La Hatte May 17, 2016

To sum up La Hatte... it is hot.

       The La Hatte (hawt) school and community is based on top of mountain in a very dry area with lots of dirt and cactus and scrub bushes. We took the open bed GMC truck and drove up a dry river bed to reach the school. At some places, the sides of the river bed were very tall indicating the river became very deep during the rainy season.

        Fortunately for us, there was a very strong breeze that was present while we were there. We did our now usual set up of a hand washing seminar, medical checkups, and dental services. There was also a separate construction crew who worked very hard during their day to dig holes in very hard rock.

       We ate peanut butter and jelly tortilla roll-ups with summer sausage and string cheese for lunch. After we were finished for the day, our translators and the school pastor took us on a walk through a part of the local village. The poverty there is very strong and it was evident. They use whatever resources are available to build housing and provide for their families. However, their spirits were high and they were very friendly while showing us around.

        When we returned the mission compound, there was a girl from a school we saw earlier in the week waiting to see us. She had had a bug stuck in her ear for 20 weeks (140 days). She had gone to the local hospital, waited seven and half hours and they were only able to remove a little bit. We were able to flush her ear and remove the remaining parts of the bug. The girl's father was the principal of the school and they were very grateful for the resources that Mission Possible provides.

        We finished the evening gathered around and listened to the testimonies of our pastor Herve (Air-ve) and our supervising translator Ashmi (Ash-me). They told us how Mission Possible has continued and overcome obstacles, despite the difficulties. Herve also told us how the Haitians were mainly practicing voodoo, but many have converted to Christianity. But most importantly, they spoke of how grateful they are for us coming to their country and helping their people.