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A Busy Day- Thursday, April 26th

May 01, 2012

As I woke up this morning, my first morning back in the US, to the buzzing of my alarm, I was struck by how quiet it was.  No horns honking, no roosters crowing, no trucks roaring past.  Just that obnoxious alarm clock reminding me that there is a "To Do" list to be tackled, my dog to be fed, and I don't have much time before I have to be up and working- people are expecting me at a certain time.

Last Thursday in Haiti was a full and busy day, but a different sort of busy than my days here.  

We woke early Thursday morning to the sounds of Haiti.  We dressed and got ready for the day as we waited for Ramone to call us in to breakfast.  After breakfast, we gathered for a devotional time before heading to the worksite.  Thank goodness the rain had finally cleared up. Although it was still muddy, especially along the path, Tracy, Judy and myself had to walk to move dirt and rubble from along the church walls up to the shoulder or the road.  

We worked diligently, missing our little helper Jeff while he was in school.  

A little after 10am, we headed back to the school to get ready for a mini VBS time with half of the school children.  We would repeat the activities the next day with the remaining kids.  They loved the songs and stories, snacks and crafts.  My favorite part was watching Judy tell the story of Jesus feeding the crowds with only two fish and five loaves of bread.  She was so annimated; you could tell she'd had a long career working with kids.  Everything that Judy said and did was translated into Creole- along with the appropriate movement and expressions- by Rodney.

Then it was recess and we got to just play- bubbles, frisbees, soccer.  Of course Ben was, as always, a big hit with the kids.  His talent for making awesome funny faces can bridge any gap in language or culture!

After recess and lunch, it was back to work on the job site for the afternoon.  

I'll tell you a secret, now that we're back. ;) 

That afternoon while Tracy was off with the loaded wheelbarrow and Jeff, Rodney and I saw a baby tarantula crawl out of the rubble, right where the snake had emerged a few days before.  "Rodney, Rodney," I said, "Kill it! Quick, before Tracy gets back!" He took his shovel and squished it.  The "baby" tarantula was bigger than any spider I'd ever seen; it's body was about two inches long.  "Is Tracy scared of spiders too?," Rodney asked.  I told him I didn't know but that I didn't really want to find out.  

After returning to the school and our refreshing bucket showers, a few of us walked with Rodney and Leonard up the street to a convenience store- one of the newest and nicest places and the only air conditioned place we encountered the entire trip.  We got something cold to drink and sat in the cool air and talked about Haiti and the challenges the country faces.  It was good to hear from our Haitian friends that UMVIM's model is one that they feel like is doing good and helping the country. 

Dinner, devotion, and some quality time with our new Haitian friends closed out that full and rich day.  

Now that I'm back and about to mark "write blog for Thursday in Haiti" off my busy American "To Do" list, my prayer is that none of us get so wrapped up in our busy schedules that we forget those days in Haiti and what God taught us there and what it felt like to be in community with our Haitian brothers and sisters.  

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Comments

Tracy Livers on May 1, 2012 5:27pm

This is Tracy. For the record, I am not afraid of spiders. Only snakes.

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