Monday 7 June 2010 Cello is delivered

7 June 2010 Monday Greetings from Beverlyt
Greetings from Port au Prince. We arrived in Haiti yesterday - Mental Health (MH) team from the Colorado Haiti Project (CHP). We leave for Petit Trou tomorrow. (Where I worked in February.) I'll remain in PT when the MH team leaves and will support the CHP Women's Health team when they arrive on the 14th of June. I will return to Port au Prince with them on June 21st, when my next most amazing phase in Haiti will begin.

I was totally blessed by being the carrier of a cello to be donated to the Holy Trinity music school. The donor church in Evergreen blessed the cello the Sunday before I left and I got to play it with their choir! Unbelievably, American Airlines let me “gate” check it AND return it to me at the gate in Miami...AND the cello arrived totally intact and ready to be played!

Today, we made contact with the priest of the church and Bernadette, the prinicipal cellist. I began my day by playing a Bach suite on the balcony of our hotel (I had the mute on and the roosters had been crowing for a LONG time). Then I got to play for the Mercy Corps team who is helping children to deal with the trauma from the earthquake. (there is more to that story,but later). Then, I got to hand it off to a cellist who is doing daily work with young musicians...we sat and looked through the music that I brought her. One of the pieces had been given to me by a church elder from the church I went to in Marin County. I never played it, but decided to bring it to Bernadette. She saw it and exclaimed! This is the priest's favorite piece and she had been searching for it! Needless to say, I am very happy. But that's not all! She asked if I could stay for 2 weeks, that they are doing a concert on July 4...and would I play with them? I had planned to return on June 28, but how could I say no? So, I'll be home on July 5th...I'm so happy!