It was nice to have an air conditioned room to sleep in. I rested pretty well and got up early for church. A couple of my Haitian male friends, Jean and John came and meet me early to take me to Quisqueya for church in PAP. It was a pleasant start to a pretty sunny day to have fresh strong Rebo coffee with sugar, cream and clean water. We headed out for a short walk, got a ride to the bus stop from Bernard, one of the guys who works at the guest house. We then got on a large public bus which was my first experience on a bus in Haiti, it was spacious and much more comfortable then the congested taptaps. After about a 20 minute ride we arrived at the church. The place was all familiar as I attended services there on my last trip in Haiti and it was good to be back. The sermon was timely for me, Pastor John spoke on world missions with data showing increases in believers of the Christian faith worldwide with reference to places that had been visited by missionaries . He then said how missions are not enough as actions are needed. The Biblical themes of “seeing” and then responding were mentioned, such as when Jesus saw Lazarus and “Jesus wept.” The disciples saw the multitude when they were hungry and wanted to send them away to get food. Jesus saw them and instead acted by multiplying fish and bread from just a small number to 1000’s in order to feed the multitude. The message was about seeing as Jesus did and responding by taking actions. I reflected on my trip, the many ill patients I’ve seen and how I can respond in the future by maybe mobilizing others to help. The needs feel overwhelming at times, but I try to keep in mind that for the patients I see and am able to help it makes a difference in their lives. The service was concluded with the song that has the chorus shining in the light of your glory, Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord. It was such an uplifting service and just what I needed to boost my energy for a start to the week doing mobile clinics. I left feeling totally rejuvenated! I met with Pastor John after the service, it felt good that he recognized me from my previous trip and inquired on my whereabouts. We talked about my interest in mobile clinics and he gave me his card to contact him. I learned about the importance of making these connections in Haiti. After church we walked to my favorite bakery called Epidore which has delicious food and is one of the best eateries in Haiti. They even expanded since my prior visit and had such a large array of selections, they are known for their crepes which are so good. I ended up ordering rice and beans with picklies and veggies and a side of mac n cheese that I gave to my friend Jean after I saw the meat inside.

After, we left and got back on the bus for another adventure on the public transportation system and we made it back to the guest house. I decided to walk to the Creole church to visit with Pastor Luc to detail plans some other mobile clinics. He welcomed me and we talked to plan arrangements for the mobile clinics at his urban and centrally located large church in PAP and if time permits on this trip possibly one of his remote locations. He is the Pastor over 43 churches in the mountainous rural areas as has done mobile clinics before. Medical care and access to services is lacking or unavailable in many of these places. It sounds like a great opportunity to connect and plan for future mobile clinics, beyond this trip. I look forward to building on these friendships and possibly developing outreach initiatives.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing in the sun, much of it on the rooftop of guesthouse. One of my favorite meals was served for dinner, this time a different flavored beans, rice, plantains and picklies with salad and other sides. I spend the night sleeping in the private tent which I really enjoyed and this time there was an even larger twin bed in the tent which was very comfortable.