lapli tonbe (it's raining!)

It has been raining non-stop for the last 8 hours.  It is so amazing how life here is controlled by the weather.  Everyone's plans change when the rain starts falling.  Work ended at 4 today at the Child Care center (I will blog more about my 2nd job later), and all of the pastors were sitting out on the porch waiting for the rain to dwindle down before jumping on their motorcycles to head home; they quite possibly would still be sitting there if prayers were not answered.

I grabbed my disposable poncho out of my backpack that I've carried around for emergencies to keep my laptop from getting drenched.  As I pulled it over my head, I heard a discussion going on about the need for the center to invest in raincoats and umbrellas to have on hand.  Immediately my mind converted to the American response of how to fix the problem.  I was already thinking about types and brands, and what the best way would be to ship them to country upon my return to the states.  I never once considered that God had the problem solved himself long before I even knew the rain would start.

Marie Lucie offered me a ride home, which I was grateful for.  Though my laptop would have been dry, walking a mile in the rain doesn't put you in the best mood.  As I jumped in her truck, she said we would have to make a quick stop by another missionaries house to drop off some mail.  We said "good bye" to the pastors who were still under the covering of the shelter, and headed to Tim's house.  Marie Lucie stopped to chat as she dropped off the mail (running errands in Haiti are never quick), and the topic of weather came up.  Out of the blue, Tim said that he had extra rain jackets that his team did not use and the Child Care center was welcome to have them.  Out of his depo came 6 high quality, adult sized rain jackets.  Marie Lucie just smiled about the answer to prayer.

As we drove back to the Child Care center, all of the pastors looked at us trying to figure out what we forgot.  As Marie Lucie pulled the neon yellow jackets out of the truck, I witnessed grown men jumping and dancing for joy.  God at work in Haiti... it's hard to miss!