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| The Chakoun at the mission base. |
Today has just been wonderful! We were up EARLY (5:30AM), which is ok, because I was in bed by 7 last night. At 6am, I meandered across the yard of the mission base. Above me several different varieties of mango trees swayed in the ocean breeze. I hear the crash of the water hitting the shore, pass under the chakoun, a tropical pavilion whose roof is made of palm branches, and climb up onto the wall of the mission. It's topped with a wire fence and it's the closest I can get to the water without walking right out the gate. Sometimes, when I'm here, I forget I'm on a mission trip, where I am meant to serve and be "out of my comfort zone." But, let's be real. It's the caribbean! And it's landscape is gorgeous, even if the poverty and hurt that fills this beautiful country is abundant. Lex and Renee have told me time and again that this place, the mission base, is expected to be a haven, a place to rest after a hard day of work for the teams that come and I imagine, for them as well. This is where they live after all. I close my eyes and ask God to help me as I read his word, thankful to be resting after all that travel. Afterwards, we eat breakfast (yummy bread, fresh pineapple, peanut butter and of course, coffee) and clamor onto the big yellow school bus. Time for church.
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| The newly rebuilt school. |
We were quite early so Lex gave us a tour of the new school building (which is at the same location as the church.) I am blow away at what they have accomplished since we were here 3 years ago! What was once a hole in the ground is now a two story building with classrooms, offices, a kitchen, a dance studio, a radio station, a storage room for supplies and a free medical clinic!! And the building is continuing! The Edmes have even started using hydroponics to raise fish for food on the same site as the church (how many of our churches in the states are that creative??) Needless to say, I was both impressed and inspired.
In the middle of our tour, singing came from the church (an outdoor pavilion-kind of). The music is boisterous and the worship is heartfelt- we don't understand a word of it and the heat is already sweltering. BUT it is so good to be in the house of God with our brothers and sisters in Haiti! Kyle and I are asked to come up to the front. We introduce ourselves and our team. Kyle preaches using a translator, but I don't get to hear because the rest of us go to teach Sunday school. I had the little tikes (3-5 year olds; any idea why I picked those cuties?) I gave hugs to lots of little ones who reminded me of Adelaide. It both made me miss her and filled that same gap. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a scuffle followed by two little boys crying, one who threw his snack bag at the floor in disgust and then himself flopped to the floor in a heap. I thought I was watching my little one back home throw a tantrum! I figured out that some 3 year old problems are similar in Haiti. Each little boy wanted a 'particular' snack bag (even though they were identical in type and quantity), and the one who had his 'particular' snack bag taken was the one on the floor. "Is this his?" I ask the boy sitting in his desk and point at the snack and then at the boy on the floor. Yes, he nods. Switch snack bags. All is right with the world! Other than saving the world of that 3 year old, I also teach a lesson on Jonah and the whale. Fun stuff! I see a few familiar faces in the crowd too. Faith- the daughter of the missionaries at the Hands and Feet Project was just 1 when we visited last time and her sister, Glory, was on the way (I was pregnant at the same time as her mama then.) Then, I'm talking to the little boys and I can't help but cup their cheeks in my palms- they are so sweet! One of them cups my face in his hands and says, I'm Christlove. Christlove!! Another little one, just a baby when I first met him! He was undernourished at the time and the recipient of much our previous team's affections and photo shoots! How wonderful it is to see these babies grow up healthy! I think, as we continue to visit Haiti, we will see them grow into teenagers and then young adults and so on. How amazing would that be?
Speaking of watching little ones grow up, after church Alexis took us to see the Hands and Feet Project where the 32 orphans, whom Lex and Renee rescued from orphanage that was exploiting them, live. These were the children we first met in 2010. Among them was Daniella, who I have spoken often about. She is now 15! Being 15, she did not warm up to me right away, which was a challenge because I was so excited to see her. Later she and the other orphans came to our beach at the mission base to swim. I tried talking to her again but I'm all thumbs when it comes to teenagers. And I felt old and uncool all of a sudden. I gave her space to be with her friends and before long she asked me to come talk to her. We swam together with her friends and made jokes about boyfriends and talked about hair and school. We chatted a while, sitting on the wall, practicing English. I found out she wants to be a nurse now and that her favorite color is sky blue. This has to be the highlight of my week in Haiti, to reconnect with her, watch her grow up. I'll never forget how she captured my heart when she was just 10 years old, falling asleep on my lap in church! I didn't have my own kids yet and seriously thought about how I could take her home with me. I only hope I was able to convey my care for her today. She and her friends are quite special, at least in my book.
I met someone new that day too. I'm still working on the spelling, but his name is Mauvans. He was recently taken in at the orphanage because he is severely malnourished. At 1 years old, he is just a wee thing. At a second church service that night, he came in, held by his care taker who sat right behind me. I asked if I could him. She consented. Sweet, sweet boy! As I held his tiny frame, I couldn't help but feel how fortunate my babies are. I mean I know I sound like a narrow lensed American here in some respects (truly there are many unfortunate cases of neglected children in the States), and there are many sites of poverty in Haiti that make you realize how much you really have (and how gosh darn ungrateful you are for it). It just so happens that it was here in Haiti where I have encountered this little one. And once again my heart was captured. Maybe I can sponsor him? Maybe I will see him when he is two next year? Maybe I can watch him grow into a healthy, educated, kind hearted young man? These are the kind of things that happen to you when you take a mission trip. You meet people that never would have crossed your path if you stayed home. You want to care for them and wish nothing but the best for them though you did not know them 2 days ago. You are the salt of the earth, Matthew 5 says. If the salt loses it's saltiness it is good for nothing. If we lose our ability to love others, we are good for nothing. God seems to use trips like these to broaden my scope, awaken my heart and sharpen my ability to love others and today he did it through Christlove, Faith and Glory, Daniella, and Mauvans.
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