Thursday in Haiti

Today was a fun day.  Most of the kids were out of school on Thursday as a lead up to Flag Day (think 4th of July); and so we played -- all day.

The day started with a nice hike/walk around the neighborhood.  The team (Jim, it must be said with great respect, opted not to join us in many of the festivities described below and instead chose to work on some sorely needed cabinets.  This team has been heavy on relationships and fairly light on work.  If it were not for Jim, I am not sure we would be welcomed back.) went with a good number of the boys and few Child Hope staff and went tromping through the streets.  It was nice to see different parts of the neighborhood.  PAP is such a unique place and any chance we get to explore a little bit of it is very memorable.  That said, the real highlight of the walk was having another chance to do this:

Another highlight for me (Erick) was having one of the newer boys at MDL, Ti Junior, join our particular group (especially David and Rose) for this hike.  David and Rose first met Ti Junior on their trip in November.  During that trip, they also went on a hike to explore the surrounding area.  At some point during the hike, the group noticed that several boys were following them and once the group reached the top of the hill, those same boys decided to start throwing rocks at the group.  A confrontation was avoided, but one of the people with David and Rose was able to identify the boys that were throwing the rocks.  One of them was Ti Junior.

Several months later, Ti Junior was brought into the boy's home at MDL.  I do not know Ti Junior's story well, nor do I know what kind of work the Lord has done in his heart.  What I do know, however, is that six months ago, a young boy followed a group of people up a hill to harass them and, seemingly, hurt them.  Now, that same boy and some of the very same people are together, walking arm in arm as friends.  I don't know if I am explaining this well, but this just reminds me of the work that the Lord does, both here in Haiti and all over the world.  It is such a simple example of how God unifies people through His love.  Ti Junior and David are in the photo above.

One of the rewards of the walk was seeing some unexpected beautiful vistas.

Our motley crew of "hikers."

After the hike, we were hot and dusty and there is really only one way to address that situation -- with water.  It is amazing how far a little water will go with providing fun and entertainment, but mix together some rambunctious boys and some big kids (a.k.a., David, Rose and Bret) with a little water and you get some quality entertainment.

The object of the "game" was simple: get other people wet.  Here, Rose is demonstrating her skills.

Nothing says "fun" like kicking a kid on the ground . . . kicking water that is.

For the rest of us non-players in the water wars, there was plenty of other activities going on:  basketball, soccer, and dancing (no photos).  We played hard, had a lot of fun and completely wore ourselves out -- all before noon.

After lunch, we made a quick trip to a really neat store/gift shop called the Apparent Project.  The store sold various items that have been made by local craftspeople.  According to my understanding, it has provided a lot of inspiration to MDL's transition house and after going there, I can see why.

After the store, we went back to the boy's home for some more play and hang out time with the kids, which we did until dinner time.  Dinner was followed up with bible study with the girls for the "girls" of our group and a time of worship for the "boys" with a group of expats living and working in the area.  I don't know how the bible study with the girls went, but a relaxing evening singing worship and praise songs, mixed with some prayer was a perfect ending to a really fun, yet tiring Thursday in Haiti.

Before I go, however, I did want to share that even in the midst of such a lighthearted, fun day, Haiti can still touch you and move you.  On the way back from Apparent Project, several of us stopped to talk to some kids filling up water buckets.  The particular location we were at was next to a house that had fallen down during the earthquake.  Maybe it was the size of the house (it was big) or the fact that its collapse bent over a palm tree (but didn't kill it) that made me (and others who have been here before) remember it.  Anyway, there were several men working there, taking the rubble up the street one wheel barrow at a time.  Here are a couple of before and after photos to show how much progress they have made:

"Before," right after the earthquake two years ago.

"After" -- at least since last May.

These pictures are just a little reminder of the destruction that occurred and that slowly but surely, brick by brick, wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow, that destruction is being overcome.

But perhaps what was more inspiring than the work that has been done on picking up the pieces, were the kids we happened to come across.  Here are photos of a couple of them:

These are the faces (and personalities to match) that make you fall in love with Haiti and its people.  In circumstances that many of us would not find acceptable (or, maybe, even imagine), these children have a joy for life (and smiles that match) that is contagious and wonderful to experience. God bless these children.

Well, it's late and I am ready to call this a post.  I hope my little stint as guest-blogger has not been too painful.  We are thinking of those of you at home and, as always, are thankful for your prayers and encouragement.

Erick