Today is Sunday and that means it was off to church in the morning. For those of you in the US that start to get uncomfortable when the service runs over by 10 or 15 minutes, then I recommend you don't attend a Haitian service. Today's was about 3 and 1/2 hours.
Now don't get me wrong, that does not mean that it was boring and we were all falling asleep. There were some great choirs including a group of young men that sang two songs about faith. The sermon was given by Pastor Ronel and spoke to how with God's grace we can live the right life even if we have made mistakes in the past. At the end of the service Pastor Ronel asked people to come up that we're ready to ask for forgiveness and strive to live right. About 30 to 40 mostly young people came up on their knees and were prayed over. Very powerful and moving.
Outside the Church, actually before the service, we spent some time meeting the local community. One of our group brought a Polaroid camera which was a great idea. She was able to take photos of the kids and some adults and then give the photos to them. It was great seeing their expressions when they first saw their image appear. There are not a lot of mirrors in Haiti and many of these kids, while they have seen digital images or themselves, have not had a photograph of themselves. Polaroid camera ... again, what a great idea.
After lunch, a delicious mixture of peanut butter and jelly along with chips and cookies, we walked to the near by orphanage for a quick visit. We brought balls, frisbees, and bubbles, but I think what most captivated the children was the singing and guitar playing. Even with the language barriers the kids were able to join in on the chorus.
Not only were the kids that were crowded around the guitar singing and dancing, but so were the kids playing the other games. As they were throwing things they would stop every now and again and sing and dance where they were. It was a good end for the day and I am very grateful for the singing talent in this group, of which I have none.
We will see what tomorrow brings as we start the day with a trip to the supply store to shop for chicken farm supplies. How hard can it be to build a box around a bird ....
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