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The Caribbean

The Caribbean is amazing. I never knew that there were so many shades of blue. The sky and water seem to meet in amazing symphony of radiant blue that plays with the rays of the sun in a way that makes them sparkle. As you look in the distance, the mountains rise in all directions through the haze of the distance.
It is hard to believe that the beauty of this place coexists unforgivingly with it's poverty. It is a world of extremes. Beautiful scenery in an amazing location, but with such crippling poverty and lack of industry.
Wading through water that was up to our neck, we could still see our feet. I have never been in a sea that is so clear. We could see the jellyfish coming close to us and get out of there way. Impossible to do on the muddy waters I grew up in. We were the only blancs at the beach. In fact, we've been the only whites that I have seen on the trip. We saw UN forces here. The tanks on the street could not be photographed and the helicopters flew often. But, they were from Bangladesh. The security scene is completely different than in the United States. There is almost no presence, but the ones you see have body armor and machine guns and look equipped for riot control. Yet, our encounters with Hatians on this trip to the beach were incredibly positive. However, we left one enclosed compound for another.
One other interesting thing happened today. The Hatians in the compound did not call me you anymore. They all referred to me as pastor Brad. Something changed after the sermon.

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