"God is so good"

Sadly, part of our team had to depart for home today, and they were missed. But a second day on the water truck brought a little more "community" as we now know our Haitian hosts and interpreters much better, so the discussions on the rides were a bit more lively as we attempt to speak more Creole to them. We were also joined (both water days) by two Citi Soleil boys, Rinaldo, who has a special place in Jeff's heart because when they first met, he was being teased by all the other children. Rinaldo, when he was young fell into a street vendor's pot of hot boiling oil, leaving him quite disfigured. Patrick is a very bright boy, with fairly good English, and also is sponsored by a former mission team member who is paying for him to go to school with Rinaldo, his best friend. In between water stops we parked our truck at the water filling station. There we passed around the snack backpack where Rinaldo and Patrick grabbed snack after snack after snack. It was such a joyous feeling, watching these boys eating their fill and not worrying about being hungry that day. We also bought corn ice cream (strange sounding I know, but very good) for those that wanted it. And to no ones surprise, Rinaldo and Patrick gladly accepted one. For the afternoon, we headed up to play with the kids at Grace Village. They are some of the most amazing kids I have ever met. So well behaved, and the way they care for one another is a sight to behold. Before lunch the kids line up to wash their hands. One little boy, Michael has an injured hand that is all wrapped in gauze, so he found it difficult to wash. An older boy turned around and washed his hands for him...When lunch is served, their biggest meal of the day, each child is served the same, large portion of rice, beans, vegetables and some meat. Of course some kids don't eat that much, so I watched as one boy took his leftover food, scraped it onto his friend's plate, and then gave him a tender kiss on the head...how unbelievably sweet to witness that.

But my absolute favorite memory from today was when Jeff pulled out his laptop on the terrace of the girl's dorm so the kids could see the video for the first time, of them moving to Grace Village. They laughed and giggled at the site of their "brothers and sisters" on the computer screen. At the end of the video, it shows before and after shots of their old home, and then their new home. Following a brief silence, the kids broke out in song, singing "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me..." I can't argue with that and certainly can't say it any better.