Detroit Muscle Crew: Direct from the Caring and Sharing Mission Rebuild in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Lewinsky
Charles
Rulan

7:47 a.m: The journey begins. Return to Haiti. Party of six, all Detroit muscle, ready to help fix up orphanage
7:50 a.m.: Art Van was kind enough to arrange for plane for our trip to Haiti. Thanks to him and his people!
8:02 a.m.: In N.C. Fueling up. Good crew of detroit guys. One father of ten. One 25 year-old who's engaged to be married and has never flown ever before this flight! One 49 year old who owned a body shop. All taking time to help in a country they've never seen
4:23 p.m.: At the mission, Lou, our electrical whiz/faces his first challenge: figuring out Haitian wiring!
8:26 p.m.: Mobbed at airport by men begging tips for bags - even tho only 2 helped us. Hello, hard times.
8:27 p.m.: Am here w/eight detroit handymen, from plumber/elec/construct. Keeping our promise when we raised ur money.
8:28 p.m.: U won't believe how bad boys + girls toilets are - holes in dirt - or how nice we'll make them.
8:30 p.m.: Kids are jumping all over us. Treated teens to first nutella sandwich ever. Teens loved it! We have so much. Haiti slams that home in a flash.

11:37 a.m.: Am sitting in gas station, writing letter in french, to give to customs to let us get our cement mixer out. Insane!
11:38 a.m.: Haiti, it seems, is going from disaster to dysfunction. Nothing is working, but people shuffle between red tape
11:39 a.m.: Spent 4 hours in hardware store as they opened every box we purchased. Slowed us down.Won't stop us
2:13 p.m.: Just spent hour on only internet connect that seems to work in Haiti, typing letter for cement mixer. We MUST get it!
8:01 p.m.: Lou DeLuca can do anything. Here he begins the tile work in the dorms. Detroit Muscle!
8:02 p.m. Steve Adams and Chris Steinle, both former construction types, now both pastors., work on the bathrooms for the orphaned kids here in Port Au Prince
8:03 p.m.: Matt Mosher, in his 20's, a landscape and construction guy, begins work on the new bathrooms, shoveling concrete
8:04 p.m.: Life on the street is still rampant in Port Au Prince
8:05 p.m.: Although people are coming to grips with life after the earthquake, the devastation is on every street

12: 00 p.m.: Day 2 begins w/still trying to get cement mixer. Bank line huge. Meanwhile, kids helping us tile floors. Detroit Muscle Crew is rocking
1:33 p.m.: At hardware store, they open every item, test it, then put back before giving to you to buy. So slow!
1:34: Have six year-old, named Appolus, who's attached himself to me. So cute
5:01 p.m.: They now want to hold our cement mixer for 6 mos! Tried to rent: all are broken. Haiti demands ingenuity. Will find a way
7:30 p.m.: Haha! Success! Found a man who brought us his cement mixer for two days, and he comes with it! We pour floors in am!
10:30 p.m.: Day 2-Exhusting but amazing day. A new kitchen wall. Three rooms tiled. New bathrooms half-done. Det. Mus. Crew sweaty but happy!
10:31 p.m.: At dinner gathering, I read facebook comments to the guys, lou, anthony, steve, matt, chris, alan, mark?. They almost cried. Keep em up!
10:32 p.m.: Were joined today by high school kid, Johnny Keith, 17, who wanted to be part of this, took 3 days from school. Got here and began shoveling. Broke his hand the weekend before, but still came. The kids love him
12:00 a.m.: About to sleep. So hot. We sweat thru night. But spirit is high, the Det Muscle Crew has bonded, new h.s. kid adds energy. On we go!

The Team at Work!

11:00 a.m.: Matt and herbert Studstill, the caretaker of the mission, review the new toilets being built. That wall you see Matt on didnt exist this morning. It does now
1:00 p.m.: nine year old Jasmena, very shy, but will come up and take your hand out of the blue and not let go for 10 minutes
1:15 p.m.: six year-old Appolus has been at the mission since almost infancy
6:28 p.m.: We rented a cement mixer - to heck with customs - and have rocked the day. Showers are in. First kid coming in soon!
6:30 p.m.: Lou putting the finishing touches on the showers.
7:31 p.m.: an amazing moment. The first showers for kids at the Caring and Sharing Mission, thanks to A Hole In The Roof Foundation. His name is Juven. Like the other kids, he can't believe it!
11:32 p.m.: Am just now getting to sleep: we worked past midnight. Put roof above new kitchen, saw septic field workers climb named into hole. Stunning.
11:34 p.m.: Hard to put into words, the satisfaction of seeing kids take shower for 1st time, laughing, singing, like a water park!

12:43 p.m.: A Hole in the Roof Foundation will find more projects like this across the country. U can help at https://www.drmm.org/DONATEROOF.HTM
2:20 p.m.: A new home for the generator, which we moved away from the kitchen so kids don't breathe diesel or hear that noise. We built the shed and the roof, too.
2:36 p.m.: The new kitchen roof. No more eating in the rain!

28 Apr 2010: Detroit Muscle Crew: Direct from the Caring and Sharing Mission Rebuild in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Thank Yous from Haiti

Monday, April 26

7:47 a.m: The journey begins. Return to Haiti. Party of six, all Detroit muscle, ready to help fix up orphanage

7:50 a.m.: Art Van was kind enough to arrange for plane for our trip to Haiti. Thanks to him and his people!

8:02 a.m.: In N.C. Fueling up. Good crew of detroit guys. One father of ten. One 25 year-old who's engaged to be married and has never flown ever before this flight! One 49 year old who owned a body shop. All taking time to help in a country they've never seen

4:23 p.m.: At the mission, Lou, our electrical whiz/faces his first challenge: figuring out Haitian wiring!

8:26 p.m.: Mobbed at airport by men begging tips for bags - even tho only 2 helped us. Hello, hard times.

8:27 p.m.: Am here w/eight detroit handymen, from plumber/elec/construct. Keeping our promise when we raised ur money.

8:28 p.m.: U won't believe how bad boys + girls toilets are - holes in dirt - or how nice we'll make them.

8:30 p.m.: Kids are jumping all over us. Treated teens to first nutella sandwich ever. Teens loved it! We have so much. Haiti slams that home in a flash.

Tuesday, April 27

11:37 a.m.: Am sitting in gas station, writing letter in french, to give to customs to let us get our cement mixer out. Insane!

11:38 a.m.: Haiti, it seems, is going from disaster to dysfunction. Nothing is working, but people shuffle between red tape

11:39 a.m.: Spent 4 hours in hardware store as they opened every box we purchased. Slowed us down.Won't stop us

2:13 p.m.: Just spent hour on only internet connect that seems to work in Haiti, typing letter for cement mixer. We MUST get it!

8:01 p.m.: Lou DeLuca can do anything. Here he begins the tile work in the dorms. Detroit Muscle!

8:02 p.m. Steve Adams and Chris Steinle, both former construction types, now both pastors., work on the bathrooms for the orphaned kids here in Port Au Prince

8:03 p.m.: Matt Mosher, in his 20's, a landscape and construction guy, begins work on the new bathrooms, shoveling concrete

8:04 p.m.: Life on the street is still rampant in Port Au Prince

8:05 p.m.: Although people are coming to grips with life after the earthquake, the devastation is on every street

Wednesday, April 28

12: 00 p.m.: Day 2 begins w/still trying to get cement mixer. Bank line huge. Meanwhile, kids helping us tile floors. Detroit Muscle Crew is rocking

1:33 p.m.: At hardware store, they open every item, test it, then put back before giving to you to buy. So slow!

1:34: Have six year-old, named Appolus, who's attached himself to me. So cute

5:01 p.m.: They now want to hold our cement mixer for 6 mos! Tried to rent: all are broken. Haiti demands ingenuity. Will find a way

7:30 p.m.: Haha! Success! Found a man who brought us his cement mixer for two days, and he comes with it! We pour floors in am!

10:30 p.m.: Day 2-Exhusting but amazing day. A new kitchen wall. Three rooms tiled. New bathrooms half-done. Det. Mus. Crew sweaty but happy!

10:31 p.m.: At dinner gathering, I read facebook comments to the guys, lou, anthony, steve, matt, chris, alan, mark?. They almost cried. Keep em up!

10:32 p.m.: Were joined today by high school kid, Johnny Keith, 17, who wanted to be part of this, took 3 days from school. Got here and began shoveling. Broke his hand the weekend before, but still came. The kids love him

12:00 a.m.: About to sleep. So hot. We sweat thru night. But spirit is high, the Det Muscle Crew has bonded, new h.s. kid adds energy. On we go!

The Team at Work!

Thursday, April 29

11:00 a.m.: Matt and herbert Studstill, the caretaker of the mission, review the new toilets being built. That wall you see Matt on didnt exist this morning. It does now

1:00 p.m.: nine year old Jasmena, very shy, but will come up and take your hand out of the blue and not let go for 10 minutes

1:15 p.m.: six year-old Appolus has been at the mission since almost infancy

6:28 p.m.: We rented a cement mixer - to heck with customs - and have rocked the day. Showers are in. First kid coming in soon!

6:30 p.m.: Lou putting the finishing touches on the showers.

7:31 p.m.: an amazing moment. The first showers for kids at the Caring and Sharing Mission, thanks to A Hole In The Roof Foundation. His name is Juven. Like the other kids, he can't believe it!

11:32 p.m.: Am just now getting to sleep: we worked past midnight. Put roof above new kitchen, saw septic field workers climb named into hole. Stunning.

11:34 p.m.: Hard to put into words, the satisfaction of seeing kids take shower for 1st time, laughing, singing, like a water park!

Friday, April 30

12:43 p.m.: A Hole in the Roof Foundation will find more projects like this across the country. U can help at https://www.drmm.org/DONATEROOF.HTM

2:20 p.m.: A new home for the generator, which we moved away from the kitchen so kids don't breathe diesel or hear that noise. We built the shed and the roof, too.

2:36 p.m.: The new kitchen roof. No more eating in the rain!

Detroit Muscle Crew

Help Us Patch a Roof

The Kids