FRIENDS OLD AND NEW - OUR GRUNDY CENTER TEAM

Sure, NOW we've had several sunny days in a row with only (relatively) moderate rains at night, but for the first three weeks of November, it was non-stop rains and the resulting floods around the Cap Haitien area.

Here's what the rains did to the potholes on our road to school:



Our friends from Grundy Center, Iowa joined us for what turned out to be the final week of the soggy weather. Pastor Phil and Connie Dicks brought along 11 eager, fun-loving, hard-working, challenge-meeting team members for their church's second annual Thanksgiving week mission trip. Phil had obviously done some extra pre-trip planning with the team on FLEXIBILITY ... and it paid off. 

Plus, Phil and Connie bring loads of extra JOY with them when they come to Haiti ...

... Not to mention, suitcases full of goodies, too. (We are always dumbfounded by the generosity of these two and of the entire Church!)

Johnny, Ruysdael and Mikken couldn't wait to see Phil and Connie again and Phil brought along special gifts for them too.

Our first morning together was Saturday and the original plans for the day - to host a party for the kids in Daniel's neighborhood - got scrapped completely. Daniel said there had been so much flooding that many families had left the neighborhood to visit relatives in the countryside. And those who remained behind were in survival mode and in no mood for parties. 

So we gathered outside the holiday house and came up with Plan B: we would deliver some peanut butter and crackers to Daniel so he could share some ready-to-eat food with water-logged neighbors and then we would take him shopping downtown to gather up some REAL food (rice and beans!!) that could be divided up among needy families. 

We stopped at the Babiole Market and bought out all the crackers and a box of bleach jugs.

When we arrived in Daniel's neighborhood, the water was about a foot high and most of the team, unfortunately, didn't have footwear that would allow them to help get the food back to Daniel's house. So they had to be content to observe life from the back of the truck. (Although, the group's resident photographer, Harlen, got down into the muck to get some pictures and ended up stepping in a hole and going into that "water" up to his chest. At that point, most of the others were more than happy to remain in the truck!)

Soon we had Daniel and his brother Romex with us and we headed to the market. We even took some extra time to show the Grundy folks the meat market and to greet Johnny's mom as she was working there. 

After several exhausting hours in the market place, rounding up twelve bags of rice, three huge bags of beans and several boxes of oil, tomato paste and canned fish, we had a short lull while Daniel went looking for some seasoning. Harlen was on the prowl with his camera and he talked this woman into posing for some pictures. This turned out to be my favorite of the pictures I took last week - just look at the expression on her face! (And note that Harlen is wearing Hannah's boots - which is what enabled him to go for the swim in Daniel's neighborhood. Very fashionable!)

On Sunday we worshiped with a church that is meeting currently in Cowman School's "cafeteria". A great service.

Afterwards we headed to the Villa Cana for lunch...

And then a little walking tour of the mission grounds during a lull in the rain.

Harlen kissed a goat for $5.

The goat was traumatized.

In the evening, we got to work filling 150 separate bags with a portions of rice, beans, tomato and etc. for a hardy couple of meals for 150 separate families.

Ruysdael and Sarah working together on the bags:

The finished pile of food:

On Monday, the team was at Cowman much of the day. Daniel came by in the afternoon for the food and we decided it would be safer for him if we loaded up a pick up with the bags and boxes and had one of our Haitian friends, Amos, drive it all with Daniel to his neighborhood. We had heard tales of food trucks being robbed in town recently and felt that a group of Americans accompanying the food would only draw unwanted attention. 

Instead, we took the team to the Potter's House orphanage for the afternoon. Always a heart-turning place.

On Tuesday, one of the team members, Somer, was leading a couple of nutrition seminars for Cowman parents. Here she is with other team members and Melissa at the radio station setting up some healthy snacks for the parents to enjoy during the training.

Much of the team came to my English class later in the afternoon to give my students a chance to practice conversational English. At 5:00, one of my students caught me as everyone was heading home and happily exclaimed, "I just spoke SO MUCH ENGLISH!"

Harlen, of course, was busy taking photos.

On Wednesday the Grundy Center team went out to distribute radios and share Jesus with folks in a small village near the Dominican Republic border. They came home with lots of great stories from the trip. By all accounts, it was a Kingdom-growing day.

On Thursday - Thanksgiving Day! - the group was back at Cowman, helping in the classes in the morning and setting up for an afternoon "Fall Family Festival". 

Phil and Kayden made the rounds reading stories and leading songs with all the students.

It was another rainy day, so all the planned outside games got moved inside. Kayden and Caleb set up hopscotch in my classroom.

Here's Mr. Reggie with a giant sized Kerplunk game that the team brought with them from Iowa.

The day was a great event and the kids and parents had lots of fun and lots of food and lots of special treats.

Phil is not one to waste even an hour, so after school the whole group decided it would be fun to visit Johnny and Ruysdael's neighborhood up on the mountainside. 

Harlen got a picture of Johnny's niece.

And we got a great group picture out behind Ruysdael's house.

Sarah and Kayden became fast friends through the course of the week. They're looking forward to a reunion this coming summer!

All of a sudden, Friday was upon us. Before boarding the plane for home, the team came to Cowman one last time - to lead our chapel service.

Phil led a rousing version of "Whose Side Are You Leaning On?"

Along with several other very active songs. The joy hung so thick in the air that it was almost tangible!

Chapel ended much too quickly and all that was left was a series of tearful goodbyes.

Here's Somer and Scott with Rose and Coach.

And the whole team saying final FINAL goodbyes.

We are so thankful for this incredible team of people willing to give up feasting with family and Black Friday shopping with the crazy people in order to serve the Lord in Haiti. God bless you all! My family and I will surely look forward to visiting you in Grundy Center this coming summer, Lord willing. Thank you for serving God and the people of Haiti with so much love, joy and flexibility!

P.S. The SUN came out bright and beautiful the very next morning!  You guys will need to come back again to see what Haiti looks like with blue skies!