wednesday- Wednesday included lots of the same things as my last post and at this point I can hardly distinguish my days. We went to a few more schools around the area, sat in the morning devos of one and taught english at another. Something different happened in me that day though. We were at the first school where one of the children I have made friends with in town attends. His name is Watson. He speaks pretty good english and is very mature and sweet. He rides his bike up to our gate and we go outside and play with him on the beach. But anyways, I was walking around his school with the principal looking at the makeshift building they have created. Without thinking I asked the principal, "do they eat lunch here or go home?" He just looked at me. Finally he said, "They dont.They dont eat lunch. Why do you think they are all so tired with their heads down on their desk? They are starving." I lost it. I had been in Haiti for exactly 3 weeks at this point. I had seen a lot of poverty but this was the straw. I cried the whole way to our next school. It is not just that these children are just starving physically, its that this nation is starving spiritually. We will get into that more later but I say it now because that day, that moment was a very defining day for me.
thursday- Thursday, same thing. More english and sitting in on a TGJ class. For those of you unfamiliar with this OCC acronym, TGJ (The Greatest Journey) is the book and lesson children get after receiving a shoebox through Operation Christmas Child- 12 weeks on Jesus etc. I think thats all I did, I cant really remember.
friday- I went to greta that day, worked in the office, played with the kiddies, cut out and laminated like a million little reward dollar things for their new behavior system, spent the whole day saying "li sho, pa touche...."- its hot, dont touch- because when children see something they shouldnt touch they usually want to touch it. Friday night my friend and I made banana bread. He makes banana bread like once a week- and brownies, this week he made brownies. Its so great.
saturday- I woke up, had coffee time on my friends porch swing with like 7 of us, ate the banana bread and watched the ocean. After that I spent the afternoon studying my creole with a few others which is going very well. Its seriously the easiest language. Our pastor has given me 3 months, so 2 now, to be fluent. We will see what happens. Then we went swimming, played on the beach and I think thats it.
sunday- What a day. Sunday was my first time going to a haitian church. This was...something else. I went to a church called Haiti Arise, its in a neighboring city called Gran Guave. The pastor is Haitian and his wife is American so it has a bit of a familiar feel. We walk in and the first thing I notice is that the walls and ceiling are decorated with big red hats. I am not sure why but each corner and post had a big red hat, so there were like 20, complete with purple ribbons hanging from them. Worship started and I loved it. Haitians love to sing. Whether they can or not they all sing at the top of their lungs. And they love to dance. Everyone is dancing and singing and I'm just clapping and trying to figure out the words but it didnt matter. These people were worshipping the Lord. Then came the message. It was in creole with a bit here and there translated. Half of the time I couldnt tell if he was preaching or speaking in tongues. I guess its pretty much all tongues to me anyways. During the service, the guy on my row, who I later learned was 22, passed me a note that said in english "are you haitian?" I have no clue how to be sarcastic in creole yet so I wrote back, "no" and pointed to my skin. I am still confused about that one. After church I spent the day at the beach followed by our base church service that night.
see the red hat? right down there on the post?
monday- yesterday I was at greta. Worked, played with the kids, and played with them more. I had my first official creole lesson last night which went really well. M'ap apren anpil.
tuesday- More greta. This little boy below on the left, his name is Jamesley- aka the love of my life. I adore this child. Every day he tells me he is a different age, hugs me relentlessly and without fail has something sticky on his hands that he insists on transferring to mine. You should see his smile. I am smitten.
a few random things:
1. Tomorrow is moving day-I am moving out of the tent!! Woohoo! Never did I think this was a possibility- you have to sign a 1 year contract to live in the bungalows BUT Jesus is Lord. I was told yesterday I am moving into one of the beach huts. Before you picture a literal hut...
DONT. Its actually more like a playhouse, a big playhouse.
But its Haiti so we call it a hut. Its air conditioned, right at the beach and its teal and yellow, my two favorite colors. (The above image is simply an example and is not my actual hut)
2. Today, one of the women went shopping, somehow randomly remembered something I said I missed from home, and found it for me in port-au-prince....I now have a box of CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH. Its the small things people.
3. Sean- here are the goats you asked for. 
I will work on getting a close-up.
4. I know I have been talking about trivial things like cereal and huts but I hope you all know that at the very core of my heart is my confidence in the Lord and my place here. I dont know any of the details yet but "I KNOW whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." (2 Timothy 1:12) God is teaching me a lot. This is so new for me, all of it. Though I feel settled and familiar now, every day is still different, every day I have the choice to wake up and believe the Word of God despite what I see or not believe it. I dont know what I am trying to say except that some days I want to come home and some days I dont. But its the days that I want to leave where I am strengthened, stretched and fortified all the more. Haiti needs Jesus. They dont need clinics, latrines, teachers, money, more NGOs or aid. They need Jesus. You cannot go an inch without seeing that, feeling it and weeping for them. All those things I just listed are simply bridges to get there. What you have to remember each day is that they are only that. We cannot stop there in reaching people. It takes intercession, intentionality, obedience and the power of the Holy Spirit but it is SO doable. Why? Because Jesus wants them. Acts something or another says that it was His PURPOSE for the nations to seek after him. Not his desire, want or wish but HIS PURPOSE. Something he set out and intended on doing. And you know how he does it? US. You me all of us. At Wal- Mart or in Haiti, his purpose is for people to know and seek him. I dont care if I sit at a desk, play with kids, or learn creole just so I can talk to the kitchen lady- thats what God uses. I just have to remember that on days that I dont want to do those things.
I think I am just rambling at this point. Thank you all for praying- keep praying for 1. rain 2. godly leaders to be raised up in Haiti 3. for our staff to grow in their knowledge of God, to become more intimately aquainted with Him and to keep going on days when we just dont want to.
You guys are changing this place by praying for it from afar. It is a team effort and it cant be done without you. Mesi anpil e pase bonwee tut moun.
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