Days 4 & 5 (9/18 – 9/19)

We had 2 UMVIM teams arrive Saturday – one from Kansas and one from Ohio – and sent one on their way to Petit Goave early Sunday morning. The other team will be staying at the Guest House and working at a local school and church. We then had a team return from their job site in Hinche and home Monday. Monday a team returned from Mellier and another team arrived from Louisiana. So, Monday night we had 3 teams staying at the Guest House. As you can imagine it gets rather hectic at times. And although it’s not part of my job, they consider me part of the staff and have lots of questions and/or experiences to share. It’s fun to share in their excitement.

Even with people coming and going, Sunday was a relaxing day. I got up and had breakfast with the team that was going to Petit Goave. Then John Alcorn, the UMVIM Financial Coordinator in Haiti and I walked across the complex to the Methodist church on campus for the service. There were about 350 people in church, about ½ of them children and of course, the service was all in Haitian Creole. Despite the language barrier, it was a joyful experience to share this with people who are so open and exuberant in their faith. I worked for a few hours after church and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening visiting with the team members.

Monday was a much busier day with 3 teams on site. Because of the increased work load on the staff, I was unable to start the interview process with the potential home owners. But, what the heck, we’re on Haitian time. I’ll do it tomorrow. I did discover a new taste treat. Kanips (sp?) – A walnut sized, green berry that grows on a tree in front of the Guest House. One of the Haitians climbed high up into the tree and was breaking off bunches of them and tossing them down. Everyone seemed to be excited about them so I had to try one. You break the soft shell with your teeth and suck the juice out, then put the round pit in your mouth and eat the soft pulp from around it. It has a sweet and sour taste – kind of like a sour ball candy. (See Slideshow 3}

A friend sent me a prayer that will probably be my mantra in Haiti “Lord keep Your arm on my shoulder and Your hand over my mouth.”