Rain

Rain came in a downpour last night as we were about to go lights out. We quickly closed down the tent sidewalls to keep the water from getting us wet as it splashed down from the tent top, we moved our beds away from the edge a little and enjoyed the pounding of the rain on the tent top. A few hours later as I paced unable to sleep, the air was purged for a moment of the despair that is Haiti, and it could have passed for one of the fantastic Caribbean Islands, but the dawn broke with the sun, and it burned up the purity of the rainfall in just a couple of hours. I spoke with a man today who came to Haiti to try the fishing business and he shared with me how the devastation that is Haiti has ruined any chance for a fishing industry off it's coast. The amount of garbage that has flowed into the ocean and the coating of dirt from the mountain erosion has destroyed the prospects for the fishing industry for a very long time. The rain last night while something of a refreshment for us was a curse to the ocean life as it was delivered another cargo of debris from a nation that cannot yet account for it's sanitation. My heart wept as we drove past the beautiful water today that bore fresh scaring from the night. I am unable to see the volume of information that flowed today via world wide broadcasts as Haiti remorsefully remembers the horror of this day 2 years ago, but I can tell you from the ground tonight that the pain and scarring are fading, people are adjusting to a new normal, and the struggle to survive continues. I sense gratefulness around me. Last night I was approached by a single mother who came to thank me and our church family back home for providing a roof over her house this summer, my heart soared as I witnessed the deepest level of gratitude in her eyes. I was reminded that the least of these things turns out to be huge to those who have so little, a little metal roof, and children gained safety from nature, a mother gains peace, and hope is born anew! This is a journey into the unknown on so many levels, and I confess severe moments of uncertainty, but doors continue to open, and I have an open door policy with God, if He opens the door, I am to walk through it never knowing quite what may be on the other side except one thing, He (God) is on the other side, no reason to lag behind, for He is on the move, and I want to be where God is moving. He is moving in Haiti tonight, so here we are, trusting, believing, walking His path, enjoying His mercy, practicing our faith in the way He has asked us too! What a ride! The guys finished mending the rest of the benches today less a couple, and almost all have received a new coat of varnish. It will add to their longevity. We keep feeding the crowds, touching the needy, sharing the load, and watching these people grow even as they help us grow too! In the picture above the orphans helped us stuff bags for the children's service and Vladimir just continues to enchant us all in his own unique ways. Blessings always.