Haiti Team #1: Days 9 & 10

Everyone was up early Saturday morning getting packed for our trip to Les Cayes. The excitement and anticipation of what was to come was getting to all of us. We left right after breakfast in the van expecting a 4 hour trip of site seeing across the nation. Instead of 4 hours, it took about 5 hours, but what a beautiful country with great views. 

Once in Les Cayes, we did the site seeing thing. We saw the Methodist Church, the house that Odlin rents, and also met his family. We then went to the school that Odlin attends, which was emotional for Tom. The school had part of the roof collapse a few months ago and Odlin was at school that day. He made it out, but some of his friends died. 

We also visited a house that the orphanage on Ile-a-Vache owns. The kids move to the orphanage when they are going to high school and college. We met a guy, Damien, from Ireland. He works with the orphanage and many other missions in Haiti. They have a farm that they teach people how to become farmers so they are able to support themselves. He also works with different businesses and teaches them how to do business plans. He gets different businesses together to buy their supplies at wholesale prices. He also works with the mayor and a committee to get the nonprofit groups to work together and get more done. 

We then went down to the beach and walked around and found a hotel, gym, and cafe all in one. The guy that built it was a Haitian American from Jacksonville Florida. He gave us a tour and told us he intends to bring medical teams to do work in the local community. We left the Haitian American and stayed at Dave's house over night. Dave's house is in a new subdivision near the area and they are going to build a new international airport close by. The house is still under construction but was very nice. Dave was very hospitable and gave up his room for us to sleep in.

Sunday morning we had the baptism of Odlins nephew, Allen. Tom and Jaime were the God parents. Church started at 7:30 and of course we showed up Haitian time and were late, so we ended up standing outside which was not bad. It was a Catholic church and we didn't understand much but it was nice. The Baptism was scheduled for after the Church service and was very proper and beautiful. The preacher discovered right away that there were English speaking  people so he did the entire service in Haitian Creole and English. We recorded it so we might load that when we get back. When he put the water on the baby he used a squirt bottle and squirted him with it and then he used oil on his forehead. 

After the Baptism we dropped Odlins family off and went back to Dave's house to change clothes and eat one more time before we embarked on the trip home. We were excited to get back to HAPI knowing that Valerie (co-founder of HAPI and American contact) would be there. We were also looking foward to internet so we could have some contact with loved ones. The trip back seemed to take less time, which was nice. The trip was long but we are all glad we made the trip. The ladies in Mizak had dinner ready for us shortly after our arrival. Pastor Paul had people working on his dining area all weekend and they are tiling the table as I'm writing this. The space is looking good. Tonight will be a relaxing evening so we can work hard tomorrow. Tonight we'll get a little rest and head out early Tuesday morning for home.

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Jaime here:

On the way home from Les Cayes, I was riding in the far back of the van listening to some jams. The Song Grace Like Rain by Todd Agnew consumed my headphones and grabbed my attention. Some of the lyrics read,

"And hallelujah,
Grace Like Rain falls down on me
And hallelujah,
And all my stains are washed away -
They're washed away...

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed"

As the song continued, I noticed the van was pretty much raging against the road. I was relaxed so my body was lifted when we crashed against the harsh bumps in the road. I look up to the sky and see mountains beyond mountains. To me, the wonderful sight of the mountains resembled redemption. The bumpy roads represented a battle for the soul and the straight and narrow path that He calls me to daily. God knows His grace is the only thing that keeps me going because without Him I am nothing. From His beautiful self, he crafted together creation. We are all worthy of being pursued because God Himself, who is the definition of Love, took His time and gave us life. 

There's a verse that reads, "I have set you an example that you do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."

I believe God's love is equal so ours should be dispersed evenly also.

Love is...

 v  Odlin sharing his family with us this weekend.

 v  Tom carrying a bucket of water for me early in the morning just because I wanted to take a shower.

 v  Ulrick telling us to thank God before we fall asleep at Dave's house.