The local roosters have a great sense of humor
The local roosters have a great sense of humor – they begin their “wave” song at 4am and continue until the household is fully active! Thus each of our days begin. Guerschon led us in morning devotions based on Isaiah “In the year that King Uzziah died...” framing the question of how a people react to the death of a beloved king vis a vis how the people of Haiti respond to the deaths of loved ones. Barbara and Ginny tried carrying water jugs on their heads, which amused the local women immensely.
The team arrived at the work site of the destroyed Fond Dueze Methodist Church to join the workers in rebuilding their church. They were using stones salvaged from the old building, and placing them with precision and love as a foundation for a new and larger building. “How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord!”
The children of Fond Dueze were eager to greet us and play. It was a challenge for us to care for so many children without a lot of supplies, but they were so delightful and trusting immediately. One precocious little girl attached herself to many of us and really stole our hearts.
The work line became a bucket line for passing cement to the workers to secure the masterfully placed rocks. We nick-named them Mercy Buckets! (Our French language skills are improving in spite of themselves.) And the church is being built right before our eyes. We all feel the privilege of working to build the church, both physically and spiritually.
Pastor Maude, our host at the Guest House, and superintendent of this district, is a real gem. She is patient, resourceful, and lovely to be with. She is a graduate of the seminary in Jamaica, and very proud of her studies. “She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
We also feel the intensity of the heat and humidity. We drink water by the gallons; even so, some among us feel the pangs of heat exhaustion. With a hand injury of one of our members, we experience the level of medical care and the devotion of the international community in providing free care for our brothers and sisters trying to get back on their feet. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is evident all over and it will be a long time before people feel safe. Yet the spirit of the people is wonderfully hopeful. They laugh easily. The youth plan for a future. Flowers bloom across collapsed buildings, and the thunderstorms bring needed rain to cleanse the earth. One particularly poignant scene is looking across an entire village block to see the many colors of the Caribbean Sea with the purple mountains across the bay. The pain of loss is before our eyes, yet when we lift our eyes we see beauty and hope “I life my eyes to the hills; from where does my help come?”
Our showers have gone to bucket baths as the water pump is not functioning, but the cool water cascading over our hot bodies is welcome. We sleep well and praise God for a full day of sharing with God's beloved children here on this island jewel of Haiti. It shall forever be in our hearts! Bon nuit!
Ginny
