First Sunday in Port au Prince, Haiti
Sunday, February 7, 2010 at 6:16PM 17h00 I'm laying on my bunk, mosquito net attached to the bunk above me and pulled out of the way. The ceiling fan turning away, attempting to cool the afternoon heat. I can hear children playing outside the window and across the compound the singing of the afternoon communion service. Some of the songs I recognize, but most I don't.
Today has been a day of rest. Breakfast at 7h00, church from 8h00 till after 10h00, changed a leg wound dressing, then napped for a couple of hours. We ate some rice, chicken in a wonderful sauce and sliced beets, carrots & potatoes for a midday meal about 15h00. This time I remembered to take a photo of my plate.
The guys decided to rest more, so I'm writing. Hopefully Jeremy will feel well enough tomorrow for us to be able to take JC's offer to take us into town. JC is one of our drivers.
I need to tell you about the church service this morning. The first song was a favorite of mine: "How Great Thou Art". At home we sing a verse or two, here we sang all the verses many times, for probably 4-5minutes. This song has always had an impact on me, but the words really hit me, especially listening to these people sing with such feeling, even after all that they have been through.
The first hour was a mixture of worship & praise music I recognized and much that I didn't, but after singing them over and over I began to pick up the words and was able to sing along. All of the service was in French, so I could understand parts of it. Later in the service people around us shared their personal song books with us so it was easier. Here everyone has their own copy of the song book in a zippered cover, pages separated by color for language - white for French, green for Creole.
The singing of over 300 people of all ages, full of praise and adoration for God, standing in the shade of tarps, mango trees & buildings was such a blessing and inspiration. (They can't meet in the church because it is way too small.)
The Scriptures today were from Luke 21 and Isaiah 30. I could only understand smatterings of the sermon, but I could understand that it was one of hope.
Later this afternoon the pastor told us that this coming Friday through Sunday Christians all over Port au Prince (possibly most of Haiti, I didn't catch that part) will be setting aside from 06h00-18h00 to pray for the future of Haiti. He said to expect the streets to be somewhat empty as the Christians will be gathered for prayer.
For those of you willing, please set aside some time to join with the Haitians in prayer. Much of the leadership, at many levels, were killed in the quake, so many here believe that this is an opportunity for the nation to make some radical changes. We have faith that all of our united prayers will have an impact.
Well, the sun has set and it's cooling off enough for me to go back to our "pharmacy" to do more organizing in preparation for the next medical team.
God's Blessings on each of you.
Reader Comments (3)
Molly did beautifully at the recital yesterday. She looked pretty in red with two tiny braids in her hair. She won for practice time in her category. Met you mom. Beautiful, lovely lady. She's cold, but doing well. Will try to have her over soon and park her in front of the fireplace to thaw out. Sounds like you have your hands full but are doing a FANTASTIC job. We are all thinking about you, and sent extra prayers today to keep you safe and well. Kathy
Thank you for taking the time to send these blog messages - it is uplifting just to read them. I met your mom today - finally! She had Molly and Joel at church and brought your message to the congregation. Molly is enjoying her time with her grandmother.
Take care
Valerie
God Bless!!! I have enjoyed reading your post. You are all in our prayers.