Third trip..

Sorry for not blogging last week but we were busy, busy. I returned home with a head cold but did not want to delay a little update.

Travel on Wednesday went well and we enjoyed spending some time with friends and meeting a visiting dental team. Anna and I enjoyed a swim in the sea.

Thursday we crossed the sea with the Stephens family to join the rest of the team for meetings that started after lunch. Great having music and the little ones blowing bubbles on the trip across.

Friday morning we once again attended team meetings while Anna watched the younger children, as she did on Thursday as well. Friday afternoon while some individual meetings occurred we split up: Anna and I watching different sets of children, Cory talking to Jeantiny and seeing the garden, and each of us found a few minutes to meet with our friendly dentist Dr. Bill.

Then we met again for meetings before and after supper. Saturday morning Cory, Dustin, and I crossed the sea planning to head up to see a newly purchased site for agriculture that the national church wants to develop. Car trouble kept Dustin home but we joined up with Pastor Doucet (the national superintendent of the Wesleyan Church of Haiti) and Pastor Clotare.

After a couple hours on bumpy roads Cory asked if we were close. They pointed across a large valley to a mountain peak covered by a white cloud! Yes, we headed to the top of the mountain where the national land is resting in the shadow of Fort Drouet and the historic ruins of a coffee plantation. The views of the mountains and country were wonderful!

We briefly met with local missionaries Stephen and Autumn, friends of Dustin and Nancy. Thankfully  we pulled into the Ortlip Center driveway about 9 p.m. For Sunday we enjoyed a quiet day without travel as the national elections occurred. Anna crossed on the boat in the early hours with Robin, Nancy, and the girls.

Monday traffic was still limited due to the potential for protests over the preliminary election results so we were advised not to head south. So instead we returned to the mountain top, this time with Dustin driving their new truck [a hard test run], Robin [WISH director who had planned to go on the trip south] and Anna.

Arriving much earlier than we did on Saturday, we had time to explore more of the Wesleyan church’s land as well as the coffee planation ruins and the fort. We once again visited the missionary family and enjoyed getting to know them a bit better as well.

Many factors came together to cause the delay of the trip south to select a second base for distribution of post hurricane aid. So we headed home Tuesday morning, and as soon as we crossed the biggest mountain into the north the rains started up again. Cap Haitian has received more than 40 inches in November, basically as much as they normally receive in a year.

As I write this it is still raining. Flooding, and  mudslides continue to rob people of their homes and gardens. People are getting sick from not eating well and being damp. Please pray.

Protests occurred before and after the elections in some areas but we have not heard of large demonstrations. We did not have any problems on our travels but did see large convoys of 20+ UN vehicles heading to and returning from the north.