Although we have been writing individually, it has been a while since we have all written together so we wanted to catch everyone up on what we have been doing lately. After making a lot of good friends in Limbe where we helped to run the VBS and host the Haitian Baptist Convention's annual gathering, we were a little sad to leave the university. The people we worked with every day really made us feel that we were a part of the  community there on campus. We could walk around campus and see friendly faces, people we had worked with, or people that we had worked the convention with. Still, we were ready to move onto a new adventure after being in Limbe for just over two weeks.

Our next adventure led us to Cap-Haitien about an hour away. We stayed with the General Secretary of the Baptist Convention in his guest house. We were treated like royalty and really shown that we were appreciated by Pastor Emmanuel and his family. We were given the awesome opportunity to visit the famous fort in Milot, The Citadelle. We learned so much about Haitian history and culture on this excursion. The next two days, we were able to visit an eye clinic in Cap-Haitien. This trip was especially meaningful to Ty because he was able to use his opticianry skills to neutralize lenses, pretest patients, and do repairs on glasses. Ty and Nathan were excited able to sit in on a surgery to remove a 19 year old woman's cataract. At the same time that we were helping in the office to separate and organize donated reading glasses, we were also able to help by repainting the waiting area of the clinic. It was great to see the interest of the patients there to see what we were doing. One of the young boys waiting for his cousin in the room even picked up a roller to help as well.

The next step of our journey put us on a plane from Cap-Haitien back to Port-au-Prince where we started our time in Haiti. We spent three days at Center Source of Lumiere, an orphanage built with the support of Virginia Baptists and the Hungarian Baptist Aid to give a home to children who lost one or both parents in the 2010 earthquake. It was encouraging to see these kids from ages 3-12 supporting one another just as a real family would, from cleaning up after each other to helping each other get dressed. We could feel a real sense of community within the children even though the center has only been running since January. These kids have been through so much more than we can ever imagine, but they made us smile each day we were there just as much as we hope we brightened their days. We spent our time with them in part running a small vacation bible school with songs, scripture, coloring, singing, crafts, and frisbees! We were able to give each child a frisbee that they decorated themselves. They were so proud of their creations. The other parts of the day, we simply spent time with them, playing, talking, and getting to know each other. We were really able to make connections with these kids even through the language barrier by using our own version of sign language, gestures, and smiles. Even though they are just starting and working on making some improvements, we will surely always remember this place and the sweet, innocent children who now have a home. They are currently working on setting up a sponsorship program so that these children can be supported through people who want to help.

Yesterday we were able to visit another city outside of Port-au-Prince called Paillant. We travelled up into the mountains to meet some Baptist churches in that area who welcomed us with open arms and great food. We saw the most beautiful scenery during this short trip. The colors in the flowers, trees, soil, and buildings were truly breathtaking. Tomorrow we will be heading back to the United States to help with a project in the Washington D.C. area and to take part in the Immerse Youth Conference. We are very excited and eager to share our stories of personal and spiritual growth along the way.  We cannot wait to finally meet Angela and be reunited with Dan in D.C.!