If you’ve been reading this blog over the last week, I hope you have appreciated the myriad of perspectives. Just as each day and each writer have been different so too are the experiences. The Haiti mission team is made up of 14 individuals ranging from 15 to 55 years old with varying degrees of mission experience. However, the majority have had no experience in Haiti – the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
Today, we started early by getting picked up by our friends from Village of Hope / Lazarus Project. The travel was different than any of the other days because we traveled around Haiti in the back of an open air truck. This is the best way to see Haiti because standing in the back of a truck allows one to see over the 8 foot high cinderblock walls that line almost every street. We traveled from our Haiti home base to the Village of Hope, a school at the foot of the mountains near the Dominican Republic border. The institution was formed some twenty years ago to serve the rural population of Haiti by offering excellent faith based education. Unfortunately, the school was out for the summer so we didn’t get to meet the 640 students who make up all 13 grades of students. We did get to walk the impressive compound as well as see the progress of the new medical clinic. The clinic is being built to serve the community in large part because of the funds provided from Wheatland Salem Church, Impact for Jesus and the Village of Hope. It’s really an impressive structure in that it is being built to both California earthquake and Florida hurricane standards. The project really is a sign that Haiti has begun to change for the better.After our visit, we returned to Port Au Prince to do a little work at another Village of Hope partnership project called Little Children of Jesus (LCJ). The project is one of the best handicap homes in the country. They currently have over 98 residents. The folks living at LCJ are all severely physically and/or mentally challenged. It was quite overwhelming to spend time with the residents. Handshakes and hugs were all we could really offer but the lingering emotions were almost overpowering. Have you ever hugged a child whose own culture thinks of them as a burden or a piece of living furniture? It takes your breath away and touches something deep down in ones soul. I will never forget leaving the facility wishing we could have stayed longer, done a craft or played a little indoor soccer in the recreation room. We will be back though and next time we will do it all. As the visit ended, we felt compelled to pray for our host (a second career missionary from Canada). She thanked us for caring enough to think of asking God to bless her with strength, wisdom and perseverance.
We then traveled to our host’s mission station. As our host prepared the cold cuts for lunch, the team gathered in the courtyard so as not to be overheard and made the decision to give some of the $2000 dollars raised for those in need to the Village of Hope. We presented the money to our host who was genuinely surprised at our generosity. It was a pleasure to hand her the funds. After the presentation, we moved down the street to visit Grace House of Hope. An orphanage we have been associated with for over 8 years. It’s an all girls orphanage with a great history. Sister Marie was gracious about the gifts of food and the time spent with the girls. The team was once again on the emotional rollercoaster. It’s really hard to look into a child’s eyes and see their longing for love and attention all the while knowing this might be the only hug they get from an adult for a week. The day finished with an open air ride back to our Haiti home base at New Life Children’s Home. We ate some dinner, played some late night soccer, belted out a few praise songs with the orphans and finished with a session of laughing around the picnic table outside our mission huts. We serve an awesome God and tomorrow we get to do it again!
Pastor Coach Bob (said with a Creole orphan accent)
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