Written by Jody Melcher from the Memorial Lutheran Church in Nevada, IA. Jody is serving in Gonaives this week. It is her second time in Haiti.
Today was an AWESOME DAY and our God is an AWESOME GOD!! We spent our morning learning at the Mission Etole School. The opening ceremony was really something. All the children sang the National Anthem while Paulson stood on the roof and played the trumpet. Then they marched into their classrooms quietly in a straight line. WOW! The teachers are so good with the children. The three Kindergarten classes are in the church with a chalkboard separating them. The first, second, and third grade classrooms are in the school building. In the 3rd Kindergarten class with Jeanette I learned how to count to 15, say the days of the week, and the vowel sounds in Creole. The children are so eager to learn and they try hard. Dave taught a lesson on John the Baptist. Mary Ann took pictures of every student in the school and then all the classes and then the teachers. Nan brought bulletin board things to hang in the rooms.
Nan and I got to be lunch ladies. We served lunch to each child. What was extra special about that was that it is the food that we packaged last April with Outreach International. The children got pretty big portions because for most of them it is the only meal they get for the day. Rice and beans with some extra spices added. We got to eat some, too, and it was SO GOOD!! I could eat it every day!
This afternoon we taught the girls how to make bracelets with scraps of material. They are doing such a great job with the sewing. Their teacher is outstanding. We could learn a few things from them. They had fun with the bracelets. Two more treadle sewing machines will be purchased. There are many women who want to be in the class.
After the sewing class was over we were privileged to listen to the beautiful voice and guitar playing of Pierre Jean. He taught us a song Woody wrote—You may be black, you may be white but in God’s eyes we are one. A perfect ending for a perfect day.
Today was an AWESOME DAY and our God is an AWESOME GOD!!
