Hello all: I have reached a new plateau this evening as I am actually posting this report myself..and Marni who has been helping me all of these weeks by posting my reports as I sent them to the Board...is saying free, free at last as she will no longer have to worry about getting my words to the website. I have appreciated her assistance, saving me to have to go through a new learning curve when I was already dealing with enough things. It was a relief to know I just had to push a send button on my email and the rest would be taken care of. But now I have had my lesson and am set to go.

Well the team arrived yesterday safe and sound. I improve my tan waiting 2 hours to greet them.....one has to get to the airport early 1) to beat the traffic and 2) to get a parking space a decent distance from the arrival area. It was bedlam as usual but I am getting my system down pat and it is working out pretty well.

After catching their breaths and having a bite to eat the gang set to work unpacking their suitcases and then doing chores I had lined up...inventory, bagging rice, beans, corn meal, milk powder and organizing craft supplies. What a big help that was!

It wasn't long after devotions (after dinner) before everyone was heading to bed...it had been a LONG day for them as they were on the road by around 3:00 AM to get here.

It poured rain all night long and it was still gray and overcast with a few drops still falling as we headed to the school. Marni was disappointed not to be able to start 'refreshing" the paint jot on the entrance sign, but planning for summer enrichment classes made up for that. It will be bit different this year as school will still be in session but between Clovis, she and I, I think we got a good schedule worked out. Now the rest is in Marni's capable hands to get planned.

While we met with Clovis, the rest of the gang started painting the class rooms on the upper floor fo the secondary building. They got as many classrooms done today as I thought they would do in two days....lucky us. No break for them though...I went and bought more paint so they could keep at it tomorrow. Several of the girls are also putting welcome back signs on the blackboards with coloured drawings in chalk. All of the classrooms still had January 12, 2010 written on them and we wanted to not have instant reminders as soon as kids and teachers walked in...instead they have welcome back....God loves you and various other sayings. It all looks pretty nice. While this was going on at the secondary building, Christophe and his crew were making progress repairing the wall in the dining room.

Some of the team members got a little taste of shopping in Haiti when we went to get the paint. I ordered it, paid for it and then stood for about 15 minutes waiting for the helper to bring the paint out for us. Finally I went and asked where it was to be told that they didn't have any and that they would have it delivered and couldn't I wait......that was just a tad frustrating., but what can you do. So we headed back to the school and then on our way home stopped by to pick it up. We got great service then, as I had just barely left the car, when the fellows were bringing the paint to the back of the truck.

We've had an enjoyable evening and good discussion during our devotion time and now it is time to get some shut eye. Wishing you all a good weekend.

domi byen....Debbie