The First Day in Haiti

I safely arrived in Haiti last night. Sophia and I had quite the journey to get here. We woke up at 3am so we could leave for the airport at 4am. We arrived at the airport and it took a while to get our tickets and get through security because we always picked the slowest line. God taught us patiences on our journey. With two stop overs before arriving in Port Au Prince, we were slightly tired of travelling but extremely to be in Haiti. The pastor picking us up thought that we were arriving on the 16th (that is when the team from AIM is arriving) so he wasn't there when we initially exitted the airport but it gave us time to watch people and give me a little sense of the people.

The drive to the pastor's house where we are staying was undescribable. Even with all of the travelling I have done I haven't seen poverty to this degree. It is everywhere. The destruction from the earthquake is still very present and evident. The roads are in rough condition and the buildings are in shambles. Tent cities seem to go on forever and there are people everywhere you look.

Today Sophia and I got to spend the day with her sponsor child. We met him and his mother at the project where Compassion runs a Saturday program for all of the sponsor children. After we had lunch together we were given the opportunity to go see his house and meet the rest of his family. As we drove, and drove, and drove, we realized how far he lived from the project. I realized the distances to which Compassion reaches the children of Haiti. I also realized the lengths in which parents go to send their children to programs such as the one Compassion runs. It was probably an hour drive (I am awful with estimations, so I could be completely off). The most impactful part of the day by far was when the mother told us the story of her life after the earthquake. She is a widow and has eight children. I believe six of them live with her, along with two grandchildren. Anyways, due to the earthquake she lost everything. She lived "under the stars" as she said for two months. She prayed and prayed for God to deliver her and after going to a prayer meeting someone directed her to talk to someone about moving her family closer to the mountains. She now lives in a two room house made of tarps, wooden rafters, and a tin roof. In the words she expressed her situation "the Lord has delivered me and my family and we are blessed." I said to Sophia after that it is not even enought to say that I am blessed because of the situation I live in in Canada. Blessed is not a strong enough word. Most people would still be praying to be delivered if they were in this woman's shoes. But no, she is thankful beyond limits and praises the Lord for all He has done. This story has taught me thankfulness.

It was incredible for me to witness the impact of Sophia's visit on her sponsor child and his family. He may have been a shy child but the impact of her being there was very evident. It was a priviledge to witness Sophia and her sponsor child meeting each other. It just shows that sponsorship isn't about the finances but more importantly the relationship.

Tomorrow we are going to the mountains to visit a church that one of the pastors we are staying with started. I am excited to see more of the country, learn more about the pastor and his wife, and see the ministry they are running.

Anyways, the heat is making me ramble and lose track of my thoughts. I will check in again soon! :)

Blessings from Haiti,
Jennelle