Sabbath Update

Sunday Mass in Haiti is no 45 minute affair. We walked to the Missionaries of Charity (Mother T’s order) orphanage, which is not far from where we are staying, for the 9 am children’s Mass. And when I say children, I mean children: about 500 of them, sitting stilly, singing proudly—all Haitians seem to have good voices; they even say “Bonsoir” musically—nicely dressed—boys dressed in yellow shirts and pants, girls in dresses. Between the singing and the praying and the homily and the announcements, Mass is close to two hours. Every once in awhile, one of male adult monitors in the congregation palms a kid’s head and turns it toward the alter, but, really, no need for a cry room here.

Other activities included: going to see a sweet boy, who is doing great. We rode home after sunset; between the darkness and bumps (thank goodness for the handles at the top of the windows to hold onto) the ride was like a Disney ride gone bad. The night is dark in Port-au-Prince because there is no electricity at that time and tonight, only a sliver of a moon. People materialize like apparitions in the foggy rays of the headlights.

Jackson is still with us and continues to improve. The swelling all over his body has gone down. Yesterday, he was able to eat a hamburger and fries. We continue to hope a hospital will come through for him.