Haiti- Day 2 Church and Beach

     We got an early start on Sunday with breakfast at 7:00.  Then, we waited around and were late to church.  It's hard to get a  group of 30 moving in the right direction at the right time.  Although we couldn't understand the language we were able to follow the service pretty well.  Instead of Sunday School they meet for two hours of worship.  We went to the Baptist Church here in Grand Goave, Siloe Baptist Church.  Jeff Badke thought something about the church seemed familiar.  After the service concluded he snooped around back and realized that when he and Kelly came in 2010 that they stayed in a tent village behind that very church.  We are staying now at Conscience International compound.  These are great facilities, several 4-person rooms, a couple cabins (one with showers), and some other bed space inside the larger house, a group community shower with 4 stalls and community toilets. (*These blogs are being posted after the trip. We found out great stories about how CI came to be at the compound now, more on that in a later blog).  We are having great meals prepared for us by our hosts.

4 Person room

Bunk house (11 beds)

Bunk House (16 beds, 2 bath with showers)

     This afternoon we went back to the church to see the school.  There were several artisans there to sell "their" wares (at much better prices than I saw later at the airport).  The medical team met with Jenny Jenkins, CBF field personnel for an orientation of their work in the mountains for the week.  For the remainder of the afternoon we loaded our bus and went to the beach.  Several of us went snorkeling, some got to ride in a carved-out canoe, and the rest just enjoyed fellowship on the beach. All who wanted got to eat lobster a couple of hours out of the ocean with fried plantains and fire slaw.  It was a great way to relax that might be better enjoyed after a hard week of work rather than before.
     Supper was ready for us shortly after we got back to the compound.  Following supper we played cards as the rain poured down.  It would have been great sleeping rain if it wasn't 8:00!  Sleep did come fairly quickly as I anticipate the week ahead.