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January 6, 2018

The start of today differed greatly from every other morning. It, for once, wasn’t raining. The sun was short lived and it began to rain again right when we were about to leave, delaying our departure about 20 minutes. Once the sun showed its face again, we set out for the Saturday market, which Christi compared to the Iowa State Fair on the busiest day. She was right. We wandered through the busy streets, carrying our bags on our stomachs to prevent us from being pick pocketed and sweating under the hot sun.  The unexpected heat took a toll on quite a few team members, bringing ailments such as stomach aches, headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. We purchased chairs and brooms to furnish another building on MH4H property and many people took the opportunity to buy candy and coffee grounds. We saw a family type of community when the Haitians would greet each other with a kiss on the cheek and joke around like life long friends.

The family community reappeared when we journeyed to an orphanage in Pignon for the afternoon. Along with smiles and love, we brought balls, bubbles, jump ropes, and nail polish and spent a couple of hours loving on the kids through play. Most kids were more than excited to welcome us into their games and make us feel like we belong, but it was hard to see how many of the older kids, particularly girls, took every opportunity they had to pick on and bully the younger ones. We all wished there was something we could do to get them to stop but regretfully all knew that any effort would be wasted. However, our hearts were touched when we saw kids sharing their new toys with each other and making sure everything was fair, like when Hannah was playing catch/head butt with two little boys and they made sure the other one got a chance to head butt the ball as often as they got to themselves. We concluded the afternoon by giving snacks to the kids and they thanked us for our time but singing some Haitian praise songs with familiar tunes, such as Hallelujah, Jezi Renmen Mwen (Hallelujah, Jesus Loves Me) and I’ll Fly Away.

Our day ended in the compound with a supper of spaget (spaghetti) and cake in the shape of Darth Vader’s helmet. We sang a few praise and worship songs together and shared our personal highs and lows. We’re all looking forward to seeing God through the eyes of a Haitian tomorrow morning in church and praising the Great Creator for the blessings he has bestowed upon us. We will forever continue to thank the Almighty for this beautiful country that has become a second home for us as well as a beacon of his unending love and mercy.

-Emily, Jocelyn, & Annaliese