May 1st was Haiti's national Agriculture and Labor Holiday. A few years ago, the ASAPH Brass Band attended a program at a church where the youth prepared a "parade of professions". Kids entered the church one by one dressed up as a series of professions. They stood together and represented the "people that you meet in the street" each day.
We decided to do the same thing for ASAPH's May 1st celebration this year. We met with boys from the AAF Jr. soccer team. We chose a doctor, a bee-keeper, and mason, and so many other professions and jobs. We even selected a lawyer. We met with the girl's choir and invited them to participate as well (a nurse, a beautician, a pre-school teacher, and many others). All of these kids were tasked with borrowing clothing and other items that would make them "look the part". On the evening of the program. I was busy in the church with presentations. The "parade of professions" gathered outside at the front door...in full costume. I made my way to that door so that I could help them to hear their cue for entry. When I arrived and looked out over the professions, my heart was touched. Here were wide-eyed kids a bit nervous about entering a packed church. They all looked at me...hardhats, stethoscopes, and all the rest. There was even a boy with goggles and a snorkel looking up at me! These kids had gone "all out". They WERE their profession. The motorcycle taxi driver even rode his bike into the church. People loved it. The kids played up their parts. The mason checked the wall with his level. The diver carried live fish. The policeman gently corrected some people who were sitting crooked. It was a highlight of the May 1st event! As a missionary in a foreign culture, you try many things. Some fly. Some sink. You never know what will work. I can't imagine how the "parade of professions" could have been done any better than it was this year...the very first time. Enjoy a few images...
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Andy StumpMissionary in Haiti. Archives
August 2024
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