Haiti Update (Day Three and Four)

The past two days have been wonderful as we've explored into different aspects of our trip.


On Sunday morning we joined the orphans of EBAC for both Sunday School and their church service. It was a cultural experience for a good majority of the group and they learned how people in other countries connect with and worship the Lord. After the service, the team prepared for our trip to the Citadel. The Citadel is a historical landmark in Haiti that simply put is a castle fortress on the top of a mountain. I won't go into the historical details of it's development but let's just say a lot of people and cows died while building it. The climb to the top of mountain alone was physically taxing. We took a truck up a very steep hill and once the truck couldn't go any higher, we had to walk the rest of the way. It's a very steep journey to the Citadel but once you reached the top it was totally worth it. The views alone were breathtaking but the structure itself was quite impressive. The pictures from the Citadel are photos that you should look forward to. Before we headed back to EBAC we stopped by IDADEE which is the sister orphanage to EBAC. God has been doing such incredible things through that orphanage and He continues to build it with the support of those in Western Pennsylvania. IDADEE will be yet another orphanage that God will use to impact greatly the lives of children in Haiti. After our visit we headed back home for dinner and to iron the details for our visit to the beach the next day.


Today we took over 80 orphans to the beach. Like most things in Haiti, it's a long bumpy drive to get there but once you've arrived, it was worth the travel. We often say that the beach is the equivalent to Disney Land because it's so much fun for everyone involved. The kids don't go as often throughout the year so it's a special thing when they go. And the thing is, it doesn't matter whether they are 5 or 15, the orphans love it. This day was yet again one of those days where you discover that we can be content with the simple things in life and this is something that God is teaching us through our visit to Haiti.


When we returned to the orphanage we relaxed before our devotional time. We are continuing to have great Christ centered conversations and we are looking forward to seeing what God does as we close out our time here tomorrow.Tomorrow we are finishing up our work projects as we prepare to head home early Wednesday morning. Continue to pray for us that all projects are finished. Pray God will continue to protect us. I (Joel) stepped on a nail on the way back from our small group tonight but the damage wasn't too bad. Just pray God protects it. 


Thank you for your constant prayers for us. They are all being answered!


1st John 4:19 - "We love because He first loved us"


Joel