One of my biggest fears in moving to Haiti was driving on the roads here. It's hard to put into words the craziness of Haitian driving. There's no line running down the center of the road - because lanes are only hypothetical anyway. If you need to get around a stopped tap-tap, a herd of cows, or a massive pothole, feel free to swerve into oncoming traffic. Just swerve back to your side before being hit by a speeding motorcycle weighed down with 5 or 6 people or dragging a load of 8 foot rebar. One of the other missionaries told me the other day about seeing a motorcyclist transporting a horse on the back of his cycle.
A horse!
And if that's not enough to pay attention to, there's the fact that 99% of the vehicles around here are manuals. In my lifetime I have logged maybe two hours total of driving a stick shift in perhaps 3 or 4 different vehicles. (And one of those didn't survive a mountain drive with me at the helm.) So I decided yesterday that my first step would be to get the keys to one of the mission vehicles to drive around the grounds here where I could practice shifting with no distractions greater than a few speed bumps and an occasional goat. Caleb and Sammy weren't gung-ho about accompanying me until I told them I planned to get a pickup truck and they could ride in the back.
I made a couple of laps around the grounds and when I was finished, I decided to do one more for good measure - this time without the parking brake engaged. I am telling you ... this stuff makes me nervous.
So when the opportunity to drive came up this morning, I was prepared to face my fears head on. Elida and her friend Calaine were going to worship at an unfamiliar church and they needed a ride. My family and I were looking for a place to worship and didn't necessarily want to go to the one familiar church within walking distance. Everyone could go together to worship IF I would drive.
No problem! (Although I worked up a non-sun-related sweat pretty quickly.) Photo courtesy of Hannah. (Perhaps we'll have some time in our school schedule this year to do some art and photography classes and talk about composition...)
Hannah also took this shot as we were lurching down the road. My back seat passengers were trying to "look scared", but only Elida succeeded. Sarah looks like she's in a hurry to get to a potty - which she was. Melissa looks like she's halfway between a laugh and a tear. I am comforted by the fact that the only Haitian in the truck doesn't look scared at all. In fact, Calaine seems to be enjoying herself immensely.
We arrived at the church - in one piece - at about 8:50, early for the second service ... only to learn that they have just ONE service, from 7 to 9:00!
Oh, well. As a group we didn't accomplish our purpose. But I felt like I accomplished something. When Melissa and I first started praying about moving our family to Haiti, most of the reasons I came up with for saying no to God's call were fear-based, plain and simple. So I decided early on in this process that fear is a sad and terrible motivation for any sort of action ... or inaction. I decided it is best to conquer fears as they creep up, one step at a time. So this morning's drive was a big deal to me. And the Lord watched over us.
My second big fear? Learning the language. Our first language study will be tomorrow afternoon at the seminary.
Maybe I will drive us there.
For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline. - 2 Timothy 1:7
P.S. School starts a week from tomorrow. Our house is set up and now it's time to turn our attention to setting up classrooms and preparing for the start of the semester. It's going to be a busy week. Prayers appreciated.
P.P.S. Since we didn't get a chance to worship with the Body this morning, we will go to the English Bible Fellowship at 3:30 this afternoon. It meets upstairs at the radio station. I think the kids are looking forward to it - they found it a challenge to sit through a two hour service last week, all in Creole.
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