Oranges Galore

Last week we had the opportunity to travel with Cory and four Haitian men to visit a bamboo farm a few hours away. This place was amazing! They not only had thick forests of bamboo which was neat to see, they had an orange juice factory! We got to witness the making of the juice and sample it...it is delicious! We have never seen so many oranges. The factory was unlike anything we've seen in Haiti so far. There was stainless steel everywhere and it looked brand new. I did feel for the workers who were sloshing through the juice on the floor in flip flops, but I'm sure they're used to it.
It's cool to see other parts of the country. This is a luxury for usthat many Haitians we live around do not have. On the way home, we stopped to eat on the side of the road, and had the usual rice with bean sauce. While we were eating in the car, we noticed this little girl standing nearby, shyly looking at us. I noticed the orange tint to her hair which shows she may be malnourished, and it felt so odd to be eating in front of her. I wanted to drive to a deserted part of the road and hide as we ate. Part of the difficulty is, she was one of many many kids walking or playing on the side of the road. What should we do? I think we've all had an experience like that where you see a need you can't meet, but at the same time, we could have given her our food. So many things run through our heads...guilt, compassion, helplessness, conviction...and we pray that God will show us how to respond and how to love even when we can't or don't physically give anything.

Life is a bit different without our English classes these last few weeks. We will start up again in January, but for now we are enjoying some free afternoons. Chris has been working more outside with Cory and talking with the group of boys who come by at least once every day. I am amazed at his patience with them and all the time he gives them. They can be a tiring bunch! In Creole class this week, we each had to write a letter to someone from home in Creole, talking about our experience here. Although this wasn't super hard, we still struggle to understand and hear when people are talking, especially at their normal pace! But we are still trucking away. It seems like we will have a good grasp on it, right before we are ready to leave. But as Anna likes to remind us, at least we will be able to talk in front of people without them knowing what we are saying! :) Have a good week, thanks for your prayer!