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Saturday, May 17, 2014

Haiti Trip 2014, Day 5

On Saturday we went to Pastor Timothy's Orphanage again. Baby Sarah got passed around quite a bit. She was adorable and made the cutest expressions!

Mom with her little friend.
This boy was painting the Church/School next door. He sure was doing a thorough job!
This is the church. Above it is the school.
The man on the bottom left part of this picture is Sarah's daddy. Sarah was not an orphan.
After that we went to the Baptist Mission in the mountains. I was amazed at how cool it was up there! It felt wonderful!



A restaurant was at the mission and we had a really great overlook at our seats. The food was amazing. We got pizza with lots of mozzarella cheese.


Pastor Maxeau and his "Mother."
I've never seen a cliff quite like this one. It look almost as if the mountain just fell away.
At the Baptist Mission there were several street vendors who were very happy to show us their things. They were selling all sorts of stuff! Paintings, bracelets, necklaces, carved stones, wooden boxes, metal art, machetes. Any and everything you can imagine. It is hard saying no to them. They really need the money. But  they put their prices very high. The whole experience was so cool though. I was going from shop to shop enjoying myself and the vendors knew I had money (not a lot but enough) and would talk and smile at them. I got myself a machete. Lydia is scared of it. It is as dull as a butter knife, though, and needs sharpening. When Rose saw it she commented on how she liked it and that was all the other vendors needed. "Oh! You like? Here! Here! I have one!" Haha! She did not want a machete!
After that we went still farther up the mountain to a beautiful overlook with a restaurant.
The lady who owned the lookout and restaurant got her style from New York. It definitely showed! She did a gorgeous job!

The flowers were so pretty.







A daring spot to be.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Ice Cream

Ok, y'all. I want to take a break in my Haiti posts and just say that I made some of the best ice cream today. A little soupy but it was amazing! And on such a hot day, this is what was needed! : ) Mint chocolate chip!

Monday, May 12, 2014

Haiti Missions Trip: 2014 Day 4

Day four was our second and final conference day. It went very smoothly and was not quite so hot.
I wish I could say my skin was that soft looking and beautiful, but Google touched it up for me against my wishes. Oh well!
We look a little tired....

There is a lot of Voodoo practice in Haiti. This graveyard has been broken into several times and bodies have been stolen for worship. The jewelry was not stolen. The body was. For worship.
This little girl took a long nap on Rose's lap during the conference. The poor thing started sweating profusely!

These guys were our musicians. They did a great job!

Ok. That is the most adorable baby ever. Look at those cheeks. And those eyes! Her mother is beautiful, too!
See all the ladies with the bags? Beautiful, kind women and children in the US who wanted to give to Haiti helped us make the bags to give out at the conference. The ladies absolutely loved them! We even ended up giving them to some guys, too, when we saw we has so many extra. A huge thank you to all who helped make them!




These are two of our main translators, Elijah and Ginnette.

School time! I think he was teaching math.


Nahomie. I wonder what her whole story is. She lives in the HUG orphanage so I assume she is an orphan or was abandoned by one or both of her parents. She has the most gorgeous smile that makes her whole face shine in feminine beauty. She is working so diligently to learn English and loved to practice on me. She is very out going and friendly, but I think deep down she is just looking for a friend that will always be there just for her. A best friend who will love her unconditionally.  As we were up on their roof gathered with everyone else, I asked her to show me how they make the cardboard beads, so she took me by the hand and brought me down to her room. “Sit” she told me, and I took a seat on her bed. Then she rummaged around until she found what she was looking for: a small wooden rod, several strips of long, narrow pieces of cardboard cut into triangles, and Elmer’s glue. Then she took a seat beside me on the bed and proceeded to make a cardboard bead. She wrapped the cardboard around the rod, starting with the larger end, until she reached the end of the strip. Then she dropped a bit of the Elmer’s glue on the bead and smoothed it around with her fingers. “There.” She held it up for me to see. “Wow!” I said. “Can I try?” And so I made a bead beside her as she watched. I was not as fast, and messed up a few times, but she encouraged me and didn't hinder me. She smiled as I set it beside hers. Soon, she got up and put everything away and we stated walking back to the roof, my arm around her waist, hers around mine. “You have a friend… uh, good, favorite friend?” “Best friend?” I clarified. “Yes! Do you have a best friend?” “I do.” I said and smiled. Her sigh was deep and I saw her pain. I went on, “But one does not have to have only one best friend! Do you want me to be your best friend?” Her smile was huge, real, beautiful. 

Some of the beads they had painted with nail polish.

Rose and I took out our braids that evening. Our hair was... Poofy! haha!

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Haiti 2014: Day 3

Thursday we did have to get up early, even if we didn't want breakfast. (Shocker! Who wouldn't want breakfast?!) It was our first day of the Ladies Conference! We left right after we ate and took a bumpy, two hour drive to Valley of Hope Church. A bumpy ride, yes, and dusty. But such a beautiful ride. I sat in the back of the fifteen passenger van and watched the swarms of people as they bought breakfast on their way to work or school, or sat selling fruits and vegetables, or just watched, pointed and laughed at the "blan"(white people) passing by. I liked to wave to them and see their faces light up as they waved back. Some were shy and would giggle. Some would wave energetically. I didn't like to wave to the guys because it would often send the wrong message. Sometimes, though, they'd see me wave and get super happy and wave back or send kissy faces. One girl jabbed the guy she was with for waving at us. haha! This was the city. The city with hilly roads, some paved, some not. The city with shops of all sorts lining the street: barber shops, electronic shops, clothing shops. Any and everything! Then we get out of the city and and into the country. There are fields with sugarcane, beans, or leaks growing. A farmer tills the ground. A woman in heels walks the rough road to work or school in the city. A girl pumps water as a woman fills a bucket. Kids playing in a stream. Women washing clothes in the river. Laundry laid all over the branches of the trees to dry in the hot sunshine. This is Haitian life.

The random school bus is most likely not bringing children to school (or not only bringing children to school) but is used as a very large tap tap. A tap tap is a very common form of transportation and is usually an old pickup truck with seats in the back and a roof that people pile into to get from place to place for a small amount of money. Most of the time they are even hanging out the back. There are also people who drive motorcycles and rent a backseat to anyone who dares. They are faster and can weave in and out of traffic better than the trucks can, therefore they are a little pricier.


It was a very hot day and the breeze was trying so hard to get inside but was failing miserably. But it was so good to be able to worship with those beautiful Haitian sisters in Christ! It was funny, though, to see them nod off every once in a while. You can't blame them! Some of them had walked as much as six hours just to come to the conference! They were tired and hot! We had to drink so much water!
Chief Barbara! That is what Pastor Maxeau called her. : )


I got to hold babies. I love Haitian babies. Maybe God will give me one someday.
I was trying to get her to smile...
After the teaching was all over for the day, we fed them lunch: chicken, rice, and veggies thanks to the hard working women in the back who prepared it while we taught! We got some, too. It was delicious!




I love how the women will hold onto the men's arm as they cross the street.