Today was yet another amazing day! Earlier this week, we had started preparing
for Plan B for Saturday. Our original
plan was to take a group of children to the beach, but due to the detour for
the collapsed bridge, a trip to the beach could have taken up to three hours
one way, so we made alternative plans.
We woke this morning to the sound of falling rain, and that
rain continued all day long. This is a
first for all of us that have been to Haiti on previous trips. We even rearranged our Plan B for the day and
formulated a Plan C – just in case.
Plan B, started with a slightly soggy drive to an orphanage
where we had a fun morning playing with the kids. Some of the team played soccer in the rain,
while others held, played hand games, sang with the children and some of us
were even treated to new hairstyles! The
smiles and laughter were so wonderful.
We then headed up to the top of the mountain to tour Baptist
Haiti Mission. The drive was again a
little soggy and foggy, but the views that we were able to see on the drive up
were truly beautiful. No one from our
team had previously been to this place and we all agree that it was a pretty
amazing place.
When we arrived, we started our tour in the museum. There were items in cases detailing Haiti’s
history along with items from many different countries, which have played an
influential role in what Haiti is today.
Next we walked further into the compound and found that they have a
hospital. Earlier in the week, our team had
been looking forward to going to General Hospital and handing out care
packages. Due to a strike, we were
unable to go. We did happen to bring
some care packages with us this morning in case we had to resort to Plan C for
the day. We ended up being able to give
out the care packages to many of the patients at Baptist Mission Hospital! Also during the hospital tour, a few of us
(the lab ladies on the trip) were able to tour the lab. It was a very nice lab with very modern
testing equipment.
Next up on the tour was a “Zoo” and a “Noah’s Ark”
playground. The zoo had an alligator,
peacock, bunnies, ducks and goats. We
were all quite surprised to find a “Zoo” in Haiti. There was a very neat picture of Noah’s ark
and all the animals around it – including dinosaurs. We spent a little time on the playground –
some of our team relived their younger years and used the slide, teeter-totter,
monkey bars and more! Keep in mind, it
was raining during all of this tour and some of us were actually getting pretty
chilled!
After that we stopped by the on site restaurant and gift
shop for lunch. While there, we had the
privilege of meeting two AMAZING people.
Wallace and Eleanor Turnbull.
They are the founders of Baptist Haiti Mission (founded in 1948) and at
the young age of 92, still live on site.
Many from our team spent time visiting with them and found that many on
our team had connections. Three of us
attend a church, where one of their former missionaries is the Mission’s
Pastor. Another one of the team members graduated
from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia – the University where the
Turnbull’s sent a sponsored Haitian to attend college. This college will also be giving college
credits to students that spend eight months at Baptist Haiti Mission. This adorable couple inspired so many of us
by their many years of service and their passion and love for God.
As we reflect on our day, it is so evident that what was
plan B for our team, was truly God’s plan A for our team. He fulfilled many of our prayers for the trip
in ways we did not expect.
Trent and Marcia
