EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED....  Heavy rains the previous evening prompted a change in itinerary for our day... water truck day was off the schedule since all the rain buckets were full.

Grace Village:  This compound, created by the founders of Healing Haiti, currently has 400 children enrolled in school (36 living on site), a clinic, an aquaponics facility and a facility for bread making.  Within mere moments from unloading from the TAP TAP, our arms and laps were filled with embraces from smiling children in their crisp and colorful uniforms. They clung tightly to each of us they adopted and flowed with us throughout our tour of the facility.

Elder Visits: We were blessed to have opportunity to spend time in community with 6 of the elders, ranging in age from 62-104, as we visited each of them in their humble dwellings tucked off the roadsides in the village of Titanyen.  This time of sacred interaction was enhanced by music leadership from Patrick on his guitar and Gerry on her violin.  We alternated roles of presenting food and hair oils, providing therapeutic massage with lotions and sharing in hymns and prayer. The images of joy and appreciation are imprinted in our memories.

Mass Grave Site:   After the January 2010 earthquake,  a mass grave  was created for the remains of tens of thousands who perished.  This area has been designated as a National Monument and construction has begun on a memorial.  Our guide, Brunet, shared his experience from the day of the earthquake.  Our prayerful visit concluded with the melody of "Amazing Grace" on Gerry's violin.

Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) food distribution:  As we exited the walled Grave Site, we encountered families from the neighboring hillside who were gathering in the vicinity of our vehicle with the hopes of receiving FMSC food.  Disorganization evolved into a method of two lines in order by height, beginning with the smallest child.   As we created an assembly line for placing three packets of food into the hands of each person, it was a joy to see the distribution process come full circle.  In our evening reflection time, we felt we had experienced an opportunity to "Turn Hunger into Hope" for God's Children we served today.

Don and Martie