Church

In a large, one room building similar to a warehouse, the Haitian people have church. Although we could hardly understand anything that happened, during our nightly debrief everybody shared that the service had affected them. For some, it was the outstanding endurance of the Haitian people to have church for three and a half hours, and maintain an exceptional level of engagement the entire time. Worshiping in an unknown language held particular weight for the team members who had not experienced such a thing before. As one of the speakers said (in English), you may not understand what is happening, but we serve a God who speaks every language.

This is the only Sunday we will attend the service, so we took advantage of the opportunity to perform a worship song. They were particularly excited to see a “pretty lady” playing bass guitar.

Church ended, we had lunch at the base house, and geared up with work gloves and plastic bags to clear litter from the field across the street. All types of garbage could be found scattered amongst the knee high bushes and the grass, cropped close to the ground by the cows, goats, and donkey who called the place home. We were hot and sweaty, of course. But several people sang, and somebody found a Frisbee that helped to keep spirits high.

From there, we went back to the church to work on some construction projects. Cutting, sanding, and staining wood for benches, drilling holes through metal chairs so the seats could be affixed, and assembling saw horses to aid in the labor. And of course, several people were required to entertain the orphan girls who currently live at the church, to keep them out from under foot. Our eager hands accomplished plenty in our time there.

At long last, the day ended with dinner, worship, and devotions. Last night’s early bed time caught everyone up on their sleep, so tonight many of the team stepped outside or onto the balcony to admire the thunder storm. Lightening lights the entire sky, and thunder rumbles over the roof. Even if one steps into the pouring rain, it only takes minutes in the house to dry again, because it is so warm. But, the weather seems to have deterred the mosquitoes-a blessing for those who already find themselves scratching at bites.

Please, pray for our continued health, safety and team unity as we go about our various tasks. For the Haitians, I suggest praying for education. Some team members (myself included) accidently (we thought it was youth group) sat in on a Business Seminar, teaching the Haitian people how to start their own business. So many of them want to move into a better lifestyle, but do not have the know-how. Pray that the seminars and classes truly stick, and help lead these people into a better life.

I think the storm is interfering with the wifi, so who is to say when this post will be posted? But, thank you for your continued prayers and support!

-The Haiti Team (via Rachel)