activities crank up

Since I’ve been back in Haiti, lots of kids have been showing up to recite Bible verses. Every day there are four or five kids who come and recite. It’s a program that catches fire every now and then. Kids study verses on their own and then come to me to recite. If they properly recite a whole ‘level’ (ten verses or so and some Bible information in list form) they receive an ASAPH Bible Academy ribbon and are free to attack the next level. After five levels, the kids receive a Bible. After ten levels, the program is finished and kids receive a surprise. The surprise I am currently planning is a trip to the National Museum in Port-au-Prince…but don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret surprise!

The brass band rehearsed while I was away! It’s the first time for that. They worked on a couple of songs for Flag Day…May 18th. We’ll be marching in a program at a neighbor school in the community of Puits-Sale. It’s be a new experience for us. And then on May 29th we are preparing to present a concert in the small city of Cotes-de-Fer. You can find that on a map of Haiti, it’s that big. It’s also the hometown of Haiti’s recent president Michel Martelly. It’ll be the band’s first concert in a populated area. We continue to raise money for summer band camp planned for July.

Upon my return to Haiti the local church was in the midst of a Ladies Conference. The whole church was meeting nightly for services. The church was nearly full of people each night. Imagine: Christians leaving their homes and activities to be in church on weeknights! I am always inspired by ‘the church’ in Haiti when I return here. In some ways (not all ways) it resembles the primitive church more than American congregations.

My music students are beginning to come around again as well. It takes some time after a couple of months away. People get out of the habit, I guess.
The third Sunday of the month is Youth Sunday at our local church here. They’ve asked me to bring the message. It is always a blessing for me to be able to address the church and teach. Lots of activities piled together, but as they like to say back home now, “It’s all good.”