A Respite from Work

Today we headed west to Leogane, a large city near the epicenter of the earthquake. After a drive of about 1.5 hours, we joined a congregation of approximately 300 worshipping under the shelter of a temporary structure of 2x4s and tin. Of course, all visitors from North America are "invited" to greet the congregation so we each introduced ourselves. The team then sang a song including a Creole rendition of its chorus, and Pastor Mike delivered the sermon. Following the service, we were invited to have a snack (cheese sandwich and cherry juice) that had been prepared.

We decided to continue west and visit the sites of other churches that had been destroyed by the earthquake. After stopping at Carrefour Dufort and Papaette, we reached our western most destination at the church campground at Petit Goave. This location was the site of the MASH clinic that provided so much of the early medical care to earthquake victims. Although medical care is now being provided at other sites, the campground facilities are in dire need of refurbishing. Short term plans for the campground include the hosting of teams that will be erecting interim structures at many church sites in the area. We met with members of another team that had been refurbishing a dormitory and bath house here and had wonderful time of sharing together.

The "two-hour plus" ride back to the guest house over roads with exposed fissures, with partial lane blockages due to fallen rock, and with a detour through a river bed in order to avoid a bridge rendered unstable by the quake left us exhausted from this day-long, nine-hour journey. We're quite content to spend a few hours after dinner relaxing, reflecting, and renewing our energy for another work day tomorrow.