Church and shopping--Haitian style...

[From Sunday, May 23, 2010]
Of course Sunday brought church, which Lance and Mona host in their home. There was Sunday School in the living room for the children and Sunday School on the porch for the adults. Then there was church on the porch and children’s church on the back veranda.

The ladies dress in their best dresses and the men in their best clothes or suits. They count it a privilege to gather to worship, and worship they do! I remembered anew that music--especially worship music--transcends language. There is no language barrier in worship. As I looked around me, I saw the women and men, already so beautiful, even moreso with their hands and faces raised heavenward pouring out their hearts in worship.

Our pastor, Jason, brought the message, which was translated beautifully by one of the ladies in the church (she also happens to be the principal of the mission’s school). At points in the message, Jason would express a thought that took only a couple words to get across in English, but when it was translated into the Haitian Creole, it took quite a bit to get across. I’ve been told that it is difficult to express all the “colors” of meaning in the Creole language.

After church, we went to a place called Lookout Point. It’s a spot further up the mountain from us where there is a scenic view of the city of Port au Prince, all the way down to the ocean. It’s gorgeous from there. As we stood there looking out, it was about the time of afternoon when the rains come in. The clouds began to come in and by the time the second vehicle arrived with the rest of our team, you could no longer see the city.

There are several vendors selling souvenirs here and as soon as we had gotten out of the vehicle, they were dogging our heels. “Here mom, I show you my things. I give you good price.” I answered that I was going to look at the view first and one of the men decided to accompany me. He was very friendly, pointing out items of interest that could be seen from our vantage point. I made a comment about the clouds and he told me the Creole word for cloud. He offered to take a picture of me with the city as a backdrop. Then when I was ready to look at the vendors’ booths, he accompanied me to his. I looked at his things and told him I wasn’t ready to buy that I wanted to look around a bit more. He said, “Okay, but you not forget me, mom.”

I was approached by several vendors all trying to sell me something from their booth. While I shopped, the first man kept approaching me saying, “Don’t forget me, mom. I wait for you.” I had to keep putting him off so I could continue to look. There was also a man who approached me with a pair of wooden sculptures that, frankly, I didn’t want. He wanted $20.00 for the pair. I told him no. He turned them over and showed me the carved name on the bottom. “That’s me--Tony,” he said. I said, “Oh, you carved these?” He said, “Yes, me, Tony,” and smiled really big, revealing his crooked, partially toothless grin. I patted his thin arm, told him they were nice, and went on shopping. A couple minutes later, there’s Tony again, thrusting the sculptures at me. “I make you good price. Please, I have sick baby.” I said, “Tony, I’m going to keep shopping.” He said, “Okay, you come back.” I continued shopping and a few minutes later, here came Tony once more. I put him off again. Each time he approached me, he lowered his price, but I continued to decline. He didn’t get it. I didn’t want them. I looked at some paintings, which I bought. I looked at some other trinkets, which I bought. All the while Tony was watching me. And in between purchases, he continued to make pleading eyes at me and wave the sculptures at me. Finally, it was time for our team to head back down the mountain a bit and we were getting in the car. Tony approached me one last time. “Please mom, I hungry, I have sick, hungry baby. I empty for money. I give to you for $6.00 for the pair.” And don’t you know I caved and BOUGHT those stupid things!?!?!? I’m glad I did, though, cause now I can look at them and remember my Haitian friend Tony.

After I finished my transaction with Tony, the man came over who had escorted me to the lookout area and showed me the view. Shaking his head with a shaming look, he said, “Look, you buy all this, but you not buy from me. I show you all the city, and you no buy. I lose my time for you and you not buy.” I felt like such a louse for wasting the poor guy’s time!  I quickly shut my door and we headed back down the mountain.