Monday, August 6, 2018

Arrival Day

I started the day at 2:30, and headed to the airport almost immediately. as soon as I got to the airport, I met up with the majority of the team. They were on the earlier flight, so after getting through some trouble at Special services, they left and i stayed behind with my dad. We waited for another family who were going on the same flight as we were. We got through security rather quickly, and headed for our gate. once we arrived we got some caribou and food to eat a early breakfast. Soon after, we boarded our plane and started to ascend.



 Our flight was uneventful. watching movies and playing game to pass the time. After a few hours the plane started to attempt to land in Atlanta. The whole team got together and talked to each other  and got some early lunch and soon enough the plane was ready to board. As most of os exhausted from the early morning and long hours sat on a hot plane, we got on the plane and we were set on our way to Port-A-prince in Haiti. we stepped onto the hot muggy tarmac and the serene mountain view made all the heat worth it. We checked into immigration and stamped our passports. Then we rounded the team up and got our luggage and headed to the tap-taps to the guest house.




 On the way to the Guest House, our team noticed many differences between USA and Haiti. For one, the street was very bumpy and wasn't fully asphalt. Some roads were only dirt, and some were blacktop, but no matter what the roads were like there always was trash. In some places a lot and in some a little, but wherever you looked, you would see a water bottle or some paper products. As we arrived at the guest house, the dogs came to greet us and sniffed us all around. We went immediately to unload, and after that, we inflated a soccer ball and went next door. the neighborhood boys were not there, but one little boy was. his name was Maurice. he lived in a small hame with his family and his goat. He loves soccer and running around,  We played pass for about 20 min.

 

   

    Then all of the sudden a rain storm rolled in and forced us inside for dinner, the tacos were delicious. We then when't to the stones in the front yard and passed a soccer ball. and headed inside for a shower, then we set up the Spike Ball net and played games with it. we also sat on top of the tap-taps and threw berries on the tree down. So it was getting dark and we headed inside for devotions, and headed to sleep for the night.





Up the mountain - 8/5

Today was our last full day in Haiti.

We began by attending Rendez-Vous Christ Church. This is a very welcoming congregation and worship is a mix of French, Creole, and English. They pass out headsets so you can listen to a live translation of the sermon into English. In addition to our group, there were folks from the UN there and a scattering of other non-Haitians. The service was celebratory in nature. They had a guest speaker who had been healed after being in a coma. His testimony was moving. At the end, he admonished us to think about whether we had one of these things as a stumbling block in our relationship with God: adultery, lies, gossip, fraud, theft, magic. In a country with a lot of corruption, that is an interesting list.

After worship, we headed up the mountain to shop another metal market and have lunch at Observatoire, a beautiful restaurant with a view of the countryside. The drive was beautiful and it was nice to see more and different things.

We got back to the guesthouse and decided to go to the pool before dinner.  We were omit there about 20 minutes when we heard thunder. We got out and were trying to decide what to do when we saw lightning.  So we headed back. We just made it to our gate as the rain began. The storm knocked out the WiFi for the rest of the night.  But we were fortunate to not have been stuck in traffic in the tap tap as the other teams were.

The kids played in the rain.  The adults started packing. After dinner, we had word of the day, then devotions, and communion. Because the WiFi was out, we had to gather around Angela's tiny Macbook to watch the slideshow. And, for many of us, it was the first time using Goldfish crackers as communion wafers!

The Internet finally came back Monday morning so I  am writing this then.  Today, we plan to stop at Peace Cycle and a coffee place on our way to the airport, weather and traffic permitting.

I have been grateful for everyone's input on writing this blog for our team, especially Lindsey who helped with titles every day.

Anastasia