Day 2 - Village of Hope

The bad news is, breakfast was at 6:00 a.m.  The good news is, we had blueberry pancakes.  We were loaded on the 21st century new vehicle that fits 15 people and has air-conditioning at 7:00.  Gone are the days of riding in the open truck with the wind in your face and your body coated in Haitian dust.  We were all very energized by today's events which included opening devotions with the kindergarten classes (ages 3-5), arts and crafts with second graders, and handing out Valentines to the kindergarten classes.  After we gave out the valentines, they made valentines for us and presented them with words of thanks.  This year, of great benefit for this event, we had a translator named Pierre with us.  He was so helpful in telling the classes what we were doing and why we were there, as well as, leading the children in song while we did our crafts.  Those on the team that were not participating in the classroom headed over to the medical center to complete some small projects, one of which was packing medical bags for an upcoming mobile-med team.  This effort of packing the medical supplies allows for the mobile-med teams to hit the ground running upon their arrival in Haiti.  For the veterans on the trip and those of us that sponsor children at the school and otherwise contribute to the VoH or the health center, all the good works that are being accomplished for our students and the community surrounding Ganthier.  In a country like Haiti, that is challenged politically and economically, the good things that are being done at the Village of Hope School and medical center, are making a difference.  This is why we keep coming back and continue to support the Lazarus Project.  The newbies in the group were struck by how well-organized the school is, how well the children behave, and how functional the medical center is.  We enjoyed eating in the cafeteria with the children.  Linda discovered how good Pringles are and was so energized by them that she joined a small group of the team to hike up the hillside to the water cistern.  A rendition of the "Hills are Alive" (from the Sound of Music) was sung while they enjoyed the grand views.

After leaving the Village of Hope, we headed for the metal works and supported the local economy.  The metal workers village continues to be upgraded.  The sidewalks, trash bins, shop signs, and paved roads are a vast improvement over the rugged conditions we experienced our first few trips.  The quality of artwork is exceptional considering the working conditions and materials used to create the metal works.  There are too many things to choose from, yet we managed to buy our fair share.

We are getting ready to start our evening devotions.  And yes, we had more mangoes today!

And yes, Paul, we do miss you (and the rest of our past team members)!