Later afternoon - We went with a group of two vehicles up to a place called Lookout Point and to the Baptist mission. The Lookout Point and to the Baptist mission. The Lookout Point was absolutely incredible - you could see the city for miles and miles below. We had Pastor B point out the city of Soleil (sp?), which Chuck told us is one of the poorest sections there. (Chuck described tiny & shabby tin or wood huts with thatched roofs, cramped living conditions, naked and malnourished children, poor roads, heaps of raw sewage in the streets and waterways. They used to take people through or by the place, but it is no longer safe to do so.) Also at Lookout Point were a lot of merchants - paintings of various sizes, necklaces, wood boxes & masks, drums & shakers & maracas, decorations of tin, stone carvings, and the like. There was this and a bakery and gift shop up at the Baptist mission. We peeked out the window of the "grocery" shop, where you could see a greenery, a playground, and a nice view beyond that. Several things caught our eye while browsing the vendors at the two places. We found the turtles for Marilyn H and Sally L (unless we can find a frog), we found masks for the two brothers, we got round trinket boxes for the moms. For us, we found a drum, a pair of shakers, a pair of necklaces made of mahogany and I think coffee or cocoa beans, and a canvassed painting of jungle animals. I was prepared to barter with the natives, but I was not prepared for the mob scene and the pressure/pest sales artists. We saw up near the mission an absolutely beautiful Christian carving with a map of Haiti. We both agreed that it would be the perfect gift for Trinity for all their support, but neither of us had enough cash on us at the time. We will take more to Jacmel and hope to find a similar thing there. Our poor driver Duory - he got ill at Lookout Point, and even though we told him we would go back to the hotel for his sake he still took us up to the mission. What a generous, loving sacrifice that he did not need to make. He ended up stopping the car and walking around on the way back down - I'm not sure if he got sick or not. We made sure to let Pastor W know. Apparently he was sick already last night and had been to the hospital to get medicine... and this man doesn't get sick often at all. Willi & I had a good laugh as we sat talking beside the pool - the power went out, and two girls up on the top floor screamed and came barreling out of their rooms and down the stairs to the restaurant. That was a hoot. When the lights came back on, they went back to their rooms - and returned with a flashlight. What a hoot.

Dinner was a much spicier (BBQ?) chicken... which I couldn't handle well and tanked out on the soup, the bread, and the white rice they gave us as a side dish. Turns out Kevin wasn't well either - he had a fever and kind of fell asleep at the table. I thoroughly enjoyed tonight's conversation with Sandy at dinner. She told us about what she and her husband Ken do for a living (they work for the post office, him as a driver and her as a counter clerk and part-time teacher for the new clerks) as well as how she and Ken got together (they're only 3 years married, second marriage for both, and it's a beautiful story of a 23-year friendship) while I told her about the fundraising process at Trinity (including a little background into their recent situation). She thinks that was an incredible tale and she had instant respect for the congregational leaders during their crisis. I thanked her, since the chairman of the congregation at the time was, of course, Dad. After that, she told me that I am supposed to give him and Mom a big hug for her because they are obviously incredible and godly people... and they have a neat/special daughter. That's what she told me. If you ask me, Sandy is the special one. She has also told me about how she was the only one of five kids who survived (she does not know detail - her mom wouldn't talk about it but Sandy suspects abortions, and she told me the situation with her dad wasn't healthy) and she has no idea how or why. I think I have some ideas - there was too much that God had for her to see and do here on earth, and He wanted someone very special for Ken. Kevin and Lyle led the devotions tonight... and during Lyle's closing prayer (which had all the names of our home churches plus Trinity-Lexington... he had heard me telling Sandy our story about the fundraising success we had there, so he made sure to include them in the prayers for the churches of origin) it started raining. In fact, it poured. Kevin & Lori decided to go ahead into the pool anyway - he picked her up and jumped in headfirst. I have told Corey, and I will record it here: maybe they are "just good friends", but they are obviously close and comfortable sharing some physical affection with each other... it would not surprise me if a romance ever blossomed there in the future. Personally, I see them possibly marrying down the road - I've seen it happen too many times. Best friends can equal true love. Take it from one who's been there...