A Mountaintop Experience (literally!)

Today I climbed a mountain. There is a little church near the top of a mountain near us where Alex, one of the volunteers, and I went. She had been to the church on a previous trip here, and I was very excited to go with her. Now let me just say that this mountain was really a mountain! I’ve climbed a mountain or two before, but nothing like this. It was higher than anything I’ve climbed before and lacked the fancy steps they put in back home to make the path easier. This was all just dirt and rocks. Oh, and did I mention that it’s in a tropical location? So it was rather hot.

Alex and I left around 6:30 this morning to make the 2 1/2 – 3 hour climb. And the Haitians all put us to shame. I have a whole new respect for them and the lives that they live. We were passed over and over by Haitians of all ages, many of them carrying heavy loads on their heads. I was proud of myself for my one trek and they do this regularly! It was interesting to me to see the people who would “join” us on our climb. Other than one boy who openly walked and rested with us, the rest were more subtle. They would seem to be paying no attention to us, one girl almost seemed rude at one point (I later realized she probably just didn’t know how to react to us), yet would rest when we would and resume when we did. All this while maintaining a slight distance and without talking, except for a friendly farewell when our paths separated.

I cannot describe in words the beauty of the mountainside or the views we had during our climb, so I am attaching a link to some of the pictures I took: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3103&l=8faec&id=1022368114

The church service was also enjoyable. It was a conservative Baptist church, so it was much more subdued than I have been used to in Haiti, but it still had some of the Haitian culture and flavor. Alex and I were the only white people in the service, and the pastor asked one of the members to come sit with us and translate. I was pleasantly surprised, though, with how much of the sermon I understood on my own. I still have a ways to go, but my Creole is improving! After the service the pastor invited us to his house for juice and cookies. As a wealthy foreigner it is very difficult for me to accept the Haitian hospitality when I know that what I’m eating takes away from those who have so much less than I do, yet to refuse or to offer to pay them would just be insulting. They have such pride in having us in their home and in being able to serve us. So I sit and eat the food and drink the juice and pray that God blesses them for their sacrifice. I have a lot to learn from these amazing people and their humble attitude.

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