An Elder Celebration

The walk to the courtyard was slow and laborious.  Many walked with a limp and some required assistance.   The elders in the Healing Haiti program have been looking forward to today: the annual Christmas party celebration.  They entered displaying a stoic demeanor as they often do.  They sat together around long tables and were welcomed with a meal and friendly conversation.  One can only image the challenges that they have faced and the hardships that they have had to endure.  They sat quietly in their fine clothes displaying little emotion.

That all changed when the worship praise music began.  As I looked at them, I saw their shoulders relax.  I saw their smiles as they started to sway with the music.  Some started clapping and some raised their hands as the music flowed through the room.  I looked at the other Haitians and at our fellow teammates.  All were lost in the music.  It's power and fervor enveloped us.  As I watched them,  I realized that the praise music had united us.  It didn't matter if we were Haitian or American, black or white, young or old and it didn't matter which language we spoke.  We all had come together as a family, if only for a little while.  In the faces of the elders, I saw love, acceptance and hope that they felt through the power and message of the music.  It was incredibly moving and I could have listened to it for hours.

With the recent days of relative peace, we were fortunate to be able to come to Titanyen and participate in this event.  It's an afternoon that I'll remember always.

" We learn something from everyone who passes through our lives.. Some lessons are painful, some are painless... but all are priceless."                Unknown