The Ultimate Taste Test

This is another long overdue entry. This taste test was the culmination of a few conversations Gabe and I had about which "refrescos" we thought were the best. So we decided to figure it out!

We drove all over Constanza one saturday afternoon to gather as many different types of each flavor that we were testing (rojo, grape, and orange). We weren't able to find all the different brands that we wanted but we still managed to come up with a good haul.

Allllll of our flavors!

In order to make it as accurate as possible, we had the tester sit down and we blindfolded them. We decided to try all 3 brands of the same flavor, in the same sitting. So whoever was going would drink one brand, rate it on a scale of 1-10, and then wait as we rinsed it out and filled it with another brand and repeated.

Isaiah sneaking...trying to "adjust" his bandana!

Taste test in action.

I'm not sure how much we actually figured out from this taste test, but I do know that it was one of my favorite random activities we've had since I've been living here. It was fun to be spontaneous and do something as stupid as a soda taste test but we had a blast!

The winning brands! Kola Real and Fanta tied for orange,

Kola Real won for Grape, and Country Club won for Rojo.

Our "reward" for finishing the test was a "manzana verde" or green apple refresco which we can all agree on being delicious!

Not sure exactly what we're doing, but the manzana verdes

taste great!

Over the past few weeks we have started to have some "movie nights" at my apartment as well. We pick out a movie (usually we have enough movies lined up for about 15 movie nights..) and then Gabe and Isaiah will come over and we'll make dinner and have some soda and watch the movie. It is a fun time, and always good to change up the normal routine of life every once in a while.

Late Edition - Birthday in Constanza

Sorry this is a bit overdue, but I wanted to put up a blog entry about my 1st birthday in Constanza!

Me and the Rowley's at Socrates Steak House

A few days before the birthday, the Rowley's took me out to eat at a steak house that we had been talking about going to for months. Thanks to a nice birthday donation from my parent's we were all able to enjoy a GREAT steak and a fun night.

On my actual birthday, I went over to the Rowley's for a great dinner and a birthday cake! I was not really expecting any of that so it was a great bonus. It has been a huge blessing to live down the street from them and be able to pop in and out for meals and just to hang out.

Me, Isaiah, and Gabe with my awesome birthday cake

Probably the best part of the birthday was the unexpected and really thoughtful gifts from Gabe and Isaiah! Gabe looked all over Constanza for a certain Dominican Baseball team lanyard, and we're gonna continue looking for it and trying to find one! Isaiah sewed together an awesome pillowthat said "From your buddy Isaiah," which was complete with drawings and filled in with markers.

I couldn't have asked for a better 1st birthday in Constanza!

Me and Isaiah and my new pillow

Past few days in Haiti

Me, Grant and Pierre up on top of the church

Things have been a whirlwind over the last couple days, but I'll do my best to try to capture everything that has happened. Grant and Pierre Garcon and his crew (about 10-12 people including mostly family/tv crews) got here from Port au Prince on Wednesday morning. They were pretty tired so the first day was pretty low key for a bit after they got here. I loved just spending time with them, the group was filled with fun and interesting people that we really got to know well over the few days they were here.

Me and RJ went to go meet them at the airport on Wednesday morning in the truck and we turned right back around and got in a different truck to come back.....only to find out that that truck was staying at the airport to pick up a different group! So we hopped on some motorcycle taxi's (right down my alley..) and took off for the mission and quickly passed their huge truck on the terrible haitian roads. We stopped at a random grocery type store on the way back to get something to drink and we found about 8 Dr. Peppers! It was a great surprise and Grant said he had never seen DP's there before so we were pretty happy (ok mostly me...). We took a nice tour of the mission that afternoon and you could tell that they were really there for the right reasons and not at all for publicity.

Yup

Thursday was a real busy day. It started with me and Grant heading off to the soccer field to start spreading word about the sports camp we were going to be doing that afternoon. We met and watched the professional soccer team practice for a bit and then just rode around town for a bit which I loved. We then went back and grabbed Pierre and a few people from his crew to go meet the team before they were done practicing. Pierre was all about driving the Gator and it was fun (and a little scary at times..) riding through the streets of Haiti in the back. After we met the team (again) we took the Gator and the other vehicle down to the beach where the market is. It was crazy and packed, but they said it was nothing compared to Wednesdays when it is Market Day and there are people EVERYWHERE. We also visited a local bakery where it looked like something out of the 17th century..very interesting. We then went back to the mission and grabbed everything/everyone and went out to the field!

Riding around town in the Gator

The kids were so excited and Pierre had a ton of energy and passion to help the kids. We played soccer, tug of war and threw the football around. It was incredible to see how unbelievable of an athlete Pierre was, just in everything he did it was very evident that he was an NFL receiver. Later in the day, we visited the kids at the school and they handed out tons of colts pictures, pennants and school supplies. Very cool to watch him interact with the kids, one of the things I didn't realize before the trip was that he is completely fluent in Creole. His mother really only speaks Creole so in the house that is what they speak. He has done so much for Haiti and especially for Northwest Haiti Christian Mission, and what probably meant the most to me about him coming was that this trip was planned BEFORE the earthquake. Some people will pessimistically think that he is just doing it for attention or to promote himself but there has never been a doubt in my mind the entire week that he is here for the right reasons.

Pierre and Enol speaking to the professional soccer team

Even through all of the circus events from the past couple days, it has been great to spend time with Grant. We have had some really good conversations and it has been good to be here this week so that he can just get away from all of the craziness and stress from this week and just relax a little bit. We dropped the group off at the airport on friday morning and went to another site on the beach. We had a great relaxing day, but also had our fair share of crazy adventures trying to walk back from the beach to the ministry site! Let's just say a combination of waking up at 4am, no water, no breakfast, and walking back for over an hour in the hot 3pm Haitian sun was not a very well thought out plan...It is something I am glad to have survived but wouldn't wish it on anyone!

It is hard to capture all the amazing things that happened this week. There were too many conversations, little things and blessings to really put into a simple blog entry. I just wanted to thank everyone for their prayers and know that God is working in big ways in Haiti. It is hard to see so many people with such little hope/opportunity, but I had to keep telling myself that God is in control of each individual life in Haiti...even if we can't understand that right now. Thank you for all the encouragement and prayer, I need it!

(These are pictures from Grant, I'll try to upload mine on facebook when I am back in the DR)

In Haiti!

I wanted to send out a quick message to let everyone know that after 2 long days of travel I am here in Haiti! Grant is actually in Port au Prince (picking up Pierre Garcon..) so I spend the afternoon with his roommate who picked me up from the airport. His roommate RJ has been incredible and really made things more comfortable for me even though I came here knowing nobody and no Creole.

It was an interesting trip to get here, including just about every method of travel you can think of! I took my motorcycle on Sunday afternoon to Jarabacoa where I spent the night with Brian Veen. He graciously drove me to Santiago in his car where I jumped on Caribe Tours (big charter bus) to take all the way to Cap Haitien. In Cap Haitien I was met by Tom Froese and spent the night with him and his family. I had gotten to know him and his 2 adopted sons on various trips to Constanza and really enjoyed spending more time with them. What a blessing that I had them helping me because I really don't know how I could have done it based on the bus schedules.

After spending the night, they drove me to the airport and we waited together for a bit until their flight for Port au Prince left about an hour and a half before mine. I was pretty nervous, not knowing any Creole and being in a crazy, hot, little airport "terminal." My flight was scheduled for 12:30 and at 12:20 my airline came out and started announcing things and everybody got up and went to the door. This seemed like the right thing to do.....until I had gotten out to the plane and I asked someone (just to make sure....) that it was going to Port de Paix and they quickly told me no no no Port au Prince! So after that close call I went back to the waiting room and waited for about 20 minutes. After that I was feeling very uncomfortable with my situation, so I prayed that God would just help me get to Port de Paix and just lead me on the right plane and help things to run smoothly. As I lifted my head from the prayer a man was standing there and introduced himself in English! He was a pastor in Port de Paix through Baptist International Missions and he had lived in Haiti for over 20 years. Needless to say I stuck by his side all the way until we got off the plane. I don't think I have ever had a prayer answered so quickly, but I sure was grateful.

After a long, bumpy ride in the back of a pick-up truck (tap tap/taxi) I was finally in St. Louis. I then got a tour of the site and went out with RJ and some team members to deliver food to a few houses in the community. It is very different here and the poverty is intense. I think it will be something I will be processing more after I leave. I am trying hard not to compare the DR and Haiti, but it is really hard not to. I am very excited to see Grant in the morning, but the place could be a circus with Pierre Garcon here (as well as CBS, NFL network and possibly ESPN).

It was a long journey to get here, but God has already taught me a ton and I can't wait to see what he reveals to me throughout my time here. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, I will try to get another update or 2 on here during my trip. God is good.

Kyle

Trip to Haiti

Me and Grant (on the right) in South Africa. Unfortunately, Kuenzle will

not be joining us in Haiti, but he definitely has earned a picture on the blog!

This next week I have the opportunity to travel to Haiti to visit a good friend and fellow missionary there, Grant Roszkowiak. We played football together at Wheaton for 4 years, in addition to being in the same small group. I am so excited to get over there and see what his life is like right now and how God is using him.

Please pray for me:

-Safe travel and a sense of peace and protection as I'll be travelling through a country where I don't know one bit of the language.

-That I am an encouragement to Grant while I am in Haiti, as well as the other nationals and missionaries there.

-Safe travel again.........

And I really really will try to be better about updating this blog. I have some good entries in my head, and some good pictures to put up but just need to do it. Thank you for all your prayers and encouraging letters and emails, it really means a lot and is a huge support to me while I am in the DR.