Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Liberty Classical Academy - Day 2, Water Truck Day

Our second day we visited Cite Soleil to deliver water to the Haitians. For me, this was one of the most heart-breaking days yet, I already know this will be my favorite day. Children were running down the streets and following the tap tap bus wherever we went. When I walked out the children ran up to me, grabbed my hand, and have me many hugs. One of my favorite moments from today was when I picked up a little girl. She had little to no clothes on and was covered in dirt yet, she was overjoyed just at the fact that I was holding her. She had noticed that I had some of my dirt on my face and that some strands of my hair had fallen out of my pony tail, but instead of being concerned for herself she was concerned for me. She tried to wipe the dirt off my face and pushed the hair behind my ear and on top of all of that she gave me a huge kiss and said, all better. All the kids here are such sweet and loving people.  The fact that many of them have almost nothing and still care only about us is honestly shocking to me. Haiti has already changed me in incredible ways. I am so thankful that I was given this opportunity. ~ Maddy

Today we went to Cite Soleil to give water to the people. It was emotionally and physically hard. We struggled to carry big buckets of water to the Haitian's homes, while the residents did it with ease.  There was a language barrier so it was difficult to communicate at first, but after a while we learned to use our hands to talk. The children were amazing. All they wanted was to be hugged and loved. At our last stop for the day, this little girl, I think about 6 or 7, wouldn't let me put her down. She started crying and clinging on to my legs, whenever I tried. At one point, I had 6 kids crowding around me waiting to be held. They all were trying to hold my hand and play games with me. The kids taught me some Haitian songs, games, and how to find joy, even in the darkest times. They barely had any clothes on and at one point were fighting over my bandAid. To see them it was somehow heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. We came to help and impact the people, but I have learned more in these last two days about joy and love than I have in a while. The Haitians are so extremely happy and thankful. They remind me to be the same.  - Alaya