Today, (Friday), we rose quite early and left the compound at 7am in order to travel the 1-hour drive to Village of Hope School.  The school serves kids from ages 3 to 19 or 20, grades pre-k to 13.  We arrived to the sight of 120 3, 4, & 5 year-olds singing (in English!) “This is the day that the Lord  has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it!”  This greeting was followed by another song and then greetings and introductions.  The children were all immaculately groomed in school uniforms, not a hair out of place.  Their behavior was respectful and gracious and their delightful smiles put the entire team on “cuteness overload.” Then the children practiced a choreographed “march” which they are learning for their end-of-year ceremonies. Then they were released in the play yard with jump ropes, tennis balls, Frisbees, and soccer balls.  We played hard with the children until it was time to go into the classrooms. 

There we presented our lesson and craft based on the Matthew verse to let your light shine before others.  We sang “This Little Light of Mine” and then with the help of the translators we brought with us, we showed the children how to make a picture of a candle, with glue sticks, and pre-cut candle holders, flames, candles, and the verse.  None of these children had ever seen a glue stick.  We ate lunch with the children in their lunch room (rice and beans) and noted that they ate on dollar store Frisbees for plates and that ever child’s meal was consumed entirely.  Nothing is wasted in Haiti!

Our drive back to Hope House compound was an adventure as driving anywhere in Port au Prince is.  The narrow, extremely rough, roads are filled with potholes and traffic is always snarled.  What should be a two-lane road is often filled with vehicles, tap taps (noisy colorful cut-out vans for public transportation – always wall-to-wall with people).  Motorcycles weaving in and out, and people darting in and out of traffic.  Street vendors hawk their wares from the curbs (where there ARE curbs) and we always stop to by papitas, thin-sliced plantains fried in oil.  Our entire team enjoy this treat!  Every time we arrive safely at our destination we thank God.  

Pam