Another Weekend

Another fun weekend in Haiti has passed and I am winding down getting ready to get some sleep and start another work week. Before I head to bed though I wanted to recap what happened this weekend....I feel like so much happens here and if I don't write it down the day it happens then I forget a lot of the little things. Saturday I broke out Chris's guitars. One of them had very old strings on it that had rusted and didn't sound very good anymore. I brought a set of strings with me, so I changed the stings and also filed the bridge down to lower the action (get the strings closer to the frets/neck) so it is easier to play. This should give me something to play now.

We also celebrated Leslie's birthday on Saturday.....even though it is actually tomorrow. We had a lot of people stop by the house and say hi. Some stayed and we grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and had cheesecake for desert.

Chris and Leslie

Some people at the party had never picked mangoes before, so Chris sent them to the top of the dorm building with the mango stick and let them loose. It was pretty funny watching them try to get mangoes to fall in the basket.

Mango Mission

One of Chris and Leslie's friends, Dennis, stopped by and took people out on his sail boat for about an hour. There was a storm approaching and the winds were great for sailing. After everyone left the party, the storm blew in and we sat on the porch and watched the rain and lightning.

Start of the Storm

Today we had our biweekly missionary meeting. It was my first one since I've been here. It was just Chris, Leslie, me, and six people from the orphanage down the road. I guess a lot of the missionaries in the area have gone home or are on vacation. It was good though. Chris played the guitar and then we did a short time of reflecting on what we have been dealing in Haiti and how to regain a healthy perspective and strength from God. After that Joel was noticing that the sore on his leg was oozing puss. Everyone was intrigued and it was decided that it should be squeezed to remove whatever was inside. A good deal of material was removed....and we're still not sure what exactly the sore is from. Joel said that it felt like something stung him and then his leg was really achy, but that it had been feeling better. Well, hopefully getting that stuff out will help it heal even faster.

Joel Getting Looked At

The Sore

Tonight Chris, Leslie, Olivia, and I went to visit some friends, Dave and Judy , that live close to Pierre Payen. I would give you the name of the town, but I have no idea how to spell it....that happens a lot for me. They own a very nice home with an amazing garden. It was very relaxing to stay there for a little while and have tea and pie. While we were talking, mangoes would fall from the tree every few minutes and Chris would go collect them. He ate quite a few while were there and then brought back about a dozen or so. The variety they have is one that Chris and Leslie don't have on their property, so Chris likes to take some home when he gets a chance.

Dave and Judy's Back Yard

Dock Where We Had Tea

Overcast Night, But No Rain

On the way back there were a lot of people out and the city power had been turned on. Leslie said that was because the Haitian national soccer team had a match today in Port-au-Prince. Everyone here loves to watch soccer if they can find a TV to crowd around and apparently if they don't get to watch the game because there is no power, they tend to start riots. I road in the back of the truck since the cab will only fit Olivia's car seat and two other people....I don't mind though...it's something you never get to do in the States. I took a little video of the ride.

Now we are back home and getting ready for bed. Chris and I are heading to Port-au-Prince tomorrow with a load of filters to distribute at a prison. We are waking up at 5:00 am to head out early so we can beat the traffic in Port-au-Prince. Well, I'm sure I'll have some more to write about after tomorrow....I've only been in Port one day, but it seems like there is always going to be something unexpected that happens when you are in that city.