The End of the Road

Lounging on our bed here at Bethel, in air-conditioning, looking back at the last three months leaves us both excited and sad at the same time.  We're excited to come home tomorrow, but now feel oddly hesitant to leave this country we've called home for several months now.

We're full of stories, covered in bug bites after three weeks in the south, and our hearts are overflowing with love and appreciation for our brotherhood here in Haiti.  Hundreds of brothers and sisters have left the comforts of their homes to move to where the need is greater as special pioneers, missionaries and regular pioneers.  Thousands of people are baptized here every year, congregations are splitting rapidly just to keep up with new ones, and more and more exciting changes are furthering the ministry here in Haiti.

So it's with heavy hearts yet joyful hearts that we leave tomorrow afternoon and share tearful goodbyes with our dear friends we have here in such a beautiful country.

Changing the subject before I get too weepy, our last post is dedicated to the three weeks we spent in Port-Salut.  Situated in the southwestern tip of the island, Port-Salut is a quiet little beach town with quaint little villages along rivers and nestled in the foothills of the mountains.  The congregation is relatively new and tiny - only 20 publishers but with an average meeting attendance of 40.  Their territory is vast and remote, with much of it never worked before.  They need help (as we were teasingly reminded every meeting by their two elders) but have a zealous spirit and have seen several foreigners move in to help just in the last year.

Our one night in Mirebalais, we got to see Nadine! And meet Luna!

 

Hello Port-Salut! The view from the house we stayed at.
Seriously.  The Caribbean as your backyard?! Pinch yourself.

 

Enjoying our first sunset on the rooftop.

Preaching on the beach with Rashaud, our fabulous host.

 

Pinch yourself again.

 

Canoes made from hollowed out trees are everywhere in Haiti.
When the congregation goes to an island to preach, they all go in canoes.

 

Point Sable is the public beach in Port-Salut.
There are a few outdoor kitchens with delish food and drinks.

 

Getting ready to cross one of several rivers in the territory.
We walked between 30 minutes to an hour every day just to reach the many huts and homes, and then walked all the way back...little different from driving around at home in service all day!

 

 

 

Two girls walking home from school together.
All of the schools are located in town - these girls lived in a little
community an hour's walk from the main road.

 

 

 

 

Coffee break at the local Starbucks!
(a.k.a stopping at a sister's house to drink coffee after a long morning door-to-door)

 

I actually started a Bible study sitting on a tomb.  No joke.  That was a first!

 

 

 

A beautiful waterfall we briefly visited while out in service.
It was torture not diving in to cool off! 

Adam and Mackenson, a special pioneer and the coordinator of the congregation.

Haiti, you are a very special place.  Thank you for the wonderful time.  This truly is Jehovah's organization and we feel humbled to be a part of it.  Thank you for following along - we look forward to seeing you all soon.  Au revoir!!!

Citadelle & Palais Sans-Souci

Checking in from Port-Salut!  Spent a night in Mirebalais with friends, which was a nice last-minute addition to our itinerary.  We also spent a night with Guy and Dorine back in Petionville, who then graciously took us to the bus station.  It was so good seeing them again - it felt like it had been ages!

Our bus trip to Port-Salut was pretty exciting.  We were driving along on the highway when we came upon a line of boulders blocking half of the road.  As soon as we saw this (Adam and I were sitting in the front of the bus) we knew what was happening - someone was going to try to hijack the bus.  Bus drivers here are trained for this, so our guy whipped into reverse with the other buses that were following.  After a few minutes, he decided to make a go at it, with local Haitians approving this decisions.  "Just go fast!" they all yelled, all the while complaining about the bone-heads who were trying to do this.  Sure enough, we barreled through the first section and a young kid came out from the trees hurling rocks.  Pity for him, as someone had already called the cops, who showed up quickly and took control.  Then away we went.  Gotta love Haiti!

*EDITOR'S NOTE* For everyone out there panicking now, bus hijacking is normally a manifestation, or a way for the locals to get the government's attention.  They typically don't hurt anyone or steal much - they just want the bus to block the road.  We were absolutely fine.

In the meantime, this post is dedicated to our last few days in Cap, including our visit to the Citadelle.

I'm going to go back to enjoying my ocean-front guest house here in Port-Salut with incredibly turquoise waters....actually it's really ugly here you would probably hate it... :)

Group shot (minus Chad, our photographer) before we entered Palais Sans-Souci

 

 

 

 

 

Chad and Linda moved to Mirebalais last year and so far love living in Haiti!

 

Looking back at the Palace.

 

A forty-five minute hike to Citadelle was tiring but worth it!
I felt like I was in England looking at an old castle.

 

Baby cannons at the entrance of Citadelle.

 

 

Adam posing with pyramids of cannon balls.

 

More incredible views of Haiti.

 

 

 

There are a number of beautiful cannons preserved that were gifts from the British,

 

 

A well preserved cannon, complete with wheels.

All in all, the Citadelle was impressive, and definitely lived up to the hype.  Saying good-bye to Cap was tough, and frankly with only two weeks left of our trip, it's easy to get a little sappy while reminiscing.  Haiti is an incredible and frustrating country. 

Now I'm going to go back and enjoy this really rough part of Haiti with its ugly beaches... :)