Intensity and bliss!

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We were dropping like flies this morning!  Halie has had a very sad tummy for 2 days now. Erin was sick all night and had to stay in bed today. I was so busy caring for Kenna yesterday when she passed out from dehydration that I forget to take care of myself. I felt very sick this morning too! I was on the fence about going today, but I loaded up on electrolytes and decided to brave it!  When we leave our guest house there is no guarantee that we'll have a bathroom for the day, so it's a bit of a risk! The verse above was comforting to me and being in Haiti can certainly test your strength at times. Not just the strength of your body but also the strength of your heart. 

 

We headed out on the tap-tap after breakfast and after making sure that Erin had everything that she needed to be comfortable for the day. We had a very nice rainfall last night which helped to bring the temperature down a bit today. We welcomed the tolerable temp and nice breeze!  We thought that our water truck stops might not be as frantic today because of the heavy rain last night. That was NOT the case!  We all agreed that today was far more frantic and chaotic then our last visit. I held the hose for most of the day which is a great place to be able to observe all that is going on. At the first stop, a pretty nasty fight broke out. Our interpreter/guards were having to actively participate in keeping order in the line and break up fights. People try very hard to skip to the front of the line. We have to yell, "respect the line" in Creole, over and over.  We ran out of water and the line was still quite long. :(  I don't think I could ever get used to how bad that feels! The looks on the peoples faces that realize the water has ended and they didn't get any. It makes me feel helpless and sad. Again, I reflect on the scripture above for comfort in this situation. It also reminds me to not take my free flowing water at home for granted EVER AGAIN! 

The second water truck stop was insane! I'm so glad that Jessica found an elderly women that was standing off to the side. Jess asked her if she had help to get water. The women responded that she had no family and nobody to help take care of her. Jessica and one of our guards named Maxim, walked to her house and grabbed her empty buckets. They hopped to the front of the line, filled them for her and carried them back to her house. She was so thankful! :) In the meantime, Erika got in the line of fire during a brawl and was smacked pretty hard in the face, elbowed in the eye and her shorts got caught on a wheelbarrow. Alicia was having a hard time staying on her feet. Maxim jumped in and had to physically restrain a few people.  It was nuts!  During this insanity, I felt a little tug on my shorts and looked down to the right. The sweetest little boy, about 4 years old, was standing there. He was naked and looking up at me with the sweetest brown eyes. I said, "bonjour" and he put his hand on his tummy and rubbed it in circles without saying a word. He was trying to tell me that he was hungry. In those situations it would be more dangerous for me to give him food then to not. I can't stand it! I took a snapshot in my mind and can still see his sweet little eyes in the midst of that chaos. Another one of the many children that I'll be praying for tonight. Again, the water ran out and the line was still very long. Our guards called us away with urgency because of the desperation in the people. It's not safe to stay.

We were then able to walk out onto the pier where we could see the locals fishing and swimming.  It's interesting to see them catching and cleaning fish. I was happy to know that they had some food to eat. At the end of the pier, Michelle decided to start doing cartwheels....of course. ;) This drew a crowd of children and suddenly they were expecting us to perform. I hear the kids screaming and clapping and I look over my shoulder to see our 61 year old team member walking on her hands. Hahaha!  She has more energy than any kid that I've ever met. We did some stunts and songs and the kids were delighted.  We had fun too!  I'm glad that I took the risk and joined the team for the water truck stops. I felt better after the first stop and completely replenished by the second. I thank God for my health. Being sick in Haiti is a little scary! 

When we got back to the house, Erin was feeling well enough to join us for shopping at the Apparent Project. This is a work initiative designed to enable parents to care for their children and also make the needs of Haitian families "apparent" to the rest of the world. They make beautiful jewelry, clothes, clay pots and mugs, tin art, ornaments, etc. It's fun to shop when you know that it is going to such a good cause. They also had really yummy smoothies! Yeah! 

After shopping, we were able to use the pool at a hotel nearby. This has been such a huge blessing on these hot days. We had a wonderful time cooling down and enjoying the community that we have built. It is fun to see our translators enjoying themselves in the pool, too. They work very hard and it was evident by their smiles and laughter that they really enjoy these breaks. 

On my first trip to Haiti, I fell in love with missions. On this trip to Haiti, I have fallen in love with Haiti. To share this trip with my daughter has been a bonding experience like no other. She has impressed me this week with her perseverance, compassion, strength and vulnerability. Being just barely 15, it is a lot to take in! I came with no expectations and she has given me so much to be proud of. I know that her eyes have been opened to a world that she couldn't have imagined and her heart is forever changed! She can't wait to come back!  It is true that His grace is sufficient for us and His power is made perfect in our weakness. Thank you God! 

Thanks for sharing in our experience. God Bless you all! 

Nikki