There and back again...

Today we retraced our steps from Bois de Lance to Cap Haitian to Ft. Lauderdale. It was strange to leave. The two girls from Florida who went down with us quickly departed for their homes when we arrived and Brian left shortly after. It's strange to say goodbye after spending a week straight with them. it was hard to say goodbye to all of our Haitian friends as well. It's always weird coming back home. It's a moment in time that seems frozen and we come back to a world of moving parts. Its somewhat like stepping off of a moving sidewalk. The challenge then is to continue to wrestle with all of the questions and things that God revealed to us on the trip.

Thanks for reading and praying for and with us, continue to left up the people of Haiti in prayer,

Steve

Mountain Top, etc.

This morning we went up to a mountain top not too far from the orphanage project. It was awesome to just be out in the jungle and see a lot of the island. The orphanage project is about 700 yards down a jungle path, past a bunch of houses with cactus fences. It has been quite the muddy walk everyday.the orphans are currently staying with different people in the village. Open Door Haiti and the church seem to be the focal points of the village. It's the biggest employer because of projects like the orphanage and the lead pastor won the respect of the majority of the people by standing up to the witch doctors despite their threats. Supposedly, he said that the head with doctor would die if he didn't become a Christian, and 16 days later the guy was dead. People in the village know that Pastor Wiljean's God is a big God.

We have all been deeply challenged by the contentment and the joy of the Haitian people despite their lack of material things. Last night we went to church with then and were struck by their sheer joy in the lord. It's been clear that God has been working on all of our hearts. Tomorrow we go to church. Jeff is preaching through a translator, so it should be an interesting day.

Concreta

Today we poured lots and lots of concrete for the orphanage by making a bucket brigade and passing the buckets along until someone poured it in. There were probably about 20 people in the line. I thought I'd give you a little more information about where we're staying. We're staying in the ministry center of the Open Door Haiti complex. On the 5 acre property, there is a medical clinic, feeding center, school, ministry center, and the Open Door church. The ministry center is two stories and has a balcony that is great to relax on in the afternoons. The food has also been really good. We have had a wide variety of foods made by the pastor's wife, including the best kettle corn you've ever had. Tonight we had baked ziti, which was delish.

Tomorrow we are hiking a nearby mountain with the pastor. We are all very exhausted from all the hard work and the hot conditions. Today was much hotter than yesterday, but now it is raining, so that is nice.

- Steve

Rain

Today we helped pour the foundation of the orphanage. Then it rained and rained and poured. An epic game of mud futbol ensued. It was a great day. The Haitian people are so communal and joyous. I will write more tomorrow, but I will say that getting rinsed off by a bunch of Haitian children was one of the greatest experiences of my life (I may or may not have face planted in the mud while scoring an own goal...fail).

Steve

Day 2

Twin-propeller plane. Cows next to the runway. Humidity. Thirteen people in the back of a truck. Povety on the side of the road. Rain. Sunshine. Rain. Lots of beautiful children. "Futbol". Sunburn. Food. Church service. Team time. More rain.

That was day 2 in a nutshell. Haiti is a beautiful place with beautiful people who have so much joy despite having so little economically. Maybe we're missing something? Brian encouraged us to ponder these things.

Day 1

It is 3 am Arizona time and we're about to head to the airport to fly to Haiti. We had a meeting last night with Brian from Open Door Haiti and two girls who will be going with us. I think everyone is more excited now. Brian stressed several times that flexibility is going be essential. That seems to be a lesson I learn every time I leave the continent.

Steve

T-Minus 3 Days

It's hard to believe we're leaving for Haiti in a few days. I can't wait to see what God has in store for us. Apparently they have wifi down the, so I'll be able to keep updated along the way.