So sleepy he fell alseep in his dinner.
However, I've also been a little lax in keeping up with writing. There is this little entertaining miniature man with great hair I have to blame for it. But tonight, as I procrastinate from lesson plans, I'm trying to catch up.
Last Sunday we attended a church in Cabaret, a town about 45 minutes outside of Port-au-Prince, along the National Highway to the north. Cabaret is a rural costal town straddling the busy highway that carries traffic from Port-au-Prince to the Artibonite valley and back.
The church we attended was tucked into the community, just off the road. It was the kind of church where you felt welcomed by the first hand you shook, the first cheek you kissed and the all the smiles and greetings to follow. Leaving the city behind felt good last Sunday, and being welcomed into a small town with abundant hospitality made for a beautiful morning.
The pastor of the church was 85 and had lived and worked in the community all his life. He introduced us to his wife, his children and all the leaders of the church as a part of the service. The congregation sang with great gusto, filling every square inch of air in the small tin-walled Church with music. Solomon was thrilled by our seats in church--right next to the drummer. He got a few beats in to the patient kindness of the musician. Patrick gave a beautiful sermon and was encouraged with Amen's along the way.
After church, I held a small consultation and education time with any interested community members. A group gathered all around me instead of sitting and taking turns. Initially I thought there was going to be a fight for attention, but instead the folks in attendance simply gathered for a more community-style forum. As one by one, people aired their health concerns, I taught not only to the patient but to the group at large. Soon everyone was discussing symptoms and treatment suggestions, giving advice and asking questions. Since no one seemed to be the least bit bothered by blatant lack of privacy, I relaxed into the unconventional consultation setting and had a lot of fun. Children were paraded before me with fevers and coughs allowing all the woman to fuss over them, voicing their additional concerns despite the fact the child was in no way related to them. Neighbors spoke up with additional "symptoms" they'd observed in the elders who aired their aches and pains. The group at large worried over a young woman who hadn't slept in days, who exhibited symptoms of depression. Blood pressure readings were compared amongst the group like war wounds. I had to smile. It was the most fun in clinic I've had in a while.
In the mean time, some of the boys from the community introduced Patrick and Solomon to their livestock... a goat, a horse, and a donkey. Solomon experienced his very first free-range petting zoo. The donkey was by far the favorite and the most willing to sidle up for some hands-on love. The goat was not at all thrilled, especially when Solomon used his as a drum.
Patrick was also pulled into conversations with the men of the church concerning theological education and their dreams of building a bigger cement church across the road.
After the afternoon's activities, we were treated to a home-cooked meal of fish creole with plantains, beans and rice. A feast in deed. The hospitality shown to us was overwhelming. We walked out of the church, bellies full, into the warm but fresh coastal air, scattering chickens in our wake and listening to the rustle of a field of plantain palms.
With so many CONASPEH churches in the city and previously being limited by unreliable wheels, we've not ventured far outside the city limits on Sunday mornings. But after this week, Patrick and I both look forward to further exploring the Haitian country side and getting to know in a small way the communities within.
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