Friday, June 15, 2012

Soaking up the Haitian Sun

What another great day.  Have I mentioned that I really like Haiti!?

This morning I went to Mellier with Oge.  Mellier was the first opened work site that I visited when I first arrived.  There had only been two teams there and we went to drop off the third team.  Very little had been done, but it was obvious that there was a lot TO be done.  This is a compound where both the school and the church needed to be demolished and rebuilt.  It was estimated that Mellier would also likely be the longest running site because of the amount of work needed.

When I left Haiti, temporary school buildings, a security wall, outhouses, and the trenches for the foundation had been completed.  Now, the site is WELL on it's way to having a church where there was once mud.  It was such a joy to see.   It's going to be a HUGE church and obviously a great blessing to that community.

While I was there, I also ran into Boss Weche, our most-utilized site boss for our work sites.  It was joyful to see him and he was so proud of the work being done at Mellier. (As he should be!)  That was a wonderful extra surprise for me.

We were just at Mellier for a short time and then we drove back to the Guest House so the team we picked up could unload their luggage before getting back in the vehicle for sight seeing.  I went with the team and we journeyed to the Baptist Mission up in the mountains.  Sometimes, people don't believe me when I tell them that Haiti is a beautiful country, but I think it's pretty hard to argue otherwise when you're up there.  It's beautiful, green, and just... lush.  Also, it's a bit cooler up there so we got a slight break from the searing heat. (woo hoo!)

However, it was a bit difficult to figure out how to eat vegetarian there.  (While I'm at home I try to eat vegan (plus fish) but as eating vegan is NEAR IMPOSSIBLE in Haiti, I decided I would at least be a vegetarian here.)  It turns out that almost every dish offered at the restaurant there has meat in it.  Thankfully, though, I realized that it had a cheese pizza so I figured that would work.  :)  (This is a rather minuscule frustration, but it is interesting coming to Haiti with these new dietary habits.)

Oge and I also walked by the vendors outside the Baptist Mission and I ended up purchasing a new painting for the living room in my apartment.  (Lindsey, if you're reading this, it's not EXACTLY what I wanted... but it is a really neat painting and I think you'll like it. :) )  I also got some brownies because I found out that Oge had never had brownies.  That just boggled my mind and I decided it would be my mission to make sure he would get the opportunity to try one.  He was not disappointed. :)

We also stopped by the look-out (my dad's favorite spot) on the way back down the hill to get a nice view of Port-au-Prince, Petionville, and Carrefour.  It's really, really neat up there and, again, it's nice and cool.  (At least, compared to what it is in the heart of the city.)

I updated my Facebook profile picture today to a photo that Oge took of me while we were waiting at the Baptist Mission for our food.  I thought it was a nice photo of me and I needed to change my profile picture anyway (as I was wearing a scarf in the last one and it is not winter weather anymore) so I put it up.  It has been funny to me that the main comment seems to be, "You look so happy."

I think that's true.  I think I am just generally very, very happy while I'm here.  Going to Haiti is not a chore or a depressing excursion.  It is a life-giving trip for me.  I think I will leave here refreshed and renewed with a new vision of what my life in ministry might look like.  Although I don't have a significant agenda here, I think I need trips like this as it just makes me... happier.  It is my deepest wish that all of you might find the place in which you feel this happiness.

It is also my deepest wish that all of you reading this blog might eventually get to experience Haiti in some way.  Whether it is hosting a speaker at your church, or going on a mission trip, or even just trying some Haitian food... I hope that you at least get a small taste of what this beautiful country is all about.  Also, if you are interested in coming to Haiti, I am prayerfully considering leading a group sometime within this next year.  If that is something you would be interested in, please let me know.

With that, I suppose I will close this entry.  Tomorrow will be a big, exciting day as I will get to see the Bracelet Boys again. :) :)  I am BEYOND excited about that.  I haven't been posting many photos (mostly because it takes a long time to do that here), but I have been trying to post at least one photo a day on Facebook and a few here on the blog.  I'm almost can't wait to see what photo I might post tomorrow!  Hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight!

Blessings,
Beth


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