partying partying yeah

Bon jou, faithful readers.  Bon jou is the morning greeting here, and when we walk through village Theodat saying bonjou or bonjour to everyone, I forreal feel like I am in Beauty and the Beast.  I hope you know what I mean.
Also, I wrote this yesterday, so everything that says tomorrow is today.  We didn't have electricity all night last night.

Ali is leaving World Wide Village, so we are having a going away party tomorrow night.  I'm going to do my best to make cupcakes with the close enough ingredients that I found at the grocery store.  Hahaha.

Many people who come here, especially on one week trips, are broken-hearted when they see the poverty.  Truly, it should be something that moves us with compassion and motivate each of us to do everything we can to help the poor.  It doesn't make me sad to see Haiti though.  Am I a calloused, heartless individual?  I sure hope not.  To me, it's a triumph of the human spirit.  The people here make it work with so much less than you would ever think a person "needs."  Hundreds of thousands of people live in tents.  When I say a tent, you are imaging the kind of tent an american would go camping with, right?  Those are pretty nice, aren't they?  The tents that people live in here are more like a tarp or some pieces of tin held up by sticks.  Can you imagine living in that?  I can't.  When we visit the kids, their circumstances are dismal - distended bellies, disease, dirt, etc.  Yet, I am only happy to see the kids because I love them, and I am just glad that they have enough to survive!  People are inspiring.  Can you fit 100 people on a bus? Yes.  Can you carry 4 giant packs of cement on a moto?  Yes.  Can you drive the Ranger through a river?  Yes.  You can do anything because this is Ayiti.

Anyway, tomorrow we are doing our first bible school lesson.  I am not really ready yet, but I should have a few hours to work on it tomorrow.  We're going to talk about faith and use the metaphor that trusting God and believing in Him is like believing the sun will come up tomorrow.  And we are going to make suns for the craft!  I'm excited.  I feel like my two years at Asbury were all preparing me for this - to be in charge, be a leader, teach about Jesus, love these kids with all of my heart.  We are going to FPCH with this lesson tomorrow and Tree of Life on Thursday with the same lesson.  I feel like there hasn't been as much guidance as I anticipated, but it's okay.  One way to become a better leader is by necessity!  I'm getting thrown right in there, and I'm going to do my best.

We have a new intern who is fluent in Creole.  SUPER WIN!  Excited!

I bought some milano cookies today for $4 US.  WORTH IT.  Yummmm.

Here's a little prayer and praise if you'd like to be praying for me.

Prayer - bible lesson tomorrow

Devo's for interns

Leadership transition-y stuff (Just pray for all of the staff and the interns!)

Chicken Pox kids at FPCH

Praise - Got to talk to Kristen today (one of my Asbury BFFs)

So many opportunities

Sweet kids

Functioning cars and the second gate

New intern

Shannon and Lena are here (Brad's wife and kid)

Sunshine (but no sunburn)

Bacon for breakfast

Safe water

Fans that usually work

Cozy bed (though not quite as cozy as my asbury bed!)