Saturday, February 20, 2010

Lessons on the Bus

On the bus, I really wanted to sleep, but couldn't. I thought about journaling, but wasn't up for that either. So, I wrote this list instead.

Things I've learned in the last week

Most hotel shuttles don't pick-up after midnight

Airports get pretty cold at night, even in Florida

Haitians and Americans define functioning roads very differently

Haitians cook great food

Soda out of a glass bottles is definitely the best way to drink it

Always be open to exploring a plan B

Places where people stop you on the road just to chat every time they see you do still exist

Creole for beginners:
Bonswa = Hi Sava? = How's life? Blanc = White

Surveying is way more fun in Haiti

Language is powerful

Facebook is universal

The best strategy while playing dominoes is definitely to slam the table as hard as possible

"Shower" is a loose term in Haiti and bucketing is way better anyway

Why the "least of these" will be the greatest

Never underestimate the usefulness of carrying a knife, duct tape, and a bandanna in your pack

Always fill your camelbak all the way, even if you're just planning on being out for a couple hours

Haitians are fascinated by toe shoes

Patience is a virtue

Banana trees really do yield bananas when not grown in a sunroom in Wisconsin

God prepares us for trials whether or not we realize it at the time

Haitians love like no one else

Assessment trips can turn into implementation trips at the blink of an eye/crack of a pipe

Worksites where no one is getting paid at the end of the day are the most rewarding

4" couplings don't necessarily fit directly onto 4" pipe

God appoints the leaders of His church for such a time as this

Real men cry

I am blessed

I think I know what Paul was talking about when he wrote Romans 12:15

God is sovereign

I don't understand sovereignty

Stars in Haiti at 4AM are unparalleled

Hymns in any language are beautiful

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Here's a few I have added since being home

Prayer is powerful, even across oceans

God's put some really great people in my life

January 8th was ages ago

I love Haiti and can't wait to go back

God's called me to tell a story

2 comments:

  1. are "toe shoes" the red/black shoes with velcro closures that you brought to Ft.Collins this summer? The ones you wore when we went to the Falls and a special campsite along the river?

    Tell me more of this story and be sure to include all of it's glorious "tangents"

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  2. haha yes those are toe shoes and I love them! They were actually pretty amazing for what we were doing there. They worked great for the light hiking we did and were perfect for trekking through the river bed we surveyed.

    I can't wait to tell you more of the story, tangents and all as soon as we can stinkin connect with eachother!

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