The time has come for us to leave our friends once again. As is always the case, I feel conflicted about leaving. This trip, more than any before, has bonded our friendships as lafanmi (family). We have painted the walls and windows of a church, helped 'Ma Pas' (Sydney's nickname, short for Madame Pastor) with the children's feeding program for the children at the tent city at Beaudoin, visited an orphanage, met with the church ladies, and given English tutoring to interested people in the church. (They also tried to teach us a bit of Creole...mostly we made them laugh.).  We also attended church services both on Sunday and Wednesday at the Lutheran church. Marky and Sydney Kessa are blessed in ways that cannot be numbered. With a grace that knows no bounds. With a faith that reaches out and actually winds its arms around your middle and holds you tight. They are also burdened serving a country that has so much broken you have to reorient everything you have come to know and value.

The enormous need in Haiti is hard to explain to someone that has not seen for themselves. After three trips here, as well as reading the book "When helping Hurts", I do not believe that it is the role of Americans to fix the problems here. It is up to the Haitian people.

But all is not well here.

They need a leg up. Why did we 'win' in the lottery of life, and why did they 'lose'? What makes you or I any better then any of them? Last year, we left with more questions than answers. This year we leave with a sense of alignment and purpose. We were sent to tell their story. To help spread the word: Haiti needs us. And I think, we need them too. To remind us not to take water pressure for granted, (Hey, just for instance....) or adequate pest control (ok, that WAS a stab at Pastor....). In truth - We need them to take us by the throat and force us to look poverty, hunger, and hopelessness in the eye, and join with them to do something about it.  This week I have observed that they instead choose to take us by the hand, as they are prone to do with each other, and share a little of their heart, a little of their hurt, and a little of their struggle.

 You know what I see?  From children who live in the dirt, I see people who need to know they have a friend, a hand to hold, a hand that will always be there.
They need to see that we are lafanmi in God's eyes, and together we can live and grow together in faith and love.

Visit Trinity Lutheran Church in Urbana on Facebook to learn about the opportunities to help support our family in Haiti....

On Monday evening we met with he ladies of the Lutheran Church of Jacmel. Not a one of us knew what to expect. Or whether any Haitian woman would even show up to meet with little 'ol us...  We were delighted to see 15 (or so) women arrive to sit quietly in the  church benches. Each of them had cleaned, even pressed looking, dresses. We had shown up in our shorts and Tshirts.  We discreetly ran back to the guesthouse to change. In a Herculean miracle, we were shined up with girly skirts in a few moments, and ran with abandon back to the church.  We sat in wooden chairs in a semi circle facing the pews, while more and more women trickled in.  Where do you begin this kind of thing??  We decided to begin by telling them one by one who we are and a brief bit about us. We had a translator, and she patiently translated line by line. This went fairly quickly with few questions. Next the women of Jacmel were up.  Interestingly, while we had gone in an orderly fashion down the row we sat in, the women of Jacmel stepped forward as they were ready, in no particular order, and told us their stories.  While we had done the usual; name, kids, job, etc.....  they told their stories and shared candidly: their struggles, heartbreaks, and joys. It occurred to me that we Americans often don't even share like this among trusted friend circles.  There was much laughter, teasing, and yes, even tears. We became friends on Monday March 18, 2013, and it will be so from this day on.

On Tuesday, ay we did so much! Shopping! Touring Jacmel to visit some of the women from the night before. Walking through the marketplace! the sights, the sounds, the smells! I was on sensory overload, and fascinated.... really, I expected to see a monkey doing tricks just around the next corner.....it was like stepping into an Indiana Jones movie!  We accompanied Sydney Kessa, (Pastor Marky Kessa's wife) to the afternoon feeding program that she runs next to the tent city of Beaudoin (the locations we built homes in 2011).  In excess of 70 children showed up. It is difficult to share feelings of this event. The children bring their own bowl, and pass forward to be filled. Rice, beans, vegetables and meat stewed together fill each bowl, and we passed them along hand to hand in a chain.  This is no orderly event mind you, this is chaos in the rawest order, and yet.....I felt it to be a golden privilege to hand these children, with the beautiful sparkling eyes, and glorious smiles.....food. Food that they sat down with and scooped up with their hand and ate, without dropping a single grain of rice. I noticed many stopped short of finishing their bowl, and shoved it into a waiting book bag, so they could take it home, most likely to share with others in their family...

Today we also visited the orphanage run by Pastor Joseph. 20 or so children live and are schooled there. They sang us songs (in 3 languages) and smiled patiently for our pictures. I am more convinced than ever that angels live among us, as Pastor Joseph and his wife must bind their wings to hide them from view. Brave. Loving. Wow.

We finished this evening at a Lenten Service. When the music began at 6:15 there were only10 or so people in the church (other than us), but at the end when we all rose to join hands in one big circle, the church was barely enough to hold all of us! The singing in this church is the stuff of legend...take heart, at some point the good Pastor Marky will visit Urbana...and we should be ready to hold our end of the rope....

Oh, and the guys painted today.....remind me to tell you about that.... :-).  Stay tuned, there's more to come!

Love to you all -

Bonswa (Good Afternoon in Creole)!

We are in Jacmel for our third visit!  The drive from Port au Prince was lengthy, due to several accidents on the road, one of which involved a dump truck on its side, and an oxen cart with only half of the 4 animals alive.  Certainly something different than the usual route we travel each day!  This journey has been absolutely amazing in that we have met up with so many of the people we befriended on our last visits.  After arriving on Saturday we took a long walk to the building site we were at the first year.  We ran into Douge, a young man we met that first year, immediately.  From there word has spread that we are back, and we continue to receive visits from the various children we know, and are deleted to see how they have grown! Many of them seem to be in better schools and have some command of the English language, which was not the case before.

We ran a session of VBS yesterday, and expected around 50 kids. 108 showed up.  Despite significant communication problems we managed to communicate 'in song'.  We would first sing the song in English, and the kids would then sing the song in Creole.  Pastor Marky's wife Sydney, translated the story of Jesus walking on the water, and then we played several games, some of which got a little unruly and loud, all of which you will see in pictures.

Our Pastor did the preaching at yesterday's church service, and Pastor Marky translated. It was really something, the both of them working in tandem to deliver each phrase in rhythm. We were, as always, captivated by the music, singing, and especially the faces of the children. They also seem fascinated by our presence among them.

We visited two beginning churches today, to take pictures, talk with the Pastors, and get notes for someone to write a story of the church and the hurdles it faces.  We believe the role of messenger is one that we have been sent here to play.

• In a short while we will visit with the ladies of the church.....

Stay tuned!