Sunday, 1/27/13

I don't even know where to start. Yesterday couldn't have gone smoother. Just two months ago, customs at the Port-au-Prince airport was in the smallest, dirtiest room I've ever been in. It was a room that had been used because of the destruction during the earthquake. When we arrived yesterday we were greeted by a mariachi band and ushered through an elaborate room with huge pieces of Haitian artwork to enjoy as we proceeded to baggage claim. This was the first sign we saw yesterday of improvement. Secondly, as we drove out of Port-au-Prince past a mountainside that used to be covered with poorly built houses (an enormous shanty town), it caught my attention that not only were they more fortified permanent structures but that there were less of them. The evident hope for this country continues to be more and more prominent with each visit I make. We met up with the primarily medical team from Vermont upon arrival at the mission and unpacked around 40 suitcases full of supplies. 

our offering in  worship--singing a song in English and then in Creole

We started off this morning with church which was lovely as always, not being able to understand a single word but fully aware of the Lord's presence in the room. What was different about this service was the legitimate dance party that followed. When greeted by each member of the congregation you would do a 15 second dance and then be passed off to say hello to the next person. 

garden

After lunch a small group of us took off with the saxophone player from church to see his garden. His "garden" is a small field covered with thousands of bean plants and maybe 20 fruit trees. This was an intriguing experience for me because I have often heard that the school children's parents are primarily farmers. Looking at what this man is doing filled me with a sense of hope--again! 

baseball clinic

On our return from the gardens we stopped to help our team members, Abe and Pat, with their baseball clinic. I can't stop giving those guys praise for how smoothly they were running things, especially having this be their first day ever in Haiti! There were different stations set up where the kids would learn how to throw, run the bases and catch. All of the kids quickly caught on and there is a good sense of how nicely the rest of the week will go with the baseball program. 

From the looks of it and the motivation that is radiating off of everyone, this week will be very productive and beneficial for the community and I'm very excited to get that started. 

I would like to ask for prayers for a safe and productive week as well as the continued good health of the team.