Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular Activities

I was wondering what base personnel do after hours for stuff to do.  So, over the past four weeks I’ve been watching and asking.

On Sundays there is ample opportunity to attend church somewhere.  Robert goes to one in Leogane.  He is fortunate as he has an interpreter that attends the same church and translates for him.  Paul and a few others go across the road out from of the base and up the steep hill to Brother Bill’s church.  He works on base here and has a little assembly of forty or so that attend.  The service lasts from seven in the morning until one in the afternoon.  Paul is usually gone from nine until 11:30 or so.  It is all in Creole, the songs, the reading, the sermon, the fellowship.  So, as Paul says, it is a good time to read his bible and enjoy seeing people.

The number of ex-pats on base has increased over the past few weeks.  We’ll be adding another twenty or so by weeks end; so our little community is growing.  Most are coming from the base up north that is closing by the end of the year.  Many of those have been in Haiti for many, many months; if not up to two years.  They are seasoned and have their comfort circle of friends that they hang with.  A number of younger adults have also come in.  They have energy and youth that they bring to the base that brings laughs and fellowship at all hours.  Tonight, after dinner, they got together in the dining hall and had some music, haircuts, computer talk and stuff that the kids that age do.  I dropped in briefly to fill my water bottle but decided to turn in early as it was a busy day.

It wasn’t too busy, though, to do twenty minutes of yoga with Lisa, Jordan, and, later on, Blaine.  Lisa talked me in to trying it at least once at dinner the other night.  I told her my daughter had been trying to get me to do it so she jumped all over that to convince to do so. They laughed as I complained about the impossible positions I was suppose to do.  But overall, it was … different; it did help to stretch out some muscle and joints that were being cranky.  I may try it again tomorrow, I’ll see how tired I am.

Some of the men my age got together Friday evening for an episode of ‘Band of Brothers’.  We watched it in the lounge tent on the big screen TV.  I enjoyed it but it left kind of a downer to go to bed with.  I probably won’t watch any more of those while here.

Sunday night there was a baptism on the beach; right at sunset.  A young man whose parents are spearheading the Lamb Center (orphanage under construction) was dunked by Pastor Ev in front of the base.  The sun was just setting; the sky was scattered with deep reds and oranges and the crescent moon in the dark blue heavens was accentuated by the evening star of Venus or Jupiter; whichever is out this time of year.  It was quite a special setting for the young man.

So, tonight, I’m doing what I usually do.  It is a little after eight; I’m writing my thoughts for the day and thinking of my family.  I’ll check my websites and skype before I go to bed in another hour and will do a little reading in a book by Franklin Graham that Robert loaned me.  I’m enjoying the cool AC and the quiet of the room; it gives time to be introspective and rethink my experiences of the day and week.  In the meantime I continue to draw on God’s presence to try an understand my overall purpose here; and to enjoy the new friends I’ve met.