October Haiti Trip, Day 3

Prayer Partner of the Day - Carl & Marilyn Jones


This morning, promptly at 5:00am, the bell rang for morning prayers. I had slept so peacefully, it was hard to awake and start the day. Thankfully, the shower was extra icy cold, and my blood began moving quickly! Breakfast was served just for me and Brothers Duyon and Jean Charles, the new fella. In the previous months, they had gotten their distillery up and running, and the brothers convinced me I should walk up the hill to sample the liquor. Thus before 9:00am, I was throwing back shots! What a way to start the day! (In all honesty, I could only handle a small sip of each, as it was VERY strong!)

The view from Jardin Sur Mer

The morning was beautiful and cool, and in memory of my wonderful friend, Chuck, I pulled the chair under the mango tree and spent the rest of the morning reading. Around 11:00am, Olizard came running and told me to hurry, hurry, hurry! We left quickly to meet the team in Leogane at Roody Joseph's place. While I was sad to leave the Brothers and the comforts of the monastery, I was ready to get the week's projects started.

The team, though I had never met but one of them, greeted me warmly. Valdes and Lucson were familiar faces, of course, and one by one, the team introduced themselves. This team was built from a variety of places and churches, all bringing along their own skills and expertise. It is a large team, but already, they seemed in sync. It was quite weird not having Ancy among the group, but he is in Arkansas with Haiti Education Foundation.

Jerry Goode and I were crammed into the front seat of the Kia with Lucson. Again, it was weird for Ancy not to be driving, but thankfully Lucson was a great driver. The road from Leogane to Les Cayes is surprisingly good and mostly smooth. Once we passed Petit Goave, I was in unchartered territory, as I had never been farther down the coast. The closer we came to Les Cayes, the more beautiful it became. We arrived at Jardin Sur Mer in under three hours. It is rather luxurious, which is a bit odd for me. This has sent me into a flurry of thinking... Should you be uncomfortable on a mission trip? Living in the conditions of the people you are serving? Is suffering a part of mission? These are questions I began to ponder throughout the day and night, and still have not come up with a solid answer. While I am thankful to be staying in a nice room with a comfortable bed, it simply does not feel right.

While pondering this internally, we were able to unload and begin organizing our parts and systems. Teams were formed, and Carla & I drew the banners and thought through our lessons and teaching. We had a late lunch of spaghetti and a very nice dinner. The rain has moved in tonight, and we are hopeful to be able to access the second site in Le Hatte if the river is not too high.

Of note, my roomies, Carla & Amy, are simply delightful, and we had a long discussion in our room on mission and suffering. It leaves me with much to ponder, much to be thankful for, and excitement and anticipation of beginning our work. Today, Carl & Marilyn's prayers summoned God to bring us through safe traveling and team bonding. How lucky we were to have them praying for us!