A busy day...I DROVE IN HAITI!

The boys helping us do yardwork.  They were singing, "We've got the ladder!  We did it!" the whole time.

Shopping for school shoes on the streets in Petionville

Some tents in Petionville....people are still living in tents all across PAP.  I heard that only 2% of the City has been rebuilt so far...I believe it.

Could Johnny be any cuter?? 

I guess he can  :)

Claudine and Rosa painting.

Johnny painting.  Don't you just love his cheesy grin?

Everyone wanted to help do my hair!  They were AMAZED at my hair mousse.  Their eyes got so big when it squirted out of the can, and they kept saying, "Oh, my goodness!"  I was surprised they knew the phrase "Oh my goodness" in English!  It was priceless.

The finished product, hahaha.  A lovely up-do.

Johnny and I

This is a picture of the "tank" on the roof.  When the pump is actually working, our water gets pumped from the cistern under the house to this tank.  Then, gravity takes it through the pipes in the house.

Today was a very busy but great day! In the morning, Dorothy handed me the truck keys as we were getting ready to go to church. The only reason I was really nervous was because Dorothy's truck is brand new and stick shift. I already know how to drive stick shift, but all vehicles are different, and I've never driven on roads as bumpy and rocky as the roads here. Luckily, there is not really any traffic on the way to church. I would have REALLY been worried then because the drivers here are insane. There are basically no road rules, ha! Dorothy just got her truck a few months ago and it is already filled with dents, scrapes, and one side mirror was almost ripped off. Luckily, because the roads are so bad, you have to drive slowly so mostly its just your car that gets hurt if you hit anything or anyone. I didn't even get past 2^nd gear! Later in the day, she also had me drive to the gas station to get drinking water. The boys (Mich and Chacha) wanted to come along because they thought it was exciting/funny that I was driving. They sat in the back trying to be backseat drivers for me. They really loved when we tried going down a back road only to find that someone dug a deep drainage ditch all the way across the road and along the side. Of course, it was a very narrow road, on a hill, with lots of big rocks and pot holes. There was not much space to turn around at all, not to mention the deep ditch that I had to avoid. I laughed and warned Dorothy that it might be a ten-point turn. Thank the Lord three young boys saw us and helped to direct us as we turned around. I think they got a kick out of the two white girls. We really tend to stand out here and often get lots of stares. So, this is what it is like to be a minority....

After we got back from the gas station, I painted the girls nails (and Johnny's toe nails). Then, we painted outside on the porch. Johnny had paint all over him. Then, I helped Dorothy with some yard work. I sawed down some branches and sawed apart a tree that was knocked down during the big storm last Friday. Then, Dorothy, Mich, Richardson and I carried all the branches to the burn pile on the other side of the property. We worked hard! And of course, once again I was attacked by the biting ants, ha!  Dorothy's landlord has apparently not been too please with the landscaping and a few other things.  Also, I don't think the landlord is happy to know that there are 25 children who also live here.  Dorothy has been working hard to get things fixed up around here. We were all hot and sweaty after we finished working. So, we went inside to shower.

As always, nothing is ever easy here. We found that the water pump was not working. I apologize if I've already explained how the water works.  We have a cistern under the house that gets filled by a water truck (or rain water). We have a pump that needs to be primed twice a day to pump the water from the cistern under the house to a big cement “tank” on the roof. Then, gravity takes it from the “tank” through the pipes and into the house for us to use. However, when the pump stops working, which it frequently does, we have no water. So, what we had to do tonight in order to get water was climb a small ladder up to the little cubby on the side of the house where the water pump is. There, we used a five gallon bucket with a rope tied to it to drop down into the cistern and draw up water. I found that it can be a little tricky to do because I had to balance on the ladder, dangle the bucket down into the cistern, and fill it with water. We don't have a good weight on the bucket, so it is difficult to get it full. We filled several 5 gallon buckets so that we could flush the toilets and bathe. I won't lie, after being that hot and sweaty, it was not pleasant to bathe using a bucket of water and an old cleaned out peanut butter jar. Not to mention, the kids rarely give me a moments peace. The whole time I was in the bathroom, there were 5 kids outside the door knocking saying, “Miss Katie, Ou fini? Ou fini? Nou vle jwe!” ( Are you finished? We want to play!)

On a more serious note, today's sermon in church really hit home for me. Pastor Bobby explained that yesterday, he was stuck sitting in traffic. He was watching some of the people on the street, and he saw an older man bend over, pick up dirt from the road and eat it. He said that he watched the man reach to the ground and eat dirt four times in a row. This isn't happening on another planet. It is happening right here in our backyard. People are so poor that they literally are forced to eat dirt. He preached on bringing the kingdom of God right here to Haiti. He preached that he believes 100% that this nation can be turned upside down, revival can happen here, and the nation of Haiti can be fed. WOW! The pastor preached that he has been praying for desperation and to walk in the Spirit. He has been laying on hands and praying for the sick, deaf, and blind. He is pursuing the Holy Spirit and His power to restore hope to a nation that lives in total fear. They need a Savior and a restoration of hope. His message today spoke directly to my heart. I have seen God heal and restore, and I came to Haiti knowing full well that God can and will perform miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit in me. I want to be done feeling sorry for the poor here. I want to move past that and bring hope. The pastor today confirmed everything that was prophesied over me before I left for this trip: Healing will come to this nation. I am going to pursue it until it happens. Pastor Bobby is going in the direction of God's heart and that is where I want to go to. Satan needs to be stopped. We are literally fighting in a war between good and evil. I don't want to be a fearful weak soldier. I want to be on the front lines for God. Satan has reigned too long in this nation with fear, sorrow, death, sickness, and pain. A new day has to come for these people. It simply cannot go on like this. God alone has the power to save this country and it's people.