Random Haiti

Random is a great word for Haiti. There's rich and poor next to each other. There's dirt and mud underneath pristine white dresses on Sundays. There are working cars and motorcycles passing broken cars and motorcycles. Driving is definitely random.

The main market, which has been the main market for decades would compare to us going to a Walmart. It's where you would find everything from food to clothing. It's the same market I visited with a team in 1979 but much has changed. The market area was flattened by the earthquake and now it's replaced, as was so much of the Capital, especially the Petionville area.

1979

1979

2014

2014

Quite a difference. Of course, I can't be certain of the exact location of each but I'm assured by life-long residents it is the same market location.

One of the things unique to the Caribbean (probably tropics) are falling fruit that can knock you out! On the Villa compound are both mango and bread fruit trees. They are around the pool area so you have to be careful where you put a chair or choose to stand for a conversation. On Tuesday morning while Robyn and I were waiting for our departure, I set up two chairs, carefully looking up to make sure the bread fruit wasn't going to transport me to the twilight zone. I went to get water from one of the coolers set up and hear the large leaves rustling with a fruit falling. BOOM! It lands on my chair! I moved again (smart guy that I am) and a few moment later while sitting down, another came crashing through the leaves, bouncing to a stop within arms reach.

The final piece of randomness came through this young man, Gregory Joseph. He met us at the Cap Haitien compound in 2007, spending a great deal of time with his friends, talking with the teens on the trip that year. One was my daughter, Kathryn. Long story short, Tuesday morning required a search for my passport as we couldn't locate it in the safe. It was found, having slipped inside one of the newer, thicker passports - mine being 8 years old. Gregory works in the office a few days each month. He recognized the name during the search. He has completed his high school education and is into business school. Gregory credited the conversation with that group of teens (long conversations each evening) as the catalyst to pursue his education. You just never know what random encounters God will use to grow people.

I'm excited to hear news from today's work. The team is back at the compound, no doubt enjoying a dip in the pool before dinner @ 6.