We got up bright and early on Tuesday morning, but we all slept so well that we were set for the day. We headed downstairs and once again, food was waiting for us on the table: coffee and cocoa, bread, bananas and peanut butter. Everything just tasted better when the Haitians cooked for us! After breakfast we went up to the roof and had praise in worship in the glorious sun. We did this almost everyday. Then we went down to the kids play room to separate and organize clothing for the kids. Recently child services told the orphanage that each child must have their own sets of clothing. We brought many donations for the children. We got very familiar with the boys names that morning.
When we were done, lunch was ready. We took our time and enjoyed each other's company before taking off on another task. After lunch we all piled into the truck and went to a neighboring village called Dandann. That is where the children go to school. Currently they are going to school inside a church in Dandann, but after the earthquake there was money donated to build them a new school. We went to the location of the new school. It is getting close to being done, but a lot of work still needs to be done. The permanent missionaries told us it should have been completed a year and a half ago. They told us the plans for the rest of the land: the middle of the buildings there will be a soccer field and down closer to the road there will be a basketball court for the kids. The buildings were so nice and the classrooms were nice and cool (temperature) inside. They told us that we would be coming back another day to clear the building debris to make it more convenient when the builders come to level the land for the soccer field.
When we left, we walked the rest of the way through Dandann up to a house on a hillside where two people were suffering from undiagnosed illnesses. First we prayed with the old man, then with a young girl. The hike to their house was fairly brutal, but entirely worth it. The family was so welcoming and hospitable. The father actually apologized that he had nothing to give us for visiting. Father Thomas anointed the two sick people we were there to visit, then he blessed the house and we were on our way again.
When we got back from Dandann to Duverger, our village, we waited for the children to get home from school. When they got home, they all came in and greeted each of us with a "Bonswa" and a kiss on the cheek. Once they were out of their school clothes and into their play clothes we got to play with them! After sorting their clothing, we got to know their names really well which was a big help. For the whole week, we became human jungle gyms, but that just made it more fun. The joy in the children's giggles warms my heart and even now makes my heart ache.
Some of the missionaries stayed with the kids while some of us went to he river to bathe. The people down at the river were fascinated with us and why we were bathing in clothes and why we were soaping up our hair and bodies. That experience will always make for a funny story, but never in my life have I felt so clean! The bucket shower from the night before was just not cutting it. When we got back we were told to put on clothes appropriate for mass before dinner.
We sat down together in time for dinner and visited and talked with the missionaries about their experiences throughout their years at Kay Mari. Johnna has been there for three years and Katie for two. Needless to say they had many stories to tell. The funniest ones were always when the Haitians laughed at the way "the whites" do anything we do. We had some time between dinner and mass so we just spent time with the kids. I picked up Dada and she looked awfully tired so we just sat down, played some hand games then she laid her head down and fell asleep. Absolutely the most precious thing ever.
We had to gather the children for mass and they even helped us set up the chairs and benches for mass. They then prayed night prayer, as the do every night with Brother. They Haitians sang the entrance song and it was just beautiful! I recorded it and it is now on my ipod. Shortly after mass all the children started preparing for bed. The missionaries asked us to go upstairs so the kids would start calming down. We went upstairs to prepare ourselves for bed. My friend Catherine and I went up to the roof to reflect on where we are and to pray. When we got to the roof, we just froze. The stars were breathtaking. Never have I seen such a sight. When we were done we went downstairs and headed to bed. Every night we fell asleep to the sounds of crickets and animals outside our window. Such a calming way to drift off to sleep.
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