Today was water truck day. We started out the day with a wonderful breakfast of eggs, oatmeal, fresh fruit, and pancakes that our amazing cooks made for us. After breakfast we had a little more time than we planned on to get ready for the water truck because the water truck got a flat tire. After singing a few songs, we got on the Tap Tap and headed over to Hope church and school while we waited for the water truck. The kids there were young because the kindergarteners and first graders had school in the morning while the higher grades are in the afternoon. They were super excited to see us, and we were a huge distraction to their learning. To try to be less of a distraction we went to an empty room and one of our guides, Emanuel, explained the history of Hope church. It was built on top of a site that had 40 feet of garbage dumped on it. People used the site as a bathroom and a place to burry their dead as well as to dump their garbage. When they started building the church everyone thought that they were crazy for wanting to build a church in such a desolate location. Eventually the church was completed and it is now a beautiful location where people gather to worship and learn. This just goes to show that God can do amazing things. After hanging out at Hope church for a while, the water truck was ready to go and we headed out to Cite Solei to deliver water. The houses that these people were living in were mostly tin sheds and home made shelters. There were lots of kids who were partially and completely naked. Among all of this was so much joy. The kids ran towards us begging to be carried and loved. We spread as much love as we could using our limited Creole and charade-like sign language. Everyone was smiling and laughing. The adults and older children lined up behind the truck with buckets to fill with water as we split up the tasks of holding the hose, helping carry water back to homes, and playing with the children. Everyone was super nice and lots of the Haitians practiced their English on us which we were glad to hear because it allowed us to get over the language barrier and better connect. We repeated this process in three different parts of the city before returning to the guest house sweaty and dirty. After arriving at the guest house we had a little free time before dinner. Some of us went over to hang out with the neighborhood boys where they were playing soccer while others of us took the time to relax and recap on the day. Next we ate some delicious mac and cheese that had been prepared for us and had a team meeting. We talked about the day, prayed, and sang some songs. By this time we were all completely exhausted from the day so we took some time to wind down as some of us traced and cut out sea animals in preparation for the vacation bible school craft on Saturday. Today was an amazing day filled with memories and we cant wait to share more of them with you guys when we get back!
-Hannah.
Philippians 4:13
"For I can do anything through Christ, who gives me strength."
