When we arrived, there were probably 10 artists on hand, with blankets or tables spread with incredible, beautiful, and delightful wares. There were little people painted on wood that can sit on window sills; woven baskets, place mats, purses, and bowls; paintings on canvas and metal; clothing made of linen and hand embroidered for men and women alike; plenty of beaded or woven bracelets, necklaces, and earrings; some adorable hand embroidered and sewn dolls; carved and varnished wooden goblets, plates, bowls, and vases; and so much more. I bought a fun purse made of scrap material pieces, a few pairs of beaded earrings from an artist I met on the way to Basin Bleu the day before, an adorable Haitian dolly for my new granddaughter, a hilarious woven toy on an elastic rope to toss all over the place for my oldest grandson Dane, and a beautiful cell phone neck pouch woven from natural fibers...and all for $51!
Everyone else found lots of wonderful items, as well, supporting the local artisans with compliments and encouragement. Soon we headed back to the complex to wash up, change our clothes, and prepare to worship. The seats were all filled as men, women, young adults, and children filled the pavilion. The incredible praise band "The Shalom Singers" was already playing hymns and praise songs. Pastor Paul had planned on interpreting the entire service, so he gave us the nod and we started in. I opened with a greeting and welcome, then the band added a song. Earl read some scripture and led us in prayer. I gave the message on Psalm 118 as we praised God, realizing his love does endure forever! The band played again after the message. Then each of the girls, Nina, Whitney, Jaime, and Kelsey gave their testimony to why they were praising God today. They did awesome as each of them spoke from the heart. Then Pastor Craig led the prayers for the people. Darryl closed up the worship with more scripture before the band ended in a rousing rendition of "Amen!" They continued to play for another hour as we walked around greeting and hugging the Haitians. An elderly woman began to dance with me. What an honor. After dancing with another elder woman and a few kids, I stood back and just took it all in. The girls all were dancing for the entire hour, swinging kids around in circles, holding their hands, smiling from ear to ear as they continued to praise God for all his provision. So exciting. So praise filled. So worship.
Eventually the band wore down, even though the girls and the kids had not yet. We grabbed a quick snack as a platter of fresh papaya was brought out for us, as well. Then we packed up water bottles and hit the trail to see the two houses our team had worked on last year. We are a foundation team, mostly. Not by choice. It's just what we seem to be called to do most often. It's a great feeling to get a project started and see hope on the recipients faces, but rarely do we get to see the finished products. So we headed down the mountain and back up another to see both Mona's and Gertrude's homes. They were stunning. So much care to detail. So much love went into each square foot. It was a joy to have this opportunity to see them.
Then we headed over to Lee's new art gallery. Lee encourages and supports local artists and sells their wares. I had ordered a painting last year, so I wanted to pick that up also. Everyone ooh-ed and ahhh-ed as we went from room to room in the gallery. There were wood carved pens, paintings on canvas, beaded jewelry, drums, maracas, and gourd guitars. Amazing the wide range of talent and gifts represented in this one gallery. Lee has done a wonderful job. I'll be back on Friday to teach a workshop called "Making Something Out Of Nothing".
After that we headed up, up, and up the mountain...and then up some more. It is a steep one, that's for sure! Eventually we made it home and most everyone took a good sabbath. The girls got in a nap, along with a few of the guys. Some played dominoes or football, while others just sat on the porch and rocked in the warm afternoon breeze. I had a full day of work ahead of me getting my art classes laid out project by project. But it was an enjoyable task. Starting tomorrow I get to play, play and play some more...as the rest of the team heads off to work on the new community center. As Earl said, "and we have been playing for days now and tomorrow we start to work, work, work." :-)
The little kids went home early tonight, so it's quieter than normal tonight. Crickets seem to know englise' as they sound very similar to ours at home. Tomorrow's a big day. Let the play...and the work...begin. His love endures forever. No question there.
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