We started the day with a bit of sadness in our hearts knowing that this was our last day in Haiti. We have come to love, adore, and admire the people of Haiti as we watch and observe their culture.

The need is so great here as we have brought several children and older adults to the hospital for treatment or for a visit from a local nurse. We know we can only do small things with great love. The Haitian people are truly grateful for the actions of love from Many Hands for Haiti. We pray we shine the light of Jesus through our actions so Jesus is glorified and made famous.

Today, we helped in the Thrive for Five program. We told the story of Noah and put an emphasis on the fact that we can put our confidence and trust in the Lord as He has made a promise to save us, and every time we see a rainbow in the sky it is a reminder of God’s promise of salvation for us.

I believe many of the mothers in the countryside have not had the opportunity to go to school. They truly delight in the simple craft of coloring a rainbow! They had so much joy! Again, this served as a reminder of doing small things with great love.

This afternoon we delivered a goat to a family who lost their home. All the family members were severely burned. It was great to see the new home that Many Hands for Haiti built for this family in need. They were grateful beyond measure. We emphasized the goat was a gift from the Lord and not from us Americans.

Next, we made a visit to the Sewing Hope center. Courtney Nikkel brought the ladies fabric to sew shirts. We also showed the ladies how to make duck tape wallets. They each made their own mini purse and caught on quickly.

We will leave for home tomorrow but part of our hearts will remain here. We continue to be challenged as we return home and ask ourselves what the Lord expects of us as we are blessed to be a blessing.

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by Noah, MH4H trip participant

It was our last day today, and we can all tell we are getting more tired. We woke up with a feeling of gloom over our heads. Throughout the entire day, we kept the words “last time you’ll see that” and “say goodbye” away from the conversation.

We started out by working in the compound in Savanette, followed by going to the Thrive for Five program in the compound. We performed the story of Noah, just like we had at Pella Christian, and did the rainbow craft.

thrive kids with rainbow crafts

Something that just amazes me is how polite the kids in the Thrive for Five are. When we passed out the craft and crayons, the kids weren’t pushing to get the colors they wanted or to get the craft itself.

After the craft, we got to pass out the food to the kids. This is always a great thing to do as we can see the joy in the kid’s faces to get a bowl of rice and beans.

My favorite part of the day was when they played music while the kids were eating, so we just started dancing to the music. Some people would come and join, while others just sat and watched. But the immenseness of happiness that came just by watching some uncoordinated blancs dancing around was really cool to see from them all.

After lunch we went to deliver a goat to a family way out of town whose house burned down three months ago. Many Hands built them a new house and has been helping them since. We gave them a goat, and they were so thankful for our help and everything we have done from them so far.

When we got back to Pignon, we went to the Sewing Hope center where women can learn how to sew to make an income for their families. It struck me how some people here are in desperate need of the little things they make like shirts and diapers, while Americans can just go to the store and buy those things. So that was really cool to see these ordinary ladies making these basic necessities thanks to their education from Many Hands for Haiti.

Next, we went to the small Pignon Minnesota house. Haitians lined the streets begging us to buy from them so that they can buy bread for the next day. We wanted to help every single one of the ladies asking us just to buy a little wrist band that costs two dollars. However, when we didn’t buy from one woman, she would get angry at the women who we did buy from. It was just a huge mess.

It broke my heart every time because going into it, I know that I’m not going to buy from them, but when they come up to you all you can say is, “Later, later” or else they don’t leave you alone. It’s just really hard. You have to experience it to understand just how frustrating it really is to see.

Another part of the day that really was a fun blessing was when we were walking to the market from the sewing center. We met some kids in the street and Steve Nunnikhoven was carrying a box of cars. He handed some out to the little boys on the street, and next thing we knew, the street was flooded with kids asking for cars, all surrounding Steve.

As I was watching this, all I could think of was if Jesus was handing something out in Haiti, would he have the same reaction? Just thinking about this made me laugh as I was watching him awkwardly squeeze out of the kids to catch up to us.

But all in all, this trip has been amazing with a ton of fun and energetic people who have been helping everyone appreciate the trip and everything going on.

Through this trip, God’s been telling me to open up more and be myself. He was telling me to act instead of just thinking about it. God has been reveling talents to me I thought I never had. He has been showing me how to express Jesus in me, through me, so that people can see something is different about me. Just by looking at me, they can say I’m different. I will never forget this trip, and it really opened the door for my relationships with others and especially with God to grow to heights I never thought were possible.