Sabbath rest

I thought to myself on the way here that next year I'll take a break from this trip. It is scriptural right... A Sabbath days rest on the seventh day of the week, even the land gets a rest from its' labor in the seventh year, so too might Haiti need a rest from me. Because we all know I certainly don't need a rest from this place. It keeps me grounded and makes me look again at what is truly important. I've been without my suitcase for a bit and no clue when it might pop up. I may smell bad and my clothes are on their third day, but that isn't important. Do you know what is? Pere Bruno and his farming where he's growing okra and mangoes and cashews and carrots, spinach, potatoes and other things I didn't recognize, all of this so the kids at St. Bart's can eat. This is real. Watching children, half naked, pump water from a well with water that contains everything from cholera, typhoid and animal waste to carry home for dinner. Seeing men standing on the side of the road, willing and able to work but with no job to be had. This is hard. But also seeing a university built by the Dominicans as a present to the Haitians now enrolling students that will change the face of this nation in the years to come. And the electricity poles ( without wires yet, but baby steps) lining the road from Cap to Terrier Rouge. This is progress. Things you and I see everyday in the landscapes of our world are becoming real here - trash cans in Terrier Rouge! a cyber cafe! And a high school here at St Bart's! These are good things in the midst of what the rest of the world sees as a cess pool and a waste of land... I see possibility and real promise. Join me... Come and see, because unless they chase me outta here with sticks and machetes, I'll be back next year, not even IBC can keep me away. Also join me in prayer. Three years ago today an earthquake brought this nation to its' knees. We still remember as do they. They also still live in the reality that those things that don't shake our world can easily destroy theirs. There is much to do. There are many many prayers to be said. Much love to you all from Terrier Rouge, Haiti ...