I stepped off the plan today and I thought God is good. The sun was shining brightly and the first thing that I noticed was that the landscape was mountainous and yet barren -- none of the western NC pine trees.
We made it through the airport and were transported to St. Joseph's in Petitionville. The girls piled into a van and the guys and our luggage went into the tap-tap, a truck with a make-shift wooden cover over it that was brightly colored. This I guess is the Haitian version of a cab but it resembles the kind of thing that is used in some place to transport migrant workers. We watched as the city unfolded before us. Some of the people were concerned by the traffic as we drove through the city. There is no speed limit or stop signs, few traffic lights, and people pass at will. After some scary cab rides in NYC and Rome, I wasn't too worried.
We made it through the airport and were transported to St. Joseph's in Petitionville. The girls piled into a van and the guys and our luggage went into the tap-tap, a truck with a make-shift wooden cover over it that was brightly colored. This I guess is the Haitian version of a cab but it resembles the kind of thing that is used in some place to transport migrant workers. We watched as the city unfolded before us. Some of the people were concerned by the traffic as we drove through the city. There is no speed limit or stop signs, few traffic lights, and people pass at will. After some scary cab rides in NYC and Rome, I wasn't too worried. We were ushered into St. Joseph's when we arrived and stayed their briefly in order to meet Michael Geilenfeld t
he director of the homes. Then it was up the mountain to Wings of Hope (photo is of Wings of Hope), the second of the three homes which is located in Fermonthe. Wings is a home for mentally and physically disabled children. We unpacked and I walked down the stairs from my room where I was greeted by a child, Steve, (see photo of me with Steve) running up to meet me at full sppeed to embrace me in a big hug. This was my introduction to Wings. From there I had a conversation with Raul, who is in his late twenties, he is one of the oldest members of the home (the children at Wings unlike the other homes doe not age out because of their disabilites) who was incredibly patient with my poor Kreyol. We also had a visit from Zell the dog who wound in and out of the place. One of
the first things I learned how to say was move (bad) Zell because she stole anything left unattended. After meeting a few of the kids, we headed down to dinner. After a day full of travel with no lunhc I was happy to take whatever was being offered. It turned out to be rice and beans, pork, and tomato sauce and it was good. After dinner, Renee a leader with the St. Joseph's homes told us her story of how she came to leave a photojournalism career to work for the homes. While Renee talked we had our first wildlife sighting of a Haitian chipmunk (i.e. rat), a common visitor to the Haitian households. We served each other Communion and it was beautiful -- us each serving one another each using the method from our own faith traditions and yet we were all one Body of Christ. Then lots of good rest after 40 hours with no sleep.
he director of the homes. Then it was up the mountain to Wings of Hope (photo is of Wings of Hope), the second of the three homes which is located in Fermonthe. Wings is a home for mentally and physically disabled children. We unpacked and I walked down the stairs from my room where I was greeted by a child, Steve, (see photo of me with Steve) running up to meet me at full sppeed to embrace me in a big hug. This was my introduction to Wings. From there I had a conversation with Raul, who is in his late twenties, he is one of the oldest members of the home (the children at Wings unlike the other homes doe not age out because of their disabilites) who was incredibly patient with my poor Kreyol. We also had a visit from Zell the dog who wound in and out of the place. One of
the first things I learned how to say was move (bad) Zell because she stole anything left unattended. After meeting a few of the kids, we headed down to dinner. After a day full of travel with no lunhc I was happy to take whatever was being offered. It turned out to be rice and beans, pork, and tomato sauce and it was good. After dinner, Renee a leader with the St. Joseph's homes told us her story of how she came to leave a photojournalism career to work for the homes. While Renee talked we had our first wildlife sighting of a Haitian chipmunk (i.e. rat), a common visitor to the Haitian households. We served each other Communion and it was beautiful -- us each serving one another each using the method from our own faith traditions and yet we were all one Body of Christ. Then lots of good rest after 40 hours with no sleep.
