It took me a few days to process my experience and be able to figure out where to start, so here it goes...
The week before we left for Haiti, we all voted and chose to pray a novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, patron of Haiti. Little did we know how much Our Lady would take what we offered to her and run with it. The whole week I would be laying in bed and in prayer the word "ponder" was really on my heart. All I could think was what different things I could be pondering; I thought of pondering the cross, sacrifice, suffering. I placed myself at the foot of the cross and laid it all out.
The night before we left, my mission team gathered together to bond and pray for each other and for our trip. My mission leader sat us down to tell us what we should expect. She told us we would see poverty like we had never seen before, but also that we would see so much joy in the Haitian people. She told us that we would have each other to lean on there and when we come back. We were called to be in Haiti with each other at that moment in our lives for a reason, but we are also called back to the states to be present here. She called us to be like Mary in the way in which we are to ponder things in our hearts before we share everything we experience. Truly this has come to light in my own life.
Sunday when we left Steubenville for the airport, it felt more like I was taking my friends to the airport to see them off on their mission trip. At the airport we quickly checked bags, boarded the plane, and were off. Sunday night we stayed in the Newark airport. That night it still did not feel real. Nothing felt like real life until we boarded the plane on Monday morning to go from Newark to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Once on the plane and saying my goodbyes via texting, I finally felt like this was real.
Flying into Haiti was such a beautiful sight. The coast was stunning and the mountains were breathtaking. All I can remember is whispering to myself, "wow..." Then I realized where we were flying into: into devastation, poverty, despair, etc. and I was quickly faced with the reality of where I was. When we landed, we got off the plane and felt the humid air of Haiti. A few times people tried speaking to me in Creole, of which I knew none. My mission leader, Emily, having gone 6 times, was able to communicate with the people we encountered. Outside the airport we met up with our ride who had come 5 hours to pick us up. We all piled into the back of the truck with our luggage and we were off.
Driving through Port-Au-Prince was complete culture shock. I have never seen or smelled anything like that. There was garbage all over the streets and people on top of people. Without a doubt one of the most powerful sensory experiences I've ever had. Words cannot put into words the way you feel being among people who are experiencing so much suffering. Despite how busy the people were, they took time to watch this group of 11 white people around them. Man, were we fascinating!
The roads to the orphanage were not as bad as I had anticipated, until the last hour. We turned off onto the road where the orphanage is. It was a dirt road and since it had not yet rained that day, there was so much dust floating around. By the time we got to Kay Mari, the orphanage, our hair felt like prom night when you have a whole can of hair spray in your hair. Not the most pleasant experience, but we all bathed when we got to Kay Mari. When we arrived, the children knew we were coming and had been waiting for us. As we climbed out of the truck the children were waiting there to be picked up and loved, and how can you say no to those faces?! We started asking names and one of the village boys, Eston, who speaks some English helped us with names and I just remember thinking how I would never remember all those names. Just a minute later we turned around to see that some of the orphans had climbed into the truck to help us unload our luggage. Automatic love.
When went into the orphanage and the caretakers had already prepared dinner for us and it was on the table waiting for us. Most dinners consisted of rice, bean sauce, a meat, a sauce for the meat, and vegetables. Everything was so delicious. After dinner, Emily told us we should go get a look from the roof. I have never seen a view so wonderful as it was on that roof. The sun had just set and the landscape was still lit up. Beautiful.
We went back downstairs to learn more about the children and to just play with them. They were all so precious and all so different. We brought a Dominican priest with us and he was able to administer the Sacraments for the people. They were so gracious.
The first night we were there we had mass out in the front yard because the chapel is not done yet. The last time the people of that village had been able to attend mass was about two months earlier. It was a blessing that Fr Thomas was able to join us on the trip so the people could attend mass daily.
After mass we sat on the roof and star gazed for hours. Then, bedtime, and man were we ready!
These are the names of our children:
Girls:
-Barbara
-Francesca
-Shama
-Cherlande
-Elourde
-Dada
-Naica
Boys:
-MacKendy
-Kendy
-WisKendy
-Youri
-Sonson
-Jean Marc
-Peterson
Each one was different from another. More to come about day 2.
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