And you can be jealous if you want, but it's not like I haven't invited you to come join us! (Seriously - any time. Come visit us. We'll roll out the red carpet.) Put Haiti on your calendar now for next Christmas.
Every once in a while, I find myself looking around in wonder and thinking, "Dude, I am living in the Caribbean!" As I write this, I am finishing off a piece of banana cream pie Melissa made last night and watching the living room curtains slowly inflate and then deflate with each gentle breeze.
Our day started in this room with us giving the boys an early Christmas present - a snorkeling set. We had one set that was given to us by some friends before we left Indiana (shout out to Lee and Cara - we get a lot of enjoyment out of it! Thanks!) but a second set makes it possible to partner up and go exploring a bit further out from shore.
We headed out at about 9:00 with our pickup following the Heckman's - today was the first time it's worked out for us to spend a day at the beach with their family. Phil and Emily work at the Emmaus Biblical Seminary and their son Ethan is a good friend to our boys and their daughter Haylie is a good friend to our girls!
Another first - We were able to take my three Haitian sons with us, too.
Dhaloo Beach is 18 miles away - which translates into an hour plus to drive there. But the pay-off is worth it.
I did NOT play around with the colors on this picture. The water is really this beautiful!
The Kids: Ruysdael, Caleb, Ethan, Haylie, Sarah, Samuel, Hannah, Mikenn and Johnny.
The Adults.
My Haitian sons and I. From left to right: Johnny, Mikenn and Ruysdael. It was Ruysdael's first trip to any sort of beach and none of the boys had been to Dhaloo before. They were much more excited to be there than their photo-faces would lead you to believe!
Also their first time to play pool. Not surprisingly, I won.
The Heckmans brought along a kayak - which got a lot of use throughout the day. Here Samuel and Phil are coming in to shore.
And here Johnny and Mikenn are heading out.
While Ruysdael is lost in deep contemplation.
Emily taking Sarah out.
It's hard to get a Haitian to smile for a photo!
A selfie with Ruysdael and Mikenn.
Melissa knows how to relax.
This is where the on-site restaurant serves lunch. Today it was cheeseburgers all around.
A big part of Phil's job at the Seminary is landscaping. He can't go ANYWHERE without inspecting the local greenery!
Some local fisherman brought in some ugly fish!
Sarah was a bit disgusted!
Several merchants were set up in the area - hoping to catch some visiting tourists spilling over from Labadee Beach next door - that's where the Royal Caribbean cruise ships anchor for a day of jet skis, kayaks, inflatable water toys and feasting. Melissa and I did a bit of Christmas shopping with these artists since most of the items were quality work.
Just when I feel like I've gotten to know these boys pretty well, they surprise me again. This Dhaloo employee (on the right) was obviously deaf and trying to do his best to communicate with us as soon as we got off the water taxi in the morning. Mikenn immediately started gesturing back to him and pretty soon it was obvious they were on very friendly terms.
"Mikenn, I knew you were good in English but you know sign language, too?!"
"Yes, I have a friend who is deaf."
I am more and more impressed with how sharp these three young men are. And it is a reminder to me that the resources which we (and some of YOU!) have invested in their education are well placed. I believe the Lord has great plans to multiply those investments in ways we can't even yet imagine.
My only complaint about the day was that it flew by so incredibly fast. Before we knew it, we were back on the water taxi and headed for the trucks. It was one of those days when you stop to thank God for a beautiful day and you really, really, REALLY mean it.
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