Day Nine, July 26th Give Me Dollar
Today we went to Anse-a-Foleur, a town about an hour from the mission, to hand out 800 peanut butter sandwiches at the local church. We knew that Anse-a-Foleur was a popular town for voodoo rituals, but we were surprised to find out that we would be there during a voodoo holiday. As we walked through the town we entered a building where voodoo rituals were being performed. It was like entering a different realm. All around us candles were burning, people were chanting, and sacrifices were being made. Mingled with the drum beats and rattles, I could feel the sadness and despair even though I had no idea what these people were praying about. Later I was told by one of the interpreters that the people worshiping were pleading with the spirits to give them food, to give them money, to give them shelter. It reminded me of the children who when you walk by them in the streets would call out “give me dollar.”

Later that day we experienced a stark contrast to the voodoo worship service we had seen that morning. Within the local Christian church Roland (one of the Haitians from the mission) taught around 50 children Christian songs in Creole. We performed puppet shows teaching them about loving God and loving others. The children had so much fun and were so joyful. As we handed out the peanut butter sandwiches, I saw three girls who I had seen earlier worshiping the voodoo spirits. I hoped that they noticed the difference between worshipping out of thankfulness compared to serving in fear. I hope that they experienced joy. Most of all I hoped they felt the love of our Heavenly Father.

Photos taken by NWHCM on July 26th