The last two days have been another great experience. Here Robin is having her hair braided by a Haitian girl. In the background is a rainbow of hands, one of the crafts that we have done with the children (and some adults).
Another craft was teaching the children (and some adults) to string beads to make bracelets and necklaces. This girl is modeling her just complete necklace.
The children are also learning a couple songs and a dance to perform Friday after lunch. Stevenson Theodore, a Haitian music teacher, is teaching music, and his pupil, Donny, is teaching the children a dance routine.
The last activity is letting the boys play with a couple soccer balls, and the girls jump rope.
Monday and Tuesday were similar days. We began each morning by buying bread rolls on the way to the Croix des Mission building site. Upon arrival, we serve peanut butter and bread. Peanut butter is considered a breakfast food. On Monday, Gilbert, the neighborhood leader, walked around the neighborhood announcing our arrival and the serving of breakfast. Soon, there were 30 - 40 people on site.
After explaining to Gilbert about the roof delay and our plans for a Vacation Bible School, he was in agreement. Initially, Nehemy read the children the story of Noah's Ark. Then, the children traced their hands on construction paper and cut out them out. Then, the hands were placed in a rainbow pattern on a shower curtain. We will bring those back to our home church when we return.
While Nehemy was doing that, some men arrived from the church with benches (pews) and an electrical generator for Stevenson's keyboard and speakers. The church is nearly a 1/2 mile distant; closer as the crow flies.
Then, the children were given string and beads to make bracelets and necklaces. This was very popular, too. (On Tuesday, some were wearing what they had made on Monday.) More adults wanted to be involved in this activity.
With Stevenson, the children began learning a couple songs. First, though, he went through some music exercises. Perhaps the children had never had music instruction before. The children were attentive and enthusiastic.
Donny, Stevenson's student, began teaching the children some dance. The older teens have their dance 'moves', but Donny was very good with the children, teaching them how to line and and follow his example. (In fact, all the older siblings were very attentive to the younger ones. Even Billy Cool, a name that we had given to one young man on a previous trip, was very gentle and attentive to the younger ones.)
Lunch arrived and the Haitian women served. Instead of the children leaving the church floor, food was put on benches and carried up to them. This was one of the women's ideas, and it worked very well.
After lunch, another craft and more dance instruction. Then, the soccer balls and jump ropes came out. For nearly 45 minutes, the children played before we packed up for the day.
At one point, Thomas, a soccer coach, took the children for 10-15 minutes and had them do some elementary exercises. It was if he was our PT teacher. The children including small ones followed his instructions without any hesitation.
During the day, a young mother showed up with a daughter between one and two years old. The daughter has what appears to be a tumor protruding eight or ten inches from her abdomen. The end is as big as a small grapefruit. This morning, Wednesday, I am taking them both to Grace Children's Hospital to see a doctor. (Rev. Gesner Paul, the President of the Haitian Methodist Church is on the Hospital's board. I called him to get his OK and, more importantly in Haiti, to be able to use his name.)
When we have labored here in the past, we did not really get to know the people. Now, we are really making friends as we work closely with them. As we end the day with a prayer circle, on Monday Gilbert, the neighborhood leader, said that the neighborhood always looked forward to our return and that we would always be safe there.
We are having a great experience that I wish that all of you could have.
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