Mission to Haiti - April 10, 2011
The past week the house has been exceptionally quiet except for two guests, Mike and Mike from Illinois, who came in on Wednesday for a week. They are sleeping here and eating meals elsewhere. They have come in to work with a pastor half way between this campus and Cap Haitien at a little village called Duty.
We have started to prepare for the influx of the team of 11 from Philadelphia on April 16. Dorothy has been baking cookies, several dozen of them, and will be prepping other food over the next few days. Our porch will be turned into the “mess hall” to accommodate the team and us. The Ayars will join us for the evening meal and Stacey, several months pregnant, and Dorothy will be sharing the making of the evening meals.
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| Wood from Konpech Tree has another light side |
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| Rachelle, Naomi and ti gason |
Nearly two weeks ago Dorothy, Rachelle Hubele and Naomi, along with a small boy, walked to Konpech, a voodoo sanctuary about 35 minutes straight back the trail across from the campus, where Junior, a student at the seminary, has been led by the Lord to do some evangelism work. We have told you about this in previous weeks or you may have read about it on Matt and Stacey Ayars’ blog. Rachelle has been going along with Junior on Sunday afternoons and has started to teach several women how to knit. Dorothy went along for the “ride” on this particular Friday afternoon. They picked their way across several streams, went past the trees said to be inhabited by demons, and saw the Konpech trees after which the village is named. A voodoo ceremony was already talking place as we arrived and there were signs that it would continue for quite some time. We chatted for a few moments with one of the men and decided within that time frame that this was not a good day to stick around so took the same path back home. Dorothy was tired, hot but impressed by the biggest tree that she had ever seen with the exception of the California red wood, and by a tree that was covered with prickles.
The preliminary results of the Haitian election were made know this week and, according to the news services and the noise of vehicle horns out on the street, Martelly will be declared the winner. The official results are due on April 16th. As far as we know there have been no disturbances in this area as a result of the preliminary results.
We have heard a knock, knock, knock, knock like a hammer, for several days and wondered what was being built and by whom. We asked about the noise only to find out the "what" and the "who" are woodpeckers. Surprised? Yes sir, we were. The woodpeckers have been pecking away at the hydro poles so much so that they were in danger of falling apart. John Hubele placed corrugated steel around the top of the poles and the woodpeckers are continuing to peck at the steel without ceasing. It reminded me this morning of the parable of the Good Shepard in John 10. Jesus says that He is the door through which anyone can enter, can be saved and can go in and out and find pasture. There are so many people in this world who are like the woodpecker pecking away at their life, having nothing to show, when all they have to do is knock at the door of the good shepherd. He is the good shepherd; the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep.
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| Woodpecker in middle |
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.
