Day 1 in Haiti...our water truck day

Peterson/Scott team June 23-30

After a wonderful breakfast this morning, we boarded our tap tap truck and headed towards Citi Solei, the poorest slum in the Western Hemisphere.  Our team is a mixture of some veteran Healing Haiti team members as well as first time visitors. Stories of past visits were shared but I wasn't sure what to expect.  As we drove through congested traffic passing by people dressed up and walking to their jobs or sitting along the sidewalk trying to sell their wares, I became more anxious and nearly claustrophobic as the sights and smells became more and more oppressive.

We entered this utterly depressive area and drove through neighborhoods of broken down stone and metal shanties. The children waved and shouted "hey you", "hey you".  As we got off the tap tap truck the children clamored to us, hanging on us, begging us to hold them.  Sometimes holding two children and a third hanging on my back, I was overwhelmed at the terrible condition these beautiful children live in. I was stunned that I was standing here when just 24 hours before I left the luxury of my own home.  Tears filled my eyes looking at these wonderful children.  I wasn't sure what to do but hold them, sing to them and give them lots of love.  I smiled at them and the giggled as they could see themselves in my sunglasses.  One little girl who spoke no English soon was singing along to Mary Had a Little Lamb by just following my lips and mocking the sounds she heard.

Our next neighborhood water stop took us to an even more desperate area.  The frantic pushing and shouting to get water was overwhelming.  What was an orderly line soon turned to chaos so intense we shut off the flowing hose of water until we could get things calmed down.  We later learned the reason for much of this intensity is that these children, whether 8, 10, or 15 years old are likely all child slaves under strict direction to bring full water buckets back to the families they serve.  Our hearts sank as we realized the only love and care these children received this day was from each of us.

Our team of 15 average Americans, not of great wealth or possessions shared some of the basic gifts we all have to offer.  The wealth of our spirit, our care, our smiles, our human touch and Christ's love spread through our hearts.