Doorway To Peace Haiti

OK, this is a continuation... I just didn't want to get half way through all this and lose power and thus lose everything I typed... like the day Youry and I spent an hour typing and translating the lessons for the afternoon session - only to have the power go out and lose the entire thing. Or the time it took an hour to print something; or rather NOT print something b/c we couldn't get the connection to work. So we had to wait for the next time the power came on to try again. Painful!

Today Youry killed a huge tarantula for us that was hiding in our craft supplies. I didn't tell the kids that the strange spots on their projects were the spider's remains! Gross...

For dinner tonight we had hot chocolate and bread. Yum! It was dark with a touch of cinnamon. That was a new one for me - I loved it and so did the others.

We attended a rousing church service on Sunday night in Bambou. We were invited by one of the teens in our program who was singing. Unfortunately, we were such a distraction to the little kids that we felt we should leave after a short period of time! They were much more interested in our hair and sitting on/with us than they were in the program! On the way home we managed to get all the kids to leave except for three. Two were under 6 years old. Turns out they lived way, way back up the mountain where we had just come from!! We sent them home with the third older child who had followed us as well (Hannah - remember Gena? It was her!). Lesson learned: never believe a 5 year old who tells you they live where you do! haha

The team from GSV is really doing a great job - and our newest member, Kathleen, is doing very well adjusting to the country and the people and the food and the sleeping conditions. She has really jumped in with both feet!! These guys put everything they have out there on the "court" - sweating it all out, learning the language, interacting with the kids, singing and teaching and serving food. May they be blessed in huge abundance for their sacrifices!

So glad to have the new blackboards and repaired benches via Tim, DAna, Taylor and Ray. And Ray - the toilet is working just fine :0) Miss you guys and glad you made it home safely.

Russell - the prayers for the digestive system worked a little too well. Can you pray a little in the other direction now? Please? Thanks!

Waking up at 4 AM each day has its advantages: I get to witness the dawning of the day, the rising of the dogs and roosters and traffic and people; and I get to enjoy the most amazing sunrises I've ever seen. OK, let's face it - I've seen very, very few sunrises in my life. OK, almost none. But now I know what I am missing!

Can't say enough about these people here that I've come to love so very much. They have such a difficult life... most are hungry all the time; they labor in the hot, hot sun; struggle to have clean water; and if they are lucky, they have electricity some of the time. But they are incredibly welcoming and loving and have accepted us into their community with open arms. It is difficult for some to truly believe that God can and will care for them; or that He really sees their struggles. We are praying and actively working to make sure they don't see US as their saviors, but that they know the Almighty - who knows their names, who places them in families, who has a Big/Big house... the Almighty cares for them and will never abandon them. We encourage them to place their trust in Him; since we know that man will always fall short of meeting our needs, but He never will. Please pray for this with us... and finally, my deepest desire for this village is that they will (as it says in Ephesians) know the depth and height and breadth of the Lord's love for them... that it will pass understanding. Amen!!