We woke up, had coffee and breakfast, then moved upstairs for praise and worship. The heat of the sun and the beautiful voices praising God could move anyone to tears.
After praise and worship we went to the play room to sort the girls’ clothes and that took up the rest of the morning. The kids arrived home from school and we got to play with them. They were so hyper! After lunch we took off to do some house visits around the village to some older members of the community. We walked for a few miles and we turned around and realized we had lost Father Thomas. We kind of needed him so he could administer the Anointing of the Sick for those whom we were going to visit.
We stopped at the one turn we had to make on the road and maybe ten minutes later Fr. Thomas appears holding the hands of kids with a few others walking along side of him and behind him. One of the coolest things. We all stopped talking and couldn’t help but compare him to Christ as He would walk hand-in-hand with the children. The only way to explain everyone’s smiles would be to say that love has no language. These children probably hadn’t been able to interact with a priest for months.
Once Fr Thomas and the children caught up to us, we continued up a hill to meet a sick, old woman. We entered her house that was about the average size of a Haitian home. The house was all of 7ft by 7ft. That was really all she needed in reality. Father entered her room and after a minute let his eyes adjust so he could administer Anointing of the Sick. Later I learned that she had been confined to her bed for two years when she was taken to the hospital. They gave her Tylenol and she felt better. After we left, she was able to attend a day for the elderly that was held at the orphanage. The beauty of this woman would humble the most proud. The simplicity of her love and faith was moving.
When we returned to the orphanage, we thought we were going to get ready for mass and head to Dandann to have mass to the people of that village. We thought we were all going to pile into the truck and head out. Plans had changed. It rained in Dandann earlier and the truck would not be able to make it through the mud. The people of Dandann had already started to gather for praise and worship before mass so we knew Father Thomas would need to get there somehow. Father, Paul, and Sarah (some of our missionaries) went on two motorcycles with two drivers to Dandann. That was quite a site, but I can only imagine what mass was like with these villagers who had not been able to attend mass in months!
The missionaries back at the orphanage asked if we wanted to join the kids for night prayer. Of course we said yes! We gathered into the children’s multi-use room. They gathered around the table and Brother started leading the kids in song and prayer. Slowly but surely, at least 8 of the 14 kids fell asleep throughout night prayer. One of the girls, Cherlande, was trying her hardest to stay awake and sing and pray along with Brother, but she was fading slowly. She was off and speaking slower than everyone else. She was determined to stay awake. Youri was out cold! He snored through most of it! Too funny! We then put those who had fallen asleep to bed. I called Cherlande over and let her fall asleep in my arms—which took no longer than 2 minutes. I put her to bed and whispered one of the few phrases I had learned in Creole, “Bon wi, sheri” (translated means, “Good night, my dear”).
We gathered as a group after the kids had gone to bed to discuss how we were all doing adjusting to the life in Haiti. We all shared and it was nice to be able to talk with others who were going through the same emotions you were. One thing we all seemed to have in common was that we were struck by the simplicity of the Haitian life and their faith. How simple it was to love the Lord. We often make it more difficult that it needs to be. The beauty of the community and how they make everything work was moving. We all agreed we were not ready to be back in the busy hustle and bustle of the States.
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