Haiti Trip ~ Day 6 ~ Friday, March 11

Morning prayer at the La Voute Catholic Church

Prayer Partner of the Day: Barb Black

There is only one word for today... JOY! Remember that song... I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart to stay... That's how I feel today!

After a beautiful morning of worship and prayer at the local church, we taught our first health & hygiene class for the adults in this first community. Afterall, if they don't know how to use clean water, there's no sense in us installing a system. Even though all of my supplies are in Arcahaie still, Ancy & I adhered to the motto of "creativity and flexibility". It was wonderful! The class was engaged, they understood, and they passed a test at the end! The school teachers that were present invited us into their classrooms afterwards & we taught two classrooms full of children!! It was so beautiful! The kids were precious and they were so excited! They sang for us at the end... I was truly humbled and blessed. Oh yeah, and the first system has been installed & the operators have been trained!! One down, four to go!

Don't they look excited?! :)

Teaching Class

Ancy's phone has been ringing nonstop! :) We've heard from Valdes, Charles, Father Irnel & just now Pastor Evens called. I cannot wait to see him and go to Blanket! Father Irnel will visit us on Tuesday! Oh it really is like a family reunion!! I cannot keep from smiling! The holy spirit is alive and active in Haiti, for sure!

Barb, you were prayed for this morning at mass. Yes, they've got me attending mass at the catholic church every morning. They even gave me a rosary. I'm trying to absorb the information, as I'm sure these experiences will come in handy at school!

ACC tournament started yesterday, and thanks to a great husband and a wonderful friend, I was given score updates! I do love you all! Go Tar Heels!

Today is also the birthday of three very special people in my life! Joel Hagstrom, Brianna Hogan, and Sam Medvene. These are three wonderful HUMC kiddos, and they have been in my thoughts all day.

Happy birthday, Joel!

Joel and I had a special relationship from the moment we met. You can read about him in a previous blog post Upward Basketball. He has been my prayer partner on multiple occasions for other mission trips, and I absolutely adore him! Happy birthday, Joel!

Brianna with Keegan

Brianna has a smile that immediately makes me smile! I was so happy to spend time with her and her family while they were in San Diego! You can read about that visit also in a previous post San Diego. She is truly a leader in every sense of the word, and I am so proud of her! Happy Birthday, Brianna!

Sam is my partner in crime. I am privileged to call him one of my closest friends, even though we are many years apart in age. He's come with me on two Haiti trips, and I miss him so much on this trip. I miss his encouragement and his energy, and I miss his love for Haiti. It's not the same without him, so Ancy & I are sending huge hugs for Sam's 18th birthday! Happy Birthday, Sam!

Sam, in the middle, with Tim & me

I love each of you so much! Happy Birthday from Haiti!