*As you can most likely predict, internet is scarce in
Haiti. I’ll keep you updated as best I can on my travels around the country
these next two months. I encourage you to read the blogs of the teams I am
spending the month with (Crash and SOAR) if you’re interested in knowing more!
I had the privilege of spending the past week with team
Crash at an orphanage in the mountains of Haiti. One of the most remote places
I’ve been to on the World Race, this village is far more beautiful than I ever
imagined! Since there was no electricity, we became accustomed to going to bed
in our tents when the sun went down and waking up with the sunrise. It rained
every afternoon, and most of the team had the experience of hand-washing their
clothes for the first time! We dove into loving the children although they only
knew Creole and we only knew English. It was a time of rest and finding
contentment in “being� rather than “doing.�
On our way to the village from Port-au-Prince, we traveled a
long, winding, bumpy road through thick vegetation, steep cliffs and a raging
river. From the bits and pieces I’ve seen of Haiti on T.V. and in magazines, I
was honestly not expecting to encounter such magnificence.
It’s evident that the river is these ones’ source of life. I
was quickly taken back to my first month on the Race in October 2008 where I began
to recognize the great value and basic human need of water. (You can read that
blog here.) I was living in the Philippines and working at the city dump where thousands
of people live among heaps of trash. In such a place, there is no such thing as
clean water. Because of that experience, God quickly revealed to me the
blessing I had taken advantage of my entire life: having an unending supply of
clean water for drinking, bathing, cooking and the like.
My appreciation for water was taken to a deeper level this
past week. The heat in this country is one thing, but the humidity is another.
Talk about sweat! After two days of trying to conserve the few gallons we had
brought, the eight of us were in dire need.
On Monday morning, Lia and I began our trek down the
mountain. Little did we know what it would entail! As we waited at the gate of
the orphanage, we were told it would take two hours there and two hours back,
wherever we were going.
Our contact Leo found a man on a small motorcycle to drive
us down the mountain. Imagine this: Jimmy (the driver) in front, Lia next, me
third, and Leo hanging on the back. Needless to say, we had no room for
movement. Double-Stuff Oreo, anyone?!
After two crowded bus rides, hauling four 5-gallon
containers of Culligan water on our backs, and one crowded ride up the mountain
in a truck full of Haitians, we had water. It had only taken approximately four
hours, as predicted! The next problem? We discovered it took less than a day
for us to drink one of the 5-gallon containers. Yes, we MUST have water to
survive. No, this will NOT be an easy task for these first-time World Racers!
I don’t think I will soon forget my Double-Stuff Oreo
adventure. I am so thankful to be in a place where I am once again reminded of
all the blessings I’ve taken for granted in my life.
Please pray for the people of Haiti and these World Racers
as they adjust to life here. Although it’s not always easy, it’s ALWAYS worth
it!
