I’m so happy to be back here in Haiti. Me and my teammates are working through a place in Grand-Goave called Mission of Hope. They work very closely with the organization Samaritan’s Purse, and we have spent the last 3 days nailing tarps onto wooden framed shelters for families. Hiking up winding dirt pathways to households placed precariously on stone ledges, perching awkwardly upon wooden frames to stretch taut and hammer on plastic tarps….
I HAVE NEVER SWEAT SO MUCH IN MY LIFE!!!!!!!!
No kidding, like drops of sweat pouring off my nose, soaking wet after being in the sun for an hour. There ain’t no messing around in the tropics! But anyways, onto the important stuff.
Like I said, I am so happy to be back in Haiti. I love the language, I love the culture and I love the people of Haiti (or Ayiti as they pronounce it). There is just something about this place and the people that I want to describe but I don’t know how to put it into words… Haiti has a very special place in my heart. It can be intimidating when you are riding through town in the back of a truck, people staring at you as you are suddenly riding the only vehicle in the “blan” (white) parade; however this feeling lasts only as long as you keep yourself distant. The minute you actually get personal, everything melts away and you are welcomed into a family. Haiti knows how to love, and you can see it in every greeting, every smile and every conversation.
Not to play favorites, but I love the kids. They stare at you with wide eyes and serious faces for about 2 minutes….. give them a smile and they are your friends for life. At Mission of Hope, there is a school and an orphanage where we chill during lunch and after we finish work for the day, and the kids there just love to be loved. You have your attention seekers in the form of the girl who jumps from lap to lap, always being loud and in your face. There are the babies, who just want to be held. We have the girls who just want to play with your hair, though no matter how much they try they will never be able to get the blonde hair to braid like theirs. And don’t forget those trouble-making boys.
I have made friends with some of these boys, and I love them to death. I make faces, tease and tickle them and every time I turn around they are back and ready for more games. During one such game (which involved glaring at them one by one over my glasses until they ran away giggling… don’t ask how these games are invented), they started saying my name in the form of a Creole chant: “Machan-Chandel”. Halfway afraid that they were calling me a scary monster or something, later I asked someone what it meant. Apparently its a title taken from my name. The Creole version of my name is “Chandel”, which means candle, and the rhyme basicly describes someone who sells candles. Now everytime they see me, they grin and chant my nickname. I love it.
However, the meaning behind my name has really stuck in my mind and in my heart. In Matthew 5:14-16 it says,
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all the house. In the same way, let you light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
I am a light, a candle if you will, and my light must shine bright in everything I do to glorify my Father. Thank you Jesus!
