We had a GREAT last Sunday in Haiti together! We left for church at 9 am and didn't get home from church until 2, but we had an excellent trip! We took two students and a fellow staff member to visit the church of another two students. The church/school was robbed almost 2 weeks ago, and we wanted to be an encouragement to these pastors! However, the church was REALLY far away! We drove and drove way out into the countryside, the road becoming more and more narrow and less and less flat as we went.
(rice fields and the Citadel)We really enjoyed this time in the car with our students, and arrived to find the church actually a school, and the service being held in one of the classrooms. We sat on wood children's benches with about 50 or 60 Haitian brothers and sisters. It was a wonderful service, and the associate pastor, one of our third year students, preached. Petit, the senior pastor and a second year student, then showed us around the area, and sent us all off with 5 cold drinks and 5 packs of cookies (we have NO idea where he found cold drinks, but it was PERFECT after the 2 hour service!)
I was especially blessed to meet Petit's wife and son...he was one of my students every day last year, and to finally meet his family was a huge blessing.
We left the church, with the cab still full and now the back full with Petit's grandmother and several other older ladies and young children, dropping them off along the way. We then dropped off one of our first year students after seeing where he lives, and a moment later stopped at Giselaine's house (the administrative secretary) at the Seminary, so that we could meet her mother and bring her back to campus for another week.
The conversation and worship and preaching and time together was all truly wonderful, as was being truly "out" in Haiti.
Matt and I had also committed to having Thanksgiving together, so once we got home and had rested for a few minutes, we set out roasting a chicken, making mashed potatoes and stuffing and a pumpkin pie! Everything was SO GOOD, and most of all it was nice to do something special and different together before I head out in the morning.
God has truly blessed us with some wonderful friends and wonderful experiences here...we are constantly touched by our brother and sisters, and sincerely ENJOY opportunities to spend good time with them and chances to be an encouragement to them...all the while being encouraged! God has truly given us a ministry here that is not just something we believe to be vital, but also something we really enjoy!
While everyone agrees that at 35 weeks pregnant, it is time to go, I must admit to feeling a bit sad to be leaving for the next 8 weeks or so!
(an abandoned market)
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