Finally I am sitting down to write this blog. Sorry it has taken me so long to find the time. This last month has been crazy. SOO I want to tell you guys a little about my trip to Haiti. First off, I LOVE HAITI. I am so happy I was able to go back this year with my dad. I wish Haiti was one of my countries on the World Race, but it’s okay because I know the other countries I am going to will be great. Being in Haiti showed me how my daily life might be like next year and which makes me so excited.
A typical day for my dad and me looked like this: We woke up in our tent when the sun rose and the roosters crowed. Let me tell you, it was very loud and was not a sound I wanted to hear every morning. Then I went down to the bathroom to take a freezing cold shower. Don’t take your hot water for granted; trust me cold morning showers are not fun. My dad and I had breakfast and walked to the clinic to start the eye surgeries. There were so many Haitians who had eye problems and wanting to be healed. The line to the clinic wrapped around the buildings outside. Many patients waited days to be seen by the doctors and staff.
After one of the surgeries my dad and I brought the little boy to his mother and the mom started crying because of how happy she was that her little boy could see more clearly now. I started crying. The happiness the mom felt was overwhelming to me. She thanked us many times for helping her son. There were many situations similar to this. After the surgeries we had dinner, most days we were served rice, beans, and chicken (My dad was hoping we were eating the chicken that kept waking us up in the morning). After dinner we had a worship/prayer/devotional time with the other doctors, staff, and missionaries that had come with us. Some days the girls from the orphanage joined us to sang beautiful worship songs. When I’m having a bad day or miss Haiti I listen to them sing and it brings such a smile on my face.
Other events I want to share:
Going to the village to give out beans and rice. While walking to the village all the little kids would run up to me and ask for food or for my bracelets or to be hugged. The kids are in desperate need for Jesus, attention, and basic needs. Every time I would speak to a little kid I would tell them ‘Jezi renmen ou’ (Jesus loves you). I want them to never forget Jesus knows them and loves them dearly. When we got to our last house in the village to give out food, all the people around us saw the food and ran to dig in. There were about 20 people vying for about a few cups of rice and beans. That’s crazy!! It puts in perspective how much I take for granted.
Also, when we were in the village and as the kids were grabbing me, one mom came over and quietly asked me to come to her house. I was confused why, but she pointed at her baby. She was asking me to hold her one week old baby and bless it. As I held the tiny, beautiful baby I prayed that she would grow up to love God and never stop loving Him.
Lastly, I met my girls Julienne, Math, and Guerlanda. They were the older girls that live in the orphanage. After the days of the surgeries I would go to see them. They giggled so much and deeply knew God. They wanted me to know everything about them and they wanted to know everything about me. It was so much fun getting to share with them about my life and how intrigued they were with the little details I told them. Before I left they gave me a letter of how much I mean to them. I will cherish that letter forever. Hopefully someday I will reunite with all of them again.
OVERALL, this trip opened my eyes to how much I can impact people’s lives to know Jesus and to show love. Before this trip, sometimes I doubted my decision to take a gap year and do the World Race, but after this trip I am confident in my decision. I am thrilled that I will be able to share God’s greatness. Thank you again for supporting me in the World Race.
