My eyes have never seen the sights that it saw for 7 days in Haiti. I was not prepared. Nothing could have prepared me. Thankfully, God knew what I was going to be seeing and he led me through the brokenness.
The country itself was different as I viewed it from the plane. I was immediately thankful for our green grass, tall trees, and beautiful flowers that usually fill every inch of our yards.
It is still evident that an earthquake hit Port au Prince two years ago. As we drove to the orphanage everyday, we passed numbers of broken buildings. Buildings that are either now vacant or being pieced back together in order to restore a family home. Those who lost homes or are too scared of the building collapsing on them again live in what is known as a tent city. These cities line the unpaved, bumpy streets of Haiti. It was mentioned on the trip that the tent cities were smaller than they were last trip which shocked me. There were still tents as far as the eye could see. These tent cities were dirty, unstable, but homes for so many families- families that have young children and families with elderly people. Nevertheless, these tents were home.
I look around the house I grew up in and am ever so thankful for the walls, the ceiling, the roof, the paint, the soft couches, the carpet, the warm fire. The things I used to take for granted I now see as HUGE blessings.
In Haiti, the heat was almost unbearable at times. I'm not one for being nasty, but I stayed in a constant layer of sweat ( sorry ) and disgust. Showers were cold and not very dependable. Meaning, the water could and would just completely shut off in the middle of a good hair washing. We were all thankful for those few minutes of a coolness once a day, though. This was a big change for me. I like cleanliness. I get made fun of how much I love it sometimes. 2 maybe 3 showers a day is just what I do. I've never been more thankful for a hot, dependable shower then I am now.
One thing was universal between both Haitians and our group from Mississippi. A smile. Exchanging smiles with the young children we passed each day was precious and worth the bumpy, nauseating "30 minute" drive each day.
God works miracles and teaches us new things everyday. I'm so thankful that He gave me the opportunity to go see and minister to the people in Haiti.
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