What an event filled day in Haiti!
Today started with another perfectly prepared breakfast from our Haitian staff
including all of the essentials (French toast, oatmeal, scrambled eggs) and my
personal favorites, fresh papaya and pineapple. Afterwards, our team packed up
and embarked on our journey to Grace Village. It was a short thirty-minute
drive to the compound and I sat eagerly waiting to see the complex in which God
was connecting with so many children of Haiti.
Once we arrived I was completely
shocked at magnitude of this place. Attention to detail was put into every
square inch of the village. From the aquaponics system irrigating the crops, to
the 5,000 fish tiles in the cafeteria representing Jesus feeding his people, it
was clear to me that God was working wonders in this place. There weren’t many
children at the school when we got our tour due to carnival holiday, so I left
excited to return Saturday and connect with the kids.
Following our tour we left Grace
Village to go meet with the elders in the surrounding area. This was a very
special part of the day for me. To see the joy in the elders eyes as we sang
songs and massaged their body left me with an emotion that words couldn’t
describe. They possess hardly any material items yet maintain such a positive
attitude about life, and feel extremely blessed that Healing Haiti is spending
time with them. Emmanuel, one of our Healing Haiti Guides, brought a portable piano
to each house and played gospel songs. This resulted in countless village kids
peaking over fences/bushes to get a glimpse of action. For me, I couldn’t help
but smile at the fact that just a simple keyboard could bring so much joy to a
group of people no matter the situation or environment they were in.
After visiting the elders, we
shuttled to Junos orphanage to play with the kids. Megan, one of our team
members, prepared crafts for the kids and together we built necklaces out of
beads, two washers, nail polish and colored string. The kids loved all the
activities and for me it was just a blessing to get to spend a couple of hours
with them. Most of the kids were extremely polite and had a genuine respect for
each other as we went about playing in the compound. The overall experience at
Junos was one that I will remember forever!
Finally, our team ended the day
with some salsa lessons from Jean. He schooled us in steps of salsa and said
with a smile that we needed “a lot of practice”. Haiti has been such an
eye-opening experience for me so far. I am humbled by the sites I have witnessed
and have by overwhelmed by emotions on a daily basis. I can’t wait for what the
rest of the trip has to offer and look to God for guidance as our team
continues on this amazing journey.
-Morgan P.
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