Haiti!

Praise God, we are FINALLY here!

The last 2 weeks have flown by. We have been using this time to adjust to our new surroundings. We are currently staying at the rectory. There is no running water and the electricity is run by solar power.

Our mosquito tent village :)

Our "dresser"

Almost fully functional bathroom (bucket flush toilet and bucket baths)

It's been really interesting to see how they do things here. Everything is cooked over a coal fire. We even saw a guy ironing his shirt the other night with an iron run by coal! Clothes are washed in the river. The water is actually unbelievably clear. The women carry everything on their heads. It's incredible the size and weight that they are able to carry. The food is good. We usually have bread and spaghetti(their version), eggs, or fruit for breakfast, some type of meat and rice for lunch, and then a simple supper like Labouyi, which is basically like oatmeal with the consistancy of cream of wheat.

I need to learn how to do this! 

The first few days I was sitting around and feeling sorry for myself. Here we are, living in one little room with no furniture. Stuff everywhere. No running water. Then, we went on a home visit. As I walked into her house, I saw simplicity. I saw her daughter washing dishes in a bucket out the back door. I saw clothes scattered everywhere. Hardly any furniture. A house that could fall apart at any moment. I saw poverty. And when I went home, I realized how selfish and spoiled I had been. Where and how we are living is a gift. Thank you Lord for simplicity.

The poverty here is shocking and devastating. There have been times I look around and think "Is it even possible to fix this?" I can't help but in those moments remember that Christ has called us to bring hope to the hopeless. He has called us to this place and desires our perseverance through all the difficulties.

Isaiah 61:1 "He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives and release the prisoners, To announce a year of favor from the Lord and a day of vindication by our God to comfort all who mourn."

We have been spending our time with the single guys/girls team in the town of L'asile trying to learn the language and meeting the people. It has been a blessed time as they have been very helpful and so much fun to be around!

The people here are wonderful. They are joyful and kind. And they LOVE the girls. Everywhere we go we are stopped...more like mobbed. Everyone wants to touch their hair, hold them, play with them. Almost like I would imagine being famous and being surrounded by the paparazzi EVERYWHERE you go. Haha. That being said, having the girls makes the transition here MUCH easier. They can bring a smile to almost anyones face, opening people up and inviting them to engage with our family.

Our 1st day here. This was after about 1/2 the kids cleared out

Story of our lives here. Us+10 or more kids. Always.

This Friday, we will be heading to Kay Mari, the children's orphanage. We are not sure if God wants us to stay in the town of L'asile with the team here or if He wants us to be at the orphanage. Please pray for us and our proper discernment.

Thank you for your prayers, love, and support! Can't wait to see what this year has in store!
Much love from Haiti!
The Quinns