Hey all!!

This may be our last post before we leave for Bouva, so I'll try and fill you in on what has been happening lately. Tomorrow we leave for Bouva; this will be bittersweet as we've gotten closer to the kids here at H2H, but we're looking forward to meeting the people in Bouva.

On Sunday, we went to the morning service. It was the first time we've really heard Pastor Luc preach, as he was gone for a funeral for 10 days, and we were in another village last Sunday. I've discovered that Haitians are love repetition, as each song would be sung for at least 10 minutes, repeating the same couple lines over and over again. It is powerful seeing them all singing and dancing, and even though we don't understand the words, we definitely still worship together. Pastor Luc is a very animated preacher! Thechurch service was from about 9 until 1 or 2 PM…definitely longer than your average Canadian service!

Later that evening, we had the opportunity to speak to the whole church. We started off by singing songs that we both knew, such as "How Great Thou Art" and "Open the Eyes of My Heart." We had our faithful translators as well as Pastor Luc. Their knowledge of the culture has been tremendous in answering culturally relevant questions that we would have no understanding of, and they are able to phrase things in ways the Haitians can relate to. I think this was probably our best presentation yet. Each member of the team has become so much more confident and comfortable, and our translators definitely know the topics well by now. Our topics range from malaria and hypertension to STI's and water sanitation, so we are able to cover a lot of ground in about an hour and a half. The church listened attentively, and we were able to have a question and answer period at the end.

Today was our last full day at H2H. It was also a great day of anticipation for the kids here because we were finally going to take them to Taino (the beach)! For the last couple of days, they have been asking us about Taino, literally counting down the days. We all piled into the back of the big truck, and shortly after began sweating profusely… This did not lessen the excitement, however.

As soon as we got to the beach, the kids began peeling off their clothes and running toward the water. There was a lot of squealing, splashing, and screaming as we all swam together. In reality, most of the kids hung on to us for dear life, while others braved the water on various floaties.

We Canadians were refreshed by the water, but after awhile, some of the kids were shivering!

So as we prepare to depart for Bouva, we ask that you continue to pray for us, specifically for safe travels and good health. There has been some sort of cold going around, and Pastor Luc has not been feeling very well today, so please keep us all in your prayers. We will not have internet or phones in Bouva, so goodbye until next week!