A team of high school students from Pella Christian are serving in Haiti during their school’s”Winterim”, a set aside for extracurricular and cultural activities. Grant Alsum and Trenton Keuning, two of the students on this trip, share their introductions into the Haitian culture as they prepare for a week of learning and service.
It was a great day of travel and introductions into this new culture. We were able to have a safe flight and an easy way through immigration thanks to MFI. After we touched down in Pignon, we had a nice truck ride to the MH4H compound where they gave us some basic introduction into the culture and gave us a great quick meal for lunch.
The team at the Pignon airstrip
Riding the Tap Tap back to campus
The team settle in at the Administration Building for their orientation
After our tour of the compound we were able to go visit the local market in Pignon. This gave a sharp contrast to our normal everyday lives of quick and busy shopping into a world where people slow down to make a connection as they barter and trade. Also, while in the market, we got to experience this up front and personal in the form of buying our groceries, by actually using some Creole that was taught to us to buy food.
Grant using Creole to purchase groceries in the market
Seeing friends at the market
Then, we left from the market to ride back to the compound to go see the “Goat Land”, which was a very amazing experience being able to see all of the goats that are being raised by Many Hands.
The team listen to Darryl De Ruiter as he explains the Husbandry Economic Project
Following that, we returned back to the compound and ate an absolutely fantastic meal provide by our awesome cooks, and came together for a great time of Christian fellowship followed up by singing some of our favorite praise songs. Overall a fantastic day!
