HAITI 2012

The Haiti experience has been an eye opener.  When we entered customs at the Haiti airport several uniformed people looked us over silently.  We moved thru customs with our passports.  Pastor Voltaire was there to greet us.  When walking to load our

Baggage a couple of guys attempted to grab a couple of our bags.  That didn’t fly..

We quickly stopped that.  Upon all of us getting in a large van we began to travel along the waterfront of Haiti.  The shops, streets, liter and smell were all different.

As we motored thru the city I noticed plenty of motorcycles, small trucks with front end guards, exotic painted buses and wheelbarrows.  Sever al people were walking on the side of the streets.  When we passed over the river it was amazing how polluted and trash filled the river was.  Haiti’s  smells made me a  little queasy as we arrived at the Pastor’s house.  The entire upstairs was ours with a kitchen, bathroom and 4 rooms with multiple bunkbeds.

We ate dinner downstairs around a very long table.  12 of us exchanged as we passed the food around the table.

Later that night we began to plan our vacation bible school.  We retired to the beds

Hot air hovered over us   luckily we had a fan.

Sunday morning we went to Pastor Voltaire’s church.  We were ushered to the front with all eyes on us.  Going off to the left front we entered the Pastor’s air conditioned office.  That was nice.  The elders greeted us.  Soon we sat in the front chairs as guests.  Gary Gilmore would deliver the message thru an interpretor after hearing announcements and a great choir

After the service we hung out and  shook hands with many of the congregation.  We rode home in the back of a pickup.  Riding in the back of the pickup reminded me of the farm.  We used to ride in the back often.  Its funny because the dinner table also reminded me of meals on the farm.

We continued to plan for VBS  cutting and planning –making schedules and pumping up balls.

We slept pretty well.  We ate breakfast around the long table downstairs.  We rushed to VBS in the back of a truck checking out a typical Monday in Caphaitian.

Buses, wheelbarrows, trucks, venders, shops, workers and more competed with us on the road.  Going about 2 miles we arrived at a large complex with iron doors.

We drove in and saw some of our students.

About a half an hour later we experienced the Haitian Children.  They were curious.  They touched our hair, held our hands and smiled at us.  Although there was a language barrior our touch transmitted the love of Jesus.  By the end of singing, praying, playing games and doing crafts we had won the hearts of the Haitian children.

The names were different but we had interpreters.  Our warm and guanine care for them was extremely evident.  They warmed up to us greatly.

The next 3 days we continued to love on the Haitian children.  The schedule did not always turn out the way we planned it but our flexibility, enthusiasm and spirit driven love captured the hearts of the children.  We bonded with them and laughed with them.

Given the reaction of the kids I think VBS WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL !

TOM PIERSON