Holy Buckets

Our crew of 21 had water truck day in Cite Soleil. We saw lots of changes from previous trips. We visited Fleri Farm before heading into Cite Soleil and saw so much potential - 28 acres with fruit trees including mango, papaya, coconut, bananas. The farm ended up being our first stop as we went with the flow and some traffic snarls with the water truck put it a little behind, so we got a great tour and had fresh coconut water right off the tree. On to first water truck stop, lighter than typical turn out with the recent rains, but still lots of time for interaction with the kids and the community. As our truck went to refill, we got an extended visit to Hope Church and School, which today was school to kindergartners and first graders in the school's second year of operation. For most of us, this was the first time seeing the completed church and school on what used to be a large garbage pile on the shores of the bay, now filled with brightly colored uniformed kids at a highly energetic learning level. Hope! Couple more stops of the water truck, building thru the day our last stop was very busy, lots of kids, lots of buckets, lots of smiles. We also did a "walk about" an area of Cite Soleil that took us right to the sea. Broken sea shell paths, pigs and goats roaming, kids swimming and fishing. Several of the kids tagged along on this part of the adventure. After we finished with the water truck, we visiting the Haitian Soccer Initiative - a soccer and meal program for boys and girls. Several of the kids enjoyed practicing their English speaking skills with us. So many powerful impressions from the day - our group observed positive changes that have happened since their last trip and that that gives us hope for the future for the people of Cite Soleil. The kiddos who are in school, the church, the farm, etc. At the same time, there is so much need - it can overwhelm a person. We are privileged to have had the opportunity to spend this time today with God's beautiful people of Cite Soleil. We continue to pray that God opens our hearts to really see and demonstrate His love and care for all His people. On behalf of Crew 21, Terry C and Dave K