Sometimes on the World Race, things or events occur that you cannot just make up even if I wanted to. One such event happened the other day during our lunch time on our first day of ministry.
So we’re having lunch and right outside of the compound here a group of probably 20-30 Haitians has gathered. We weren’t sure at first if they were just talking loud or arguing. Some seem a little upset including one guy swinging a machete. Eventually some of the locals in our compound get involved too and start yelling. One guy in particular is chewing out a man standing in a canoe just off shore.
Finally the man in the canoe takes off into deeper water and we come to figure out that there is another local out in the ocean hanging onto a buoy. We’re told most people here don’t swim, so the arguing it seems was a debate on whether or not anyone would go out after this guy. So as Canoe Man is heading to the Buoy Man, the rest of the crowd on the beach is just eating this up. It was like being at the movies. If I had popcorn, it would have been a hit. Plus they keep referring to the man as a “mun fu” which translates into “crazy person.” The sort of “insane asylum” crazy apparently.
By this time, all of us who’s ministry is at the compound have gathered on the beach too to watch. Canoe Man reaches Buoy Man and nothing happens for awhile. They’re both floating out there. Slowly Canoe Man floats further away while the other guy is still in the water. We can’t decide if he’s crazy enough that he won’t get in the boat or what. Canoe Man then paddles close again and suddenly he either jumped or fell out of the boat. The crowd goes wild. Two other guys grab a second canoe and start running toward the water and get it in. Suddenly Canoe Man pops back up in the boat and shortly after we can see him pull in Buoy Man.
They stay out there probably another 10 minutes before coming back to shore. Again everyone is going crazy back on the beach as they get close. Two of my squad mates run out into the crowd to get a firsthand look at everything and figure out what’s going on. Canoe Man and Buoy Man get to the beach. Buoy Man looks to be in either his 50s or 60s. Suddenly one of the two people who ran down to the beach calls out to the rest of us that Buoy Man has luggage with him. Sure enough, he’s got a decent sized bag in hand. Then we hear/see that he brought the buoy back with him too along with a mess of chicken wire and magazines. Just like that then he smiles at everyone and walks away down the beach like nothing happened.
Eventually the crowd disperses and we finish lunch. We honestly have no idea how this guy got at least a quarter mile offshore, how he dragged luggage out there with him, why he came back with the buoy, or anything else about him. Some days strange things just happen on the World Race. This was definitely one of them.
