The walk was an adventure in itself. Every few feet there is someone (or a group of people) sitting or standing in front of their home doing some kind of chore or nothing. The mangoes are in season so there were many locals with a pile sitting in front of them for sale. Every few steps, Lucner was greeting people, I was waving, and saying, “Bonjour”, and they would light up with a smile and wave back. Every so often, he would stop to chat, then turn to me and say, “This is my cousin, or this is my brother, father, godchild, etc…” Small world in Bayonnais.
There was very little wind and the sun was already hot. The path was full of people going both directions. Many children hurrying to school. Each group had its own colorful uniform to distinguish which school they attended. There were plenty of greetings and many stares. Mostly out of curiosity. When Lucner would explain the purpose of my visit to Haiti, they would smile even bigger and either shake my hand or give a nod of approval.
We were walking at a very fast pace and the heat was catching up with us. We came to a bridge in progress, carefully stepped up a slope of loose rocks to get to the bridge, crossed over the river, and then did the same to get down the other side. Just a few more minutes and we finally arrived at OFCB. By this time, we were both soaking wet with perspiration and I had a blister on the top of my foot where my sandal was rubbing back and forth with each step.
As we approached, we could see Morgan on the porch of the guesthouse with a large group of kids and he was blowing bubbles. Wilmetta Harman and Julie Gough were blowing up balloons. Tom Harman, Kyle, and Mike Gough from North Carolina were busy preparing the lumber to build the bunk beds that they came to Haiti to do. Peter Daniel and Pat Gardner were doing art work with the kids in another area. Morgan looked up, saw us, and then ran down to greet us. He is even more amazing and wonderful in person. What a great spirit he has. He took some time to help me get set up with the Internet and then it was back to work for him.
The Marvelous Morgan Dibble and half-asleep me.
Many thanks to Kyle from the Light of Christ church for sending the photos of Morgan and Beth. These photos were actually taken the next day. Still not acclimated. I had only been napping for about twenty minutes when I heard their voices and jumped up to greet them. 
My new friend, Beth, from the Light of Christ church.
Then I saw Beth. She and I spent some time getting to know each other on the flight to Haiti. She was so very kind to me. She went to get a cold washcloth to use for my face, brought me a drink and some snacks. She kept checking on me from time to time to make sure I was comfortable. That was so sweet.
After I got the computer set up and sent out a few notes to family and friends, we said our quick goodbyes and headed back to the orphanage. When we arrived, there was a large group of students waiting for me. They wanted to have an English class. Lucner told them to give me some time to rest and then I would join them. I cooled off, got something to drink, and met them out back at the outdoor classroom. We used the chalkboard for our lessons. While I wrote words and sentences in English, I had an assistant, David, (Daveed) to write in French and Creole. There were just a handful of students when we began and by the end of class, there were at least 30 to 40, including some of the staff and local neighbors. We had fun laughing at each other’s pronunciations or I should say mispronunciations. We started our class at 12:30 p.m. and ended it at 6:00 p.m. when I was summoned to dinner.
After dinner, I spent my evening with the children of the orphanage. They had attended the class as well and wanted to practice their English. Little Jimmy- Ska, who is 5 yrs. old and the most restless of the bunch, did not want to participate. He does not like to be touched and he does not like me or any woman for that matter since his mother passed away when he was three. He only stays close to his brother, Smith, or any of the men who work at the orphanage. I gave him some paper from my notebook and a pen. I showed him how to make a circle and he stayed busy making circles on both sides of six pages while the rest of us talked and kidded around.
The children have absolutely nothing to work or play with. Everything that I had planned to bring is still on the bus and will not arrive for another month. I have had to be very creative to keep them interested and entertained. I found twelve postcards that were part of my calendar for each month of the year. So, I cut them in half and we played the game of finding the match to the card. They really enjoyed that. When the novelty ran out, I was left entertaining them with the old antics of my father. (You know, the removable thumb, the finger in the ear, and the way Jerry Lewis would dance, etc…) Who knew that all these years later it would come in handy? The kids came up with a few antics of their own and had me rolling on the floor. What a great new family I have. I am so blessed to be here.
I have a new email address so if you have any questions or just want to say hello, you can write to me at VJPierce@gmail.com .
God’s Blessings to all and keep us in your prayers.
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