68 Bags of Rice....

Today our little group at the base split into different directions. Some went to Port-Au-Prince to drop off a girl at the airport, do some business at the bank and pick up 20 bags of rice and oil.

Another group went back to Saint Marc and picked up 68 bags of rice, oil, vegetable soup powder, water and clothes from the UN shipment. Together with the previous delivery, it will help alot of people in Montrouis. We are actually going to help with some deliveries to families tomorrow.

We stayed locally and spent some time at the school. The schools do not officially open back up until March 15 per the President's orders, however this one decided to have activity days for the kids. So we were surrounded by lots of children who wanted their picture taken.....it was very fun!

Walking back on the dusty road / pathway, we hear the children in the neighborhood calling out for us 'blanc, blanc' - white person! It is such a common sound, along with the other common phrase: one dollar. We simply wave, smile and use our little Creole that we have learned.

We spent time with some of the sponsor children playing cards. It was quite the sight the two of us 'blancs' trying to learn a Haitian card game, while not really speaking their language. One of the boys tried to teach us what is called "Casino" using Creole, while we tried to understand with English and French. Needless to say, he kept winning every hand and we kept laughing at what seemed changing rules.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Montrouis and on Wednesday we will travel back to Port-Au-Prince until we fly out Thursday evening. We will be staying on someone's property in Cite du Soleil.... their house was destroyed but people are laying out under the stars. They are feeding up to 3,500 people at lunch time we are told and have an orphanage of now up to 1,000 kids. We are looking forward to seeing the reality of this.

We ended today with another amazing meal (yes, where we are staying, we are fed amazingly well!) and a perfect sunset. It does seem strange to be in this place of beauty while also knowing just beyond the gates is a different world of dust, hunger, lack of jobs, etc.

So once again to you all in the US or anywhere else in the world: Au Reovir! Bonne nuit!