"You make beautiful things..."

Day 2 (part 1): (Our days are SO jam-packed... I'm going to divide my blogs for your sake - so you won't have to read for hours on end...)


What a day! Again, our gracious host (Pastor Louis) had a wonderful breakfast prepared for us...

Our breakfast consisted of eggs, sliced cucumbers, bananas,
bread & peanut butter, juice and some of the best coffee
I've ever had!

Jason, Michael & I were tugged on & pulled on & hugged by more kids than we could hold. Jason (ever the sweet, loving Daddy) had 2 small children in his arms & 2 or 3 others hanging on to his shirt or a pocket. They went giddy with excitement when he began playing soccer with them... running across their dusty playground with laughter ringing through the air. 

Jason & the kids playing soccer

The girls seemed so intrigued with my curly hair - & they were dying to comb it & braid it. Almost all of the kids knew the word "foto" & LOVED seeing themselves on our camera screens. They begged us to take just "1 more foto" where they could smile, giggle & ham it up. The real transformation came when all the children gathered in the chapel & Michael pulled out his guitar. No longer shy, they belted out "How Great is Our God" & "Beautiful Things". (On previous trips Michael had taught them to sing these songs in English & Creole! They still knew & remembered them.)

Michael & the kids singing & praising God!

Next stop - Darivage. This is a smaller school & orphanage and calmer / less rambunctious. Although the children were loving & excited to see us, they didn't immediately jump up to see us, but remained at their desks until they got the OK from their teacher. The teachers looked so young, but I was impressed with the work we saw on the chalkboard & in their notebooks.

Although most of the kids seemed eager to sit with us, there was one little boy that sat alone, at the back of the chapel... He had no shoes... Jason quietly knelt by him and tried & tried until he finally coaxed a little smile from him. ...there goes another piece of my heart...

"You make beautiful things. You make beautiful things out of the dust."

Pastor Louis & his lovely wife then proceeded to drive us around to the churches/ schools/ orphanages in their area. We saw Big House, Darivage & Cambry - each unique in their "personality" but teeming with beautiful children & filled with God's love.

Michael with Pastor Louis & his wife

When we walked into the 1st classroom at Big House, the children beamed & began yelling Michael's name. So many of them remembered him from his prior trips. They talked excitedly about the songs he sang with them & playing soccer with him. When Pastor Louis asked the class if anyone remembered the songs Michael had taught them, a few of them (suddenly shy) quietly began singing.


We had allotted 1 1/2 hours at each of the 2 orphanages we were visiting that day, but 2+ hours later it was still so very hard to leave them! That caused us to quickly get off schedule. (That, & everything is done in "Haitian time" so schedules get thrown out the window...)

The kids became less reserved when we all went into the chapel to sing - their sweet voices lifted in song was so touching... I can feel a piece of my heart remaining here.

Our last stop was at Cambry, where we had stayed the previous night. Since we had arrived in the dark, it was difficult to see the scope of this place. But now... in addition to the church, school & orphanage, they have their own water well that is put through an assortment of filters to make (& provide) clean water not just to the kids, but to the community as well. We saw a windmill they had installed to help provide electricity. They also have a medical clinic. It is its own little town... As Pastor Louis took us to each of the classroom to see the children, he was greeted with loud cries of "Bonjou Papi". This familiar, loving term for father showed how much they loved him & how loved they feel here.

One of the classrooms... Pastor Louis is at the front

One last stop before we leave Pastor Louis was to see his church in town. It is HUGE! He told us they regularly have about 1500 in attendance! (& at Easter could go as high as 4000!!!) His services are also televised to reach an even larger audience.

(Our day isn't over yet - I'll blog more tomorrow!)
Renmen ak benediksyon!
~Laura