Written by Joseph Miller of Cumberland University as he shares his second experience in Haiti. 

Today was a another great day in Haiti. The more I get to experience the Haitian culture the more I am amazed at how much they love God and continue to be some of the happiest people that I have ever seen, even though the circumstances seem dismal. As a returning student I get the pleasure of watching new students experience this for the first time, and ushering them into new ideas and experiences.

Much needed rain makes for challenging transportation.

First, we climbed Mt. Pignon. Since it was my second time, I knew what to expect. I was able to pace myself better and I personally enjoyed it more. Some of the new people however, needed a lot of encouragement. The majority of the group made it to the top. I feel like this is one of the best activities for learning more about yourself and listening to what God has to say.

“Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere!”

Next we went and helped pour concrete floors in the rain. This was a time where I truly got to connect with some of the Haitian people. We all worked toward the same purpose and were able to joke and communicate with some of the workers like we would do at home. Then came my favorite part of the day.

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Watching people experience the market and the university is a lot of fun. A Haitian market is overwhelming, people are everywhere and everyone wants you to buy something from their stand. One person said its like Black Friday all the time. Haitians are also shrewd negotiators. So in essence it is Let’s Make a Deal and Black Friday in a foreign language. It will kind of shock the senses the first time so this time I got to laugh at the bewilderment on people’s faces. Then the university is kind of the opposite experience. The university shows how life in some ways is not so different from the US.

People come from all over to present their goods on Market Day Market Day!

In closing, to the parents reading this, everyone is doing fine they have just been challenged mentally and physically which as Haitians say is Bon bagay (good stuff). We look forward to coming back, but not too soon.