Monday

Up early this morning, a quick breakfast, and time to load everything up on the truck for our very last trip on the streets of Cap Haitien.

We stood in line for probably a half hour as they hand-searched every single bag. No air conditioning, and hardly any air moving at all. Checked in at the counter and checked our luggage, then waited another hour at the "gate" - there is a total of one gate at the Haitian airport! At least there were fans, but the electricity went out twice during our time in there. Before boarding the plane, our carryon bags were hand-searched a second time, and our passports were checked a total of three times. We had a little time to freshen up, and let Aidan swim for a bit, then we met one of Bob's internet friends at Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza. Well, after a little snag, that is - we went to the wrong location! When we realized what happened, we jumped in the car to go to where he was. I suggested we call him, so that he didn't try to come to us, and we have the same thing happen. It was a good thing I did, because that's exactly what he was doing! We got about three blocks down the road by the time we reached him, so we turned around and went back. I know the staff of the restaurant was laughing at us crazy Ohioans! We did have a nice visit with Christian, though, and the food was good.

When we got back to the motel, the three of us swam in the pool, which was warm enough to be bathwater, and Bob caught some alone-time in the room. Goodnight!

Sunday, Pt 2

We did attend church at Fosse Capois, with Pastor Larry preaching. Our new friend Clenel translated for the Haitians, doing a great job. During the sermon, and little boy who had a problem with his eyes came in and sat on the pew bench in front of me, next to Meg. During the final prayer, for some reason, I felt a strong urge to just put my hand on his shoulder. After the prayer, he kept taking my hand and petting my arm. Finally I sat down and said, "Como reley?" (What is your name?) His last name was Jacques (Haitians give their last names first), but I didn't catch his first name, even after repeating it three times. There were a lot of people in the aisleway right in front of us, talking and laughing.

Bob took us out to the classrooms which are right next to the church. I couldn't imagine teaching there. It was like something from the1700's - a tiny room of concrete walls, three rows of wooden benches, a chalkboard on wheels, and a small teacher's desk. No shelves, no bulletin boards, no lockers, no smartboard or computers (no electricity!), no gym or music room, no library. It did, however, have a few classroom pets - lizards crawling on the walls are a common sight. I'm sure spiders and insects are prevalant, as well.

After the service, we returned to the compound to pick up a few of our interpreters from the week, then went to a very nice restaurant in Cap Haitien, where they served us a buffet of chicken, shrimp, and goat. I tasted the goat - it was good, but I mainly at the chicken. They also served something that looked like coleslaw, but was actually hot peppers! For dessert, muffins were served, and we also had a choice of a chocolate brownie-like dish or ice cream - fraise (strawberry), orange-anana (orange-pineapple), or pistache (butter pecan). I had the orange-pineapple ice cream with a muffin - delicious!

After the meal, some of us took a walk down to the Tourist Market. A couple of people bought some things, but since I had already purchased my gifts, I went more for the experience than anything else. It was very interesting - each booth about 8x8, filled with mostly imported items, and each vendor hounding us (Looks are free! Blue Light Special! Please come in!), and some even carrying their items in a basket and following us. Right across the street was the ocean, green/brown, with a small mountain of smelly garbage on the shore.

We said our good-byes to the interpreters, and returned to the compound. After a while, a storm started brewing, and we could hear thunder in the distance. Then it started to sprinkle a bit - we just sat on the veranda and enjoyed the slightly cooler temperature. Then we began to see part of a rainbow! I went to get my camera, and watched and took pictures as we saw more and more of the rainbow, then it began to turn into a double rainbow, and finally, both rainbows stretched all the way across the sky into two full rainbows - so beautiful, and such a blessing! Wilbert arrived at the Mission during this time, and I asked if he noticed it. He said he did, and that he had prayed for a rainbow on our last day. This just sums up our trip - a blessing to 150+ Haitian children (including the ones we smiled and waved to on our truck trips), us, and God.

Sunday

Church day. We are going to the church at Fosse Capois, and Pastor Larry has been asked to give the sermon.

I woke up at 4am local time, to the sky becoming a lighter blue by the minute. At 5am, when I still couldn't get back to sleep, I got up to watch the sun rise. By that time, there was already pink in the sky, and I knew it would be a beautiful one. I wasn't disappointed, as I watched from the veranda, listening to the roosters crow incessantly and the dogs barking, smelling the scent of a charcoal fire nearby, and enjoying the perfect temperature, before the heat and humidity set it. Our last full day here is going to be a beautiful, God-filled day.

Saturday

Beach day!

As a thank you for our help, Meg and Wilbert treated us to a day at Cormier Beach. Cormier is an American-ized beach, very clean, with an open-air bar/restaurant. One of those where you get out of the water and walk right up to the bar, or have a seat in the restaurant.

The water was so clear that, standing in water up to my chest, I could still see the bottom. Morgan, Aidan, and I, and several of the team members enjoyed swimming, and the rest enjoyed hanging out in a chair under the tree.

I was digging around with my feet and bringing up things from the bottom. I found a few bits and pieces to bring home as souvenirs - some coral, a pretty rock, and some kind of spherical shell. But Morgan found the granddaddy - a sea biscuit! She was digging around as well, felt something like a rock, brought it up, and discovered her luck! We're soaking it now so we can bring it home.

At the entrance to the beach area, they were holding a Haitian Artisan's Fair. Meg said the pieces would be authentic Haitian-made, as opposed to the Tourist Market, where much of the things are imported. So the ladies decided to check it out. We found the people to be really nice, not pushy and in-your-face like the Tourist Market, and the prices were VERY reasonable for true artistry. I decided to go ahead and purchase all of my gifts and souvenirs there. Several of the other ladies bought some beautiful things as well.

Of course, the time to leave came too early, but the drive over the mountain takes a while, and we wanted to stop at the grocery to pick up snacks and vanilla.

Once you leave the city of Cap Haitien and start up the mountain, the road is gravel/dirt, very bumpy in the back of a truck, and has steep drop-offs with no guardrails! And occasionally you might be passed by a taptap! There were a couple of times where I couldn't look, because I couldn't see ground over the side of the truck. As we were coming down the other side, I found myself praying that the truck had good brakes!

The mountain road is filled with residences, some gated, some nothing more than a tin roof and a sheet for a door. You'll also see many people walking along the road, as it is the only form of transportation available to them. At the homes, both on the mountain road and in the city, people are cooking on charcoal fires, children are taking baths in a communal well, street vendors are offering their wares, men are burning garbage fires, women are carrying laundry or dishes in huge tubs on their heads. Children swim in the river that you know is filled with sewage. When we got off the truck to go into the grocery, there was yellow-green "water" in the gutter. Obviously, I warned the kids not to step in it. When we toured the city last Monday and it was raining gently, a little boy was taking a shower under the rain gutter, completely naked, right out in the open. Yet smiles spread across the faces of so many as we smiled and waved to them from the truck. Children wave fervently back, some running alongside the truck as far as they can. Some don't smile back, and it makes me wonder what they are thinking of us - Americans with lots of money they won't share? Americans who have done harm to us as a nation in the past? In some people though, especially children, you can still see the joy they have in their hearts. I pray that God's love we have brought this week spreads and grows throughout these people, and that we can continue to share it with them in the future.

Friday

Last day of VBS. We didn't want to get up and get started because we knew it would be ending! We are having such a great time, and God is bringing such joy to the children - we can see it on their faces.

We handed out Morgan's stuffed animals today, but as a surprise. We stuffed them in their backpacks during the final session, so they didn't know they were getting them. We didn't get to watch  them open their bags, but I did see one of the younger helpers carrying a stuffed dog in the top of her shirt, and another playfully came and grabbed it, and a chase ensued.

Lunch was beans and rice with beef, kind of like a vegetable soup to spread over the rice. Mmmmmm.

We had the afternoon free to just rest, reflect, and bond. Bob is truly a kid at heart, and has been playing pranks on the 20-year-olds, and they're playing right back. We were sitting on the veranda, and all of a sudden we were pelted with water balloons coming from the roof, and the 20's were behind the infiltration! So later on, Bob filled a bucket with water, snuck up to the roof, and got them. 

It seems the joy we're bringing to the children is coming back upon us.

Thursday

Best night of sleep yet for me. Others on the team, not so much. I have been sleeping with my iPod on so I am not bothered by the dogs and roosters. The thing the iPod can't help, though, is the heat when the electric goes off. I'm still waking up around 3am, after the fan/electric has been off for a while and it gets stuffy.

This morning's breakfast included fresh mango, bananas, and yogurt - mmmmmm. The kids started arriving at 7:30 this morning, happy as larks! I can only imagine how early they'll be here tomorrow morning!

It was another long, hot day with the kids, but today there was more of a breeze. Since Pastor Larry and I are in charge of the individual pictures, we got to sit in the air conditioned office, printing the pictures and trying to figure out which name goes on which picture. Although the room is air conditioned, the windows are still partly open. I enjoyed listening to the screams of laughter and joy coming from the pools below. Pastor Larry enjoyed looking at every picture and seeing the beauty in each child.

The children were a little more comfortable with us today, and some began to "test the waters". Morgan's little friend Jude wanted to do everything he could to escape from the group. A few others from the team commented on some of their behaviors as well. But these kids have been really well behaved - Meg says they tow the line because they know if they are sent home, they will not be allowed back, and this is such a privilege to them.

Today's lunch was spaghetti and salad. For the children as well as all the helpers, probably 175 people in total. Madame Day fixed all this spaghetti in two large pots on charcoal grills - just amazing.

Our afternoon trip involved riding to Living Hope's farm. The Mission is farming some land that is actually owned by an American gentleman.

They are getting ready to plant corn and green beans, and have banana trees and cattle as well. We got to walk on the land, and go back to the well to water the cows. I love these trips as well, just getting to see the towns and the people and the differences in culture.

When we returned, we had some wonderful time for team bonding, and then enjoyed dinner of potato soup and pigs-in-blankets. We also had our little celebration of discipline talk, and as some started going to bed, others sat outside talking and playing cards.

Aidan and I decided to beat the heat of our rooms and drag our mattresses out onto the porch in front of our rooms where it is much cooler.

Wednesday

VBS began this morning with chanting and singing. And that was BEFORE the children came onto the compound!

Registration was to begin at 9:30, but children started arriving at the gate around 8:30! To pass the time, they began chanting and singing - it was wonderful to hear!

As they got registered, they were brought up to the gazebo. You could tell they didn't know what to think of all the Americans watching them, speaking a strange language they didn't understand, and taking pictures of them. The littlest ones (5 & 6 year olds), especially held some trepidation.

Since there is only one bathroom for each gender, they were taken in small groups from the gazebo to change into their water clothes right away. After they changed, they were allowed to play on the compound until everyone else was ready. This time was really fun as we tried to speak with our meager knowledge of Creole and smiled a lot to show that we were ok. It also involved lots of photo opportunities. And of course, after you take a picture, you have to show it to them, resulting in much laughter as they love to see themselves on the camera.

Finally, after everyone was registered and changed clothes, we began with a whole-group gathering. Meg gave instructions for the day, and then Felix led the group in singing a few songs.

After the whole-group gathering, each color group went to their assigned station. The groups are separated by age, and each group is given a color for easy designation. Morgan and Charity are the leaders of the pink group, which is the five- and six-year-olds. Melissa is leading the green group, seven- and eight-year-olds, Christy is leading the blue group of nine- and ten-year-olds, and Jason is leading the orange group, a second group of nine- and ten-year-olds. Bob and Aidan are leading the purple group, the oldest at eleven and twelve. Each group has between 25 and 30 children, so we are serving 145 children! The rest of the adults are station leaders: crafts, pools, water games, sports, and bible talk/health. Pastor Larry and I are in charge of taking pictures. Today's project was getting a picture of each group, as well and individual pictures of each child, as the craft on Friday will be decorating a foam frame to put their picture in. Tomorrow and Friday we'll be working on printing the pictures and circulating to capture candid of all the kids.

The culmination of VBS today involved another whole-group gathering with singing (and handing out lots of left-behind items!), and then lunch of beans and rice, chicken, and fried plantains. Each child (even the little ones) receive a full-size paper plate full of food, and most ate it all. Rosanne commented that she didn't know at first if the little ones could eat that much, but they did.

The team ate in the little gathering area upstairs with the Haitian interpreters. When Aidan wanted to go back for seconds, Bob stopped him, so there would be enough for the interpreters if they wanted more. This became a lesson for Aidan as Bob explained to him that, while we can count on breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday, this may be the only meal the Haitians receive today, and possibly for a few days.

OK, at this point, I have to apologize to my team members. Yesterday, I posted that the heat was not unbearable. Well, that's because one could usually find a breeze. Today, not so much. The air is stagnant today, which means the sweat just clings to you. After lunch was over and the kids left, I stretched out on my bed starfish-style to cool off, and ended up taking a 3-hour nap, as the heat got to me more so than I thought. Morgan, Bob, and several of the others ended up napping as well. Poor Aidan, he just has not been into naps, but prefers to occupy himself.

Today, he had a run-in with a nest of fire ants. Of course, when one finds himself in a battle with fire ants, one must become the victor and crush them all to death! So that's what he did.

I woke up from my nap to the sounds of banging and digging right here on the compound. I found out a little while later that all the water we had used all day (rinsing tie-dyed shirts at crafts, running the slip-and-slide and refilling the pools) had burnt out the motor on the water pump, which meant we had no water for the toilets or showers. Ooops! We feel really badly for causing this problem! So, without a backup water pump, Wilbert and several of the workers devised some solution which involved laying new pipes. These guys can fix anything! Someone commented how at home we would call a plumber and probably have to wait a day or two before they could even come to look at the problem, and these guys had it fixed before we went to bed! So no more slip-and-slide, and the shirts are done, which should ease up on the water use for the next two days.

We still had about an hour before supper, so Pastor Larry and I began printing the pictures, knowing it would be a fairly slow process.

Dinner was spicy tuna sandwiches and more yummy mint tea. Conversation included Pastor Larry leading a discussion on prayer. A review of the day (what went well and what needed to be revised) followed, and after that, an hour or two of chitchat. I think we were just enjoying sitting in the cooler night air. Haiti is an hour behind us because they don't do Daylight Savings Time. That, coupled with being on the eastern edge of the time zone means that the sun rises and sets much earlier here than at home. It is full-blown daylight by 5 am, and dark at 7 pm.

Hopefully, tonight will be a good night of rest, so we can be ready to do it all again tomorrow!