The PC Winterim team’s weekend in Haiti was spent climbing a mountain, playing with children and seeing the beauty of praise in a local church.
Saturday, January 5, 2019
Well it was quite the day, so of course Ivy and myself (Mo) chose to do the blog today! After watching our vlog (video blog – ask us about it when we get back, it’s been quite interesting) we decided to really get down to business. Today was the day. We climbed the mountain. Yep, we left the compound at a whopping 5:00 am. It was a struggle, but the view at sunrise was so worth it. Being four months out of ACL surgery, hitting the top of the mountain was extremely rewarding. Next, we flossed our teeth with some wild cactus floss and headed back down the mountain. We got to the bottom and headed back for some delicious pancakes courtesy of our man, Craig.
Ready to climb!
View of sunrise from the mountain
Then, we washed up a bit before heading back into town and seeing a Saturday market, which was bustling with activity. Luckily, we found some ice cream so after an extricating three days without it, our cravings were finally fulfilled. Afterwards, we headed back for some nice Haitian PB&J’s for lunch 😉. A few cokes and naps later, we made our way to the orphanage. We saw some cute kids, played some games, lost our phones to children, and handed out some snacks. This led us to listen in on Herby’s male choir practice. And let us tell you, this was quite the experience. They were all so good and it really blessed us, even Tate with his bobbing head.
We went back to the compound and enjoyed bags and food, telling funny Levi quotes throughout the day. After supper (spaghetti), we watched Kung Fu Panda outside played on a projector, in French might I add, and invited kids from the community to join us. We came inside afterwards and did our daily praise and worship which was filled with laughter, as always.
Each day seems to get more fun with everyone in the group getting closer. And I mean how couldn’t we when we have to fit 15 people in one truck! All in all, today was unforgettable and contributed substantially to this life changing experience. PS: Don’t worry Mom, Levi has plenty of band-aids, Neosporin, and other fun toys in his backpack!
By: Ivy Terpstra and Morgan Fopma
Sunday, January 6, 2019
Sleeping in and waking up to the aroma of Haitian French toast was refreshing after yesterday’s 5 a.m. start. After breakfast, we all dressed in our Sunday best and headed to the local country church. We were blessed with Haitian hospitality once again. Despite not knowing the language, we saw the passion flowing through the church. Their enthusiasm for Jesus was absolutely inspiring. During church, we had the opportunity to sing Amazing Grace in front of the church. Getting to worship with people who have such a fire for Jesus was encouraging after seeing the brokenness in the everyday life of Haitians.
Next we headed into town to eat at a local restaurant. We were served a delicious meal and enjoyed great fellowship with each other. After, we walked the streets of Sylvain. We were welcomed and joined by the neighborhood children. As we walked, children held our hands, jumped on our backs, and talked with us. We toured MH Goat Land project and held the baby goats. Craig told us about their goals of raising a healthier herd of goats to give to the families in the First Thousand Days Program. We enjoyed climbing the watch tower at Goat Land and viewing the beauty of Haiti.
Coming out from Goat Land we were greeted by the neighborhood children who had waited patiently for us. On the way back through the town, we enjoyed getting to know and love on the children more. At our final stop, we witnessed a pretty intense dog fight, played with the children, and ate some mangos. After eating supper at the compound, three of us got our hair cornrowed by a young woman from Sylvain named Fania. Finally, we sang some praises, had a few laughs, and shared our experiences from the day.
By: Sienna Attema and Abbie Altena
