Flexibility

Flexibility is the ability to bend without breaking.  Our team that is visiting us in Haiti has been required to be flexible.  And they have done a great job with all the changes thrown their way.  We are thankful to receive visitors who can go with the flow and who are not phased by the curveballs Haiti can throw them.

Team Haiti 2013 from the Presbytery of Southern California is already 2/3 of the way through the Vacation Bible School (VBS) programs.  They have spent two days at each of two churches.  It has been busy, hot but a lot of fun.  Not much has happened as we anticipated or planned.  But the reward for their hard work and flexibility is a daily cool down in the ocean.

Yesterday at the second church in Montrouis, a town about 10 minutes north of our Kaliko home, we arrived just before 9AM.  The door to the church was closed and we wondered what was going on.  As it turned out the pastor of the church, Josue, thought that we were starting the program the next day.  But the invitations quickly went out in the neighborhood.  Amazingly by 10AM we had 120 kids in the very small church building.  The team stepped up and we made due with the smaller amounts of bread and craft material.  Everyone still had a good time.

As a side note, sometimes you have to be flexible because of the unanticipated actions of others.  Yesterday when I went to buy bread in the Montrouis market my regular guy did not have what I needed.  So I bought from three other vendors.  While they were counting out the 100 pieces I paid for I went across the street to buy the small bags of water we give to the children.  I should have watched over them as they counted - when I got back to the church I discovered there were only 75 pieces in the bag.  Going back to confront the vendors today I was pleased that one of them admitted the "mistake" and gave me the missing 25 pieces of bread.  Flexibility along with accountability was needed.  Their mistake meant that lots of kids went without a snack.

After our experience the day before we did come prepared.  But once again flexibility was needed.  This time we began the day with just 40 kids even though we anticipated a lot more.  By the end of the program we had over 80.  The team showed their flexibility again and we were thankful for the opportunity to present the gospel to those who came.  Tomorrow the team head to the island of Lagonav for another two-day program following worship on Sunday.  Pray for us.