Haiti Day 3

Day three was a day on the road, very bumpy roads. When we first left the guest house we went to the home of Daniel Gourdet, a retired missionary who has a house in Haiti. It is a very nice house with four bedrooms and a very lovely yard. While we were there we were served some coconut from his tree which we drank right from the shell. He had also picked some limes off his tree for us to enjoy later. Daniel explained they were going to sell the house because he has two houses one in Haiti and one in Indianapolis and he is getting to the age where he can not maintain two houses. Plus all their children live in the states. When we went to Conaspeh we headed right out to deliver some of the clothes we brought. We went down some of the worst streets I have even been on first we turned and climbed a steep hill up to a church and school. We brought school supplies and met the pastor and the director of the school. One young lady in the office was also introduced to us and we learned she was the only nursing student to make it out of the Conaspeh building alive. Patrick explained to us she had several serious problems and now she is doing much better and is back to normal. All I could think was what a couragous young lady who went through all she went through and now is going back to finish her last year of nurses training.

From there we went to one of the tent cities and we stopped by a church and school that was in a tent. the tent was made out of blue and gray tarp material stamped with US Aid on the side. Nailed to a wooden frame we noticed it was like a sauna in there. The sun was shining outside and it was close to 90 degrees if not hotter but it was about 20 degrees hotter in the tent. But the children were all in uniforms and neatly pressed and clean. We then went to the shool directors tent who wasjust a couple of tents away. Dirt floorvery small and also very hot. He then showed us the pastor's tent who had died just three days ago at the age of 72. We took school supplies and left some clothes at the tent school. Back up the hill Patrick pointed out to us the church site which was now nothing but a pile of rubble.

We then headed for Petionville for a little shopping and we were looking for a specific painting which another pastor had requested. We found our painting and got some other trinkets and they were still bugging me but I pulled out a necklace I had made from glass and asked him if he wanted to buy that from me. He wanted to trade me a flag for it. But I told him it was worth a lot more.

After lunch at Domino's Pizza we headed back, I was scheduled to teach my class at two and we got there a little late. Frenaud was there and on time and we started. I enjoyed asnwering the questions from the students and hearing the things they had to say about the parables we were discussing. After the class I met Frenaud's brother George. I explained to Frenaud we would not be able to go to his house and meet the rest of his family. I paid Frenaud for translating for me, he did a great job with alot of expression.

Back to walls in a pouring rain took about an hour traffic was a mess. But we had great conversation and a good nights sleep

Haiti Day Two

Forget what I said in yesterdays blog about the traffice being better. It is not we just hit the city at a time when it was moving in a different direction. We got caught in several traffic jams today while trying to make our way through the city.

The building at CONASPEH is progressing well. They are starting to put the roof on the building which will be a bright red metal roof. It is a two story structure with lots of windows and tile covering the concrete walls. There is a lot more rebar in the construction and Patrick being trained as an engineer he is going to make sure it is well build. The building stands on the site of the old one and when completed will serve as their office space and headquarters for the organization.

They now have over 700 student in the school with enrollment increasing. The seminary has also begun.

I had the privelege to teach a class on Parables of Jesus. There were 21 in the class and I will teach again today. One thing that caught me off guard was the when i mentioned the Book of Revelation that is where they wanted the and it whnt there for a while I would try to bring them back on task only to have Revelation pop up again in a question. I have learned one thing do not even mention the Book of Revelation in today's lesson.

Karen and I had the opportunity to visit two other schools and two orphanages the were part of the CONASPEH connection. One was an orphanage we visited back in May. At that time there were beds but no matresses. Children were sleeping on the ground outside due to fear of another quake coming. This time when we visited I am happy to report there mattresses and coverings on all the beds there was more food than before. One of the churches represented in out last visit raised a some funds when we gave to the pastor, who thanked us and told us it would be used for food, school uniforms and shoes. Now they had 40 children and all looked well and happy.

At the second school and orphanage again there were 40 children. As we toured the orphanage we saw the rooms which had beds but no pads, but at least they were off the floor. After the children sang three songs for us (one of which I recorded) we presented thm with some money and the pastor replied how this was an answer to prayer because they only had enough food for the day.

Today day three we are going to head to Leogane and visit some more orphanages then back to teach day two at the seminary.

Haiti Day One

It was about 95 degrees when we got off the plane in Port Au Prince yesterday. A couple of changes were very evident as we flew in. I did not see as many tents from the air as I saw the first time and I saw several but not many new tin roofs and brightly painted houses.

To increase our chaos at the airport the plane did not have any immigration forms so that sent everypne scrambling for the forms when we landed fortunately we had help with Karen in a wheelchair who got us the forms, put us at the front of the immigration line and went and got our bags. We were zipped through customs and then the fun began with everyone trying to help us for tips. All the way along we kept looking for Patrick who was supposed to meet us at the airport. Finally he came out got packed up and headed out to Wall's our Guest House.

I do not know if it was because it was late in the afternoon or what but traffic did not seem that bad as we made the way to Wall's. I noticed a lot of the rubble which was everywhere in May was gone. One person had even build a fence of the rubble which I thought was quite ingenious as a cost saving measure. But there still were a lot of tents around which I did not see from the air. Which says the need is still great.

Once we got unloaded and check into our room it was time for dinner, which was very good (once again the hospitality and the food can not be beat for the price) which was spaghetti with vienna sausages, salad with some banana rum cake for dessert.

One of the most enjoyable things I love about Walls is the mix of people you meet when you stay there. There was a young lady who was trying to get her papers sorted out for an adoption of a child. She went to the embassy who were supposed to have her papers and they no record of her child. Today she is going another agency and she fears she is in for a long day. She is afraid she will have to go to the US Embassy because her child came through the US but being Canadian. She has no pull.

Then there were some guys from the states one who was from Wichita who spotted my Royals Shirt.

Today we meet with the board at CONASPEH and visit an orphanage and I teach a class which should be an experience, but I am looking forward to it.