We have been home from Haiti two days and thank you for your prayers; I know they sustained us. It was hot, sticky, dirty, full of emotions, beautiful and wonderful. I love each person who came to serve and am so proud of their willingness to sweat together, eat strange foods, and laugh at ourselves . I think they all fell in love with the people of Haiti.
New chalkboards, school books, uniforms, a huge meal each day for the children all brought such joy. This is your doing and I thank each one of you for the lives you are touching. We took more pictures of kids with the hope of adding sponsors. One of our team members works for a dentist and we translated a song about brushing teeth into Creole, put fluoride on about 200 kid’s teeth, and taught them how to brush well. I have been singing that song in my sleep… “Map chache Colgate, Map chache brows” . It really was moving to see how much has been accomplished with your help in less than six months.
Five of the team hiked 10 hours up into the mountain village of Kawo, leaving at 4 AM. After crossing streams and climbing over rocky trails they arrived tired, but ready to go to work taking pictures. They slept in a small Haitian house (well, some did), coffee in the morning, more picture taking, then back down the trail, dreaming about Mac and Cheese when they arrived.
I have known Pastor Louinet for 18 years and am continually amazed at his heart. He is the pastor of two churches – Nawo and Kawo, also heading up both schools. He works tirelessly. I discovered that he has a church service in Dessalines every Sunday morning at 4 AM, then walks out to Nawo and has another service at 8 AM. He walks up into the mountains to Kawo once a month, preaching in the church and checking on the school. He has people coming to him constantly in need. Yesterday he called me and a dear friend of his had just died. Emile was a man of God, had great vision for the children of Nawo and Kawo, and had given land for a new church and school to be built. Please pray for Pastor Louinet in his loss of a dear friend. Also pray that the Lord will give him great wisdom as he oversees so much.
Going to Haiti is always a reality check for me. The people become friends, not just a sea of dark faces. They talk with us and laugh with us. We play with their kids and pray with them. It is a privilege to be have the resources to help those in such need. “Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely” Ps. 112:5. Thank you again for your support and gifts to our friends in Haiti. May you be blessed.