Xaragua

(December 29, 2009)



I told you we were going to have a fun day today. I feel somewhat strange that the first day of our "mission trip" that we rested and drank grapefruit juice and the second day we went to Xaragua. I guess Clay and Robert have been here for 2 weeks now, and I'm sure Gersan (our Haitian pastor) needed the break, but Erin, Daryl, and I sure feel strange about this.

What is Xaragua, you ask? Well first of all, its pronounced "Zar-ah-gua." Go ahead, try it out loud! Its the most beautiful beach I've ever seen! I've been to Galveston, Destin, and Virginia Beach, but this tops it all. Maybe because its in the Carribean? Haiti was once called the Jewel of the Carribean. I've always thought it was beautiful, but wow!

This was incredible. Am I on vacation or a mission trip? Basically we just relaxed all day. I enjoyed God's creation and had a lot of time to sit, think, drift in and out of napping, and play 'chicken' with the waves.

Apparently I forgot to bring my tennis shoes AND my swimming suit. I didn't want to get my clothes all wet and sandy for the ride home, so I sat on the beach teasing the ocean. I sat as close as I possibly could so that each wave would get my feet wet, but not my shorts.... A very daring game requiring lots of skill!

I found out today that Gersan loves the ocean. As soon as we got there, he went off to find a shady spot under a palm tree and took a nap. (Maybe it was a coconut or passion fruit tree... I don't remember. But it was something exotic, I'm sure.) He laid down, plugged his headphones in his ears and turned on the "Sleep machine" app.

...Wait a second... Don't people have sleep machines that sound like the ocean?

When I teased him about it, he said he was listening to 'Spring Birds' or something like that. He assured me that he had the volume so that he could hear both the birds and the ocean, but not me talking. Then he laughed at his joke and closed his eyes for his nap.

In the evening he gathered us all up to share some words of wisdom and encouragement as the sun set. God had taught him early in his ministry that He didn't need Gersan's help to accomplish His purposes. Just like He didn't need my help. Gersan wanted all of us to be sure that we were in Haiti to allow God to teach us and shape our hearts.

If by doing so we shared His love with others, then Hallelujah! Gersan knows the power, and importance of a humble spirit. I still have much to learn.

I mean, of course God is going to teach me things about Himself, and of course I know He doesn't NEED my help, but I'm still going to accomplish a lot for the Lord on this trip... right? I had, (and still have), much to learn about the topic of humility. More on that later.

We got back in the car and drove back to PAP. And we drove by Global Outreach, where I will be staying from January 10-16! It looks neat!

Tomorrow is Erin and my 1st day at the Hospital!
We are going to be working with Dr. Rachel Coq. (Pronounced 'RaA-shell'.)
Betty told us over dinner that we will be going to the General Hospital. I don't really know what that means, but judging by Gersan's reaction I think its going to be an experience.

He tried to prepare us a little bit: "Don't expect much. I've been there one time and I swore I would never go back unless I absolutely had to." He said it used to be a half decent hospital, but they they had so little money and resources and the infrastructure was just too bad to really help anyone.

Well, I'm up for anything! I'll be glad to do something tomorrow anyway. Maybe save the world, one patient at a time! I'll let you know how it goes. (Be sure you read tomorrow... by the way!)

__________________________

Meanwhile, in real-life time (June 29th, 2010):

Here is a small picture of what my day at Mugwalls cafe entailed.

Blender Explosion (x3). Not only do frappes/smoothies like to shoot out the top of our new blender, they also like to shoot out the bottom. The perfect recipe for a fun-filled day.

I was draining the water out the spigot on the igloo where we store our ice, and a customer came along, so I went to help him. The bucket that I was draining into was apparently ineffective, so I turned around and found a small puddle/lake made by the igloo. (If a puddle is make of ice water does it count as a glacial pool like they have in Montana?)

Fetching the mop...

So the mop was full of soap, which I couldn't see cause it was all dry. But when that mop got wet... Let me tell you, things got exciting. Good thing I was wearing my Sperry Top Sider shoes, which prevent slipping. No falling for me!

I did a little washing of the dishes and other coffee equipment. That sprayer has a lot of water pressure! It had no problem cleaning those dishes and then bouncing right back at me. I got back sprayed numerous times and felt somewhat like this...

Ok. Maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but still. It was an eventful day!

The good thing was that I laughed it off. Every time something new and exciting happened in my day I couldn't help but laugh. I don't know that I could have handled Blender Explosion #4, but thankfully I didn't have to!


Thanks for reading. Be sure to come back and find out what happened at the General Hospital!