Digesting Haiti: Part 2

Today's post: "Our Accommodations and the Orphanage"

Before our 16+ hour travel day was over Dave decided to fall into a cravas in the road caused by the earthquake and then almost subsequently fall through an expansion joint on the bridge (we were all yelling at him to watch out but he was busy talking and didn't notice till I grabbed him) that was open a good foot. *Note, this was the bridge that was out and forced us to take to foot with all our gear and meet our second driver a half hour walk up the road.  

After Dave fell into the cravas in the road I asked him to stop and let me look at his foot ( I somehow got the job of team medic and make sure Dave doesn't hurt himself) since his sandal had been ripped off in his fall. Dave concluded he was bleeding and that if he just kept walking it would get better. After trying to reason with him I struck a deal that when we get to the compound he'll let me look at it, it I let him continue to walk now. Well, when we got to the compound Dave had nothing but a few scratches for me to clean. I looked at his foot several times astonished at the lack of damage done to it. He had described feeling blood coming from the side of his foot after falling into the cravas. After cleaning it all, I said, looks like you got lucky. He looked at me and said, I know my foot was bleeding, the Lord healed it. I could only agree after seeing the place that he fell into and the damage his sandal sustained.

When we woke we found this. A pleasant treat and immense beauty.

Joy and Chris and Danielle and I, found a couple good spots to pitch up our tents and we gladly retired for some much needed sleep. We weren't sure how close to the ocean we were, but our minds were soothed to sleep that night by the repetition of waves crashing onto a beach that seemed very close.

The area where Lex and Renee's (the missionaries who run Mission of Hope) guest house compound is strikingly beautiful. In fact all of Haiti is remarkably beautiful. Our accommodations had mango and coconut trees on the property, a beach front view of the ocean, and the stars were amazing at night (better than anything I have ever seen in the northern hemisphere). Haiti is an amazingly beautiful place that is juxtaposed with extreme poverty... words can't fully express the reality of this.  

The beach and fisherman's boats.

The chakoon. This is where we ate almost all our meals.

Chateau Bartholic: Truly lovely accommodations.

The river. This is where the Haitians would bathe, go to the bathroom, and get drinking water.

Our days began with breakfast around 7am under the chakoon (I think that is how it is spelled). Breakfast always consisted of fresh bread, coffee, fresh grapefruit juice, peanut butter, and bananas. Sometimes we had oatmeal, rice pudding, or some other variation. The meals were absolutely wonderful! Lunch was always a mystery, we never knew when it was coming or what it would be. But we were pleasantly surprised and sufficiently blessed by the MOH team. Dinner's might have been my favorite meal each day. We had the same thing each night. It was rice and beans with a beef and onion sauce to go over it. It was simply amazing. The first night we had it I was blown away by how good it was. I expected simple food and it was simple, not fancy, and not American (I loved that!). But it was simply amazing. Our missionaries were absolutely amazing hosts. I am very grateful for what they are doing in Haiti and how they work with shot term teams.

After breakfast each day in the morning and into the afternoon,  we would paint the newly constructed guest house. Lex and Renee had lost over 80% of their housing in the earth quake and began construction on a new guest house in March. Since then they finished the first floor and are almost completed with the second floor. All of the building in Haiti are made from poured concrete, that is hand mixed in most cases. We painted most of the first floor while we were there.  

Chris painting and I was making sure the bucket stayed closed.

Dave and I painting.

Joy working on the trim.

The front left corner of the new guest house. You can only see half of the front here.

  After we finished painting for the day we would eat some lunch and then load up in a vehicle to go to the orphanage. The first day we went to the orphanage Lex came up to us and said, he wanted to give us a tour of it. I thought, oh that will be nice we get introduced to some people and he show us the ropes a bit. Well, when we got to the orphanage, we jumped out of the truck and then Lex waved to us and said, have fun! Then he pulled away and left. So much for the grand tour I thought we were getting!

Pulling up to the orphanage.

We ended up being there for well over three hours that evening and it was one of the best times of the trip. I absolutely loved going to the orphanage each day. There were 32 orphans living there and I can't express how much fun it was to go and hang out, play with, and just show love to these children who just crave all the love and attention you can give. Lex rescued each of these kids from another orphanage where, they were essentially being starved to death. Yet, when you see them now (because of Lex's care), they are smiling, healthy, beautiful little kids.  It is the knowledge of what they have been through that makes me weep for them and burn in anger against injustice. Things like this should never happen to a human being. If all we ever do in our lives is fight injustice in the name of Christ I believe we would have the most fulfilling life one could ever ask for. 

Everyone liked the extra tall guy!

Getting mobbed... it was great!

Dave was a hit with everyone... when he wasn't injuring himself.

Soccer?....Nope, Football!!!!!!

Saying goodbye to this little girl broke Danielle's heart, if she could have brought her home she would have.  All our hearts were sad to leave the kids.

 

 

 

 Well, I'll leave you with all of that to digest. So much to share...