Already there has been so much going on that I didn't want any of our friends and family to miss out on it! We are all alive and well in Haiti- some of us learning to be more alive here than perhaps even in the States. There is something about this beautiful place- the simplicity and honesty of the tropical countryside & its people- that just gets under your skin, cutting through the the superfluous things I spend my mind on in the States. When we first flew into Pignon, I was surprised to feel "home". I saw many familiar faces and am surprised at how my modge podge of communicating in creole, french, spanish and English is all coming back quickly. With an eagerness to match or even surpass my own, my old and new friends are trying just as hard to communicate with me.

I have had two days and three classes so far with the boys art club. Yesterday I arrived to hugs and blushes as I was reunited with the boys and surprised to see how much the club has grown. Wilnot, one of the boys, brought me a large painting of a huge house (by Haiti's standards) and in little letters it reads "Trinas House Haiti". Think he's trying to tell me something? There are no locks on the doors, he tells me, because everyone can just come and go out of my house. Barb and some of the boys started to pick out their bedrooms! A little later a woman came to visit with a just born baby. The mother was mentally insane so this woman had taken it until it could be decided where he should go. I asked if he had a name and they said, "no, would you like to name him?". Oh man, I was absolutely floored- name a baby and give it an identity it will carry with it for the rest of its life? I thought about it for a few minutes and named the little garson "Dieu Bon Andre"- "Dieu Bon" means "God is good" in Haitian and "Andre" after my dad (Andrew). Never thought I'd be naming someone else's kid after my Dad! Why did I pick that name? Well, I was preparing for my devotional and was reflecting on a quote by John Piper that says "Missions exist because worship doesn't". My friend wisely told me that it is not my purpose here to change things, my purpose is to lead people into a deeper worship of God. I hope this will give little Dieu Bon Andre a good start... I think it may be the coolest thing I have yet done. My first afternoon in Haiti and already I have a house and a baby! LOL! I feel more like a woman already! =P

I have started the boys on very simple excercises like drawing animals or still life objects from shapes. What I'm learning is how literal the culture is here. It is hard for them to think in abstraction, as all their education is rote memorization,and hard for them to step out with their own artistic voice as their only artistic training has been to copy the marketplace and tropical scenes the tradesmen sell in the big cities. I am giving them excercises to find their voice and examine how they "see" (sometimes with our eyes, sometimes with our heart, head, imagination, spirit, etc...). Today Chaz gave his tired muscles a break after spending a day as a rockstar hoofing heavy limestone rocks in the heat to build Zouel's house with Anthony, Don, Nai Wei & Lindsay to be my "assistant" and was quick to share with them how what they are doing reflects being creating in the image of a Creator God.

We got to give Wilnot his guitar this afternoon, which was no small thing after the Tortuga Airline debacle (I was in tears and about to give up my clothes to make sure he got this darn guitar!). I have not seen him show that much emotion. He began to play it beautifully and we know we have already given him something to lead him into deeper worship of God that will bless others.

Well, what else can I tell you? The Mompremiers now have stocked the dorm with flushing toilets and mosquito nets and Lindsay, who has what we've been calling the "princess net" found a new friend last night- a tarantula! The nets can keep out these bitty mosquitos, but how in the world did that sneaky tarantula get in there? Oh my... Chaz came to the rescue and took it outside.

Some of the team has been working on projects: painting the doors of neighboring houses to protect them from rot in the hurricane season, painting and stenciling in the worship center, Anthony has been leading the locals in creating benches to sit on in the worship center, Zouel's house nearly has its walls and roof on after only TWO DAYS, and we had our first nutrition center assessment. It was AMAZING to see the Josefs (the kids who JeanJean and Kristie had seen eating ashes) because they are so BIG praise God! They had energy and were running around keeping up with all the other kids. It was just incredible to see! The King kids even helped sort all the vitamins and pills today for Kristie and Cynthia helped her weigh and assess the children.

There is much more to say- God already is doing amazing things in our hearts. I'd say we still need prayer that God will transform us and lead us in leading others into a deeper worship of Him.

I've re-fallen in love with Haiti & its people and the space to hear God's voice.