Selfless Saturday

Today was our last service day. We were lucky to be able to go on two water truck runs and visit the people of Cite Soleil. The children again were remarkably friendly and appreciative of the water and our interaction with them. We held babies, played with older children (they learned the Hokey-Pokey and turned themselves around and giggled) and helped carry water back to their homes. The buckets are so very heavy and it is unbelievable how strong the little children are. We were sweating and drained after a few trips but the beautiful smiles of the children kept us energized. A good example of the compassion they have for each other is the following. One little girl asked a team member to help her carry this huge bucket of water. As it was being carried a young boy pointed out that it was leaking and the precious water was being lost. No empty bucket was immediately available but another boy came along with a full bucket of water in the wheelbarrow. He put his bucket on the head of the little girl and put her container into the wheelbarrow. We were so impressed with his ingenuity. We will miss visiting this welcoming community of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We wanted to bless them but they blessed us. Our next stop was San Fils which is a shelter for adults who are sick. We were privileged to interact with at least 24 women. We massaged their arms and legs. The expressions in their faces were priceless. We heard many meci (thank yous in Creole). It's amazing how when you are focused on another person's needs, your comfort zone increases. No hesitation to touch a sick stranger. The person is another child of God. Again, we are hoping that what we are experiencing here in Haiti will help us to be more responsive to needs we see at home.

Tomorrow we will start our day with a church service at the guesthouse led by Fanfan. The rest of the day we will be sightseeing and touring the island. We will be able to go up in the mountains and see the tremendous views. God certainly knows how to create beauty.

Thanks for all your support. Please keep praying for our team as we wind down the week.

Kathy, Derek, Don and Sheryl
Team 3