This is going to be a post full of randomness :) 

We’ll start with Sunday. Each week the kids who got good grades get to do a special activity or go on a special outing. This week we did an outing and took 11 kids to a clear water river up in the mountain. Words can’t really describe it but I guess I’ll try… after a drive a little ways on these rocky roads, greenery everywhere, shacks and then random nice houses, people all along the way (you have to see and experience it yourself), we park, have a picnic lunch and then hike a little ways up the mountain before hiking down the river.

There were big rocks you could “slide” down, and there was one “pool” that we stopped at for about an hour and swam, jumped off rocks, did cannonballs, played catch, slid down rocks. It was nice cold, salt-free, water. It was amazing! SO much fun!

This was at the "bottom" (where we parked before hiking). Couldn't really take the camera along.

Yesterday evening we had a coloring party on the girls galri and I had my hair done by Georgina who is a speedy braider, and quite good at that. I was overwhelmed with thankfulness for HAF and what they are doing in Haiti as I sat getting my hair done, coloring and overlooking the compound from the second floor galri. I saw two girls take each others hand and run down the stairs giggling; it was a perfect picture to me of kids being kids and I’m so grateful these kids are now able to have a childhood and simply be kids.

 Gerlande at our coloring party

 After having my hair did by Georgina (L), Claire helped by handing her hair bands

 Fou fas!

Today we took most of the kids and some of the nannies, in two trips, to a farmer’s market on the beach. There were just a bunch of booths mostly people selling artwork, jewelry and some food. There were also some agricultural booths. Cam and I hop in the front of the and he tells me to look behind me… in our little 15 passenger van we have nearly 30 people packed in! It was crazy! Wish I’d had a camera. It was fun to be able to take the kids and nannies out though, they were all dressed up in  nice dresses, pants, shirts, shoes and Cam and I have on everyday shorts, t-shirts and tank tops…

We walked over to the docks, looked at the water and a boat that was docked, they were posing and taking pictures by everything. Lots of fun to be a part of.

Matt just headed off to PAP with Stephen and Carrie who will be flying to LA tomorrow, along with three of our missionaries from the Grand Goave site, for an orphan care conference and board meetings. Pray for safe travels to PAP this evening (road blocks and riots continue to go on in the PAP area), travels tomorrow and as they fly to Iowa later next week and then back to Jacmel May 11.

Matt will be making another trip to PAP this weekend to take a little boy for his second surgery for a cleft palate. Pray all goes well and also the situation with his mom. We kept him a while back before and after his first surgery but she’s had him the past few months. She brought him back a couple weeks ago in anticipation of this surgery and when she left him she asked if we could keep him until he walks. We obviously can’t do that and we want her to keep him so after the surgery Matt has to sit down with her and lay it all out. Either she leaves him abandoning all her rights and doesn’t get him back, or she takes him and cares for him. Tough situation.

Pray for a smooth week for the three (two of us a lot of the time since Matt will be in PAP a lot in the next five days) of us here over the next week.