Haiti Day 7

Joyeux Jour d'Independence!  (Happy 4th of July).

We enjoyed a wonderful day of worship, rest, and hospitality today.  We went to church at 7am.  It is Pastor Leon's church and it meets in the temporary school. Perhaps it was mentioned earlier that the new school we're working on will be used for Sunday services as well, until a separate new church can be built.  We had a wonderful time.  Dinecia earned her stripes translating a PB sermon, Megan read Psalm 121 in French and then sang it in English.  The prayer was passionate, all the congregational singing was beautiful to listen to, and PB even did a good job. :)  His text was Elijah and the prophets of Baal--if you don't know the story, read 1 Kings 18:16-chapter 19.  Powerful stuff.

After the service, we headed to the beach for some R&R on this lovely (hot) Sabbath day.  Ed's watch thermometer registered that the Caribbean was 86F.  Still refreshing. Dinecia surprised us with a home-cooked meal made by her mom, who joined us for swimming afterward.  We had beans and rice, pikliz, fried plantains, and goat meat. For dessert we each got a coconut, which Dinecia's mom (Adeline) awesomely prepped with a kitchen machete, and sugar cane.  We were so spoiled!  It was, for us, an unusual 4th of July picnic, but an unforgettable one.

In the evening after we returned to our compound, we made another feast of fresh watermelon, mango, pineapple, quenapes, and homemade guacamole (made of the infamous avocados of yesterday's market experience).  We are blessed, we are humbled, we are filled with joy at having the privilege to do the Lord's work here, to live in a free country where others join us in our work here at "the ends of the earth," and to thoroughly enjoy this Sabbath and holiday.  May you be blessed by the same Lord as you participate in this mission with us through prayer and all your support.
Love from P-au-P,
Team Haiti

P.S. Almost forgot one very joyful thing: We ran into Ghaiti, whom some of you may remember from having met him as he traveled in the States with the Munoses last summer.  The meeting was quite unexpected--he lives a block away from where we are staying, but did not know we were here!  He seems well, and was happy to see us.  God truly is a God of surprises.  Glory be unto his name.