Bus Ride to Port - Check it off the bucket list!

Last Monday we were in Vaudreuil getting ready for an "off the bucket list" bus trip to Port au Prince to spend 10 days in focused language study and resting. Today, one week later, we've had buckets of rain (thankfully passed), a lot of chit-chat with teams and fellow missionaries Dave and Marilyn "squared" (Graffenberger and Shafferlys), some terrific meals AND our heads are swimming but NOT in the pool. The pool, which is beautiful, is out of commission, but thankfully it's not been that warm, so whose missed it? We have been well-reminded that we are not young whippersnappers (oh, that makes me think of the best pizza in Oregon!) but rather old people with old minds trying to learn a new language which, up until today, we felt we were "connecting some dots", but today we started with how to ask questions and oh my, my...I think we're gonna need a "few" more lessons on questions.

Our professor is a lovely pastor's wife who speaks to us almost entirely in Creole, which is a good news - bad news. It's good, that we have to figure out what she is saying and that she has the patience of Job, but it's bad when we're trying to get it and it's just not coming. Thankfully, she seems to take it in stride and I'm certain we give her some wonderful material for their family dinner table each night!

None of this, however, compares to the bus ride which covered 160 miles in a mere 7 hours. The bus is very nice, air conditioned, and only allows as many riders as there are seats. (You might think this sounds odd, but if you've ever seen a bus going between Cap and Port, this is a tremendous blessing!) Unable to understand the instructions, we boarded a bit late and ended up in the very back row; me by the window and Bud cozy with his neighbor - a Haitian man who lives in Louisville, Kentucky, but had been in Haiti to visit family. The first half of the ride I preferred to look out the side window as the roads were a bit of a four-wheeling experience that was definitely not for the faint of heart. The second half of the ride, the roads smoothed considerably and at one point, according to Bud, everyone except him and the bus driver, were asleep.

All-in-all, it was a good trip and one I'd be willing to make again (well, maybe!) We saw a lot of the island that we'd never seen before, and I actually got some pretty good photos out the window, too. When we arrived at the Villa and were in our room, we turned to each other and said, "Whew, off the must-do in Haiti bucket list!"

Top of the mountain view

Terraces on the mountainside

Beautiful little stone church along the route

It is Simple...

We are spoiled!

Part of Bud's job in Haiti is maintenance on the compound. For the past few weeks he's been working in the Holiday House - our hospitality house where teams have their meals. We have three lovely women who do a fabulous job cooking for all our guest - Mary Marthe, Jeanne, and Madam Joseph. They are all committed Christians who serve in the local church and sing in the choir. They all have very sweet spirits and over the years Bud has joked and laughed and sang with them and they have prayed him through both of his accidents in Haiti - rejoicing alongside us in his healing.

Today he finished painting in the Holiday House and while cleaning two five-gallon buckets afterward, one of the ladies rushed out and asked what he would be doing with the buckets when he was finished. Confused, Bud said, "Do you need one?" She smiled brightly and said, "Oh yes, I could use one to carry water to my house."

Overwhelmed at the thought that this woman who works so hard to feed our guests and has a good job in Haiti compared to so many, still lives where she has to carry clean water to her house daily, Bud did exactly what he should...he gave her BOTH of the buckets!

Lord, forgive us when we grumble about the ridiculous little inconveniences and help us to remember the great blessings you have provided every time we turn on the water faucet.

And again I say, "We are spoiled!"