This will not be an easy task, but it is one that we are excited to be involved in.

In most of the news as of late, it has been voiced that,  Haitians say they intend to build differently than they did before the earthquake. The government, awakened to the nation’s construction follies, and say they plan to crack down to ensure proper materials and techniques. We strongly agree with this and are doing our best to use quality materials and many knowledgeable and skilled hands to help execute this.

When it comes to the buildings being destroyed, they are in the state they are in because of one thing, because of poor construction practices. It is a goal of ours to communicate to the people in the village the importance of building on a solid foundation with reliable materials. But in order to do this we will need funding and supplies and the sooner we are able to gather these vital factors, the sooner we are able to provide suitable and safe housing for the families in the village.

We have come up with an unique strategic idea to deal with the houses to be repaired and reconstructed, it will take some time but the people in the village will get there with our and your help.

Yes, I said YOU.

We need your help in helping rebuild the village, in order to help provide a vision and opportunity for their community. There is an urgent need for housing, some aid agencies have begun to construct transitional homes for thousands of Haitians facing a potentially violent rainy season without a roof over their heads. However, this is not the case in the village of Chauffard and it will be up to us and you to help construct suitable housing.

How can you help?

Well, there are numerous ways in which you can help:

1. One time or on going financial support
2. Donation of building materials
3. Going on a trip to lend a hand in the building projects
4. And certainly not least of all, but lots of prayer

Even though our time in Haiti will be just a week, we hope that during that week, there are the noises of hammers and saws being used to provide shelter for our friends.

Bondye Beni Lakay Nou!

God bless this house!

Google Haiti Crisis Response Page

TED talk Stories of Haiti by Edwidge Danticat

Ushahidi partners with Digicel for survivors to report in, areas of need, and a culmination of earthquake-pertinent information.

Also, Luke Remmer, our friend from HandsAcrossHaiti.org, will be on the Today Show this morning.

First, we want to thank everyone for the continued prayer, phone calls, text messages, e-mails, networking, and fundraising that has occurred in the last 24 hours. We have been astounded at the immense support and encouragement that we have received.

The CPI GUYS’ RESPONSE

Second, we have been wrestling over how to respond to the extreme devastation in Haiti. Waiting for information from our Haitian partners has been nail-biting. We still have no information about the health of our friends in Chauffard, the safety of our friends in Port-au-Prince, or the condition of the new building in Chauffard.

It has been on the calendar for a survey and expansion trip with Personal Partners in late February or early March. Obviously the shifting of the land has shifted our priorities for the next 60 days.

To handle the many requests for immediate emergency support, we have set up our Earthquake Emergency Relief fund. This will help with our aggressive reconstruction and damage assessment efforts over the next 60 days. This will be immediately followed with preparations for a massive reconstruction and recovery effort over the summer with our current partners, The Crossing, and our new partnership with FPC-Vine here in Lakeland.

This is a restricted fund used solely for Earthquake Reconstruction & Restoration.  Please find out more and donate here.

HEEDING THE REQUEST OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE ORGANIZATIONS

1.  Jonathan Capre, who leads the CIM network of churches and schools in Haiti, will be traveling to Haiti as soon as it is feasible to assess how the people of CIM have been affected by the earthquake.  We have 4 CIM churches and schools that are in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas.  Jonathan will be our hands and heart to these folks until we can be there. He will also be able to assess the roadways and transportation options available for teams to travel to Chauffard in the next 6-8 weeks.

2. To ensure that our friends and partners can participate in our efforts, we have set up our Earthquake Emergency Relief fund. This will enable us to send a small team (as soon as it is feasible) to deliver supplies and assess the long term needs in the CIM communities where we work.  This assessment will help us plan for late Spring and Summer projects with our current partners, The Crossing Church, and our new partnership with FPC-Vine here in Lakeland.

The CPI Guys and our partners are committed to this reconstruction and recovery, especially in the rural and outlying areas where aide and support are unlikely to reach for many months. You can help instantly by donating, joining our team in the spring, or, if you are a medical or search-and-rescue professional, please see The Red Cross.

Thank You so much for all you have done. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Most Passionately,

The CPI Guys

Kenny Ellis &

Grant Nieddu

on behalf of our Haitian friends and partners who still wait breathlessly to hear from.

As many of you have heard, there was a series of devastating earthquakes which hit very near Port-au-Prince.

The National Palace (White House) was destroyed, as was La Montana Hotel where key U.N. workers were permanently residing. (We have stayed in La Montana before with the CPI and CIM teams.)

For now, we are waiting to hear from our team in Chauffard to fill us in on the status of our friends, the team, and the bldg there.

Stay tuned.–Grant, Kenny, Jonathan, The Crossing, Chester, Daphney, Claude, and the entire Haiti team.

The meeting was about to begin when I found my place at the back of the room on a rickety, plank bench next to an elderly Haitian man.  He flashed a warm, genuine smile at me, motioned hello with a tip of his hat and quietly said, “Bon jou.”  I extended my hand to him and he placed his weathered, calloused hand in mine.  He, like so many of the men in this village, had spent a life working the land, loving his family and serving in the community.  He pulled out a Bible, notepad and pencil from a tattered plastic bag and turned his attention towards the front of the room.

My Friend

Kendal had begun his introductory remarks and was passing out an outline that had been translated into Creole.  My back row friend and me both took our outlines and prepared to fill in the blanks and follow along with the teaching.  Kendal asked everyone to turn to a specific book in their Bibles and the other 15 Haitians in the room began flipping pages and locating the reference that had been assigned.  Kendal began to lead us through the outline, giving us the key words needed to fill in the blanks.  A few minutes passed and I glanced over at my friend and I realized that he was lost.  He still had a warm smile on his face, but it was mixed with a look of confusion, embarrassment and appeal.  He motioned to me for help in filling out his outline while his Bible lay open to a book that was not referenced in the teaching.  He could not read or write.

He was not unintelligent or unmotivated.  I am certain he had accomplished much in his life.  The sheer fact that he had lived well beyond the median age in Haiti (57 years) speaks of his determination and endurance.  The problem was that he was never given the opportunity to learn how to read or write.  Education in Haiti is for the privileged and this man was not among them.

Kendal continued his teaching, but I could not bring myself to focus.  I sat there imagining the opportunities and relationships that I would be excluded from if I could not read or write.  The world is filled with complex truths, beautiful realities, diverse streams of perspectives and opinions, inexhaustible topics and issues, logic, art, poetry, solutions, ideas and MOST of them are contained in the form of written communication.  This man had experienced a lifetime cut off from all of these because he could not read.  He reminded me why the CPI team is doggedly committed to providing opportunities for Haitians to learn basic skills that will enable them to access the world of possibilities around them.  Reading is one of those basic skills that I will never take for granted again.

• The CPI Guys are working on a high-impact calendar for 2010 with several Transforming Travel Trips, awareness projects (local work that YOU can get involved with), and cranking out some signature CPI Guys videos and articles.
• CPI and The Crossing Church will be heading back to Chauffard, Haiti in December for a week long project including pastor training, food distribution, children’s classes and strengthening friendships!
• Elizabeth Carpenter committed to using her first marathon ever, the Gasparilla Marathon, to raise awareness for our cause. She has also created an amazing CPI Calendar for 2010 – more on that later!
• A new CPI Partner, Brian Morgan, will be joining Kenny on the December trip to experience Haiti for the first time and explore ways that he can make a difference.
• CPI will be hosting a week long project trip for Vine-First Presbyterian Church in the summer of 2010.
• Awareness is growing! Our Facebook Cause has 333 followers and growing. You can have your friends join here www.causes.com/cpihaiti, or by going to our website and signing up for our updates!
• Our new CPI Prayer Team is focused on a list of ongoing challenges and opportunities.
• We have also added a new page to the Education section, ‘Exponential Growth by Incremental Work’, by Grant.

Wow – that is exciting stuff! Real people making a real difference – here and in Haiti…that’s what we are all about!

Feel free to contact us to find your unique place in the mission!

Kenny and Grant
The CPI Guys
www.cpihaiti.org
www.twitter.com/cpihaiti
www.causes.com/cpihaiti (Facebook Cause)

Gueston Pacius, a native of Gonaives and Christian Pastor, Haiti, was noted by the Christian Chronicle recently as more than a hero of the faith. After flooding in central Haiti had stranded 37 people on his house, Gueston swam through muddy water, facing the possible threat of further flooding, to find food and possibly dry land for the people.

Read the article here.

$19, the price of a decent lunch, cost a Haitian living in the Domican Republic far more than that. He was killed in a fued with someone he owed that money to.

It is for reasons like this that we are doing all we can to improved conditions in Haiti starting with our work in the Kenscoff area.

Read the Full Article Here.

When asked why we have chosen Haiti, it is situations like these that we hope to eliminate for future generations.