It occurred to me that this week marks my halfway point…I have just a couple of weeks left here in Haiti. And what a week this has been! My time here has exceeded all of my expectations and has really wet my appetite for more. I wonder what God has in store for me in the future?
School is closed Friday so on THURSDAY I give my morning math students their final exam. They have all shown improvement in their ability to work through division problems so I am releasing them back to their classroom after they complete a 30 question test. They all did exceptionally well.
I go up the mountain to take a look at the houses the missionary team is building so I am a little late arriving at the soup kitchen. And the police arrive shortly after I do to take a lady into custody for an assault which happened in the village earlier in the week. It has really upset many of the people here including LaNice who is crying as she serves up lunch. I stop her at one point so we can pray together.
On my way to my 3pm appointment with Shiena I ran into Claudi. He was bending over what I thought was a discarded plastic bag. As I looked on I realized he had taped two plastic bags together to make a kite. I must admit I watched in wonder as he and another child ran around having the best time.
When I got to the Children of Grace I find there is a lot of activity. Since Shiena has a hard enough time staying focused with minimal distractions, I already know our session today is not going to go well. After a few minutes of trying to keep her attention I gave up and gave in. I opened a bag of Strawberry Twizzlers and we started having fun. Young Abraham was there and I realized right away he was not a fan of Twizzlers…shame on him! We had the best time playing around and making funny faces.
After breakfast on FRIDAY morning Cullen and I went into the village. It was his birthday and he wanted to celebrate it by loving on people. As we meandered along this long circuitous 6-mile route the question was raised, “why did we come this way?” God was quick to answer this question as we stopped along the way to visit with and pray with people. At one point while we were walking we heard someone singing “You Raise Me Up”. We couldn’t resist singing along as we moved past the house…that’s why we came THIS way. We also stopped by the Grandma House a share a soft drink with the residents there and get showered with love…that’s why we came THIS way. Little Ms. Abilene, who stays at the Grandma House, was absolutely giddy when she saw Cullen. Abilene has sickle cell anemia but she is one of the happiest children I have run across. She sat in her pink chair, wearing a pink outfit AND her toes were painted hot pink. She may not always feel her best but on her good days she is truly a bright light…that’s why we came THIS way. I ended my workday at the Children of Grace enjoying these precious bundles of joy…that’s why we came THIS way. Oh, seeing a port-o-potty door being used as the entryway to a property was one of the funniest things and made going THIS way so worth it!
SATURDAY Cullen and I accompany 10 children to a place in the mountain called The Grapes. It is a mausoleum where two wealthy people who lived in this region are buried. We took several of the tweens (early teenagers) with us and it was a real treat for them to go on an excursion like this. It took us more than an hour to trek uphill, on goat trails, through a forested area but once we arrived the view was breath-taking. You could see the entire valley below. This place was very peaceful and well kept. There was a caretaker onsite and you could tell he diligently tends to the area. And there really was a small grape vineyard there. The best part of this heart-pounding, muscle-aching, sweat-dripping journey was the quality time we spent with these young people. They joked Cullen and I about avoiding the numerous piles of animal poop both on the way up and back. We stopped and had soft drinks before we escorted them back to the Children of Grace. We made it back to the village in time for me to serve at the soup kitchen. I needed a shower and a nap before I could face the remainder of the day.