It’s hard to believe our week is coming to an end. Our week in Haiti has gone by quickly, yet we feel like we’ve been here longer as things slowly become more familiar and friendships start to form. The streets no longer seem new to us, but more familiar. We are even starting to recognize how to get back home. It’s starting to feel like home.
Today was our final day of serving.
We made our way to Titanyen to visit Grace Church. Grace Church is part of Healing Haiti’s Grace Village. They wanted to offer a place of worship for the children at Grace Village, but God had a different plan in mind. And they opened up Grace Church for anyone in the community to come and join.
Once we arrived, we organized stations for the kids to explore. We offered crafts, colored hearts and had a sticker tattoo station. It was wonderful to sit alongside the kids as we created art together. We performed our skit about Peter again and also led the children in song – we even fit in some “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” That always turns up the energy in the room. Smith helped us translate our skit and some of our songs.
Afterwards we went up the Matheux mountains in Haiti to go on a hike. After a very steep climb up the mountain in the Tap Tap, and a rugged walk to the top, we arrived at the beautiful view on top of the mountain. We took in the majesty of the ocean, the mountains and community around us.
We then made our way back down to Grace Village where we created another opportunity for the kids to play new games. We brought out chalk, jump ropes, a giant parachute and music. During our time together we had lots of laughter and dancing. There were so many moments of hugging and embracing each other as we enjoyed our time together.
We then made our way to Fleri for a late lunch where we ordered pizza. Fleri serves up a fresh and exciting menu in the heart of Titanyen. We enjoyed Street Taco pizza, BBQ Chicken pizza, Pork pizza, and Pickles & Pepperoni pizza. All were amazing to taste and enjoy as the team celebrated a wonderful week in Haiti.
We then made our drive home for the day. We all piled in the Tap Tap and went through the busy streets of Haiti with the loud noises, harsh honking, hard braking and accelerating, dirt flying and wind whipping around. But this time, for the first time, we all closed our eyes and rested. The noises of our loud drive still surrounded us, but it was still and quiet around us as we all took time to rest. It all started to feel like home.
The last thing we needed to do was go to the airport to take our Covid test to be cleared to fly back to the U.S. This was something our team uneasy about at times, because if someone did test positive, they’d need to stay back and quarantine for 2 weeks. The unknowns always stir up anxiety. But we prayed for God’s peace and that we would trust in him to protect us. All of our tests came back negative. We were so relieved and thrilled that our prayers were answered.
That evening we gathered for circle time again to reflect together. Some of us shared testimonies of how God is working in our lives. Everyone shared their Word of the Day. Words ranged from: Mountains, Thankful, Familiar, Sweet, Comfort and Flourish.
Tomorrow will be our last day to take in the beauty of Haiti – our new home away from home.
