Haiti Journal

Se pou sajès Bondye avè w.

[kushandwizdom]

I would never undo a single day I had with you

Ranata Suzuki (via kushandwizdom)

[haitijournal2012]

Haiti Journal Day 1: My Incredible Journey

Day 1: 1/6/2012

Our plane landed at around 9:30am in Port au Prince, Haiti. I ended up sitting next to a Haitian man who knew little English and I was able to learn some Creole. If I am being honest, I was nervous about how I was going to communicate to the kids and the people there. I had not looked at the language as much as I should have and wished I learned more before this point. I studied until we could see the water meet the beautiful land of Haiti. The water was so blue and you could see right through it. It reminded me of those movies that film in tropical places and how I always want to vacation somewhere beautiful like that. The difference between that desire and what I was actually in Haiti for were two different things. I could not wait to be used by God and give myself away in ways I could not expect. My excitement grew when our plane began to land and when everyone started getting out of their seats.

            Before we stepped into the airport, we were greeted by a band singing and playing music. We entered a very open building were people waited in line to get through customs. As soon as we left, I was filled with different emotions all hitting me at once. We walked through a narrow pathway, passing many people wanting our attention. People were on the other side of the fence looking in to see who was coming into their country. I saw some very sad and hopeless faces on the other side of the fence, but the general mood of the locals was happy, upbeat, and busy.

Another culture shock that hit me within the first hour of our arrival was the streets of Port au Prince! This tells you that I do not travel much. There was so much chaos but in a controlled way. There are no lines to tell drivers to stay on their side of the road and people drive however they want. Scooters whizzed by with 3, 4, or 5 people on them. We also saw tap taps with tons of people on them. Tap Taps are trucks with a shell and seats put in the bed of the truck to carry people around like a taxi. There were so many things to see and I did not have enough eyes to look at everything. A completely different, wonderful, relational world lay before me and I had only a week to take it in. Markets, art, work, rubble, stray dogs, trees, homes, and the smell of it all accompanied the streets of Port au Prince. It was a strangely pleasant smell. We also passed tent city, which was a relief camp after the earthquake and has since turned into a mini city where people live.

When we arrived at Nehemiah Vision Ministries (NVM), I realized how exhausted I was. We ate a lunch of rice and beans, which tasted amazing, and listen to our orientation. It was really helpful because I had no idea what Haitian culture was like. Although I learned about some of it before the trip, you never know until you are there to experience it. At around 2:00pm we started to help paint the clinic with primer and the 1st coat. The doctor at the clinic was beginning to get annoyed of the dark and dreary wood walls. He wanted the clinic to be a happy bright place where people get treated.

After awhile, we stopped to rest and soak everything in. We all had not slept for at least 24 hours and we were exhausted to say the least. Everyone was silly and crazy. (Haitian Creole: You are crazy is translated to “Ou Fou”). We got settled in our women’s dorm (a large tent with Air conditioning J) and talked with Fifi, a girl from Port ou Prince. She is being adopted and lives at NVM now until the process is complete. She is 6 and absolutely adorable. She loved to play with my ipod and the team’s iphones to take pictures of herself. A family who works at NVM takes care of her and knows her adoptive parents.

After a long day, we all fell asleep super fast and our beds felt amazing compared to the cramped airplane. We were in Haiti, really there, and I couldn’t wait for our trip to swamp kids the next day.

[haitijournal2012]

Haiti Journal Day 2

Day 2: 1/7/2012

The next morning we did devotion with our whole team. In our team were 7 girls and 1 guy, who was our fearless leader. The girls were: Sarah G, Sarah W, Naomi, Erin, Allyson, Tawny, and me. Our fearless leader: Kyle. Sarah W did devotion about Moses and how his mom had to trust in God for her baby’s protection by giving him away. It reminded me to trust God in the most desperate situations. My situation was not as desperate but at this point, I could feel myself getting sick. I was fearful about how the rest of the week would go if I was truly sick, but I realized I could not do much about it except take care of myself. I didn’t let it get to me and continued with our day by painting the clinic and waiting for our translator, Ostanel, to pick us up and drive us to Swamp Kids.

            He arrived at 10:30am and we were on our way!! I was so excited for this and could not wait to see the kids. I had no idea what to expect. Since we arrived, I had only seen Haiti from a distance. The locals did not visit NVM much on Friday because they had the day off from school and there are gates to protect us at other times. Only people they trust and know were let in. I had looked at Haiti from the outside, and now I was plunging right into the middle of their world, meeting them face-to-face. The tap tap Ostanel rented to take us there was open and breezy; I could see more of the land and soak in the smell of the air.

As we got closer to their home, anticipation grew inside me. We passed homes and fences until we finally arrived, waiting for them to open the gate. I can hardly explain the feelings I experienced once inside the house. All the kids ran to us, so incredibly happy to see us although we were complete strangers to them (except Kyle, Allie and Erin). As I looked around the room, I saw desperate faces that were starved for attention and was overcome with sadness. A new understanding washed over me and I was humbled in that moment. I always thought I had an idea of what it was like to live in poverty, but I was mistaken.

A little boy came right up to me and reached his hands out with a desperate look in his eyes. He mumbled in Creole to pick him up and I instantly scooped him up into my arms. I asked him “Komou ou rele”? (What is your name), he relied “Jamesly”. I instantly fell in love with this little boy. For the first hour, he did not smile but clung onto me like his life depended on it. He felt so light and frail in my arms. He kept repeating to me “Grangou”, which is “hungry” or “Manje”, which is “eat”. I didn’t know what to tell him. I did not know how to say that I had no food for him or the others. He kept trying to pull me or point to an empty plate of dried noodles they must have had another day. I was not prepared for this. I ended up telling him to wait and felt useless.

Soon after, lunch did come, but it was corn meal to keep them from being hungry until dinner. They call it Akashaan. Most of the kids ate with their hands, but the older kids went to get spoons. A little girl offered me a bite after her plate was nearly finished. It tasted all right but Erin thought it tasted like chewed throw up. After lunch, we played a game of duck duck goose with the kids. Jamesly did not like when I put him down. It was like pulling a scared cat off of me, but after he sat down and played for a bit, I finally saw him smile! The others kids began to smile too and the happiness I saw in all of their faces was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Cheraline is a new orphan who is two years old and 10 pounds. She almost always looks sad; I did not see her smile once during our visits. Naomi held her for a lot of the time and fell in love with the tiny orphan.

During lunch, two girls tried to braid my hair. They were half way done and started on a new section of hair when it started to hurt too much so they stopped and took it all out. However, Sarah G, Sarah W, and Naomi all had braids and got through the pain of the tugging and yanking. The girls of Swamp Kids are so fun to be around and love to braid hair and jump rope. The older boys of Swamp Kids are so funny! At one point, a boy named Jobby had my purity ring and my sunglasses on. Allyson and I also joked around about small things like telling them we were boys and they were girls. They found it so funny! We found laughter in places I would have not thought to look.

Near the end of the day, Jamesly began to get really tired and was falling asleep on me as Allyson and I were talking to Ostanel. I laid down and he slept right on me, it was adorable. I could not contain my happiness or my smile. His little body was barely as big as my torso. My thoughts began to drift and I was telling myself I did not want to leave this new place I have come to where happiness is found in simplicity. The things we take for granted in America are not just food and water, but also relationships. These children just want love, and on Saturday, that is all we brought with us. 

[haitijournal2012]

Haiti Journal Day 3

Day 3: 1/8/2012 Sunday

            We woke up in happy moods and ready for church. I was excited and did not know what to expect. I’ve been to Catholic mass, and different types of Christian services, so I knew that each and every church has a different feel to it. Where we slept is a couple hundred feet from the church so we headed over as soon as we saw more people arriving. All the church members and their children were dressed up nicely in their Sunday best and Haitian Creole resonated throughout the light filled building.

Enthusiasm filled the large room and my eyes met with a young boy sitting in front of me. He instantly smiled, warmth in his expression, and I smiled right back. When you make eye contact here, you get more than a smile; you get a genuine connection that runs deep to the heart. Maybe we do in America also, but I experienced that sincere quality more in the week that I was in Haiti than I have in the last couple years. People are important in the Haitian culture. An individual will drop what they are doing or forget their problems to be with a friend because relationships are so significant.

            The service started and we sang. I tried to follow along with the words on the projector but I’m pretty sure I sounded silly because everything was in Creole. When the pastor came out and began to speak, I understood a little bit here and there. He would speak about Jesus walking with us in our journeys or being our friend and that we come to him; we need him. That was the extent of my comprehension so the rest of the time I just took in the surroundings. I would look around to see how the church was reacting when the pastor said certain words. They would wave both hands back and forth and someone told me he was saying, “If you feel Jesus, wave your hands”. So, I began to do it to. I was later made fun of for being extremely white, because I looked funny joining in. I have never been too graceful or coordinated so I tried to picture what I looked like in my head and laughed. At least they knew I didn’t care about how I looked right? I felt Jesus and was not afraid to show it. Sarah G. started holding a woman’s baby because she wanted to give the mother a break so she could enjoy church. She was a very cute baby but was getting fussy. I ended up holding her too and calmed her down for a bit until her mother took her back to feed her.  After the message, we started singing again.

            I loved worshiping with the Haitians. They are not afraid to show their love for Jesus. They sang at the top of their lungs, shouting about salvation and grace. Some of the songs were even in English, such as Mighty to Save. They also sang popular songs in Creole, so although it was a different language, I remembered the song and understood the meaning. All of the teams had to get up on stage and sing a song for the church. We sang Open the eyes of my heart Lord and had the pastor sing it with us. I secretly think we were the best J. I might be biased though.

Near the end, a lot of babies were crying and everyone was getting antsy. The wind had stopped and the heat set in, allowing the smell of the room to settle. Since everyone was sweating, it basically smelled like B.O. (but not potent). I think Americans have nasty stinky B.O. so the smell was not bad for me. Sorry for my tangent, but church ended after around 3 hours and we all went outside and talked with the locales. A group of guys were talking to Erin and I. They speak English well and were joking with us (or more like thought we would believe) that they were from Idaho or Iowa. It was pretty funny because we knew they were fooling us. Sometimes Haitians like to tell you that they are from America when they are not, just to joke around.

            After lunch, we went back outside to play and spend time with the kids. We ended up seeing the same guys and they started to show off for us doing flips and kart wheels etc. We also had fun with a different group of kids all ages. They loved the cameras so we would just give them ours to play with. A little girl was by my side almost the whole time and loved when I picked her up and twirled her. Her friend saw wanted me to twirl him around to but when I offered he got too shy. A lot of kids loved this type of play and attention.

As we were playing, the boys were singing (Shante) and rapping for my camera. We had a long conversation with them in mixed Creole and English. They were trying to tell us that we should put them in our baggage and take them home with us to America (Etazini). Our conversation then shifted to Jargon. They were trying to teach it to us and we could barely understand for a while. We figured out that it is like pig latin but for their language. So for example, in Jargon, ou fou (means your crazy) is ogou fogou. They were teaching us and we were teaching them. We eventually got to the point were we were using Spanish, English, and Creole. It got very confusing haha.

            The sun slowly began to set and we walked the boys to the gate so they could get home. We all had dinner and helped Mercy Medical count pills and bag them so they could hand out medication quickly. I put 30 vitamins in each baggy, finishing a bottle and a half. The other medicines included aspirin, phosphate, furrous sulfate, and more. It had been an amazing day and we all went to bed happy. The next day we would see the swamp kids again and our whole team was looking forward to seeing the kid’s faces.

[haitijournal2012]

Haiti Journal Day 4

Day 4: 1/9/2012 Monday

            I woke up and finally accepted that I was sick. I had been feeling funny the last couple days but did not want to jump to conclusions. I just prayed and hoped that the cold would not hit me hard. We all had to get ready and help work on building a fence. I had no clue how to do this and our group has seven girls and one guy. You can imagine what this looked like, seven girls trying to build a fence. The two other guys from a different team had to tell us exactly what to do. We ended up setting the stakes by where we would stick them into the ground and helped put wooden poles up. We saw lots of goats and sheep. They actually came onto the plowed land that we were planning to fence in and were eating the roots. The Sheeps were on the left side, goats on the right. We joked around that there was going to be a battle of the sheeps and goats. There were also tiny baby sheeps and goats following their moms and we ran to them trying to spook them. It didn’t work; they just stared at us and baaed.

There were not a lot of tools or supplies so work got done slowly. After lunch, we headed to Swamp kids again with Ostanel, even more excited than the first time. He backed into the drive way and the minute the tap tap pulled through the gate, the kids were running out to see us, jumping and cheering for us to get out. I saw Jamesly smiling with his arms reaching out as everyone jumped out of the tap tap. His eyes were wandering around as if he was looking for someone and when he finally saw me he jumped up and down and was stretching his arms out even more. This is the happiest I ever saw him. The minute I stepped out, he asked me to hold him and I gladly did once again. His little body clutched onto mine as if he hadn’t seen me in a year. I squeezed him and asked how he was doing. This time he replied “Mwen pa mal” meaning “I’m not bad”. I felt more joy than I ever had in my entire life as I watched all the children gathering around us, hugging us, and looking even more excited than they did on Saturday. After things settled down, we brought out our cameras for them to play with. The rest of the day was bliss as we took video’s foto’s and danced around listening to music the kids loved. 

[haitijournal2012]

Haiti Journal Day 5

Day 5: 1/10/2012

I woke up feeling completely awful. I decided that I would not get better if I got up and went to help the group finish building the fence so I stayed in bed and rested until about 10:00am. You can say that I felt retched, but nothing was going to stop me from going out and helping wherever I could. I wanted to squeeze whatever I could out of this trip and I was not going to let a cold get to me.

After I got ready, I went to help with the fence but they already had enough people there so I went to a tent where the women of Chambrun were having a jewelry showing. The women of Chambrun make beads in their home and bring them in to be looked at every Tuesday. Then, each month, the woman in charge of the bead store (Cheryl) pays them for all the necklaces and bracelets she buys. They are then sold in the NVM food tent. This way, missionaries can buy the beads and help the women provide income for their families. For some women, this is their only source of income.

            I saw a woman I had met earlier in the trip there. I think she has cerebral palsy or another physical disorder of some type. She has an awesome wheel chair that is used by pedaling with your hands and has a place to carry items in the back. She was waiting as all of the other women were varnishing their beads after Cheryl approved of them. I felt a strong urge to go and help her out so I got her set up at one of the tables and started varnishing the bracelets she had made. She had a huge smile on her face and did not say much to me since I did not know a lot of Creole. However, I had some of the missionaries coming up to me asking if I would help them communicate with some of the women. I felt that I learned a lot of Creole in a short amount of time. I am not usually good with other languages. I am horrible at Spanish and I took two years of it in high school. I can speak better in Creole than in Spanish!

            The rest of the day was difficult because I was sick but I helped out again with painting the clinic. The rest of the day our team was getting on each others nerves but we settled it out during our debrief that we had each night. I love that our team debriefed each night because it helped me think about the day and talk about what we were feeling through the experience. I went to bed early and prayed that I would feel better the next day

[haitijournal2012]

Haiti Journal Day 6

Day 6: 1/11/2012

            Wednesday was a productive day for the team. I felt like I was not doing a lot because of my energy level but a woman who slept next to me gave me some medicine and I was feeling a little better. The wind was blowing over the campus of NVM and whipping its way through the trees. Some of us started working on the fence and the rest of us felt we were more needed at the prayer garden.

The prayer garden was a work in progress because the day before it was a run down garden. It was a vegetable and fruit garden that looked more like a mini forest. Each year a team would come and fix it, plant, than leave. The Haitians were not as into it as the Americans so it never worked out and became overrun with plants. Lesson #1 when going to a different country: Do not force your ideas onto another culture. They know what is best for their country and have better ideas for it. Although America does have more wealth right now than Haiti, America does not know what is best for Haiti. America does not even know what is best for America at times. NVM said they learned this the hard way. Luckily, they started to realize this and asked Pastor Pierre what they should do instead. NVM is such a good church because they are collectively humble and are in Haiti to support the people by rebuilding their confidence and their lives.

The garden started out like a mini forest and another team cleared it the day before. Then we were to continue ripping out weeds and take out a tree that was creating too much debris. We picked up our hoes and shovels and really worked together as a team. We made jokes, talked with locales walking by, and actually accomplished a lot. By lunchtime, we got most of the weeds out and cleared the ground. We also got the tree out with construction equipment.

After lunch, we made bracelets and relaxed. I took a solid nap, which was very needed. I was woken up quickly with the news that we were going to Chambrun. Everyone got ready quickly and a small group walked down to the town. When going to Chambrun, someone from NVM always has to be with you. This is for safety and the fact that the locales there might not know you.

The walk from NVM to Chambrun was short. After you walk through a path surrounded by trees, you begin to see the town. The houses are made of mud and other materials, surrounded by a small fence. Some of the houses looked run down or like they were deteriorating. We kept walking and saw people outside, washing their clothes or relaxing. A man yelled out to me after I said Bonswa but I could not understand him. Other conversations filled the air and I felt surrounded by their world once more.

We came up to the children’s home and opened the gate. They have a large home with a good size front yard. The kids were playing jump rope and doing homework. They all seemed so much healthier than the Swamp Kids. There are currently 9 children in this home, making it more manageable for the caretaker. This way, the children get more needed attention. I met a 15-year-old girl named Elomise. With my broken Creole and her broken English we could hold a pretty good conversation. I learned she has two sisters, no brothers and that her mom lives somewhere else. When I asked about her dad, she waved her hand out and away from her body, signaling that he either left or just lives somewhere else. She also asked about my family. I told her all about them and showed her pictures that were on my ipod. She was excited that I was showing her my family. She also saw a picture of my dog and laughed. In Haiti, dogs are seen as pests, so she was surprised I had a picture of my dog playing with a toy in my house.

We played soccer with the boys and had so much fun! The boys there are amazing at soccer and sports. The girls loved jump rope and at one point had 7 girls jumping. We all had a great afternoon and then walked home. A lot of the children walked with us. Elomise held my hand all the way home as we tried to sing together. I told her I was sick and she replied that she could tell. I wish I were able to sing with her and the others! I would have loved it. As we were coming up to NVM, we saw a man that had tried to help us with the fence. He had a weird vibe about him but I did not think anything of it. Elomise turned to me and said “Le Fou” meaning “He’s crazy”. I have noticed that certain people in the village are ostracized because they are weird or psychologically unstable. In separate conversations, we were told about two different people who were labeled as “crazy” in the community. These are the kind of people I see Jesus reaching out to, healing, or talking to like he did 2000 years ago.

Dinner came and it was soup! I felt like a little of my prayer was answered because I had gotten medicine that day and we had soup. Even though food cannot necessarily make you better, it made me feel better. That night I slept well but kept thinking about our plans the next day. It would be our last time at Swamp Kids and I knew I would be sad. I prayed for peace and comfort when we said goodbye to the kids we fell in love with. 

[haitijournal2012]

Haiti Journal Day 7

Day 7: 1/12/2012

            We woke up early and ready to spend a long day at Swamp Kids. Ostanel picked us up at around 10:00am and we headed to the orphanage for the last time. I had forgotten to eat more than a cereal bar but I did not care as we zoomed past cars, cows and goats. I was still not feeling well but the medicine was helping and I was thankful for that. When we passed the same crooked gate on the way there, I started to feel sad. Whenever I saw the crooked gate from the back of the tap tap, I always got excited cause that meant that we were pretty much there. This time was bittersweet because I knew it was going to be a long time until I could return here if at all.

            We arrived and the kids were happy to see us once more. Today they looked a little more exhausted than usual and seemed hungry. I understood when Pastor brought out a plate of cornmeal and just handed it to Naomi. She handed it to me and all the kids came running up with eager faces. I had only one plate to feed all of the kids. I took spoonfuls and gave each child a bite but it was soon gone and it had not been enough to fill each of their stomachs. This might have been the only meal they had all day because I did not see any more food the whole time we were there.

            We let the kids play with our cameras again and Jamesly had a great time. Today I made sure none of the older kids took it away to play with because they like to do that. On Monday, Tawny had made sure they did not take it away. We also did a bible study. Sarah W. told the story of Moses and Ostenal translated. I was so proud when they remembered the story. We asked them questions and they all answered in unison displaying their knowledge and retention. They drew pictures after the story and all did well.

Jamesly held onto me the rest of the day and I did not want to put him down when it was time to go. I could feel the tears coming but held them back as long as I could. This little boy that I had spent three days with is not able to receive comfort from his mother or father when he needs it. He lives in a house of 28 children who are desperate for attention and on top of that, he has to speak up if he wants enough food to fill his belly. He is constantly hungry and in pain as a result and now, the one person who cared and paid the most attention to him, was leaving. I kept repeating to him “M ap Sanje ou” meaning “I’ll miss you”. He told me that he will miss me too. I also kept telling him that I loved him and want to come back to see him. He was pretty content this whole time because Erin had given him a very nice picture of himself and he was very proud of it. I said my goodbyes to some of the other kids I connected with (Christine, Narline, Cheraline, Jobby, Gael and more).

Kids surrounded the tap tap as we prepared to leave. Erin was already in tears and Manno and Ostanel were already cracking jokes about us crying. When we left, my heart broke and I could not hold in the tears. The way Jamesly held that picture in his hands and looked at us as we rolled out of the gate was stuck in my brain. Too bad my sunglasses broke the second day. Naomi had hers on and did not say a word for a while. We slowly all got ourselves together as Ostanel drove us back to NVM and talked about how hard it was to leave.

When we arrived back on campus, we said our goodbyes to Ostanel and Manno. They had been so good to us while we were there and I was so grateful that some solid Christian men are there to set an example for the young boys at Swamp kids. Then we got ready for church because this was not just the last day we were there, it was also the second anniversary of the earthquake. The service was very long and there was not as much singing, but the speakers were passionate and driven to build up the confidence of the Haitians. When we arrived in Haiti, I noticed that a lot of rubble had been cleared. However, there is still a lot of evidence an earthquake happened and Haiti is still recovering from the disaster that took place two years ago.

I learned that the people of Chambrun would not go back into the buildings there for a whole year and they had to meet in a tent because of the fear they had. These were the types of things I had not thought about and I was glad I went to the service and understood a good portion of it. The day ended with dinner and debrief/affirmation of the team. Allyson read a verse from Psalms that really related to the earthquake and life after the disaster. I never fully understood what the people of Haiti went through until this night. For affirmations, we went around and told each person good qualities or characteristics they have and how God used them during the trip. It was nice to know that others recognized my growth throughout the trip. It was also nice to know they appreciated that I stuck it out even though I was sick. We all tried to pack and get ready to leave the next day, but none of us wanted to go.

[haitijournal2012]

Haiti Journal Day 8

Day 8: 1/13/2012

            I woke up early to a rooster call and decided to go and watch the sunrise. It was about 6:20am as I sat on the roof of the clinic watching the sun peek its way through the clouds. As it broke the barrier, light burst through illuminating the sky and creating deep red, pink, and orange colors. I could not believe how much a week had taught me about myself and other people. I was so thankful in that moment that I prayed and thanked God for his beauty that surpasses all. I thanked him for the week that I had experienced and the people that I met. In that moment, I did not want to leave to get on a plane. In the back of my mind, I told myself I would come back, and I hope that is possible for me.

            After the sunrise, we stayed outside and talked with the kids who were about to go to school. They sang their anthem and raised the flag. I was happy that those kids had pride in their country because that has been a struggle for Haiti in the past. When the kids started school, we packed and got ready to leave. We heaved our bags into what we call “The Cage” which is just a big people carrier. Another team was leaving the same time as we were so The Cage was perfect transportation to the airport.

             A couple hours later, we got on the plane to leave and as we took our seats, my team was surprisingly quiet. I could tell that they did not want to leave either. They had also told me this multiple times before we left. I sat next to a Haitian man once more, however this man was much older and knew English. He said that he was a nurse in Haiti for 30 years but never got tired of the job because he loved the children. The rest of the plane ride was far less than enjoyable. I had a coughing attack and felt horrible the whole time. By the time we got to Miami I was a mess and just wanted to be home or somewhere I could rest. I pushed on and I used our next plane ride home as a reflection of the trip.

            I may not be the smartest person on earth, the most beautiful, or the most athletic. I may be prideful at times, stubborn, and too blunt. I may have ups and downs in my life, father issues, low self-confidence, and anxiety. But God loves me so much that he sent his only son to die for me. He brought me out of the swamp and onto solid ground. He loves me just as much as he loves those kids in Haiti. He sent me there to comfort them and hold them. He moves the people of Chambrun everyday and creates a unity in them that I witnessed and was a part of. He is like a wave of truth in a place of broken people. He picked up the pieces of their life after the earthquake and put them back together. He gave them a hope that creates joy. The people of Haiti are so thankful for life and the gifts God gives them everyday. I saw him everywhere. In the people of Haiti, the staff at NVM and the orphans we met.

            God has given me so much from this trip that I am grateful for and will never forget. I will miss Haiti…waking up to the warmth of the day and peace in the air. I will not forget the people of Chambrun who have so much hope for a better future. I will miss the simplicity of life and how one’s imagination is treasured. I will not forget Jamesly and the other orphans that struggle everyday for food. I understand that for some, having nothing has corrupted them but for others, it has made them better people. I will not forget Haiti.

            One theme stood out to me: We all experience life together on the same planet united by Christ. Jesus accepts everyone that wants to come to him. We are all sisters and brothers, there is no “Them vs. Us”, only God verses Satan…and we know who wins. No matter where we live, how much money we have, what language we speak or what color we are, we are all the same in his eyes, united through him. We are one family. We were all orphaned and God adopted us. We may seem so different, but we are really the same…

“So much more binds us together than keeps us apart. We are the same. We do not live in different worlds; we live in the same world.” –Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the mud and the mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.”             Psalm 40:1-3

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountain fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountain quake with their surging.”            Psalm 46:1-3

[haitijournal2012]