Day 5: General Hospital & LaPhere Orphanage

Today the group had various activities that we got to do, one of the amazing experiences that we got to encounter was General Hospital. I'm sure when you all think of hospitals you think of sanitary individual rooms for people who are sick, and a nice reception desk with security and a nice sanitized waiting room. Multiple nurses and doctors there to take care of your loved ones. That unfortunately was not the type of hospital our group went to. While at general hospital I (Camille Lilleberg) was astonished at the conditions of the hospital. When you walked in to the hospital there was not much of a waiting room, there was a group waiting to get in, in a small tight enclosed area, and in the area there was even a little bit of a hospital bed with a child in the bed in the so-called "waiting room". Walking into the hospital there unfortunately are not separate rooms for the patients they are all in the same room, in clunky, rusting, cribs and beds. One moment that I will carry with me forever is the moment when I saw a small two week old baby girl laying in her crib. She was not breathing well and there was no parent to be found. As I picked her up her eyes opened and she looked at me and instantly my heart was broken. All I could think of was my week old nephew back at home that was born into a nice hospital and had all the correct care and had his mommy and daddy by his side the whole time, but this poor little baby girl was left in her crib alone, and sick with no one to show her compassion and love. I also noticed her diaper was dirty and I had asked a nurse for a diaper and wipes to change the baby but they had nothing, thankfully our group had brought with diapers and I had to improvise for wipes. After I had changed her diaper and picked her back up I kissed her cheek and she just smiled. She had the biggest and brightest smile after I had given her just a little drop of love and compassion. Having to leave and put the baby back into the crib put tears in my eyes knowing that, she does not have the care she should be receiving and she is not getting the love she needs as a baby and the compassion. I will continue to pray for all the children and families that are in that general hospital that just need some extra love and compassion, and I will always remember that baby girl. Another site we were fortunate to go to was LaPhere Orphanage. Going to LaPhere Orphanage was something else. As soon as we arrived all the children just got the biggest smiles on their faces and ran up to all of us hugging us and loving on us. We had brought bubbles, candy, and nail polish for the kids and older kids, There was a wide range of ages. Toddlers to teenagers. They were all so happy to see us and they were not shy at all. One little girl I got to meet her name was Eva, and Eva would rub my cheek and whisper "bel" into my ear which in creole means beautiful. The children we had meet were also so giving to each other which was so phenomenal to see. One child had a starburst in his hand but one of the little girls came up to him and tapped his shoulder and whispered to him, then he had ripped in half his little starburst and shared with the little girl. He could have been greedy and said no and kept the small piece of candy for himself, but no he shared and that is something you do not see often. Something that I have learned on this trip and seen is all the love, community, and compassion the beautiful people of Haiti have for each other. Even if they are complete strangers they are willing to help and do what they can for others, I am so insanely blessed to have gotten the opportunity to go on this once in a life time trip, and to see all the beauty Haiti is and all the beauty the Haitian people are. Also a huge thank you to our amazing leaders Steve (Stove ;) ), and Julie. They really put their hearts and souls into this trip and really showed us around and helped us feel comfortable with everything we did, I am so beyond happy for the bond our group has created and I hope this bond stays forever.
-Camille
At the end of the day, we ate pizza at Pizza Amore Clay Cafe at Apparent project. We got multiple pizzas which all tasted amazing and we all got beverages to go with our meal. We bonded with each other by playing the many games that were provided at the cafe. This included chess, pool, and Foosball. There was a very "intense" game of chess between Blake and Sam, which may or may not have become a bit heated. Delaney also won a game of pool by hitting a ball over another ball. This time was essential to us because it allowed us to wind down from this very emotional trip. It also allowed us to become closer to one other and we were able to become more comfortable in the situation. A man named Mario also came to visit the cafe while we were there. Mario was injured on his way back from the airport so they decided to raise money for him by making and selling beautifully simple bracelets. We were all happy to see that he was in good health and happy. I (Cailey Banken) along with all of my teammates are very thankful for everyone and everything that has helped us get here and throughout this journey, Like Camille said above, we are very thankful for our amazing leaders because they have given us the strength and motivation to overcome all that we have seen. We also received all of the letters last night that we either got from parents, friends, and loved ones. We were not aware that we were receiving these so they were a very nice surprise. They helped us feel connected to home in a more special way than a phone or computer could ever do. Thank you to all of your support and we wish everything is well back at home.
-Cailey

Day 4: Grace Village & Elder Care visits

Holy Thursday

Today the group got to visit Grace Village and the Elders who live in the surrounding community of Titanyen. Grace Village gave a sense of hope to us after we saw the sick and dying babies and the handicapped children yesterday. They made a school and provide education and food for the children to learn in order to set them up for a more successful future. There are family-styled houses and a transitional program for people 15 years older and up, because they are reaching the point where they can work to transition back into the community. There is also a clinic that provides health care for those living in the Grace Village community and Titanyen. There is also a beautiful church and a bakery that will soon be open for the people there. Visiting the elders was a humbling and incredible experience. We visited four elders: Telicia, Marie, Aloude, and Edmund. They are incredible, faith-filled people who worked very hard through their whole life and continue to do so. Marie is 106! We were able to bring them food, sing to them, pray for them, and wash their feet. Washing their feet was a humbling experience, because today is Holy Thursday, remembering the Last Supper. At the Last Supper, Jesus washed His disciples' feet and calls us to do the same. Today, we washed some of His disciples feet. As John 13:14 says,"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet."

Emily

Day 3:(Wed) Home for the Sick & Dying Babies & Special needs orphanage

Today was a mentally emotional day for the team.  The day began with a morning rise for mass at a neighboring Haitian Church.  The congregation was walking around back and forth along their own paths centered in their own praise of Jesus, while a minister talked words of praise, supported by the band behind him.  Taking part in the mass I (Delaney) could understand why they walked around as they did.  I felt very close and in touch with God.  Wandering outside the church, I ended up sitting on a rock by a fence at the edge of a ledge facing the city.  The stream below full of trash did not surprise me due to Haiti's lack of a garbage system.  Every now and then water would flow out of a PVC pipe going into a house crumbling, likely a result of the earthquake.
After mass, our team broke into two and went to either the Home for the Sick & Dying Babies or a Special needs orphanage . . .

Home for the Sick & Dying Babies: When we first arrived to the Home for Sick and Dying Babies we were told to put on aprons for sanitary purposes. As soon as we got inside we jumped right into being with the babies. There were a few different rooms at the home, one was for sicker babies, and the others were for not as severe babies. All of the rooms were filled with a lot of cribs and there were a lot of babies, way more babies than there were nuns. The nuns needed to start cleaning the room so we started to grab as many babies as we could. The guys helped clean the room, while the girls held and played with the babies. Many of the babies had IVs in. It was very hot out, but that did not seem to phase the babies very much. So many of the babies were content with being held, except for the occasional few that cried and threw fits, plus the one that threw up on Sam. It was unreal to hold all of the sick babies and not know what God had in store for them. Once the boys and nuns had finished cleaning the babies' rooms, we put the babies back in their cribs and started to feed and burp them. Since there were more babies than volunteers and nuns it was a lot to handle to try and feed all of the babies and take care of them. More than food and something to drink, the babies just wanted some love and attention, since there are so many of them they don't often get a lot of attention. You could tell the babies just wanted to feel loved because as soon as you picked them up they stopped crying and as soon as you put them back down they started crying again. It was such a blessing to experience the Home for Sick and Dying babies and even though they may not always remember this experience, it will stay with me (Marisa) and I'm sure the others for a lifetime.

Special needs orphanage:
As the tap-tap pulled up, we could hear cheers from the children inside. A majority of the children ( a range of all ages) have cerebral palsy.  There were about 20 children in a small room with a table and some benches.  About half of them were sitting or laying on the ground, unable to hold up their own weight.  Julie brought bubbles and face painting that the children loved! It was so special to see the smiles on their face when they got to play with something as simple as bubbles.  They also loved to sing, or be sung to.  It was remarkable to me when I saw a little boy helping to feed a boy the same age as him.  He could have kept the food for himself but instead he helped out his friends.  It made me question, would I act the same way if I were in that position? It was a very mentally straining visit.  I wanted to help the children, and wish I knew what would be best to medically help them, but all I could do was hold them, and let them play with my fitbit...yes my fitbit.  Two  little boys were obsessed with how it magically lit up when they tapped it.  It is something so small to me that I never imagined in would make their day, and they would spend and hour hitting my wrist to watch the lights change.
-Delaney-

In the middles of the day, our group got back together and headed off to the Apparent project store.  It is such a fascinating program that allows people of the community to gain a skill and get a job.  They also have a daycare which is unheard of in Haiti.  This allows the parents to work without having to give up their children to an orphanage.They make beautiful things out of the most ordinary objects.  For example they make jewelry out of cereal boxes, broken glasses, and Haitian dirt.  Everyday I am more amazed by the projects that are being done to help the people of Haiti.

We ended our night with a very deep devotional.  Our team came out of it so much closer which will help us push each other through the rest of the trip.

-Delaney,

P.S. Stove wants us to say he is the best #monti
P.S.S. We all know Julie really is the best #Bteam

Water Truck Day

March 22, 2016

After we started our day with french toast and scrambled eggs, we loaded into the tap-tap and headed into Cite Soleil. Our task today was bringing water to those who need it. We were instantly swarmed by children whilst departing from the tap-tap. We were required to multitask as we were carrying children and buckets of water through the streets. At the first stop, we went into Hope Church, which was built on 40 feet of trash. After 3 emotional stops, we loaded up the tap-tap and headed to Haitian Initiative where we met Tony, a professional soccer player and the founder of Haitian Initiative. This program gives children the opportunity to play soccer, have English class, and eat the Manna Packs from Feed My Starving Children. We were able to play soccer with the young Haitians during their practice; however, we were very tired and left the field shortly after their practice began. After returning to the guesthouse, we went to the pool at a nearby hotel and swam, hung out, and drank pop. Dinner tonight was spaghetti with garlic bread. After dinner we assembled care packages for the General Hospital. Then we had a team meeting, gave our word for the day, and watched the slideshow of pictures from our day.

Written by:
Neal, Emily, and Caitlin


Here are a few pictures from today: