Praise and Plywood

Sunday Morning, Day of Rest here in Haiti, and by rest we mean it was a non-stop day. We woke up bright and early to the sound of roosters to eat breakfast at 6:30 and prepare for church. After breakfast we all loaded up into the Gwo Camion (truck) and traveled to The Village of Hope for morning worship. Debbie needed to meet with 13 university students prior to worship. We had the privilege of meeting these kids, some of whom were studying to be nurses, doctors, and computer/science engineers. While Debbie finished the meeting with the kids we roamed around the property, some reminiscing about previous projects they had accomplished.

About 40 kids showed up for worship at 10, all very curious about the vistors. Church consisted of three Bible passages, a message by Jorelle, and lots of songs. The team was asked to sing a few songs. We decided to sing "Father Welcomes" and "They hung him on a Cross"-- a preschool favorite. Judy's flute playing and Pastor Keith's guitar skills lightened up the sactuary with clapping and singing along.

At the end of the service, Katie and Abby handed out home-made bracelets that had various Christian words on them. The kids loved them and some insisted on having more. Thank you Hulupnik family for taking the time to make those!

After the service we ate lunch at a very nice restaurant located oustide of Port-au-Prince. Food was great!

On our way to and from lunch we witnessed the effects of the earthquake. Traveling further into the city we saw more damage. Also, we witnessed some of the relief effort. Large organized tent cities with latrines, water and rows upon rows of tents. Unfortunately, we also saw numerous very unorganized tent cities, showing that much more work is yet to be done.

We then headed back to Hope House to rest a bit before doing more work around the house. The men transported plywood and boards to a new location and prepared for the construction of new desks for the Village of Hope School. The women continued what seems like endless organization of materials that were donated for distribution.

During all this work, our trantula stories continue. We found yet another trantula (outside thankfully) even bigger yet than the last two. We are a bit worried to find out how big the spider will be by Thursday...

The day ended with a wonderful dinner and devotions. Can't wait to see what's in store for us tomorrow!