Haiti (Day 1-3)
Day 1
Our team arrived in Haiti on Monday morning, ready and excited for all we would experience! When we pulled into the Healing Haiti guesthouse, we were all blown away by the beauty of the house and the kindness and hospitality of the Haitian staff!
After we settled into the guesthouse, we went to serve at the Home for Sick and Dying Children. Our purpose in going was to help with the babies, many of whom are struggling with illness and malnutrition. By a miracle that only God could orchestrate, there were exactly enough of us for each baby to be held and cared for. We fed them dinner, changed their diapers, and played with them in the breezy courtyard. Our whole team cuddled and played and loved on those sweet babies. It was such an incredible experience to cover those little ones with prayer and affection, showing them the love of Jesus. We also got to play with some of the older children on the playground. They loved to play games with us!
We all connected so quickly to the babies, and nobody wanted to leave. The babies loved being held, and they cried when we put them down to go back to the guesthouse. We all cried, too. There were so many tears when the time came for us to leave! It was so hard to see those babies who are sick and struggling, but it was also such a beautiful experience. Even in their struggle and sickness, they are loved and not forgotten. They are special and unique and blessed. They are children of God. We had the amazing opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them and to tell them how special and loved they are. By the end of the first day, we all knew that this would be an experience that we will never forget.
Day 2
From what we’ve seen so far, navigating life through Haiti is very difficult. Then we drove through the gates of the Haiti Deaf Academy. There was an armed guard at the door as we drove in. He was there to protect the children because they are thought of as having been cursed by VooDoo. Imagine living in a world that seems completely against you. Being a step behind in an already tough situation.
However, walking out of that truck, you can immediately feel the joy. The kids all sat down and wanted to ask us questions right away. They wanted to know our names and they gave us each a sign name. They wanted to know if we loved Haiti and where we were from. But what striked me the most, was when they asked us who had Jesus in their hearts. When we answered “yes” smiles beamed across their faces and they cheered for us. The gospel felt so simple then. It’s about people. We are all one family, no matter where we come from or what struggles we may have. We are bonded because we are children of God first.
We did a craft with them next. We traced their hands under the words “Jesus loves you.” They got the decorate their hands and they were so proud of their work. They pulled you every which way to show you what they had done. They wrote their names, and taught us the colors. We came in ready to invest, when really they were the teachers.
They taught us how to see the world. They showed us how to sign and corrected our wrong movements. The best part is they were learning a version of American sign language. Communication no longer felt like a massive barrier. 2 languages, 2 different countries yet we could communicate through a common thread. The Spirit of God was so tangible there. It was beautiful to experience. Gods love through creation is everywhere. I was reminded to take the time to step back and just enjoy it.
Day 3
Today we went to Cité Soleil to deliver water to district 17 and 26. We delivered water to them because most Haitian families don’t have the funds to afford the water daily for their survival. The water we delivered will be used for daily cooking, cleaning, bathing, and drinking. Upon our arrival tons of people had approached us and formed into a line to get the water. They had to provide the buckets and we filled them and helped deliver them to their homes. Along side providing water to the Haitian families we played with many kids. These kids had been very excited and wanted affection from us. These kids had wanted us to hold them, talk to them, play with them, and nurture them.
As a team, this experience had made us feel many emotions that we could never express. We saw many things that we had never seen before. In Haiti they have no trash system, so they have created large landfills on the side of the roads. Initially it was shocking to see, but it is the best option they currently have. It was heart breaking to see what they call dirt cookies, this is a mixture of dirt, oil, spices, and clay that is baked out in the sun. People feed these to the kids to satisfy their stomachs, but it provides no nutrition. Seeing these people’s living conditions breaks our heart. Your mind races to try to find solutions, the whole time you wish that you could trade places with them. This is truly something you should experience to fully understand.
We ended the day with going to the Fleri Farm (Fleri means flourish in Creole). This was a great way to end the day. Healing Haiti has a community farm in Cité Soleil, this farm creates opportunities and jobs for Haitians. We got to enjoy fresh mangos, coconuts, and grilled corn over the fire!
