On our first official day in Haiti we were awakened at 2am by our lovely friends the Roosters. They obviously were not on the same time clock as us. Around 6:30am we got up, did our quiet times, and went down stairs for breakfast. They had fresh fruit and toast for breakfast and it was so delicious. I had been worried about the food, because when I went to Ecuador years ago the food was definitely a challenge. But they served delicious food all week. After breakfast we loaded up in the tap-tap and headed over to Sherri's.
Sherri runs a school/orphanage from her home, where hundreds of kids are given the opportunity to receive a quality education. She is an incredibly sweet and passionate woman and has done so many wonderful things for the people and children in Haiti.
When we got to her house we were greeted by a group of kids and dogs who were so excited to see us, and acted like they had known us their entire lives. Around 9am we headed over to this little 2nd floor church. Everyone was in their very best clothing, kids dressed in their best dresses, and so passionate about hearing the Word of God. They had one wire that could either power the light or the microphone but made it work. The whole service was in Creole but I have never heard such joyful singing to the Lord before. There were probably 50 of them in the room and they sang louder then any performance i've ever heard. It would give me chills listening to them praise God. At the end of the service our team lined up at the front of the church and we sang Amazing Grace in english, while they sang it in Creole. Absolutely the most beautiful version of Amazing Grace i've ever heard. After church, we went back to Sherri's, had lunch, and then packed up to walk the revine.
Our journey through the revine was indescribable. The poverty was overwhelming, like nothing I had ever seen before. There were houses upon houses, small dirty roads, trash filled river, and people everywhere. It made me very aware of just how spoiled americans are and how much we take for grantid. These people live in a one room concrete brick home with 10-15 people per home, and a tin roof. And here we are in america with mansions, multiple cars, money in our wallets, good health, and we go about each day with out thinking twice. In most cases we find ourselves thinking we need more. I remember feeling so incredibly guilty for my unthankful attitude back home. After we crossed the ravine- this trash filled river that they use as their drinking, cleaning, and bathing water- groups of parents and children would come rushing up to Sherri. They did this because Sherri has set up a program in the ravine that keeps all the children there from becoming sick or malnourished. So parents would bring their kids to her to get medicine, food and clothing for newborns, etc. They are all so grateful for Sherri and I felt blessed to have the opportunity to be able to help a small bit in her mission.
After we walked the ravine, we headed back to our guest house for dinner. They served spaghetti which was delicious and then we had our group devotion time. I remember being completely exhausted during that devotion time. The sinus infection I was battling combined with the heat and the day's activities had warn me out. I tried my best to stay awake but it was difficult. After devotion we separated out all of the supplies we had brought and then they told me I should go to bed. So I gladly left, took a shower, and headed to bed.
It was an incredible day- and just the beginning of me falling in love with Haiti!
(The pictures posted in the opposite order of how they happened. Start from the bottom to get proper order)
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