Saturday, March 12
To all of you -- don't forget to S-P-I-N-G ahead this evening. Haiti time remains the same!
Saturday is included as a work day and it was an interesting one. Myrna not only rubbed the skin off her forearms, but this morning she realized that her back had become quite painful. Thus, she was limited in her energy and ability to do the cement work. So she painted the second coat on the outside of the building we had sanded and painted the first day. Since her maternal aunt lives here, she was able to visit with the family and to learn about things that perhaps she had forgotten over the years, and/or that which her parents overlooked after they migrated to the United States. For days she fretted about not having a present for the aunt so I dug in my goody bag and came up with some special coins and some Godiva chocolates. "No-no" she responded and so I encouraged her to realize that her visit would be "the perfect present!" Indeed that is exactly the way her aunt celebrated the afternoon together. Myrna just beamed throughout devotions having reconnected with her family. Serendipity occurs even and especially on VIM trips.
Having established a working relationship with the Haitians yesterday, we were somewhat perplexed with the limited use of our time and talents today. All of us accepted the participatory role and followed their lead as we built cement block walls on the foundation we had prepared yesterday. When the engineer (project manager) stopped by he was most cordial. He invited us as "guests" to his church tomorrow when this Haitian Methodist Church celebrates their 158th year. He assured us that the food would be plentiful and tasty. However, we declined as we will be attending College Bird Methodist Church where Myrna was baptized. Afterwards we will go out to lunch and enjoy some R&R at a "club" where the movie stars go.
The afternoon was spent sanding the inside of a very large and high ceiling room that serves as a classroom, lecture hall, conference location, etc. on campus. Monday we will work either at the apartment site or painting the room, or both! As Doug continues to remark: Semper Gumby -- our team is always flexible! This evening a small team arrived from New Jersey and two students from Columbia University are in the group. Surely we will become good friends as they are also remaining at the guest house throughout their stay.
Some lessons learned today by the team: we are not to give any gifts to any of the Haitian workers/people. The tools we use belong to the UMVIM/UMCOR tool shed that is stocked by new teams. In a sharing spirit we offered safety glasses, gloves, and tools for the Haitians to use. However, at the end of the day we have to return any tools we sign out from the tool shed. So, Steve in his quiet way suggested that Kent and I retrieve the tools, etc. When I asked for the glasses back, one young man so wanted to keep them and acted out the part of a celebrity. He was quite disappointed when I insisted that we really needed them. Kent was asked for some gloves toward the end which he willingly gave to one of the men stirring the cement mixture. Immediately the young man held out the new gloves on his hands to the others in a boastful way. Kent also experienced that the giving of the gloves was easy -- asking for them back fell contrary to his kind spirit. In general, if any team member gives something to one person, it creates some jealousy as well as others coming forward for theirs. How coincidental that Mary Ellen presented devotions based on "Open Hands" by David Jeremiah. Dr. Jeremiah relates "a closed hand cannot enjoy the blessing of giving to others who are in need, nor can a closed hand receive blessings God may want to bestow." This is a gnawing dilemma that team members experience daily. When offered some fruit the other day by a young boy working with us, Zac was unsure if he should take it...and didn't! He wondered aloud, did I diminish the "open hands" of a Haitian?
Dous rev (Sweet Dreams)
Mary Ellen
