Sunday Worship

Sunday worship with the Croix des Mission congregation is always one of the highlights of the trips to Haiti.  The services are usually over two hours, but time flies.

We were not the only Americans attending; there was a medical team from Brighton, MI.  They are working and staying at a hospital founded by Haitian doctors (husband and wife).  The wife is also an ordained pastor in the Haitian Methodist Church.  Julie, the Haitian pastor,  conducted the service.

The Michigan pastor gave the message.  Our group sang with our Haitian neighborhood children and a couple of Stevenson's music students.  A great worship experience.

Before leaving the church, we gave half of our give away items to the church.  The church leadership will distribute as they decide.  (Gilbert, the neighborhood leader, will receive the other half also to distribute as he decides.)

After lunch, we drove into central Port-au-Prince to see the Presidential Palace and visit the Haitian National History Museum.  The palace is no longer; the rubble has been completely removed.  Although the museum is across the street from the palace, the museum only suffered minor earthquake damage.

Then, drove up a hillside to see first hand how dense that housing is.  When the earthquake occurred, many hillside communities literally fell to the bottom of the steep hills.  However, the people continue to the build in the same places.

Our last stop was the new Montana Hotel where about 80 people died when the hotel toppled over during the earthquake.  Casualties included the head of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and the head of United Methodist Volunteers in Mission.  There is a small, permanent memorial to those who died.

Only three days left.  How fast they have gone!