Just A Regular Saturday Night In Lotore!

Saturday night after celebrating our Gamecock victory, it was time for dinner. Again, dinner was a nice spread of food that the ladies had been preparing all day long. I ate fried plantains, pommes de frites (french fries, or at least they looked/tasted like it), and my ever favorite rice and beans! There were some other questionable things (mostly meat) on the table. I am so sorry, but I am not interested in being adventurous when it comes to meat. Here is why.

Today while Ed was vaccinating a goat, it literally keeled over and died! No explanation or advanced notice, it just fell over! Apparently it was old. Of course, Ed was not prepared for this (especially with such a simple procedure) and was totally humiliated! He felt so bad for killing the goat, because animals are such prized possessions (for food, money, transportation, etc.) to the Haitian people. I think he or the church ended up giving the family money to buy another goat, so at least the family was compensated.

Ed was telling us the story while we were eating dinner. All of a sudden, we heard some goats bleating outside our window. Their bleating sounded exactly like they were saying Ed's name! "EEEEddddd". We all began laughing so hard! Not only that, but Ed said that when the goat died and the family realized it, they were not overly upset. They asked if they could eat it and started butchering it right then and there! Now for you and me, that may seem a little odd. But to the Haitian people, that is totally normal and acceptable.

So, the family started butchering this goat with a machete and were walking around the courtyard and school with bloody goat parts! Yeah, very appetizing! I don't think anyone ate goat that night for dinner for fear of eating the goat that Ed accidentally killed! We all felt bad for Ed but it was so funny! This obviously became an ongoing joke for the rest of the trip!

Rest in Peace

After our enjoyable dinner of laughter, fellowship and food, it was time for our devotion for the night. Ed was leading devotion tonight. He spoke about the fruits of the spirit (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control). Ed said that that he always feels like he carries the fruits of the spirit with him while he is in Haiti, but it is harder for him to carry them at home.

He also spoke about his call to Haiti and how he feels so much closer to God here than any other place. I totally agree with him and feel the same way. I don't know what it is? The Haitian people? Being out of our comfort zone and normal routines? Stripping down to the bare minimum? Being in such beautifully natural surroundings? Not having other distractions? It is hard to explain and understand unless you have been here to experience yourself.

Ed shared some of his thoughts from a journal entry that he made on his very first trip here. It was cool to hear what he experienced and how these trips to Haiti have changed his life. He encouraged everyone to start a journal if that hadn't already. That way, you could always remember your experiences and how you felt in Haiti so you will never forget once you got home.

Ed then asked all of us to pray for one another. Each person was instructed to pray for the person to their right and how they saw the fruits of the spirit in them. I was blown away by the prayers that were said. It was so wonderful to hear people say such great things about one another. I feel like in today's society so much is focused on the negative, so it was refreshing to hear people focusing on only positive things! The prayers were so unbelievable that I was moved to tears! It was an awesome devotion!

Once the devotion was over I used the satellite phone to try and call my Mom and Dad. Of course, with my luck, no one was home. I was able to leave a message to let them know that I was okay at least!

This was the prayer I wrote in my journal before going to bed on Saturday night. "Lord, thank you for this awesome day and experience. I cannot thank you enough for blessing me the way that you do. Thank you Lord for our team and the Haitian people. I pray that I go home a changed person. I feel like you are working in me in ways I have never felt or expected to feel before. Thank you for putting things into perspective for me. Help me to never take a single blessing you bestow upon me for granted. Thank you Lord!"

Coming Up Next....Time for Church