Mission to Haiti – October 10, 2010
After a 1 day delay caused by Tropical Storm Nicole as it slid up the east coast of Florida and the USA we finally arrived in Haiti on Friday, October 1st with approximately half of the 750 pounds of luggage and our other necessities. The balance arrived this past Tuesday. We were greeted at the airport by a couple of our Haitian friends that we have known for some time, and rather than bringing us immediately to Saccenville we were able to stop and pick up a few groceries and were immediately reminded how expensive food is in Haiti because so much of it is imported. We were also reminded of how hot and humid it is in Haiti. By the time we made it to Saccenville all we wanted to do was find a shower and stand under it, but first we had to unpack several of the containers that made it to Haiti with us so that we could make our bed before we collapsed into it.
Our home away from home, La Ville Auberge
Our first few days have been spent cleaning the house that is our home for the next several months, and shopping for a few more groceries and other things that we could not begin to bring with us. We went to the local church on Sunday, Maranantha, and were blessed by a young Haitian composer who has written a number of spiritual songs and a group of young local women who sang his songs so wonderfully. The message, well it was in Creole, from Romans 12. There have been a few glitches as well. The generator here at the seminary has been causing difficulties for the past month, and the maintenance person responsible for it has been keeping it running on a hope and a prayer. Well, Friday night (the day we arrived) the generator had a tantrum and quit, which would not have been too bad because all the buildings and houses have a back up battery inverter system. However, what we did not know was that our house has also had problems with the batteries so everything in the house, refrigerator, water and fans quit shortly after we went to bed and as a result we wallowed in a sea of sweat for a good portion of the night. Our prayer of that night was answered when the Haitian power system kicked in later on and we had power for a good portion of the next day as well. To replace the 8 batteries cost in excess of $1,000, an expense we had not planned for, however, we now have power and are so, so thankful that we do.
The other glitch had to do with the internet. Our laptop has served us well over several years, but like everything having to do with computers, change happens on a continual basis. The internet service provider has updated something or other since were here in 2007/2008 and as a result our computer could not access the system. As a result we were unable to let anyone know that we had arrived safely. Fortunately, Stacey Ayars, one of our fellow missionaries at Saccenville, has a blog and let it be known last weekend that we had finally arrived in Haiti. Wednesday, Stacey’s husband, Matt, was able to do a fix of sorts that has now allowed us to access the internet. Praise the Lord that both glitches were of a sort that we could get them looked after within a few days.
Tonight, Wednesday, we were reminded again that we are no longer in Canada. We were in Vaudreuil where the majority of the missionaries live for a bible study and potluck supper. When we returned home Dorothy went out to the laundry room and was greeted by a tarantula about the size of a man’s hand. Dorothy shouted and John came running to catch or kill the hairy beast. Fortunately, the tarantula cooperated and John was able to sweep it out the back door without killing it. However, we had not been in bed very long when John noticed a wolf spider about the size of a woman’s hand on the wall three feet from his head. This time John shouted waking Dorothy, and he jumped out of bed looking for something with which to kill it. Wolf spiders move very quickly and by the time John returned with the brand new toilet bowl plunger the spider had moved up the wall and was scooting across the ceiling. John pursued it with plunger in hand and just when we thought it was about to escape it fell to the floor where John gave it a mighty whack. Try going to sleep after all that excitement, exhausted or not!! In place of counting sheep we found ourselves counting spiders.
All in all it has been an uneventful week of settling in, glitches and spiders aside, and a rather smooth reintroduction into missionary life in Haiti. We were blessed with safe travel, have good friends, see gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, and have a lovely house with beautiful tropical plants surrounding it. It is our earnest prayer that we will be able to help and share responsibility here at Saccenville. God’s timing is always perfect and He will make us ready when a situation present itself that will allow us to invest in the life of a Haitian. Please pray this week for a team of students from the seminary that is going to Port next weekend to do evangelism.
May God less you and keep you this week.
