A Lunch Date

Pastor Keith, John Pierre, Miguel Castillo & His Wife Clara

The day finally arrived for us to host our new friends for lunch! We worked diligently all morning. We really wanted it to all be nice and yummy and comfortable. The kids made a sign for outside. It said, "Pastor/Missionary Parking." They got a kick out of that, and even took it with them when they left :~)

Pastor Miguel & the kids (and their sign)

Avery wanted to 'dress up' for our special guests, so we pulled out a top with palm trees on it. Daniel wore his Joshua shirt, which is getting too small, but he wanted to wear it.

We served traditional Kentucky fare for lunch....bbq, baked beans, slaw, potato salad, and banana pudding for dessert.

And we listened. And listened. And listened. John Pierre, our new Haitian friend, was happy to oblige us in answering our curious questions. We loved hearing about the history of Haiti, his personal stories, and some interesting government lessons. This man is amazing! He speaks fluent Kreyol, Spanish, & English. Isn't that incredible??? And he's WHITE. :~) He's adopted three children, himself, and he understands our hearts in a very special way. It's very touching to know that someone that lives far away now knows us and will be lifting us up to the throne of grace!

John Pierre & kids

Pastor Miguel speaks little English, only Spanish and he's from the Dominican Republic. He visited last summer for our missions conference. He and P. Keith are very good friends. Miguel gave us a Kreyol catechism book last summer when he was told we were adopting. They print them and hand them out over the border in Haiti/D.R. John Pierre read some of it to us. I know that may seem crazy, but it was soooo wonderful to hear the Kreyol spoken.

And to hear so many languages spoken at our kitchen table...wow.

So, it was a very pleasant afternoon. I did NOT want it to end. He thumbed through our Haitian picture book and explained different things in the photographs for us. And he would have gone on and on, if it hadn't been for the lack of time. Hopefully, the next time we see John Pierre, we'll introduce him to our Haitian son. Off to clean dishes now, and bask in the aftermath of such a wonderful opportunity in hospitality...

Arise O God, judge the earth;

For You shall inherit all the nations!

Psalm 82:8

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