The Bethel Mennonite Team from Wayland, IA is currently in Pignon, Haiti.

To read previous entry Day 1 and 2, click here.

To read previous entry Day 3, click here.

Friday, June 28, 2013

Haiti is the most terrifying place I have ever been. It is also the most beautiful place I have ever been.  The moment I got here, I had already gone through the experience of flying for the first time, lost my phone in Miami, and thought that I lost $50 dollars in Haiti. I was afraid that this entire trip was going to be a bust; the lack of sleep from the two nights before we got to Haiti didn’t help the thought.  My first Haiti experience wasn’t all that great either; I was stuck in a non-air conditioned van with 16 other people for four hours, with a few people casually sitting on top.  After that I suddenly realized that near nobody spoke my language here. I, the white 15-year-old boy, was the minority.

As I stepped onto the grounds of the hospital compound that we would be staying at, all I felt was the desire to just relax. Nothing else was going to stop me until I reached the top of the steps.  Down the hall was a door that seemed to lead me outside.  Immediately after I put my stuff in the appropriate room, I went through that door, what was waiting for me was nothing short of awesome. The view of the mountains behind the wrecked and cramped homes of the Haitians left me breathless. Now whenever I get to the compound; that is almost always where you will find me. That view has helped me fall in love with the hectic, and crazed life of Haiti.

The people of Haiti are as pleasing, if not more pleasing, as the view from our terrace. I am baffled by how happy they can be through all of the turmoil that happens on a weekly basis (I don’t know if that last part is true so don’t quote me on that). Everywhere I have worked so far, I have seen all of the children I have played with glowing faces because I just showed them how to throw a Frisbee, or hold their hand. I have seen the adults here grin like Jack Nicholson’s joker because I helped paint a sewing building. I am so blessed to come here. Now, the only thing I wish is that the world acted like these people, able to put up with hardships with great efficiency, happy to joke around, energetic, and most of all, willing and able to live out God’s will to the fullest.

Today, my heart sank; I realized that we were halfway through the time we would be here.  Tuesday, the day we leave, will be the longest and worst day for me. I will be sad for the fact that I am leaving, along with the fact that I will be in a cranky mood for not getting sleep.  On my way here, I don’t sleep on planes, and I hate sitting still for longer than 3 hours.  Tuesday, we fly to Miami to Chicago. That won’t be fun. Keep us in your prayers, and tell others to read to find out what is up in Pigion, Haiti. Thanks for your time.

-Jory