helicopter ride around Hawaii and she was saying how Haiti looks exactly the same but completely different because of the poverty. Jesus, give us compassion for the least of these. Please be in prayer for the orphange, Sheperds House, that Brian is building. There have been a couple days where we just sit waiting for people or supplies which is very hard for us...especially knowing we could be helping the other volunteers build the shelters. God is sovereign though. We love you all!

This is a Samaritans Purse Shelter. It comes with four walls ready to be nailed together.

This is what it looks like when it is done. It is crazy to think that this is the nicest place most of these Haitians will ever live.

This is the inside. To the left is a bed and to the right are shelves/bunk beds.

This is Michille and his family. He is one of our interpreters and goes with us to build the shelters so he can talk with the people who are about to get them.

This is one of the teams. We received a container from the States that included medical supplies, construction supplies, blankets, food...just about everything you can think of. Everyone is holding Indiana Jones cereal. Brian is 3rd from the right and I am on the bottom left.

These are the blankets. There were probably around 500. We made care packages for the new owners of a shelter that include a blanket and a bag of hygiene items.

The little boys love playing with Brian.

He is a moving jungle gym to them.