Tuesday

I'm Cinco de mayo!

Tim here from Haiti. Today started on top of the roof where me and half of the group spent the night. We awoke to a beautiful sunrise. After a pancake breakfast we departed to start are second day of service. 8 of us went to the boys home to paint the walls. We first sanded down the walls then applied a fresh coat of yellow paint to liven up the walls. Jordan brought along here portable speaker and as we worked we jammed out to taylor swift singing working and bonding as a group as we helped freshen up the boys home. 

Marnie reporting from the Lords Kitchen. Today Erin, JeanMarc, Nate and I spent the morning working to prepare lunch for the nearby elementary school. We sifted out twigs and shriveled beans from a large bowl of beans to cook. Then we picked spinach, which is leafier than the spinach we are used to in America. Lastly we spent almost an hour washing the dishes and silverware that the children would use. Around noon our whole team reunited and met the cooks over at the elementary school. Now we dished out the meal, of rice and beans with a vegetable topping. Students rotated into the lunch room in a mad and frantic dash, they were all dressed in their uniforms and gorgeous smiles. We gave them high fives, took pictures, and cleared their plates. I remember loving my elementary school days in the cafeteria but this was by far my favorite.

Erin here...We are having incredible experiences this week in Haiti. I am so impressed by our students. They have such a heart for the people here, and they are wonderful ambassadors of Concordia Portland. You can feel proud, parents and professors! Between the Lord's Kitchen and Girls' Home, I was able to conduct some of my research that also brought me to Haiti as part of my sabbatical. My French surveys on meaning in life are challenging, though I have been pleasantly surprised by how much French is spoken here. I think I've conversed more in French here than in France or Quebec! I am up to 18 participants, with the help of the terrific Grace Village staff. Though I haven't officially analyzed any data yet, I can tell by my quick review of the surveys that a much deeper reliance on God is present here and contributes greatly to the Haitians' meaning in life.