Getting to be in Haiti means that you get to see visitors from 815 yet again. But this time, they were on special assignment. This year’s visit included David Copley, Director of Mission Personnel and Global Partnerships, Mary Brennan, Officer of Mission Communication, and Andrew, our film guy. The purpose of their visit was to help to create two films advertising for missionary work in Haiti. One film is to feature our older missionaries in Haiti (I am not considered one of these yet!) and the other is to feature our three Haitian YASC missionaries.
Their trip began in Cap-Haïtien to film the work that Dan, Kyle, and myself do in the north. This included filming us in worship during a Sunday morning service, filming Dan and Kyle in their workplaces, getting individual interviews from the three of us, and also filming the beautiful Haitian countryside.
My favorite day of filming in Cap was the day that we went up to San Souci Palace, an old historic site in Milot. We decided to go up to this site for interviews to try to minimize the noise factor associated with the city. In good Haitian fashion, unexpected opportunities arose from this location. While roaming the ruins of San Souci Palace, next thing I know, I am being volunteered to teach a music class at the top of the mountain! It just so happened that a group of school students were visiting the palace the same day as us, and thanks to our tour guide, I was volunteered to teach them a song, for the purposes of the film crew. I don’t think I need to say anymore about this moment because someday, you might see it on film. Like I said, I am going to be a movie star!
The following day, we flew down to Port-au-Prince for round two of filming. The group from Cap met up with the other two YASCers, Julie Burd, who serves in Léogâne at the nursing school, and Alan Yarborough, who serves in Cange in projects relating to economic and community development. The first part of our day was spent in Léogâne, filming Julie at her site teaching English to nursing students. Then we traveled back to my old stomping grounds, Holy Trinity Cathedral. Due to convenience of now having five missionaries in country, it was decided that the filming would be done this year, which means that we had to stage me teaching my students from last year as if it were last year. As entertaining as it was to teach my old students, it was even more fun to see all of my old friends reactions to me being back in the area.
Along with the film crew being in town from 815, a handful of bishops were visiting for a pilgrimage through Episcopal projects in Haiti. We had a wonderful time sharing experiences with the visiting priests, along with catching up with some old friends I had met through other conferences. A fantastic time was had by all, but I was happy to finally get back to Cap Haitian to celebrate Thanksgiving with my fellow missionaries.
You'll always be a star to us Bingaman...
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