Today began with an early breakfast at 7:30 and we were on the road at 8. We left an hour earlier than past days in order to arrive up to Grace Village by 9 for a service with the kids led by Fan Fan. We arrived a few minutes after 9 and the service was already underway. It was truly an uplifting service. The kids were all standing together singing in unison. It was a packed house - with all 42 of the kids who reside at Grace as well as another 40 or so from the neighboring village of Titanyen. We were all amazed at all these young kids who walked up to the service from their village dwellings - a couple 5 or 6 year olds with their 2 year old sibling on their back! At the end of the service several of the kids sang, either individually or in a duo. I wasn't expecting a full-set concert from the Haitian youth! Fan Fan is an incredible leader and role model for the kids - very passionate, genuine and spiritual. After the service we had about an hour to spend with the kids before their faith lesson. We had been there a couple days prior so the kids remembered us and were happy to see us back again. I was impressed with their memories as many of them shouted "Hey, Conna!" at me... just a little trouble pronouncing those 'R's! We then had a faith lesson with the kids led by Dave, Alli and Fan-Fan. This was followed by some interactive games with the kids to help teach them some new english vocabulary.
We left Grace village after distributing some snacks and went down the hill to donate some clothing items to the villagers of Titanyen. It is easy to see the appreciation they have for our modest donations. A few shirts and a pair of shoes puts a big smile on the face of these people. One woman even invited us into her humble abode to visit for awhile. Our Haitian translator politely declined.
We finished the day by heading back towards Port au Prince to visit an area where locals were crafting and selling metal art work. We arrived back to the guest house with the dinner table set and sat down to our final delicious dinner. Taco night was elected as a repeat meal - to nobody's disappointment! The Haitian woman have been great to us this week, catering to us with tasty meals and generous hospitality. Our Haitian translators have also been great this week. Healing Haiti has assembled a great crew of people to make all of these trips successful. Special thanks to Dave and Alli for leading a memorable trip!
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