tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59638396458025088922024-03-13T17:31:47.734-07:00Solar StoriesThe Stories of Solar Under The Sun Installations in Haiti & Beyond...Solar Under The Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293429293733936978noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5963839645802508892.post-34469449836370515352012-02-17T09:42:00.001-08:002012-02-17T09:42:29.826-08:00The Lord's Light Within<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Monotype Corsiva"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">The Lord's Light Within</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">
</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Lord we reflect with thankful hearts
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">On the wonder of your birth
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">The love you expressed when you left
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Your glory to come to earth
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">For your life was like a beacon, Lord
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Shining brightly in the night
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Filling the world with the radiance of
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">The Father’s glorious light
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">And we, too, long to have inside
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Your light for others to see
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">The beautiful reflection of your grace
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">And the wonder of your majesty
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">For as your life indwells our hearts
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">We can shine wherever we are
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">And arise to take hold of each new day
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">With your light ablaze in our hearts
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">So rekindle the flame within us Lord
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">So it will not flicker nor dim
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Ignite us with the light of your love
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">So you will shine brightly within
<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">©</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"> By M.S. Lowndes, 2007</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div><!--EndFragment-->Solar Under The Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293429293733936978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5963839645802508892.post-16149600921630552402012-01-31T11:11:00.000-08:002012-01-31T11:11:50.614-08:00SUTS Installation #20<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqupesfnhS5Db0aoe9jg8QnK3dDk8tFisQoIQkBp7XADKDOgQ0sBp3jjNvNoiuvXBWIvskeWsO7k384UDE9dCHo7atp3aXjIqVcG5vpZxEu8gStDnirM2-bt69ks2llrRH0ssvls8XA2z/s1600/393877_10100315816513127_15618600_46185839_1607673981_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqupesfnhS5Db0aoe9jg8QnK3dDk8tFisQoIQkBp7XADKDOgQ0sBp3jjNvNoiuvXBWIvskeWsO7k384UDE9dCHo7atp3aXjIqVcG5vpZxEu8gStDnirM2-bt69ks2llrRH0ssvls8XA2z/s400/393877_10100315816513127_15618600_46185839_1607673981_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6RljCEd_lYeRaMzWEjKOuR0CjWALh47XkPh1hgufi8qqC-18S8KBss_AObdESEJ2BdxAt-7YNZsNnSSc7d_yOaMfolmc47vnSgc0dh_omnz1re4QU9SlrK_DDUgD-2SN8Ljd9uOiPMSc/s1600/IMG_1465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU6RljCEd_lYeRaMzWEjKOuR0CjWALh47XkPh1hgufi8qqC-18S8KBss_AObdESEJ2BdxAt-7YNZsNnSSc7d_yOaMfolmc47vnSgc0dh_omnz1re4QU9SlrK_DDUgD-2SN8Ljd9uOiPMSc/s320/IMG_1465.JPG" width="240" /></a>Herndon United Methodist Church has just completed the 20th <a href="http://solarunderthesun.org/">Solar Under The Sun</a> installation. The project took place in Mirebalais, Haiti at L'Ecole De Choix.<br />
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The team journaled a phenomenal account of the week's activities. For an up close look at a Solar Under The Sun installation week, please click below:<br />
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<a href="http://gbillman.com/blog/?cat=1">George Billman's Blog</a><br />
<a href="http://thanksgivingprojectagb.blogspot.com/p/haiti-journal-january-2012.html">Ashley Broadhurst's Journal</a>Solar Under The Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293429293733936978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5963839645802508892.post-74961985365129714272012-01-31T10:59:00.000-08:002012-01-31T11:03:31.236-08:00News Stories<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">To view this article in its original post, click <a href="http://www.pcusa.org/news/2012/1/9/bringing-power/">here</a>.</span><br />
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<h2 style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: initial; border-top-color: rgb(202, 202, 202); border-top-style: double; border-top-width: 3px; font-size: 1.65em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 4px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 12px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; width: 745px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Bringing the power</span></h2><div class="subtitle" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; font-size: 1.22em; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1em; line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Sun, Living Waters work together for Solar Under the Sun</span></div><div class="date" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(202, 202, 202); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.7em; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">JANUARY 9, 2012</span></div><div class="insert " style="float: left; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 15px; margin-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><div class="full-byline" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #f9f9f9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(234, 234, 234); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(234, 234, 234); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(234, 234, 234); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(234, 234, 234); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; clear: both; float: left; font-size: 0.87em; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 8px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; width: auto;"><div class="from" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Presbyterian News Service</div><div class="by" style="font-style: italic; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.7em; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0.2em; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0.25em; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase;">TOYA RICHARDS</span></div></div></div><div class="location" style="float: none; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; text-transform: uppercase; width: 745px;"></div><div class="intro" style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It only seems natural that Christians called to bring the light of Jesus to the world would also be committed to bringing actual light to dark places unable to receive ongoing power.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That’s the mission of <a href="http://www.solarunderthesun.org/" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Solar Under the Sun</a>, a ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s Synod of the Sun. Its solar powered systems are custom designed to power the electrical needs of communities that need it the most.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Working closely with sister organization <a href="http://www.livingwatersfortheworld.org/" style="font-style: normal; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Living Waters for the World</a> (LWW), a mission of the Synod of Living Waters, Solar Under the Sun also can power water treatment systems installed by LWW.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The LWW model and its work actually provided the impetus for the creation of Solar Under the Sun. And a $52,000 Heiserman Grant through the General Assembly Mission Council has helped change lives via the two ministry programs.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Funds for the Heiserman program came from a bequest made in 1966 by Geraldine Heiserman, who was the widow of a Yuma, Colo., farmer and landowner named Lemont Heiserman. The bulk of their estate was left in trust to the church.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The GAMC divided more than $990,000 of that gift among 16 synods to encourage mission projects that reflect partnership between or among two or more synods and-or the GAMC.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“It is a wonderful illustration of how … we can share resources and do things effectively to help critical needs in Third World countries like the need for power,” said Gerry Tyer, transitional synod executive for the Synod of the Sun. “Without the support of the Heiserman Grant and the other donors that support this program it would not happen.”</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just like Living Waters for the World, Solar Under the Sun trains volunteers to install systems so the volunteers can, in turn, go into communities and train local residents. </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“We have now held five solar schools to train teams,” said <strong style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">Ashley Broadhurst, a</strong>dministrative director for Solar Under the Sun. The program has graduated 117 people and more than 50 have been in the field to date, she said.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Solar school training sessions are held at Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center in Little Rock, Ark.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In terms of system installations, Broadhurst said 18 are up and running in Haiti, 16 of which are operating LWW clean water systems.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In two years, she said, the program has been able to get onto the ground in Haiti, and in the next year it will go into places such as Kenya and the Ukraine. There are also many possibilities for the larger church, Broadhurst said.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">“Providing solar light not only gives physical light into a community, but also shares the light of Christ,” she said. To be trained in a school like this and to be able to go out into the field and make a difference is fulfilling the Great Commission, Broadhurst said.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><em style="font-style: italic; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Toya Richards, a seminary student Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, writes frequently for Presbyterian News Service.</span></em></div></div>Solar Under The Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293429293733936978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5963839645802508892.post-89599452961271081722011-09-01T16:47:00.000-07:002011-09-01T16:48:09.505-07:00Presbyterians Today Features Solar Camp at Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgks6PLMeiOJOH2ADmXStp7tXz7yO_-oiBfb3qtmjonKOlfUVIeX4TMARyc6IJzefLnHZ52CFVkCl-0oJJTwi0-AcZj21INp6BZ4IrfKGZZeE5hu7Ggfia9I_8fbt1pEbGnRIkhb3YWEQXE/s1600/Presbyterians+Today+Going+solar+at+camp+article+Sept+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgks6PLMeiOJOH2ADmXStp7tXz7yO_-oiBfb3qtmjonKOlfUVIeX4TMARyc6IJzefLnHZ52CFVkCl-0oJJTwi0-AcZj21INp6BZ4IrfKGZZeE5hu7Ggfia9I_8fbt1pEbGnRIkhb3YWEQXE/s320/Presbyterians+Today+Going+solar+at+camp+article+Sept+2011.jpg" width="247" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Presbyterians Today's September Edition featured an article by </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 14px;">Ferncliff Camp Summer Staffer Hannah Song on Solar Camp. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Read the article </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0ByGV2Bs_l9ltNjliYWY3MDgtYzU4Zi00ODdmLThmZDItZDFkMGUyM2Q0YmM4&hl=en">here</a>. </span></span><br />
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</span>Solar Under The Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293429293733936978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5963839645802508892.post-35600767185607681612011-09-01T16:41:00.000-07:002011-09-01T16:41:25.772-07:00Arkansas Democrat Gazette, August 27, 2011<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV7ceAvtvVEz5RBKc10fHURIJe8FAFs4hmgknf_qpCXIPp3tfkjeqYnnbjCJRuv6rSFLEIkD-GWok2Y_dce8qVL_v5cl6ljLtnxcW1pzIo4imJERCIWZ1HvVe4efTf0U8iEHiaNrniLw2/s1600/SUTS+Article+Saturday+August+27%252C+2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV7ceAvtvVEz5RBKc10fHURIJe8FAFs4hmgknf_qpCXIPp3tfkjeqYnnbjCJRuv6rSFLEIkD-GWok2Y_dce8qVL_v5cl6ljLtnxcW1pzIo4imJERCIWZ1HvVe4efTf0U8iEHiaNrniLw2/s320/SUTS+Article+Saturday+August+27%252C+2011.jpg" width="194" /></a>Solar Under The Sun was prominently featured in the August 27th edition of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette! Click <a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0ByGV2Bs_l9ltZmE0MjFmYWYtZTdlNS00ZDZiLTljZGMtMGEwYmU2OGQ5MjMz&hl=en_US">here</a> to read the article.<br />
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Solar Under The Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293429293733936978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5963839645802508892.post-1466105347367685522011-08-26T09:42:00.000-07:002011-08-26T09:42:40.541-07:00Past Installation Stories #1<b><i>Holy Spirit Haiti Mission Installs Solar-Powered Clean Water System at Notre Dame Orphanage</i></b><br />
<b>September 13-20, 2010</b><br />
by Bob McCoy<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Members of this mission were Elonda and Donald Harris – Fellowship Presbyterian Church, Huntsville; Chuck Arnold – Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, Erie, PA; Paul Kosinski and Bob McCoy – Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Huntsville. We left at the usual crack of early on a 6a flight that took us to Charlotte, Orlando, Miami and Port au Prince (PAP) by 4p that evening. I knew Mother Mary had her hand on the heart of the US Air gate agent when they not only let a couple over 50 lb bags by but did not charge us for any bags. The PAP airport looks like it has gotten back to its normal running routine. My general observation of Haiti is that there is a lot of building going on and a lot of clean up being done. There are also a lot of people living in tents. However, there were a lot of ‘Work for Cash’ workers in the streets which is akin to our WPA project of the Depression era. The Haitians seemed to be taking more pride in the things they were doing and I can definitely tell you that the people in the Palmiste au Vin area where much of the Holy Spirit and Birmingham Diocese contributions have been made, are really focused on getting their lives back to normal. Fre Olizard has a massive building program going on for the peasants that began with Holy Spirit, but has now branched out to include the Swiss and German Red Cross. They have funded 600 houses of a similar size to the ones HS build for the 13 families. The Haitians are struggling, but things just seemed more normal to me than in the past 9 months.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Monday Day 1</u></b> – At the end of the 2 hour journey from the PAP airport, where we were only missing one bag, we arrived at the monastery about 7p to the open arms of the brothers and some further major improvements since our May trip. We now had toilets in the new building, alleviating a walk in the dark over rock to the old building (with a concrete roof). We had sinks and showers right outside the door and the chapel was finished for morning and evening prayer. I thought I was at the Hilton. It’s been a long time since we had showers. Beds were comfortable and the food was awesome. The new Kubota generator was running, so we had all sorts of light. Not only do we take clean water for granted, but we take electricity for granted. I can assure you life is exponentially more difficult without electricity and I appreciated every electron.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Tuesday Day 2</u></b> – Up at 5a for morning prayer, breakfast and off to Leogane to Notre Dame de la Charite Orphanage (NDC) which was the main focus of this trip – to install a solar powered water purification system. Before we arrived at NDC, Fre Olizard gave us a tour of the newly populated chicken coop that produces 750 eggs a day. This is one of the economic opportunities we have participated with LBST to help them fund themselves. We also got a look at one of the staging areas for some of the houses that the Swiss and German Red Cross have contributed through LBST; more on this later.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At NDC, months before, a well had been hand dug so they had water, but drinking water had to be purchased and hauled in from town. We had arranged for Green Energy, a Haitian organization, to put up 4 – 185W solar panels on a 15’ steel pole and leave 4 Rolls 400A, 6V batteries. This would be the heart of the 24V system. The pole and panel were up and installed, but the batteries and controller were not. It made no difference because today we had to get the water system built. Electricity would wait until Thursday. Because of how busy Fre Olizard is since the earthquake, we no longer have the luxury of having him as a driver, so I drove everywhere including into PAP to get the missing bag. We had Bertone and Ignace, two of our trusted Haitian friends with us, so I left Paul in charge of building the system while Ignace and I went to get the bag. Because of PAP traffic and general delays, this task took us 5 hours to accomplish. When we got back the team had done an incredible job of finishing most of the system and getting the tanks on the roof ready. We were on schedule. And then about 3 that afternoon, the 4 batteries and charge controller showed up. We are good to go. By 6:30p we had done all we could and left in the dark to drive back to the monastery. It was a great day with the girls at the orphanage and in spite of some broken parts, we were on track.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Wednesday Day 3 </u></b>– This day was committed to driving to Les Cayes to meet with Bishop Guiere Pollard to do a site survey for the next system. Cayes is 100 miles to the west of Palmiste au Vin and Fre Olizard had to be back at 3p that afternoon for a meeting, so we left at 5:30a. Beside a few potholes along the way, the ride was uneventful. We were there just after 8a and Bishop Guiere met with us from 8:30 until almost noon. Chuck presented the Bishop with a letter from his Bishop and a framed picture of their Cathedral and I presented a letter from Bishop Baker and Benedictine Order cross. Bishop Guiere was very grateful for the gifs and thanked us warmly. He had dedicated his whole morning to this project and even went on site with us to inspect the proposed house and well. Before we left we spent about 1.5 hours discussing the covenant and coming to agreement as to what each party is expected to deliver. We stressed sustainability and early financial independence and Bishop Guiere was very supportive of this position. He is a very kind and gentle man, but one I sensed was a very serious business man when it came to church business. Unfortunately the site left some questions yet to be answered especially about the well. He had a well engineer and electrical engineer at the site with the priest. The well engineer said the well was 90’ deep and the pump was sitting at about 40’ with 20’ of water above it. I thought this is great, almost too good to be true. Then they turned on the pump and clear water stared gushing out, but about 3 minutes later, it turned gray and I knew the pump had to be close to the bottom and they were sucking the well dry. The well engineer immediately blamed it on bad electricity, but I put that argument to rest with my scope meter and showed them the electricity was just fine. They have a good place to put the system that will serve the community well, but their water source is going to have to improve before we can proceed with this location. The bishop of course insisted we have lunch with him, but Fre Olizard knew if we did we would never make it back to Palmiste au Vin by 3, so we left with our goodbyes to a wonderful leader of that Haitian community. Once back there was plenty of work to be done around the monastery, so we got busy until dark, ate dinner and some hit the sack early. Fre Olizard and I had much to discuss, so this was our time and we made the most of it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Thursday Day 4 </u></b>– Up at 5a as usual for morning prayers and breakfast. We had a big day ahead of us. The goal was to get the solar system wired and testing begun. By 6 that evening we had met the goal. It was now up to me to see what I had learned at the solar school earlier this year. Even though we had the distribution box prewired there was still a lot to do. We had two inverters, two pumps, a charge controller and a battery monitor to wire up, let alone all the lights to be wired in the three orphanage buildings. At lunch we appeared to still be on schedule and by 4p the first sun power started up the system. We rechecked the wiring three times before turning on the first breaker. These are always an exciting moments, especially when things work right. The panels and charger controller came up just as they were supposed to. The inverters (which turn DC or battery power into AC) came on line perfectly and finally the well pump and the board pump were tested and all was good in the world. It would take us another day or so to sort out all the information and numbers that were being produced by the charge controller and battery monitor and I would spend the next couple of evenings reading and rereading the manual, but the bottom line is all was working correctly. We had one problem early on in that the connecter posts on the battery had bolt connections and I had brought connectors like and automobile battery has. I was able to adapt the two together, but then we moved the positive cable too much and the connector broke. By the Grace of God, the solar panel installers had left and extra battery cable which we cut in half and then spliced in to the 1/0 battery cable. We ended up doing the same to the negative cable later which allowed us to shorten these cables to a more proper length and have the correct connector post at the same time. In Haiti you have to always be ready for the unexpected and adapt the best you can. Back to the monastery after dark to get dinner and some more meeting time with Fre Olizard. It was a good day and we were very pleased with what we had accomplished so far.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Friday Day 5</u></b> – This is the test and training day. This is where it all comes together. Yesterday we found the trash filter head was cracked in shipping so we took it out of the system until I could get a new head shipped into Haiti. To minimize ‘stuff’ coming in from the source tank, we flushed out the source tank really well and then put a 90 degree elbow inside with a 6” stub facing up. It means we can’t get the last 6-8” of water in the tank, but that is not important. We also found that one of the pressure relief valves on the big blue had come off and of course the spring was missing, so we commandeered a ball point pen spring and modified it to fit. So when we left yesterday all was working. The morning was spent flushing the tanks and system with chlorine, checking for leaks and monitoring the electrical system. I had promised Fre Olizard that I will drive into PAP with Ignace to pick up the replacement Lister-Petter generator that had finally cleared customs. I left Paul in charge again and Ignace and I headed to PAP only to get a call about an hour later that the electrical system had gone down. My worst nightmare; this was the component I was least familiar with, so troubleshooting was not the same as the water system I had installed several of over the years. Basic trouble shooting kicked in and I told Paul how to isolate the problem with the meter. Turned out to be a lose battery cable and was fixed in a few minutes. Thank you Jesus! Picking up the generator was uneventful except for the 1.5 hr wait for people to get all the pieces together. We then headed up into Delmas to see if we could find a replacement for the broken trash filter, but none was to be had. I found out on Monday when I returned home though that all the driving in PAP took its toll on me from breathing the dust from the vehicles. Looking around some of the places you do not want to imagine what was in the dust, but for 5 days my respiratory systems was not functioning properly. The last time Ignace and I went to PAP and were gone ¾ of the day we were accused of sitting in the ice cream bar in PAP. Little did they know that I knew a place in Leogane where you can actually buy ice cream in paper cups, so we stopped on the way back to get one for each of the kids as well as the crew. There was total unbelief, especially from Chuck when they accused us of the same thing and we produced 50 cups if ice cream. It was a fun time for all. The crew had finished all the testing and Bertone was now into the training which is more intense than one might imagine. For the next four hours he went over all the aspects of how to run and manage the system. Earlier I had covered some of the solar training and would do more on Saturday and Sunday. It was well after dark by the time we got back to the monastery, tired, but grateful for a good day and another successful installation under our belt. We are still sorting out all we need to know about the solar components, but the more I learn the more I think we really made the right move for this location. Eliane is not even remotely close to any possible electrical source, so the things she will now be able to accomplish with electricity for the kids are truly a gift from God.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Saturday Day 6</u></b> – This day was dedicated to reviewing the housing program that Holy Spirit and the Diocese began in January and which has now mushroomed through Fre Olizard’s efforts into a full scale operation. The Swiss and German Red Cross have committed to build 600 houses in the Palmiste au Vin community. They are similar in nature to the ones we funded originally except they have metal frames made in Vietnam and plywood sides and metal roofs. Fre Olizard has put 12 teams of 5 men each to work building these houses which take 5 days to build from beginning to end. We watched some of the materials being carted to the site by hand, one piece at a time. It is incredible how this has galvanized the community and I cannot help but to think of St. Benedict and St. Ignatius and St. Therese and all the other religious who put up one or more monasteries in a community and how they were the center of education and economic livelihood during some of the darkest times of Europe’s history. We are seeing this very same think being played out in Haiti where the religious are quietly leading the community through example and with gifts from so many who care from around the world. This is Christ in action. We then went back to the chicken farm where we set up another battery system with an inverter for Fre Olizard so they had power for the incubator and the watchman’s cell phone charger. Since we were close to NDC, we checked in on the kids (a favorite pastime of the team) and the system. All was running well.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The rest of the day we took a side trip to Jacmel to accomplish two things. One was to do a monthly inspection of the water system in Jacmel and the other was to give the crew and opportunity to see another part of Haiti. The trip through the mountains is breath taking going up to almost 4000 feet and then back to sea level. The inspection did not turn out as well as hoped and we found that the log records were not being kept in a manner prescribed. In addition the pressure had dropped 20 lbs on one of the gauges and as we suspected a filter needed changing. This was confirmed by the patho test turning dark way too early. Bertone would go back later in the week with new filters and flush the system. We are also getting a new operator. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Jacmel had changed from the time I visited in 2008. Some of the touristy places had closed and a couple of the hotels on the beach had closed. The town seemed active, but the area along the beach did not unfortunately. None the less, Elonda found some things to bring back home and she even bought a Haitian made cigar and haggled for it like a pro.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><b>Sunday Day 7</b></u> – We slept in until 6a this day, got breakfast and went to mass at 9a in the LBST chapel by the clinic down the road from the monastery. A priest supposed to be there, but at the last moment something happened and the service quickly became a communion service with Fre Olizard presiding since he is the prior of the monastery. There was a lot of singing by the young people’s choir with the bongo drum as the only instrument. Homily was just a long and given by a wonderful lay person who is also one the teachers at the LBST school and he is a <u>great</u> teacher. After Fre Olizard presented the host (which came from the monastery tabernacle) he asked me to come forward to the altar. Not knowing what to expect at first I realized he was asking me to be the Eucharistic minister. I could not have had a closer moment than at that time, looking this community in the eye one by one as I said the words “This is the Body of Christ” and presenting it to each recipient. There was one lady, Madame Danio whose house we funded and whom I met back in May. She is at least 90 and walks up and down the mountains as if the hills are not there. She has beautiful eyes and I had a very difficult time maintaining my composure as she came forward. She has gone through so much and just takes it all in stride. She cornered Paul outside the church after the service and talked his ear off for ten minutes. We have no idea what she said, but seems that it was thanks for the support of her community. Sunday would not be complete without one more trip to the orphanage, so after lunch off we went. Unfortunately at the bottom of the mountain in Dufort we were stopped in the road waiting for a minor traffic jam to unsnarl and a 10 ton box truck backed into the right side window of the Kia. And here we are with no Haitian to interpret. Fortunately no one was hurt, but Chuck got a considerable amount of glass on him from the window exploding as the event occurred. I immediately called Fre Olizard who showed up several minutes later. I had expected Haitians shooting at me for whatever reason, but for some reason everyone was quiet and several helped clean up the glass from the window. Olizard told me afterward that many people knew it was a monastery truck and the driver was scared to death because he knew he was at fault. So Olizard makes sure no one is hurt and signals for me to go on. That evening he said we could have gotten names, the driver would have probably lost his job, we would have spent lots of money with lawyers collecting damages, or we could pay for the window and go on. Perhaps there is a lesson we can learn here about accidents in the US. It all seemed very sensible and civil.</div><div class="MsoNormal">We got to the orphanage and none of the girls were in sight. A sit turns out they were all in the back under a tree with a small video player and TV plugged into their new found electricity watching a video Eliane had procured for them. The water system was running well and Eliane had run her first batch of water. They had lights the night before and life has changed quite a bit now for those in the orphanage. I pray for the better. I couldn’t help but to think about the double edged sword we had brought them through TV and the Internet. The age of innocence can disappear rapidly. Time will tell.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Monday Day 8</u></b>- Up at 4a to leave by 5:30. Chuck’s plane was at 9a and we had plenty of time until we got to the fuel terminal in PAP and the city came to a stop. When cars start stacking up in a traffic jam, Haitians just make more lanes, typically out of the left hand lanes for oncoming traffic. It’s sort of who gets there first. This obviously just exasperates the problem. Olizard found an escape route out to another highway only to be blocked again be a truck unloading and blocking two of 4 lanes. Patience and Olizard’s skill in driving through PAP on streets narrower than alleys and God’s Grace got us to the airport with about 30 min until Chuck’s plane took off. What takes 1.5 hrs took 3. Welcome to PAP. All arrived home by midnight, glad to see our family but knowing we had left a piece of ourselves behind as we always do. We had seen the light of Christ in those whom we had visited. Kepoze.</div>Solar Under The Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293429293733936978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5963839645802508892.post-87457600177787400382011-08-26T09:41:00.000-07:002011-08-26T09:41:23.749-07:00Past Installation StoriesEver wonder what it would be like to be trained in Solar School and join one of our installation teams in-country? Over the next week, we'll post a series of past trip reports to give an glimpse into the day-to-day life of a Solar Under The Sun installation team.<br />
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What makes Solar Under The Sun different from most other non-profit organizations is the fact we train up everyday people to make a difference in extraordinary ways. At our Solar School, anyone can learn the skills it takes to install a solar powered system. These systems can be installed to run clean water systems, light a school building, or provide the first light for a dark home. Anyone can do it, and Solar Under the Sun will provide the training and support necessary to succeed on your mission.<br />
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The reports have been written by our solar school trained leaders, and we hope the stories will inspire you to follow in their footsteps to bring Solar Power and Light to the World!Solar Under The Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293429293733936978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5963839645802508892.post-48767073320055465962011-07-22T11:01:00.000-07:002011-07-22T11:02:22.925-07:00Next 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.<br />
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The trip will be jammed packed with activity, as the team has a hefty goal of FOUR installations.<br />
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Site #1 is Father Desire's Church in Cheridant, Haiti. A solar powered clean water system will be installed here.<br />
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Site #2 is Father Michaud Fruitho's Episcopal Church in Trouin, Haiti. A solar powered clean water system will be installed here, also.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7YgHYhKDQt_oSfn1M_a94wZyhEfHNtvY2P3u5eZGli5s5Xd8lN50ct6SRKxrOfhs_D0cTb-e17WxA2AAmqQuprm9suHKGFULyMQgnY8P6fYglmnW1Sk6mU7E6GYGxU-bzjhCiDKqzo3R/s1600/265352_10150299239195984_285770415983_9209401_303276_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7YgHYhKDQt_oSfn1M_a94wZyhEfHNtvY2P3u5eZGli5s5Xd8lN50ct6SRKxrOfhs_D0cTb-e17WxA2AAmqQuprm9suHKGFULyMQgnY8P6fYglmnW1Sk6mU7E6GYGxU-bzjhCiDKqzo3R/s320/265352_10150299239195984_285770415983_9209401_303276_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>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.)<br />
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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.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqKw6_-AJtwTaFlh88b7bE6yi0xER6Ya8_KWb_k32HIKxZ1D3Ozyzu2d63Cv89AWhyphenhyphens8H-5MysGpCBVkEpzrlfWYWNSJdKDIPegS3pCJy5JB8F1pN9-JLwew_GeMrskKq_6U5MYXzUrDl/s1600/IMG_0623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqKw6_-AJtwTaFlh88b7bE6yi0xER6Ya8_KWb_k32HIKxZ1D3Ozyzu2d63Cv89AWhyphenhyphens8H-5MysGpCBVkEpzrlfWYWNSJdKDIPegS3pCJy5JB8F1pN9-JLwew_GeMrskKq_6U5MYXzUrDl/s320/IMG_0623.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Ancy Fils-Aime, a friend, Salien Wilbur, <br />
Ashley Broadhurst & Father Michaud Fruitho</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>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.<br />
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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!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Solar Under The Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293429293733936978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5963839645802508892.post-7444549631540563932011-07-22T10:36:00.000-07:002011-07-25T10:04:35.440-07:00Solar School, September 15-18<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-uoNgPDwA7XPiIEP8YlgsFJJMW-YI40tCLuoNAo5WNrzD8t8X-B-KEM0xmdrMT67Y9Bg29ZW20dmcgKlz1QNqwUTrCGVgqyHansxD8A82UUGlcmor2EXzauyO1StIPUxaFout0Lw6GAV/s1600/Ashley+Broadhurst+%2526+Mark+Tew%252C+Solar+School+Instructors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-uoNgPDwA7XPiIEP8YlgsFJJMW-YI40tCLuoNAo5WNrzD8t8X-B-KEM0xmdrMT67Y9Bg29ZW20dmcgKlz1QNqwUTrCGVgqyHansxD8A82UUGlcmor2EXzauyO1StIPUxaFout0Lw6GAV/s400/Ashley+Broadhurst+%2526+Mark+Tew%252C+Solar+School+Instructors.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Solar 1 Instructor, Ashley Broadhurst & Solar 2 Instructor Mark Tew<br />
Our instructors have years of field experience and are valuable resources to the teams being trained at Solar School. </b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Have you <a href="http://www.solarunderthesun.org/solar-school/">registered</a> for the next session of Solar School? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">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 <a href="http://www.ferncliff.org/">Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center</a> in Little Rock, Arkansas. Each session runs from Thursday at 10:00 AM (registration & lunch) to Sunday at 10:30 AM.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Solar 1: Leadership, Partnership Development and Surveying</b></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 13px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> This course includes:</span></div><ul style="list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Exploring theology of doing mission in partnership [<a href="http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/global/mission-partnership/" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">link</a>]</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Developing partnerships and organizing skills</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Forming teams (Trip management and Leadership)</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Evaluating sites for solar projects</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Negotiating covenants</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Increasing cultural awareness</span></li>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br />
</b></span></div>Solar 2: Installation and Equipping Partners</b></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 13px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> This course includes:</span></div><ul style="list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Assembling off-grid solar energy systems</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Emphasizing systems to power clean water systems, but also electricity for clinics and schools</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Assessing electrical loads</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Learning system designs</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Practicing safety and maintenance</span></li>
</ul><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Plenary Sessions include:</span></strong></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><ul style="list-style-position: outside; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mission Strategy session</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Fund raising</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cultural differences between countries </span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Small group reflections</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Devotions</span></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">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.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-spacing: 0.04em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Have questions? Send an email to our Solar Under The Sun Administrator, Ashley Broadhurst (broadhurstag@hotmail.com). Or visit our <a href="http://www.solarunderthesun.org/solar-school/">website</a> to register TODAY!</span></div>Solar Under The Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293429293733936978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5963839645802508892.post-38579484532999477262011-07-15T09:37:00.000-07:002011-07-15T09:37:42.547-07:00Update on the Les Cayes Installation<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">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. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">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.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the meantime, continue to lift this team in prayer, for successful installations and safe travels!</span></span></div>Solar Under The Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293429293733936978noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5963839645802508892.post-61411151172284321552011-07-14T11:45:00.000-07:002011-07-14T11:49:24.398-07:00Welcome to Solar Under The Sun's Solar Stories!!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZ2c2v7Po-I6f_zUANtHGIcl0HEBYoGedjEOgwq5Il7mSDlfUxr5p_gDkPbS9x4siDaLXwxdwg9gPLVLDkWBaUk9h4bJwBm8eCbgR6jeBkBuT8KDVnUO69nY8bIw-BSIPu5exvl9Ex9vn/s1600/DSCN0412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZ2c2v7Po-I6f_zUANtHGIcl0HEBYoGedjEOgwq5Il7mSDlfUxr5p_gDkPbS9x4siDaLXwxdwg9gPLVLDkWBaUk9h4bJwBm8eCbgR6jeBkBuT8KDVnUO69nY8bIw-BSIPu5exvl9Ex9vn/s400/DSCN0412.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A Solar-Powered Water System installed in Blanket, Haiti, January 2011.</span></span></b></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">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! </span><strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></strong><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thus, Solar Under the Sun formed in 2009 to meet a specific need. O</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ur 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. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As a result, in May of 2010 our first Solar under the Sun training class began. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">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 <a href="http://thanksgivingprojectagb.blogspot.com/p/haiti-journal-january-2011.html">here</a> to view.)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Join us on this journey as we bring LIGHT to the world!</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">John 8:12</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life!"</span></b></div>Solar Under The Sunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08293429293733936978noreply@blogger.com0