Our arrival to Haiti was… Interesting
Eight hours on a bus and we arrive at the border to what seems like Chaos. Semi truck trailers everywhere with all sorts of food goods pouring out. We cross the ocean on a gravel/dirt road, wide enough for one vehicle most of the way, with a few inches on each side! One gate allowing traffic to enter and exit, and a few small buildings to check in at. Pretty interesting really. Two more hours and we curve through the dark city with people everywhere, rubble and debris scattered around, buildings still in shambles, we are on a beat up old school bus carrying twenty two missionaries with all of our packs and bags, three or four guitars, down alleys that I couldn't imagine a jeep hardly going much less a buss, and a our fellow Haitian contacts to get us to our destination. At last…Safe and sound!
Since being here it has been a little bit different than last month. We haven’t been as busy so to speak. We have been to a few different church services, walked the neighbor hood introducing our selves to the locals to let them know who we are and why we are here, Checked out an orphanage that we went back to for two days and helped add a roof and installed “windows” to the two new rooms they are adding for the older girls that stay there, and have had great opportunities to share this new country and new month with another team that we share a house with here. The house is concrete, has a water tank on the roof that supplies water for the entire house (one shower a week), I have my hammock strung up out side for my “room” on the patio that is also occupied by three other tents and clothe lines, there are two more hammocks hung on the front patio, sleeping pads strung out and 14 people sharing one kitchen and one bathroom. Our electricity works usually in the evenings and through the mornings, and is sporadic at best.
Our meals have been pretty decent really. We do eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly, oats, rice and beans, but thats just part of it. Last month we were staying with the preachers family and having authentic meals cooked for us, that is out of the question here. Oh I miss those meals already.
So here we are in Haiti… There is so much God has to offer here its plain to see. The Churches are filled with so much spirit as well. They actually have just prayer services. They just go hang out at church and people pray. I have no idea what they are saying, but they do it and its great. They have worship service the next night. Yup, you guessed it. They just hang out and play jesus music and sing. Once again I have no Idea what they are saying, but its pretty great really, i just worship with my own words… it works out very well!
As we build relationships here with the locals they grow to appreciate us more and more. We aren't here to hand them money like they are use to when an American comes to Haiti, so they’re getting use to that, but we can offer them hope to restore their country and hope that they are still thought about, cared for and loved. And most of all hope that they have a God that hasn’t turned his back on them in their time of distress.
