Greetings! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get to the internet cafe. the one in the hotel is really expensive but we've popped down the road to one...
It's raining!! we arrived to torrential rain - apparently the first they've had in ages. yesterday was baking hot and today has just been humid. i'm attempting to cultivate a tan through factor 50 sunscreen :-)
so, where do i start? well, we nearly didn't get here!!! (no, i'm not kidding!) we left Nottingham at 4:30am, picked up at Leicester at 5, were on our way to Northampton to pick up when the minibus driver pulls over and says 'well, i can't get you to Gatwick'. we're all like 'huh, what?!?!' Turns out the front axle is broken and we're not going anywhere... so we pull into junction 19 using the hard shoulder where we're supposed to 'wait for another minibus to come'... Paul and i took matters into our own hands and got phoning but it's surprisingly hard to find transport for 16 people that early in the morning!!! after 2 hours of waiting the new minibus rocked up and we sped down to Luton to catch the train to Gatwick as there was no way we had time to drive there now. recognising we didn't even have time to get to Luton we found a train from Hartlington. We got on the train knowing we'd arrive at the airport at 10:10 and the check-in closed at 10!!! Praise God, a lot of prayer and negotiating later, they kept it open for us. we later found out there were no more flights here for a week! We got off the train at 10:15, were rushed to check-in, escorted through security to the gate and boarded the plane! PHEW! real example of God at work as they told us that they don't normally keep it open...
Given we were shattered when we arrived, we didn't do a lot that eve except eat dinner. it took ages to check in especially as they'd got the rooms all confused and i was supposed to share with Paul and Chris (the 70 yr old man!!) - fortunately we got that sorted... the place is huge, the hotel is great and the food is YUM. too much choice though...
Yesterday was an orientation day. in the morning we visited lots of different villages. First we went to a Haitian slum village. The people there have no hope at all, they are literally hanging about dying. The children mobbed us as we arrived... there is nothing quite like the feeling when a tiny hand grabs your fingers. they loved being picked up, and delighted in being loved and adored. we carried them round the village as we looked around. it is just indescribable the poverty they are living in. the people have ragged clothes, the kids often just where pants. they are running round barefeet on horrendous dirt, gravel etc. They have no energy because they are so hungry. sometimes all they have to eat is sugarcane. The children didn't really even play. there was no joy there...
From there we moved on to Ascension, the last village that was built. the local ministries live there and they showed us around. again, the kids mobbed us when we arrived. These were so different though, they smiled, they took our hands, but they didn't need to be carried or hugged as much. we took a tour, seeing the garden patches, being pointed to where some of the kids lived. We looked round the missionaries house and saw a dentist clinic in action. We saw the fairtrade co-op where they sell the things they make and the little stores they have and run.
We then came through Maranatha, the first that was built which now has full electricity, amenities, and is developed. it's 18 years old and the properties have grown up - some have 3 stories. they started with 25 houses, there are now hundreds of houses! We looked at the air-conditioned church and then moved onto Nazareth where we're working.
After lunch we had more information from the team leaders and then had some free time. We hit the beach given our hotel is on it. The sea was gorgeous, it was so good to finally relax and chill out a bit and just soak in some rays... So tired last night that after more orientation, i headed to bed!!
today was indescribable. This morning we went to the building site where i learnt how to wind metal to tie steel rods together (i've forgotten the name!). it was hard work. really difficult and tough on the hands. a dog ate my water bottle too! not impressed. glad it was a disposable one. Fortunately didn't need the loo as the toilet was gross!!!
This afternoon we went back to ascension to meet the local people and hang out with them. we visited a woman who lives in a house with her 7 children. We then played with the kids and hung out with them. amazing but heartbreaking...
am running out of time guys, sorry, gotta go!!
thanks for your messages, keep writing xxxxx
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