She and her eight children have been spending their nights sleeping in different homes with friends and neighbors, while they pray for help.  Some of her children have been in eight different homes during this time, as they struggle to stay together as a family, by meeting under a mango tree each day.

The Haiti mission team was deeply moved, and felt compelled to take their own leap of faith, and pledge to raise the funds to build her home.  The cost is $2000, and so a check was written, advancing the funds out of a team member's own account.  The team presented the check to Pastor Marky on his birthday no less, and he was moved beyond words. That evening he sprung into action, calling all church members to come and donate their labor, and collectively work to begin building Mrs. Cofi’s new home.

The team offers this report:

The next day after our team had worked a long hot day, Pastor Marky took us to see the first construction already started on her home.  It was amazing to see how quickly he was able to have materials delivered, and how much work had already been done.  The trenches for the foundation had been dug, and men were working very hard to build the outer walls of the foundation with large rocks and concrete.  All the concrete was mixed by hand with shovels and muscles.  It was hard work, but all the men were smiling.

The home will have three small rooms, and a very small porch.  It looked no bigger than a one and a half car garage, but for them it is a dream come  true.  In the photo, the rows of rock and the deep trenches show where the walls will go.  The photo shows her entire home: three small rooms and a very small front porch.

Pastor Marky at the Cofi home.  Walls are halfway up already

This team represents 8 different congregations: Gethsemane Lutheran, Ascension Lutheran, Valley Lutheran, Trinity Lutheran, Royal Redeemer Lutheran, St. Mark's Lutheran - Chesterland, Ascension Catholic, and Prince of Peace - Medina.  The members are

Luanne Bole-Becker
Carole Bowers
Gail Gajewski
Pam Juris
Janet Kronenberger
Jackie Rychel
Lynn Scheerhorn
Janice Scigliano
Karleen Zuercher

To learn more about the Haiti mission, contact the Haiti Mission Organizer:

Lynn Scheerhorn
heartforhaiti@yahoo.com