2018 Haiti Mission – 10/29/18 thru 11/01/18

(MONDAY October 29th) It has been a relatively uneventful day. I spend my midday at the soup kitchen. I really enjoy interacting with the two ladies who work there as well as serving food to all who come through. When I get back to the guest house there are two additional missionaries there. Earl, a medical doctor I have served with since 2012 has arrived for a two week stay and Pastor Richard from Tennessee is here for five days.

I spend the afternoon at the orphanage helping with homework and playing with the children. One of the Alfred Street missionaries suggested I start having the children read to me so I embark on this project. Jean Kelly, a fun loving and adorable 11 year old is quick to take me up on the offer and we alternate reading to each other. There are several boys who hang around and listen but I can’t get any of them to take a turn. We continue reading until it is time for them to eat dinner.

(TUESDAY October 30th) Today I bring some reading material with me to the orphanage and I have a table full of eager hands grabbing for books. All of the books are in English but that doesn’t stop these young people. Jean Kelly sits down and we again alternate reading pages. What a blessing it is to have 3 other young people participate in our reading club. After a while I notice there is one little girl hanging around who looks at me with pleading eyes so I put her in my lap and read a few pages to her out of a book she selected. It is such a blessing to be able to love on and pour into these young people.

(THURSDAY November 1) A team of 4 guys arrive today, including Rev. William Crawley whom I met last year. It’s a joy to get reacquainted and to meet the others who will serve with him this week.

I spend the night with the boys at the orphanage. There are 11 of us crowded into their small bedroom. Thankfully, the staff put a mattress on the floor for me because I don’t think my back could handle the floor. Three little guys grabs sheets off their beds and pile on the floor right next to me. The rest of them share the lower bunks of the beds so we can all be close to each other. It’s a fun time but some of them are a little frightened because tonight is when those who practice Voodoo worship “The Day of the Dead”. One of the things I tell them before we turn in for the night is that God is always with us so there is never anything to fear. The generator turns off around 9 pm and it is pitch black in the room. It is also very hot and, while I am rather restless, for the most part these guys sleep through the night. Around 6:30 am they start to stir. I turn on my flashlight so I can see and this seems to cause everyone to stir. We start tickling each other and having fun before we get up and get our day started. The question I get before I head back over to the guest house is “are you coming back again tonight?”