On our way to Pernier, there were many people who we waved at on the streets. Some were excited to see us and waved vigorously, some scowled or simply looked perplexed, and some shouted things at us...positive or negative, I do not know, and I'm okay with that. One woman caught my eye as we were drawing closer to our destination. She was elderly and sitting off to the side of the road. As we drove past her and waved, she held out her arms in an embracing manner, blew kisses, and blessed is. God was in that woman on the side of the road. She was simply the beginning of the beautiful children of God we would encounter the next 48 hours.
So, here's a little backstory on the town where we were working:
Technically, it's Pernier two...in creole. There are two cities with the same name, so the one close to Port Au Prince in just Pernier and the one farther is two. This place is on a mountain in the middle of beautiful scenery. The pastor is a short man with not many teeth. He was married previously and has an older son, but that wife passed away, so he remarried and has four more kids. Their "house" is right by the new church building, but it's looking pretty rough. Most of the houses, which I'm really not sure where they're located, were more like brick huts. The old church is totally metal, besides the floor. They nicknamed it the over because it gets so ridiculously hot in there. They're now using the building as the school for the local kids who can't afford private education. For the work & witness teams to come work on a project, the church mist put forth an effort into getting the project started. Usually, churches are asked to provide the sand and rocks to makerhe cement and feed the masons for six weeks. When Frantz, the guy in charge, visited the church to discuss the project, the pastor was honest with him and let him know that the church simply did not have the money for this project. He offered the rocks in the creek behind the church and to feed the masons for five weeks, but there was no way the church could afford 13 trucks of sand for $100 a load. Frantz just didn't think he could. Help the church out, but something made him feel that he needed to make this happen. The pastor had been in this church for 30 years and the church members were beginning to attend less and less, so Frantz decided to make it happen he would find the money and make it happen, so off they went. The whole church would get up early to drag rocks from the creek for their new church. Technically, the church only had enough food for the masons to be there for four weeks, but they successfully lasted five weeks and ended with a roofless, unpainted church building. That's when our part of the story begins. We were there to add a much needed roof, build pews, and paint. Plus, spread a little happy Jesus here & there. I think we managed quite well, if I do say so myself. (:
-k
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