Friday, July 22, 2011

Next Trip to Haiti... 10 Days and counting!

On August 1, a team of 13 volunteers from across the country will meet in Miami, Florida and fly together to Haiti for the next Solar Under The Sun Installations! Of the participants, most have been trained at the Solar Under the Sun Solar School AND Clean Water U, sponsored by Living Waters For The World.

The trip will be jammed packed with activity, as the team has a hefty goal of FOUR installations.

Site #1 is Father Desire's Church in Cheridant, Haiti. A solar powered clean water system will be installed here.

Site #2 is Father Michaud Fruitho's Episcopal Church in Trouin, Haiti. A solar powered clean water system will be installed here, also.

Site #3 is a newly built "volunteer quarters" in Cheridant, Haiti. This is an extraordinary building designed to house teams coming to the area for future installation and building projects. We will build a system to solar power the building. (See picture to the left.)

Site #4 is the home of Ancy Fils-Aime's mother near Cheridant, Haiti. This is a tentative project, as we await materials for the site, but we are hopeful to make this project a reality! This would be our first single-family home solar powered unit.

Ancy Fils-Aime, a friend, Salien Wilbur,
Ashley Broadhurst & Father Michaud Fruitho
With a team of 13, we will divide and conquer, having a team at each of the sites, along with a team devoted solely for community hygiene education. We will depend heavily on our Haitian counterparts, Ancy Fils-Aime, Valdes Innocent, Salien Wilbur, Mannes, and others to oversee this project and train the operators of the newly built systems.

We ask that you join us in prayer for the participants, the future recipients and partners, and the success of the installations. Pictures will be forthcoming, and stories will be plentiful! We thank you for coming along with us for this exciting journey, and look forward to sharing with you what Solar Under The Sun is doing to "light up" our world!

Solar School, September 15-18

Solar 1 Instructor, Ashley Broadhurst & Solar 2 Instructor Mark Tew
Our instructors have years of field experience and are valuable resources to the teams being trained at Solar School. 


Have you registered for the next session of Solar School? 


Perhaps you are even wondering, "What IS Solar School?" Solar School is our training facility to prepare mission teams to install solar powered systems for communities in need. All of our Solar School training sessions are held at Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. Each session runs from Thursday at 10:00 AM (registration & lunch) to Sunday at 10:30 AM.


Solar School is made up of two courses, Solar 1 and Solar 2. You don’t have to take both—usually a group sends at least one person to Solar 1 and one person to Solar 2.


Solar 1: Leadership, Partnership Development and Surveying
This course includes:
  • Exploring theology of doing mission in partnership [link]
  • Developing partnerships and organizing skills
  • Forming teams (Trip management and Leadership)
  • Evaluating sites for solar projects
  • Negotiating covenants
  • Increasing cultural awareness


Solar 2: Installation and Equipping Partners

This course includes:
  • Assembling off-grid solar energy systems
  • Emphasizing systems to power clean water systems, but also electricity for clinics and schools
  • Assessing electrical loads
  • Learning system designs
  • Practicing safety and maintenance

Plenary Sessions include:
  • Mission Strategy session
  • Fund raising
  • Cultural differences between countries 
  • Small group reflections
  • Devotions
The cost for Solar School is $475 per registrant, which includes room and board, instruction, and training manuals (upgraded housing available at an additional cost).  If you leive in the Little Rock area, commuting registrant cost is $375 per person. You must be 18 years or older to attend Solar School.

Have questions? Send an email to our Solar Under The Sun Administrator, Ashley Broadhurst (broadhurstag@hotmail.com). Or visit our website to register TODAY!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Update on the Les Cayes Installation

Solar Under the Sun currently has a team of ten in Les Cayes on the Southern Coast of Haiti. They arrived on July 11th to install a LWW water filtration system powered by 2 2-solar panel units at Darivage, an orphanage and school sponsored by the Global Orphan Project. The team is made up of six from Arkansas, one from Tennessee, one from Oklahoma and two from Kansas, all trained at Solar School and Clean Water U. 

According to our man on the ground, Ancy Fils-Aime, the installation is going well with much success. Once the trip concludes, we will have journal posts from the trip leader and pictures to share.

In the meantime, continue to lift this team in prayer, for successful installations and safe travels!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Welcome to Solar Under The Sun's Solar Stories!!!

A Solar-Powered Water System installed in Blanket, Haiti, January 2011.


Almost 2 billion people on this earth have no grid power and probably never will.  It costs more to deliver electric power than it does to build the power generating plant.  Most of these people could not afford to tap into this grid system even if it were available. The sun's delivery system is free!    


Thus, Solar Under the Sun formed in 2009 to meet a specific need. Our sister organization, Living Waters for the World, worked with the leadership of the Synod of the Sun, a regional governing body in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) They thought a new ministry of solar power systems to pair with their water treatment systems would be a natural partnership. The Synod leadership jumped at the chance and came together to start Solar Under the Sun. As a result, in May of 2010 our first Solar under the Sun training class began.  


This blog will feature stories of mission teams in the field as they install a solar power systems and stories from our Solar School, which trains the volunteers for field work. We hope to inspire you to become a part of our mission and send a team to receive the knowledge to provide solar power to the world. For a sneak preview, read these stories from Herndon United Methodist Church and their installation trip to Blanket, Haiti in January 2011. (Click here to view.)


Join us on this journey as we bring LIGHT to the world!




John 8:12
Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life!"