It’s 6:40 AM on my final morning in Carrefour, Haiti. Most of the house is still asleep; a few are stirring, scrambling to shove last minute items into whatever pack space they can find or figuring out how and what to fix for breakfast (supplies are a little low by this point.) I’m hanging at the kitchen table, marveling at the fact that for the first time in months, I AM COLD!
You knew I’d still have to support UK from afar, right? Disclaimer: I KNOW I’m wearing a T-shirt and a Beanie; one does what one can do in present circumstances.
These last few days in Haiti have been DIFFERENT, to say that least. Residual rain from a nearby Tropical Storm has poured for at least the past five days – this morning is actually a foggy creation closer to sunshine than anything we’ve seen in a while! Our team leaders and squad leaders left two days ago with the intent of going ahead of our mass of 60 people and setting up for our Debrief in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; the downpour definitely changed those plans. Roads are completely washed out, and a bridge necessary for us to cross the Haiti/DR border is under water at the moment, so no one goes in, no one goes out – although we are pretty sure our bed rolls would float and we could all just swim across… Who would have thought that the rain we so desperately prayed for at the beginning of the month would eventually trap us in, and we’d wind up praying for it to let up? Alas, we adapt and press on.
Our logistics team has managed to shift our debrief agenda, moving everything to Destination-Still-Unknown, Haiti instead of Santo Domingo. Today we will reunite with our 60+ strong J Squad and over the next few days we will spend time catching up after the craziness that has been our first two months on The World Race! I don’t really know what Debrief is supposed to look like, but I’m hoping for time to worship as a Squad, time to hang out with my team (it’s insane how much we miss Becky after only a couple days without her!), a chance to wash clothes, opportunities to nap, time to swap clothes for “new” items and plenty of story swapping about all the incredible things God has done in each of our lives! Sounds like a good time to me…
It’s been an interesting month, for sure! Ministry has been light; we’ve focused on helping our contact, Pastor Wilnord, spread the word about a school that he has founded, offering a FREE education to local children. We preached a week’s worth of revival services. We played with school kids during recess and we lead a few youth Bible studies. Beyond that, we’ve truly focused on the World Race concept of community! We’ve actually had no choice. Out of 19 women in our household, all but two have at some point been sick with a flu-like yickiness I would not wish on ANYONE! Those of us who really hate to rely on others had no other option except to trust that the women around us would take care of us. God even used this concept to help me get well! I literally found myself laying prostrate on the floor, begging God to reveal what will heal my 102 temperature, nausea, aches and general horrible feeling, and I heard Him assure me that if I would “be a support system” I would get well. He wasn’t kidding; instantly I overheard Becky getting sick a few feet from me and I heard Him say, “Go to work!” For the next several days I honestly didn’t feel like I was allowed to leave her side, and honest-to-goodness, I felt AMAZING! Healed; no questions about it!
So that’s basically been my month…
More soon!
Be Blessed,
Ashlee
