As I write this, I am overlooking a group of Haitians playing soccer across the street, the bay of Port-au-Prince beyond them, and the mountains of Haiti beyond that. I came to this country expecting devastation, and it is here, but there is also still so much beauty.
I arrived in Haiti five days ago with my team, along with three other teams from the July 2010 World Race. The remaining seven teams of 'P' squad stayed in the Dominican Republic, and at the end of the month, we will switch. Starting out in Haiti has been a challenge, but in a good way. Unlike the teams beginning in the DR this month, each of the teams in Haiti is in a unique location, and we are far enough apart that we won't cross paths by chance. This means we can't rely anymore on the friendships we made at training camp and at launch with people who are on another team. For the seven members of Team City Lights, there have been some growing pains, but there is no doubt that this situation forces us to seek intimacy with each other. More importantly, and especially for me, it calls me to seek a closer relationship with my Heavenly Father. Though I have people on my team I can talk to, and I have the other team leaders and the squad leaders, God is teaching me to seek Him first, and it hasn't been easy.
Some info on Haiti:
- Things are expensive here. At the supermarket, a single roll of toilet paper sells for $1 US, and a gallon of Clorox costs $12
- Children are great teachers of Creole
- While talking to people on the street, I have heard the unemployment rate is fifty to sixty percent
- It is common to see goats, pigs, and medium-sized dogs rummaging through the alleys and gutters in search of food
- Many Haitians support the Brazil soccer team
- It's common for church services to last four hours, and people can be heard singing together at strange times throughout the day (like 3:00 A.M.)
Yesterday, after spending a few days getting acclimated and learning about the several local ministries our contact has, our team got to work.. Three of the girls joined a pair of American nurses to help with a medical mission, and the remaining four of us pitched in at a children's school. This particular school is held in a church and is free to anyone, but I see many children while walking around who attend private schools – their uniforms make them easy to pick out.
Working at the children's school is both energizing and disheartening. It is a beautiful thing, because children are children wherever we go – full of joy, curiosity, and excitement – but it is hard, because I know some of them do not have enough food and water at home, and are not receiving the medical care they need. Still, they love to be held, they love to learn new games, and they love to teach us Creole. With the four of us helping out, there are five adults available for the approximately thirty children, instead of only the one teacher. Despite this, it seems we don't have enough attention to go around. Without Nintendo DS, mobile phones, TV, or even proper books, kids seem to just want to play with us. Yesterday, as I was getting tired, a little girl came to me and said 'potem' over and over again about fifty times. Finally, I went to one of the teachers and learned that potem means 'carry me'. Children had been crawling on me for three hours, but I couldn't say no to such a simple request.
Prayer requests:
- Pray for unity on my team
- Pray for discernment, that we will know how to be a blessing to our hosts, and to the surrounding community
- Pray for new revelations every day
