Team Trinity has packed their bags and loaded up the van for the ride back to the airport in Port Au Prince. It’s about an hour’s ride so we roll out around 9:30 am after taking team photos with some of the staff.
We have about three hours between Team Trinity leaving and Team ASBC (The “A” Team) arriving so I have some time to spend with the two young men Judy and I are sponsoring from Lambi Village in Port Au Prince, David and Paul.
I first met David Mozzard, pictured to the right, in 2013. He is now 18 years old and is in the US equivalent of high school. When I saw him, I saw me at his age…tall and lanky, and kind of shy. I found out kids like David have a hard time finding sponsors. Most people want to sponsor the very young and preferably girls. Older children, particularly boys rarely find someone willing to help them with their education. Although David struggled in school his first year of sponsorship, seems to be hitting his stride now.
I remember Romario Paul (he goes by the name “Paul”) from my visit in 2013 also. He was working very hard along side of the Lott Carey team to help build some else’s home…he and his mom already had a home in the village. Paul’s mom was seriously ill at the time and he spent part of his time caring for her (she has since fully recovered, praise God). I assumed Paul was not in school so he could care for his mom but learned in 2014 through Randi Pascal Drewry that he needed a sponsor. It has been a joy to open this door for Paul to continue his education. He is now in the 13th grade which is the terminal grade for high school students and is scheduled to graduate this May. As you can see from his photo on the left, Paul is a handsome young man with an infectious smile. He is very studious and focused, and enjoys soccer. His English is very good although he is shy about speaking it. He said he wants to become a doctor.
To kill some time, we drive into the Delmas section of Port Au Prince and do some grocery shopping. As we are picking up some goodies for the arriving team, I tell the boys to get some items for themselves and they are both very appreciative. I thought it was amusing that they both wanted some cologne and agreed to share a package of Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip cookies (not the reduced fat kind…The ASBC Team will understand this reference, lol). I brought clothes for both boys with me from the States and presented it to them.
We next went to the Kokoye Restaurant nearby and had some lunch. Both David and Paul selected a goat dish with rice and veggies. I wanted grilled fish but ended up with chicken strips and fries because the fish was sold out. Before too long, we had to head back to the airport to meet the arriving team. My boys hung around and helped load the luggage from the A-Team into our van before we hugged to say good bye. I told them both to continue to work hard in school and got assurances that they would do just that. Paul gave me a copy of his report card for the semester. I then looked at David who just smiled at me, realizing he had been put on the spot.
It is so good to see the team from Alfred Street and doubly nice they had the opportunity to meet David and Paul. I have to switch roles this coming week from that of team member to team leader. Fortunately Tony Taylor and Robin Woodberry are excellent role models. As we are driving back to Carries, we drive past by the City of Hope which was a place of refuge after the 2010 earthquake. I was told it was one of the areas close to the Port Au Prince which was unaffected by the tremors. Just west of here there is a memorial park surrounding a mass grave where many of those who lost their lives in 2010 are buried. It takes us about 75 minutes to get back to Mission of Grace. We get settled in and decide on what songs we will sing for worship service tomorrow.