The service is filled with lots and lots of music - hymns and small groups galore. The keyboardist is phenomenal - I've been listening to him here and there as he's been rehearsing with the graduation children and as he's been doing this service. I do not know if he reads music or not, because I haven't seen him use any - while I've observed him, he's been playing entirely by ear and by memory. This man can hear the pastor start leading a particular song and within a few moments he will be accompanying the congregation in that very key. I can't do that, but I wish I could. Maybe some day... James has written another song for us to sing during the service, and a handful of us (Josias, Angela, Becky, Vicar, Tad, Howard, Corey and me) are going to sing it as part of the sermon. (The whole mission team will be singing several of the songs we did in bible school, both in Creole and in English.) Their culture is so incredibly rich, and their talent is vast - if they some of these gifted artisans were in America, they would be highly paid and in demand, but since they are in Haiti they live a life of poverty. Most of the church service is in Creole (Kreyol is the way they spell it here) except for Pastor Ws' sermon on John 15:1-8 on the vine and the branches (translated by their own Pastor B). I am going to share some of the content here. He's telling how all of us, Haitians & Americans & Canadians are connected to the vine which is Jesus Christ and are therefore prepared to do good works and great acts of faith. Our time, our talents and skills, our deeds and our lives are the fruit we bear. And powerful fruit at that! The first Lutheran high school in Haiti is partly constructed, around 350 (I thought I heard him say 950) children have attended bible school, and individual lives have been touched (including mine). Howard figured that some of these churches, in their six to eight years of operation, have reached and continue to reach & convert six souls per day. Six per day! And millions in Haiti are still without Christ, still believing in voodoo as a religion, without joy or hope or the peace found only in Christ and his gospel. He is exhorting the members of Good Shepherd (Eglise Ev. Lutherienne du Bon Burger according to Howard's sign) to evangelize to their families, their friends, neighbors, coworkers - their entire community. After all, it is "their garden" to tend and build and grow. He's extending the great commission to them. We are giving the Haitian construction workers the tools we have used (and some of the clothing that we have worn) so they can finish the school once we have left. (Corey left a hammer, a trowel, a level, a tape measure, and many sets of work gloves, and I left behind a pair of pants, a level and the multipurpose tool I bought for use in Haiti.) We are telling the children that there are more school supplies and telling them they also have a job to share the love of Jesus with their families and their friends. He also had the whole congregation, Haitians & Americans & Canadians, give the high school a spiritual dedication, arms outstretched as if to bless it. Once again, Pastor W is exhorting the congregation to fill both the church and the school in His name. Good sermon - long, but good. In fact, the whole service was long - two and a half hours. It didn't feel that long, except that we were sweating like pigs and unable to understand most of the language. Still, a very good service. The construction crew gathered up front to give out the donated tools and clothing while the rest of us stood in back and helped greet the congregation members. One little girl grabbed onto my hand, clung to it, held it to her face and kissed it. When I knelt down and hugged her, she climbed right into my lap and hugged me some more. I even put my wooden cross necklace on her for a while. She was sooo cute.

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