Arrival in Haiti and Bethel

Hi everyone!

Despite the wagers my parent's were making, we actually made it here!  We started our night with a delayed flight to Florida, which naturally made me crazy.  Sure enough, our late flight ended in some lost baggage once we arrived in Port-au-Prince.  Watching Adam negotiate with the American Airlines staff was a sight.  He could sell ice to an Eskimo.

Flying into Haiti was breathtaking - such a beautiful country. 

However, the further the plane descended, the more evident the poverty became as evidenced in this picture:

 

We were a little distressed that one of the bags that didn't make it was a bag for our friends, Guy and Dorine Casavant (who are legends here in Haiti, by the way.)  The other bag...can you guess??? Adam's surfboard of course!!!!  After an hour of waiting and filling out forms, we exited the airport to be embraced by Guy and Dorine and Pierre, a long-time Bethelite who came to pick us up. 

 

Our drive to Bethel was overwhelming - we passed several car accidents, thousands of people, a few goats, lots of garbage, and intersections that would make the hair on your neck stand on end.  Sensory Overload!

 

Bethel is beautiful in Haiti.  The best way I can describe is it a true oasis in an intense desert...actually maybe more like a mirage! Our room was beautiful, with a view of the recently added pool and a gorgeous tree.

 

 



After lunch, we received a tour from Charlotte.  Her husband is on the branch committee and they served as circuit overseers in the past.  The ministry is exploding in Haiti - Bethel actually has something like 14 new construction projects planned for the next several years.  One of these projects includes expansion of the dining room to accommodate the many brothers and sisters coming in to help with construction.  I found it interesting that the majority of the commuter Bethelites are young brothers and sisters. 

 

There is an Assembly Hall and Kingdom Hall within the Bethel grounds.  The Assembly Hall looks quite a bit different than ours at home in the States!  It's an open air building - no walls - with hundreds of wooden benches.

My favorite part of the tour was the Translation Department - a very secretive department!  We tried out best to find out when the whole Bible would be available in Kreyol but Jehovah's people are a very obedient bunch!  Sari here in the picture below is one of the translators.  She is in her twenties and along with the few other translators has the daunting task of translating from English to Kreyol.  She snuck us in for a quick peek as no one was currently working on anything but Adam claims he figured out what she was working on...but our lips are sealed!

 

 

<Oh to my friends who don't know, I decided to dye my hair for our trip...reserve your comments for later! :)>

 

We spent that evening having beers with the Assembly Hall Caretakers, who are a lovely couple from Bavaria, Germany. Just like us, they wrote the Branch years ago and came to the country to pioneer with just enough money for a year - and years later they continue to serve in Haiti! They've served as Caretakers for six years, if I remember correctly, and their assignment ends next month.  Before that, they branch assigned them as special pioneers.  They'll be happily re-entering pioneering down south in Marigot, where we hope to visit them in January...or when we get down there...

 

Anyway, we are here now with the Casavants in Petionville, after an incredible day in service. We had to leave Bethel early because, well, Adam's surfboard has been quite the problem - many trips to the airport!  But service today was worth it. I'd love to throw some pictures up, but I should be helping with dinner and frankly want to save some of the good stuff for another post.  We send big hugs to all of you and can't wait to see what you think...it's like we are living in a yearbook here!