Today was our first day in the heart of Haiti. We started our day with prayer and then a ride in the tap-tap to our first destination. We arrived in City Soleil to deliver clean water to families in their shacks. The moment we stepped out of the tap-tap we were bombarded with kids that just wanted to be loved by us. We helped fill up the water buckets and play with the kids in the streets. It was remarkable to see such happy kids living in such impoverished conditions. They were some of the most loving and joyful people we have ever met.
When we finished our stop, we had the privilege of touring the newly built Hope Church and soon-to-be school. It is astonishing how it stood out among the shacks of houses with garbage covering the streets.
Once we finished our bathroom break and tour at the church, we got back on the tap-tap to ride to our next water truck stop. Upon arriving we were amazed by the kids' playfulness and their want for our love. The kids are extremely smart, even though we had a language barrier between us, they still understood the games that we taught them. We were even able to sing songs with them. It was wonderful to be able to glorify God with these thankful people. They also loved to talk to us and ask us questions, even though most of the time we had no clue what they were trying to say. That was our shortest stop, because our water ran out quickly. So we got back on the tap-tap and headed back to Hope Church for some lunch.
When we had finished our food, we adventured deeper into the community to begin our last water delivery. Again, kids came running up to us, begging to be held. There were less kids this time, so we were able to talk to and help the people that were receiving water. Directing the water pump was chaos. It was hard to not waste any water in the massive crowd of people waiting with their buckets. When that stop was finished, we took a walk down the pier to see the trash-filled ocean and interact with more Haitians. Several of the people we talked to here knew enough English, so we could have a conversation with them.
On the tap-tap ride home, it was hard to move our arms, from holding the Haitian children and helping with the water pumps all day. Once we arrived home, we took a quick stop at the pool, and then we hung out with the neighborhood boys. We played soccer and games with them, until it was time to eat dinner. It was different, being able to interact with older kids and experiencing how their lives were like on a day-to-day basis.
Overall, it was a day of embracing new culture and new country. We grew closer to God and His people. We went out of our comfort zone, to experience a day we will never forget.
Avery Villani (age 14) and Kendra Fuller (age 14)
No comments:
Post a Comment