Haiti--thursday

It was another productive day in Cap Haitian. We see 2 Mission of Mercy (MOM) projects every day; each is tied to a church community where MOM sponsors and provides for the needs of their children. The first project was in Cap and the second was a much farther away, in rough terrain. The first project was a little chaotic but very efficient for the space we had. We saw about 90 kids in the am and 100 in the pm. The sun was hot and beating on our faces, but we were able to wrap things up quickly with the amount of help we had. Fortunately the flow of things is going well and our team is meshing together nicely. We have 15 team members, mostly medical, but also a dietician and about 6 laymen. And I can tell you the nonmedical have been just as important as the medical. That’s why you need a whole team! I really enjoyed the afternoon group. As we walked in, we were greeted with smiling faces and “bon jor.” It’s not as easy as you think getting a friendly greeting from a Haitian; they are very stoic and proud people. It can be discouraging when you are trying to love on the kids in medical and they just stare at you and don’t respond. It’s amazing how well mannered and mature they are; they have learned to grow up and take care of themselves. But when they get in their environment, you can see the joy and hope in their faces. After we saw all the kids I was able to kick around a soccer ball with them and see how they play. They all took their turns kicking the ball and made sure to include me. It gave me a new perspective. If just a ball can bring this much joy to a village of children, do I really need all the things I have to bring me joy? I think of all the things that make me happy and it’s nothing compared to the joy that comes from community. And that is what I saw today. Kids communing with other kids and loving on each other. Our devotional tonight was about serving God with love and not relying on the things that are tangible or visible. Because as long as we are serving our God with love, He is using us. I struggled with this on the last trip. I didn't understand how I could make a difference when I knew the people were going to struggle with the same illnesses and ailments I'm treating after I leave...and changes in the government may never happen. But the cool thing is God always starts on the inside, changing the hearts of the people, providing hope for the hopeless. And that inward change will produce outward effects....We are moving hotels again, a few hours away. Going back to a project that was very devastating last time I was here. Please pray for safe travels and continued hope. Thanks.