As a result of the devastating earthquake of 2010, Church on the Rock Port Au Prince lost its church building that housed not only the church services and activities, but the bible school and church staff offices. Since then, the church staff has had no place to work out of. While the ministry was blessed with an incredibly kind and generous donation of a tent that now houses the church services and activities as well as the weekly bible school, church staff has had no home since January. Last month, work began on the new administrative offices for the ministry on the very site where the new church building will be built in the coming months! Utilizing a new building system of styrofoam covered in wire mesh which is then stuccoed with cement, this system provides the strength and stability of a block building without the possibility of the crushing weight that killed so many from building collapses during the January quake.

New admin office construction utilizing the new styrofoam building system.

This process is the “test” or “prototype” building for Fishers of Men Ministries (FOMM) and was used to train a team of Americans and Haitians in the new process that will be used to build our future medical clinic as well as individual homes for Haitian families displaced by the quake. The current building should be completed within the next few weeks. After the “shell is complete, tile will be laid, air conditioning will be installed and the offices will be ready for the staff to move in! As the first building is completed and evaluated, our team will begin preparation for the next project and refine their skills. The finished product is indistinguishable from any other block building and even when you pound on the walls they have to feel of concrete block. It is a very strong structure at a fraction of the weight of other buildings.

Another shot of the team assembling the offices.

As many of you can imagine, the rebuilding of Port Au Prince will take years with some estimates as low as a 10 years and others as high as 20 years. FOMM will be a part of this process for many years to come and it is our sincere desire that we will be able to refine our building process so that we can bring in teams from around the US that will be able to help build homes for families as part of their mission team experience. If you have ever seen or participated in a Habitat for Humanity project, you know what we are seeking to do. Churches or organizations will be able to raise the funds needed to build a home for a family and then fly in and work alongside our building crews and raise a new home for a displaced family. There are still hundreds of thousands of people living on the streets under tents and tarps and the government has no solid plan to begin helping these families. But with your help, FOMM will be able to begin the long process of housing the people of Haiti!

Doors and windows are cut at desired locations in the styrofoam panels.

In the coming months we will unveil our new home building strategy and how you can participate. Current estimates put a home at $7,000. This is a complete building including cement foundation, the styrofoam panels and roof, fully constructed with doors and windows plus interior tile and kitchen/bathroom fixtures. The homes are storm rated for hurricanes and cannot burn (treated foam). Each home will have two small bedrooms, a living area, a kitchenette and bathroom. The building can easily be expanded by the family in the future and it is even possible to build second stories onto theses structures. All in all it is an incredible system and opportunity for the church, civic organizations, businesses and even families or individuals to get involved in a practical way!

Adding stucco to the styrofaom panels.

In the meantime, help is till needed by our partners in the funding of our current projects. If you can help, please send your donations to our home office in the US and designate your donations to our building fund. So many of you have been so generous and gracious over the past 6 months and we are eternally grateful, but there is so much to do in the coming years! Remember the words of Pastor Jay from those early days after the earthquake: This is not a sprint, its a marathon!”.