Blessings from the Mountain

We went on a camping trip to Macaya, the second highest peak in Haiti. Through a miscalculation we knew we were going to run out of food, and this mountain range is one of the most secluded regions in the entire country. The village we had started from was a hard, full days hike. Out of nowhere came this woman, her name is Chemen, which means Path. She had a full gallon of fresh cows milk and food. She said she could see we were hungry and she gave us the food. We told her our predicament and later that night she sent yams and plantain up the mountain from all the way down below. We got up in the morning to boil them on the fire, and just as we were getting ready to eat, she came hiking up with her own pots. She had even planned to come and cook for us. Some of us were left wondering if she was an angel. It seemed to us all like the stuff of the Bible, with an Old Testament, Elijah kind of feel, and it tasted like manna from heaven to fill our bellies with boiled yams on a cold morning. What a beautiful story of provision and hospitality that I will never forget.