Today was a free day which was totally unusual for a mission trip. Typically it would be a team day -go somewhere as a team for "bonding", but there was not one scheduled. For most of us this is the first mission without a team day but it was fine...about half of the team decided to rent a bus & go to the beach at 8 am. I opted to go to church here & then meet up with others later.
I took a taxi to the church. I thought of walking but the hotel suggested I take a taxi so I did. I went to the Gazcue Ward & thee were about 100 people there. An area seventy who lives in this area said that in recent years there were only 20 members in this branch. The LDS church opened & dedicated this area in 1978 & now there are 3 missions here & 8 stakes & that does not include Haiti. A lot of the new converts are actually teens & college age people. They have strong seminary & institute programs - I don't know what that means as far as numbers but they say that parents here may not be interested in the church but they call & ask for their children to be taught because their want them involved in the strong youth & young adult groups. The church was a nice building & the mission office was there too. They did have a fence that stays closed when there ae not people there & private security (which many plaes have).
There were some youth/young adults at church without parents but also families. They are very gracious people & while I didn't understand everything I felt the spirit there in the words & songs I heard. It was a Testimony meeting & there was not a pause at all between testimonies up til the very end & even when it was about to end 2 other people went up one after the other. There were sister missionaries in that ward & they talked to me about a couple they were working with that were gone this week but were going to get married & baptized with the support we were offering - they perhaps were more excited that the couple I think :) They also told me about a Branch they cover with only 30 adults but 28 Primary Children because one woman in the Branch rounds up all the children in the area like the Pied Piper & brings them to church. I told them of some of the dresses, clothes & dolls I have that they thought would be wonderful for them so I am going to leave a few at the hotel for them to pick up tomorrow - bummed I wont be able to see them again but it will all work out.
After church I called the cab driver to take me back & met up with a few of the people from the Team & we went on the Choo Choo Tour of the colonial area - 500 years in 45 min is what they promised. It really was good & made me dust off some of my high school history of Cortez and other settler in this area. After that we went & toured a beautiful Cathedral here - I always feel such reverence for these sacred buildings that hold both history and faith. It was a bright sunny Sunday with people walking about the square, men playing games of chess, checkers or dominos, musicians playing for money. Today was also the Carnival Finale - I guess there are Carnivals in all the counties or areas (really parades) and this one was the one that the top people from all over were invited to. We walked down to it - it was on the highway near the water & I could not believe that the entire beach area here was covered with trash - everywhere....and the entire area was packed with people. We got there a little late & the viewing was 10 people deep but we got the feel of it. There was a separate children's Carnival that we had seen & I think that was the best part! Lots of people selling food & snacks - some grilling on the street etc. The surgeon we were with asked in we knew what he called those food stands & he said "Eating Here Gets you 6 Weeks in the ICU". I wasn't planning on eating but that was pretty funny!
Got over 12,000 steps in today - walking back from the Carnivale to our hotel a different way it really did feel like we were walking thru the slums. I didn't ever feel unsafe but it was a different view of the city. There are electrical wires hanging EVERYWHERE & I found out that is because one person gets and pays for electricity & then everyone else just plugs into them. Seriously there aer crazy spaghetti wires on every corner. With the trips to the hospital, church & temple I have noticed they have KFC, Little Cesar's, Wendy's, Papa Johns & even a Denny's here.
Packing up my backpack for our first day of surgery tomorrow then heading to bed - 6 am Wake Up Call - Let the Mission Week Begin!
P.S. Fun Fact Sis Smith the mission presidents wife is the sister of Kendra Hada in the Santa Margarita Stake - married to Dave Hada - small world! She knew exactly where I was from :)
I took a taxi to the church. I thought of walking but the hotel suggested I take a taxi so I did. I went to the Gazcue Ward & thee were about 100 people there. An area seventy who lives in this area said that in recent years there were only 20 members in this branch. The LDS church opened & dedicated this area in 1978 & now there are 3 missions here & 8 stakes & that does not include Haiti. A lot of the new converts are actually teens & college age people. They have strong seminary & institute programs - I don't know what that means as far as numbers but they say that parents here may not be interested in the church but they call & ask for their children to be taught because their want them involved in the strong youth & young adult groups. The church was a nice building & the mission office was there too. They did have a fence that stays closed when there ae not people there & private security (which many plaes have).
There were some youth/young adults at church without parents but also families. They are very gracious people & while I didn't understand everything I felt the spirit there in the words & songs I heard. It was a Testimony meeting & there was not a pause at all between testimonies up til the very end & even when it was about to end 2 other people went up one after the other. There were sister missionaries in that ward & they talked to me about a couple they were working with that were gone this week but were going to get married & baptized with the support we were offering - they perhaps were more excited that the couple I think :) They also told me about a Branch they cover with only 30 adults but 28 Primary Children because one woman in the Branch rounds up all the children in the area like the Pied Piper & brings them to church. I told them of some of the dresses, clothes & dolls I have that they thought would be wonderful for them so I am going to leave a few at the hotel for them to pick up tomorrow - bummed I wont be able to see them again but it will all work out.
After church I called the cab driver to take me back & met up with a few of the people from the Team & we went on the Choo Choo Tour of the colonial area - 500 years in 45 min is what they promised. It really was good & made me dust off some of my high school history of Cortez and other settler in this area. After that we went & toured a beautiful Cathedral here - I always feel such reverence for these sacred buildings that hold both history and faith. It was a bright sunny Sunday with people walking about the square, men playing games of chess, checkers or dominos, musicians playing for money. Today was also the Carnival Finale - I guess there are Carnivals in all the counties or areas (really parades) and this one was the one that the top people from all over were invited to. We walked down to it - it was on the highway near the water & I could not believe that the entire beach area here was covered with trash - everywhere....and the entire area was packed with people. We got there a little late & the viewing was 10 people deep but we got the feel of it. There was a separate children's Carnival that we had seen & I think that was the best part! Lots of people selling food & snacks - some grilling on the street etc. The surgeon we were with asked in we knew what he called those food stands & he said "Eating Here Gets you 6 Weeks in the ICU". I wasn't planning on eating but that was pretty funny!
Got over 12,000 steps in today - walking back from the Carnivale to our hotel a different way it really did feel like we were walking thru the slums. I didn't ever feel unsafe but it was a different view of the city. There are electrical wires hanging EVERYWHERE & I found out that is because one person gets and pays for electricity & then everyone else just plugs into them. Seriously there aer crazy spaghetti wires on every corner. With the trips to the hospital, church & temple I have noticed they have KFC, Little Cesar's, Wendy's, Papa Johns & even a Denny's here.
Packing up my backpack for our first day of surgery tomorrow then heading to bed - 6 am Wake Up Call - Let the Mission Week Begin!
P.S. Fun Fact Sis Smith the mission presidents wife is the sister of Kendra Hada in the Santa Margarita Stake - married to Dave Hada - small world! She knew exactly where I was from :)
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