December 2, 2016 - Heather and Lisa

"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the right of widows." - Isaiah 1:17

I am writing this blog outside on the patio on a very hot Haitian night. Loud music is wailing from a nearby neighbor. At home this would probably annoy me but once again Haiti has wrapped itself around my heart and made it a more softer and loving place and I find only peace in my spirit.
As this wonderful week of serving is coming to a close I can honestly say that I love it here. Haiti has definitely added to my places that feel like home to me.

Today marked our last day of serving before moving on to more relaxing activities. We once again started our day with a wonderful breakfast of eggs, pancakes, and oatmeal that was prepared by the wonderful Healing Haiti cooks. These women can do wonders with oatmeal and I for one am happy to have had the pleasure of eating it every morning this week.

Our first stop was the University Hospital kids ward. I visited this hospital last year and it was very crowded with long lines and few nurses and doctors. This year I was happy to see that there were way more nurses and doctors than patients. There were many empty beds which wasn't the case last year. Today we walked through and said greetings to the sick kids and their parents that were sitting with their kids. I know we all wished there was more we could do to help but the staff definitely had things under control. We all circled up and said a group prayer for healing for all the sick kids.

After the hospital we made our way over to an orphanage called "La Loo".

My favorite thing about this orphanage is seeing the kids looking through the gate with great excitement as they see the tap tap driving down the long driveway that leads to their front gate. They know people are coming to play with them and they couldn't be more excited. We made sure we came well prepared with a craft to do with the kids. We showed them how to make a beaded keychain. The most fascinating thing about doing the activity was how much the kids loved the Ziploc bags that their supplies came in. The girl I was holding treated her bag like it was a purse and was quick to put her keychain back into the bag when she was done. She treated her bag like it was her new purse. This is the one thing I have noticed at all the orphanages. Any time you give these kids the simplest thing they treasure it because they don't have many possessions. After the kids finished their craft we sang songs and taught them how to play rock, paper, scissors. The girl I was holding knew the words to "Glory to God" in English and it made my heart happy knowing that those lyrics may be the only English words she may ever know but what powerful words they are.

After the orphanage, we made our way back over to the café at Papillion for pizza and drinks. I really love that this relaxing place exists in Haiti. They make delicious drinks and food here and provide a great open space with couches and tables for people to hang out and relax. It's very easy to forget you're in Haiti when you're there.

We did a little more shopping in the retail store and then shared in eating several different kinds of pizza. My favorite pizza was the barbeque chicken.There's something about the sweet and salty mixed together that really hits the spot.

We ended our day back at the guesthouse with group time where we had a great discussion on what surprised us about Haiti, what we learned about ourselves through the trip, and what we all felt God was teaching us in that moment. From the discussion, it was clear that all our lives have been changed and we will not be returning home as the same people. This was my second Healing Haiti trip and every day encouraged me and gave me hope for Haiti. So much has improved in just one year and I can't wait to see what God does in 2017. I will be returning next November and I already can't wait to come back.


^"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." - 1 Timothy 6:6-8

Today's blog was written by Amy Loveridge.