by Jody Melcher, trip participant with MH4H 

No one, except God, could have planned our amazing day today.  We started the morning at the Thrive for Five Program.  I got to meet Naiva Antoine, our sponsored child.  She is a sweet little girl and simply beautiful!  Her mom brings her every day, which is an hour and a half walk each way.  I admire her commitment, wanting the best for her child.

We got to visit Naiva’s house, which looks beautiful from the front.  However, we went around to the side and found that there are no walls except the front one. They only have tarps around the area where they sleep. Their house is on the list to get a cement floor from MH4H, but walls may be the greater need at this point.  I hope we can make that happen.

This afternoon Ebens wanted us to go out to the countryside to see Denilson, a young man that was badly burned in September.  It was quite a trip, but what an amazing young man! His family showed us what patience and faith are really about. His burns were very bad. Some of the burns were infected, and his family was out of medicine.  Heather took pictures of the burns, and we took those pictures to the hospital.  Ebens was able to convince the nurses to give him medicine.  We made a fast trip back over the terrible dirt, rut-filled, and rocky roads to get the medicine to him.  Did I mention that it was dark by then?  And, we were in a pickup with some of us sitting in the back end. Plus, people were out walking on the road in the dark with no flashlights or street lights.  Oh my!  Anyway, we safely delivered the medicine and headed back to Savanette.

Below: Denilson and his two brothers  Above: Denilson’s family 

Riding in the back of the pickup looking at the stars was an amazing end to an amazing day!  Praise the Lord for everyone that made such an impact on our lives today, from Naiva and her mom, to Denilson and his family.  Many Hands for Haiti has an excellent staff here in Pignon and Savanette.  They definitely have the right people on the bus, and they are traveling in the right direction!