They say home is where the heart is, well if that is the case then I am in the wrong place. This time last year I was a complete wreck, and now I am just a mature wreck. I am slowly starting to learn that it never goes away, the gut wrenching, take my breath away emotions that come with being truly affected by a people and a place, and a call from the Almighty. I have recently returned from a quick 7 day trip to Haiti. Spring Break 2012! Just a quick recap, if you are new to my life and my blog this is my third time to this place. My first trip was last spring break then I returned for 5 weeks as an intern this summer. It has been a long 7 months since August waiting for the chance to return. If I had it my way, I probably would have never left. But the Lord is in control and I have learned that his plan and purpose is far better than I could ever imagine. Being obedient is not always easy, which I think we all could vouch for when it came to obeying our parents at a young age. As much as ice cream and cookies for every meal seemed logical to us, it definitely was not the way to go. But I firmly believe that the Lord rewards in small or big ways for the obedience of his children. And I definitely am thankful for those moments.
Calvary Baptist Church where I go to church here in Knoxville took three teams to Haiti this year. Two different medical teams stayed in Port-au-Prince, and the other was a construction team out on the coast in Les Cayes building for a new ministry for disabled orphans (which in Haitian culture mentally/physically disabled children are cast out). The teams were made up of college students, pastors, and adults from the church. I was apart of The A Team! Which was the first medical team to arrive in PAP. We got to Haiti on Friday with the other team coming on Sunday. The PAP teams stayed at the same place, but had different agendas each day.
Friday, March 16th
Bright and early Friday morning we met at the Knoxville Airport to depart for Miami! Knoxville airport is not a big place, but several planes flying out that day because there were a million people trying to get through! No worries we made it safe and sound to Miami! We had a long layover in Miami so we just wondered around, ate some lunch, and chilled out. When we got on the plane to PAP I was like a little kid! So excited to go back! When I saw the island below us, I was giddy! The PAP airport is not the most normal airport, but I just love it! For those of who haven't been though it, it is like a warehouse. And big doors leading outside and a sea of Haitians wanting to take your bags and help you so you will pay them. When I made it through immigration and got my bag and waiting on the team I looked over and at the door was Wilbur! Chadasha's airport guy who meets all teams at the door to get them to the vehicles to go to the Guesthouse! He waved big at me and I flipped out! I was finally in Haiti! I got antsy and went ahead to talk to him! We got our group and all our luggage and headed to the parking lot! Before I even took a step into the parking lot, I was attacked by my favorite 14 year old Ashton! The missionary kid that I have basically adopted as my little sister! So excited to see her! Then it was time to head to the Guesthouse and get settled in and eat some good Haitian food!
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| My favorite view! |
Saturday, March 17th
Today was our first full day in Haiti! We went to a small and poor orphanage. Being on the medical team we have doctors and nurses with us to provide care to whoever we see. We set up a little clinic in their makeshift classrooms with triage, doctors, and pharmacy. We were able to see each child and the workers there at the orphanage. We brought a long the "Story Cloth" to be used to share the gospel in settings with children and adults. The kids were really precious! One child had the biggest smile on his face, and you could just see joy! He had some disabilities and we were told that in the beginning he was never supposed to walk, but he taught himself and was walking and dancing all over he place. We also met a child who was very underdeveloped. He had a condition where his legs and arms were not really functional and he was extremely dehydrated. We got him hydrated and Ashton just loved on him. We then find out a couple days later, that he was found in some bushes. He can't walk, so someone had put him there. This is just one example on the condition's and mindset that is happening everyday in Haiti.
Sunday, March 18th
Sunday is one of my favorite days in Haiti! We get to go to church at First Baptist Church of Pernier (I know, it took me a while to get used to the fact there was a baptist church in PAP). I love this church! It is an amazing experience to worship in a hot, packed church and hear Haitians singing their hearts out in creole to the same God we worship here in the states. He is the God of all! The pews were packed tight, and it was hot and sweaty but absolutely wonderful. This weekend they were having a fair type event all day at the church, and to kick it off there was a pot-luck after church to raise money for FBCP. We were able to go and get food and eat with the congregation members! It was a cool experience and great great food! Later that afternoon, the remainder of out teams arrived! Getting ready for a kick-butt week for Jesus!
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| All ready for church! |
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| Pot-Luck! |
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Yannick fixing some amazing chicken
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Monday, March 19th
Today we went to a place I had been to a few times, and if I knew how to spell it I would write it.On the way there is the Mass Grave. I have visited the grave several times, and this time President Martelly had made some changes. Here at this site over 50 dump truck loads of bodies were dumped after the earthquake in 2010. There are approximately 130,000+ people buried in this grave. It is a surreal moment when you step out and see the vastness and heaviness of what happened here. For a long time there were rows and rows of wooden crosses, now Martelly has added a memorial, and will continue to add remembrances each year.
We then arrived at the destination! We actually did a clinic here last year too! It is a good sized school in this small community. There was a wide variety of ages of children being seen. We had some people outside playing with the kids, and the doctors and nurses set up in a classroom to begin seeing children. These kids were so sassy!! Mainly the older ones, but then the younger ones would just follow along. It made things a little difficult, having 50 kids not listen to you all at one time. But that's not anything different than in the states. But like how everything else in Haiti is run, you adapt and adjust. We made it through and got all the children checked out! We thought them some dances, and they loved it. I don't know if they thought it was more fun to learn the dances or see a bunch of white girls dancing. It really could go either way.
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| Dr. Katie, and dear friend and translator Kessy checking the kids |
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| Playing with the kids |
After we had checked all the children and teachers, we set off to Chadasha's beach property! This is a lot of land on the coast that we have acquired to eventually build a Orphanage Retreat Center! Where orphanages can bring their kids, kind of like a camp/VBS all in one!! We now have the land, a gate, the land cleared out, a watchman, and now fundraising and getting paperwork ready to break ground! We stopped by to see the progress and hop in the ocean for a few minutes! We all jumped in with our scrubs on and had a blast! I got some pesky sea urchins stuck in my foot, and had to have Nurse Chelsey perform "surgery" to get them out!
Tuesday, March 20th
Today, our team split into three small groups. We had one team go into the clinic the church runs. The other two went on prayer walks through the town. My group was with Zeke. Zeke is the security, body guard, boss man, handyman, and in charge of the Guesthouse. He is the most sacrificial person I have ever met. He was in charge of our group, and we helped out with his ministry he has started. G.S.A, or God Supports Adults. He had found families that have no male supporter and raises money to help fund their lives and checks on them on a consistent basis. He said we were going to go on a walk, and we basically climbed up the side of a mountain in the Haitian heat. It was a long trek but it was completely worth it. It was just amazing to think he takes this walk consistently and much longer because we could not see all of the people he supports. We had a doctor with us and some college students to go and pray for and check out the families. The first home we went to had two sisters in their mid 30s and a mother. One of the sisters had a severe bone problem and none of her limbs had developed correctly and she was in a great deal of pain. So her sister and mom had to completely take care of her while also providing for their family. The next family we met had a 46 year old mother who was confined to a wheelchair and three middle school aged daughters. She was absolutely adorable! After she was checked out by the doctor we got to talk to her, she said to us "I might have nothing, but I have everything. I have Jesus". It was just beautiful, and to look around and see she didn't have anything and living with so much uncertainty, it was a reality check.
Afterwards, we met up with everyone at the Children's Home, Chadasha's Little Hands and Feet! One of my favorite places to go! It is a home for children Chadasha has started, majority of the children there are in the process of being adopted and this is like a transition home for them. And makes it easier to keep up with the kids. I spent A LOT of time here when I was in Haiti last summer! A lot of the children were babies, and there are some new older ones. BUT there are two precious boys who were still there. The best part was they had been asking about me and couple other interns, but didn't tell them when I was coming. So, when I walked in the door, their faces lit up and they cam running! I was almost in tears. Mathieu who is 5, just hugged and hugged my neck and laughed and laughed he was so excited! And Markenson is about 9 and he just stood there with his arms around my waist and didn't let go until we had to leave.I eventually couldn't hold them anymore and just fell to the ground and they didn't leave my lap! It was the most beautiful moment for me. I have missed them so much, it makes my heart ache. And even greater that they remembered me by name filled me with so much joy!
Wednesday, March 21
The boys went to do clinics into the prisons (they were unable to get it, but prayers for future visits), so it was just the girls. That afternoon we went to a orphange near the airport. I did not realize til we pulled up that I had been there once before last summer! The first team that came in while I was there was a part of Samaritan's Feet, an organization that shares the Gospel through giving new pairs a shoes after presenting the Gospel. Because they had more larger sizes we had taken the team here, which has more older kids (high school aged) than most orphanages. It was cool to recognize some faces from when I had been there. We set up a clinic with the doctors played games with the kids the rest the afternoon. Two very cool things happened while we were there. I was helping in the clinic part, and I noticed one of the girsl wearing a bead necklace. When I looked closely it was the same necklace the team from the summer before had brought in to make with the kids! I about flipped out! So cool to see that those team members were still making an impact after all this time! Toward the end there weren't may girls left to see the doctor, and one of the girls, who was about 15, asked if I would sit down with her. She knew some English, which was phenomenal, and I knew some Creole so we managed. This is the brief conversation we had:
Me: Hi, My name is Cheyenne
Girl: I know. (I just assumed she heard someone say my name) You been here before right?
Me: (trying to contain my shock) Yes, I was here in the summer
Girl: I see you get out of the truck, and I say There is Cheyenne , she has come back.
Me: (now trying not to cry) I have come back, and I am so glad to see you. How old are you?
Girl: 15
Me: Do you have any siblings here?
Girl: Yes, but not here. But all of them (pointing to the orphans) are my brothers and sisters in Christ. You are my sister too.
Me: Yes! Yes I am. What do you want to be?
Girl: A pilot. (just then a plane flew over the orphanage)
Me: That is great!
Girl: I really want to be a pilot. I know God will help me be a pilot, and if he does not then he will provide another way.
Me: Yes he will.
I left that day with emotions all over the place. I was completely overwhelmed that spending a few hours 8 months ago with some children would impact one of them as much as it did. It was a clear gift from God saying you are doing good, and you need to comeback. And her complete and utter trust in the Lord. She knew what she wanted, and if they did not happen it was what the Lord wanted. How many of us can say if we said that we would whole-heartedly believe it. Such an amazing day.
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| Necklace we made in July! |
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Precious girl from the convo above
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Thursday, March 22
Today was our team's last full day in PAP. We went to a tent camp not far, that the other team had done a clinic earlier and were not able to see everyone. Chadasha has begun a great relationship with this place. They have started English classes and bible classes here. The UN guys were nice enough to let us use their building. Which made things so much easier! We were able to have much more crowd control that way. We saw as many patients as we could, and got play outside with the kids to keep them out of trouble. Girls love to play with hair, especially white people hair! We got out hair done Haitian style while we were there too...cornrows!
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| Girl who did my hair! |
It was a great week in PAP! It took a little longer to get home...as in it took 2 days! What an experience that was! This week was like a teaser, for what is to come. I waited 7 months to finally return, only to leave so fast. It will be exactly four months from the time I left Haiti til I return! Much better than 7, but still 4 months too long. I know the Lord has great things planned for me here in the states before I return to Haiti, for a much longer time.I know it has been a long post, but I hope you enjoyed my trip to my 2nd home!
And I have marked 2 more off my 101 list!! # 6 and #68!
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