One of the last mornings my family and I were in Haiti, Aunt Jane offered to take us on a little sightseeing expedition to check out the local pottery industry.  We loaded up the van around 11:00 but various demands on Jane’s time kept us from leaving immediately.  Once we got the van moving, it was to swing up toward the house so I could grab something I had forgotten.  On our way back down to the front gate, Jane noticed a young man standing in front of her house and asked if it would be OK to stop for just…

I’m having trouble getting myself to start this entry and it has nothing to do with the subject matter.  It’s just that I realize that this trip ended almost two months ago now and I am coming close to the end of my pictures.  Labor Day has passed and we’re in our fourth week of school.  This morning was the first to call seriously for a jacket.  And it all makes Haiti seem very distant at the moment.  But I need to push forward and finish up my posts about the trip so I can get back to present day…

At the tail end of my week in Haiti last October I had the chance to look around Cowman School.  I went because God was already impressing upon me the very real possibility that Melissa and I might be called to teach there and I wanted to see if first hand. In July, our hostess, Jane, made sure the whole family got to see the Cowman campus.  God willing, this will be where the kids will be doing their learnin’ and Melissa and I will be doing our teachin’ next year. Cowman is named after Charles and Lettie Cowman, the…

When we got to Haiti, I was surprised to hear that the folks at the mission already had a house picked out for us.  It’s toward the back of the compound and right next door to the Bundys – who also have four kids, roughly the same ages as our kids. Melissa and I had both had experiences with this particular house on our separate trips to Haiti last year.  Melissa had stayed in the house and had wondered at the time about the possibility of someday living there.  I didn’t stay in the house, but I helped a bit…

I don’t have any pictures of the churches we visited on the two Sunday mornings we were in Haiti.  I just don’t feel right about carrying a camera into church.  I want to go to church as a worshipper, not a tourist.  I must say, while I’m on the topic, that our kids did exceptionally well at staying put and attentive through multi-hour worship conducted in a foreign language under very hot circumstances. So going to the Hotel Mont Jolie after service for lunch and a swim was an especially sweet treat.  The hotel has a great view of Cap…

Half way through our two weeks in Haiti, Bud and Jane took our family to the beach for a day.  It is just over a mountain on the other side of Cap Haitien.  It’s a bumpy ride – Ida, who was sitting in the back of the van in the sun, lost his breakfast half way there. 

Our kids got plenty of fresh air while we were in Haiti.  Every time we turned around, the kids were outside, exploring, playing or trying to communicate with their new friends.

It’s funny to me that I spent an entire week on this compound last October and wasn’t aware of any of this part of the ministry in the least…

One of the things our kids enjoyed most about their time in Haiti in July was the wildlife!  I thought I’d put together some of the photos involving snakes, lizards, frogs and tarantulas: The only critter missing here is the snake that Dats caught one day after lunch.  We have video of that – from a distance – since Melissa held the camcorder.  The Haitians really don’t seem to like snakes one bit…