March 11 Today we took the water truck back in to Cite Soliel to visit Terre Promise, a school we support. We delivered money for the teachers salaries to Elder and his wife who run the school. Elder has had some health issues and looked skinny, but assured us he is feeling well. We also brought him aspirin and printer cartridges. In Haiti, most schools cannot afford school books so they use their printer/copier to copy pages out of the one or two books they own. This is the only way for these children to have the tools for learning.
We interrupted every class room to show off our Kreyol...we did get some blank stares....I had lots of fun doing watercolor with the little kids.
We continue to be inspired by the experiences we have in Haiti. Here is a picture of one of Terre Promise's 11 classrooms. As you can see, they are jam packed with children who want to learn and who want a better life.
Jean then took us to Croix des Bouquet to the metal artist community which was interesting to see and then back to Titanyen to do a quick tour of Hope Mission, another mission that is close to the Healing Haiti's Grace Village property. Brad Johnson, the director was back in the states so we will have to meet with him next trip.
Thank you for following our blog and for the wonderful emails that help us when we are in the mission field. Your prayers, love and support are a blessing to us and the people we serve.
March 10 Today we went back to Titanyen to the Grace Village land to check on the well drilling and to spend some time just visiting with the community. As always we attracted a crowd of kids wherever we went.
We met one of our new neighbors. She is a woman who just moved to Titanyen after losing her husband and daughter in the hurricane last September. She said they were swept away in the water and only herself and her son survived. She invited us into her home made of sticks, tin and tarps and told us it was a "house of prayer". In the video you will see the benches, fabric hanging with bible verses, a simple pulpit and mats that her and her son sleep on. It continues to amaze us how much despair and suffering we are exposed to while at the same time, through these same people, we're exposed to such great faith. While we hurt inside hearing about the tragic consequences of being born in Haiti, we are also very inspired by their faith and the openness that we are received. What a real blessing to us.
While we were at her house, a little neighborhood girl who had been following us asked me to braid her hair. Our new neighbor offered me a chair to sit and communicated to me that she used to braid her daughters hair. I felt so sad for her. But it is her faith that gives her hope, and peace and I was so glad for that. How could she even go on without it?
I think I did a great job on the little girls hair do...look at the before and after shots....
We then took these 4 kids that were just hanging on us to get them shoes. Adrenoi knew them and told us that 2 of the kids needed shoes for school. So we got 2 of them sandals and two of them sneakers. Part of the Haitian culture is that you must wear nice clothes to church and a uniform and good shoes to school (no sandals).
We then visited a new small school that has 35 students in a small church. It is so fun to see how anxious these kids are to learn and how they get by with just the bare essentials. The text on the chalk board reads "God the Creator".
Next we went to the Maranatha orphanage and met with the 2 directors about budget. A small boy from the neighborhood just came up to me and sat in my lap. It looks like he just needed a rest. Life in Haiti is hard.
We ended the day at Global Outreach,who is a mission close by and who is drilling the well at Grace Village. We met David's wife Judy. They have been living in Haiti for 26 years. It was such a treat... not only to have homemade chocolate chip cookies and 7 Up, but to tour the buildings and hear about their mission. I asked Judy to be my mentor and inspiration. I just felt so comfortable with her and thought she would be a great teacher for me. As David said...we need the prayers and you need the practice:).
So after looking through the photos for today, I told Jeff I couldn't believe he let me leave the room this morning with that top on...I'm sticking to the smock top from now on....
March 9 Our trips to Haiti are always filled with too much to do. Combine that with the speed at which things move in Haiti (normally slow) and we have a recipe for disappointment.
This trip we decided we would schedule one day for ourselves... this was the day. We are very tired from being on the go... and the heat takes it's own toll. We did go to Mother Theresa's to see the babies in the morning, and met with Kevin and Legitine over lunch about the water truck, but other than that, we spent time updating the blog and napping.
Here is a photo of the Healing Haiti moto scooter that Kevin uses and Legitine who said he would never ride with Kevin on the back...In Haiti, you can never say never...and now to our room to take a nap. Jeff is snoring loudly while I have been writing...no, wait a minute...he says he doesn't snore...
March 8 This morning, we took the 15 minute walk to attend the childrens mass at Mother Theresa's. The mass was 2 hours long and focused completely on the children, interacting with the priest and singing. It is very touching to see what faith these children have coming from such a desperate situation.
Carol and her boys met one last time with the children (2... maybe 3) they are thinking about adopting and talked openly about who they could find to take a little girl that they had become attached to. I think they've been very touched by the people of Haiti. Please keep them in your prayers as they ponder this very important decision.
After taking Carol and her boys to the airport, we went back out to Titanyen to meet with community leaders to better understand their needs and get their support for our Grace Village project. Thirty eight people came to the little school where we were meeting including a deacon, a couple of pastors, teachers, an impoverished children representative, orphanage leaders, a technology person, a steel worker, masons, farmers and even two vodoo priests. The meeting started with a prayer from Jeff (we all know how he enjoys praying out loud). The meeting was lively and helpful to understand the different perspectives in the community. It was also a chance for us to introduce ourselves and our mission to the broader community. We didn't leave until 7 pm and we were exhausted. We ended the meeting with one of the community leaders praying in Kreyol for God to guide us and provide a way for this project to move forward. We all prayed for for direction for our project and unity for all involved.
