Frustration

Today is Friday and it has been awhile since we were able to post to the blog.  Yesterday we were asked to go to a local Nazarene church to give them some ideas as to how to be able to provide power for their radio station.  This was very close to YWAM.  We will likely propose a small solar installation for them.

After this we visited the nearby YWAM Homes Of Hope projects and looked at the existing electrical service there to give some suggestions.  After that we visited a new property purchased by YWAM that will house a guest facility and staff housing for local conferences and work teams.  This project is in the very beginning stages, but looks like one that I-TEC will fit into very easily.  We look forward to more communication on this project.
After all this we were transported to the agricultural foundation that is part of a very large complex near Bon Repos, a nearby city to Port au Prince.  Our task was to install a new generator end onto an existing and non-functioning generator.  When we were on the way the roads reminded us of many rural places we have been in Africa and other places.  Once we got started working on the generator, we were pleased to find that the Haitian workers there had some tools that made up for some we were missing.  They also had a nearby crane truck that showed up and was ready to hoist the generator into place, but we needed more time, so we instructed him to come back tomorrow (today).
As daylight time was getting away from us we went to a guest house that is one of the units being built by this foundation. The foundation guesthouse provided us with a good meal before returning to the unit where we would spend the night.  There was no electricity at the unit and on our return to it a torrential thunderstorm was pounding on the metal roof making a deafening sound, so we just turned in for the night at around 8pm. 

This was the new generator end.  It probably weighs somewhere around 700lbs. so the crane truck was essential.

Here is one of the units like we stayed in.

 Mosquito nets were a must tonight!

Well, we worked hard  today to change out this generator.  We discovered we needed to remove the connector plate from the old unit and put it on the new one to make a good fit.  However we needed a very large (14mm) Allen wrench, which we did not have in our possession.  One of our Haitian friends did have this tool, so we did not give up at that point, but were able to successfully connect the generator to the motor flywheel.  As we were finishing this we discovered that the wiring harness to the motor had some major shorted wires in it.  After an hour or more of taping and replacing wires we felt we might be ready to turn the generator on and see what voltage it would put out.  As it turned out it seemed OK, then there was a flash and a "pop" at the head end of the generator (not the end we connected to the motor).  Voltage discontinued being stable and correct, so as darkness was nearing again we were unable to let this unit be in service for this foundation.  After some discussion with one of the technicians at DynaTech, we agreed that the Automatic Voltage Regulator and an MOV probably were the culprits in this failure.  I was assured that it is all fixable and we will begin negotiations with DynaTech to send one of their technicians to Haiti to correct this problem as well as do some fine tuning to the system at YWAM.  We were, needless to say, frustrated that the mission was not accomplished as hoped.

After this we were transported to a location where we would meet with Dr. Morquette of King's Hospital.  This trek took us through rush hour traffic in Port au Prince as we just literally crawled most of the way.  Once we met Dr. Morquette we traveled with him to his home where we were treated to a wonderful meal and fellowship with other missionaries staying at his home.  When we arrived at Dr. Morquette's home we discovered that Gene F. was missing one bag of luggage, a bag that has his wallet and credit cards and some cash in it as well as some expensive electronic equipment.  We do not know where or when this bag might have been misplaced or stolen.  This is a devastating ordeal for anyone, and certainly for Gene.  After our meal at Dr. Morquette's, the entire team sitting around the table (that consisted of a family from Quebec as well as two pastors) prayed that this lost bag could possibly be returned to its rightful owner, or at the least, that God would use this in someone's life for good.  One good thing is that Gene had his passport in another bag that did arrive with us.

So, the frustration of today was some of what Satan uses to cause us to stumble.
1.  Rough travel
2. Not having all the right tools
3. Being unable to successfully complete a project
4. The loss of a very valuable piece of luggage

God knows where the luggage is at and he knows all about the generator.  We are heading to the border crossing to the Dominican Republic first thing in the morning tomorrow.  We will only be able to communicate with home if there is adequate Internet and WiFi at the mission we are going to survey.  Our Haitian phones and this modem stick which is using my Haitian phone SIM card will expire at the border.  So we are unable to know if we will be able to post more to the blog, but I am hopeful that we will be able to do so.  At any rate, please pray that we will be able to rest in God regarding all of this, and that the rest of our time in Haiti and the DR is without incident.  Thanks for your interest and prayers.