Bonswa (good evening) from Haiti!
We spent a lovely Sunday here, beginning with a church service at 8 this morning. In a brand new building, complete with benches, concrete floor, and a decorated altar. Jacmel has done much construction in the year since we have been here. Nealy 600 people at the service this morning! The beauty of the people in their singing and praise once again stunned each of us. Pastor Marky Kessa is a charismatic presence for these people, and even listening to him in Creole is an inspiring experience. At one point, Mark Boudreau leaned over to me and whispered, "I could sit here all day". In some unexplainable way, the mood of this place and it's people welcomes you right through the heart. I couldn't help but agree with him. In fact, a dove flew right through the sanctuary during the service...
After the church service we walked back to the guest house that the congregation and Lutheran Church Charities is building - it is fantastic! They hope to dedicate it on January 14th, so we barely missed getting to stay there. Maybe next year... We then went to see the worksite where we built homes on our visit last year. They have 16 homes on the site completed, and 19 apartments. We walked through the very walls that we built...(and they were still standing - ha). It felt both humbling and satisfying that we have been a part of the recovery for these people. They continue to welcome us with open arms at every turn.
At church, one of the boys that worked with us last year, 15 yr old Antonio came up to Megan and immediately they recognized each other - hugs all around. He remembered us! Again, it felt so good to be remembered as a part of his life. These people all meant so much to us, and we really never knew IF they would remember us or if we would be just another worker team from the United States to them. It is affirming that lasting memories remained. Also at the building site, Jean Baptiste Stephenson, the student that the Roegge family sponsors appeared out of nowhere! You should have been the beaming faces of Chris and Megan as they hugged him as their long-lost brother/son. He also met Erin for the first time. A truly heartwarming reunion!
Food at the Isaiah 61 house has been good (although the Williams 'boys' would surely starve...) most meals include rice and beans as a staple. We spent the afternoon free here at the house, then back to the church and the youth service at 4. What an entertaining couple of hours! The youth of the church put on a variety show of sorts, singing, dancing, and skits. You'll see pictures of several Lutherans you may know up front dancing on the TLC website (will try to post here later). After the service we went down the street in Jacmel to a restaurant for dinner. We had fried chicken, rice/beans, veggies, and fried plaintains. (see Mark, you would've liked ONE thing on the menu...) There was a sort of New Year Party in the street going on, but we moved on after dinner and walked a mile of so home to the Isaiah House. We did get some immersion to the local scene doing this, turns out this trip is feeling nothing like the last one. Good for them to be unique experiences, which makes them difficult to compare. After dinner we gathered in the common area and ended up playing a charades type of game called "Celebrity". Suffice it to say that Pastor Strom made me cry on this trip.... I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. Need to sign off for tonight. Thanks for prayers everyone. We are safe, sound, and ready to get to work in Jacmel.
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