I have experienced so many things on this mission trip to Haiti….so much to tell I don’t even know where to start or how to put it into words. My team has been fantastic…we all got along so well and new friendships were made in this week that I am sure will continue even after we get home. I will be taking many images of Haiti in my mind when I go home and they will remain as lasting impressions. Since I can’t seem to find the words to tell about everything we experienced, I will at least share some of the lasting impressions in my mind.
WATER TRUCK DAY: so many desperate people needing water….long line of white 5 gallon buckets that seemed to go on forever…buckets being pushed by hands to keep their place in line….tension as I try to maintain the line and prevent people from “butting in their buckets”….the little Haitian girl that must of sensed my frustration and put her finger under my chin to make me lift my head up from my task to look at her and rewarded me with the most beautiful smile and a soft “bonjour”...made me realize that God wanted me to smile at his people…..the throngs of children that swarmed us as we got off the truck only wanting to be held and given some love and attention….their smiling faces and sweaty hugs and their loud “HEY YOU” that greeted us…the laughter ringing out from the children ….children who have nothing but still find so much joy in the little things we did with them….buckets of water being carried by little children to their families….the sorrow I felt when the water truck would run out of water and there were so many people still left in the line that did not get water that day….the hugs and waves from the children as we climbed in the truck to leave. Water truck days were a lot of hard work, but so many rewards given to us those days.
ELDERLY VISITS: elderly people sitting in small tin houses with no family to take care of them….the blind man sitting in his small, dark hut….the elderly woman laying on the floor of her house by the open door to catch the small breezes to try and get relief from the heat….rubbing lotion on dry arms and legs of the elderly and their look of relief as we rubbed their skin….the elderly man who had not family to take care of him sitting under a tree that when asked “where do you live?” and his response was “I live here with my Lord”…..the hands of our team placed on each of the elderly people we visited as we prayed for them and while tears rolled down my face….the children on the streets getting piggy back rides from our team members and their screams of joy….the excitement on the faces of the little girls as we painted their nails. Elderly Visit day was a very emotional day and God moved all of us that day.
HOME OF SICK AND DYING CHILDREN: the cries of children and babies….the rooms lined with so many cribs filled with children….the crying children with arms reaching out begging to be picked up….the little girl I found wandering around the cribs with a little dress on and no diaper…her beautiful little smile as I picked her up and held her….the little baby with arms so thin they looked like they would break and his big brown eyes filled with tears and his weak cry as he tried to hold his arms up begging to be held….the crying little girl that was standing in the crib and her clutching hands as I picked her up that frantically grabbed my neck and her head laying on my shoulder as she seeked the comfort that only I could give her at that moment….rocking babies til I felt like my legs would drop off….the heartbreak of leaving the orphanage and having to put the children back in their cribs and hearing their cries as we turned away. We visited the orphanage 3 times during the week and each time was as hard as the first….but we were comforted with the fact that for a small amount of time in their day, we brought them comfort and smiles and joy.
GERTRUDE’S: handicapped children that were dropped off and left at the door…the screams of joy from the children as we entered their home….the crazy playtime that brought smiles and screams from delighted children….the little girl in the wheel chair who looked at me and I saw an angel in her eyes...ANGEL EYES was all I could think of when I saw her…..my immediate love for this little girl…the overwhelming urge that I got to pull her out of her chair and snuggle her….the tears that rolled down my face as we had to leave.
Another emotional visit but a day that God used to help me overcome a personal barrier of my own…God is so good.
Colleen Collins
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