It is Sunday morning and we are alone in our house for the first time since January 22nd. We totally enjoyed Joel and saw him off yesterday morning for Port Au Prince. He is flying home to New Brunswick on Tuesday.
Chris and Kathleen came back yesterday. We expected them in the early afternoon, since Cory had to shop for groceries after they flew in to Cap Haitian. Trips in Haiti are rarely normal, and theirs was definitely one to remember. They landed in Cap Haitian on time, went out for lunch and then grocery shopping. So far, everything is on schedule. About halfway home, the highway was closed ahead. There had been a feeding station by the road - giving out rice and other foods to the local people. A young man tried to run in and grab a 50 lb. bag of rice - when a policeman shot and killed him. The only road between Cap Haitian and Port Au Prince was closed for several hours. It was very hot yesterday.
When we heard about this via cell phone, we began praying for their safety and that they would have enough water with them to keep hydrated. They were able to get out of the truck and stay in the shade and were safe with a UN vehicle close behind them. When they finally got on their way and just a few miles from home, a man jumped on the back of the pickup like he was going to get a free ride. Instead he grabbed a suitcase out of the back of the truck and some men on a motorcycle picked him up, turned around and went the other way. It all happened very fast. The really bad part, was that the suitcase had antibiotics and other medical supplies inside. It is a very big loss! Instances like this are so hard for us to understand. But we have to remember that God is in control, and as we praise Him, all things work together for our good and His glory.
Monday morning: As I sit at our dining room table - I can see hundreds of children playing and waiting for school to start this morning. They look so sweet in their matching uniforms. They have only had school a few days since the earthquake, and I know that they were very bored waiting for life to resume again. It seems like a long time to be off of school, but the leaders were very concerned about another earthquake and didn’t want to put these children in danger.
It looks like this is going to be a slow week for us with not much to write about. It is very hot, and with no teams here life has slowed down. We do have 10 or 11 people for Compassion International coming to stay with us the last few days we are in country. They are coming for a conference at the school on the compound arriving next Monday - March 22nd. We are in the process of getting sets of sheets and towels together for each of them.
We leave for the states on March 25th. I’ve started to pack those things that we will not be using anymore and am getting anxious to go home. Any groceries we leave will just be transferred to Kris and Cory’s house, so that is not a problem. It is hard to believe that our time here is almost finished. We have learned that to follow Jesus does not necessarily mean that we do the big or outstanding, whether we fix the generator or make tortillas for the teams. He just wants us to be open to His leading each day. That is our prayer as we begin each day - “Show us what you would have us do today”. The choices are so limited here, that it is much easier to follow Him. None of us are probably aware of the lives we touch just by our witness, or the love and compassion that we show others. Every person that comes to help or serve in Haiti has felt the call of the Lord - so witnessing of our love for God is very easy. It is much harder sharing that love at home with non-believers. This time here has been a gift to us - a place with few distractions, filled with beauty, and teams of people coming in and out that are sold out to Jesus. We’ve also gotten to appreciate the Haitian people: for their ability to praise the Lord in the midst of such great grief, their sharing with others when they have so little, and their gracious acceptance of us in their lives.
May the week ahead be as peaceful as ours “looks.” One never knows what the next minute will bring. May God bless you as you walk with Him.