Written by Dawn of Calvary Christian Reformed Church of Pella, Iowa

We were able to visit Pella Christian School in the morning today and hand out a few gifts to sponsored children who attend there.  Our group was given the opportunity to share the skit we had done for the Kids Club earlier in our trip.  I believe it is near Oscar nomination quality!  We then handed out the backpacks we had picked up earlier in the week from the sewing center for each child in their classroom.

The afternoon was spent preparing for our journey home and going through the market in front of the dormitory.  An area that I thought about daily was how to build relationships through the language barrier and being looked at as a means to an end.  After the buying portion of the market, I went back down to the market with pictures of my children to show the ladies my boys as they can understand what I’m saying through a picture.  It was a blessing to share smiles and hugs through this experience and feel like we had found a common ground.

Shortly before supper we headed to the MH4H office to organize the beans and rice to be delivered through the Thrive program while Craig and Christi are on a well deserved furlough. The group decided to drive to or rather through the river on the way back to the dormitory where we could observe where many Haitians bathe, do laundry and wash their modes of transportation.  This created a longer drive back which happened to be yet another bright spot of the day as it created an opportunity to talk about our experiences during our time here, how to prepare emotionally for being back home and brainstorm how MH4H can continue to grow the good work being done in Haiti. The evening was a quick trip to Pignon’s hospital to pray with the few patients who were there.

Tonight was our last devotional time together where we sang several songs and then each person identified their highlight of the day as well as the week.  Many had a hard time saying what was the highlight of the week as it was a week packed full of highlights it’s nearly impossible to pick just one. The time has gone quickly yet it feels like we left home a month ago….perhaps this is a taste of II Peter 3:8 “But do not forget this one thing dear friends, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like  a day.”

Blessings,

Dawn