After a long, exciting day we are all very exhausted and enjoying oreo's :) We started off this amazing day leaving Sue's orphanage after a hectic morning. Alarm clocks sounded at 4:45 am and the bus arrived at 6:30. It was very difficult trying to get 14 people ready for church. (we are very limited to bathrooms, mirrors, and lights, etc.) Upon arriving at the church we were able to have some down time for about an hour. We utilized this time to talk with other people attending church that day. The church service was incredibly moving and powerful. The Haitian culture speak with with compassion and their words truly come from their heart. After the Haitian pastor spoke and we all received communion, pastor Jeff had the opportunity to lead the sermon while Michel translated for him. Pastor Jeff preached about spiritual complacency and the people attending church really enjoyed his word of the Lord. The church service lasted about 2 and 1/2 hours and it was now time to bond with the youth.

First all 14 of us, translators, and numerous Haitian youths piled onto the bus to visit Felix's house. Lydia and her family sponsor him so she had some gifts to give to him and his family. Felix showed us in and introduced us to a few of his sisters, then brought us into the house to meet his mom. There were chairs set up for us and everything. They were so sweet! We visited for a while then everyone headed back to the bus while Lydia handed out the gifts. A highlight was definitely seeing Felix's face when she handed him his new mp3 player! His smile was SO unforgettable. People were definitely tearing up as they said goodbye there.

Next we piled back into the bus to find food, since we hadn't eaten since breakfast at 6:00. It was now 1:30. Mind you, some of us didn't even time to get breakfast. The bus arrived at a fast food restaurant and our faces lit up we were so excited. The youth group that traveled with us stayed on the bus thinking they were not able to come with us into the restaurant. Michel explained to them that this food is our gift to them. It was a blessing to be able to feed them with this delicious food. The bathrooms here were exactly like the bathrooms in America (they were clean, the toilets flushed, there was soap, and an electric hand dryer). The Haitian girls were very entertained and amazed by these high tech bathrooms. When we walked into the restaurant called "Epi dor" we saw over 20 Americans (what a good representation of America). These were some of the first Americans weve seen in Haiti so far on this trip. Michel ordered us each a HEAPING plate full of good Haitian food. We were served rice, beans, vegetables, and a choice of chicken, beef, or fish. The food tasted absolutely phenomenal and we definitely stuffed ourselves too full. Lets just say we were all full beyond belief.

After our delicious meal (and COLD soda & limeade!!!), we all joyfully piled back into the bus to continue our tour of Port Au Prince. We stopped and took some group pictures at the capital and enjoyed other sights along the way. Spending time with the Haitian youth was SO amazingly fun! We spent time memorizing their names, singing songs together, watching them enjoy using our cameras to take pictures and videos, and asking for the creole names for the things we saw. Our attempts to repeat the words generally prompted enormous amounts of laughter and everyone had an immense amount of fun.

When we returned to the church around, most of the Haitians went home to get ready for the evening youth event. We used the time to practice our group song ("All In All" sung in a round) and work out the parts of our skit. Around 5:30pm everyone sat down and the service began. Our evening worship was filled with special numbers performed by the Haitian youth, words of challenge and encouragement shared by Pastor Jeff, Carey S., Deborah, & Matt, impressively talented dance numbers, jokes, and our skit. Eventually, the whole of Haiti will recognize LESPWA by "one-two, one-two!" [If you don't know what that means, you will have to come to Haiti to find out. ;)] We had such a great night that no one wanted to leave.

Saying goodbye for the last time was extremely hard on all of us. We exchanged contact information, gave tons of hugs, and shed some tears. Over all, God blessed us with an incredible day. Tomorrow we get to sleep in until 6am and then leave Sue's to head to the water project...

G'night. :) God bless you!
Alisha, Carrie R., Lydia, and Sarah