To Be Continued...

Well here we are; our final day in Haiti. It's bitter sweet really; a little more bitter than sweet for me and I'm sure that some of my fellow missionaries are feeling the same way. It has been an absolutely amazing week and we finished it with a fantastic day.

This morning we all loaded up into the tap-tap and made our way to Port-Au-Prince Fellowship for church. As we exited the Guest House gate reality seemed to hit that the next time we would be leaving the house we would be heading for the airport to return to America.

The Port-Au-Prince Fellowship was much smaller than the Church on the Rock which we visited earlier this week, but it was filled to the brim with Christians ready to worship the Lord. Worship lasted about an hour and God's presence could be felt the entire time. After worship, there was an interesting service about tithes. I only say interesting because it was not like any sermon I have yet to hear, but I'm glad to have had the opportunity to hear it.

After church we filed back into the tap-tap and headed up the mountain for shopping and lunch. Personally, I found the windy, narrow road a wee bit sketchy; especially after Brian told me we would soon be driving over a section of road that had partially crumbled and fallen off during the earthquake... that totally eased my fears of the tap-tap tumbling over the edge of the mountain. But, by some miracle, we made it to the top of the mountain without rolling over any of the cliffs and let me tell you: the view was unbelievable! The saying "I'm on top of the world" must have been created there because it seemed like all of Haiti could be seen below us.

For lunch at the mountaintop restaurant which overlooked Port-Au-Prince all but two of us ordered a burger with fries... I guess you could say that we are having American food withdrawals (but I will say that their french fries are arguably better than any I have had in the U.S.).

Following lunch, a few of us did some bargain shopping from the vendors atop the mountain and then we began our journey back down the mountain, stopping along the way to view and purchase from some metal art vendors who were lined up on the side of the road. It is unbelievable what the people can make out of old oil drums, there were some of the coolest decor items I have ever seen!

A view on the way down the mountain.

Before returning to the Guest House, we made one final stop at the Giant Supermarket so Brian could show us that Haiti, too, has regular grocery stores. Such a quick stop should have been uneventful and unworthy of this blog, but it turned out to be exactly the opposite. For starters, there was free samples of coffee which was more than taken advantage of by the members of the team (by 'more than taken advantage of' I do mean that; a couple members had about three cups and experienced some major caffeine highs). Also, Boe ran into former Vikings player Matt Blair who was just starting some mission work in Haiti (personally, I think I'm more impressed that Boe was able to recognize him considering majority of the time he would have been wearing a helmet, but I guess guys really pay attention to the athletes and what they look like).

Lastly, I learned that the automatic doors in Haiti do not have the best of sensors. While getting my free sample of coffee, Brian walked in and told us that it was time to go, so I grabbed my cup and mindlessly followed him, not paying any attention to the "in" door which we were exiting through. I didn't think anything as the doors began to close because at Wal-Mart, they always open back up as soon as you step through, so I just kept walking... and it definitely did not sense me. Instead the doors continued to close on me, sending me into a panic and causing my untouched coffee to spill all over my hands while everyone entering and exiting the store watched. I can only imagine the thoughts that filled the Haitian's minds, but it no doubt was something along the lines of "stupid blancs."

With enough fun for one outing, we returned to the Guest House for a quick dinner and a game of soccer out in the street with the neighborhood boys. The playing field for the game was less than ideal. It was uneven and had jagged rocks sticking out of the ground with a stream of sewage on one side (which the ball often rolled into) and a short fence on the other (which the ball often flew over), but despite the unfortunate conditions, we all had an amazing time filled with smiles and laughter.  We also had probably the first "official" (Brian on his camera) instant reply review where a goal was reversed (terrible call on Brian's part. He clearly has not completed reffing school because it was totally a goal).

We finished the night with a swim up at Elite Hotel's pool, which ideally would have been refreshing but actually left me wanting a warm shower. That water was real cold.

And that brings us to now: almost bedtime on our last night in Haiti. Just thinking about leaving makes me sad; there is so much work left to do here, but I know in my heart that I'll be back. How can I be sure? Because a piece of me will be staying here while I return home to Minnesota. With that, I won't be saying "the end" or "goodbye" at the closing of this blog, rather a "see you later".

Thank you all for your prayers throughout the week and thank you for following our journey in Haiti. It truly has been an unforgettable experience.


-Ashley Becker

To Be Continued...