Status-Post Haitian Vacation... ;o)

The Lord definitely has a sense of adventure! So after an awesome week of "roughin' it" for Jesus at that incredible resort with AC, gourmet meals (not always sure exactly what i was eating, but it was awesome), and (usually) hot showers, we have arrived in Port-Au-Prince to find a rather different situation.

Matt Tegen and I are staying with Carl and Maya Gilles and their adorable daughters Thea (18 months) and Zahra (1 month) in their beautiful guest house for this month to cram as much Creole into our heads as possible. As we pulled up to their house, Carl hopped out and opened the large metal gate, and I felt like we were on House Hunters International! It's a lovely home with tiled floors and lots of space and fun rainbow-colored awnings above the windows.

Shortly after we arrived, we learned that the water had been left on while we were at the retreat for the week, and it had emptied the cistern on the roof... leaving us with no water!! It's been an interesting journey the last 48 hours of Carl valiantly trying to get it fixed. In the midst of that, once the electric went off for several hours. Usually, the city electricity runs for several hours, then we switch to that battery inverter system, and when that's done we move to the generator. It enables us to have fans (without which we might not sleep) and lights.  So, I've learned how to have a Haitian shower (a sponge bath-style bathing routine using a large bucket of water and a smaller bucket to rinse with) and I've gotten good use out of my headlamp for putting on my makeup while getting ready for church at 5:15 this morning. It's definitely been an adventure. :o) I think the fact that we have internet still makes me feel like I'm not really roughing it.

Yup... 5:15! Church was a really neat experience this morning, and we attended the early service (6-8am) at the largest Wesleyan church in Haiti! The place was packed out, and it was incredible to hear the people pray!! While the pastor was praying, they were all agreeing with him, and I am so blessed to be a part of the Lord's church worldwide and worship with this amazing group of believers! We were introduced on stage before the church (thankfully Carl translated for us so I didn't have to do it in Creole-- yet! the goal for next Sunday is to be able to introduce myself and describe my future ministries). I didn't understand much beyond a few scattered words and phrases in the message that was all in Creole, but I did figure out which passage of Scripture he was using... only to learn later that he read it all in French! I'm so confused! :o)~

Yesterday we had some fun little adventures! We whizzed thorough the downtown area to see the huge cathedral, a museum, and the palace, and then went souvenir shopping with some girls that were just here for the week. I bought a lovely painting that's gracing my room here, which Matt helped me negotiate the price for like 30 minutes! Do you like it?: 

 Also, we all got to enjoy sugar cane!! It's really good and different... You bite off a chunk, gnaw on it as sweetness floods your taste buds for 10 seconds, and then spit it out. It should come with a spittoon! It's nice, but much like chewing on sweet wood.

Now that you have an idea of some of the tastes of Haiti, let me describe the smells... Periodically, the aroma of a fire permeates the air. It seems that something is always burning. Typically, someone is burning a pile of trash. I'll have to post pictures of the city soon so that you can visualize it too! Thus far, I've been in a moving vehicle through the streets, so I'll have to try to get some still shots soon! But here's a little peek into my room, complete with my rockin' mosquito netting:

I'll leave you with one last story of smells here... On Sundays, we're on our own for meals, as the cook/housekeeper and her niece have a much-deserved day off. This afternoon, I had the pleasure of making eggplant lasagna (eggplant is sooo cheap here!) with salad and garlic cheese bread for lunch. It was fun finding my way around a kitchen in Haiti. The oven is fueled with propane, so you have to light a match and then turn the gas on for the stove and oven. We can't (shouldn't :) drink water from the tap, so it's an interesting process of cleaning vegetables. Washing dishes involves a small amount of soap and bleach and a rinse bucket of boiling hot water to scorch the germs and hopefully attain a small measure of sterility. But the results of the cooking sure were wonderful!! And one last scent to leave you with... Maya made cappuccino chip cookies for dessert! The running water it off again right now, but I'd say we're not roughing it too bad right now. ;o)