Written by Alicia and the Bethel Team, finishing their time serving in Haiti
“Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved them!”–John 11:35-36
As we flew in to Pignon and I saw the familiar landmarks, a strange lump filled my throat. Are these tears? Where did these come from? For those of you that do not know me, I struggle with crying and not how you would expect. I actually have difficulty crying over anything, even Hallmark movies can’t reach me, yet here I sit in tears again… What time is it? What day is it? Wow, it is Wednesday already, our last night here with our beautiful Haitian friends. Tears tonight are for my team as we pack up a few remaining belongings and prepare to leave this beautiful land and wonderful people. But, these tears are incomparable to the tears we have experienced as a team throughout our stay.
As you may have noticed from the other blogs, we have been VERY busy. Tears of joy and love overflowed from me as I got to hug our beautiful sponsored child Samantha. Dakota has given me more than one reassuring pat on the back this week. While delivering food to individual homes, tears of joy and praise came from the families receiving the supplies. One gentle 104-year-old lady sang a Haitian song for us as my tears fell onto her frail hand. While pouring concrete, I had life altering tears of humility, as a Haitian woman washed my feet! (Refer to Jana’s blog) While participating in the teenage conference for young girls, Kaylin took over the prayer, as I was brought to tears. We asked the girls to commit to a life of purity until marriage, a very difficult commitment in this land. Emotions ran high as Delaney and the others presented the Haitian girls with necklaces. During multiple VBS events, I became tearful with joy as the children responded with laughter to the Bible skit our team performed. Jory was entertaining and Madeline was a child magnet. Activities at the Sylvan land brought tears of joy as we watched the well working, the gazebo being built, the planting in the fields, and the first VBS. At church Sunday, several of us sobbed, overwhelmed with the power of their worship. Cactus is not the only thing that brings tears of pain; so do tiny children with open sores and distended bellies. I even got tearful as I watched the Many Hands staff deal daily with multiple spiritual, physical, and emotional struggles. The dust collected on faces throughout the day mixed with tears, turned into muddy streams, a common sight this week.
We have been touched in so many ways by the faith and endurance of the Haitian people. Our translator made the reference, “When you wake up in the morning in the U.S. you typically go to breakfast and go to work. In Haiti, we wake up and hear people say, “can I have money, can you help me with food, can you take me to the doctor, can you give me a job, can you sponsor my child?” Many Hands for Haiti and staff are bringing hope to the people of this land. They are providing opportunities for jobs and building a community of people that love the Lord. What is that lump in my throat and why all the tears? The Holy Spirit’s calling… a calling to love, support, and fully understand the people of Haiti. See you soon!!!!
A gift for Wesley. This family was blessed with some food and a new mattress to sleep on. Today, some members of the team decided to climb the mountain! Here is the view from the top. The picture on top of the mountain, sitting on the radio tower house. We had another VBS on the Sylvain ground today. The boat sailed another day, telling the story of Jonah. The whale was seen one more time in the Central Plateau of Haiti. Woody, the MH4H Education Manager, translator and telling the story of Jonah to the kids.