Brooks and David are back,

...much to Allison's (David's wife) chagrin. However, it's part of our contract, so we're doing it.

4:14-7:30 - see yesterday's blog for morning routine. Pretty much the same.

 

8:00 - Get prettied up for church.

 

9:15 -  Head next door to the school for church services.

 

9:30-10:10 - Texas team discovers our lack of rythm, dancing abililty, tambourine skills, singing on pitch, and our ability to follow along with the C|reole words right in front of us. However, it is a wonderful, joy-filled time of worship with some great people. It's also great physical training. If you've never jumped up and down with 50 other people in a small humid room while worshipping the Lord, try it sometime. It's great excercise and also "medicine for the soul" according Yolene, our gifted worship leader. I'm trying to get her to come lead at my church in Amarillo if Karen will let me.

In church

Sara with a tired Sandra in church

 

10:10-10:25 - Brooks shares the message of our availability to call on our Abba Father. Kids and adults alike receive the message of the Father's love for us with joy and delight.

10:15 - During the message, rain begins to fall. This is much appreciated, as it cools things off a bit.

 

10:25 - 30 - Texas teams "sings" for the congregation. We are thankful Julie and Jennifer are talented.

 

Team singing in church

 

10:30 - 10:40 - The Hats kids sing for the congregation. They sing more beautiful than we do. It's a wondeful moment. More of the older kids from church/school join them for more songs. Then sweet Djemima sings a beautiful solo for us. She is going to grow into a wonderful worship leader herself one day. Then Dieunel comes up and sings I've Got the Joy Joy Joy Joy Down in my Heart. So special.

 

10:40-11:00 - More worship and prayer and fellowship.

 

11:00 - After church trip to Luckner's in Karen's truck which acts as a great TapTap. 26 of us squeezed in for the drive. We all got a drink and cookies from Luckner's store, the weekly tradition that the kids love so much.

 

HATS TApTap filled to capacity. Going to Papa Luckner's

Back of the truck more than full too.

Papa Luckner's after church

 

11:27 - All 26 of us load back into the HATS TapTap. We wait. And wait. Karen realizes she has lost her keys. We instantly assume Moise, JJ, and/or Peter had something to do with it. We unload and begin the frantic search for keys. After several minutes, the keys are discovered in the trash, hidden inside a cookie wrapper. Karen blames yesterday's two-minute rest for causing her to become absent-minded. Reschedules her next 2 minute sabbatical for 2041.

 

11:28 - TapTap starts and brings us home.

 

12:00 - Lunch time. They feed us so good around here.

 

1:15 - Ladies sort through all the clothes that were brought and the men travel over to the school to continue with the painting since the rain "cooled" things off a bit.

 

Three ladies laying out donations for Karen and Lois to organize

 

1:17 - Jake replaces Ryan Reneau as the designated "hang over the roof painter".  Since Jake is in training to become a proud City of Amarillo Fireman he obviously brings a certain skill set to the roof painter position that previous want-to-be's did not have.  Jake and Jennifer celebrate his designation with some PDA.

 

Secondary section of HATS school.  Looking great.

 

3:57 - Haiti Soccer Club vs Texas Soccer Club (plus the token Canadian Brad) - for 90 mintutes HSC and TSC battle it out on the soccer pitch.  Amongst boulders, rocks and Dieunel, both clubs fought, clawed, tripped, stumbled and sometimes completed all four acts toward their own son in the highlight match of the year.   Awards go to the following players:

 

Man of the Match - Stephen HSC

Best Dodge and Scream Award - Jennifer TSC

Official Goalpost Designer - Vladimy HSC

Hustle and Heart Award - Jake TSC

Father of the Match Award - Brad TSC

Bloody Elbow Award - Peter HSC

Body Blows (2) Award - Sara TSC

Hat Trick Award - JJ HSC

Best American Goalkeeper on the Pitch Award - Brooks TSC

Best Goalkeeper on the Pitch Award - Moise HSC

Best, Worst and Least Successful Attempt at a bicycle kick attempt - David TSC

Fan of the Match - Djemima

Official Photographer - Julie

 

Final Score  HSC 10   TSC 8

 

6:00 Dinner Time

 

7;00 Blog Time

 

7:30 Texas Team loads up and heads to Radio Creole 104.7 to spin some tunes and entertain the area. Entire Artibonite Valley is blessed and forever changed by the anointed singing of newly formed Christian musical group "Brooks and the 5 Blancs."  Unfortunately, the performance would have been even more top-notch if not for the uncontrolled laughter emitting from the 5 Blancs. We also discover Jennifer has an uncanny ablility ro recall of all the lyrics to Kirk Franklin music. Luckner finds our singing so beautiful (or hilariously bad) that we are invited back for the next night. We accept this invitation with eagerness, tell Karen that we won't paint on Monday and instead rehearse our new numbers. She says no. So if we're terrible on Monday, it's her fault.

 

Ready for headphones and to turn on the mikes

Julie, David and Luckner

Radio Creole now is better well known due to the the famous Brooks

 

9:30 Return home to rest our tired legs from soccer and tired vocal chords from singing.

 

10:00 Lights out.

 

10:08 David begins to snore