Where He leads...: Haiti Trip: Short and Sweet!

Haiti Trip: Short and Sweet!

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I just returned from a quick visit to Haiti. When I left in August, I told my friends I would return as soon as possible. Originally I had planned to return in the fall for a few months. When that changed and my return moved to January, I still wanted to make a quick trip before then if possible. This trip was my fifth and shortest time in Haiti so far. Short as it was, it was just as sweet as always!

The main purpose of the trip was to see friends and deliver donations. Thanks to your help over 40 pairs of shoes were donated and several piles of fabulous children's clothes. I had casually put the word out that I may need help carrying everything down, and my friend Celeste took me up on the offer for a travel companion. I met Celeste on my first trip to Haiti with Samaritan's Purse in August last year. We were on a construction team together. She had been looking for an opportunity to get back down to Haiti and see the children at the "Lamb Center" orphanage (now named Greta Academy), and so she was excited to tag along.

We had a "fun" time getting to and from Haiti. We scored a great deal on our flights, but unfortunately it required an overnight on the way down and on the way back. Our journey in a nutshell: I drove to Chattanooga, met up with Celeste, we took the Megabus to Atlanta, grabbed the Marta to the airport, flew to Fort Lauderdale that night, slept (or at least tried!) in the airport, and boarded our 7:30am flight to Port au Prince Monday morning. Coming back we were scheduled for an early flight home but it was delayed four hours. We finally got to Fort Lauderdale, ate pizza and ice cream and waited around until our flight to Atlanta that night. We slept in the Atlanta airport--popular both for weary travelers and the homeless escaping the winter weather--took the Marta and froze waiting on the Megabus, and headed back to Chattanooga where I met up with some friends for church and then drove home in time to cook for our Thanksgiving meal at church that night. WHIRLWIND! But... let me get back to our time in Haiti...

Celeste and I were able to take down most of the donations and spent our time between orphanage visits and getting to know the staff at Children's Nutrition Program, or Kore Timoun as it's known in Haiti. We stayed at the CNP house which is where I will be living next year. It is located just a street away from where I stayed this summer. It will be great to be back in an area I know well and around so many familiar faces.

The two destinations we were looking forward to the most was the SP orphanage I mentioned and Children of Hope Orphanage. The kids at Greta were so thrilled to see Celeste! They remember her well as the one who danced with them and taught them the Macarena last year! We had a great time visiting with the kids, playing with the little crazy ones running around everywhere, and the ladies insisted we join them for a spaghetti lunch one of the days. Mayonnaise and ketchup are the required ingredients for most spaghetti dishes in Haiti. It's not as bad as it sounds. :)

Here are some photos from our time with the kids at Greta...

Israel has always been my little buddy. When I first came with SP, we'd always find each other out and it would usually end with him asleep in my arms. Now he's running around like a wild man who owns the place. Love him!

SP is rebuilding the orphanage and this is the nearly completed building that will operate as the orphanage, school, and church. They've set their dedication day for December 15th. I know they would appreciate your prayers that everything will come together on time. As you can imagine, projects in a third-world country are never without their obstacles and delays. So crazy to think that during my first visit to this site in August last year this was just a plot of dirt!

On Wednesday we spent some time at Children of Hope Orphanage. Most of the children's shoes and clothing went to these sweet kiddos. It was so good to see them again. Three months was too long without those hugs and kisses I love so much! Even Beni (my puppy friend) was glad to see me. Sadly, he's gotten scrawny again and is abused by the other dogs. Hopefully when I'm back next year I can keep him alive and healthy! Speaking of which, I wasn't excited about the condition of the children. Some of them looked worse than when I left in August. One in particular looked as if he'd lost 5 pounds. A medical team visited this week, so at least that's one step in the right direction. Those children need regular attention. I know Pastor Jean Mark loves the children and is doing the best he can do, but more is needed. I hope next year brings positive change and more help for these kids.

This is Adley. He's a new child at the orphanage and the younger brother of Dinio (my favorite) and Romerson. I'm still piecing together the full story of this family and I'm looking forward to getting to know Adley.

Celeste was a trooper all week! I never had my doubts. She's former military, marathon runner, was in the Peace Corps in Peru, and is always up for any challenge! She made the trip extra special and I'm so thankful she could come along! She has several more mission trips coming up next year. You can read about her adventures on her blog: http://celestegrisham.blogspot.com.

On Thursday, Lesly surprised us with a car. We had been taking taptaps and motos and walking wherever we needed to go. But having the car was a nice blessing! We went to the Samaritan's Purse base at Jax Beach and saw my dear friend Nina. Since we had the car, we drove out to Grand Goave in search of an organization called the Hands and Feet Project. We tried and failed last minute to get a local phone number for them, so we set out on our own to see what we could find. We called a friend who called a friend to meet us on the side of the road and lead us there. There was a huge sign off the main road, so it would have been easy to spot. Thankfully, they agreed to let us wanderers in. We spent about an hour chatting with Angie and Michelle, the two missionaries in charge there. I couldn't have imagined two better people for the job! They were so sweet and down to earth. Oh, and I highly recommend watching the Audio Adrenaline video "Kings and Queens" on the Hands and Feet website. Watching that video is what led Celeste to wanting to find this organization to begin with. Audio Adrenaline founded this organization in 2004 and it's going strong caring for 100+ orphans. After our visit with Angie and Michelle we headed across the street to Taina Beach. There is a restaurant there, quite overpriced, but the atmosphere is nice... right on the beach. Though we weren't prepared for swimming, Celeste and I couldn't resist and dove in anyways!

On our way back to Leogane we stopped at my friend Mersina's house. We were told she'd moved to her mom's house a little off the beach. We found her and she was overjoyed! She is always VERY excited to have visitors! Every time I take someone new, I warn them that she gets very excited and that she is VERY strong! She wants hugs, lots of them, and she will pull you down if you are not ready! We sat for a long time with my chair in front of her and her head in my life, death grip around me with her arms. Mersina can't walk due to medical issues she's had for years. My friends David and Anna came with a group the same week I was there and brought her down a wheelchair! I had been contacting organizations all summer to try and secure a wheelchair for her, but nothing had ever materialized. I was so thrilled when I heard the team could bring one down. You can see the photo below, smile on her face, in her new chair!

We did a lot of walking... and consequently, sweating! But I loved being out in the community. We got a few nights of rain, so it left us with some muddy paths. On Thursday we walked what we estimate to be 4.5-5 miles to the Samaritan's Purse orphanage. I don't even really know how that was decided. We could have taken a taptap or moto, but the next thing I knew, we were just walking the whole way!

On Friday we went by Pastor Jean Claude's orphanage to say hi to the 110 children there. I first met Pastor Jean Claude through my friend Kalebe who was the director of the Lamb Center. Kalebe knows of dozens of orphanages in the Leogane area. It was great to see these kids again. I haven't spent much time there, but this is another orphanage with many needs. Here are a few of many photos from that day...

This little gal is one of my favorites! Celeste's too I think! :)

This is Jonas. Some friends of mine had looked into adopting him. I made sure to take extra shots of him so I could show them how he's looking these days.

Like I said, this trip was short and sweet! But it was the perfect time to go and see how everyone was doing since I left in August. It was also a blessing for me to be able to see where I'll be living next year and start meeting some of my soon-to-be coworkers. I'm excited to get back down there in January and get rolling with my new duties with CNP! I'll be ready to hit the ground running and look forward to seeing how God wants to use me in my new role as the Safe Water and Child Maternal Health intern. I've got a lot to learn, but I know that God has been preparing me for this role and it is my prayer that everything I do will bring glory to HIM!