It’s good to live here because this is a Christian community, and they live following biblical principles. They were brought here after the earthquake; the Lord had an eye out for them because this is a peaceful Haitian heaven but life here is not always easy.

I would like to answer a question that I think you would like to ask me. How’s your adaptation here? When we talk about adaptation it about the hard things, not the easy things but there are very good things to live here in Haiti that are not found in Québec. But let me come back to the hard things. It’s been a month since we are here in Haiti. You remember that I wanted to live as a Haitian, the Lord was waiting for me at the crossroads and this give me many things to experience: hand washing my clothes in a basin, rinsing and wringing, hanging, (I could have my clothes washed but it comes back torn, worn and discoloured, bras are stretched to Quebec, Mammamia!!! They scrub so hard here, and the underwear??? I must prewash them beforehand and this I understand; believe me, at this point I wash them myself. After, living in cohabitation with the lizards, the huge furry spiders but very beautiful, the insects and other bugs in my little habitat, without forgetting the dry toilet to empty and clean (Peter’s job), and the fact that I do not have all the ingredients or the things that I need to prepare food, there is a convivence store 20 minutes away but we are never certain what we will find, one week there’s yogurt, not the next, no celery etc… canned tomato’s??? 100% juice??? « non! Pas gain sa ici yo » (note that this is not the case in Port-au-Prince, the big city, which is 1h15 from here). We are learning to live with the community, with their way of thinking, their culture, their simple life, loosing internet for 4-5 days, here we cannot say, tonight we are eating this or that, nope, here in Trianon the choice is: chicken legs, goat (Kabrit), which is very good or beef for stew, no minced meat in Mirebalais and the prayer is thank you Lord that I have food today no matter what it is. This was a list of the difficult things to adapt to. Haitians are valiant at the task, they are up early and to bed early. Children starting at the age of 7 have tasks, many tasks and school also, I like seeing this community live and I’m learning from them lessons on humility, contentment in the little things in life and to see the Lord accompanying us in all things is great.

We are starting to adapt to our new rudimentary way of living and this et very formative to die to self. I’ve lived my first adaptation crisis, you know that missionaries have their weakness and our strength is, as all of His children, in Him. It is extraordinary to see that if, in our dissatisfaction that we withdraw and go to Him, the strength and encouragement does not delay in covering us, and then joy returns. Good news, this lunchtime, I ate pancakes (crepe) with maple syrup from Canada, is it not the Lord who gives me a wink. Enough to sooth a little crisis. I continue to confide in Him and to ask Him for direction each day.

When we leave our little community, to go to the village, life is different and non-Christian, with Voodoo and the life of the world, although we live special things. The other day we were in the vehicle on a hill with a big deadly precipice and the vehicle stalled and the driver backed up into a truck behind us, the guy in the truck came towards us in anger, I said to myself, we are going to live a bad white man’s moment, the guy starts yelling after the Haitian driver but I looked gently at him with compassion towards his frustration, I listen quietly, I was sitting in the front, which is rare, he looks at me and all of a sudden the guy in the truck changed his attitude and gently said to our driver, in Creole: ah! you are with strangers, that is good, you can go your way. Wow!!! That is the Lord who is at work!!! Amen

Our community is open to the children of the village to come to school to learn Christian teaching and to come to church. The young man who teaches us Creole, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the afternoon comes from the village, he studies in the community’s school, comes to church because he is born again and was baptised a little while ago, therefore he likes to spend time in the community. We also have a little soccer field where kids can play Fridays, which is very much enjoyed here in Haiti. Many kids from the village come here for schooling and this morning they were outside, and as I was observing them from a distance, they were dancing, a teachers asked me to come and dance with them, which I did. All the little one turned towards me and started copying my movements while laughing, enjoying the moment with me, it’s funny how they like to touch our white skin. It was a marvelous contact with the children from outside the community. This afternoon, Friday, I have a small group of kids from the community with whom I have an activity, but they know the Pawòl du Senyé (Word of God), I asked myself what can I add to what they already know in this community to help them know the Lord more. Sunday at 8am they have Sunday school, at 10am church with the adults and in addition to that they are smiling and not to forget the days of the week in their classrooms where they sing again for God. The Lord asks me to be a living witness of the Word of God, to love them, to motivate them to live for Him and the potential to change the destiny of their country with the strength and might of their God. They must grasp that it is very beautiful to know the Word and fundamental, but it is necessary to live it and bear its fruit always keeping their intimate communion with the Great I Am. For me the Lord wants to make the community the a root of a tree of life which will bear fruit throughout Haiti, with other Christian communities with which, evidently, we will assuredly communicate with, but for me today, I’m speaking of the community where the Lord has brought me to establish me and I feel very privilege to be with them because I’m assured that I have a mission in Him for the future of a few from this community. I continue in His presence to give Him each day and ask for guidance. I will give you more news, I have so many anecdotes to share with you, so, I will keep them for the next time.

Thanks for reading
Marie-Jo

Friends from the community at a game during the week off (school)

Peter to the left in the back behind the pink shirt

Myself talking during Friday’s activity with the little ones.

We love to be together and to have fun with girls