This is written by Cailee Veenstra, a member Pella Christian Winterim trip to Pignon, Haiti. 10 students, 5 teachers, 1 principal and Lucia Van Maanen are on this trip. This is Cailee’s first time to Haiti and serving with MH4H.

To Read Tanner Van Maanen’s Blog – 1/4
To Read Staci Jansen’s Blog – 1/4

Overwhelming day (1/5/13), not just mentally, but also physically. We had to be ready for our day at 7:30, but many of us were up before that because of the roosters and motorcycles. We ate some breakfast and then began our walk to the river. In the river, kids bathe/shower and sometimes even go to the bathroom. Some of our group began playing with some of the kids in the water with a ball and a frisbee. After the river was when the craziness began!

The local market in Pignon, minus all the people!

THE MARKET. I have never felt more crowded and lost in my entire life. Thankfully my dad is 6 feet 8 inches tall so I could see him towering above other people. In the market they sell things like used clothes, shoes, jewelry, hair things, food (including intestines and fish and pig heads), and even some medicine. That was part of the main market, but there was also a livestock market. This part wasn’t as crowded as the main part.

Throughout the day, there were many moments that became highlights of my day. But one of those was when a boy named Stanley just came up to me, grabbed my hand, and started walking with us. He was different than the other kids – he didn’t ask for money, he just simply wanted to be with me and the other kids in the group. But with those great moments also come frustrating moments. I was a little bit annoyed when a truck tried to make it through the most crowded part of the market. We all had to squeeze against each other and we about fell over because we had no space. I couldn’t understand why someone would try to drive through all those people. But, it was a good cultural experience just to see how different Haiti is from the U.S.

After the market we were able to rest for a little bit before going back the “Three Bears and Me” to second coat the walls, hang chalkboards, and stencil letters and numbers on the walls. My favorite moment there was when I was able to sing a song called “Peze Kafe” for the kids there. This song is in Creole, so all the little kids understood what I was singing to them. We then quick showered and headed over to Dr. Guy’s house for dinner. Best dinner yet! I am still amazed every day at what God puts in front of us to see. Overall, a very eye-opening day. All is well, and everyone is having a great time!