I'm going to summarize two days in one, cause that worked so well last time:
Sunday, August 9
We stayed at the Villa Mamika and didn't do anything...
Monday, Aug 10
Muahahahaha you thought I was going to just going to breeze over what happened on Sunday. Alright, alright...I'll give you the sweet and condensed version of Sunday:
So, we knew going into Sunday that we were going to stay at Villa Mamika for the whole day. This was out of respect and out of precaution for the Haitian elections that were happening through out the city. See, Haitians have no problem corralling interest in elections. Many gangs are offiiliated with certain politicians and it was explained to me that the main incentive is money. People in Haiti may be paid to be at a rally to support a cause at 1pm and show up to be paid to be against the same cause at 2pm. Needless to say, it was better to be safe and stay indoors.
We had our breakfast in the usual fashion that we had become accustomed to. We then all had a lovely stroll to the chapel that Villa Mamika uses for their weddings. In fact, Marilyn was describing to us, before the service, how a Haitian wedding would be in this space. It was very adorable to see her get all excited about each detail as she scurried to different areas and gave us such imagery of what everything looked like.
We eased into the beginning of the service that began with a prayer. I love that Butch always starts his prayers by saying something like "with the air we breath we give you thanks". I like this because it reminds me of the song Breathe that we sing in church. With the air he gives us, we breath in and we breath out and we give him thanks. Butch asked me to sing and I stood in the back of the church and sang a song my mom taught me when I was very young. I sing it in my head when I want to praise Jesus and sometimes when I drive, I sing it when I see a beautiful sky, so in this country where I feel and see Jesus so much every day, it felt appropriate. Then Matt prayed for us. It was a beautiful prayer that set all of our hearts on Jesus.
Butch asked us first what our favorite part of the trip was. Many mentioned the Haitian men that we have been working with like Claudelle and Williams. These men are inspiring and is definitely agreed that they have made our time here special. We mentioned how caring many in our group have been, especially Wesley. Dana had a specific moment like many of us that she shared when she was playing soccer with the children at Ganthier. Butch then shared a message that was based on a reading from Isaiah. He challenged us to think of how we can bring Haiti into our lives so that we may always be leading a life of service. Debbie then lead us in a song that perfectly encompassed our ultimate goal. We sang "they'll know we are Christians by our...." (I am trying to condense...I figured you could fill in the blank) We ended the service by singing surely the presence. And it surely was in that place. We left the church feeling a revival in the spirit and we walked back together.
The rest of the day could be summarized in simple words: roof, view, wow, sleep, read, crossword, more PB and J, chat, read, sleep, Haitian hot dogs, read, phone, sleep, dinner, cards, devotion, Upper Room, "No, I'm not busy", discussion, sleep. Noticed how I didn't use the words: scared, worried, voting, election, fight. It was a very relaxing day and we give thanks that we were protected and we thank you for all your prayers
Monday, August 10
When I woke up this morning, I felt sick. I think that we all have been there. It's not anything catastrophic, we're not out of business sick, but if you have ever been to a country like Haiti, you're going to have your off days (except for Marilyn. She flawless). So, I am sitting on the truck trying to keep my cookies from being tossed and Marilyn said that a pastor from the California group had said something to her that she wanted to share. He said: make Jesus proud. After that I felt rejuvenated. Not to mention Beth Munzenmaier has been taking care of me like I am her child, (however she is too young to have me as a child. :)
We arrived at Ryan Epps for tools and then went off to Orphanage 46 where our hearts were patiently waiting. My sweet, sweet Ernso was waiting for me and as soon as I jumped of the truck and Richardson join in our big hug. Now, we had to strategically move the children outside for this visit because we planned to surprise them with new bed sheets and pillows when they came back in. So, many of us moved the children into the dirt field. We played or attempted to play many games with them. They liked duck, duck, goose and red rover. One of the best moments was watching Williams teach all of us a game I have never seen. He tied a blindfold over David's eyes and he tapped two rocks together and David had to find him by the sound. The kids loved this game and so did our team.
Finally, the beds were complete and the children were allowed back inside. They excitedly jumped on their beds, but we had even more surprises than that. We sat them all down and we revealed a special bag for each child at 46. You should have seen their faces. They were so excited about their new items that they'd scurry to their room and place their new bag on their new bed and took the items out and put the items in and them take the items right out again. These donations were wonderful! Debbie will have some great pictures to capture their joy! We gave a packet of fruit snacks to each child and I lost it again when I saw Ernso open his packet and without a shread of reluctance he took some pieces and gave them to other kids and other adults and took the last few and popped them into his mouth. I had tears in my eyes when he offered me his last two and I squeezed him with all the love I could muster.
Butch asked some of us if we wanted to go to some stores. David, Wesley, Lloyd, Butch, and I were the brave souls that ventured out. The store experience was actually the close to American culture that I got. The hardware store was like Home Depot (except for the 5th of vodka next to the check out line) and the supermarket was just like Food Lion (except for the security officer posted outside). On our way back with our supplies for an electric water pump at 46 and enough ice cream for 46 and Ryan Epps, we made our way home. On the way home, we witnessed a terrible accident. We saw a very injured man walk beside our truck and I felt very helpless because we couldn't help him. Butch tried frantically to find anything, but any helpful item was at 46. I put my head down and I prayed,
because what else could we do. It was a rough moment because I had gotten used to helping so immediately, but with this man, I helped the only way I knew how.
After we returned, it was ICE CREAM tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeee!!!!!! No, but really, it was a very exciting moment! I don't care what country you are from, watching children eat ice cream is about the same wherever you go. They looked as content as a frog on a Lilly pad. We had to leave shortly after and I hear that might've been the last time we will be there. I squeezed my boys tightly, am I looked them both in the face and I said "Je T'aime" and they looked back at me and they said "Je T'aime" and they asked me if I was going to cry and I could say in French "in my heart" . I reluctantly, very very reluctantly walked to the door and many young children ran up and gave me a last hug. The pastor of the orphanage said thank you and kissed me on the cheek. I walked with Ernso's hand in mine until we had to separate and I got on the truck. I found an open spot at the back of the truck and looked at a group of kids that had collected outside the orphanage. I looked at the little girl I rocked to sleep, I looked at the little toddler that I had tossed in the air, I looked at the young woman I had talked with as she played with my hair, I looked for Ernso, I waved and waved and soon we turned the corner. It was sad, but I know this won't be the last time I see them.
Photos
