Eerie Weekend

It has been an odd weekend, waiting for the eminent hurricane. There were looming clouds, scattered showers and some winds, but no hurricane. Sunday morning was eerie when we woke and there was no sound outside- usually there are roosters crowing, goats bleating, dogs shouting messages to one another, lots of bustle in the streets and the Catholic church bell rings early morning. But this Sunday all you could hear was the roar of the ocean. It was a little unnerving. Church attendance was at about half, as everyone was waiting inside not wanting to get caught in a torrential downpour. But the storm passed and we have come out on the other side unscathed. The Cranbrook Medical team is here. Clinics started out slowly this last week due to the weather warnings. But we have already had some great success. One small boy came with a serious abcess in his abdomen. We rushed with him to the Petit Goave hospital and were fortunate to have a Canadian doctor do surgery almost immediately for him. That was a miracle, considering the hospital hardly even functions on Saturdays. To follow the blog of the medical team, visit Hungry for Life, Cranbrook Community.
Last week was very encouraging. The Crossroads team from Red Deer wrapped up their trip with lots of tears and changed hearts. The last day before they left we had an awesome service by the ocean, baptizing 22 believers, young and old. One woman was in her 70's. Each shared their testimony of how God has changed thier life and why they wanted to be baptized. Their stories are moving. Testimonies of severe illness being healed, of young adults choosing to serve Christ despite serious persecution from their voodoo-involved families and of older women choosing to no longer live in immorality, even if it means struggling to make a living on their own. These are courageous and inspiring believers.