VIEWS OF A FARM BOY

MAY-2018

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. (ESV) (Psalm 133:1)

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THE CITADEL

On the last day in Haiti, our MH4H Mission Team visited the Citadel (and the Kings Palace) near the town of Milot. This gigantic mountaintop fortress was built between 1805-1820. I am not a historian--I just do stories--so you can find much more about it on the internet if you are interested.  I will just give you a picture story of our day.

Sans-Souci Palace (King's Palace)

Some special highlights of my day were the stops along the way.

Stop # 1 was unexpected. We heard a noise--a clash and a bong and when we jumped out of the truck--a wheel axle had pulled out and the tire was out on the road. In the U.S. we would have called a tow truck and the trip would be ended--but we are in Haiti. Our driver, Pooshonn, pulled out his sack of used parts and went to work. He almost had it fixed but could not get the bent housing back in shape with his one small metal rod. Fortunately a neighbor came by, went to his house and brought back a hammer. That did it--we were back on the road in less than an hour. I think Pooshonn is the best driver in Haiti!

Stop # 2 was for breakfast at Dondon. The street vendors were ready for us and what a special breakfast it was. We enjoyed the best Haitian bananas I've ever tasted, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made to order and the nice lady at the right is an "egg expert." Her specialty was warm hard boiled eggs, sliced lengthways down the middle and filled with a seasoning of your choice. I had the hot sauce. We always have a good breakfast at the dorm, but this was my favorite meal of the week.

Stop # 3 was in the middle of the very steep rock road coming down the mountain. I heard screeching and grinding as the truck came to a sudden halt in the middle of the road and everyone piled out. My first thought was more truck trouble, but then I spotted the coconut stand. Here we are enjoying several varieties of regionally grown coconuts. We had to try them all, so just like a bunch of little kids, we took a sip of the coconut milk and passed it on to the next person. I really didn't want to say good bye to my new friend, Nixon (blue shirt) but I knew it was time to move on. We still had a 3 hour ride back to the campus.

This was a great day. Today was my first ever real sight-seeing trip in Haiti, so that made it very special. I really loved seeing the magnificent Citadel and surrounding area with all of its beauty and historical significance. But now, I have thought this over and I have decided Stop #1, Stop # 2 and Stop # 3 were my very favorite parts of the day. After all, those old brick walls could tumble and fall away, but I stashed away memories with our American and Haitian brothers and sisters, which will last forever.