Hey everyone, it's Claire!
Today's events had a massive impact on my faith and I wanted to share our team's experiences today. We left this morning to visit Grace Village in Titanyen. We drove between the coast and the mountains as we drove up to the area. We were visiting the elders that Grace helps through generous Healing Haiti sponsors. We got out of our tap tap and gathered our supplies to wash feet as well as a guitar. We went to the first elder's house, Maritarez, but she wasn't home since she was away working at the market. So, we left food for her and her family. From there we left to visit Pierre and his wife, Lauramise. They were so sweet and exemplified the love of Jesus. We washed their feet and massaged their arms. This was such a unique opportunity to serve that had such a deep connection to the way Jesus served His own disciples. After, we all sang Reckless Love. Even though they didn't understand every word we were all connected through God's glory and the common appreciation for music.
Next, we traveled to Maricia's house. On the way we were warned that she was extremely friendly and liked to take her top off sometimes, making her the kind of fun you love to hang around. When we got there she changed into her fancy skirt to dress up for us. She then greeted us with hugs and a warm welcome. We then washed her feet and I got to massage her arms. We asked her for prayer requests and Abby prayed for God's love to transform the hearts of this community and globally to better the world as Christ would. The physical touch of Maricia to the rest of the group felt the spread of love that we were praying about. We then sang Set a Fire and This Little Light of Mine. The joy that spread when we all sang was infectious.
After that, we toured the grounds of Grace Village and saw the school. We learned about the program and the history of the place. After the tour we had extra time to just play with the kids. Some of us went to play on the playground while others played basketball or conversed with friends in the shade. The girls' team destroyed the boys' team, or at least scored first on the "next point wins challenge" from Pastor Erik as we wrapped up our time there. Next, we went a short distance to tour the Fleri Bakery.
We received a tour of the Fleri Bakery facility and learned the process they use to make the bread. Then, we went to the Fleri Resto and ordered pizza, fried plantains with salsa, chicken wings, fries, and fun drinks. Everyone loved the food and the company. We also played bags and Jenga in big groups which caused some stiff competition. After we were full, we left to head back to the guesthouse to have some group time and play our nightly group games. I can't wait to see what the rest of this trip has in store for us!
