It’s a beautiful morning here in Haiti. We are leaving the hotel this morning to head up the mountains to Seguin. While our hotel room smelled strongly of mildew, the sheets seemed clean and we had water for showers.
I’m sitting outside by the ocean. As I listen to the waves, soak up the beauty of the water, and observe what’s in front of me, I’m reminded that we serve an unchanging God. God today, God tomorrow, God He’s always going to be. I so appreciate God’s faithfulness and unchanging character as we are surrounded in life by things that constantly change. I do love the fact that while I don’t know what today will bring forth, I serve a God who’s hand is covering it all!
Pastor Kevin told us yesterday that the van driver had asked the Lord to be his Savior! Apparently this van driver has driven for the Parakaleo team members several times when coming from the airport to Jocmel. The driver has been presented with the Gospel several times, but yesterday he realized that salvation was a gift for him. It’s so exciting to see God at work!
Later today:
We made it to the mission house - praise the Lord! The mission dump truck needed some repairs, so we needed to find a different one. The hotel owner had a small dump truck that he agreed to rent to Parakaleo. The hotel owner drove his own truck up the mountain, dropped off the luggage, people on the truck, and headed back down the mountain. God brought that man along in our lives for a purpose! Because this dump truck was smaller than the mission truck, and we were getting a later start than we wanted, it was decided to not try to bring along a load of sand at this time.
We only had a few motorcycles to start out with this morning. Those that weren’t on motorcycles yet would ride on the dump truck to the town at the base of the mountain. At that town we would get more motorcycles for the rest of the team members. As we started off from the hotel, I was among those riding on the dump truck. The dump truck was full of supplies, people, bags -it was a full truck. I found a spot up on the bags, but a few miles down the road, I felt like my pants were damp. Yeah, I had sat on someone’s backpack and liquid was on my pants...oh well! We passed the people on motorcycles as one of the motorcycles had run out of gas. That’s not good, but better to happen now than later! Pastor Kevin said that we would reach the base of the mountain first, but to please not get out of the dump truck as we would be swarmed by people wanting us to ride on their motorcycle.
This town has a two-way Main Street, but it’s really only one way. It was market day today and the street was flooded with vendors. Trying to get through the street without hitting anything or anyone is a feat not for the faint of heart! After much effort we did get through the market street, and waited for the rest of the team on motorcycles. Pastor Kevin showed up and he found drivers to take us up the mountain. Getting out of the dump truck and getting on the right motorcycle can be a bit of a challenge. I only want to get on one that is authorized to take us up the mountain! I found Faith, and we found the right motorcycle. So there’s three of us on a small motorcycle heading up the mountain without helmets - sounds like a plan! Faith and I were at the back of the pack, so as we took off I turned to look back at the dump truck. Oh no! The driver had accidentally hit the lever to dump the load, and the dump truck was rising up with our stuff, people, and all kinds of stuff! Thankfully, it only took a few seconds to realize what was happening, and the situation was fixed! A bit scary, but all is well.
We arrived up at the mission house around 1:30 pm. That meant that we had plenty of daylight left to figure out medical supplies. Everyone started opening up their bags and taking out what they had brought. It’s a rather interesting scene when fourteen team members start opening bags and pulling supplies out of sleeping bags, from amoungst clothes, and various other places in bags and suitcases. There was a whole bunk bed full of supplies that needed to be organized and sorted for the next few days of clinics. I am happy to help, but I’m not too helpful when it comes to getting that stuff organized. Instead I made beds, helped provide an extra set of hands, and tried to help wherever I could.
I walked outside the mission house to see that the men were busy trying to rig a way to get the generator up on the roof of the mission house. Why’s that? Well, it’s a lot harder to steal if it’s on top of the roof! There method would never be approved back in the states as it consisted of a person on the ladder (my dad), a few pieces of ratty rope, a few people on the roof pulling up, and a few people below pushing up! The rope that they were using was really not in good shape, and I remembered that Travis had tucked rope in my bag before I left. He said maybe it could be used for something. Yes! I found the rope, and it was added to the rope that was already being used. It wasn’t the safe environment, but the generators did make it to the roof! Praise God!
Back to the medical clinic people...they had a problem. After everything was dragged out from everywhere, it became apparent that we were missing some supplies. We were missing blood pressure cuffs, medical thermometers, more medicine-stuff that is a big deal! I could tell that Hannah was about sick over it, and she told me she thought she wa going to throw up. We need these items to do the medical clinic, and where is that stuff? We prayed first and then searched. Nothing! We realized that there was a possibility that the stuff was back down the mountain. We had had a clinic last year down the mountain on a Sunday afternoon, so was it possibly the supplies had been left at the pastor’s house? After we discussed it, we realized that there was a possibility that the bag had been left in Jacmel at the pastor’s house which was a long ways away. We need this bag so it is a huge prayer request that this bag can be found and brought up the mountain by tomorrow morning. Jeremy (one of our Haitian friends) was sent down the mountain via motorcycle to see if he can find this bag. I know what our prayer request is for tonight!
I brought lots of candy and treats. Travis’s class had collected snacks for me to give to the Haitian children. As soon as one treat is handed out, the hands multiply! And just like children back home, they aren’t always honest either. A lot of them look alike, so I’m sure that at least one child had two treats! However, they did go and pick up some flowers. Their faces are so cute!
I’m excited to go to bed tonight, even though this bunk bed reminds me that I’m not eighteen anymore! It was a full day of travel, organizing and preparing for the week. We are going to bed with hearts asking God to allow Jeremy to find that medical bag tonight.
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