ANTHEM CHURCH IN HAITI: PT 4
This morning we woke up again to the sound of loose donkeys and cars without mufflers. We met as a team and did our morning devotions and had breakfast together, which consisted of pancakes, fried SPAM, and mango slices.
After breakfast, we hit the bus and headed back to Three Brothers Church. The walls are up, the rebar in place, and our verse in the story of this church was to move sand and rocks from the surrounding property into the building, to build the subfloor/foundation of the stage and back rooms. I once was fond of wheelbarrows, I saw them as a tool to make my life easier. After these past two days, my high opinion of these tools has changed significantly. It was incredible to see many local community members come out and work hard. One woman carried her baby while picking up rocks, then carried a 5 gallon bucket full of rocks balanced on her head. We were in awe of the drive and determination of these people, and how hard everyone worked – even the pastor of the church. Equally impressive was how hard the team worked. There was constant encouragement, and everyone worked very hard, including the girls who carried buckets and wheelbarrows like pros. After we were done, we met with the pastor and congregation and prayed a blessing over the church. They thanked us very much for our help and then we left.
For lunch, we had something that can only be classified as, “Meaty Bony Goat Mush.” Yeah… We also enjoyed rice and beans
Then, we went back to Kris Sel Espwa. This time Scott and Rebecca cooked up two new stories for the children. We acted out Noah’s Ark and Jonah and the Whale. The kids really enjoyed making animal noises and laughing at each other. Some things never change. After the Bible stories, we played again with the kids. We played soccer, football, frisbee, and had some face painting stations. The face painting stations quickly turned into a hand painting/arm painting/full sleeve tattoos station.
When we were getting ready to leave the school, the children gathered around so that we could say goodbye. We told them how much fun we had and how we hoped to see them again soon. In return, they sang us a song along the lines of, “Goodbye my friends, thank you my friends” that brought out a lot of tears from the team. Ronald (our translator) said that we were the first group he has brought to that school that the kids sang to. So either we are pretty awesome or our translator is lying to us.
From the school we stopped by a local home. Misty, one of our team members, sponsors a family in Bohoc and we got to see them. She promised that this would show the real Bohoc experience, it wouldn’t be one of the watered down prepared scenarios we had been seeing this week. She definitely delivered. The whole team got to meet the cute kids and talk to the mother of the family. She gave us a tour of her house, it was very small by American standards but she was very proud of it. The love that Misty had for that family was evident from the start. Both sides were beaming ear to ear, there were some gifts exchanged and a lot of hugs. It was a good time.
Tim and I are writing this right before dinner and curious about what we will have tonight. They have bowls set out, so we think it won’t be a repeat of last night. For our last dinner, we think our Haitian staff wanted to give us a typical American meal. They served us peanut butter and jelly, cheese crackers, and hot chocolate. Just like Norman Rockwell painted it.
It is difficult to find words to describe the time and experiences we have here. Not only are we building friendships with the people here in Bohoc, but forming deep bonds with each of our teammates as we are unified in a common cause. James 1:27 says:
“Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
It has been incredible to see God moving in Bohoc, reaching the orphans and widows in ways that are life-changing. As always, we are very thankful for your prayers and support, and as sad as it will be to leave this place, we are excited to be able to share our time here with you all.
God bless,
(Craig and Tim)
