PET – The Long Road

To start the weekend, the PET (Personal Energy Transportation) team headed north to begin distributing twenty-one PET carts to those in need across the Central Plateau of Haiti. Despite, or perhaps through, the elements and cultural differences, the team saw the evidence of God’s Spirit going before and with them. Read Fran’s account of how a single gift can have eternal rewards. 

To read yesterday’s blog, click here.

It was a long and dusty road….. Actually there many long roads and some dusty, some muddy, and some just downright wet.  We left yesterday morning early at 6:30 and headed north to DonDon. We stacked the pickup high with 7 PET carts.

God’s great promise for the day was evident in the beautiful rainbow we saw a little way north of town. And His promises were truly awesome. Even though we, at times, were wondering why people didn’t show up or why they didn’t come on time, everything happened according to God’s timing.  We started off by distributing 3 PET carts in town.

We headed to the outskirts and stopped to where we were supposed to deliver several more. But only one recipient was there. So we setup and delivered that one. God’s Timing was perfect for our new PET Pastor, Pastor Sainphirin, to be able to not only talk to the person getting the cart, but also to visit with the neighboring family and present the good news of the Gospel! After working our way back to the truck, and stopping along the way to pray with a man with a severe facial disease, we arrived at the truck to find that another of the scheduled recipients had arrived. Another PET was quickly put together and instructions given and another time of sharing the gospel and prayer with the 30 people who had gathered around.  And then just as we were ready to leave, God sent the last scheduled recipient. It is just marvelous to see how thrilled and eager these recipients are.

After heading north to Cap Haitian, getting slightly soaked along the way, we picked up some nutritional supplements for the MH feeding program, pushed the pickup to get it started again and headed into town. I have determined that they only have one driving rule in Haiti, that is don’t hit another vehicle. Anything else goes! We made another stop to do some repairs on a PET, then found another one on the street that was beyond repair so replaced it with the spare we had taken along. We then began the arduous journey back home. (can you tell that my butt was getting tired of the bouncing by now?).

So what was the greatest thrill of the day? It was Pastor Sainphirin’s joy in leading three recipients to a new confession of faith in Jesus!!!

Twyla, Carol, Nic and Regan took a walk down the road to deliver cut diapers to Massina, a seamstress who has a little job sewing Bundled Bottoms diapers. She was thrilled to have them in her home and proceeded to demonstrate her sewing skills by sewing a diaper.  She takes so much pride in her work and is so thankful for this job to earn a living and also help her community by covering lots of little bottoms.

Saturday we had a leisurely start after filling up on Craig’s delicious pancakes, around 8 AM. This was to be a busy day, heading about an hour southwest of Pignon to distribute 14 more PETs.  With a stop along the way for a single PET, we made our way to Maissade, a new area to make distribution. We spent most of the morning and early afternoon repairing a couple carts and distributing 9 new PETS. This was done at the Maissade town park and the recipients were young and old, those with amputees and those with handicaps caused by disease. The crazy quote of the day was from Harold “See, they have a slot in their bottom too! “( referring to the brake shoe),  however, Christi nearly lost it and almost peed her pants she was laughing so hard.

Another several miles down the dusty road, 3 PETs were distributed. Three more families were touched by the message that the PET is a gift from God, the message that only God can give healing, and that only God can provide for our needs.  God’s timing is always right! Fran De Haan