WEDNESDAY November 10 – The road to Bwa Jera (final day)
As we make our final trek into Bwa Jera we stop by the school in the village. We find out the school does not have food for the students today and leave them enough provisions to feed the kids for a few days. We speak a few words of encouragement to the students we meet. In one of the classrooms I see Junette with her amazing smile. The principal is very thankful for the food and the words we share with the children.
The word is out throughout the village that missionaries are around so we have quite a crowd following us today. Several people make pleas for us to help them but Mr. Elvis has criteria that must be followed so many are turned away. We are able to bless a family of four who seemed a little reluctant to talk with us. We find out that the man and woman are not married and are worried about the implications. I share with them that God loves us all no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in AND that WE are not here to judge them. The father says they really want to be married but cannot afford to do so. Mr. Elvis told them he would schedule a wedding ceremony for them in early 2022 and cover the cost of it. This made them very happy.
As we move on we are blessed to meet Telisian and Alfred. This couple have been together for 30 years and got married a year ago. Telisian was so very proud of her man and lavished him with PDA (Public Displays of Affection) in our presence. It is uncommon for Haitians to be loving in public so this is a welcomed and amusing departure from customs. We finish our work in this village by making repairs to a local pastor’s home and visiting the home of an elderly lady in need of prayer. She told us she hasn’t been able to eat much for quite a few weeks and welcomed our prayers for her.
THURSDAY November 11 – On to Bwa Boule
We had no idea how God planned to use us as we entered the village of Bwa Boule but She showed out. One of our first stops was at the uninhabitable home of an extended family. The three grown siblings each live in other structures on the family land. We left food for two of the three and they pledged to share with their other sister.
We move a little further down the road and come upon a home which didn’t even look like anyone lived there. When we called out to see if anyone was home a lady responded that she was indeed there. She said she has been feeling sick and very weak. She said she was just laying on the sofa praying to God, telling Him she was very hungry and in need of a blessing. When we told her God directed us to her home with food she immediately began praising the Lord…and I mean really praising Him. You could feel the presence of the Lord all around us. Even when I said “amen” she asked me to pray some more. There was not a dry eye among us when we were done. Even though her home is not repairable we put up a couple of tarps over the front porch area where she is living. As we were leaving she asked us to go across the road to pray for her neighbor who has not able to walk. After we prayed with him he told us he wanted to receive Jesus into his life so we went back in and prayed the prayer of salvation for him and his niece. As we made our way out of the house he said he wanted to come to church but didn’t have the ability to walk the distance required. Elvis said he would have one of the pastors stop by to visit with him and would arrange for transportation to church in the near future.
We visit more homes in the village and hand out the few packages of food and tarps we have left. There is a lady who has been following us since we came into the village asking for a blessing. We pull the last bag of rice from our truck and offer to take it to her home. She tells us to bless her and she will take it from there. She struggles to get the 25-pounds of rice on her head so we give her a hand and she bids us goodbye.
