It has truly been a blessed and God-filled morning. First, I woke to the sounds of dogs barking, roosters crowing, babies crying, people running, and children laughing. It was the many beautiful sounds of being in Haiti. It was the perfect time to enjoy the moment, immerse myself in my surroundings, and hear the sounds of God's creations. What a glorious morning!
After taking some time to live in the moment and count my blessings, it was time to get ready for the day. The day started off with a magnificent breakfast at 7:00 a.m. Breakfast was followed by our morning devotion, which was led by Cathy and Jonathan. It was a very soothing and reflective devotion, which focused on accepting change. We should thank God for the things that we can change, and accept the things that we can't. It taught us about being open to the plan God has for each and every one of us. That is why we are in Bohoc. We are here because we heard the calling upon our life and it was in God's plan for us to be here. What happens here, is in his control. We are here to be servants to Jesus Christ and to obey His will.
We concluded the devotion with the Serenity Prayer, which was the perfect start to a Sunday. After a devotion on trusting God with His plan and accepting change, we were pumped and ready to attend one of the local churches. At 8:30 a.m., the team loaded up the bus and headed into Bohoc, where we had the pleasure of worshipping with our friends at The Church of the Brethren under Pastor George. It was truly a treat for many of our team members who, years ago, had the opportunity to help build the foundation of the church building. It was definitely a blessing for those individuals and a blessing to many in the community to have us there. And not to mention, the service was absolutely beautiful. The spirit was present in God's House. Just being able to be a part of the worship service and to praise God with them was a blessing.
Once we departed from the church, we took a pit stop at the Wisdom Club, where we met with Tyrondo, the leader of the Widsom Club. We visited with him for awhile, met his family, and listened to him talk about the blessings God has provided him. The Wisdom Club has truly been blessed as more and more members are joining. Tyrondo mentioned that he was going to need a bigger space to accommodate his meetings due to the large number of attendees. That is truly God's blessing as more and more young men strive to learn English and study God's word.
As the morning drew to a close, we made our way back to the guest house. Several team members used the down time to catch up on their rest, while others checked in with the social media world and took care of much needed business. The rest of the team entertained the children outside as Ramsay turned into a balloon artist and Leah into a manicurists. Cathy, Jonathan and Carson transformed the yard into a football field and a frisbee course. It was such a beautiful sight and the perfect picture of God's love in all of us. We are God's people!
Well, we just wrapped up lunch, and I have to say, that was the best meal that I have had since arriving in Haiti. I had to get seconds this go around. It was absolutely delightful. We had beef, potato casserole, pasta salad and fried plantains. What a meal! Now, it's down time until our afternoon activities begin. Time to rest before we go to battle with the scorching heat.
All right, I'm back. It's about 8:00 p.m. and we just wrapped up the day. Time to give you the scoop on our afternoon and then I am headed to bed. I'll keep it short and sweet.
Around 2:30 p.m. we loaded up the bus and headed over to Kris Sel Espwa, which is a school that is part of one of the local churches. The kids gather there in the afternoons to play. Just like the first time I came to Bohoc, it was an experience you could never forget. The kids gathered around as Ramsay and Leah led a game of Twister before heading over to the field for a little parachute experience. Cathy, Leslie, and Christi made beautiful beaded bracelets with the little girls, while Ashley set up a nail salon in the dirt. Dave played a game of chase and run from the scary monster with many of the young boys. Tracy and I worked on our Haitian Creole and helped with conversational English with many of the teenage boys. Myron, Joey, Carson, and Jonathan hosted a game of soccer and taught the kids about throwing a boomerang. And Lynn served as the area photographer, taking photographs of all the happenings. Let's just say that the children were pretty well entertained and they were learning English.
What a blessing it is to spend so much time with the children and help them learn English. In the meantime, I get to practice my Haitian Creole. Unfortunately, my Creole still needs a lot of work, but I'm learning, and I guess that is all that matters. One of my favorite things about coming to Bohoc is spending time with the children. They are so full of love, joy, and a passion for Jesus. I have never seen so much love for God, and I've never truly seen the face of God until I looked into the eyes of the Haitian people. The joy they bring to me and to my team can not be explained, described, or communicated. It is something that has to be seen first-hand.
After a couple of hours at Kris Sel Espwa, we loaded up the bus and headed back to our home away from home. Many of us were still in the mood for a little fun and games. So, we headed outside for a little more horse play with the children and people of Pignon. It wasn't long before dinner was ready and it was time to eat. We gathered around the table and enjoyed a delicious dinner of beef stew. Once again, it was very tasty. When dinner concluded, we closed the night out with our daily debrief, which was led by Christi, one of the Bohoc newbies.
Following our debrief, we were given the opportunity to order necklaces from Donald, one of the young men here in Pignon. Donald makes necklaces and sells them in order to provide for his family. We have met just about all of his brothers and sisters because they make up the majority of the children playing outside at our guest house. Each necklace is made individually and he hand carves the wooden cross on them and personalizes the cross. They are beautiful!
One thing that I forgot to mention earlier was Carson, the nephew of Ramsay and Leah, wanted to try sugar cane, which is one of the most popular crops grown in Haiti. So, when we were enroute to Bohoc on Saturday, Jedlain had the bus stop briefly so that he could grab some sugar cane. That might have been a bad idea. Now, Carson can't seem to put the sugar cane down. Every time we turn around, Carson has sugar cane in his mouth. We will have to wait and see how long his stash of sugar cane will last. Will it last until the rest of the week? Stay tuned.
Until then...
Bòn Nwit (Good Night)
Reah P. Nicholson
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