Friday, July 27, 2018

Day 5 - Elderly Visits, Grace Village and Fleri Resto

This morning began a little earlier than usual, as a majority of the group decided to attend a local church down the road, Church on the Rock. The sun was just beginning to rise around 6 a.m. as we walked to church, so the weather was cool and breezy which made for a nice walk as the Delmas neighborhood began to wake up. Speaking from personal experience, the service was incredible and moving. There is something extra special and beautiful about worshiping God in a new environment and experiencing a different culture in a new way. In addition to this, our group as a whole felt so welcomed by the Haitians in their church. It was wonderful being united as Christians with just one purpose, despite our different backgrounds and stories.
After church and a delicious (as usual) breakfast, we loaded up onto the tap-tap to visit the elders of Titanyen. Healing Haiti does an amazing job of pouring into and supporting the elders of Titanyen. We were able to make four different stops – Eliphet, Vertilia, Viergelie, Dieufort, and Pierre and Lauremise, and all of the elders were gracious and welcoming as our group came to their homes. With each visit, we were able to wash the hands and feet of the elders, sing songs, and simply enjoy their presence. What a humbling experience to be able to serve some of the strongest, most faithful people I have ever met!


      Following the visits with elders, we took a tour of Grace Village, an amazing initiative started by Healing Haiti in order to promote education, healthy lives, and the love of God in the lives of children in Titanyen. We then finished off a very hot day with a relaxing evening and delicious dinner at Fleri restaurant. Fleri means “flourish” in French. The passion and joy of everyone working at Fleri is so obvious, and it made the experience that much more enjoyable. Fleri focuses on job creation in Titanyen and has been successful in doing so. It is also a growing business that is supporting Haitians through sustainable means.



     Overall, today was incredible from start to finish. As the week winds down, we are beginning to reflect on the week and are realizing personal growth through serving other people. This is just an added bonus to the joy that comes from making connections with Haitians daily and serving God through serving His people. We just ended our night with amazing team bonding and an adventure involving a mouse in the guest house.

That concludes day 5!
-Moriah