WOW - What a Day!! Yesterday morning I went to St Louis Du Nord (about 30 min up the road) with my friend Christy from The House of Moses. We went to enroll 2 older boys in High School. They were such sweet boys....to be honest the youngest of the two (about 14/15) reminded so much of my Gabriel (or what I think he may look like as a young man.) Christy shared their story with me & immediately it broke my heart. The boys were raised at another local orphanage. Their mom had left them at a very young age & their father sold them to someone!!! :( He realized that they might (or probably would) be sexually abused so that night he took them & fled! He left them at the door of the orphanage & fled for his life because he knew what he had done was wrong. - WOW - happens more than I realized. :( - SO, now the boys live in St.Louis & they have sponsors to help them go to school so they have a chance at a better life!! - So our day began by catching a moto to St. Louis & our moto driver was so very sweet! He sang Christian music at the top of his lungs for most of the trip....Amazing Grace (Chris Tomlin version) :D, Mighty to save, & many others ....IT WAS AWESOME!! Started our day off right! We arrived to a house (up the side of a steep mountain) where they are trying to start a technical school & Christy was trying to help with some legal issues. Then we took the boys to enroll in school. First I will say that we road the moto back down the mountain side to the school & the boys walked (felt horribly guilty) but the sweet moto driver after we were dropped off offered to go back & get them. (I'm talking great guy) :D - We go in to register the boys & Christy comes out with this perplexed look on her face.....THERE IS NO ROOM FOR THE BOYS! - I'm telling you now ....the look on their faces I may never forget. I had to walk off a little to not cry....the youngest looked devastated!!! NO SCHOOL ----HUGE----> going to school here is your only chance at a little better life. We stood there trying to find other options, other schools (Good schools, not just one to take your money & the boys not get a GOOD education) after a bit we decided to try a small school just back up the mountain. The sweet moto driver had to head back to Port-de-paix so we did as ALL Haitians do & we WALKED (didn't seem like such a big deal at first!!!!) We stopped on our walk & I met a local doctor that is friends with the Barnes family....good person to know! Then we waked toward the school....down the paved road them up the paved road, then up the rocky dirt road, then over a dirt road, then up some more ( you getting the picture....this old, out of shape momma was huffing it & sweating bullets) - we finally make it to the school & found a professor that Christy knew. He had actually tutored her other kids in school. So after a talk we knew the boys would be in a good place! PRAISE JESUS!! We enrolled the boys & she paid for their school. By now it had been several hours since we had arrived .... & we decided to walk back down & go to the Local One stop (the only gas station /American like store I have seen) to get some lunch & something cold to drink. The sweet boys wanted to walk us back down & make sure we caught a moto...so they hailed one for us once we got to the main road. As Christy & I both got on he started blaring his music (something like.. let's make love in the club) BAHAHAHAHAHA - we both looked at each other & BUSTED out laughing. That my friends is definitely NOT in the Missionary handbook! lol - We went to the store & I was definitely thinking I'M GETTING A BIG CHEESEBURGER & FRIES (it's advertised out front) but to my dismay they had 3 options (chicken plate, goat, or Legume....must look at previous pics) so Chicken plate it was!! It was however VERY good!! I also found M&M's so I grabbed a treat for each kid!!
These pics are of the good roads we walked up & down. It was to hard to walk & take pics on the others!! :D
Christy then decided we could catch a Tap Tap home (a truck where everyone sits in back) SO....we sat at the corner of the 1Stop with a few friends she knew - the first truck stopped & honestly I looked up & said "NOPE, I am not that Haitian yet!" They all laughed & agreed & the truck left (at least 30people where already in the back) a few others came & we passed & FINALLY a taptap stopped with just a few people in it so we climbed in.....here is a beginning photo...
This my friends did NOT last long, we stopped every few minutes & picked up more people. By the time we were half way home I'm pretty sure I had a bruise on each leg & couldn't feel my feet!! haha - I was thankful to be back in Port-de-Paix...someone tapped the side of the truck with their had loudly & it stopped!! YAY, we jumped out & walked home! :D (Again) but my day was not over! I wanted to head over to our orphanage so I showered the 3 inches of dirt from my body in an AWESOME COLD SHOWER got dressed again & walked with Gordon & the little ones over to Hope Vision as the big kids went to French tutoring! We played with the kids, visited with Ron & Karen (the other missionaries that returned home a few days ago from a much needed trip to the states)..it was good to get to visit with them!! We also got to hang out with TJ & Anna Burgeron who are interns here for the next 5 weeks. So So sweet, we love them already after only a few visits!! We got lots of great pictures, Gordon even had a cup of coffee (are you kidding me ??? 100 degrees out & after all that walking all I wanted was H2O!!) :D We are having a staff meting on Thursday morning & headed out to the new land on Friday morning with the crew so we hope to have more pics soon & an update!
This is Anna...doing what she does best!! You should check out her blog! They are staying in the small room on the roof at hope vision, So she gets lots of chances for GREAT pics!! annabargeron.blogspot.com
Gordon & Ron doing a little catching up...our last visit was in April!! So glad to be here with them.
Pastor Andy & Ron taking a few minutes to visit!
Gabe was LOVING that!! He wanted to play so bad!! TJ is so GREAT with the kids!!
Honestly...it was one of the BEST days here!! God is doing Great things!! He just needs willing vessels to do his work! You know WE (Christians) are SUPPOSE to be THE HANDS & FEET OF JESUS!! HE LIVES IN US & WE ARE TO CARRY OUT HIS COMMANDMENTS!! You know....Love your Neighbor as yourself! Our neighbors aren't just those who live in the house next door! :D
Thanks for all the prayers & emails! WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!! *Please remember those 2 sweet boys mentioned above as they take entrance exams today for school & for another older teen here we have met that is VERY SMART & very sweet. He had to quit school after the earthquake because his uncle was killed & he payed for his school. :( He speaks some english & actually went home & got an English dictionary & wrote us the sweetest letter....I am praying & hoping to find him a sponsor or 2 so he can go back to school. His name is John Murry & I am really praying about this!! He has 3 or 4 years left of school. (school here is different than US school system with grade levels) PLEASE PRAY ABOUT THIS TOO... $400 US dollars would pay for his school for the year!!! That is enrollment & books!! If anyone is interested in helping him PLEASE EMAIL ME!!!
LOVE TO ALL! MANY BLESSINGS - ANGIE
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