You know those places or events in your life that you struggle to describe? Perhaps it was too stunningly beautiful for words, or too emotional to being to describe. Perhaps it was total devastation and loss that cannot be communicated through words. Whether wonderful or horrible, these moments and experiences are ingrained into your self. They become part of you.
The 15 days in Haiti were an experience I could never fully prepare myself for.
Yes, the struggles that a person faces in Haiti are astonishing. Education and health care are not a given, they are a luxury. Visiting the super market is only for a small percentage of the population. Transportation is unlike anything I could imagine. And the huge number of orphans is not due to parents who died from disease or tragedy, but instead, they are in a créche because they wanted their children to be fed daily.
But that is not what stuck with me the most.
Instead, I remember what it looks like to see a country transformed on Sunday morning. Fewer cars on the street while we passed hundreds on foot, dressed in their best, walking to church. We heard from some living down there that Sunday is still a day of rest and many go to church because they know that they need God.
People, who are at a place in life where they are stuck searching for food in the garbage on the side of the road, but you know what? Those hungry people are searching and trying. I didn’t see one person sit on the side of the road with a hat or cup asking for money.
I saw that these children don’t really need our “stuff”, really it doesn’t interest them for that long. They just need a lap to climb up into, and a hand to hold.
And while much of the country may look unfinished or like a work in progress, there are still many examples of bright colored homes, buildings, and street art.
Below are pictures from the first few days we spent in Haiti, giving you a taste of the land.
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I know that so many have questions about the child we have been matched with and how our bonding time went.
At this point there is very little we can share about him or his créche, but please know that as soon as we can share a picture of his smiling face we will do so! For now here are a few pictures of the children that we saw during our time in the country.
We value your prayer for our son as he lives in another country, as well as for our hearts as we would prepare to bring him home.
For those interested in supporting us through this process you can visit our Love Boldly campaign here and here. $10 from each purchase goes towards country fees and travel. (More about that here.)