Mission Haiti 2012—Day 5:

The plan on Friday was to go to a private beach that they normally go to.  Like most of the week, we had to be flexible. Since the day before it had rained so much we didn’t think we would be able to go.  The roads were a mess and the truck, even if it could get to the beach, because of the rain everyday of the week thus far, probably wouldn’t be able to make it back.  We planned at breakfast to go to Dandann and try to work on the school or just spend time around the orphanage.

Johnna, one of the missionaries was talking to the driver and he left. She was shocked that she might have had a good idea (it doesn’t happen much in the eyes of the Haitians).  We decided to go the opposite direction we were going to go to the direction of where their friend, Father Louis, was ordained. We went toward Miragoane.  Johnna said it was maybe an hour away at the end of the dirt road.  About 2 and a half hours later we just stopped at a random beach so we could stop driving. The beach was called Plaj Lakay (“The Beach House”).  Pulling in, we could all hardly contain ourselves! We got out of the truck and put our stuff on the beach and all headed in.

The beach was like the northwest United States. It was rocky and pebbly. There wasn’t any sand in sight. Once we reached the water we waded in and the warmth of the water was so soothing.  Being from California where the water is cold, but once you’re numb it doesn’t matter, I was pleasantly delighted to be able to enjoy every moment of that water.  It was clear and blue and like nothing I had ever seen before.  I spent as much time as I could just soaking that experience up. I remember floating in the water and telling my friend, Catherine, how I don’t remember I time when I was more at peace and simultaneously filled with joy. 

We could only spend a short time there before we had to head back to the orphanage. We didn’t plan to drive as far as we did. We piled back into the truck and headed out.  As we drove away I tried to take a mental image of the view of the water from atop the hill.  What a sight! The drive back to the orphanage was pretty quiet. I’m pretty sure we were all aware of the reality that we were heading back to the states the next day.

When we got back to Kay Mari, the kids came out to play.  We ate dinner and then we all had to bathe and get ready for mass with the villagers.  Father Thomas told us that he would have a Haitian read the first reading in Creole, then he would read the Gospel reading in English and then Brother would read the same Gospel reading in Creole.  He said he would do a very simple homily and one of the missionaries could translate it for the Haitians. The mass responses were sung in Creole by the Haitians and Father read the Eucharistic prayer in Latin.  That was one of the most real experiences of the universal, Catholic Church. I recorded some of the songs, as much as my memory card would hold, and they are now on my ipod and I listen to them constantly.

We gathered on the roof for the final time as a group and had a little end of the week exercise as we took in the beauty of the stars for the last time. Some of us stayed on the roof and some of us went down to the kids play room to watch Toy Story 2 with them.  They were watching in English. That is one more way they practice their English.  As soon as we walked in and sat down, the kids gravitated toward us and snuggled up to us.  I was moved to tears that I wouldn’t be able to play with these kids anymore. I reflected back on the week with Shama on my lap.

We put the kids to bed and went up to the room to start packing our bags. Man did our clothes smell!

The girls talked and laughed and discussed how we couldn't wait to be back to wash our clothes.  Through all the laughter there was a quiet underlying sadness that we were all realizing that we did not know when the next time we would be in this place feeling this joy again.

Lights out.