It was cloudy and cool most of the time we spent at the HAFF campus. A real change from hot and humid down here on the coast. The nights were cool enough for a sweater. Below are some pictures that tell the story of our time on the Central Plateau of Haiti.
The flight up to the plateau was 25 minutes flying at 5,000 feet. It was fun to fly just over the mountains. Here you can see some of the houses constructed on the tops of the ridges. Where do they get water from?
Upon our arrival at the Pignon airport we are met by Greg Van Schoyk, missionary with HAFF. The plane was loaded as we had our pilot, plus another pilot being checked out. They can carry a total of about 1,000 lbs people and cargo. MAF flies into many strips here in Haiti including on Lagonav near our guest house.
They really do have a beautiful campus on 40 acres at HAFF. The trees give lots of shade and it really feels like a retreat. Not sure if we are ready to give up the sunshine and ocean though!
We were able to join in with the Redeemer OPC team on many of the activities they participated in. Home visits were one of the highlights. We visited the homes of local people who needed prayer and encouragement. We sang, prayed and gave a small gift. Bringing the hope of Jesus Christ into the homes of Haitians.
You don't see kitties too much in Haiti. One of the missionary families at HAFF had some recently born. Elijah and Emma loved them - here Elijah gets a chance to hold a little kittie.
One of the aspects of the HAFF missionary in is agriculture. They have test plots where local farmers can see how various crops, practices work, with no risk to themselves. The extensive ag tour was very interesting. That is one big compost pile!
The teams construction projects included making chalk boards for local schools. Here Ethan helps clamp the boards for the screws.
On Tuesday it was race day. The team held a race with money prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Everything was organized and now it was off to the race. Elijah and Emma are not participating in the race but getting a ride nonetheless. The team was always happy to carry them around - something they don't get at home anymore!
Here is Pastor Eric giving instructions to all the race participants. The men's route was 5 kilometres and the women's a little shorter. There were two age categories with a total of 4 races.
Here the young men's group is off to the races. If you look real close you can see Pastpr Eric's son Joey competing in the race. He came in 5th.
Elijah talks with Colin as he follows the women in the chase car. There was lots for the kids to do on our trip.
Emma's highlight was riding the pony. One of the missionary daughter's Rachel had a pony that she let other's ride. Apparentaly she loves to ride it at full speed around the compound. Emma still wants a horse!
We heard trees rustle in the wind for the first time in Haiti. The nights were cool and quiet. It was very rustic including the kerosene lanterns for our little guest house.
Time to head back home. The days went really quickly. Home visits, devotions, visting with missionaries, enjoying the scenery. Here Ben rides the jump seat on the trip back to Port-au-Prince.
And we are almost home. Looking up the Cote des Arcadins toward Kaliko you can see Lagonav in the distance. For more information on HAFF see their website here.
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