What a day--hot hot hot and I am in jeans (not by choice but I was glad I was!!) I was on the ground rolling around with the kids. Fun, but still it was hot.
We went to 3 schools and handed candy out. We wrote our names on the chalk board. We totally disrupted their classes. Kids high 5'd us and then played hand slap. At one school, I was on the floor kneeling and swinging a little girl around and tickling little boys when I was mobbed! A bunch of kids all crowded in and I was getting just piled on by kids! They were stealing my glasses and my hat. Then a kid started to dump his water he was drinking on my head. That was the time to get up! Haha! I was wet and the back of my hands were red from playing slap. Another school I visited found me in a room of probably 3 or 4 grade and they mauled me and wouldn't let me out of the room. They untucked my shirt and kept pulling on it! One time they almost pulled it off and the girls squealed when the saw my stomach. I finally got some other Pastors in there and fought my way out of the room. Or should I say I tried...there were two girls standing guard at the doorway haha!
We went to an A/G church and saw a twenty four hr prayer meeting. The ladies brought their mats and set up shop to pray for their community for 24 hrs. The power of God was incredible! We prayed for the Pastor and I was hard pressed not to break down and cry! These ladies were so serious about wanting to see God move, they were fervently singing and praying to God.
We ate at Haitian restaurant. I had chicken and rice with a coke!! Really good. It was a unique setting but the food was great!
Today we also visited 1 orphanage. This little place broke my heart. About 20 or 30 little kids. I found a little boy with big brown eyes. I grabbed him with another little boy and sat with them on my lap for a long time (20 or 30 minutes). I took pics and video with them. One had some candy I had given them and I would help him open each piece. The last piece of candy was laffy taffy he nibbled and sucked on that candy till it was gone. Then he sucked on the wrapper till we left. I teared up when I left it was so hard to tell him goodbye. I gave him several hugs and he held my hand all the way to the door out of the orphanage.
It was so hard that to do that...
I bartered with street vendors. I got some cool knick nacks and tried to do my wife proud! She is the barterer of the family!
We went to top of mountain to see the city. It is an incredible city. When the earthquake hit, 30% of the city died. That is approximately how many they think there are still unnacounted for. We went to the mass grave they buried the people at. The country is a mess but the people care about how they look and there is a real attitude of hope!
It is going to be hard to leave in the morning. It would just be great to set up shop and get to work. There is so much that needs to be done. I don't think that I would probably make it long term. The pastor I rode around with today is 80 and he has been living here 14 years. I am going back changed. I want to do something for people with less than what I have.
Tomorrow we have to leave at 700 to get to the airport in time! Customs here we come.
On a different continent at a church camp called The Crossing...I had a great day! I was in the water 3 different times with the little ones and the youth. It was hot here too of course.
In the evening service, the speaker Mike Holt was speaking to the youth about being a generation of prayer warriors. He made a statement that really caught my attention. He asked the youth, "Who are the seasoned old ladies in your life? The ones who when they lay hands on you and pray, you know they have been with God because when they pray things happen." I thought of my own church in Burwell, my Grandma Miller, the church I grew up in when I was a kid in Broken Bow. My heart was absolutely broken. My prayer tonight was "God, let me live to be the little old lady that is able to touch the throne of heaven 60 years from now when praying over the young ones." It was powerful!
From our heart broken praying picture window to yours, have a great day!
