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Day one in Haiti: complete! Going
into this trip I didn’t know what to expect.
I have heard so many stories from past trips, but experiencing it myself
was completely different than I could ever imagine. Looking out from the plane window, you just
see beautiful mountains and fields. As
you land you start to realize what Haiti really is like for these people. After going through “security” (glancing
through a few bags) we headed out into the real world. It was there that it really hit me that I was
in Haiti.
Our transportation through the town
was a truck called a tap-tap. This
basically is a truck that we loaded up with all of our luggage and ourselves
(17 people.) I’ve seen pictures, but
nothing compares to the reality of Haiti.
It is just filled with people everywhere; there is no organization to
anything. You see women balancing
buckets of fruit and other items from town on their heads. Along the streets, you see roaming animals
with clearly no nourishment. Looking
down the side streets you see piles of trash everywhere, which creates a very
unpleasant odor.
When entering EBAC Orphanage, I was
very nervous of the unknown. I didn’t
know what to expect. After getting out
of the tap-tap, kids immediately grab you and hug you. EBAC is basically a fenced in complex with a
school and shelter for the kids. There
is an open area to play soccer at and a basketball court. It inspiring to know that this orphanage is
run by two women, Kathy and Alice, who dropped their lives in America to come
here and serve. One older girl stuck out
to me. Her name is Fidege (pronounced
Fi-Dish). She is here because her
parents both passed away. She has a
sister studying nursing in Port Au Prince, which I found to be very
interesting. She has already told me
that she will write to me and I can’t wait to form a friendship with her. Another thing that stood out to me was the
fact that they worship anywhere and anytime.
I was sitting on a swing set with a few girls and they just started
singing Christian songs. It is really
moving to see how strong their faith is.
It brings me happiness and comfort to see the joy in all of these kids.
After being here for just this
short time, I realize that I can’t save all of Haiti, but I can easily provide
love and hope for these children. Even
though it is only the first day, I am looking forward to see what God has in
store for the rest of the week. I hope
that we can build relationships that will last a long time. Please keep us all in your prayers. (Don’t
worry mom, I’m not sunburnt yet!!)
